The conference room remained silent for a long time, everyone stunned into speechlessness by Gu Zitan's words.
It could only be said that Gu Zitan was indeed a principal. He usually smiled and didn't say much, but once he spoke, it was like being bombarded with logic and reason.
Zhi Yue felt her entire body stiffen. This time, she not only felt unable to refute but also that her cheeks were burning with pain.
"Cough, that."
A familiar, cool voice sounded from behind everyone. The group collectively stiffened, turning to look. The person, as radiant as the moon, stood behind them, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed, watching them with a half-smile.
"Well, even though you praise me like that, I won't go easy on you during training," Bai Cha said, her beautiful peach blossom eyes slightly raised, appearing to be in quite good spirits. "I'm just here to inform you that the higher-ups have ordered that all of you must be in the top fifty."
Bai Cha swore she was merely walking down the corridor when she suddenly received a temporary message, prompting her to turn back and inform them. Who knew she'd just happen to overhear this conversation?
As the saying goes, a thousand flattery attempts will never miss, especially when the words spoken are the truth. Bai Cha, of course, found the praise pleasing.
"Bai, Bai Cha, you..." Zhi Yue gritted her teeth, wanting to refute her earlier words. However, the passion and anger in her heart felt like they had been doused with a bucket of ice water by Gu Zitan, making it impossible to reignite.
"You want to say that you, like us, have poured your heart and soul into this and risked your lives for the country? Aren't you feeling guilty?" Bai Cha had seen many people like Zhi Yue. The moment she opened her mouth, Bai Cha knew what she wanted to say, and could only turn around helplessly. "When a storm arrives, it's not those without umbrellas who are caught in it, but the storm itself."
"Those who deliberately stand in the rain should be careful not to catch a cold."
Bai Cha's voice faded into the distance, and the people around them dispersed in twos and threes. Zhi Yue felt as if she had been drenched from head to toe with cold water, chilling her to the bone.
She stood quietly in the conference room, like a student being punished by their teacher in elementary school, standing there for a very, very long time.
The buffet restaurant was huge, covering an entire floor with dozens of dishes, fruits, and desserts. Shadows, with an equal number of men and women, were picking at food in small groups, holding their trays.
"Master, you seem to be in a very good mood," Lucifer said, following behind Bai Cha. His two plates were piled high with seafood and fruit, and it was a feat that Lucifer managed to carry them so steadily.
"There's too much, Lucifer. How can we possibly eat all this?" Bai Cha was a little speechless at Lucifer's habit of grabbing everything she even glanced at.
With so much food, the two of them couldn't finish it.
"It's alright, it's not like China is paying," Lucifer said with a gentle smile, his reason leaving Bai Cha with nothing to retort.
"Also, Cangliu, it's just these few steps; there's no need for freezing and preservation." Bai Cha was utterly bewildered by Cangliu, who followed behind her, taking the juice and fruit from Lucifer and then freezing them with his cold aura.
Was she that delicate?
"Mm." Cangliu nodded silently. Although he agreed on the surface, he didn't move an inch. Cangliu, who normally showed a bit of rivalry towards Lucifer, showed remarkable tacit understanding with him in this regard.
To prevent Lucifer from continuing to grab food, Bai Cha looked at the buffet, which still had a third of its route left, and quietly returned to her original spot.
Bai Cha rested her forehead in her hand, unable to understand how things had suddenly become this way.
"Cangliu, notify Yun He. I'll be conducting two hours of extra training for you all every day," Bai Cha said. "Lucifer, you will spar with me during our lunch break every day."
"Yes, my Master," Lucifer agreed without a moment's hesitation.
"Understood." Cangliu also nodded calmly, then got up to find Yun He.
"Don't you find it hard?"
Bai Cha was a little surprised by Lucifer's unhesitating agreement. Bai Cha had conducted similar sparring training for Lucifer before, and Lucifer should know how ruthless she could be.
