Jing Mingqiu turned his head and cast a cold glance at the clamoring guy. "Song Zhuang, if you can't speak properly, keep your mouth shut. No one thinks you're mute."
As the environment shapes the spirit, so does nurturing cultivate the physique.
Although Jing Mingqiu often appeared nonchalant, it was important to remember that he had once been the chief commander of a controlled nuclear fusion device, overseeing a team of Dragon Country's top talents.
When Jing Mingqiu was angry, his imposing aura was something that a mere scumbag like Song Zhuang, who only gossiped behind people's backs, could not withstand.
Simply being glared at by Jing Mingqiu caused Song Zhuang's knees to buckle, and he collapsed onto the ground.
Jing Mingqiu found it beneath him to engage with someone who only badmouthed others behind their backs. Seeing that he had finally shut up, Jing Mingqiu paid him no further mind. He turned back, pulling Mo Ruixue along, intending to personally showcase his latest research results to her.
After Jing Mingqiu left, the other classmates in the room couldn't help but laugh as they watched Song Zhuang sitting on the ground in a pathetic state.
Hearing the mockery from others, Song Zhuang's blood boiled. With eyes wide and furious, he abruptly stood up, rushed into the classroom, and shouted at Jing Mingqiu.
"Jing Mingqiu, do you dare compete with me? Loser kneels and apologizes to the winner!"
"Why should I compete with you?" Jing Mingqiu asked impatiently. "Go find a cool spot to hang out and don't disturb my practice."
Song Zhuang mistook Jing Mingqiu's refusal for cowardice and yelled triumphantly, "Not competing? I see you're scared! That's not how you practice. I'll teach you!"
With that, Song Zhuang raised his right leg, placed it on a nearby horizontal bar, and executed a perfect 180-degree split. He then cast a provocative gaze at Jing Mingqiu.
"This is basic dance training. 180 degrees is just the beginning. With your stiff limbs, you probably can't even open to 30 degrees."
A split is a simple movement where one leg is extended forward and the other backward. While ordinary people cannot achieve 180 degrees, reaching over 100 degrees is relatively easy.
Song Zhuang's claim that Jing Mingqiu couldn't even open to 30 degrees was a veiled insult, implying he was disabled.
"A split, is this what you mean?"
Jing Mingqiu raised his right leg, bending it until it rested on his shoulder, his calf brushing against his ear. His legs formed an obtuse angle, opening to at least 200 degrees.
"Such an extreme angle! How is this possible? Even a national-level dancer couldn't achieve this!"
Song Zhuang couldn't believe his eyes.
"Is this difficult?" Jing Mingqiu bent his leg further forward, reaching 230 degrees. "You're just too weak!"
As Song Zhuang watched Jing Mingqiu effortlessly perform feats beyond his own capabilities, a wild thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
"You must be cheating! Those are prosthetic legs!"
Saying this, he lunged forward, grabbing for Jing Mingqiu's leg, intending to examine it closely.
"Get lost!"
Jing Mingqiu had no desire for a man to be groping his legs. He wasn't gay.
Without hesitation, he kicked Song Zhuang flying. Song Zhuang tumbled several times across the dance studio floor before coming to a disheveled stop.
"Are you stupid!" Jing Mingqiu sneered, glancing at Song Zhuang. "Failing a dance class is only two credits. Would I really chop off my leg for two credits? Besides..."
Jing Mingqiu suddenly leaned back, supporting himself on his hands with his feet still planted, and performed a bridge.
Then, with a flip, he executed an aerial split, reaching an angle of nearly 270 degrees, pushing the limits of the human body.
Backbends, abdominal crunches, the splits…
Jing Mingqiu completed a series of his usual basic exercises, all performed to an extraordinary degree, before walking back to Song Zhuang, breathing calmly.
"With so many movements, just cutting off one leg wouldn't be enough. According to your logic, perhaps I should be amputated from the neck down!"
As soon as he finished speaking, several students in the classroom couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"You, I..."
Song Zhuang was speechless. Facing the increasingly blatant ridicule from those around him, he could no longer bear to stay. Tail between his legs, he shamefully fled.
"That was amazing!"
Someone shouted, and thunderous applause instantly filled the entire classroom.
After the applause subsided, many students came over to ask for advice, inquiring how Jing Mingqiu had improved his flexibility so much in such a short time.
"Of course, it was through diligent training, along with some drugs that enhance flexibility…"
Jing Mingqiu offered the excuse he had prepared, a mixture of truth and falsehood to gloss over the matter.
After spending a bit of time answering everyone's questions and politely declining the half-hearted romantic overtures from two students, Jing Mingqiu found Mo Ruixue, who was sitting on a chair lost in thought. He tiptoed stealthily towards her.
"Xue'er, are you envious of my flexibility?" Jing Mingqiu lowered his head and lightly bit Mo Ruixue's ear. "Don't worry, come to the laboratory tonight, I have extra medicine. I'll give you an injection."
Mo Ruixue shook her head with a worried frown. "I don't want that! Ah Qiu, I'm just worried, won't this expose you? Your flexibility has improved too quickly!"
"You don't need to worry about that. I wasn't lying," Jing Mingqiu said, feeling a warmth in his heart from Mo Ruixue's concern. "There really are potions that can improve flexibility, and they're already in mass production."
"Of course," Jing Mingqiu lowered his voice, speaking only for her to hear. "The ones on the market now are decoctions, and their effects are much weaker than our injections."
"Of course, even the decoctions can easily achieve the level I just displayed. When we get to the lab later, I'll show you my true flexibility. Don't cry from shock!"
Jing Mingqiu's words not only successfully eased Mo Ruixue's worries but also piqued her curiosity.
However, at this moment, the dance teacher had arrived, and the class officially began.
Mo Ruixue was still a freshman and dared not skip class without permission. She could only suppress her curiosity and listen attentively.
Dance class wasn't just about practicing basic movements and improving flexibility; there were many other exercises.
Although Jing Mingqiu had used potions to cheat and elevate his flexibility to superhuman levels, his foundation in other areas was too poor, making it quite difficult for him to keep up with the class pace.
However, this was no match for Jing Mingqiu. He deployed a drone to record the teacher's lecture while simultaneously accessing his system to search for suitable human modification schemes.
Flesh is weak, ascend through machinery.
There's always a way out…
Unknowingly, the three-hour-long class concluded.
As soon as the dismissal bell rang, Jing Mingqiu eagerly pulled Mo Ruixue outside.
"Stop messing around!" Mo Ruixue swayed Jing Mingqiu's arm. "I haven't changed out of my practice clothes yet, and my dance shoes are soft; they'll hurt my feet if I walk on the ground like this!"
"It's fine, I'll carry you!" Jing Mingqiu suddenly bent down, scooped Mo Ruixue into his arms in a princess carry, and then jogged across half the campus, arriving at his private laboratory.
The reason he didn't let Mo Ruixue change had a little bit to do with Jing Mingqiu's personal agenda…