Chapter 137: Give Me Your Luggage

Upon hearing Wang Yuan’s words, the expressions of Su Li and Zhu Junjie changed instantly.

Zhu Junjie said angrily, "You are doing this on purpose to make things difficult for us!"

Wang Yuan replied expressionlessly, "You have four minutes and forty seconds left."

Zhu Junjie gritted his teeth, dashed out of the vehicle, and began racing toward the stairs. Su Li, lips pressed firmly together, also sprinted toward the building with all her might.

Hua Piaowu immediately summoned a winged spirit puppet, intending to order it to carry her luggage to the dormitory. However, just as the puppet flapped its wings and prepared to take flight, it was forced back down by an invisible pressure. Hua Piaowu’s expression shifted, and she snapped her head toward Wang Yuan.

Wang Yuan remained stoic. "Unless there are exceptional circumstances, no one is permitted to fly within the training grounds. You must rely on your own two legs."

Hua Piaowu’s face turned pale. She bit her lip, switched to a slender female spirit puppet, and had it carry her as it ran toward the stairs.

The group scrambled toward the upper floors with great effort. Wang Yuan stood below, clutching a stopwatch. The driver beside him asked curiously, "Sir, do you think they can finish it?"

The corners of Wang Yuan’s mouth lifted slightly. "That depends on how they go about it. I wouldn't give them a task that is impossible to complete. It’s a matter of whether they can grasp my intent."

The driver nodded thoughtfully and waited patiently.

The group sprinted through the stairwell. Fortunately, the stairs were wide enough that five people could run side-by-side without feeling crowded. By the time they reached the seventh floor, Su Li was flushed and gasping for air, her pace significantly slowed. Her legs felt as if they were filled with lead, each step becoming agonizingly heavy. Beside her, Zhu Junjie was equally red-faced and drenched in sweat. "This... this is... absolute... garbage... of a special training..."

Xu Han frowned as he looked at the two struggling teammates. On the surface, this test was about physical endurance. But as their instructor, how could Wang Yuan not know that clerics and mages lacked physical stamina? Furthermore, clerics and mages relied on mental power; higher mental power allowed them to unleash greater strength. Why, then, would he set such a test?

A spark of realization flashed through Xu Han’s mind! He understood!

He looked at the panting Zhu Junjie and said, "Give me your luggage."

Zhu Junjie was taken aback. He frowned and asked, "What for?"

Xu Han said in a deep voice, "I’ll carry it for you. You stay here."

Zhu Junjie’s expression changed. "No need! Even if I have to crawl, I’m going to climb all fifty floors!"

The others stopped and looked at Xu Han. Xu Han frowned and barked, "Do you really think the instructor is testing our stamina? He is looking at our cohesion! He knows full well that everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. The purpose of this is to see if we will help each other! If we only focus on our own parts, we are bound to fail this assessment!"

Zhu Junjie hesitated. "But he didn't say we could help each other..."

Xu Han grinned. "He didn't say we couldn't, did he? Give me your things."

Though clearly annoyed, Zhu Junjie took his luggage out of his spatial ring and handed it to Xu Han. Jiang Yuchen turned to Su Li and said, "Give me your luggage."

Su Li’s face turned red. She retrieved her bags and handed them over, whispering, "Thank you..."

Jiang Yuchen smiled brightly. "Don't mention it. We’re teammates."

The two turned and headed back down, while Xu Han and the others rushed toward the fiftieth floor. Without the need to pace themselves with Su Li and the others, Xu Han and Jiang Yuchen went all out, turning into blurred streaks as they charged upward.

Hua Piaowu lagged behind. She pushed her spirit puppet to its limit, but it couldn't match the speed of Xu Han and the others. In the blink of an eye, they were out of sight. Stubborn and frustrated, she gritted her teeth and ordered the puppet to push harder. The puppet stumbled, lost its balance, and began to fall.

Hua Piaowu let out a cry and instinctively closed her eyes. Just as she braced for impact, a hand firmly caught the puppet, stopping it from hitting the ground. Hua Piaowu blinked and looked up to see Xu Han standing beside her. He held Zhu Junjie’s luggage in one hand and was steadying the puppet with the other.

"Are you alright?" Xu Han asked.

Hua Piaowu’s face turned bright red, and she shook her head hurriedly. How embarrassing!

Xu Han reached out. "Give me your things."

Hua Piaowu pouted. "I can do it!"

Xu Han shook his head helplessly. "This is no time to be stubborn. We’re running out of time—give them to me!"

Hearing his near-commanding tone, Hua Piaowu pouted but obediently handed over her bags. "Fine, take them... why are you being so mean..."

"You go on ahead, wait for me," Xu Han said, grabbing the luggage and sprinting toward the top.

...

Wang Yuan watched the timer. Four minutes and forty seconds had passed. Only twenty seconds remained. He frowned slightly.

The driver chuckled. "Looks like these kids aren't going to make it."

Wang Yuan said expressionlessly, "It seems they failed to grasp my intent after all. In that case..."

Before he could finish his sentence, five figures emerged from the dormitory entrance, walking side by side. Xu Han spoke up: "Instructor Wang, the task is complete."

The driver looked on in astonishment. He hadn't expected these five youngsters to actually complete such an apparently impossible mission.

The corners of Wang Yuan’s mouth lifted, though he quickly regained his stoic expression. His eyes, sharp as a hawk’s, swept over the group. "Tell me, who accepted help from others?"

The group looked at each other. What was going on? Was it actually forbidden to help one another?

Wang Yuan continued, "Not talking, are you? You two, step forward!" He was pointing directly at Xu Han and Jiang Yuchen.

Xu Han and Jiang Yuchen stepped forward. Wang Yuan sneered, "If I’m not mistaken, you two are the ones who helped the others, right? Did I say you could help each other? Even though the task is finished, you two will be punished!"

Zhu Junjie stepped forward, teeth clenched. "Damn it! It has nothing to do with them! I’m the one who couldn't keep up, so I asked them for help! Punish me if you’re going to punish anyone, it has nothing to do with them!"

Xu Han looked at Zhu Junjie in surprise. Although the guy seemed arrogant and full of himself, he was indeed a man of his word.

Wang Yuan nodded slightly. "Very good. At least someone finally stepped up. And you, do you think you’re in a position to speak like that? Since you asked them to help, you can take their punishment for them. Run one hundred laps around the training grounds. You don't rest until you're done."

Zhu Junjie’s face turned green. A single lap around the training grounds was at least several dozen kilometers. One hundred laps?! That was going to be the death of him!