Training

Inconstancy is human nature; no one can change that fact. After finishing breakfast, Shangguan Xiao wearily rubbed her eyes. As she stood in line to wash her dishes, yawning all the while, a wave of exhaustion washed over her.

"So sleepy!" she thought. She had been dragged out of bed at the crack of dawn and hadn't nearly enough rest. After cleaning her lunchbox, she headed downstairs to join the assembly. Unlike the trek up, the descent was quiet, with only a few people moving in small, scattered groups.

This made the narrow stairwell feel a bit more spacious, and the walk down was far more comfortable. Upon reaching the Class F formation, she followed the others and plopped down onto the sandy ground.

As soon as she sat, she felt a jolt of regret. The ground had been scorched by the blazing sun, and the sand still held a searing heat. Fortunately, she was wearing double-layered clothing, or she would surely have been burned.

But since she was already settled, standing back up seemed pointless. Shangguan Xiao remained in place, listening to the melodic voice of the announcer echoing over the loudspeaker.

In truth, the instructor had approached her earlier, asking her to try out for the broadcasting team, but she had flatly refused. Why? Because she barely had time to sleep as it was; she certainly didn't have any spare time to read other people's essays aloud. It was utterly ridiculous! She had no interest in such a thankless task.

Still, as she listened to the pleasant voice reading the essays, she admitted that while it was dull, it was infinitely better than starting training immediately. She might as well endure it for now.

Ten minutes passed, and the students finally arrived one by one. After another half-hour spent sitting on the ground, eyes closed in rest, the announcer finally let her sweet voice fade away, signaling that the broadcast had concluded.

The time for hellish training had arrived. Everyone groaned inwardly for a long moment before reluctantly pulling themselves to their feet. The chief instructor stood on a high platform, framed against a backdrop of swirling yellow sand, and spoke into a megaphone with an indifferent tone: "Attention, everyone! Run ten laps around that mountain ahead! Start immediately!"

Upon hearing the order to run ten laps around the barren mountain, the entire group collapsed to the ground in despair. Was this even survivable? They were all wearing weighted lead vests! Ten laps!

Even without the weights, they couldn't have managed ten laps, let alone with them. This was clearly a deliberate attempt to break them. It felt as though they would be half-dead by the time this was over.

After a long period of internal screaming, they had no choice but to resign themselves to their fate and start running. Suddenly, sand began to whip through the air once more. Coughing as they ran, the students stared at the endless mountain path ahead, their hearts filled with sorrow for their grim prospects.

After giving her all to finish the first lap, Shangguan Xiao felt her feet growing heavier, making every step an arduous struggle. One only had to look at the deep indentations in the dirt to see the lead weights doing their work.

Shangguan Xiao, however, remained full of vitality after the first lap, happily jogging past the others. By the time they reached the fifth lap, some were already leaning on each other just to keep moving.

Yet, they couldn't help but admire those at the front. They were simply incredible! They had maintained their pace from the very beginning, as if this were nothing more than a casual stroll.

At the very head of the pack, Xiao ran alongside the group of six, which included Ouyang Xianyu. She looked at them with a cheerful grin and called out, "Hi! Is the air fresher up there?"

She teased Ouyang Xianyu, who had been running ahead with a cold, detached expression. To Shangguan Xiao’s banter, Ouyang Xianyu offered no response at all.