“Hey, isn’t this the prickly Shen Qingzhu? You’ve been eliminated too?”

“…Yes.”

“And you still dare to blow up the drone. Who gave you the courage?”

“Sorry, I got carried away.”

“Since that’s the case, then your punishment time will be doubled. Let me think, where should I start… Right, the things Li Liang said, did you hear them?”

“I heard.”

“Is what he said true?”

“…Yes.”

“So, why did you want to present yourself as ruthless, lawless, and arrogant?”

“Because people always bully the weak.”

“Although I’m curious about your past, considering the current situation, I won’t ask for now… Tell me, why do you want to become stronger?”

“I don’t want others to look down on me.”

“Just because of that?”

“Yes.”

“Disguising your true self, tough on the outside but soft on the inside, and caring so much about what others think… Are you a Virgo?”

“…Yes.”

“Oh, then let’s talk about your love life. How many love letters have you written so far?”

“A hundred and fourteen.”

“So many? Tell me more about it.”

“When I was four years old, I fell in love with the girl next door, and then…”

As Lin Qiye and the others ran through the mountains, they listened to Shen Qingzhu’s public punishment.

“Wow, this time Brother Zhu is completely finished.” Baili Pangpang panted heavily, laughing from time to time.

Looking at the dimming sky, Lin Qiye spoke slowly, “It’s been almost five hours since we entered Jinnan Mountain, and almost half of the people have been eliminated.”

Cao Yuan turned to look at Baili Pangpang, somewhat surprised. “Weren’t you unable to keep up when we first entered? How can you still hold on until now?”

“Even if I pass out from running, I don’t want to face that punishment.” Baili Pangpang seemed to have thought of something, his face turning pale.

“By saying that, I’m even more curious about the secret on you.”

“…Get lost!”

More and more recruits were dragged down the mountain, and the number of drones in the sky increased significantly. At first, there were only two or three drones chasing them, but now there were more than ten appearing at a time!

Fortunately, the instructors still had a conscience and didn’t let the drones surround them from all sides. They would give them a gap to escape, giving them a chance to recover their strength.

The drones chased them like this, squeezing their physical strength, then disappeared for a while, giving them a brief time to recover, repeating the cycle, making them teeter on the edge of their limits.

Now, Lin Qiye finally understood why this was called extreme training.

The deeper they went into Jinnan Mountain, the slower the three of them moved. Baili Pangpang had been staggering behind Lin Qiye and the others, his face growing paler.

“You should sit down and rest if you can’t go on.” Lin Qiye noticed Baili Pangpang’s condition and frowned.

“No… I can… run…”

Baili Pangpang’s eyes were unfocused, his clothes soaked with sweat. He moved forward step by step, his eyes filled with determination.

“Damn… why haven’t I passed out yet…”

Cao Yuan pondered for a moment. “How about you just run into a tree?”

“…I’m afraid of pain.”

Baili Pangpang waved his hand. “You two go on, I really don’t think I can make it… If I faint later, you don’t have to come and save me.”

“Actually, we didn’t plan to save you anyway…”

Baili Pangpang’s expression twitched, coughing twice. “Ouch, that hurts… ugh…”

Baili Pangpang touched his chest, and before he could finish speaking, he fainted.

Cao Yuan stepped forward to check and nodded at Lin Qiye. “He’s fine, just passed out from exhaustion.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

Lin Qiye turned around and continued to move forward in the forest.

To be honest, Lin Qiye was also reaching his limit. Despite taking many breaks during the five hours of cross-country trekking, his body was not that strong, and now he was starting to see stars.

“Do you want to rest too?” Cao Yuan looked at Lin Qiye.

Lin Qiye took a deep breath and shook his head. “I can still hold on.”

“Why are you pushing yourself so hard?”

“Only by breaking the limits can one become stronger,” Lin Qiye said calmly. “And only by becoming stronger can one survive, and only by surviving, can one go back in the future…”

“Go back? Go back where?”

Lin Qiye shook his head, not answering.

“If you just want me to help you clear your sins in the future, there’s no need to please me so much,” Lin Qiye suddenly spoke.

“Hmm?”

“If this is a transaction, you just need to offer enough in return.”

“A transaction… So that’s how you see it?”

“Isn’t it?”

“Are you lacking in friends?”

“I’ve been a heretic since I was a child.”

“Coincidentally, so have I,” Cao Yuan said lightly. “But because of that, we might have a chance to become friends, don’t you think?”

“The last person who wanted to be friends with me had his head cut off by me, and the one before that was sent into the mouth of a monster by me. The grass on their graves should be half a meter high by now,” Lin Qiye said expressionlessly.

“…The risk of being your friend is so high?”

“Yes.”

“In fact, we’re quite similar,” Cao Yuan shrugged. “Not only did I personally cut off the heads of a dozen good friends I used to play with, I also killed everyone in the village. After that day, there wasn’t even a dog left in the village where I grew up.”

“…Don’t compare yourself to me. It seems that I’m far worse than you.”

“You’re very special. Even if we ignore the prophecy of the Great Magus Jinchan, you’re still very special,” Cao Yuan gazed into Lin Qiye’s eyes. “Actually, if possible, I really hope that the two of us heretics can become friends.”Lin Qiye fell silent for a moment, then pointed at the corpse of Baili Pangpang lying behind him, “What about him?”

“Him?” Cao Yuan chuckled, “Don’t you think… in a way, he’s also a heretic?”

“Indeed, he’s exceptionally foolish, and exceptionally wealthy.”

“Insightful.”

…

Shortly after, two instructors approached the unconscious Baili Pangpang with a stretcher, expressing their surprise:

“This little fatty actually held on until now, and he even ran until he passed out.”

The other instructor shook his head in disappointment, “What a pity, I thought we could hear some gossip about the Baili family. I’ve heard these scions from great families lead very chaotic private lives!”

“Ah well, let’s just carry him down.”

“Whoa! He’s so heavy!”

The two of them lifted Baili Pangpang onto the stretcher and huffed and puffed as they ran down the mountain.

On the stretcher, Baili Pangpang, who lay there like a dead pig, hummed twice, stealthily opened his eyes, and a hint of a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth…

At the foot of the mountain.

“Seven hours have passed, how many people are left?” Instructor Hong walked into the tactical tent and asked.

The instructors who were intently watching the screen counted and replied:

“Sixteen left, most of them are martial artists or special forces, the others… Hiss, it’s quite unexpected that Lin Qiye and Cao Yuan are still in the field.”

“Although they are skilled in combat, endurance is not their strong suit. If I’m not mistaken, they’re also reaching their limits.”

Instructor Hong looked up towards the Jinan Mountain engulfed in darkness and spoke slowly.