Chapter 326: Begin Training

“Mom, I’m leaving. As soon as I get paid, I’ll send the money right away.”

Ryan embraced his mother and several younger siblings at the airport, then boarded a flight to Xiaoshan, China.

Tanaka Aoi, amid her parents’ worries, temporarily took a leave of absence from school; as the plane flew, Japan shrank behind her while China grew larger ahead.

Elizabeth, carrying several local specialties, also boarded the plane.

Fang Yuan did the same!

After the second performance week, Qin Yuwen, though retaining her ranking, had to withdraw—and she too paused all her work to prepare for the upcoming training.

People from Douyin suggested Qin Yun could livestream the training process during this period.

But Qin Yun refused; though the traffic wouldn’t be bad, he still felt it better to keep it secret for now—no need to reveal anything prematurely. Everything could wait until they reached the Taklamakan Desert.

…

On September 20, five people of different skin tones rode in vehicles, following the winding mountain road deep into the interior, finally stopping before a towering iron gate.

The first to arrive was naturally Qin Yuwen—she lived in Hangzhou, just a foot on the gas away.

The gate stood wide open; guards were stationed at the checkpoint, and Qin Yun himself stood right at the entrance. Seeing the arriving vehicle, Qin Yuwen stepped out, and he waved to her.

Qin Yuwen wore casual clothes today, radiating youthful energy. Seeing Qin Yun, her eyes lit up, and she ran over quickly.

“Master Qin!”

Qin Yun wore camouflage fatigues, standing as straight as a spear.

“Morning.”

“Master Qin, good morning. Am I the first one here?”

Qin Yuwen’s gaze swept over Qin Yun’s face and body; a powerful charisma stirred something unusual in her, making her cheeks flush slightly.

Qin Yun nodded: “Yes, but not for long—the other four have already entered the mountains.”

He asked: “From today until the livestream, this place will be fully sealed. Are you sure you’re okay with that? After all, you’re an entertainer.”

For entertainers, especially minor stars, frequent exposure is crucial.

Qin Yuwen hurried to say: “No problem at all—Hui Jie told me to follow your instructions completely. Oh, Hui Jie is our company’s boss.”

“Good. I appreciate that. Unless absolutely necessary, I still don’t want you suddenly requesting leave from Liye Camp midway. I’m not worried about the others, but entertainers? Who knows—they might quit because training’s too hard. I’ve heard plenty of ridiculous rumors about those young idols.”

So, just to be clear—I’m warning you in advance.

“Don’t worry, Master Qin. I can handle it.”

As they spoke, another vehicle arrived.

Four cars, one after another, pulled up at the base gate almost simultaneously.

Four figures stepped out, backpacks on their backs, suitcases in hand.

Seeing the two at the gate, the four hurried toward Qin Yun.

“Master Qin… Master Qin…”

“Hello everyone.” Qin Yun’s gaze swept over each of them, finally settling on Tanaka Aoi—she looked exactly like a high school student, the only minor among the five.

To be honest, he regretted setting the age limit at 16 when he designed the sign-up criteria.

But it was done now—he could only accept it reluctantly.

Of the five, the Russian Elizabeth was the oldest, at 32. Yet she maintained her figure well, avoiding the typical obesity common among Russians her age, and her beauty was striking—blonde hair, distinctly exotic.

“First, congratulations on being selected. Second, welcome to this training. I assume you already know the destination and content of the next livestream?”

They nodded one after another. They’d guessed from the desert materials Qin Yun first gave them, and the social media teasers from the past two days confirmed it.

“Our livestream location will be the Taklamakan Desert, in Xinjiang, China. I want to say this: the challenge ahead is extremely difficult.”

Qin Yun’s expression turned serious.

“If you’ve watched my survival video in the Qaidam Desert, you can roughly imagine the dangers of the Taklamakan Desert.”

“But I can tell you—the danger of the Taklamakan far exceeds that of the Qaidam. There’s no comparison. One misstep, and even I might get trapped inside. So this training is critical. I want you all to take it seriously—never underestimate it. I’ll do my best to lead you across a thousand miles of sand and bring you out alive.”

Qin Yun’s gaze passed over each of them.

“You heard right—I said ‘do my best,’ not ‘guarantee.’ Even though you all said you’d obey completely and never quit, I must emphasize again: before you step through this gate, you must sign a series of contracts. These are liability waivers, because I cannot guarantee you’ll survive.”

Qin Yun had mentioned this before in the group, but repeating it face-to-face now still pressed heavy weight on Fang Yuan and the others.

Qin Yun pointed toward the guard post, where five documents lay neatly arranged. Su Huan and Douyin’s legal team had appeared there without notice.

“Now, Fang Yuan, Ryan, Tanaka Aoi, Elizabeth, Qin Yuwen—if you choose to proceed, go sign the contracts. Once signed, one hundred thousand U.S. dollars will be transferred immediately into the accounts you provided.”

The group exchanged glances. The Black man Ryan walked without hesitation toward the guard post.

The others followed quickly, no hesitation.

Qin Yun had already explained most of this beforehand. Since they’d all come, they’d clearly prepared themselves.

No one thought it excessive that Qin Yun required them to sign liability waivers.

But as Fang Yuan signed his name one by one, feeling like he was selling himself, he suddenly noticed something odd in the text—he stopped writing and stared at the line that caught his eye.

【Livestream Reward: If survival is successful, the five survivors will receive an additional reward based on audience voting…】

Seeing this line, Fang Yuan’s eyes nearly bulged out.

He pointed at the printed words, then looked up sharply at Qin Yun: “M-Master Qin… is this… is this real?”

How could he not be excited? This clause had never been mentioned before—not by Qin Yun, not in any prior announcement.

Ryan and the others glanced at Fang Yuan, puzzled by his sudden intensity.

But when Elizabeth checked the same line on her own contract, she too was stunned. She covered her mouth, her chest heaving in shock.

Su Huan smiled slightly and explained: “This is a bonus Master Qin prepared for you. He’ll allocate a portion of the livestream revenue as your final reward—not split equally, but determined by netizens’ votes.”

Hearing this, all five froze.

They were all diehard fans of Qin Yun—they knew perfectly well how enormous his livestream earnings were. Even one percent, five percent—still a astronomical sum. Of the five, only Qin Yuwen might earn that much in her career; the rest might never see that much money in their lifetimes.

And now he was saying… he’d give them a share of the revenue?

Good heavens, this was too intense!

All five turned their eyes to Qin Yun, hoping for confirmation.

Qin Yun walked over and nodded: “Don’t focus on this. To earn this reward, you must survive. If you quit midway, it’ll all vanish—so there’s no need to dwell on it.”

Hearing this, Fang Yuan, Ryan, and the others immediately grew excited.

“OMG, unbelievable…” Ryan muttered rapidly, lips trembling.

Fang Yuan’s hands shook—he felt his fate was about to change because of this livestream.

Elizabeth and Tanaka Aoi were no less stunned; even Qin Yuwen couldn’t hide her shock.

She was just a minor entertainer—her income was decent, but still only slightly above middle class. She could ignore the hundred thousand dollars, but not this share of the revenue.

They scribbled their names quickly, as if afraid someone else would snatch their chance.

Once everyone had signed, Qin Yun signaled to Su Huan, then led the five inside the gate.

The Hangzhou Banshan Liye Training Base, backed by Wuyun Mountain, far from the city, desolate and isolated—surrounded by high walls and barbed wire, with only this single entrance.

“The training lasts sixteen days total. Every three days, you may contact your families. For all other time, no communication devices are permitted. I hope you understand.”

The group had no objections—each was too excited to care.

…

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