"Everything is as the Master wishes," Lucifer said, efficiently grilling various seafood for Bai Cha and placing the desserts and dishes in front of her.
Bai Cha remained silent. She knew that even if she ordered Lucifer not to take care of her, he wouldn't listen. Bai Cha quietly ate the food Lucifer prepared for her, feeling a slight warmth in her heart.
Pretending for a day or a week was easy, and pretending for a month or a year was also within many people's capabilities. But Lucifer, Bai Cha could feel his wholehearted effort, perfecting every detail to the point of near flawlessness.
Such long-lasting, unwavering gentleness, willing to face life and death with her.
Everyone wanted her protection; only he didn't, even getting angry because he wanted to protect her.
Although he didn't seem as strong as her yet.
The next day, Zhi Yue arrived at the training ground at five o'clock. Bai Cha arrived at five forty, and was surprised to see Zhi Yue there so early. She then noticed Zhi Yue's provocative gaze.
Was this a show of defiance?
Bai Cha found Zhi Yue's childish behavior somewhat exasperating. She silently adjusted the screen and walked onto the low platform in the training ground, sitting cross-legged before the audience.
[One hour of meditation to sort through daily issues and calm the mind.]
The large characters on the screen were very clear, with a smaller line of text below.
[Those who fall asleep will have their rest time canceled.]
Zhi Yue swallowed. She suddenly regretted her decision. She had woken up so early and was now meditating; of course she would be sleepy.
Following that, people gradually arrived. The earliest were those who arrived at five fifty-five. Seeing Zhi Yue struggling to stay awake on the spot almost made them burst into laughter. It was estimated that Zhi Yue thought the combat training would become more intense as it progressed, not expecting a sleep-inducing session.
As expected, Zhi Yue fell asleep.
To everyone's surprise, Zhi Ying, the Ye brothers, and Gu Zitan did not fall asleep.
Besides them, the other trainees Bai Cha had let off the hook, along with Zhi Yue, were all drowsy and confused.
Bai Cha very kindly waited until exactly six o'clock to begin reprimanding them. Every time someone's head drooped, a white chalk mark would be imprinted on their forehead.
Zhi Yue, in particular, had arrived early, meaning she had meditated for nearly an hour and a half. Bai Cha hadn't called out Zhi Yue for the first half-hour, and for the remaining hour, Zhi Yue received seven or eight chalk marks directly, her forehead swelling.
The onlookers struggled to contain their laughter, almost to the point of internal injury, but due to Bai Cha's consistently stern expression, no one dared to laugh out loud. They lined up to have Bai Cha fit them with gravity rings.
These bracelets were specifically designed to replace weighted sandbags. One bracelet could provide a maximum of two hundred kilograms of full-body weight, adjustable in ten-kilogram increments. They were still undergoing improvements.
Everyone's gravity rings were fingerprint-locked; only Bai Cha's fingerprint could freely adjust the gravity, leaving no room for laziness. Bai Cha sat on the platform as they lined up and presented their wrists, like criminals confessing to the police to be handcuffed. With each person fitted, their shoulders visibly sank.
"Hey, are you looking down on me? Why did you only give me sixty kilograms of weight?" Zhi Yue was displeased upon seeing the number on her bracelet.
As expected, Zhi Yue was the one who caused trouble again.
Bai Cha glanced at Zhi Yue without speaking, then silently slid her fingertip upwards, adjusting her bracelet, like everyone else in Shadow, to two hundred.
"Bang!"
Without a moment's hesitation.
Zhi Yue's already swollen forehead made another intimate contact with the ground. Bai Cha, with her elbows on her knees, watched the prostrate Zhi Yue expressionlessly and said faintly, "They each get two. Do you want another one?"
"No... no need."
Zhi Yue scrambled to get up, her bones creaking under the pressure. She was a pampered young lady; when had she ever endured such hardship? If not for her stubborn pride, she probably wouldn't have been able to get up.
