Endurance Under the Sun

“Ha, at least I still have my ability.”

This feeling thrilled Zhou Chen.

But before he could savor it for long, the instructor suddenly approached.

“Put on this weighted training ring.” The instructor held out a black metal ring.

Zhou Chen: “???”

His eyes darted as he instinctively looked toward Guang Hongfang.

The burly man with a fierce face was now grinning, mouthing “Hi.”

Clearly, it was Guang Hongfang’s idea to make him wear the ring.

With a grimace, Zhou Chen obediently put on the weighted ring.

The slight boost from his ability was instantly suppressed into nothingness.

And he wasn’t the only one.

Anyone whose passive ability enhanced their physique was ordered to wear one.

Thud…

In Huang Shuo’s sight, someone else collapsed.

She kept her eyes straight, only using her peripheral vision.

Chen Molian lay sprawled on the ground, gasping like a fish out of water.

Sweat soaked her long hair, and from her chin down her smooth neck, it drenched her military uniform.

For someone with human bloodline, standing at attention under the scorching sun was evidently more draining.

Wen Erya, a volunteer, quickly came over and helped Chen Molian to the nearby bungalow for medical treatment.

By now, one of Huang Shuo’s acquaintances was out.

Time continued to crawl at an excruciating pace.

Occasionally, someone from the large formation would drop, but so far, no A-rank student had given up.

Huang Shuo didn’t know how long it had been.

Maybe eight minutes, maybe ten; she only knew that her void energy hadn’t emptied yet.

Under the blazing sun, her face was flushed, drenched in sweat.

As her void energy continuously drained, waves of weakness surged from within.

One wave after another, as if building up.

And when her void energy finally ran dry, the accumulated weakness exploded.

Her limbs turned limp and uncontrollable.

Her exhausted body urged her mind to give up, to rest.

She trembled, sweat raining down, staining the reddish-brown ground with dark circles.

Huang Shuo swayed, on the verge of collapse.

But then, gritting her teeth, she forced a lopsided smile.

This feeling… she knew it all too well!

In the Monster Yard, she had twice drained her void energy, nearly unable to stand.

In the Dragon Pool, to suppress a dragon-class creature, she had massively corrupted many plants, almost draining herself.

And during the three-day face-off match!

She had released all her void energy at once, corrupting hundreds of plants, then, after barely recovering, activated a second corruption and exhausted herself again.

So… weakness? No big deal!

“How could this pathetic weakness ever defeat me!”

Huang Shuo shouted in her heart, forcing herself to straighten up and stand firm amidst the boundless weakness.

After straightening up, a few seconds later, the wave of weakness began to recede.

She felt strength returning to her limbs.

Not much, but enough to keep her going.

“This time, I will prove myself…”

Huang Shuo raised her head, chest out, eyes fixed ahead.

This time, she firmly believed she would last till the end!

That person!

Huang Mi had always been a key observation target for Guang Hongfang.

So the moment she showed signs of void energy depletion, he immediately noticed.

By the truck, Guang Hongfang checked his watch and sat up slightly.

“Ten minutes. As expected of an S-rank; her mercury-tier void energy capacity already rivals an ordinary gold-tier.”

Ten minutes was the watershed between mercury and gold tiers in void energy magnitude.

Only an S-rank could reach this threshold at mercury tier.

Of course, reaching this magnitude doesn’t mean having gold-tier proficiency.

The gap between gold and mercury tiers spans multiple aspects.

Not just void energy magnitude, but ability evolution, the secondary physical completion it triggers.

And also the improvement in void energy quality during advancement.

Gold-tier suppression over mercury-tier is nearly comprehensive.

Without external help, relying solely on oneself to overcome a stronger opponent—mercury defeating gold—is generally impossible.

As for why ‘generally’…

It’s because Huang Mi made Guang Hongfang see the possibility.

“Such a rough gem needs careful polishing!” Guang Hongfang mused.

In his view, peculiar beings were warriors who needed to be tempered through blood and fire; all learning, including theoretical knowledge, should be mastered through practice.

So he never liked academy-style education, thinking the first-year foundation-building wasted too much time and talent.

“And being able to recover from weakness within ten seconds shows an outstanding willpower. It seems related to her ability usage and personality.”

Guang Hongfang grew more satisfied with Huang Mi, quickly making a decision.

“Reserve a spot in [Shushan] for her.”

The [Shushan] void realm was about to descend.

Over the past month, the Expedition Bureau and Administration Bureau, along with the military, Tiantu University, and the Special Higher Academy personnel, had conducted two explorations of [Shushan].

They completed a preliminary map, confirming key areas.

Namely, the three core regions: Sword Spring Mountain, Demon Suppression Tower, and Reincarnation Lake.

As exploration deepened, Daxia understood what these regions corresponded to.

[Shushan], a large void realm, was the former mountain gate of the ancient peculiar being sect Shu Mountain Sect, a so-called Cave Heaven.

Sword Spring Mountain likely holds the sect’s legacy, including lost void arts, void artifacts, roots, and various treasures;

The Demon Suppression Tower is a prison for void creatures and also serves as a trial ground for disciples;

As for Reincarnation Lake, current exploration suggests it might be the realm’s origin, its purpose unknown.

AI has aggregated all known information.

Parts of Sword Spring Mountain might have ‘formations’ restricting void energy tier or lineage.

Used to test and reward inner disciples.

These formations aren’t like those in xianxia novels; they’re void arts inscribed on void materials, mimicking ability effects.

Precursors to void energy instruments.

So this joint military training also screens students with suitable temperament and strength, selecting them for the next campaign.

It’s both training and a test.

Huang Mi didn’t know that her good performance had earned her a spot on the [Shushan] exploration list, which she had been yearning for.

