Nangong Lingyun spoke, and Ning Rongrong's eyes widened, growing larger and larger.
After he finished speaking, her entire face seemed to freeze, filled with disbelief.
She was completely stunned.
Before this, her understanding of hard training was probably just something like having to meditate for two hours a day to cultivate Soul Power.
Even if Kaiyuan Academy was a little unreasonable and doubled that to four or even six hours, wouldn't that be enough?
She never expected that for the entire twenty-four hours of the day, there wouldn't be even a minute of free time.
Didn't they fear people would die from exhaustion?
Ning Rongrong turned her head, wanting to see if any of her classmates would stand up and question this.
But the result was incredibly shocking. Everyone present looked as if it was completely natural.
Even Zhu Zhuqing, who had just joined the Team and Kaiyuan Academy like her, showed no disagreement.
Instead, she seemed to appreciate this kind of approach, her eyes bright.
They're crazy, all of them are crazy,
Ning Rongrong sighed inwardly, then a faint smile appeared on her lips. She mustered her courage and asked Nangong Lingyun:
"Wait... what about rest time?
Um... you seem to have forgotten to mention when we get to rest?"
"You didn't mishear, and I didn't misspeak. There's no time for rest.\n\nEven if you're seriously injured, we have healers, restorers, and food specialists here to ensure you're up and at 'em the very next day.\n\nWell, not quite. Come to think of it, there's a little bit of rest."
Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up. Compared to the alternative, a little bit was a vast improvement.
Then, she heard Nangong Lingyun say calmly, "After this morning's extreme physical training, you'll start the Medicinal Bath. You'll pass out for about an hour during that. Does that count as rest?"
"Training until we pass out?"
Ning Rongrong's expression froze again, her mouth half-open, unsure what to say.
That expression wasn't just shock; it was as if someone had taken a heavy blow to the back of the head.
Her heart sank instantly, as if falling into a bottomless abyss, and she felt like ten thousand alpacas were stampeding through her heart.
Resting, yes, they were definitely resting, but the way they were resting was a little... different from what she'd imagined.
"Xiao Wu, tell her our motto."
"Why sleep long before death, when you'll sleep forever after?"
"Huh?"
Ning Rongrong's face twitched violently. That sentence made her see black, and she felt completely awful.
Could a person actually say something like that?
But Nangong Lingyun completely ignored her reaction.
"Very well, since no one has any objections, the first collective training session for the newly formed team officially begins now.
First item, warm-up exercise: sixteen point eight kilometers of weighted cross-country, which means running one lap around Kaiyuan Academy.
The two new members won't carry any weight today, just to get familiar with the process and difficulty, but you must finish within forty minutes."
"Wait, wait…"
Ning Rongrong cried out in alarm, seemingly trying to warn everyone how far sixteen kilometers actually was. Even a carriage would take ten minutes to travel that distance.
But the others around her had already begun to move.
They took sandbags and weighted vests out of their Soul Guiding Devices, putting them on with practiced ease.
Then, they stretched their necks, ankles, knees, and waists.
Nangong Lingyun also put on a special suit of armor. It was a dark, black color, with countless bright silver runes inscribed on it.
This item was purchased from the system shop.
Its defensive capabilities weren't outstanding, but it was incredibly heavy and could apply gravity to oneself, ranging from ten to a hundred times the normal level.
After a moment, he raised his arm and shouted, "Let's go."
Before his words even faded, he had already darted forward, and the others followed closely behind in a line.
Ning Rongrong took a deep breath and, seeing the situation, quickly chased after them.
Kaiyuan Academy covered an enormous area, exceeding fourteen square kilometers in total. Converted into acres, that would be twenty-three thousand acres.
Its perimeter roughly formed an irregular trapezoid, encompassing various terrains such as mountains, rivers, lakes, and forests, with numerous simulated training grounds scattered throughout.
To run around it meant one had to climb mountains, wade through water, cross lakes, and traverse forests, making it a very challenging task.
The team had only been running for a short while when Ning Rongrong was surprised to find that she couldn't keep up.
Even without using their Martial Soul abilities, and while clearly carrying significant weighted gear, these people could effortlessly leap three to five meters with a simple push-off. They didn't even bother dodging obstacles, just leaping right over them.
As a Soul Master, she could also jump five meters or more, but it required her to exert all her strength, or the enhancement of her Martial Soul. She couldn't do it with such casual ease.
She tried to keep up, but after just one kilometer, her legs felt like they were made of lead, and her breathing was completely erratic, gasping for air.
However, just then, a voice reached her ears.
"You two are just starting your training, so you can use your Martial Soul abilities to assist you. Gradually reduce your reliance on your Martial Soul as you adapt."
"Pay attention to your running posture. Your arms should swing in time with your steps, which can help you maintain balance. Also, land on the balls of your feet, not your heels. This will reduce the impact when you land."
"No matter how tired, how painful, or how uncomfortable you feel, you absolutely cannot stop. Even if you have to shuffle forward step by step, or crawl on your hands and knees, otherwise you'll have wasted all the effort you've put in so far."
"Soul Power is the most precious and versatile power in you. When you can't keep going, try to actively channel your Soul Power into your legs. You'll be surprised by the results."
...
Ning Rongrong had given it her all, but after more than an hour, she lay on the ground like a dead fish, unable to move a muscle.
Especially when she looked at the mountain in front of her, which was at least a thousand meters high and had a very steep slope, despair filled her eyes.
Just as she was about to fall asleep, a familiar figure suddenly appeared above her.
She quickly explained:
"I… really… can't run… anymore."
Her words were broken, her face was flushed like a cooked shrimp, and her clothes were soaked with sweat.
"Drink some water first."
Nangong Lingyun took out a water bottle with two long rabbit ears sticking up from it. He grabbed one of the ears and twisted, removing the cap.
Then, he stood still, waiting.
A few minutes passed. When Ning Rongrong's breathing had calmed down, he began to speak, "To be honest, your performance today exceeded my expectations.
I thought someone like you, a young miss from a noble family and a powerful sect, would have pretended to be dead on the ground after running a few steps, or sneaked off to take a shortcut.
I didn't expect you to actually persevere until now."
"However, the limit you think you've reached isn't the true upper limit of your body or strength, nor is it the end of your willpower.
The fatigue you're feeling now is just an illusion caused by the fact that you've never trained like this before.
As long as you get back up again, you can still keep going."
"In the time to come, I'll stay by your side, until we find your body's true limit."