CHAPTER 227: TRAINING III

They followed Tian Lei to the new training field.

Han Yi stopped walking the moment he saw everything.

"What... is... this...?"

There were wooden poles sticking out of the ground, a giant mud pit, hanging bags filled with sand, a long log that looked impossible to lift, and a rope climbing wall that reached the sky.

Mu Chen whispered,

"This is not training... this is torture equipment..."

Yue rubbed her face.

"Why is the ditch so deep? Why? For what reason?"

Lei Feng stared at the massive log.

"That’s not for humans... that’s for monsters..."

Ling looked at the field calmly.

"This is normal."

Han Yi turned to her slowly.

"No. No it’s not. You need therapy."

Tian Lei pointed at the rope wall.

"Climb."

Han Yi nearly fainted.

"That?! That’s a mountain!!"

Yue sighed.

"Just climb. If we fall, we fall."

Mu Chen nodded weakly.

"I will fall... before even touching it..."

Lei Feng gulped.

"My hands are shaking already..."

They walked to the rope wall.

Yue grabbed the rope and started climbing first.Slow and steady.

Lei Feng followed.Not steady. Not confident.

Mu Chen grabbed the rope... then immediately slipped and hugged the rope in panic.

"I’m stuck! I’m stuck! My hands won’t move!!"

Han Yi didn’t even touch the wall yet.

"I am protesting! This is abuse! I have rights!!"

Tian Lei ignored him.

"Climb."

Han Yi groaned loudly,

"FINE!! But if I die, haunt Tian Lei with me!!"

He grabbed the rope and climbed three steps...

Then screamed,

"My arms are on fire!! I hate this rope!!!"

Halfway up, Yue shouted down,

"No one look down! Just keep moving!"

Of course, Han Yi looked down.

He screamed again.

"I LOOKED DOWN!!! WHY DID I LOOK DOWN?!"

Ling climbed beside them easily, almost flying up the rope.

Mu Chen yelled,

"STOP SHOWING OFF!! LET US BE WEAK IN PEACE!!"

They finally reached the top.

Yue sat down, panting.

"My arms... they feel like noodles..."

Lei Feng collapsed on his back.

"I’m shaking... the wind can push me off..."

Mu Chen clung to the top edge.

"I’m never moving again... this is my home now..."

Han Yi stared at the sky.

"I have regrets... so many regrets..."

Tian Lei pointed to the ground far below.

"Jump."

Silence.

Then four voices shouted:

"NO WAY!!!"

Tian Lei sighed.

"I said jump into the soft sand. You will be fine."

Han Yi shouted,

"You should say THAT first!! We thought you wanted us to die!!"

They looked down to see a huge sand pit.

Yue exhaled.

"Okay. Sand. We won’t die."

Lei Feng nodded.

"Probably..."

Mu Chen shook his head.

"I don’t trust him..."

Ling jumped first.

Perfect landing.

Han Yi stared.

"Of course she lands like a superhero..."

One by one, they jumped.

Yue landed with a thud.

"Oof... okay... I’m alive..."

Lei Feng landed rolling.

"My spine made a noise... but I’m alive..."

Mu Chen landed face-first.

"I am... possibly alive..."

Han Yi landed yelling the whole way down.

"AAAHHHH— I’M DEAD— oh wait... I’m okay..."

Tian Lei folded his arms.

"Good. Next exercise."

Han Yi dropped to his knees.

"WHY IS THERE ALWAYS A NEXT EXERCISE?!"

Tian Lei pointed to the mud pit.

"Cross it. Without touching the water."

Yue stared.

"...How?"

Mu Chen blinked.

"That’s impossible."

Lei Feng frowned.

"Do we fly?"

Han Yi looked at Tian Lei.

"Do YOU fly? Because you expect us to fly."

Then they saw thin wooden planks placed over the mud.

Barely wide enough for a foot.

Yue took a deep breath.

"Okay. Balance training. We can do that."

She stepped forward.

Made one step.

Second step.

Third—

SPLASH.

She fell straight into the mud.

Han Yi screamed laughing,

"YUE!! YOU FELL FIRST!! THERE IS JUSTICE IN THE WORLD!!"

Yue climbed out covered in mud.

"I hope you fall. I pray for it."

Han Yi stepped on the plank next.

He fell immediately.

SPLASH.

Yue smirked at him.

"I accept this outcome."

Mu Chen tried next.

He trembled like a leaf.

Took one step.

Two steps.

Then slipped.

SPLASH.

Mu Chen popped up,

"I hate water... I hate mud... I hate this sect..."

Lei Feng tried.

He moved with surprising grace.

Three steps.

Four steps.

Five—

He slipped too.

SPLASH.

Lei Feng stood up in the mud.

"I got further. That counts as a victory."

Finally, Ling walked across...

Perfectly balanced.

Perfectly calm.

Didn’t fall once.

Han Yi shouted,

"STOP BEING SO GOOD!! YOU ARE MAKING US LOOK WORSE!!"

Ling blinked.

"I am doing the task."

Han Yi pointed wildly.

"That’s the problem!!"

After everyone finally crossed—mostly by crawling on the planks—

Tian Lei nodded.

"Good. Now the log."

Han Yi looked at the giant wooden log.

"Nope. No. Not doing that. That thing weighs more than my hopes and dreams."

Yue sighed.

"We have to try."

Mu Chen touched the log... and his arms trembled instantly.

Lei Feng kneeled.

"I am praying for strength. But I don’t think strength prays for me."

They tried lifting it.

Han Yi pulled.

Mu Chen pulled.

Lei Feng pulled.

Yue pulled.

The log didn’t move.

Han Yi screamed,

"THIS LOG IS A MOUNTAIN!!!"

Tian Lei walked over, grabbed the log with one hand...

And lifted it.

With one hand.

Han Yi pointed at him, shocked.

"You’re not human either!!!"

Tian Lei set it down calmly.

"You will learn. Try again."

They kept trying.

They failed.

They kept trying.

They failed again.

Eventually, Yue moved the log an inch.

Han Yi cheered,

"YUE!!! YOU’RE A HERO!! A TRUE HERO—"

The log rolled toward him.

He screamed and ran.

"NOT TOWARD ME!!! I TAKE IT BACK!!!"

After many tries...

They managed to move it a few steps each.

Barely.

Painfully.

Tian Lei nodded.

"Good progress."

Han Yi’s voice cracked,

"Is this really progress?!"

"Enough for today," Tian Lei said.

They all collapsed to the ground immediately.

Yue faceplanted.

Mu Chen lay spread out like a dead starfish.

Lei Feng curled up like he wanted to disappear.

Han Yi stared into the void.

Ling stood beside them.Still fine.Still calm.

"Good job," she said.

Han Yi looked at her with a dead expression.

"Ling... please teach us how to become like you..."

Ling thought for a moment.

"Sleep early. Eat well. Train."

Han Yi screamed,

"NOT THAT!! ANYTHING BUT THAT!!"

They crawled—again—back to their rooms.

Too tired to complain.

Too tired to think.

As they lay on their beds...

Han Yi whispered,

"I don’t want to wake up tomorrow..."

Mu Chen mumbled,

"I already quit... inside my heart..."

Yue muttered,

"I will survive... even if barely..."

Lei Feng sighed,

"My bones are crying..."

Ling sat on her bed, perfectly fine.

And they all drifted off to sleep.

Knowing one thing:

Tomorrow...would be worse.

Much worse.