Mountain Forest Sprint

"Second round: Mountain Forest Sprint."

Instructor Li stood before the crowd. His voice was not loud, yet it carried clearly to every ear.

"Set off from the back mountain behind the martial hall, reach the summit, then return. You may not rely on any outside assistance or deliberately hinder others."

"Only those who return to the martial hall before sunset will have valid results."

Instructor Li waved a hand behind him.

The other instructors brought over bamboo whistles and handed them out one by one.

"If you cannot continue or encounter danger, blow the bamboo whistle for help. But once you blow it, it will count as voluntarily withdrawing from the competition."

"The mountain paths behind the hall are crisscrossed and tangled, with trees blocking your view. Although markers have been set up along the way, there are still quite a few forks."

"Remember the markers and distinguish your direction."

"If you stray from the markers, you will likewise lose your qualification for this round."

"This round will not be scored by order of arrival."

"Your final score will be determined by your distribution of stamina, judgment of the route, and physical condition upon returning."

The crowd immediately fell silent.

Zhao Chuan tilted his head.

"What does that mean? Even if you run the fastest, you still might not be first?"

Chen Mo was also somewhat puzzled.

"Doesn't sound like they're only comparing whose legs are faster."

"Then what are they comparing?"

"We'll find out once we run."

Before long, everyone arrived at the back mountain.

The mountain path stretched beyond sight. Trees layered upon trees, and when the wind swept through, branches and leaves rustled loudly.

Quite a few people had already started loosening up their ankles.

Chen Mo lowered his head to look at his shoes, then raised it toward the forest.

This was far harder to walk than the martial hall's bluestone ground.

"Ready!"

A shrill whistle tore through the mountain forest.

"Go!"

The crowd surged forward in an instant.

Wang Lie had the fastest start.

Within a few strides, he had rushed to the front, but unlike the first round, he did not blindly charge ahead. Instead, he maintained a steady pace.

Zhao Chuan followed close behind him.

"Chen Mo, keep up!"

"Got it!"

Chen Mo followed as well.

Before he had run very far, he discovered that Zhou Ye had already charged into the lead.

"Move aside!"

Zhou Ye shouted as he sprinted forward.

His speed was clearly a notch faster than everyone else's.

Cries of surprise immediately rose from behind.

"That speed is insane!"

Hearing them, Zhou Ye curled his lips into a grin and quickened his pace again.

In the blink of an eye, he disappeared into the dense forest.

Chen Mo glanced after him.

"That guy really isn't afraid of getting tired."

Wang Lie did not chase after him.

Zhao Chuan did not either.

Naturally, Chen Mo would not.

The path was covered in loose stones, tree roots, and mud. If he truly ran too fiercely, one fall would be no joke.

He controlled his pace, watching the path as he ran.

Soon, the first fork appeared ahead.

Several examinees stopped at the same time.

The path on the left was clearly wider and looked easier to travel.

The one on the right was blocked by trees, and only a blurry marker could be seen.

Some people did not stop at all and charged straight down the left path.

Chen Mo took one look.

"Go right."

Zhao Chuan had already run several steps ahead.

"You sure?"

"There's a marker over there."

Zhao Chuan gritted his teeth, but still followed him over.

The moment they entered the narrow path on the right, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded behind them.

"Move!"

Chen Mo turned his head.

A youth came charging over at full speed, without slowing down in the slightest.

The mountain path was too narrow.

Chen Mo hurriedly moved aside.

But he was still a step too slow.

Bang!

His shoulder was slammed hard.

The loose stones beneath his feet instantly slipped.

Damn it!

Chen Mo's heart tightened, and his whole body lurched sideways.

Just as he was about to roll down the steep slope, he instinctively reached out and grabbed a branch beside him.

The branch shook violently as he yanked on it.

Chen Mo clung to it desperately. After catching his breath for several moments, he slowly pulled himself back up.

Once he had regained his footing, he realized that the bark had already cut open his palm.

"That was close..."

He lowered his head and glanced down the slope.

If he had fallen, there would have been no need to continue competing.

The youth who had rammed into him had long since run away, leaving behind only one sentence:

"Watch yourself!"

Chen Mo looked at his retreating back and laughed in anger.

"You're sure fast, aren't you?"

He did not chase after him.

At a time like this, even if he caught up and cursed the guy a few times, it would be useless.

Chen Mo steadied himself again.

"This place isn't somewhere you can rush through."

He muttered softly and continued onward.

He had not gone far when a burst of shouting suddenly came from ahead.

"Not this way!"

"Hurry back!"

Those examinees who had charged ahead earlier had actually turned back.

Chen Mo took one look, and relief immediately rose in his heart.

Good thing he had stopped just now.

He continued climbing.

The mountain grew steeper and steeper.

At first, he could still hear many footsteps. Later, only scattered, ragged breathing remained.

Chen Mo was tired too.

