CHAPTER 229: TRAINING V

Han Yi, Mu Chen, Yue, and Lei Feng stared at Ling, mouths open, their bodies trembling.

Han Yi collapsed on the ground.

"Why... why is she like this?! It’s not fair... IT’S NOT FAIR!!"

Mu Chen shook his head.

"My body... it refuses... I can’t even stand... how...?"

Yue wiped sweat from her brow.

"I... I guess I just... keep moving... slowly..."

Lei Feng sat down on a beam.

"My legs... they are done... finished... forever..."

Tian Lei crossed his arms, calm as ever.

"Next. Combat drills."

Han Yi screamed so loud it sounded like the wind itself would break.

"COMBAT?! I CAN’T EVEN WALK STRAIGHT!!"

Mu Chen whispered to Yue,

"If I die now, remember me..."

Yue looked around, exhausted.

"I... I will... probably die with you..."

Ling smiled softly.

"I’m ready."

The others just stared, terror in their eyes.

Tian Lei placed wooden swords in their hands.

"Fight each other. No mercy. Perfect form."

Han Yi dropped his sword immediately.

"My mercy is gone... and so is my hope..."

Mu Chen swung his sword once, missed, stumbled, and almost hit himself.

"This... is... impossible..."

Yue struck at Han Yi... and barely tapped him.

"Sorry... my strength is gone..."

Lei Feng tripped over a log and landed face-first.

"I... give up..."

Ling moved gracefully, blocking, striking, and dodging. Every move precise, perfect, like she danced through air.

Han Yi screamed again.

"WHY DOES SHE EXIST? WHY DOES SHE HAVE NO LIMITS?! WHY?!"

Tian Lei’s voice was calm, almost kind.

"Observe, learn, then try again. You will improve. Slowly... but you will."

Han Yi groaned.

"Slowly...? We will die slowly first!"

Mu Chen collapsed against a tree.

"My soul... left again... permanently this time..."

Yue just sat down.

"I can’t... I literally cannot..."

Lei Feng lay on his back, staring at the sky.

"I think... I already lost..."

Ling knelt beside them.

"Rest now. You’ll need it. Tomorrow... it hurts again. But... you can endure more than you think."

Han Yi stared at her, voice shaking.

"HOW... HOW ARE YOU STILL... PERFECT?!"

Ling smiled softly, eyes calm.

"Because... I never gave up."

Tian Lei nodded.

"Tomorrow... same schedule. More pain. More growth. Remember... nothing worth having comes easy."

The four others groaned in unison, knowing exactly what tomorrow would bring.

And Ling... was ready, as always.

Pain. Fear. Regret.

Tomorrow would bring all three again.

But somehow... Ling’s calm presence reminded them—just barely—that survival was possible.

The fate of the day was sealed.

And the cycle... would continue.

The sun began to sink lower in the sky, casting long shadows over the training ground.

Han Yi groaned, rolling onto his side.

"My back... my legs... my soul... I think... I think part of me is dead..."

Mu Chen leaned against a tree, staring blankly at nothing.

"I don’t even know if I want to live anymore..."

Yue quietly took off her gloves, her hands shaking.

"My strength... is gone. My hope... is gone. What’s left..."

Lei Feng just lay there, staring at the clouds as if they might answer him.

"...Maybe I should’ve stayed home..."

Ling, meanwhile, calmly stretched and wiped the sweat from her brow. She moved with ease, as if none of this had affected her at all. Her eyes scanned the group, soft but firm.

Tian Lei approached.

"Enough resting. Evening drills start in ten minutes."

Han Yi screamed, clutching his head.

"EVENING DRILLS?! IT’S ALREADY NIGHT AND YOU WANT US TO MOVE?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO US?!"

Mu Chen muttered.

"I think... I’ve given up on screaming..."

Yue leaned on her knees, exhausted.

"I... don’t... have energy... to argue..."

Lei Feng groaned from the ground.

"Can someone... please... just... kill me..."

Ling crouched beside them, her voice calm.

"You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to survive. One step. One strike. One breath. Tomorrow, we try again."

Han Yi looked at her like she had just spoken another language.

"Survive?! I feel like dying is the only option right now... and you’re... you’re calm... HOW?!"

Ling smiled softly.

"Because surviving is all I’ve ever done. And if I can... maybe you can, too."

Tian Lei nodded and turned back toward the training field.

"Prepare. Ten minutes. Then drills. And don’t complain."

The four others groaned in unison, dragging themselves upright. Each movement felt like it tore them apart from the inside.

Han Yi whispered, voice trembling.

"Tomorrow... tomorrow will kill us... I just know it..."

Mu Chen shivered.

"But... Ling survived today. Maybe... maybe she’s proof..."

Yue wiped her eyes.

"I... I’ll try. I guess... maybe..."

Lei Feng muttered softly.

"One step at a time... that’s all we can do..."

Ling stood tall, looking toward the fading sun. Her presence radiated a quiet strength.

"Tomorrow will hurt. But you will be stronger. You just have to keep moving... one day at a time."

The others glanced at her, part envy, part hope, part despair.

And as the first stars began to appear, they all knew the cycle would repeat—pain, fear, regret—but perhaps... just perhaps... survival was possible.

The night fell, cold and heavy. And Ling... still ready, still unbroken... prepared for whatever Tian Lei would throw at them next.

Because in this place, in this endless training, only one thing mattered: enduring.

And enduring... was everything.

The campfire flickered weakly in the open courtyard, barely giving warmth to the freezing night air.

Han Yi sat curled up, wrapped in a blanket like a burrito.

"I can’t feel my toes... or my fingers... or my will to live..."

Mu Chen stared into the fire, eyes hollow.

"If I close my eyes... I might never open them again... and honestly... that sounds nice..."

Yue sipped her warm water slowly, her hands shaking around the cup.

"Why does my body still hurt... even when I’m not moving...?"

Lei Feng lay on his stomach, face pressed against the cold ground.

"My bones... they are dust inside my skin..."

Ling sat calmly with perfect posture, drinking her water quietly.

Han Yi stared at her with the thinnest strand of life left in his eyes.

"She’s not human. She can’t be human. No human can do that."

Mu Chen nodded weakly.

"She must be a divine spirit... sent to torment us..."

Yue leaned closer to Ling, squinting.

"Maybe... she has two hearts... or three lungs... something like that..."

Lei Feng groaned.

"If I had two hearts... I’d still be dying right now..."

Ling blinked.

"I... don’t think I have extra organs."

Han Yi pointed dramatically.

"THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT AN IMMORTAL DISGUISED AS A HUMAN WOULD SAY!"

Before anyone could say more—

CLAP!

Tian Lei’s hands came together loudly, like thunder striking.

He pointed at each of them.