As Fang Lin and the others approached, Yu Tianheng was just about to speak when Yu Feng suddenly blurted out something out of nowhere.
"Brother Tian, can't you walk anymore? Come on, hurry up! If you rest any longer, we won't make it in time."
The corner of Yu Tianheng's eye twitched. Dugu Yan burst out laughing, and even Ye Lingling, who was so exhausted she was nearly spent, let out a snort.
"What are you talking about? Do you take a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon for a little rookie like yourself?" Yu Tianheng might as well have had his pride written across his face, and Fang Lin found it funny. He smacked Yu Feng's basket. "Quick, give him the stones in your basket. From here on, take turns with Dugu Yan supporting Ye Lingling. We need to pick up the pace."
"Oh, okay." Yu Feng grinned and took Dugu Yan's place.
Yu Tianheng took the stones from Yu Feng's basket, then looked at Fang Lin. "Give me two of yours. We'll split the load evenly."
Fang Lin checked Yu Tianheng's condition. While he had been waiting, Yu Tianheng had clearly recovered quite a bit of strength. Fang Lin didn't stand on ceremony and took out two stones for him. He also took the opportunity to recover as much strength as he could.
With that, Fang Lin's load dropped to thirty kilograms, while Yu Tianheng's increased to thirty-five.
Yu Tianheng's decision to wait for them brought them closer without their realizing it. As Yu Feng supported Ye Lingling, he struck up a conversation with Yu Tianheng.
"Brother Tian, what made you decide to wait for us?"
With his load nearly doubled, Yu Tianheng's breathing grew heavy. He ignored Yu Feng and turned to look at Fang Lin instead.
"Consider it repayment for some of the help you'll give me with my training later."
Fang Lin chuckled.
The present Yu Tianheng had yet to become the arrogant captain of the Heaven Dou Imperial Team who would one day meet Shrek. Aside from his proud nature, he was quite considerate of others.
The group had grown from four to five. With Dugu Yan and Yu Feng taking turns supporting Ye Lingling, they moved much faster than before. The cost was that Yu Tianheng's strength was draining rapidly, and part of the extra weight he carried was shifted back to Fang Lin.
By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, they were all drenched in sweat. Even Fang Lin's face was etched with exhaustion, and his lungs felt as though they were burning. Yu Feng and Ye Lingling were both on the verge of exhaustion.
As an Agility Attack System Soul Master, Yu Feng's endurance was only better than Ye Lingling's, and supporting her took no less strength than carrying a load. Even so, Ye Lingling was still on the verge of fainting.
The forty-kilometer round trip had long since exceeded an auxiliary Soul Master's limits. Because Fang Lin had warned her, she didn't want to hold everyone back, and had kept gritting her teeth and pushing on.
This training didn't just concern her alone; it also affected whether everyone else passed.
By now, less than half an hour remained before dark, and they still had the final stretch up the mountain to go.
"No, we'll never make it at this pace." Fang Lin caught his breath. "Yu Feng, go on ahead and catch up to the Shi Mo Brothers."
Yu Feng's golden hair was almost entirely plastered to his head, making him look like a drowned bird pulled from the water. He wiped away his sweat and shook his head. "Brother Lin, we've made it this far. If I run off on my own, there'd be no point in staying on the Imperial Fighting Team even if I did make it."
"Who told you to go on your own?" Fang Lin shook his head with a sigh and a laugh. "I want you to call those two back to help us. Tell them that even if they reach the end, they still won't pass. Teacher Qin isn't testing our individual abilities, but our teamwork."
At this point, Fang Lin didn't intend to worry about what Qin Ming thought anymore. Being made to unite still counted as being united.
"Is that what Teacher Qin meant?" Yu Feng scratched his hair in a daze. At Fang Lin's urging, he hurried up the mountain.
The others sat down to rest, recovering their strength as they waited for Yu Feng to return.
"How did you know what Teacher Qin intended?" Yu Tianheng looked a little sullen. If he hadn't turned back, wouldn't he have been the one Yu Feng was sent to bring back now?
He had held on by sheer determination and finally struggled to the finish, only to fail anyway.
"I guessed." Fang Lin rubbed his legs, which felt as though they had been filled with lead, and breathed out a hot breath. "Maybe I guessed wrong, but that doesn't matter. As long as those two come back, we can all complete this training, and they won't lose out on anything."
Yu Tianheng's expression froze, as though he were stunned by Fang Lin's "strategy." Then, with a strange look, he remarked, "No wonder you have so many tricks up your sleeve when you fight... I underestimated you."
Fang Lin turned his head, his face full of question marks, and said irritably,
"If you don't know how to compliment someone, don't bother next time."
Before they had rested for long, Yu Feng appeared in their sight with the Shi Brothers.
"That fast?"
As Fang Lin wondered, Yu Feng leaned close to his ear. "The Shi brothers were already waiting for us up ahead. When they heard we couldn't go any farther, they came straight away. I didn't even get to use what you taught me to say, Brother Lin."
With the Shi Brothers joining them, the pressure on the five of them eased considerably.
Dugu Yan and Yu Feng, who had spent a great deal of strength supporting Ye Lingling earlier, no longer carried any weight and only had to climb. Fang Lin's load dropped to twenty kilograms, and he took charge of supporting Ye Lingling. Yu Tianheng and the Shi Mo Brothers' loads rose to thirty and thirty-five kilograms respectively.
Going up a mountain was easy; coming down was hard. With the added weight, the difficulty of this last stretch was almost equal to everything before it combined.
By the time they reached the mountainside, their strength was almost completely drained. Ye Lingling didn't even have the strength to move. With no other choice, Fang Lin divided his load between Dugu Yan and Yu Feng and carried Ye Lingling on his back.
With Ye Lingling against his back, Fang Lin could feel the girl's body trembling slightly. It was a symptom of extreme exhaustion and muscle spasms.
At last, just as the sky was about to darken, they barely managed to reach the original gathering place.
"We made it!"
The moment Qin Ming appeared, everyone seemed to let go of their remaining strength. They collapsed to the ground with thuds, lying there and gulping down air, with no desire even to wipe away their sweat.
Looking at this team working together for the first time, Qin Ming smiled in satisfaction.
"Congratulations. You've all passed and completed it."
"I think you should also understand now what teamwork is."
"Medicinal baths have been prepared in each of your rooms. While you're still in this state, hurry and go."
Fang Lin struggled to his feet.
If he had known Qin Ming had prepared medicinal baths, he wouldn't have spent the money to buy one himself. He had wasted his credits.
Everyone helped one another to their feet and staggered back to their respective rooms. Sure enough, hot water had been prepared inside.
The warm water and the potency of the medicinal baths soothed the seven's exhausted bodies.
When everyone woke up, a dinner that had long since been prepared awaited them. The spread was plentiful and included nutritious Soul Beast meat.
"Get a good rest today. Training continues tomorrow. Take this time to familiarize yourselves with one another's fighting abilities and Soul Skills."
Qin Ming left after saying this, giving everyone time to talk freely.