Training 2

Xiao Ya stood before the plum blossom stake formation, watching her.

"I know what you're thinking, but it's impossible."

"If you attack other teams, your entire team's score will be invalidated."

So, a hidden rule?

Yan Si couldn't match Yue Chuan’s speed, and intercepting intelligence was also out of the question, so she simply went back to find clues to increase her odds of winning.

Yue Chuan thought carefully. Her only advantage now was speed; she had no choice but to push forward alone. Yue Chuan picked up the nearest green phoenix tree leaf and left.

Xiao Ya began crossing the plum blossom stakes. Nan Mao's guess was correct; they were not allowed to interfere with other teams. The clues were merely meant to tell everyone that the leaves were just tokens for the rendezvous. The fifth stage was the most important.

Yan Si found a sandbag, checked the clue, and then jumped into the sandpit to search, finding a note. Opening it, she read: "The intelligence is in the riddle."

The fifth stage was the most important! Yan Si arrived at the third stage, where Qi Youxiang had been waiting for a long time. Now was not the time for bickering; their plans had been disrupted.

Yan Yan had told her the clue for the third stage: "Line."

When viewed from the side, the wound-up thread formed characters: "Autumn is known when leaves fall."

Looking back at the fourth stage, the phoenix tree leaves had already been taken, and the ginkgo leaves had been taken by Xiao Ya. Only maple leaves, sycamore leaves, and begonias remained. "Begonia" contains the character for "autumn" in its name, but it is not an autumn leaf; it is a plant. Therefore, except for the begonia, all others were autumn leaves.

"Remember to give the clue to Yun Guan," Yan Si instructed Qi Youxiang.

"Okay," Qi Youxiang nodded. She began to cross the plum blossom stakes to retrieve the maple leaf.

Liang Xue of the Yue Chuan team and Nan Mao of the Nan Mao team were both stuck in the quiz portion. Yun Guan took the maple leaf and, filled with trepidation, entered the tent to begin the quiz.

For a long time, no one came out from the three teams. Liang Xue was overwhelmed by the third question. Nan Mao was frowning at the fourth question. Yun Guan stared at the first question, feeling at a loss.

The instructors were relieved. The tactical test in this special training was extremely difficult, meant to dampen their arrogance.

The twenty questions were:
Who is the steamed bun meant to commemorate? (Zhuge Liang)
Who is the zongzi meant to commemorate? (Qu Yuan)
Who are the fried dough sticks meant to commemorate? (Yue Fei)
Who is the wonton meant to commemorate? (Pangu)
Who is the mutton hot pot meant to commemorate? (Kublai Khan)
Who is the mooncake meant to commemorate? (Chang'e)
Who is the rice cake meant to commemorate? (Wu Zixu)
Who is the dumpling meant to commemorate? (Zhang Zhongjing)
Who is the Dongpo pork meant to commemorate? (Su Dongpo)
Who are the tangyuan meant to commemorate? (Dongfang Shuo)

These were the first ten questions, which were relatively simple.

The next ten questions:
The Sage of Sages refers to? (Laozi)
The Sage of Literature refers to? (Confucius)
The Sage of Poetry refers to? (Du Fu)
The Sage of Tea refers to? (Lu Yu)
The Sage of War refers to? (Sun Wu)
The Sage of Strategy refers to? (Zhang Liang)
The Sage of Calligraphy refers to? (Wang Xizhi)
The Sage of Cartography refers to? (Pei Xiu)
The Second Sage refers to? (Mencius)

Answering any ten questions correctly would reveal the clue, and one could also skip current questions.

The three racked their brains. The first to come out was Nan Mao, looking relieved but with a terrible expression. After answering ten questions correctly, a line appeared: "The last character of the answer to the third question you answered correctly."

As Nan Mao handed the ginkgo leaf to Cheng He, Yun Guan walked out of the tent.

It was unexpected. When she saw the first question, her confusion stemmed from the fact that it was common knowledge. Recalling how her mother was always watching these shows and occasionally asking her questions, she had already memorized them by heart!

Nan Mao shouted a character: "Gu!"
Yun Guan also shouted a character: "Fei!"

Yuan Jinxing didn't understand, but she grabbed the leaf and ran, the character "Fei" floating in her mind.

Liang Xue appeared a moment later and handed the phoenix tree leaf to He Mingxing, but He Mingxing did not leave.

"The character," she asked.
Liang Xue was confused.
"They both gave a character."

Liang Xue suddenly realized, but what was the third character of the third question? "The original question was: the last character of the answer to the third question you answered correctly. The questions don't follow common sense at all; we can try this." Liang Xue had a headache.

