On a track of 10km ten people prepared to start dashing, it was quite unfortunate to be part of this group as all the people who had performed outstandingly were huddled into the very last people.
Naturally as they were youths their blood was pumping and their desire to outdo one another was there.
But when you were paired with the monsters that were way above you your hope was that when compared to them you would look like someone who neglected training as that would not make you lose face.
As a cultivator if one was enraged he would fight to the death in a losing battle screaming 'You are courting death' and at the end of the day would be visited by their parents in their new home at the graveyard.
"Start!"
Su Lie shot forward shocking everyone with his reaction time, it was like he and the green-robed man had decided when they would start.
His feet left sparks of electricity as he ran, with the way he moved he covered a 1 km in a minute!
"So that's the reason he was so cocky, he has the lightning attribute." The dark-red young man sighed even while running. "I guess I too need to turn up the pace."
His speed suddenly increased as the other runners around him felt hot, his feet moving faster as the temperature around him dropped.
Apparently these two competitors wanted the rest of the runners to give up the ghost so that they could blaze the trails.
Su Lie advanced at a more casual rate using up all of his Qi before he reached 5km wouldn't be the solution and soon the boy's blood would come into view, with that pungent spiritual energy.
If he didn't play wisely he would only end up with a broken hand and broken legs.
Nobody wanted to lose control, one of the sure things that would happen if he met the horrible spiritual energy head on.
"Are you enjoying the view slowpoke?" Su Lie asked the dark-red haired boy in the back.
But everybody was behind him, it gave them the impression that he was mocking them.
Doing this to spite his enemy meant that he was ready to fall down, fortunately that didn't happen.
The dark-red haired boy was enraged, how could this nobody insult him so openly? Does he not know how much face he's losing?
"I didn't want to resort to this so early... No, not yet." He muttered to himself.
He was not about to lose his cool when the need to show this punk he just met that he was nobody was on the line.
The dark-red haired young man increased his speed by a little after they had crossed 4 km, he was not going to waste all his stamina when the main event had not started.
Meanwhile, behind them Jiang Mei felt left out. They were so deeply engrossed in their rivalry that they forgot about her!
Jiang Mei was someone who wanted attention; not the kind that you got from humiliating yourself though, the one that you got when you proved that you were a prodigy.
But she was getting out shined by these two brutes who were locked in the moment, determined to beat one another.
She was almost at the 4 km mark and but the young man in front of her crossed it a minute ago!
Unlike Su Lie and the dark-red haired young man her elements would help her increase her speed without guaranteeing her falling.
Sighing at the turn of the events she willed more Qi into her leg, her reserves weren't a problem as the Qi she had could equal a 3rd rank body strengthening stage cultivator but she wanted to hold on until the main event.
With that increase her speed she was slowly catching up to the red head.
'I really want to curse right now. Why would that crazy kid do this? I can't even move at my full speed.' Su Lie lamented at his luck.
The spiritual energy the teen had released wasn't good for neither your cultivation, your health or your teeth.
[A/N: This is serious, don't use that kind of spiritual energy to brush your teeth. Don't blame me later if you have no teeth after that.]
He abruptly stopped speeding as he could not let his focus down, thankfully he had the foresight to gradually slow down before he reached here unless he would have tumbled to complete it.
Even if he completed it first in that state +1 charisma would not help.
After all the leader cannot be giving his speech to increase morale while the leader himself is a cripple on a wheelchair.
Su Lie cursed his luck, why had he been the one to get such a track? Couldn't they have given this one to someone who couldn't even run like the guy in number one.
Su Lie was filled with jealously and envy directed straight at the runner in track number one.
He had such a clear track devoid of impurities, such a fine piece of equipment that would allow one to show their full potential. Not this trash that would keep him stuck at 4 points in charisma!!
Even Jiang Mei was approaching him now, he could already see her figure catching up to him.
And Mr. Red hair...
"Hello Mr. Big shot." The red head said smugly. "Second place... is yours!"
With that he sped forward, they were at 7 km so it would be the right time to use his card just to rub it into Su Lie's face and show-off.
He channeled Qi into his body wholly as the temperature around him increased, he seemed like he wanted roasted human.
But his figure increased speed as his body emitted more heat than before.
'Second place! For how many points of charisma? 0.5?! He isn't serious. He should have told that to himself before he left home today.' Su Lie raged.
The charisma he was earning was a starting point to his goal – whatever that is...
Su Lie sped up with wild abandon, luckily the boy exerted himself early on and mostly staggered the closer he got to the finish line.
With this he could catch up to the red head/ red-haired boy.
Suddenly Jiang Mei entered his view, this was the last km and she was close to him. Even though it was because of the spiritual energy in the air his respect for her went up.
Red hair was moving with wild abandon, not caring anymore and just ran like someone who was being chased by 3rd stage cultivators rather than someone who was about to win a race.
Su Lie suddenly had a crazy idea, though the chance that it would work wasn't small it still wasn't favorable to his situation.
Even if he was to start sprinting the chance that he would pass red hair would be minuscule. But with this, he had a higher chance.
Su Lie suddenly paused for half a second, 0. 50 seconds to be precise.
There was a lot that could happen in half a second and this young man just decided to risk it, he would have had a fair chance of being second before but now it seemed like he resigned his fate for 3rd place.
In that split-second Su Lie focused Qi into his foot before smirking.
'It seems like I should really start gambling more, my luck really seems to smile at me.' Su Lie thought before he exploded with speed.
In just a couple of steps he had passed Jiang Mei and was very close to red hair.
Such a dangerous level of speed would without a doubt cripple someone who decided to be reckless enough to push all his Qi into his legs without a step into cultivation.
Some people actually rejoiced when it seemed like one of these 'geniuses' would have crippled his cultivation.
But unfortunately for those bastards... he HAD taken a step into cultivation!
Su Lie moved with a speed dangerous for a normal person as he left Jiang Mei in the dust and was now face-to-face to the red-haired young man.
"You said second place was mine well look here, I don't appreciate liars." Then with a gentle smile Su Lie added. "My dear friend, second place... is yours!"