On their ninth round trip, when they were halfway to Suotuo City, Dai Mubai stumbled and suddenly fell forward.
Tang San and Oscar, who were standing next to Dai Mubai, reached out to grab him, but unfortunately, they couldn't hold on to him at all.
Instead, they were all forced to their knees by the pressure.
All three were nearing their limits. With Dai Mubai collapsing, and the weight of the stone behind him adding to the effort, how could they possibly hold him steady?
" Boss Dai! Are you alright?"
Oscar and the others looked at Dai Mubai with concern and asked worriedly.
"It's okay, I can manage."
As Dai Mubai spoke, Xiao Yan took out the stone belonging to Ma Hongjun from Dai Mubai's basket.
" Little San, give it to me! If you can survive the Soul Ring of the Man Faced Demon Spider, so can I!"
" Boss Dai, give me my stone. I should be able to hold on a little longer!"
Ma Hongjun suddenly spoke up and took his stone from Dai Mubai's basket.
" Xiao Yan, give me mine too, I feel much better."
Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong, who were standing to the side, also spoke up.
They could all see that even though Xiao Yan had good stamina, he was almost at his limit after helping Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong share the weight for so long.
And there's still one and a half round trips before their punishment ends.
For Xiao Yan and Tang San, there are still three and a half days to go!
Seeing the expressions on the two women's faces, Xiao Yan shook his head. "It's alright, I can still manage."
Zhu Zhuqing insisted on taking back her stone, but Xiao Yan did not agree to take back Ning Rongrong's.
After all, Ning Rongrong was already at her limit just by running; if she added rocks to the mix, she would definitely not be able to complete the mission.
With Ma Hongjun's rock gone, Dai Mubai felt a bit more relaxed, and the group struggled to run towards the starting point.
When they returned to the starting point, the eight of them drank large gulps of salt water, their bodies looking as if they had just been pulled out of the water.
By this point, almost everyone had reached their limit.
You could tell from their constantly trembling legs.
Even Xiao Yan, whose body had been tempered through cultivating Dou Technique, was now feeling the strain.
"Come on, guys, one last lap!"
Dai Mubai gritted his teeth and spoke with difficulty.
They exchanged glances and set off again!
However... after walking three kilometers, Ning Rongrong could no longer hold on and fainted.
The stones on Tang San's back were shared by Xiao Yan and Dai Mubai, and he carried Ning Rongrong on his back.
Upon arriving in Suotuo City, Oscar fainted, and the ten coins Dai Mubai had were then shared among Xiao Yan, Xiao Wu, and Ma Hongjun.
He carried Oscar on his back.
Two kilometers back, Zhu Zhuqing fainted again.
But looking at Xiao Wu and Ma Hongjun, who had already shared the burden of the stones on Tang San and Dai Mubai's backs...
Xiao Yan slung the stone from his back to his chest and carried Zhu Zhuqing on his back.
The group's pace slowed down more and more.
During the final mile, Oscar and Ning Rongrong regained consciousness.
"Dai... Boss Dai, put me down... I can... do it."
Oscar's trembling voice rang out, and Oscar and Dai Mubai supported each other as they slowly moved forward.
Ning Rongrong also got off Tang San's back and joined Xiao Wu.
If it were a punishment for one person, it would be anyone other than Xiao Yan, Dai Mubai, and Tang San.
The others probably couldn't hold on any longer.
Fortunately.
Fortunately, they were together, so they encouraged and supported each other, which is why they have been able to persevere until now.
With the final 500 meters, the finish line was already in sight.
Zhu Zhuqing finally woke up Youyou, stood silently by Xiao Yan's side, and helped him stagger towards the finish line.
Four hundred meters... three hundred meters... one hundred meters...
In the end, Xiao Yan and the others were bent over to bear the weight on their backs.
finally!
The moment they crossed the seven o'clock line, all eight could no longer hold on and collapsed.
Ning Rongrong collapsed next to Xiao Wu, her face covered in an indistinguishable mix of sweat and tears.
Ma Hongjun knelt on the ground, his head resting on the ground.
Tang San lay to the side, his chest heaving like a bellows.
