CHAPTER 225: TRAINING

Their suffering wasn’t over.

Not even close.

By the time they finished the first lap, Han Yi was already crawling.

Mu Chen wasn’t even running anymore—he was fast-walking with the soul of an old grandpa.

Lei Feng limped like someone who had fought ten battles in one day.

Yue was sweating so much her shirt stuck to her back.

Ling?

Ling looked exactly the same.

Tian Lei walked behind them with his hands behind his back, completely calm.

"Raise your knees. Your posture is collapsing."

Han Yi yelled without turning around,

"My posture collapsed yesterday! It died!"

Tian Lei ignored him.

"Second lap. Don’t slow down."

Mu Chen choked.

"Second—?! We haven’t even finished the first!"

"Then hurry."

Yue glared at him but kept running.

"If he wasn’t our instructor, I would throw a rock at him."

Lei Feng gasped,

"I don’t even have the strength to lift a rock..."

As they reached the start point again, Tian Lei nodded at Ling.

"Distribute the vests."

Ling handed one to each of them.

Yue groaned the moment the weight hit her shoulders.

"This is too heavy!"

Han Yi almost fell forward.

"Why is mine double the weight?!"

Ling looked at him blankly.

"They’re all the same weight."

Han Yi pointed at his vest.

"Mine feels like a small house!"

Yue dragged him forward.

"Stop whining! We’ll die here if we don’t move!"

They continued the second lap.

Han Yi wheezed.

"I’m seeing... stars... even though it’s morning..."

Mu Chen nodded sadly.

"I think I left my spirit behind on the road."

Lei Feng took a deep breath.

"If I stop moving, bury me where I fall..."

Yue pushed them forward.

"No one is dying today! Now MOVE!"

Ling jogged beside them silently, matching their pace but showing no strain at all.

When they finally reached the end of the second lap, Han Yi collapsed face-first into the dirt.

"I’m done... don’t revive me..."

Tian Lei walked over and nudged him with his foot.

"Stand."

Han Yi stayed flat.

"No."

"Stand."

"No!"

Tian Lei sighed, grabbed the back of Han Yi’s collar, and lifted him like a bag of laundry.

Han Yi dangled helplessly.

"This is abuse..."

Yue groaned.

"Why did we come here? Why did we join this sect?"

Mu Chen answered honestly.

"Because we were stupid."

Lei Feng nodded.

"We were so stupid..."

"Third lap," Tian Lei announced.

Han Yi screamed.

"THIRD?! Why?! We didn’t even recover!!"

"Because training builds endurance," Tian Lei said calmly. "Also, you will fight stronger enemies someday. If you cannot handle this, you will die outside."

The group froze.

Then, slowly...

Yue clenched her fists.

"He’s right."

Mu Chen sighed.

"...I hate that he’s right."

Lei Feng stood up straighter.

"Fine... We do this. No matter how painful."

Han Yi groaned.

"I disagree with everything... but fine... I’ll run..."

They forced themselves forward again.

Step by step.

Pain everywhere.

Breath shaking.

Bodies trembling.

Ling stayed with them, keeping their pace.

Every time someone slowed, she nudged them gently.

Every time someone stumbled, she caught them.

Every time someone said they wanted to quit, she quietly said:

"Just one more step."

Eventually...

They finished.

Five laps.

Barely.

Half-dead.

Sweat-drenched.

But alive.

Tian Lei looked at them with rare approval.

"You improved."

Han Yi almost cried.

"This is improvement...?!"

Tian Lei nodded.

"Yes. Now we move to strength training."

The group froze.

Turned to stone.

Then collectively screamed:

"WHYYYYY?!!"

Han Yi fell backward onto the ground like a man who had just lost all will to exist.

"No... no more... strength? What strength? I HAVE NONE LEFT!"

Mu Chen leaned on Yue’s shoulder, trembling.

"My arms feel like noodles. Not even good noodles. Broken noodles."

Lei Feng stared at Tian Lei with empty eyes.

"Instructor... please... have mercy..."

Tian Lei did not.

He pointed at the wooden dummies lined up on the side.

"Punch drills. Five hundred strikes each."

Han Yi’s soul left his body.

"FIVE HUNDRED?! You mean fifty, right? Fifty is fine! Fifty is a peaceful number!"

"Five hundred," Tian Lei repeated calmly.

Yue held her head.

"My hands are going to fall off..."

Mu Chen whispered,

"If they fall off, does that count as finishing the training?"

Lei Feng raised his hand.

"I volunteer to lose my hands."

Tian Lei ignored all of them and clapped once.

"Begin."

They dragged themselves to the dummies.

Ling walked over normally, tied her sleeves up, and got into position.

Yue struck first.

WHAP.

She winced.

"Ow—okay, that was already painful."

Mu Chen punched next.

THUNK.

"I think my knuckles cracked."

Han Yi punched.

slap.

He stared at his own hand.

"Why did my punch sound weak?!"

Lei Feng punched with all his might.

THUD.

Then he shook his hand violently.

"OW OW OW—my bones! They are betraying me!"

Ling raised her fist.

BANG.

Her punch made the dummy shake so hard it almost toppled.

Everyone froze and stared.

Han Yi pointed at her.

"She’s not human."

Mu Chen nodded.

"She’s a monster."

Yue corrected him.

"She’s OUR monster. That’s different."

Lei Feng whispered,

"Scary... but comforting..."

Tian Lei walked behind them, correcting their posture.

"Straighten your wrists."

Han Yi yelped,

"My wrists are in pain!"

"Good," Tian Lei said. "Pain means weakness leaving the body."

Han Yi whispered,

"Then by now... I should have no weakness left..."

He punched again.

slap.

"Nope. Still weak."

Yue pushed him.

"Stop complaining and hit it properly!"

Hours passed.

Slow...

Painful...

Torturous hours.

But little by little, their punches grew sharper.

Their stance steadier.

Their breathing smoother.

Even Han Yi improved.

A little.

When they finally reached punch number five hundred, Lei Feng collapsed face-first into the dirt again.

"My life... ended here..."

Mu Chen sank down beside him.

"I can’t feel my arms."

Yue shook her hands out, grimacing.

"I’m going to need a month to recover."

Ling bowed politely when she finished.

"Thank you for the training."

Han Yi pointed at her with a dead expression.

"Don’t talk like that! You’re making us look pathetic!"

Tian Lei finally nodded.

"This concludes morning training."

Han Yi blinked.

"...Morning?"

Yue froze.

"Morning?"

Mu Chen stared into the distance.

"MORNING?!"

Tian Lei continued calmly,

"You have two hours to eat. Afternoon training starts after."

The group screamed in disbelief.

All except Ling.

She simply nodded.

"Understood."

Han Yi clutched his chest.

"I’m going to faint..."

Yue dragged him toward the dining hall.

"Come on. Food. Then cries. Then torture again."

Mu Chen sighed, limping.

"I hate my life."

Lei Feng groaned,

"I loved life... once..."

And Ling?

Ling walked behind them, calm and steady.

Ready for the next round.

While the others wished the heavens would just strike them down.

Their suffering was far from over.