It takes eight hours to enter Jinan Mountain.
Carrying heavy loads, Lin Qiye and Cao Yuan crossed countless mountain peaks. The night sky grew increasingly dark, and the mountains before them were completely shrouded in darkness.
In this environment filled with branches and pits, it's almost impossible to move an inch without a flashlight. No one knows whether the next step will lead to flat ground or a thorny sinkhole.
At this moment, the vast Jinan Mountain was deathly silent.
"How many are left?" The instructors sat together, and Instructor Hong asked after glancing at the time.
"There are four left: special forces soldier Zheng Zhong, the twin, and Cao Yuan."
"Damn it, how have those three kids managed to hold on until now? This doesn't make sense..." one instructor muttered to himself.
"Cao Yuan's body has been tempered by the [Black King's Annihilation], so it's not surprising that he could endure it."
"Well, Lin Xi Chen's Forbidden Ruin neutralized the suspension, so I wasn't too surprised."
"But Lin Qiye... how did he do it?" Instructor Hong stroked his chin, his eyes filled with doubt.
"There are only three left now," the instructor, who was constantly watching the screen, said. "Just now, Zheng Zhong slipped and fell down the mountain in the dark, and was knocked unconscious. The medical team has already gone there."
"It's already this late, how about we end this extreme training session for now?"
"Yes, it's getting late, and we can't see anything in the mountains at all. If this continues, something unexpected might happen."
Instructor Hong paused for a moment, then said, "Don't rush. Send all the drones to those three kids, and have the medics follow them closely, ready to provide assistance."
"I'd like to see... just how far these three kids go"
....
In the pitch-black jungle.
Lin Qiye's eyes flashed, and he precisely cleaved through the thorns in front of him with the knife in his hand, bending down to pass through the middle.
Cao Yuan followed closely behind him, not falling behind by even a step.
"It's so dark, how can you still see?" Cao Yuan asked, holding a small spoon.
"Yes." Lin Qiye said calmly.
"...Then slow down, I can't see anything anymore."
"I'm already walking very slowly."
"Wait, you said you were going to reach your limit an hour and a half ago, how come you have so much energy now?" Cao Yuan complained. "Are you a night owl?"
"More or less."
Lin Qiye was indeed exhausted quite early on, but as it got darker, his strength began to recover at an astonishing rate. As long as he rested for a while, he felt even better than when he first entered Jinan Mountain!
Although he didn't want to cheat by using his ability,... this passive ability simply couldn't be turned off!
He wanted to train hard and push his body to its limits, but whenever he felt he was about to reach his limit, his stamina would inexplicably return...
In contrast, although Cao Yuan's physical attributes were greatly enhanced by the Forbidden Ruins, his endurance has its limits. He has been pushing himself to the limit by now.In other words, Lin Qiye is like a freak with a 1000% mana regeneration rate, while Cao Yuan's mana bar, although long, has a very slow regeneration rate and will eventually run out.
"It's been so long since we've heard any sounds of punishment. Could it be that we're the only two left in these mountains?"
"There was one left ten minutes ago, now it's just the three of us."
"You know that?"
Lin Qiye did not answer, but only glanced at the bat that had just flown by.
In this mountain late at night, earthworms, millipedes, lizards, bats... all the nocturnal creatures are Lin Qiye's eyes and ears. About an hour ago, Lin Qiye had already completely grasped the situation of this mountain through them.
He knew perfectly well that there were several medics following behind him and several drones hovering overhead. He could even hide deep in the mountains right now if he wanted, and no one would be able to find him.
Now, this mountain has become Lin Qiye's home ground.
"I think I'm about to die." After walking for a while, Cao Yuan stopped and stood behind Lin Qiye.Lin Qiye raised an eyebrow. "Not going to try again?"
"I can't pass out," Cao Yuan shook his head. "Once I lose consciousness, the Forbidden Ruin might take control of my body, which would be even more troublesome."
"It seems that having a high level of forbidden zone sequence isn't a good thing either," Lin Qiye sighed.
"You can go now. I'll wait here. If nothing unexpected happens, you'll hear me being punished soon." Cao Yuan sat down and smiled slightly at Lin Qiye.
"Then I'll be going now."
"See you guys at the training camp."
"Mm."
Lin Qiye turned around, gripped the knife in his hand, and strode into the deep mountains under the cover of night.
At the foot of the mountain.
"Cao Yuan gave up on the spot, now only the twin left," an instructor said.
"These kids... they always manages to surprise us with anything." Instructor Hong raised his eyebrows and remarked with admiration.
"And..."
"What?"
"They're been walking in a straight line for over an hour now."
"What?" The instructors inside the tent were stunned. "How is this possible? We've been changing the route on Jinan Mountain, how could he possibly go in a straight line?"
"I don't know, but he really did it. At this speed... in three more hours at most, they really can cross the entire Jinan Mountain!"
"Three hours? Do they have the stamina?"
"Although I'd love to say it's not enough, common sense never seems to apply to this twin."
"..." Instructor Hong was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Tear down all the tents here. Leave one person behind to punish Cao Yuan, and the rest of you come with me to the other side of Jinan Mountain..."
"We'll go there and wait for them."
"Instructor Hong, do you really think they can do it?"
"I might not believe it if it were someone else, but if it's them... well, that's a different story."
...
Nine hours into the Jinan Mountain.
Lin Qiye ran faster and faster through the mountains and forests in the dead of night. He was like a phantom, freely moving through the wilderness as if he were at home.
Suddenly, a voice came from the weight on his back.
"Cao Yuan?"
"Mm."
"You did a great job."
"I know."
"But unfortunately... you still have to accept your punishment."
"I know."
"Not many people can hear our conversation right now, besides a few instructors and your comrade who's still fighting in the mountains. You can relax a bit."
"Go ahead and ask."
"What type of girl do you like?"
"I don't like girls."
"??? You wouldn't happen to be...?"
"I like mature, voluptuous, and preferably intellectual women who have had relationships before..."
"Thank goodness... Wait, did you just say something serious?" The instructor's expression changed. "Your taste..."
"..."
"Ahem, Cao Cao, let's change the subject... What's the biggest regret of your life?"
Cao Yuan on the other end fell into a brief silence."When I was six years old, I managed to drown myself in the river."
"Why?"
"If I had died then, none of this would have happened," Cao Yuan said calmly. "I wouldn't have gone back to the village, and I wouldn't have picked up the sickle out of curiosity..."
He wouldn't let his forbidden ruins go berserk and kill all 172 innocent villagers.
He wouldn't have been locked up in the police station, but instead used a nail clipper to kill all 161 people in the entire police station...
"...This is not your fault."
"This is my fault, and I won't run away from it."
"You simply can't control the power within you; this isn't your intention."
"My body... I couldn't control it, that's my fault."
"..." The instructor paused for a moment, "So now, is there anything else you'd like to say to your companions in the mountains?"
Cao Yuan smiled slightly, turned to look at Jinan Mountain under the darkness, and slowly spoke:
"Lin Qiye, don't embarrass us heretics..."