12.Extreme Challenge

Except for Qin Hu, no one ranked in the top ten during training. Everyone was holding in their frustration, eager to master the armor ahead of time and show it off to the others. This made them train even harder.

But to be honest, controlling the armor wasn't as easy as it seemed. Qin Hu's method allowed him to operate it, but his movements were stiff and unnatural. That might not be an issue during practice, but on the battlefield, moving like a stop-motion animation was a recipe for disaster.

He didn't need anyone to point it out—he noticed the problem himself. The moment he had a thought, the armor would execute the action instantly, leaving him with zero reaction time. It felt as if he were a puppet, completely controlled by the armor. Only those who had experienced it firsthand could understand how unsettling it was.

Qin Hu quickly connected the dots. If the goal was to move naturally, why not act as if the armor wasn't there at all?

He immediately started testing it out, jumping lightly a few times. His first jump sent him half a person's height into the air; the second, about a meter high. As he continued, his jumps gradually became more controlled and natural.

Sure enough, his movements became smoother. The puppet-like feeling remained, but given his physical endurance, he could ignore it. In fact, he began to wonder: maybe mastering the armor was all about overcoming that sensation?

Determined to push his limits, Qin Hu got into a starting stance and suddenly sprinted forward. After just a few steps, he abruptly stopped, turned around, and ran back. He repeated this drill, performing dozens of shuttle runs in the confined space until he was completely exhausted.

Everyone watching was dumbfounded. They knew Qin Hu was a freak of nature, but this was on another level.

Wang Zhen jumped up, both shocked and excited. He charged toward Qin Hu and crashed into him—but to his surprise, Qin Hu went flying.

The crowd's expressions turned even stranger. Wang Zhen's movement had been just as unnaturally smooth.

Unaware of this, Wang Zhen only thought about helping Qin Hu up. However, his stiff movements made him too slow—by the time he reached Qin Hu, the latter had already flipped himself upright.

"You okay?" Wang Zhen asked awkwardly.

"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine," Qin Hu exhaled. "Just… give me a moment to catch my breath."

Even someone as carefree as Wang Zhen could tell something was off. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just… kinda feels like I crashed into a wall," Qin Hu muttered.

Wang Zhen was dumbfounded. Crashed into a wall?

The others exchanged glances. Was this guy out of his mind?

Wang Zhen pressed on. "What do you mean, 'crashed into a wall'?"

Qin Hu gestured back and forth. "Every time I turned, it was too fast. It felt like slamming into a wall over and over again. My head's spinning, and I feel like my bones are about to fall apart."

Everyone immediately understood. No one—absolutely no one—could endure ramming into an invisible wall dozens of times without feeling wrecked.

"How did you manage to keep running?" Wang Zhen voiced everyone's thoughts.

"I just powered through," Qin Hu replied. "No matter how uncomfortable it was, I didn't stop until I physically couldn't go on."

Holy crap.

It felt like a herd of wild horses trampled through their minds. No one wanted to believe him. Even Wang Zhen hesitated. "Are you serious?"

"Dead serious." Qin Hu stood up. "If you can endure it, you can master it. The method's dumb, but it works."

Silence fell over the group. Was it just their imagination, or did someone just gulp audibly?

Wang Zhen grinned. "Who wants to try?"

Nobody responded. The air grew awkward. After a long pause, a hesitant voice finally spoke up. "I'll give it a shot."

The volunteer was Zheng Guo, a tall and muscular recruit.

All eyes turned to him as he took a deep breath to steady himself. Then, suddenly, he dashed forward. His speed and fluidity stunned everyone.

But it only lasted a moment. After about ten meters, he stumbled and collapsed, shaking like he'd been hit by a taser.

"You okay?" A nearby recruit moved stiffly toward him, intending to help.

"I'm fine," Zheng Guo's voice trembled. "Just… lost control for a bit. Give me… a sec."

Everyone broke out in a cold sweat. He was shaking like a leaf—how was that 'fine'?

Wang Zhen's voice was dry. "Anyone else wanna try?"

"No thanks," Yu Bin chuckled bitterly. "This guy's a monster. His method won't work for us. We better figure out our own way."

"Yeah, let's not end up breaking ourselves before we even master the armor," another recruit chimed in.

Zheng Guo finally stopped shaking and carefully got to his feet. He looked at Qin Hu and sighed. "Alright, that's enough. Let's call it a day."

Qin Hu felt utterly wronged. He turned to Wang Zhen for support, but Wang Zhen wasn't much better off. "I used to think I was pretty decent… but compared to you, I might as well just give up."

"What did I do?!" Qin Hu protested.

"Nothing," Wang Zhen waved him off, shaking his head as he walked away. "Just keep doing your thing. I need a break from watching you."

Qin Hu felt even more wronged. Since no one paid him any more attention, he stopped thinking about it and continued pushing his limits. If he couldn't adapt to the armor instantly, he would just strengthen his endurance until he could.

This time, he avoided extreme measures. Instead, he softened his approach—switching from sharp turns to gradual changes in direction and slowing down to reduce the strain on his body.

He had only intended to experiment, but to his surprise, the method worked exceptionally well. Not only did it ease the physical toll, but it also helped him synchronize with the armor more smoothly.

By the afternoon, Qin Hu had become incredibly proficient. Wearing the armor, he could accelerate and decelerate at will—almost as if it were an extension of his own body.

If the others hadn't watched him struggle through the process, they would have thought he had been secretly practicing all along. At first, some of them had wanted to compete with him, but as time passed, they abandoned the idea.

Competing with normal people was one thing. Competing with a freak like Qin Hu? Utterly hopeless.

As dinnertime approached, Qin Hu, feeling good about his progress, performed a full combat maneuver sequence—leaping, rolling, and flipping in rapid succession within a confined space. His movements were as fluid as flowing water, a sight both exhilarating and frustrating to watch.

Was there even a point in trying to keep up with him?

Just then, Wang Ben happened to walk by and caught sight of Qin Hu's display. He froze in shock, his mind going blank except for one thought:

Is this guy even human?!