Dai Mubai and Oscar lay on their backs, with scattered stones beside them.
Zhu Zhuqing collapsed, and Xiao Yan reached out to help her, but he was also pulled down.
The two lay there on the ground, their faces covered in sweat.
After catching their breath for a few minutes, Oscar and Ning Rongrong, who had reached their limit, fell into a deep sleep again.
Xiao Yan stood up with a slight tremor, and Tang San beside him also stood up.
They have two more laps to go.
"Senior brother... brother, I'll stay with you..."
Xiao Wu's trembling voice rang out.
Zhu Zhuqing also struggled to a half-kneeling position, then slowly stood up, her gaze fixed on Xiao Yan, the meaning of which was self-evident.
"I'll stay with you too..."
Dai Mubai, trembling as well, spoke.
Ultimately, however, the group, having reached their absolute limit, suddenly blacked out and passed out.
"Hehe, alright, let's take them back to rest!"
Flan Dao, who had been waiting nearby, glared at the Grandmaster, his face showing displeasure.
The teachers immediately took the baskets off everyone's backs, picked them up, and hurried towards the dormitory.
When Xiao Yan and the others woke up.
He then found himself naked, soaking in a bathtub.
There was also a wooden bucket filled with clean water next to it, with a note written on it.
It basically means letting them eat in the cafeteria after they wake up.
Xiao Yan was surprised to find that the fatigue he had felt during the day seemed to have been greatly relieved by the medicinal bath.
Inside the dining hall, the Grandmaster had already prepared meals for everyone.
When Xiao Yan arrived, Tang San was already eating in the cafeteria.
Eight meals prepared for them were laid out on the table in front of them.
Xiao Yan was just about to arrive.
Tang San waved at him, but his mouth was full of food, so he didn't say a word.
"I'm starving..."
Xiao Yan also sat down and began to eat heartily.
They hadn't eaten all day and had undergone such intense training during the day.
Therefore, the Grandmaster prepared ample food for them.
"Da da da!"
The next moment, the sound of running came from outside the cafeteria. Xiao Yan's eyes revealed a smile, Tang San rubbed his forehead.
They all guessed who the visitor was.
"Don't greet me, let me eat first!"
Xiao Wu rushed in and sat down right next to Tang San.
Without any hesitation, they started eating their rice!
You could tell from the way she ate that she was really hungry!
Similarly, behind Xiao Wu.
An elegant figure walked in.
It was Zhu Zhuqing.
Zhu Zhuqing politely nodded and greeted the others before sitting down to eat.
But their eating manners looked much more elegant.
It's obvious that they come from a family with a strong family tradition.
However, no one has ever asked about this.
"Whew! That feels so good!"
After shoveling down several large mouthfuls, Xiao Wu finally slowed down her eating pace.
I let out a comfortable burp.
" Little San, did you also take a medicinal bath?"
Seeing that the two nodded, Xiao Wu continued:
" The Grandmaster also left us a note saying that our clothes were all taken off by the women in the village."
"Oh, right, the Grandmaster's note also said that I should clean up the dishes after I finish eating, and clean out the water in the two big buckets in the dormitory before tomorrow morning."
As Xiao Wu spoke, everyone naturally saw the requirements left by the Grandmaster.
Xiao Yan and Tang San arrived the fastest, so they finished eating very quickly.
" Little San, Senior Brother, you can just leave. I'll take care of these dishes for you."
After watching the two finish eating, Xiao Wu waved generously and said...
"So good?"
A look of surprise appeared on Xiao Yan's face.
In his mind, Xiao Wu was not someone who would let herself be taken advantage of.
"Oh dear, how can we trouble two grown men with something as simple as washing dishes?"
Xiao Wu waved her hand and immediately collected the plates.
"So we're really leaving?"
Go ahead, go ahead.
As Xiao Yan and Tang San were about to leave the cafeteria, a sly look appeared on Xiao Wu's face:
"Oh, by the way, you guys are responsible for handling those two buckets of water in the dorm, right?"
Xiao Wu smiled, while Tang San simply shook his head without refusing.