Chapter 172: Ginger is Still Spicier When it's Old

Hearing that Qin Jian had finally started speaking seriously, the others gathered around.

"We have to run several hundred kilometers this time; if we use a normal running method, we definitely won't be able to hold out..."

Qin Jian said, "So, we will adopt the military's running method."

"The military's running method?"

Tang San's eyes lit up: "You mean marching in formation and keeping the rhythm?"

"That's right."

Qin Jian nodded and said, "I'll lead, Rongrong will follow behind me, and I will move at a speed she can keep up with. We will form a single line and run with the same pace; this way, we can persist for a long time."

The others knew his method was the best as soon as they heard it, so naturally, there were no objections.

"Brother Jian, from now on, the task of dealing with Grandmaster's devilish training is handed over to you!"

Oscar followed the formation and started running, feeling very excited.

The first round trip was completed at this steady pace.

Once they were truly running, Qin Jian realized that even with thorough preparation, the pressure brought by the extra weight could not be offset.

If it were just a normal run, even without using soul power, this round trip would not count as a punishment for them at all.

But with the added weight, their bodies clearly became unaccustomed; after one round trip, Ning Rongrong and Oscar were already drenched in sweat, and the others also showed signs of fatigue.

After all, the two of them were Support-type Soul Masters; even at level thirty, they did not have as much stamina as Zhu Zhuqing, who was in her twenties.

However, what made Oscar feel very embarrassed was that the one with the worst stamina was not Ning Rongrong as Qin Jian had expected, but rather himself.

Because Ning Rongrong had been listening to Qin Jian and working hard to exercise her body since that year of mimicry training, her physical fitness was much better than his.

In the end, everyone was running at Oscar's speed...

At the academy gate, Grandmaster saw the seven of them running over in a formation with unified steps, and he was slightly surprised, then looked at Qin Jian again.

He had an intuition that this was definitely something Qin Jian had come up with again.

"It's fortunate that I had someone add three kilograms of weight to each of them while they were changing clothes; otherwise, it wouldn't have had any effect." A smile rose at the corner of his mouth.

Ginger is still spicier when it's old...

After drinking some salt water prepared by Grandmaster, the seven of them continued running under the scorching sun that felt like a furnace.

The second round trip, the third round trip, the fourth...

Every time the group returned to the front of the academy, they would drink the salt water with the appropriate temperature prepared by Grandmaster; warm water is easy to absorb, and the salt can replenish the stamina exhausted by sweating.

Even Ning Rongrong and Oscar felt that they had miraculously persisted in finishing the four steady-paced round trips; apart from drinking water, there were no pauses in between.

However, when the fifth round trip began, the speed of Oscar and Ning Rongrong had clearly slowed down. The scenery before their eyes had begun to blur, their legs felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead, and the bamboo baskets on their backs felt even more like mountains bringing down this gravity.

"Rongrong, give your stones to me." Qin Jian said to Ning Rongrong.

Tang San also reached out his hand to Oscar at the same time.

Neither of them refused; they knew very well that their stamina was already somewhat overdrawn, and if they continued like this, they might not be able to persist through this round trip.

The fifth, sixth, and seventh round trips ended under these circumstances.

When the eighth round trip began, nearly two hours had passed, and the sun had already shifted from the center.

Noon had passed.

There was no lunch to be had...

"I can't do it, I can't do it anymore."

It was Ma Hongjun who spoke; he stumbled under his feet and nearly fell to the ground. Pangzi stopped, supported his knees with his hands, and gasped for air.

The others stopped at the same time, their clothes soaked through.

"Fortunately... fortunately there is the running gear Qin Jian prepared... otherwise it would be miserable now..." Tang San panted.

Qin Jian and he carried the most weight, so their situation was not much better than Ma Hongjun's.

"We... *huff*... need seven horses... the kind from Battle Through the Heavens..." Qin Jian muttered.

Fortunately, his voice was low, and the others didn't hear it clearly; even if they had, they probably wouldn't have understood.

"Hahaha! You finally have no strength left?! You made us wait so long."

At this moment, three people suddenly jumped out of the woods and kicked Ma Hongjun to the ground without a word.

"It's people from Canghui Academy!" Tang San frowned.

"Save... save me..."

Ma Hongjun, whose back was being stepped on by the three, let out a painful cry for help.

Qin Jian and Tang San's eyes brimmed with killing intent at the same time.

"Bang, bang."

The baskets on the two people's bodies hit the ground with a thud, and then they rushed forward directly.

Grandmaster said they couldn't use soul power for running, but he didn't say they couldn't in this situation.

So even though they were very tired, with the addition of soul power, they still knocked the three down in a few quick moves.

"Get lost!"

Qin Jian's final cold shout scared the three of them so much that they scrambled away in a panic...

The two helped Ma Hongjun up, but he was first exhausted and then beaten up, so he couldn't run anymore at this point.

"Pangzi, give your stones to me." Qin Jian reached out, took a stone, and threw it into his own basket.

Ma Hongjun's expression changed: "Are you still holding up?"

Qin Jian's mouth twitched: "What a question... even if I'm not, I have to."

He reached toward Zhu Zhuqing's basket again: "Zhuqing, give me one of your stones too."

But Zhu Zhuqing twisted her body and pushed away Qin Jian's hand: "It's fine, I can still persist."

The journey began again; this time, the group slowed their speed once more. Although Qin Jian didn't say a word, the others could clearly see that his pace had become much heavier, and the sweat left behind with every step was the most among the seven.

The way Tang San and the others looked at Qin Jian began to change slightly; even when he had defeated them all before, it had not been as moving as this moment.

As the eighth round trip ended, Grandmaster deliberately glanced at the bamboo baskets on everyone's backs while providing them with warm salt water, but he said nothing.

On the ninth round trip, Qin Jian once again took a stone from Zhu Zhuqing, and Tang San also took a stone from Xiao Wu.

The journey continued; every step taken was so arduous, and Qin Jian survived it almost entirely by relying on his sheer tenacity.

He had not expected it to end up like this either; he could only say that Grandmaster was ruthless enough.

At this time, although they were still running, in reality, they were not much faster than walking.

From the beginning of the punishment until now, a full four hours had passed.

"Gulp, gulp..."

Drinking the salt water in large gulps, the seven of them all looked as if they had been fished out of water, while Grandmaster still stood to the side without saying a word.

The tenth round trip of the punishment finally began; this time, everyone was truly unable to run anymore and could only force their feet to move, stepping forward one by one.

"Can't go on?"

Seeing that the few were almost moving in place, Qin Jian suddenly spoke slowly: "We... can do it!"

Tang San was the first to follow up: "We can do it!"

"Can do it!"

The others roared in unison and set off with renewed effort.

Walking the return leg, Oscar fainted and was carried on Tang San's back, with the weight burden shared by Ma Hongjun.

Another third of the way, Ning Rongrong fainted and was carried on Qin Jian's back, who refused to share the weight.

Another third later, Qin Jian finally could not hold on and nearly fainted, while Ning Rongrong woke up and struggled to walk on her own.

Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu worked together to support Qin Jian, one on each side.

The last kilometer, Oscar woke up...

Under the setting sun, the seven people staggered, dragging long shadows, supporting and helping one another, turning into the most beautiful silhouettes in the world at this moment...

(End of this chapter)