His calves ached, and his chest felt tight.

He wanted to go faster, but what had happened earlier made him wary of acting recklessly.

If he was tired, he would slow down for a while.

Once his breathing evened out, he would continue.

Anyway, he was not aiming for first place.

He had worked since childhood and had walked plenty of mountain paths, up slopes and down. This stretch was tiring, but he could still endure it.

At last, the trees ahead gradually thinned out.

A signpost stood wedged between the rocks.

Summit.

Chen Mo stopped, bent over, and took several breaths.

"Finally made it."

He first checked the markers for the path downhill.

That was right.

Only then did he turn around and head back.

On the other side, Zhou Ye had already rushed to the summit ahead of everyone else.

He stood there panting, looking at the martial hall faintly visible below the mountain, unable to suppress a laugh.

"First place is definitely mine!"

With that, he turned and charged downhill.

But no one noticed that his breathing had already fallen completely out of rhythm.

Going downhill was already fast, and if he charged like this, his stamina would soon give out.

Yet Zhou Ye gritted his teeth and refused to slow down.

There was only one thought in his mind.

He had to be the first one back.

Shen Yu's condition, meanwhile, was getting worse and worse.

He leaned against a tree trunk and panted for a long while. Looking at the endless mountain road ahead, his expression grew increasingly unpleasant.

The wound on his arm, cut open by thorns, burned with searing pain.

He lowered his head and looked at his legs.

If he kept going, he might not even have the strength to return.

After a moment of silence.

He removed the bamboo whistle from his waist.

Pheee—!

The shrill sound carried into the mountain forest.

Shen Yu closed his eyes.

He voluntarily withdrew from the competition.

At the same time, whistles began sounding one after another throughout the forest.

Some had gotten lost.

Some were injured.

Some could no longer keep going from exhaustion.

This round was far more difficult than anyone had imagined.

By evening, quite a few townspeople had gathered at the entrance of the martial hall.

"They're back!"

Someone suddenly shouted.

A figure staggered out of the forest.

It was Zhou Ye.

"First one back!"

"That speed is incredible!"

"He's definitely first!"

Zhou Ye's face filled with smiles as he listened.

But the next moment, his legs began trembling without stop.

"Ha... ha..."

His chest heaved like a bellows.

His waterskin had long since run dry.

He could only brace his hands on his knees and gasp for breath.

A provincial government inspector walked over to his side.

First, he checked his complexion, then his breathing, and finally his legs.

"Record it."

The clerk lowered his head and wrote it down.

Excessive physical exertion.

Points deducted.

Zhou Ye knew nothing about it.

He was still basking in the pride of being the first to return.

Not long after, Wang Lie also emerged from the forest.

Though his clothes were stained with mud and his forehead drenched in sweat, he only stood there catching his breath for a moment before gradually recovering.

The inspector observed him for a while.

"Record it."

Reasonable distribution of stamina.

Good condition.

High score.

Zhao Chuan returned soon afterward as well.

Though he was a little slower than Wang Lie, his steps remained steady.

The moment he returned, he began searching the crowd for Chen Mo.

"Not back yet?"

"I'm here."

Chen Mo's voice came from behind him.

Zhao Chuan turned around.

Chen Mo was walking out of the forest.

His clothes were caked with mud, and several small cuts scratched by thorns marked his arms.

He looked somewhat bedraggled.

Zhao Chuan could not help laughing.

"Did you fall into a mud pit?"

Chen Mo lowered his head and looked himself over.

"Almost."

"Almost what?"

"Almost really fell in."

Zhao Chuan froze for a moment.

"What did you run into?"

"Someone bumped into me."

"Who?"

"The one who ran too fast."

Zhao Chuan immediately perked up.

"Zhou Ye?"

"Probably him."

After Chen Mo caught his breath, he glanced at his hand again.

"Forget it. As long as no one got hurt."

Just then, the inspector came over to his side.

He examined him carefully for a moment.

"Record it."

The clerk opened the ledger.

"Good route judgment. Moderate physical exertion."

Chen Mo did not hear his exact score.

Nor did he know where he ranked.

But at least he had made it back.

"Not bad."

He muttered to himself.

The setting sun had already begun to slowly sink beyond the mountain peak.

The last few examinees also emerged from the forest one after another.

Instructor Li stepped forward.

"The second round of trials has ended."

"Those who blew the whistle midway have lost their qualification for this round."

"Those who strayed from the markers have likewise lost their qualification."

"As for the rest, the lowest-ranked candidates will be eliminated according to this round's points."

The smile on Zhou Ye's face gradually vanished.

For the first time, he realized—

Just because he had run the fastest did not necessarily mean he had earned the highest score.

Chen Mo stood nearby and glanced at him.

Unable to hold it in, he curled his lips slightly.

It seemed that this time, running fast was not so useful after all.

Instructor Li looked at those remaining.

"Prepare for the third round."

"The final assessment."