He Mingxing had no choice but to bite the bullet. She ran fast, but the other two had started earlier, so even as she constantly closed the gap, she still couldn't catch up.

Cheng He was finally about to arrive, but Yuan Jinxing was faster. She handed the maple leaf to the instructor. Cheng He’s face fell.

"The intelligence," the instructor asked.
Yuan Jinxing understood; "Fei" must be the intelligence.
"Fei," she said confidently, only to be met with the cold response: "Wrong. Next."

Yuan Jinxing walked aside, puzzled. Yun Guan was very surprised; could it be wrong? She handed the ginkgo leaf to the instructor.
"Gu," she said, feeling uneasy.
"Wrong."

He Mingxing finally arrived. She handed the phoenix tree leaf to the instructor.
"The last character of the answer to the third question you answered correctly."
"Correct."

Unexpectedly, it was correct.

"You are the first team to successfully pass the stage. So many people were stumped by the intelligence," the instructor said, very pleased. "Assemble!"

The Yue Chuan team had stumbled upon the answer. Nan Mao forced a smile. "Congratulations," he said to Yue Chuan.
"You were also very good," Yue Chuan replied with a smile.
Nan Mao couldn't smile. It was just luck.

"The questions given to you were just to select the correct leaf and hand it to the instructor, but that would be boring. The true purpose of this training is intelligence transmission, so even the questions were encrypted. There were three hidden clues and two hidden rules."

So it wasn't just about handing over leaves, Yuan Jinxing finally understood.

"Only by taking the correct leaf and answering with the correct intelligence can you pass."

"The three hidden clues were: the leaf is a rendezvous token; the intelligence is in the riddle; and 'Autumn is known when leaves fall.' The two hidden rules were: do not interfere with opponents. Even though you are in competition, you are on the same side; regardless of gain or loss, you should complement each other. And the other hidden rule is that you cannot snatch."

"Alright, Yue Chuan, choose your teammates. Next is indoor tactical study."

Yue Chuan stepped forward. "Thank you all for your hard work; I am sincerely grateful," she said, bowing. "Yan Si, welcome to the team." When she saw her return to find clues without hesitation, she had taken a liking to her courage and character. Not everyone possessed the determination to act without hesitation and defy public opinion.

Nan Mao couldn't help but feel disappointed; those around him patted his shoulder to encourage him.

Training continued. After passing the 30-day special training, the next step was Feline fusion. Everyone would first undergo a Feline test in the laboratory, and the test values would determine the intensity of the Feline fusion. This was the most critical step; it would determine whether they could become perfect warriors and would directly affect the final grade assessment. Everyone braced themselves.

Yuan Jinxing found a window seat on the bus. The bus was connected by four star-rails. Nan Mao and his friend chose the last row, the Yue Chuan team sat in the front few rows, and the others chose their seats at will. Most people kept to themselves.

The bus launched upward, the journey kept strictly confidential, and the windows were fogged over. Yuan Jinxing simply closed her eyes to sleep. It was noon when they got off.

"The star-rails we usually use are high-precision iron bars. But when fused with sea lily Feline, they generate activity like tentacles, and with program guidance, they can get on the road."

"Feline is an unexplained energy converted from natural energy extracted from ancient creatures. Different creatures produce different Feline characteristics, so it depends on which one you prefer."

"We will conduct the Feline test first. Those whose names are called, come in."

It was soon Yuan Jinxing's turn. After going in, she walked through a screen and sat down at a table. In front of her was a glass cup filled with clear water containing a layer of floating fluorescent blue matter.

"This is sea lily extract, the mildest of the ancient creature extracts. We will record your state after you drink it."

At her signal, Yuan Jinxing picked up the cup and drank it in one gulp. The space in front of her suddenly brightened, leaving her at a loss; the light was soft, but there was nothing there.

"ÃÚσ"

A tentacle appeared in the light, instantly piercing through her eye socket and crossing her entire skull, hanging her up. Yuan Jinxing widened her eyes, watching the surrounding scenery slowly recover, and it took a while before she heard her own heavy breathing.

"Did you hear anything?" the tester asked her.
"Yi Ruo."
"Not bad, ancient creature language, meaning 'come here,' which means the Feline is close to you," the tester said, somewhat surprised.
"What did you see?"
"A tentacle passed through my skull and..." She suddenly lost her strength. The tester's expression changed drastically.
"Mental attack! Emergency!"

Yuan Jinxing was wheeled away, unconscious. On the file, her test index was low.

Yue Chuan walked in and drank the extract according to the instructions. The environment changed, and in the scarlet light, a terror bird walked out, full of spirit.
"ψж"
"Ji Mi."
"The child's meaning; the test value is very high." The researcher couldn't help but be surprised, and the tester recorded it quickly.

