CHAPTER 232: TRAINING VIII

Mu Chen and Yue stared at the beast, frozen in place.

Mu Chen whispered,

"I... I think it’s looking at me... like it knows... my soul..."

Yue swallowed hard.

"Maybe if we run in opposite directions... it’ll be confused?"

Mu Chen shook his head violently.

"No! That’s even worse! Then it eats me first!"

The beast stomped toward them, and Yue’s hands shook so badly she dropped her weapon.

Mu Chen groaned, picking it up for her.

"Quick... aim for... the shiny red eyes?"

Yue blinked.

"Do... do eyes hurt the beast?"

Mu Chen shrugged.

"I don’t know. Probably not. But it sounds like a plan."

They both charged, trembling.

Yue swung the weapon... missed. The beast swiped at her. She ducked just in time, stumbling into Mu Chen.

Mu Chen tried to push her out of the way but tripped over a root. They fell in a heap.

The beast leaned down, sniffing them.

Yue froze.

"Goodbye, world..."

Mu Chen whispered,

"Don’t look like food! Don’t look like food!"

Then something unexpected happened. Han Yi’s rock—yes, the infamous rock—rolled toward the beast from earlier.

The beast turned, distracted.

Yue saw an opening.

"Now!"

She stabbed at its leg. The beast roared, but it worked. Mu Chen swung at its arm, landing a lucky hit.

The beast stumbled backward, giving them space to regroup.

Mu Chen panted,

"We... we did it... together..."

Yue leaned against him, exhausted.

"Yes... we didn’t die first..."

Tian Lei stepped forward, arms crossed.

"Acceptable."

Mu Chen whispered to Yue,

"I... I feel like my soul is leaving... again..."

Yue muttered,

"But we survived."

Tian Lei pointed toward the next area.

"Final pair: Lei Feng and me. Survival trial next."

Lei Feng groaned so loudly it could have shattered windows.

"Survival... as in... don’t die... or die slowly...?"

Tian Lei’s eyes were calm.

"Survive. One step at a time. Begin."

And with that, Lei Feng and Tian Lei disappeared into the dense forest, leaving the others trembling and praying for their friends’ safety.

Han Yi leaned on Ling.

"Next time... can we train without monsters... or danger... or running... or... everything?"

Ling smiled softly.

"No. That’s not how we survive. We endure."

Han Yi shivered.

"...I hate surviving."

Mu Chen whispered,

"But... we’re alive. Somehow... we’re still alive."

Yue nodded, staring at the forest.

"And that... is enough... for now."

The trials had begun, and the real suffering was just starting.

The forest was dark and thick, shadows twisting between the trees as Lei Feng and Tian Lei advanced.

Lei Feng’s legs shook violently.

"I... I hate this forest... everything is alive and hates me..."

Tian Lei’s calm voice cut through the tension.

"Focus. One step. One breath. One movement at a time."

Lei Feng swallowed.

"Breath... okay... that’s fine... I can do breathing... maybe..."

Suddenly, a branch snapped above them.

Lei Feng yelped.

"DEATH! IT’S COMING! IT FOUND US!"

Tian Lei didn’t flinch.

"Not yet. Move forward."

They stepped into a small clearing. Rocks, fallen logs, and pits littered the area.

Tian Lei gestured.

"Survive across this terrain. One mistake, you fail."

Lei Feng stared at a pit full of spikes.

"...I... I don’t want to live like this..."

Tian Lei’s eyes were unyielding.

"Survive anyway."

Lei Feng gulped and started moving, careful with every step. His body shook, sweat dripping into his eyes.

Tian Lei followed, stepping perfectly. Every move was deliberate, precise.

"Copy my pace, but think. Anticipate danger."

Lei Feng stumbled over a log. His heart raced.

"...I’m dead. This is it... I can feel death’s cold hands..."

Tian Lei grabbed his arm, steadying him.

"You’re not dead. Not yet. Focus on survival, not fear."

Lei Feng nodded weakly.

"...Okay... survival..."

They advanced together. Spikes, pitfalls, rolling boulders—it was relentless. Every step tested Lei Feng’s focus, strength, and courage.

After what felt like hours, they reached the far side of the clearing. Lei Feng collapsed to the ground, shaking uncontrollably.

"I... I survived... somehow..."

Tian Lei looked at him, expression calm.

"Acceptable. You survived. That is what matters."

Lei Feng whispered hoarsely,

"...I... I am alive... maybe that counts as victory?"

Tian Lei nodded once.

"Victory is surviving. Tomorrow, it will be harder. The trials are endless, but so is your chance to endure."

Far away, Han Yi, Mu Chen, Yue, and Ling watched from a distance. Ling smiled softly.

"They made it. All of them survived the first day of trials."

Han Yi groaned.

"I... I hate surviving... but I... I want to try this rock trick next time..."

Mu Chen groaned.

"...Can the next trial be just... sitting? Please?"

Yue whispered,

"...Surviving is enough for today..."

Ling nodded.

"We endure. One day at a time."

And somewhere deep in the forest, Lei Feng took his first shaky, exhausted breath. He was alive. He had survived.

But the trials weren’t over. Not by a long shot.

The group returned to the camp, each of them moving like broken puppets.

Han Yi collapsed first, flopping onto the ground.

"I... I can’t... move... but I survived! Sort of!"

Mu Chen sat heavily on a log, breathing shallowly.

"Sort of... is still better than dead."

Yue sank to her knees, eyes half-closed.

"My body feels like it’s made of lead... but I’m... alive."

Ling knelt beside them, her presence calm and steady.

"Good work today. Everyone survived. That is progress."

Han Yi blinked at her, incredulous.

"Ling... you’re... still perfect... how?"

Ling smiled softly.

"Because I focus on what I can do. One step at a time. You will learn too."

Tian Lei’s voice carried from the edge of the camp.

"Rest. You need every ounce of energy. Tomorrow begins trial two: Obstacles."

The four groaned in unison.

Han Yi moaned.

"Obstacles?! As in... things that hurt us physically... and emotionally... at the same time?!"

Mu Chen wiped sweat from his brow.

"If we survive this trial, we will have... earned life points... or at least mercy from the universe."

Yue whispered, almost to herself,

"...I just want a normal day... maybe one... just one."

Lei Feng leaned back, staring at the stars.

"...Normal is dead. I’m learning that fast."

Ling stood, brushing off dirt.

"We will face it together. We survived combat. Obstacles... we can survive too."

Han Yi groaned loudly, covering his face.

"Survive... survive... survive... my life is just one big survival game!"

Mu Chen muttered,

"And yet... somehow... we keep waking up."

Yue nodded weakly.

"...One day at a time."

Ling’s eyes softened as she looked at them.

"Exactly. One day at a time. That is how we endure. That is how we grow."

And somewhere deep in the night, as they tried to rest, the wind whispered through the forest—harsh, cold, and relentless, just like Tian Lei’s trials.

Tomorrow, obstacles would await.

And the real test of survival... was far from over.