[The teacher is actually pretty nice. I always thought he'd be hard to get along with.]
[What kind of ability does Chen Guan have anyway? He doesn't have any spiritual power.]
[Probably an enhancement type like Brother Ao, otherwise how could he walk around carrying a block of iron.]
[Be a bit bolder, I'm guessing mythical type.]
The bullet comments floated by. After the mythical type guess, the comments became increasingly bold. Later on, they dared to post things that Chen Guan did not even dare to read. They were almost treating him as the Creator God.
You guys think too highly of me!
I don't have any abilities at all!
The two-hour class quickly passed. When the dismissal bell rang, Situ Ming left with the words, "Comprehend this on your own after class. I will do random checks next week," before floating away.
The students all breathed a sigh of relief and began to pack their things. Taking Situ Ming's class was a mountain of pressure, even for the good students.
"Student Chen Guan." An Changqing walked over and asked with concern, "Were you able to keep up in class? Dean Situ's lecture was a bit profound."
"Barely," Chen Guan replied. He did have many areas he didn't understand, but he could grasp the basic framework. His previous late-night studying had been somewhat useful.
"That's good. In the afternoon is Tutor Li Yan's physical arts class in Training Hall 3. Don't forget," An Changqing reminded him.
"Yeah, thanks."
Bidding farewell to An Changqing, Chen Guan carried his coffin on his back and headed to the library.
He needed to consult more documents. There was no need to waste his precious popularity points to learn this kind of stuff.
"Sys, what is the situation with this Black Iron Coffin?"
Having bought some lunch, Chen Guan ate as he walked, taking a moment to communicate with the system.
"Host, the Black Iron Coffin is a reward from the novice gift pack, but I don't know the exact details either. These are all issued directly by the main system, and we subordinate systems have no right to know."
Sys was unreliable as usual, and Chen Guan did not give him a hard time anymore.
Anyway, it couldn't harm him, so he could only take it one step at a time.
After burying his head in the vast sea of information in the library for over an hour, he gained very little.
Chen Guan had temporarily changed his mind this time and browsed through a lot of materials that might be related to the Black Iron Coffin.
There were records about top-tier materials like Black Iron, mostly emphasizing its sturdiness, poor energy conductivity, and slight repulsion to spiritual power. However, a case like his, where an entire block of ten-thousand-year Black Iron was forged into a coffin, was completely unheard of.
As it neared noon, Chen Guan left the library, hurriedly finished his lunch at the cafeteria, and went straight to Training Hall 3.
The training hall was located on the east side of the Tianshu District. It was a tall, silver-gray building that looked full of power.
The hall was divided into multiple areas, including arenas, strength testing zones, reaction training zones, simulated combat cabins, and more.
When Chen Guan walked into the designated training room carrying the coffin on his back, there were already about twenty people standing inside. There were also quite a few unfamiliar faces, probably people from the Tianxuan Class.
Everyone had changed into training uniforms that were easy to move in. They stood in twos and threes, talking in low voices. Chen Guan listened in for a bit, and it was mostly about Li Yan. This person was considered a legendary teacher, privately called the Great Demon King by others.
In the center of the training room stood a man like an iron tower. He was about forty years old, with a buzz cut and a resolute face as if carved by a knife and axe. Wearing a tight black training uniform, his exposed arm muscles bulged, full of explosive power.
Just standing there, he gave off a heavy sense of oppression, like a silent, ferocious beast.
He was precisely the physical arts tutor, Li Yan.
His gaze was like a falcon's, slowly sweeping over every student present. Without any emotional fluctuation, it made everyone subconsciously straighten their backs and put away their slackness.
When his gaze swept past Chen Guan... and the coffin on his back, he paused slightly. His brows furrowed imperceptibly, but he didn't say anything.
"Assemble." Li Yan's voice was deep and hoarse. Coupled with his face, he looked ferocious, truly living up to his name.
Everyone quickly formed two lines in front of him.
"I am Li Yan, responsible for your physical arts foundation and human potential development."
He got straight to the point, his tone completely devoid of warmth. "In my class, there are no geniuses and no trash. There is only qualified and unqualified. Those who are unqualified will do extra training. For those who are repeatedly unqualified, I don't care if you are from the Tianshu Class or the Tianxuan Class, get the hell out."
His cold words made many students' hearts tremble.
"Now, warm up. Fifty laps around the field, variable speed run. Begin."
Once the order was given, no one dared to slack off. They immediately started running around the spacious training room.
Chen Guan also ran in the ranks. Running with the coffin on his back, thanks to the system's little cheat, he didn't feel much strain. His 3.2 stamina, combined with the skills from his basic physical arts proficiency, allowed him to adjust his breathing and pace relatively well, barely keeping up with the speed of the main group.
Li Yan stood in the center of the field like a statue, his gaze like lightning, scanning every student's running posture, breathing, and rhythm.
After fifty laps of variable speed running, even those with the best physical fitness like Long Ao, An Changqing, and others were sweating slightly, their breathing a bit rushed.
A few students leaning towards the support direction were even pale and panting heavily.
Chen Guan also broke a sweat, but he felt okay. His stamina consumption was within a controllable range.
"Stop." Li Yan raised his hand. "Now, basic strength test. Everyone, go over there and lift a barbell corresponding to 1.5 times your body weight, and do twenty squats. Those who can't do it, do one hundred push-ups."
The crowd looked at the row of barbell plates placed on one side of the field, silently calculating their own weight.
Most of the students in the Tianshu and Tianxuan classes were exceptionally gifted, and their physical foundations were not bad either. 1.5 times their body weight wasn't too difficult for many, but twenty consecutive standard squats were still a test of core and lower limb strength.
The test began. An Changqing completed it easily, his movements standard and smooth. Long Ao was even more effortless, as if the weight didn't exist.
Girls like Zhao Qingyin and Li Muxue found it a bit strenuous but barely met the standard.
People like Zhou Tong and Sun Miao, who obviously didn't focus on the physical body, grimaced in pain but managed to finish it anyway.
When it was Chen Guan's turn, a problem arose.
Li Yan's gaze fell on Chen Guan, then he looked at the coffin and said coldly, "You, 1.5 times the total weight including that coffin, or put the coffin down and only count your own body weight."
Chen Guan naturally couldn't choose the former. The true weight of this coffin was beyond imagination. Let alone 1.5 times, even 0.5 times would be fatal.
He placed the coffin at his feet and started adding plates to the barbell. He was about 70 kilograms, so 1.5 times meant 105 kilograms.
This was going to kill him...
Looking at his remaining popularity points that had just broken through the two thousand mark, Chen Guan felt a pang of pain as he exchanged them for two free attribute points and added them directly to his strength.
He walked up to the barbell, planted his feet firmly in a horse stance, gripped the bar with both hands, straightened his back, and tightened his core.
"Up!"
With a low shout, his entire body's strength suddenly erupted.
The barbell was steadily hoisted onto his shoulders. The heavy pressure made his legs tremble slightly, but he immediately steadied himself.