Right now, she was fully focused on the training.

Time passed slowly; only half an hour.

Nearly half the students in the four formations had dropped, including A-rank peculiar beings.

For example, Tiantu University’s Zhou Chen, Jiang Qing, and Administration Bureau’s Jiao Le.

Huang Shuo controlled her breathing.

Having maintained a motionless stance for half an hour, her feet were gradually numbing, losing sensation.

But since her void energy was completely drained, the weakness stopped increasing.

Instead, she gradually adapted to the sense of weakness, her condition slowly improving.

In the last half hour of standing, fewer people dropped than in the first half hour.

Those who could last half an hour were mostly holding on with sheer willpower.

As long as that spirit didn’t break, it was fine.

So when the hour ended, a full 40% of the four formations remained standing.

Leng Qianhua was somewhat satisfied with that ratio.

She glanced at her watch and ordered a rest: “At ease, rest for ten minutes on the spot. No sitting down.”

No sooner had she spoken.

A chorus of groans filled the field, accompanied by the thuds of those collapsing.

Volunteers and instructors quickly moved through the formations, helping students to bungalows for rest and treatment.

As for Huang Shuo, the moment she heard ‘rest,’ it felt like a burden lifted, and she instantly sagged.

She stomped her feet hard—no numbness at all; they had long lost sensation from poor blood circulation.

Stepping on the ground felt like stepping on prosthetics.

“Ugh… my feet.”

Huang Shuo groaned, vigorously wiggling her ten toes.

With each effort, pale toes curled and spread, covered in a thin layer of foam.

She repeated this for about a minute.

Then she felt a rush of heat, like thousands of needles pricking, surging into her feet.

Sensation returned to her feet.

After ten minutes of rest, Leng Qianhua didn’t give them more time; training resumed.

The content was the same, but durations were extended.

Like holding a squat for half an hour, marching with raised legs for half an hour…

Through repeated training—or rather, tempering—people kept dropping.

Some recovered and came back from the bungalows.

Those who had dropped out but returned were grouped into a new formation.

Huang Shuo gritted her teeth, relying on her strong will honed through repeated self-inflicted pain and her resistance to weakness built from draining her void energy time and again.

She persisted to the very end.

The red setting sun connected with the distant Underground Mountain range, burning clouds spread across the sky.

The temperature was no longer scorching like the afternoon.

Huang Shuo, maintaining a squat position, trembled slightly. Her long eyelashes quivered, and a drop of sweat fell.

Her military uniform now had a faint white layer.

This was the salt crystal layer left by sweat repeatedly soaking and drying.

Testament to her day’s hard work.

By the truck in the center of the four formations, Guang Hongfang was long gone, leaving only the lounge chair.

Leng Qianhua checked her watch, then shouted, “Time’s up! Everyone, stand up!”

Days of training had instilled in Huang Shuo the habit of obeying commands.

The moment she heard ‘stand up,’ she tried to rise.

But after kneeling for an hour, her legs were numb and useless.

On standing, her knees buckled, and she fell forward onto the ground.

Huang Shuo propped herself up on her hands, utterly embarrassed. She didn’t need to imagine how awkward her pose was.

She tried to push herself up, but failed after several attempts.

She looked around, planning to ask for help.

But now she noticed that no one around her had lasted to the end.

Even the few who had remained earlier gave up during the final hour-long squat.

In the Tiantu University formation, among the front rows, only she was left.

“Come on, junior!”

Wen Erya walked over and extended her hand.

But honestly, Huang Shuo would have preferred a senior; after being beaten by Senior Wen so often, she now felt an inexplicable fear of her.

Especially when weak, it was worse.

Still, she wouldn’t refuse Wen Erya’s help. Gratefully thanking her, she grabbed the soft hand and pulled herself up.

After adjusting her breathing, Huang Shuo turned to see who else had lasted.

First, naturally, the Tiantu University formation.

Unlike the densely packed formation at the start.

Now it was sparse, at most a dozen people.

Among them, five she recognized.

One was Wang Xiuming, an A-rank student who had declared himself a ‘catfish’ at the freshman orientation and consistently led the class in both credits and progress.

Another was Guan Shuai; despite his carefree demeanor, his resilience was surprisingly strong.

Huang Shuo couldn’t help but view him differently.

From her class, only he and Zhang Hezhi, who had won the practical assessment, lasted to the end.

Mastering martial arts so skillfully required strong will and self-control.

But the biggest surprise was Zhang Si, the weakest in aptitude, who also persisted. That was a real upset.

As for the last person she knew, it was a tall, freckled girl with round glasses.

This girl had performed well on registration night.

Though she didn’t kill the dragon creature, she easily held it off for a long time. Another top student from a province.

Her name was Li Shuqi.

Her ability was unique: an old leather book that inflicted various negative effects on enemies.

That was also why Huang Shuo remembered her—few abilities had a physical carrier.

“As expected, outstanding performance comes not just from talent but also from mental toughness.”

Huang Shuo praised them in her mind, as complimenting them was also complimenting herself.

She then looked at the other three organizations.

The Administration Bureau had the most people and also the most who persisted, but proportionally it might be the lowest.

Next was the Expedition Bureau; their number of survivors was second only to the Administration Bureau, but their ratio far exceeded them.

Even among the four organizations, they were in a league of their own.

“Why does the Expedition Bureau always perform so well? Guang Hongfang didn’t give them special treatment, did he?” Huang Shuo muttered.

If someone else were leading the training, she wouldn’t suspect a thing.

But not Guang Hongfang; he played by his own rules, and she truly believed he might have given them an edge.

As for the Special Higher Academy, they performed well this time, with a considerable number lasting.

Probably because they really didn’t want to sleep in the hundred-person dormitory.