Chapter 136: Climbing Fifty Floors in Five Minutes

Ten hours later.

Dusk was falling. The plane finally touched down at the Spring City Military District airport. As soon as he stepped off the aircraft, Xu Han saw a row of heavily armed soldiers standing nearby. A white-haired old man, dressed in the formal attire exclusive to the Dragon Kingdom’s military, walked over with a smile.

Xu Han noticed immediately that the old man wore three golden stars on his shoulders. That was the rank of a General!

Xu Han was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected this seemingly ordinary old man to be a General. It seemed that even the military commander of East Sea City didn't hold such a high rank. However, Spring City was, after all, a border city of the Dragon Kingdom—the southwestern gateway, bordering several countries—so having a General stationed here made sense.

Upon seeing the old man, Ye Yuanzheng’s face lit up with a smile. "Old Liang, long time no see."

Liang Xingteng replied with a wry smile, "You old geezer, it hasn’t even been five days since you were last here, has it? Well? Did you find the right candidates?"

Ye Yuanzheng nodded and pointed to the five students behind him. "These are the elite of the younger generation from Dragon Kingdom University. I dare say no other university could produce five young talents like these."

Looking at Xu Han and the others, Liang Xingteng nodded slightly. "You’ve already explained the situation to them, haven't you?"

Ye Yuanzheng nodded again. "I have. You can rest assured. Have you arranged everything else?"

Liang Xingteng nodded and gestured with his hand. A middle-aged man with a square face and a buzz cut stepped forward, standing half a step behind him.

Liang Xingteng then looked at the students. "Students, this is Wang Yuan, Deputy Commander of the Spring City Garrison. He will be leading your special training over the next few days."

Wang Yuan gave a military salute to acknowledge them. Xu Han studied him for a moment. He could sense the iron-blooded aura radiating from the man—a presence that only came from years of military service and countless battles. This man was clearly a formidable fighter.

Hua Piaowu, standing at the back of the group, whispered, "Why do we need special training? Aren't we supposed to go straight into the mystic realm ruins?" This was completely different from what she had imagined.

Liang Xingteng looked at her. "So, you’re the little girl, Hua Buyu’s daughter?"

Ye Yuanzheng nodded with a grin. "Don't worry, I already spoke with Hua Buyu. She said we could put you all through whatever we wanted, as long as you didn't come back missing any limbs, she didn't care."

Liang Xingteng chuckled. "With those words from her, I can finally relax. Otherwise, I’d be worried about her coming to cause me trouble."

Hua Piaowu’s face turned pale. She had no idea her mother had told the principal such a thing. Was she even her biological daughter? This was far too heartless!

Liang Xingteng explained, "The spiritual energy surrounding the perimeter of the mystic ruins will take another week to dissipate. Since our current environment is tropical, the interior of the ruins is the same. Therefore, we need to put you through specialized training. This is not only to increase the success rate of your mission but also to ensure your survival."

"Alright, Xiao Wang, take them to training. Don't waste any more time."

"Yes, sir!" Wang Yuan nodded and addressed Xu Han and the others, "Follow me."

He turned and began to walk away. Xu Han and the others followed.

Once they were out of earshot, Ye Yuanzheng asked with a smile, "Old Liang, where are you taking them for training?"

Liang Xingteng smiled. "Three days of drills first, then I'll assign them a task. As for the location... it’s not far, just near the national border."

Ye Yuanzheng’s expression shifted slightly. "Near the border? That’s a brutal place."

The border area was not only filled with dangerous exotic beasts and harsh conditions, but it was also frequented by people from other countries and, worse, treasure hunters. These treasure hunters were different from beast hunters. While beast hunters focused on the beasts themselves, treasure hunters targeted people—or, more accurately, the equipment and materials they carried.

Liang Xingteng glanced at him. "What? Are you worried? If they can’t even handle that, they shouldn't be going into the mystic ruins at all, lest they end up dead without ever knowing why."

Ye Yuanzheng retorted defensively, "Think again. The students I choose are capable of anything! It’s just a border line, it’s a piece of cake. Do you dare to make a bet with me?"

Upon hearing the word 'bet,' Liang Xingteng grew interested. "What are we betting?"

Ye Yuanzheng grinned. "If they pass the assessment, I win, and you have to give me that bottle of 20-year-old Night Fruit Wine you’ve been hoarding."

Liang Xingteng laughed and cursed, "You old rascal, your schemes are plain as day!"

With his goal exposed, Ye Yuanzheng stopped pretending. "Well? Do you dare or not?"

Liang Xingteng waved his hand dismissively. "Betting is betting. You think I’m afraid of you? If even one of them fails the assessment, you lose. My demands aren't high—just give me two or three pieces of epic-grade equipment."

Ye Yuanzheng’s expression changed. "You old thief, why don't you just rob me? You have the nerve to ask for two or three pieces of epic-grade equipment? Do you know how many bottles of Night Fruit Wine that’s worth?"

Liang Xingteng replied with disdain, "Forget it then, if you’re scared. I won't force you."

Ye Yuanzheng gritted his teeth. "Fine, you're on! You’ve never won against me in decades, and you won't start now!"

And so, the two made their wager. The soldiers nearby were bewildered; they had never seen their stern Commander Liang talk so much, let alone with this old man.

Xu Han and the others, unaware that they had become the subjects of a bet, followed Wang Yuan outside the airport. Two off-road vehicles were waiting on the road. Everyone boarded, and the vehicles sped toward the training grounds.

Soon, they arrived at the dormitory area. Xu Han looked around. Every building here was fifty stories tall. If it weren't for the deserted roads, he might have mistaken it for a city center.

Wang Yuan said in a deep voice, "Your dorms are on the fiftieth floor. You have five minutes to get to your rooms, drop off your gear, and report back down here. If you don't finish on time, the entire team will be punished. If you exceed three punishments, you will be disqualified."

Xu Han looked up at the building. The fiftieth floor was the top level. Climbing fifty flights of stairs in five minutes would be no problem for him or Jiang Yuchen. Hua Piaowu, who could summon spiritual puppets, would likely be fine as well. But for Su Li and Zhu Junjie, it was a different story. Their agility and constitution stats were too low. Climbing fifty flights and returning within five minutes was not just a matter of speed; their stamina simply wouldn't hold up.