Chapter 341: Tempering Willpower

Half a month later.

Lei En reluctantly left Ao Xiliya's room, returned to his own room, took out the Weizelan badge, opened a portal, and arrived on the third floor of the villa at Gairora Farm.

Just after stepping out of the portal, he heard a series of shouts.

"Hurry!"

"Faster!"

"You're falling behind; catch up immediately, or the timing will be invalid."

"The speed for this lap was slow; the team at the rear must do fifty push‑ups as punishment, starting now. They cannot continue running until they finish."

Lei En walked to the window behind the study; the vast open area in front of the villa had been turned into a large training ground, a lap measuring three li in length and wide enough for several cars to drive side by side. The ground was covered with a thick layer of sand and gravel, which absorbed water without kicking up dust.

At this moment, over three hundred Kemeiers were running around the field.

It was nearing noon, and they had been running nonstop since after breakfast, not pausing for a single minute.

The three hundred people were divided into twenty squads, fifteen per squad, keeping spacing, each accompanied by a Transcendent instructor.

At the front of the formation led a Mid-stage Shadow Warrior, maintaining a steady pace that was not fast; after a whole morning he still looked very relaxed. Yet the Kemeiers behind him had their clothes drenched in sweat, gritting their teeth to keep up, some pale as if they could collapse at any moment.

The training required them not to run faster than the leader, but also not to fall behind or even stop.

Whenever someone slowed and fell behind, the instructor immediately shouted a harsh rebuke.

These instructors came from the Dragon Stone Mercenary Corps; Lei En had hand‑picked them, each with a fierce expression, showing no mercy during training.

Even a hint of dissent in training meant only a heavier punishment.

Besides the mercenary instructors, a few Extreme Warriors were stationed at the farm; Xika Liusi, as chief instructor, had been directing the training for half a month.

He stood on the high platform beside the field, staring, and immediately sensed the arrival of the original body.

Looking toward the villa, he spotted Lei En's figure, then gave the other instructors a few orders, abandoned the training, and hurried upstairs into the study.

"Boss!"

Xika Liusi complained as soon as he entered, "These Kemeiers' aptitude isn't outstanding, only slightly better than ordinary people. After half a month of training, it seems to have little effect."

Lei En saw through his thoughts at a glance; he could no longer stay at the farm.

"Useless?" Lei En said with a smile, "At first even the best of them could only run for an hour; now they can run continuously for four or five hours without issue. At least in stamina, they've improved a lot."

"Is that even progress?" Xika Liusi said with some disdain.

If you pull anyone out of the Makurag Tribe, even a three‑ or four‑year‑old child, their stamina would surpass that of these Kemeiers; at such a slow pace, they could run all day without tiring.

He shook his head dismissively, "The boss provides them with a bottle of 'Basic Giant Potion' each day. Swap them with any healthy body, and with the potion's aid, half a month of training wouldn't make a difference."

Lei En fell silent.

Xika Liusi's view had some merit.

The Basic Giant Potion, brewed from a giant's blood, is a magical elixir; after drinking it one can quickly restore stamina, eliminate fatigue, and repair minor internal injuries. Ordinary people who use it can endure higher‑intensity training, boost endurance, and avoid becoming chronically ill.

Without the potion, running around the field all day, ordinary people simply cannot hold out for more than a few days before collapsing.

Although this is only the lowest‑grade potion, costing two Gold Shields per bottle, the sheer volume adds up: over three hundred Kemeiers each need a bottle, requiring six hundred Gold Shields daily.

In half a month, more than nine thousand Gold Shields were spent.

Lei En also supplied them with nutritionally rich food, and the Dragon Stone Mercenary Corps instructors required extra pay; together the outlay exceeded ten thousand Gold Shields.

Yet that ten‑plus‑thousand Gold Shield investment yielded only negligible progress.

Among the three hundred plus Kemeiers, only a dozen or so stood out, possessing potential to undergo the Soul Transformation ceremony, though the odds are low.

Spending so much money to cultivate only a dozen barely capable Transcendents is far from worthwhile.

In fact, not only Xika Liusi, but the mercenary corps instructors also could not comprehend.

From their perspective, Lei En's attempt this time had failed.

Cultivating a Transcendent army wholly loyal to an individual or family is extremely difficult; which great noble or lord hasn't spent a dozen or even dozens of years and countless resources to barely assemble a few hundred‑person Transcendent force?

Around Lei En, everyone who knew about this had no confidence in him.

At first, Emilyss was somewhat worried that once Lei En built a Transcendent army, he would no longer need her mercenary corps.

