The Iron-Willed Shen Qian

Shen Qian glanced at Zhao Xin with surprise.

He hadn't expected Zhao Xin to possess such strength. To be honest, among their peers, this was already considered above average.

With this level of ability, Zhao Xin could easily pass the martial arts entrance exam. So why was he so determined to join the military?

A question flashed through Shen Qian's mind.

Was a martial arts university not good enough?

Were the senior sisters not wild enough, or were the junior sisters not cute enough?

"Here is your membership card, please keep it safe."

With a bright smile, Zhao Xin had just completed the registration. He waved the silver-colored card in his hand and shot Shen Qian a provocative glance.

At that moment, the ranking display screen flickered and updated—Zhao Xin's name appeared at rank 38.

Zhong Xiaoli was quite pleased with her son's performance. She was about to call Zhao Xin to leave, but Zhao Xin remained still. He stared at Shen Qian with an expression that spoke for itself.

Waiting to see me embarrass myself?

Shen Qian shrugged indifferently and stepped onto the simulation machine.

He put on the helmet. As soon as his spine connected with the device, his vision darkened, and he found himself in an open field with a stationary wooden stake in front of him.

He didn't bother hiding his strength. After all, it had been two weeks—he was also curious to see how much he had improved.

With that thought, Shen Qian launched forward and punched the wooden stake.

"Beep! Beep!"

Shen Qian took off the helmet and looked at the numbers on the screen.

"Age: 17

Explosive Strength: 126 kg

Sprint Speed: 10.8s per 100 meters

Potential Index: 70"

"How is this possible?!"

Before the others could react, Zhao Xin erupted in anger.

His own potential index was only 68, yet Shen Qian had 70… That mere two-point gap felt as disgusting as swallowing a fly.

His only advantage over Shen Qian was slightly higher strength. But considering the one-year age difference, a 5kg strength gap was meaningless.

This result also took Manager Zheng and the others by surprise. No one had expected that the poorly dressed Shen Qian would have more potential than Zhao Xin.

"Wow! You're amazing! A potential index of 70 qualifies you for an additional 30% discount on top of the existing 10% off!" Xiaoxuan cheered for Shen Qian.

"Are you sure the simulator isn't malfunctioning?" Zhao Xin refused to believe it. "Test him again!"

"Zhao, the simulator cannot be wrong." Manager Zheng patiently explained in a low voice. "And retesting goes against the rules."

They couldn't understand Zhao Xin's mixed emotions of shock, anger, and humiliation.

Two weeks ago, this same boy had smiled politely at him, showing goodwill…

Wait. If Shen Qian was this strong, getting into a martial arts university wouldn't be a problem.

So why did he choose the military?

A thought surfaced in Zhao Xin's mind—the same question Shen Qian had earlier.

Could he know about… that information?

Zhao Xin's expression shifted unpredictably. In the end, he pulled the grim-faced Zhong Xiaoli away, looking shaken, as if something had just struck him.

Shen Qian, on the other hand, finally got to complete his membership registration.

"This is a gold-level membership card. Once you top it up, you can use it for all expenses with a 37% discount. The pricing is based on time slots, ranging from 88 to 888 yuan per hour, depending on the training room's level. There are also package deals for longer sessions. The public training areas on the first floor are free for all members…"

Shen Qian nodded in understanding. The pricing structure was similar to VR gaming centers. The only painful part was the 1,000-yuan membership fee and the 5,000-yuan minimum deposit…

Out of the 10,000-yuan reward from the police, he had already spent 2,000+ on alchemy materials. That left him with just under 8,000 yuan—and most of it was about to vanish in an instant.

"The saying is true… literature makes you poor, martial arts makes you broke."

Beep! Beep!

"Congratulations! Your one-day millionaire experience has expired."

Shen Qian stared at his now-depleted bank card with pain in his heart.

"I'll take a gold-tier training room for half a day—that should be enough."

Originally, he had considered renting a platinum-tier room (588 yuan per hour), but after calculating the cost, he gave up on that idea. The gold-tier room was good enough.

"Alright, a half-day session in a gold-tier room is normally 3,000 yuan, but with the 37% discount, it comes to 1,890 yuan."

After the deduction, Xiaoxuan led Shen Qian to the third floor and opened the training room for him.

Once he stepped inside and shut the door, the automatic lights turned on. A large digital clock at the entrance started a 12-hour countdown.

Checking his wristwatch, Shen Qian noted that it was only a little past 7 PM. He could train until 7 AM, grab breakfast at the martial arts hall, and head straight to school—perfect timing.

The gold-tier training room was about 70 square meters. Besides the main hall filled with various body-training equipment, there was also a private rest area with an independent bathroom.

Additionally, one wall featured a glass cabinet stocked with energy-replenishing food and drinks, even some off-brand body-strengthening potions…

Of course, just like a hotel minibar, only the bottled water, bread, and tissues were free.

Shen Qian wasn't in a rush to start training—he needed to take his potion first.

He pulled out a thermos from his bag. Inside was the second batch of stamina potion he had brewed until dawn.

The one he gave to Wang Yangming earlier was just a small, diluted portion of the extract.

It wasn't that he was being stingy—commercially available "Body-Strengthening Potions" from Canglang Pharmaceuticals required two months for full absorption. Meanwhile, the system's stamina potion was ten times stronger and acted almost instantly.

Last time, Shen Qian had passed out from the pain even in his AFK (auto-training) state. For a normal person, the consequences would be unimaginable.

The dose he gave Wang Yangming was the maximum a normal person could handle in one go, with a recommended seven-day interval between treatments—it was all clearly written in the prescription.

However, thanks to his system, Shen Qian could push beyond human limits.

So, he made a decision—

Bottoms up.

No matter how painful it was, he wouldn't feel it anyway. Later, he could just read the logs and tell himself "Good job, buddy."

As soon as he unscrewed the cap, a strong medicinal aroma filled the air. Luckily, the thick walls ensured that no sound—or screams—would escape.

That was another great advantage of a private training room.

Stripping off his clothes, he stepped into the two-meter-wide bathtub. Tilting his head back, he chugged the entire contents of the thermos.

Shen Qian stood firm, his expression full of determination.

He wanted to experience the effects of the potion while conscious. If he could endure this, it would greatly enhance his willpower and mental strength—a rare form of training.

Or so he thought…

An indescribable pain instantly surged through every nerve in his body. Without thinking, he shouted—

"AUTO-TRAINING MODE: ON!"

The world fell silent.

His consciousness slipped into darkness, but his body remained upright—like a true iron-willed warrior.