To our surprise, A Zhan then told us to go back and rest.
However, he added that we would rest for four hours and continue training in the evening, emphasizing that we had to stay in bed, not move around, and certainly not leave the room, with guards posted at the door.
Being allowed to rest was always a good thing. We were all exhausted, and the happiest thing at that moment was to lie down on our bunks.
Back in the room, none of us spoke. We lay on the bunks, carrying our fatigue and sweat.
Before long, we had fallen asleep.
Later, I asked the seniors about their training methods. The senior explained that this method was very scientific, consuming a lot of physical energy and causing muscle tears and strains. Then, we would replenish with energy-rich food, allowing the muscle tissues to grow thicker and stronger. The enforced rest was to ensure the food we ate was fully digested and absorbed. In summary, it was all about rapidly improving our striking and resilience.
We had to thank Brother Hui; by chance, we received such high-level training.
We spent most of this week like this, with about three hours of high-intensity training daily, followed by two meals of high-protein food, supplemented with meat, vegetables, and fruits. Our bodies quickly showed results; our muscle tissues became distinctly defined, and our abs grew even more perfect.
In the later days, A Zhan could no longer withstand the simultaneous attacks of the four of us and switched to one-on-one combat.
A Bei could only last for three or four exchanges before being defeated.
The three of us still held back our strength, attacking him with three to four parts of our power.
This week, we couldn't send out any intelligence. We didn't know how the seniors were faring outside.
On the eighth day, A Zhan informed us to be ready in the training room. Brother Hui would come to review our training results.
For these seven days, our training was primarily physical, and we hadn't touched any cold weapons.
Weapons were different from bare-handed combat; they involved more skill, which couldn't be mastered in just three or five days. It required much longer periods of repeated practice.
I estimated that Brother Hui couldn't wait for us to train with weapons. If our skills were sharp enough, we would be deployed immediately, and mastery of swords, spears, staffs, and clubs would depend on individual effort.
The four of us stood in formation on the mat, with A Bei beside our group.
After waiting for more than ten minutes, Brother Hui entered with Zhou Yingying.
Zhou Yingying glanced at us without any eye contact, her expression indifferent.
Brother Hui inspected each of us and then listened to A Zhan's report.
A Zhan's report was detailed, outlining the situation of each of us.
After hearing A Zhan's report, Brother Hui pointed to the Taoist brother standing to my right and said, "You, come out."
Then, he pointed to a large tree outside the door and said, "Run over there. Then, climb the tree bare-handed, break off a branch, and come back in."
He asked A Zhan to take out a stopwatch to time him.
At A Zhan's command, the Taoist brother shot out like an arrow, quickly scaled a vertical split, snapped off a branch as thick as a thumb, jumped down, and ran back to his spot.
"One minute fifteen seconds!"
Brother Hui then pointed at me and said, "Next!"
Seeing A Zhan signal, I quickly rushed out of the door.
It was a pine tree, about one embrace thick, with rough bark that was a bit prickly.
But this wasn't difficult for me. The challenge was that I couldn't be too fast; I had to appear clumsy.
I climbed up, broke off a branch of the same thickness, jumped down, and ran back.
"One minute twenty-two seconds."
Brother Hui remained expressionless and pointed to another Taoist brother.
He didn't dare to delay and sprinted out like an arrow.
Privately, I had told them to downplay my abilities and try to perform as well as possible. This way, neither the men in black nor Brother Hui would suspect me.
"One minute and nine seconds!"
Then it was A Bei's turn. As expected, A Bei took two minutes, and he had to climb twice before reaching the top.
Running to the tree, climbing it, and breaking off a branch—this seemingly simple action could test our overall capabilities.
First, it tested our running speed, then our climbing ability combined with the strength of our limbs. This was enough to reflect a person's combat ability.
The results came out: the Taoist brothers took first and second place, I was third, and A Bei was last.
Brother Hui said nothing and then had us each guard a 'ring', with the other three challenging in turn.
Starting with the Taoist brother who took first place, he guarded the ring.
Another Taoist brother stepped up to challenge. They exchanged blows for two or three rounds with no clear victor.
I knew they weren't using their real skills but were fighting haphazardly.
Suddenly, the challenging Taoist brother grabbed his companion around the waist, and the two began to wrestle. This style of fighting was similar to brawling street thugs.
A Zhan stomped his feet in frustration, but he couldn't intervene effectively and couldn't shout instructions, so he could only watch them mess around.
After more than ten rounds with no winner, the black-clad A Zhan had to ask me to step in.
I went straight for the reigning champion, the Taoist brother. Taking advantage of their entanglement, I kicked the champion, sending him to the ground. I really didn't want to steal the spotlight, but they were acting too fake. If this continued, not only A Zhan but even Brother Hui would see through it.
I had to step in and end the fight with a kick.
The two had fought to a draw, and now I was the champion, with them challenging me.
We needed to disguise our skills, but at least we had to show some ability. Otherwise, all those days of eating beef and seafood would have been in vain.
The Taoist brother who had challenged previously went up first. My kick had made him understand my intentions. He didn't dare to be careless and circled me, trying to find my weakness for a decisive blow.
Without waiting for him to approach, I lunged at him, tackling him to the ground.
Falling to the ground meant losing. He got up and left the ring.
Next, another Taoist brother entered the ring. He had learned from his companion's mistake, slightly bowing his waist to prevent surprise attacks.
I closed the distance, got close to him, grabbed his arm, and yanked him towards me. Caught off guard by the sudden force, his leg felt like it was detached, and he ran several steps with my pull. As he passed me, I released my grip and swung my fists, striking his waist repeatedly.
Of course, I was using movie-style techniques. Although it looked powerful, my strikes were controlled, merely brushing against his clothes.
The Taoist brother was cooperative, his waist recoiling several times as if he had been injured by my blows.
He ran a few more steps forward, finally escaping my fists, and stood firm, looking at me defiantly, preparing to counterattack.
I got into a stance, waiting for his attack.
He seemed to gather all his strength and charged at me head-on. I met him with a palm strike to his face. With a "snap," he stopped dead in his tracks, stood still for a moment, and then fell backward.
After dealing with the Taoist brothers, only A Bei remained.
A Bei's eyes seemed to avoid mine. It appeared my previous actions had startled him.