As a standout of the training camp, Yue Chuan also obtained the highest Feline fusion degree among the newcomers, with an estimated comprehensive index of Grade F. Such excellent results surprised even the captain.

As for Yuan Jinxing, as the niece of Captain Lan, she was highly anticipated, but she only had a tiny bit of Feline test value. It was a low score, and her overall estimate was Grade K. Those three places behind her were repatriated; she was at the very bottom.

It was the darkest moment of her life. It was hard for Yuan Jinxing to pull herself together; no one paid attention to the molding Yuan Jinxing in the corner.

Unexpectedly, Captain Ju arrived at the training camp.

"Yue Chuan, you are being transferred back to Ju Island for training." As soon as she arrived, she wanted to transfer Yue Chuan.

Yue Chuan frowned, lacking her usual happy and lively demeanor. "I won't."

Ju was not surprised by her resistance. "This is an order. If you still want to join the guard, then behave and come with me." Ju was openly poaching her.

"If I were defeated by someone and lost my qualification to compete, that would be because my skills are inferior, and I would deserve it. But if I lose this opportunity because my aunt is transferring me, I will die of depression." She said it with such finality, her eyes slightly red; although it sounded like a tantrum, it was also endearing.

Everyone was moved by her and looked at Ju with reluctance. Ju hesitated.

"Yue Chuan, I always indulge you, that's why you..."
"Aunt, please, I beg you." She was like a lotus standing proudly on a snowy mountain, unyielding.

Ju looked at this child who had grown up by her side and struggled inwardly. She wanted to give the child a better environment, but she couldn't help but respect her wishes. How much freedom could she have in the face of more and more challenges in the future? Constraint was never her intention; a child must always pursue her own path.

"Then so be it." Ju left helplessly. It was too selfish to train Yue Chuan to be her successor; let her be.

Yuan Jinxing in the corner was devastated; the competitor was too perfect... She tried to drown her sorrows, but they only grew deeper.

It was a long-awaited party, and everyone could rest. Yuan Jinxing was ignored in the corner. Nan Mao left his friends and walked over, and the two sat at a table in the corner.

"Are you okay?" he said casually, though he didn't really care about her.

Yuan Jinxing didn't speak; even her smile was bitter.

"I'm about to be transferred to Lan City, but I want to stay here," he said to himself. "The guard is almost entirely girls; even among the four captains, only Captain Zhu is male. My command is perfect, but my Feline fusion is not up to standard. Miss Yuan, you are Captain Lan's niece; can you help me refuse the transfer to the Bamboo Team?"

"Want to stay in the Bamboo Team? I can't even save myself..." Yuan Jinxing was depressed.
"But you can help me refuse Captain Lan and let me stay here," he said, stating his need.

Yuan Jinxing gave a bitter smile. "Fine, I'll help you." She could fulfill others' wishes, but not her own.
"Thank you very much."

Yuan Jinxing waited for him to leave before standing up. Everyone was having a lively time, so she wouldn't continue to be a killjoy here. Fueled by the alcohol, she wandered back and forth in a daze. She didn't want to leave here...

"Yuan Jinxing." A calm, soothing voice rang out. A familiar voice, as if coming from the edge of the sky.

"Hmm?" She turned her head. Captain Zhu.

"Yuan Jinxing." As he walked closer, the voice became clearer. Yuan Jinxing subconsciously felt this was an illusion; what a beautiful illusion.

"Are you okay?" He spoke words of concern with his cold face. Yuan Jinxing was deeply moved, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. All the grievances of this period surged up, and fueled by the alcohol, she couldn't stop them.

"Captain Zhu..." Yuan Jinxing didn't want to look at him anymore; she was afraid she would act on impulse, so she simply turned and ran away.

Zhu saw that she wasn't in a good state, so he followed her. Lan had called him to comfort her dispirited niece; he was on good terms with Lan, so he had agreed. It was just that the child had been in the corner the whole time, and he couldn't pull her aside in front of everyone, so he had to follow her out. Young people were under a lot of pressure, after all.

Zhu quickly caught up with Yuan Jinxing. The child was like a monkey, running here and there, until she stopped in front of the command room with nowhere left to go. She stood before the command console, and the people in the command room were busy on the side.

"Yuan Jinxing, don't be sad. Even if you didn't get ideal results at the beginning, these can all be achieved through hard work later on." His voice was much gentler, a side many had never seen before; the people in the control room seemed accustomed to it. Captain Zhu was cold on the outside but warm on the inside.

"Please believe in yourself," he said solemnly, as if he were full of expectations for Yuan Jinxing's future.