NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 166 - Training Exercise 14
The Phantom Team was exhausted after defeating over a hundred beasts. Although they had been smashing stones rather than fighting barehanded, each strike had required all their strength.
After gathering all the beast corpses, the team, nearly drained of energy, managed to walk just over twenty kilometers to escape the bloody battlefield. Finally, they found a relatively flat hillside and wrapped themselves in animal skins, quickly falling into a deep sleep.
Mai Dongzi took a position where she could oversee the area and respond quickly if needed, acting as the team’s guard to ensure everyone’s safety.
Thanks to her vigilance, the members of the Phantom Team felt secure enough to sleep soundly.
Mai Dongzi also looked fatigued. During the battle, she had simultaneously suppressed a seventh-level beast, three sixth-level beasts, and a dozen fifth-level beasts, leading to a significant drain on her mental energy. Now, she only had about thirty percent of her mental power left.
Since they couldn’t use energy potions to recover and her teammates were nearly completely spent, she dared not continue using her mental energy and instead focused on observing the surroundings.
Having only used a little over half of her stamina, she was confident she could protect her teammates without relying on her mental powers.
Although Zhuang Huaiya’s cultivation level wasn’t as high as that of Yu Guangxi, he noticed that his cousin had expended a lot of energy during the battle. As he fell asleep, he couldn’t help but worry about her well-being.
After Zhuang Huaiya had recovered half of his stamina, he forced himself to wake up, ready to take over from his cousin so she could rest.
“You’ve only recovered half your stamina. Go back to sleep. We’ll need to travel longer later, and when that time comes, you can carry me on your back while I rest,” Mai Dongzi said.
Now the members of the Phantom Team all knew that the two were cousins, so no one found it odd for Zhuang Huaiya to carry her.
Despite his scholarly appearance, Zhuang Huaiya was not a sheltered flower; he had grown up in tough conditions and was quite strong and resilient. With his current cultivation level, carrying her wouldn’t be much of a burden.
This arrangement allowed them to travel further while ensuring everyone got enough rest.
Hearing Mai Dongzi’s plan, Zhuang Huaiya confirmed that she seemed fine and quickly fell back asleep.
Since their journey had significantly fallen behind schedule, the Phantom Team adjusted their rest time, now only resting for four hours each day and spending the rest on the road.
To ensure everyone had enough time to recover, Mai Dongzi took on the role of guardian.
So, every day as they set off, the two instructors in the hovercar would see Mai Dongzi sleeping on Zhuang Huaiya’s back.
At this point, Yu Guangxi would take the lead, only waking Mai Dongzi if they encountered a beast that they couldn’t handle.
Although others offered to take turns carrying the captain, both Zhuang Huaiya and Mai Dongzi refused.
“This kid is lucky to have such a cousin,” Instructor Shen remarked.
The members of the Phantom Team believed that their captain was allowing them more rest time so they could relax, which is why she was always on duty during breaks. It was only when they resumed their journey that she would rest on Zhuang Huaiya’s back.
However, the two instructors could see that while this was indeed one reason, another purpose was to use this opportunity to toughen Zhuang Huaiya up.
Since they had set off early, the winds were still strong at this time. Carrying someone while climbing from one hill to another helped Zhuang Huaiya improve his stamina and endurance, making it a valuable training experience.
In such a harsh environment, Zhuang Huaiya was not only honing his physical strength but also his mindset.
This was the perfect opportunity to fully activate the effects of the stamina-enhancing potion he had yet to exhaust, which could slightly boost his cultivation potential.
Not just the instructors, but even the first-year students in the command department had noticed how much progress Zhuang Huaiya had made under Mai Dongzi’s dedicated training.
After tirelessly traveling for five or six days, the expressions on the members of the Phantom Team grew increasingly worried.
They had done their best; not only had they struggled to make up for lost distance, but they were barely completing the daily required mileage. In reality, they had covered almost double the distance.
There was no way to increase their travel time further because they encountered too many groups of mutant beasts along the way. They needed ample stamina to fight.
Since that day, the highest-level beasts they faced were only at level six, with about forty to fifty of them at a time.
Although they could hunt these beasts relatively easily without much danger, it still slowed their progress and, more importantly, increased their stamina consumption.
Without sufficient rest time, their stamina could not recover, leading to a vicious cycle day after day.
However, if they did not increase their travel time, they would not be able to reach their destination on schedule.
As the members of the Phantom Team were frowning in difficulty, their captain finally delivered some good news.
If they walked for just one more day, they would be able to leave the hilly area.
They had already sensed a change; starting today, they could feel that the wind had noticeably decreased. This could indicate either a change in the weather or a shift in terrain.
However, without confirmation, they were hesitant to hope. Now, hearing their captain’s assurance, hope sparkled on everyone’s faces. Even in the desert area, their travel distance would significantly increase.
Mai Dongzi was also pleased. Once they left the hilly region, they would enter the wilderness. Although she couldn’t yet “see” what lay in the wilderness of Liva Star, at least they wouldn’t have to struggle as much while traveling.
With hope restored, the atmosphere relaxed. After having their fill, the team was in great spirits, and Mai Dongzi turned her attention to Durant.
Durant immediately recognized that the captain had something important to discuss with him, so he sat up straight and listened attentively.
“How do you feel about being stuck at your current level and unable to advance?” Mai Dongzi asked.
“I feel like I’m on the brink of a breakthrough, but I just can’t seem to take that final step,” Durant replied, surprised but pleased.
He was glad that the captain had noticed his predicament and even more thrilled that she had asked about it.
From what he knew of her, when she brought up a matter, it usually meant she might have a solution.
“Have you realized that your inability to break through is due to some mental block?” Mai Dongzi said.
“No, I don’t feel like I have any mental blocks, and I haven’t even entered the breakthrough stage. Even if I did have a mental block, it hasn’t been triggered yet,” Durant replied, genuinely believing he had no such issues.