However, after observing the Kemeiers' training, all her worries vanished, and she repeatedly hinted to Lei En that as long as they forged a closer relationship, the Dragon Stone Mercenary Corps could be dispatched at will, signing multi‑year contracts, making it unnecessary to cultivate a Transcendent army.

Lei En refused without hesitation.

He has his own plan; just because others can't do something doesn't mean he can't.

The Kemeiers' training method was arranged by Lei En: only running, but the purpose wasn't merely to condition their bodies; it was to test their Willpower.

The key to the Soul Transformation ceremony lies in Willpower—the strength of the soul.

All three hundred Kemeiers were personally selected by Lei En, each interrogated individually, their condition examined with a Soul Eye, filtering out those with dark thoughts or lies; loyalty posed no issue. He then photographed them with a phone, recording soul data along with names and backgrounds.

Choosing three hundred out of over a thousand Kemeiers, the average potential already exceeds that of ordinary people.

Males made up the majority; females were few, only a little over forty.

These women may appear delicate, but their souls and Willpower are no less than the men's. The Transcendent path is essentially an evolution; once one possesses Transcendent power, gender differences become diminished and are not that important.

Lei En treated them equally, selecting them as well.

Every three days, he would re‑observe everyone, photograph and record them, compiling detailed data sheets for comparison.

Anyone whose soul showed even slight improvement was deemed qualified.

If two consecutive soul recordings showed no change, it usually meant the person was deceitful with weak Willpower, and they were eliminated, with replacements drawn from the remaining Kemeiers.

After several rounds of selection and half a month of monotonous running training, the soul Willpower of all three hundred plus had been strengthened.

Their outward appearance seemed exhausted; the physical improvements were negligible to the Transcendents, but the internal changes were known only to Lei En.

In his plan, that was already sufficient.

The goal had been reached; further running training held little meaning.

After the morning training ended, there was a one‑hour lunch break; once the Kemeiers finished a hearty midday meal, they were notified to assemble at the field immediately.

They left the mess hall somewhat puzzled, and instantly saw Lei En standing on the platform.

"Lord!"

More than three hundred Kemeier people lit up with excitement, could not mind their fatigue, and hurried to the playground to gather.

After half a month of training, they could already skillfully find their teammates, line up in twenty rows, and their gazes toward Lei En were full of anticipation.

The entire playground fell silent, awaiting the lord's scrutiny.

Lei En's eyes slowly swept over each person; his Soul Eye captured their condition and made a new round of records.

In just a few minutes, he completed the data comparison.

"Your training stops here; you have a half‑day off today," Lei En first announced good news, making the audience happy, then continued: "Those whose names are called, step forward. Fa Dal, Luo Bi, Ai Erweila, De Sen, Di Lana, Ge Wennis…"

Everyone immediately realized that anyone the lord called must have good news.

They were very nervous, hoping to hear their own names.

Lei En, in one breath, recited ten names; these people were the most outstanding in potential among the three hundred, with the greatest increase in Soul Willpower.

They stepped forward, both startled and delighted.

"All come up, get ready to follow me," Lei En looked at the others below, comforting them: "They are only the first batch; everyone will have a chance. Dismissed."

Having said that, he opened a portal and stepped through first.

In the castle's great hall, Lei En watched the ten Kemeier people emerge from the portal; it was their first time using a portal, feeling both novel and uneasy.

When the portal closed, they realized they were in a simple castle hall, surrounded by many awaiting servants; instantly they felt cramped and uneasy, their sweaty, disheveled appearance clashed with the setting, and they didn't even know where to place their hands or feet.

Lei En waved his hand and ordered, "Fabian, have someone help them freshen up and arrange rooms for rest."

"Very well, my lord."

The Wind Elf is now the chief steward of Glamorgan Territory; as long as Lei En is in the castle, he always follows close at hand to attend.

Lei En himself entered the Mechanical Alchemy Chamber to continue his firearm research.

After a few hours he emerged, summoned the ten Kemeier people again; they had regained strength, changed into brand‑new clothes, and looked completely refreshed.

Among them, eight were men and two were women.

Their ages were irregular: the youngest was only eighteen, still a girl; the oldest was nearing thirty, appearing more steady.

The greatest potential belonged to a youth named De Sen, just turned twenty; in just half a month his Soul Strength rose by a third. Had he begun training a few years earlier, he would almost certainly have become an Exemplar and possessed spell‑casting potential.

Moreover, his sister was also selected, though not among the ten.

Lei En nodded with satisfaction, "Follow me."

(End of chapter)