Chapter 145 : Chapter 145

Chapter 145. So This Is How You’re Going to Handle the Desert March, Huh? Fine, Fine.

“Damn! Isn’t that Young Master Jiang?”

“No way, so this is what Young Master Jiang meant by accompanying the training? That’s way too comfortable.”

“You’ll get used to it. If you had even half of Young Master Jiang’s strength, you could do the same thing.”

“...”

Carried forward by four robots, Jiang Yichen became by far the most eye-catching figure among all the recruits running ahead.

Countless looks of envy and helplessness were directed his way, and everyone felt as though they had taken a critical hit to the heart.

Ah, this gap between people really was enough to make one despair.

When Su Linyu and the others saw this, they were stunned for quite a while as well.

Tang Long was completely dumbfounded. So this was also a valid way to accompany training?

Seriously, did it have to be this outrageous?

“Instructor Huang, what’s going on with the one from your formation? How is that even allowed?”

The moment recruits from the other formations saw this scene, they immediately started tattling.

Instructor Huang’s face darkened, and he snapped irritably, “That’s Jiang Yichen.”

Huh?

The recruit who had just tried to report it froze for a moment, then awkwardly scratched his head.

“Oh, so it’s Young Master Jiang. Then it’s fine.”

Instructor Huang kicked him in the rear and said speechlessly, “Run. You talk too much.”

At that moment, Jiang Yichen sat on the platform carried by the four robots, leaning comfortably against the backrest as he looked at the running recruits below and nodded slightly.

Yes, this was much more comfortable.

Su Linyu and the other three, Jiang Yichen cheered them on. “Keep it up. My spirit is with you.”

Tang Long, Chu Xingchen, and Jiang Feng: “...”

Su Linyu, however, burst into laughter and raised her small fist. “Mm-hmm, Brother Yichen, we’ll work hard.”

The surrounding recruits could not help shaking their heads.

What a lovely rich young lady. She was just a little silly.

The temperature was still not too high in the morning, and the recruits moved very quickly, all wanting to cover as much ground as possible while it was still cool.

Before long, the rocky wasteland disappeared, replaced by an endless desert. The howling wind mixed with the rustling sound of feet stepping across the sand.

Seeing that the sun had fully risen, Jiang Yichen activated the sunshade on the platform, drank ice-cold mineral water, and followed along behind his group.

At first, Tang Long and Chu Xingchen felt a little helpless about the whole thing, but gradually, as their running time lengthened, they suddenly realized that not only did they not feel tired, their Blood Qi and Spiritual Power were actually increasing instead.

???

That strange phenomenon left both of them wearing puzzled expressions.

“What’s going on? How is my Blood Qi and Spiritual Power increasing so fast just from running?” Tang Long asked in shock.

“Same here.” Feeling the Blood Qi surging through his body, Chu Xingchen looked surprised. “Captain, do you feel it too?”

Su Linyu glanced back, confusion flickering between her brows as well. “Yes. We’ve only been running for an hour, but I can already feel my Blood Qi and Spiritual Power increasing a little. It’s even faster than my usual cultivation.”

Tang Long sucked in a sharp breath. “Could it be that this eastern desert march is actually a martial opportunity the instructors prepared for us?”

Chu Xingchen thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “That’s possible. Let’s keep going.”

Behind the three of them, Jiang Feng was utterly baffled as he listened to their conversation.

Their Blood Qi and Spiritual Power were increasing?

Then why did he not feel a thing at all?

Jiang Feng frowned slightly, suspicion appearing on his face.

“Not bad. This array really is useful.”

On the platform, Jiang Yichen used his Mental Perception to observe the changes in the three of them and could not help nodding to himself.

In truth, aside from Jiang Feng, any nearby group could also receive the enhancement from the Running Cultivation Array.

But Su Linyu and the other two were Fifth-Realm Grandmasters, and their speed was far beyond that of Fourth-Realm martial artists. Only around a dozen groups could keep up with them.

Even so, that number was gradually decreasing. In a few more hours, only the members of Group One would probably remain.

Lying there, Jiang Yichen put on his sunglasses and looked out across the endless desert, unexpectedly finding a trace of beauty in it.

In his previous life, he had only wanted to leave it behind as soon as possible. But now that he stood in a different position, his thoughts were naturally different as well.

Time passed slowly, and before long it was noon.

The groups competing for first place were already beginning to run out of strength.

“Group Leader, I can’t do it anymore. Let’s slow down.”

“No. Even if we can’t get first place, we can still take second. Get up!”

“Group Leader, I really...”

“Enough nonsense. Do you want to become a burden to the whole group?”

Jiang Yichen watched as, in a group beside them, one member collapsed to the ground from exhaustion. The Group Leader made no move to help and instead shouted harshly at him.

Jiang Yichen shook his head slightly.

In truth, during group training, the instructors did not really care about rankings. What they valued was the process of the group helping one another and reaching the finish together.

“Group Leader, you all go on first. I’ll rest for a bit and catch up right away.”

“That won’t do. Wu Yue, come over and help me carry him. Even if our group is slower, we can’t leave a single person behind.”

Hm?

Hearing that, Jiang Yichen glanced back. Seeing the two of them help up the teammate whose legs had gone weak, a faint smile appeared on his lips.

A flow of power passed through his fingertips, and the array was applied to them as well.

A small gesture of appreciation from a passerby, perhaps.

Time continued to pass, and the sun gradually sank toward the west.

Across the vast desert, only Jiang Yichen’s group remained. With the support of the Running Cultivation Array, even Tang Long, who normally complained all day long about how hard and tiring things were, did not grumble even once.

But what surprised Jiang Yichen the most was that Jiang Feng, a Fourth-Realm, Eighth-Layer martial artist, had still managed to keep up.

He looked at Jiang Feng’s sweat-soaked face, pale lips, and clenched teeth that made faint grinding sounds.

Even his running posture looked unsteady, as though he might collapse at any moment, yet he stubbornly endured it without a word and kept following behind.

At sunset, with dusk settling in, they could already see the lights of the airport of the Third Military District and hear the roar of aircraft engines in the distance.

“We’re almost there. Speed up and charge!” Su Linyu said excitedly, brushing back the bangs on her forehead, her face covered in sweat.

Throughout this march training, she had faintly felt that she was on the verge of breaking through. It was simply too miraculous.

“Right, charge! First place belongs to our group!” Tang Long flung the sweat off his forehead and began sprinting forward on his short little legs.

Chu Xingchen did the same.

But behind them, Jiang Feng saw this, clenched his fists tightly, and forced himself to accelerate as well.

He wanted to prove that he was no worse than any of them.

Thud!

But the moment he lengthened his stride, Jiang Feng pitched forward onto the ground, his leg cramping up instantly.

He struggled to get back up, but he simply could not do it.

Jiang Yichen lowered his gaze and looked at Jiang Feng writhing on the sand. Hearing the commotion ahead, Su Linyu and the other two also stopped and turned around.

“Little brother, now do you understand what you’re really like? Still feeling confident?”

Jiang Feng grit his teeth and pounded his right leg fiercely. “Bastard, without my permission, how dare you cramp up?”

“I’m ordering you right now—stand up immediately!”

“...”

The four of them twitched in the face.

Impressive. Truly impressive.