In the morning, after the group woke up, Bang Du led them to a designated training ground.
When they arrived, they saw someone waiting for them. It was a massive man, covered in scars that spoke of fierce battles. His eyes were cold, as though they pierced through souls, and his voice was deep and imposing. He wore simple yet practical combat gear, and his face bore no sign of a smile.
He spoke in a cold voice, "Finally, you've arrived. I am Hang Li, and from today until your mission begins, I will be your trainer. Over the next three months, I will work on strengthening you, not just your levels, but also your combat skills and your knowledge. From now on, let me make this clear: anyone who complains about the difficulty of training may receive a free massage session from me. Is that understood?"
After saying that, Hang Li looked at the group coldly.
Zan stepped forward and replied calmly, "Understood. We didn't expect the training to be easy. Also, you're underestimating us. Even though we're not the strongest, I'm sure we have the will to become stronger."
Jian said confidently, "Yes, that's true."
The others nodded in agreement.
Hang Li smirked and said dismissively, "Oh, is that so? We'll see about that," and chuckled lightly.
Chen sarcastically said, "Looks like he sees us as sheep."
After a while, the sound of screams echoed from the training ground.
Chen said, "Damn you, Zan! Why did you have to brag?"
Zan, dodging attacks, replied, "How was I supposed to know he'd make us carry rocks three times our weight and fight at the same level?"
Chen was about to respond but was struck in the face by a dummy and fell to the ground.
Before Chen could understand what had happened, he heard Hang Li's angry voice, "Chen, you have ten breaths to get back on your feet, or I'll make the rocks four times heavier."
Upon hearing that, Chen tried to get up, cursing, "Damn this training, damn you, damn the Silver Cloud Sect!" He then charged at the dummy, shouting in anger, "Damn everything!" But soon, his angry shouts turned into cries of pain. "Oh no, stop! I'm sorry, I was wrong!"
Zan said to Jian, "Jian, you're the strongest here. How are you holding up?"
Jian replied angrily, "Strong my ass. The more your strong increase the more difficulty of this exercise, it is worst for me ."
Zan was about to say something but was unable to dodge and began taking hits.
Chen sarcastically said, "You deserve it, you bastard. I just wish I were the dummy hitting you right now." After finishing, he started laughing, but his laughter quickly stopped when the dummy started hitting him again.
When Hang Li saw them, he looked at them with disdain. "They were all bragging in the beginning, even me, but reality trumps illusions," he said, looking at the three who were constantly complaining.
However, when he turned his gaze to the other three, he observed them with interest and muttered, "I can understand why the old woman endures—it's because of her age, but these two boys seem interesting."
Lian was being hit at that moment, but he didn't complain and kept enduring. "It really hurts, but it's nothing compared to the pain of watching my village get slaughtered before my eyes while being powerless. I need to become stronger so that it doesn't happen again."
After four hours of training, Hang Li said calmly, "Alright, we're done for today."
After saying that, the group collapsed on the ground, panting heavily.
"Finally, this torture is over," Chen said, lying on the ground, struggling to catch his breath.
"I thought I was going to die at some point," Lian said with great difficulty.
Meanwhile, Fai simply looked at Zan calmly and said, "This is all your fault."
Chen sarcastically said, "How do you know... you're really wrong... when Fai is blaming you."
Zan, lying on the ground, responded, "Yes, yes, damn bragging. I won't do it again."
"The content of the training doesn't change because of Zan's words," said Mei, gasping for air.
"What do you think, Jian?" Chen asked, looking at Jian.
"Damn... I don't... have the energy to talk," Jian said weakly.
"Alright, enough nonsense. Take these books and memorize them. You have three months to memorize all of them," said Hang Li, handing each member of the group nine books.
Then Hang Li said, "I warn you not to slack off. Every ten days, I will ask you about the contents of the books you've memorized. If you can't answer, training will be eight hours a day for everyone."
Lian hesitated and asked, "So, you're punishing the whole group for one person's mistake?"
"In missions, there is no individual mistake. If one person makes an error, it affects the whole team. For example, getting discovered on a stealth mission because of one person's mistake," Hang Li said, looking at Lian with a meaningful look.
Lian understood what Hang Li meant, so he said, "Okay, I understand your point."
At that point, Zan said in confusion, "So when do we plant with these books? I don't think we have time."
Hang Li sneered and said, "I heard you're smart, but you're disappointing me. Of course, there's time—if you don't sleep." After saying that, he laughed.
Upon hearing this, they looked at Hang Li in fear.
Sensing their fear, Hang Li said, "Alright, I was joking. I won't interfere with your cultivation. All your achievements depend on how much effort you put in, but let me tell you, if I don't see any improvement in your cultivation, I'll punish all of you," he said, chuckling lightly.
After that, everyone returned to their rooms and began reading the books.