Plan

Upon hearing Zhang Heng’s words, Su Xuan bit down on his red lips, as delicate as if they were dotted with cinnabar.

His peach-blossom-hued, rosy, oval face was full of defiance, and his eyes, as clear as rippling jade, shone with determination.

The contrast between softness and resilience overlapped perfectly on Su Xuan’s face, creating a stunning picture that Zhang Heng dared not stare at for too long.

At that moment, Su Xuan silently vowed: I’ll make him take me seriously.

How could a little hardship possibly scare him? Zhang Heng had clearly underestimated him. He would work hard and prove himself. After all, he was a man—through and through.

“Very good. That’s the kind of look I like to see,” Zhang Heng said approvingly.

“It shows that you haven’t lost your will to be strong just because of your appearance.”

Zhang Heng held his thermos cup, originally planning to stand and stretch due to the pain in his backside from sitting too long.

But now, he couldn’t get up—if Su Xuan saw that he couldn’t control his… “weapon,” it would be a complete embarrassment.

“What sin have I committed… I can face down the Black Fiends without flinching, yet I crumble in front of a boy?” Zhang Heng lamented internally. “A face like that… only the harsh environment of a military camp, brimming with testosterone, can protect his dignity. Poor kid.”

He glanced again at that dazzlingly alluring face and sighed so softly it was barely audible.

He was starting to understand why Su Xuan was so eager to reach the Initial Form.

Without solid strength to back him up, a face like that was bound to attract trouble.

After taking a sip of tea, Zhang Heng gestured toward the cabinet on the right. “Bring me a notebook.”

“I’ll make you a training plan now. Reaching Initial Form in a month is no small feat. If you can withstand the intensity, I’ll give you my private number and personally guide you. And if you break through within two weeks, I’ll continue to mentor you through the Initial Form training phase.”

“But if you don’t have the grit to endure this kind of hardship, then go home and wait for the natural breakthrough. If you don’t achieve Initial Form within two weeks, you’re not qualified to receive my further guidance.”

Zhang Heng wrote and sketched in the notebook with focused intensity.

Undoubtedly, Su Xuan had the talent to be worth his personal number—but talent wasn’t everything.

The battlefield had no place for cowards. A gutless person would only be a liability to his team.

Naturally reaching Initial Form within two months was already achievable for Su Xuan. With the right training, doing it in one month was inevitable.

But that shouldn’t be the limit.

He could do it in two weeks—maybe even less.

With a face like that, he’d have to work twice as hard to make people overlook his looks and submit to his strength instead.

The scratching of Zhang Heng’s pen echoed through the quiet room, like the rhythm of sweat-drenched training sessions waiting just ahead.

“To reach Initial Form in a short time,” Zhang Heng said plainly, “you have to squeeze every drop of potential out of yourself. Push yourself to the edge.”

“As long as you’re not dead, train like you want to die.”

He paused to take another sip of water and continued:

“We all got through it this way. It not only unlocks your hidden potential, it forges your will and mental resilience. Against the Black Fiends, an unbreakable spirit is often the key to victory.”

“Mm… I’ll do my best!” Su Xuan clenched his fists. The next two weeks would be a trial by fire.

“There’s no need to attend school anymore. Just take a leave. Start training tomorrow,” Zhang Heng instructed. “Go home and think it through. You have one day. If you decide to back out, I won’t look down on you.”

“But those who quit halfway through and claim they ‘can’t handle it’? I advise them: don’t go to war. You’ll get your teammates killed.”

He tore the filled page from the notebook and handed it to Su Xuan.

Waving his hand, he motioned for Su Xuan to leave, picked up his thermos, and drank deeply, making it clear the conversation was over.

“Thank you, Coach Zhang.”

Su Xuan bowed respectfully, folded the plan neatly, and slipped it into his pocket.

“Phew… Finally gone. Time for the bathroom. I’ve been drinking water non-stop, I’m about to burst.”

Once the door closed behind Su Xuan, Zhang Heng finally let out a breath of relief.

The kid’s every movement, though not intentionally seductive, carried an irresistible allure.

He couldn’t help but worry again for this stubborn boy. Without the strength to back him up, how could he withstand the gaze of others once he entered the military?

“In this day and age, being too good-looking… really isn’t a blessing.”

Zhang Heng adjusted the growing tent in his pants—but the stubborn thing wouldn’t go down, like a defiant roly-poly toy.

With a hand to his forehead, he sighed and headed for the restroom.

…

Su Xuan clenched his fists tightly. He didn’t know why Coach Zhang had that strange expression earlier—like he was doomed to fail. But it didn’t matter. Others’ opinions are for reference, not for judgment.

“For the dignity of all men, I—Su Xuan—must endure this trial!”

He approached the front desk, intending to return the room card. Though he hadn’t gained anything tangible this time, it had given him an opportunity—one far more valuable than anything else.

“Coach Zhang said to let you keep the card,” the receptionist said with a smile. “You don’t need to return it.”

Instructors had the right to decide who held access to their training rooms. Giving the card to Su Xuan meant he could enter freely from now on without going through the front desk.

“Oh, really? Thank you.”

Su Xuan gave a brief nod and left slowly.

“If only I were half as pretty as him…” the receptionist murmured dreamily, staring after his retreating figure.

“Girl, if you looked half as pretty, you’d already be some CEO’s pampered mistress,” her colleague snapped her out of it mercilessly.

…

“That’s Su Xuan?” said a figure lurking in the shadows, watching Su Xuan leave the trial ground.

“Yeah. But now’s not the right time to strike. Wait until right before the major assessment…”