Chapter 116: The Teachings of the Black Reaper

"Ah! I'm starving! No dieting today, I'm going to eat to my heart's content!" Alice shouted at the top of her lungs as soon as she approached the private room.

Huo Ye followed up, "I've never seen you on a diet any day of the week."

"I burned so much energy today, who cares? Alice is right, let's eat!" Jiang Feng shouted, raising both arms high.

Eddie and Vivian would not be participating in the children's activities, and they naturally wouldn't join them for their evening gathering either. Thus, the table was once again occupied only by members of the Star club.

They had all washed away their sweat before arriving; since the Star club occupied an entire floor, it naturally came equipped with showers. Once they were clean, everyone realized that apart from Huo Ye, Ruri Kazama was the most energetic of them all. It was worth noting that despite being a girl, she carried a full 100 kilograms of weight during training—the heaviest load among all the girls. It seemed they had inadvertently overlooked the fact that this girl, who usually appeared soft and delicate, was actually very strong.

They didn't go to the Foley Hot Pot Restaurant this time; it’s nice to change things up occasionally. This time, they were having barbecue.

As a result, the waiter witnessed a table of guests they would never forget. Eight people—four men and four women—all appeared somewhat slim. The only one who could be called sturdy was the handsome boy leading them; none of them looked like they could eat much. Yet, this very group polished off thirty servings of meat, not including the vegetables.

The most shocking of all were the girl who carried a parasol and the somewhat dim-witted boy; the two of them had an absolutely outrageous appetite!

The restaurant staff were ordinary people, not part of the circle of ability users. They only worked in Bancroft because the pay was higher regardless of the job, choosing to risk potential disaster attacks to make a living. Thus, they didn't recognize the members of the Star club. Otherwise, a quick glance at the academy’s internal forum would have shown them exactly how much energy these individuals had expended that day.

In fact, the others were a bit startled by the sight of those two eating. It was understandable for a boy like Lu Dingyuan to have a big appetite, but what was up with Ruri Kazama? She could eat, sleep, and never gain weight—she was practically the standard template for someone to be jealous of!

Jiang Feng did try to ask her, "Ruri, why don't you gain any weight?"

Ruri, without stopping her chopsticks, replied, "It's a secret. You'll know eventually." The others exchanged glances, but since it was her secret, they didn't press the matter further.

Huo Ye then said, "By the way, how are you all preparing for the monthly exams? The written test is tomorrow. I don't think anyone will have a problem with that; the main issue is the practical exam in three days." As he said this, he glanced at Jiang Feng and Remi. He didn't say it explicitly, but everyone knew that when it came to the practical exam, these two were the ones causing the most concern.

The academy had released news that afternoon: for the exam in three days, they would be facing real, genuine disasters—dangerous creatures that had been captured alive by the Extermination Squad during the initial term exams and were capable of posing a lethal threat.

"I... I'll try my best," Remi said, sounding somewhat lacking in confidence.

Jiang Feng, however, was full of confidence. "Don't worry, Boss. I can handle a mere practical test. You just have to trust the results of my recent training."

Ruri Kazama chimed in, "That's true. Jiang Feng has actually sparred with people from other major clubs lately, and he's won more than he's lost. Although the opponents weren't top-tier experts, they were still at the executive level of their clubs."

"Exactly! I'm a major contributor to the Star club now!" Jiang Feng said confidently.

"You two are quite in sync with this back-and-forth, aren't you?" Huo Ye teased.

Ruri remained unmoved, while Jiang Feng subconsciously glanced at her but didn't say anything more.

The next day, after the monthly written exams concluded, the eight of them were back to their brutal training. However, they skipped physical conditioning for the day. With the monthly exams looming, Eddie and Old Ke decided to teach them something practical.

The eight of them gathered in the training room at the heart of the Star club's facility. It wasn't very large, about 180 square meters, but it was enough for them.

