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.

In the midst of his parents' worries, Tian Zhong took a temporary leave of absence from school, watching Japan shrink and China grow larger through the plane window.

Elizabeth also boarded the plane, carrying several local specialties.

Fang Yuan did the same!

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

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

But Qin Yun refused; although the traffic wouldn't be bad, he still felt it better to keep it confidential for now—no need to reveal anything prematurely. Let everything be unveiled only after they reached the Taklamakan Desert.

……

On September 20, five people of different skin tones rode in vehicles, traveling deep along the winding mountain road until they finally stopped before a towering iron gate.

The first to arrive was naturally Qin Yuwén—she lived in Hangzhou, so it was just a matter of pressing the accelerator.

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

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

"Qin Ye!"

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

"Morning."

"Qin Ye, good morning. Am I the first one here?"

Qin Yuwén'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: "Starting 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 Yuwén hurriedly said: "No problem at all—Sister Hui told me to follow your instructions completely. Oh, Sister Hui is our company's boss."

"Good. I understand. Unless absolutely necessary, I still don't want you suddenly requesting leave from Lìyě 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, Qin Ye. I can definitely handle it."

As they spoke, another vehicle arrived.

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

Four figures stepped out, each carrying backpacks and dragging suitcases.

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

"Qin Ye… Qin Ye…"

"Hello, everyone." Qin Yun's gaze swept over them one by one, finally settling on Tian Zhong—he 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 too late now—he could only accept it reluctantly.

Among the five, the Russian Elizabeth was the oldest, at 32. Yet her physique was well-maintained, showing none of the typical obesity seen in most Russians her age, and her beauty was striking—blonde hair, exuding exotic charm.

"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 it 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. Let me be clear: this challenge will be 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 this: 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. Don't underestimate it. I'll do my best to lead you across a thousand miles of desert and get you out alive."

Qin Yun's gaze passed over each of them.

"You heard correctly—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 liability waivers. These contracts exist because I cannot guarantee any of you will survive."

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

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

"Now, Fang Yuan, Ryan, Tian Zhong, Elizabeth, Qin Yuwén—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 five exchanged glances. The Black man Ryan walked without hesitation toward the guardhouse.

The others followed quickly, without delay.

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.

Yet as Fang Yuan signed each name, feeling as if he were 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 succeeds, the five survivors will receive an additional reward based on audience voting…】

Seeing this sentence, Fang Yuan's eyes nearly bulged out.

He pointed at the printed words, then looked up sharply at Qin Yun: "M-Qin Ye… 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 Qin Ye has 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 Su Huan's words, all five froze.

They were all die-hard fans of Qin Yun—they knew perfectly well how enormous his livestream earnings were. What was "a portion"? One percent? Five percent? Even that would be astronomical. Of the five, only Qin Yuwén might earn such a sum in her lifetime—the rest would never see that much money in a lifetime.

And now he was saying… he'd give them part of the revenue as a reward?

Oh heavens, this is too thrilling!

Several people turned their gazes squarely toward Qin Yun, hoping for a confirming answer.

Qin Yun walked over and nodded: "You don't need to focus on this. To claim this reward, you must achieve Survival succeeded. If you give up midway, abandon it halfway, then everything will merely be a mirage—so there's no need for you to care about this."

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

"OMG, unbelievable…" Ryan's lips trembled as he muttered rapidly.

Fang Yuan's hands shook; he felt his fate was about to change simply by joining this livestream.

Elizabeth and Tian Zhongkui were no better off; even Qin Yuwen could not hide her shock.

She was merely a minor artist; though her income was decent, at this stage she was only slightly better off than the middle class. She could disregard the ten-thousand-dollar reward, but she could not disregard this portion of the profit sharing.

The five quickly wrote down their names, fearing that a single delay would cost them their chance.

After everyone signed their names, Qin Yun signaled to Su Huan, then led the five into the gate.

Hangzhou Banshan Liye Training Base, backed by Wuyun Mountain, far from the city center, sparsely populated, surrounded by high walls and barbed wire, with the only entrance and exit being the current opening.

"The total training period is sixteen days. Every three days, you may contact your families; for all other time, communication devices are prohibited. We hope you understand."

Naturally, none of them objected; each was overly excited.

……

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