As Zhi Yue dragged her body, now more than twice as heavy, she was about to leave when Bai Cha grabbed her wrist again. She thought Bai Cha was actually going to give her another ring, and her legs went weak with fright, causing her to kneel directly. Her arrogant, spirited young face transformed into an innocent and bewildered expression.
This kneeling truly broke through the composure of many onlookers. They could no longer hold back, erupting into laughter. Even Bai Cha chuckled softly.
When Zhi Yue looked up, she saw Bai Cha looking at her with a half-smile. Her cool fingers flicked a couple of times, and she adjusted the gravity ring back to sixty kilograms.
"Gradually," Bai Cha said, her tone unusually gentle as she looked at Zhi Yue's slightly pale and wronged little face. "There will be plenty of opportunities to push yourself to the limit during the world championships. Training according to my plan now won't harm you."
Zhi Yue stared blankly at Bai Cha. She was so close, and there was a faint, delicate fragrance. Bai Cha's skin was truly enviable. Perhaps it was Bai Cha's gentler demeanor, or perhaps Bai Cha had eased the difficulty of her gravity ring, but Zhi Yue found she could no longer muster any hostility.
"What's wrong?" Bai Cha waved her hand in front of Zhi Yue. Zhi Yue immediately came to her senses, her heart pounding wildly, her ears turning red.
"Nothing." This time, Zhi Yue didn't retort. In fact, she felt fortunate that Bai Cha had adjusted her gravity ring back to sixty. It was the first time she felt that her impulsive nature was truly fatal; training with two hundred kilograms from the start would have killed her by noon.
The Shadow faction was already accustomed to it. Each person wore two rings. Ordinary Shadow members had four hundred kilograms, while those with higher status and strength, like Meng Qinghuan, wore three. Bai Cha, standing on the platform, had six rings on her wrists, appearing to handle it with ease.
In reality, as long as they were Dragon Knights, even at the lowest level, sixty kilograms would only cause them temporary difficulty breathing. If they couldn't withstand this small amount of weight, the "Dragon" in their title would be in vain.
Leg stretches, shooting practice, fist training, balance beam walking, obstacle swimming, obstacle long-distance sprints, weapon training... the series of exercises left Zhi Yue dazed.
Could this training ever be finished?
Zhi Yue was one hundred percent unconvinced. When she turned around, she saw Meng Qinghuan, having changed into sweat-wicking sportswear, starting to jump rope. The training was not sequential; as long as it was completed, it was fine. Meng Qinghuan swung the rope so fast that Zhi Yue couldn't even see the rope or her feet.
In the end, as expected, Zhi Yue and a few others were too slow in their training.
Zhi Yue handled the leg stretches with ease. She had learned dance as a child and had good flexibility. However, the rest was a disaster. After the entire sequence, Zhi Yue felt her limbs were weak, and every breath felt like a small knife scratching her throat, causing a sharp pain.
However, sometimes pride did have its uses. Zhi Yue, a ranged mage-type Dragon Knight whose physical fitness was better than ordinary Dragon Knights, managed to finish the lagging training before noon through sheer grit.
At least she could eat. Exhausted, Zhi Yue lay on the ground, seeing stars.
"Drink this."
A small bottle filled with a blue liquid was placed before Zhi Yue. When Zhi Yue looked up, she saw Bai Cha kneeling before her. Her mouth was dry and parched. Regardless of whether Bai Cha had poisoned it, she gulped it down.
As the liquid entered her throat, it was warm and extremely comfortable. The stinging pain in her throat immediately subsided significantly, and even the burning pain in her chest was replaced by a cool sensation. The soreness in her limbs gradually recovered its vitality.
"Recovery potion. It's expensive, but there's still quite a bit," Bai Cha said calmly. "Its effect is best at the limit."
"Are they at their limit?" Zhi Yue swallowed. Gu Zitan was still desperately doing pull-ups, his entire body of flesh shrinking upwards with great effort, looking very comical.
"You mean the others in Shadow?" Bai Cha raised an eyebrow. "The training volume on the screen is for you all. For them, it's double."