They stood in a line. Everyone except Huo Ye and Alice was thrilled. Were they finally going to receive guidance from the "Black Reaper"? The instruction of the world's strongest human was absolutely priceless! They owed this to their club president and Alice, and they would have to thank them properly later! But only the siblings knew that the nightmare had only just begun.

"Ordinary people train their muscles for aesthetics, focusing on specific muscle groups. Ability users can naturally do targeted training for progress in certain areas, but I'm not talking about superficial muscle building. The science behind this is all-encompassing: muscles, ligaments, bones, nerves, and even every single pore. Their coordination with breathing and your abilities... the deeper your understanding, the higher your application of your powers can go. So, the first lesson today is: learn to understand your own body. Huo Ye, come here."

Upon hearing this, Huo Ye’s palms immediately broke into a sweat. He seemed to know his fate. After mourning for two seconds, he walked forward resolutely, ready to sacrifice himself heroically for the group's path to power.

Huo Ye reached Eddie, nodded, and signaled he was ready. Without a word, Eddie stepped forward, grabbed Huo Ye’s shoulders, forced him down, and brought his knee up in a fierce strike against Huo Ye’s chest.

"Crack!" Everyone heard the crisp sound of bone breaking. Alice and Luo Jiajia instinctively covered their eyes, unable to watch the violent scene. Yet, that was the only attack Eddie made; he didn't follow up.

"Tell me, how many ribs did you break?" Eddie asked calmly.

Huo Ye clutched his chest, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and replied, "Three, and one more is just fractured."

"Good. It seems you haven't forgotten what I taught you," Eddie said with a hint of satisfaction.

The group was left stunned. Was it really this violent? Are they crazy? Is this what the "Black Reaper" is really like? Even if Huo Ye could recover quickly, did it have to be like this? President, what on earth did you go through when you were a kid?

Ke Zhen gasped and asked, "I say, aren't you being a bit excessive?"

"It's fine, he can handle it."

"It's fine, I'm used to it."

Father and son said in unison. Everyone was bewildered. Used to it? What do you mean you're used to it? That familiarity was heartbreaking!

Only Alice rolled her eyes at the ceiling; she said nothing. This was standard operating procedure for the two of them; she was used to it too.

Huo Ye’s bones quickly healed themselves. Eddie continued his explanation: "Because the body is growing and changing rapidly before adulthood, there is no need to study it. I only taught Huo Ye how to explore his own body a few months ago. You haven't reached the level of sensing your nerves yet, have you?"

Eddie directed the last sentence at Huo Ye. Huo Ye nodded and said, "That's right. I've been trying recently. If I can channel my ability into specific nerves, I should be able to keep my dynamic vision up with 'Lightning Speed' without damaging my eyeballs."

"'Lightning Speed'? What’s that?" Lu Dingyuan asked, full of confusion.

"Same question!" Luo Jiajia raised her hand obediently.

Huo Ye turned to them and realized, "Oh, right. I forgot to tell you about my 'Dark Compatibility'."

Huo Ye then briefly explained the concept of Dark Compatibility and the principle behind executing Lightning Speed based on it. The two newcomers were, without a doubt, left dumbfounded.

Lu Dingyuan suddenly remarked, "Super-strong recovery, the ability to use Dark-element powers alongside other attributes... Boss, are you sure you're not a disaster yourself?"

"How are you talking?" Alice glared fiercely at Lu Dingyuan. He rubbed his head in guilt and said nothing more.

Luo Jiajia looked at Huo Ye with admiration. So, the President had such abilities? Sub-level stem cells and Dark Compatibility—two individual abilities? What is a prodigy? This is what a prodigy is!

Afterward, Eddie began teaching everyone how to follow the rhythm of their breathing to sense the flow of energy within their bodies, achieving a state of "internal vision." They started by sensing muscle fibers, then bones and nerves, gradually going deeper until they could eventually communicate with their cells. But for now, that was still too far off. Their current task was to learn how to recognize their own bodies properly.