Outside the dorms, all the thirty or so disciples of the peak had gathered. Some yawned and cracked their backs; others jogged in place; others nodded off, half-asleep. Qiu Yunru spotted Lei Ruolan talking to Fu Jia.
That girl, Lei Ruolan...She truly was something! Even though it was dawn, she was stretching like she had been running for an hour already! Momentarily, she caught his eye, and Qiu Yunru was shot through with an ice glare. He shivered and hurried over to where Pan Fa was pestering Fang Hai with questions.
"Fang-shixiong, how did you get so strong? Fang-shixiong, how can I get muscles like you? Fang-shixiong, how long did it take you to learn sword techniques?"
Fang-shixiong, despite always upholding a stoic and strict demeanor, was easily flattered. With pink cheeks, he crossed his arms and responded to this kid: "Exercise and listening to Shizun. Exercise and listening to Shizun. Five years. Work hard, and you can become the same."
Qiu Yunru wanted to cover his face and step away from these two. It was like listening to a henchman flood their master with compliments just for a little extra vacation time! Only, Pan Fa was completely genuine in his awe. Shortly after, Fang Hai lead them all out in a jog around the mountain.
Admittedly, the scenery was very beautiful. Li Hua mountain was surrounded by glittering waterfalls and crystal caves, the perfect backdrop for peaceful cultivation. However, after just five minutes, Qiu Yunru began to puff and heave. His eyes watered from the morning cold, and he cursed this body. Why did he have to have a similar exercise tolerance to in his past life, even with a new body? Did that kind of thing transfer over? It wasn't fair!
Just as he was preparing to lose a big chunk of face and duck out of the group to get some air, a quest marker popped up.
REQUIRED LEVEL: Complete the run while maintaining pace with the front of the group. Failing will subtract 50 Martial Talent Points. Good luck!
Qiu Yunru's eyes bulged. 50 points? Excuse me?! And this quest marker--it was blue! What was that about? Required Level? Required Level, my ass! That wasn't a feature in Spring Blossoms, Autumn Fruits! The game was just playing with him for fun now! He checked his martial points, and his heart withered. They were still at 2. If he lost 50, he'd be far into the negatives. If he was in the negatives of Martial Points, he would become much clumsier and make a fool of himself. If he made a fool of himself, he'd lose Reputation Points...and if he lost too many Reputation Points, not only could he be arrested, but he would surely fall far behind at the sect, taking much longer to achieve immortality and reach his dream of a peaceful, solitary life in the mountains!
Feeling like he was tearing out his own lungs, Qiu Yunru wept internally and continued on running.
The run was twenty laps around the peak. Throughout, Qiu Yunru went through every emotion: grief, pain, feeling on the verge of death, despair, and hopelessness. Somehow, he just barely managed to keep pace with the front of the group.
At the front of the group was, of course, Fang Hai. Being the Head Disciple of the sect, he had to set an example in leading others; of course he had to be at the front! Along with him ran Fu Jia and Lei Ruolan.
Qiu Yunru observed the two of them through eyes watering with tears of despair. How had they become such quick friends? Fu Jia was already laughing at Lei Ruolan's mutterings and patting her on the head as they jogged. It was like a dagger to Qiu Yunru's heart--so it was possible to have a good relationship with that girl! He'd just fallen on the unlucky side of her wrath because of that robe! What's more, Lei Ruolan seemed to have no problem at all with running for hours. While Qiu Yunru held in huffs and puffs and yelps of pain from burning calves, she ran with determination, barely breaking a sweat. Even Fang Hai and Fu Jia had trouble keeping up with her! Another knife struck Qiu Yunru's heart. How was she so athletic? How had her Martial Points gotten so high? Could she spare a few for him?!
Pan Fa trailed behind this group at the front--Qiu Yunru, Fang Hai, Fu Jia, and Lei Ruolan--panting all the way. Though he couldn't quite keep up, his puppy eyes were determined. Qiu Yunru felt bad and tried to slow down to run with him a few times, but every time, that damn blue quest marker flashed:
WARNING! Quest failure imminent. Please stay at the front of the group!
After two long hours, the sun had risen higher, and the running was finally over. Qiu Yunru made sure to limp into the Bamboo Forest to save face--then he toppled over like a tree being mowed down with an electric saw. He groaned in despair, every muscle in his body weeping.
Torture! This was torture! This game really had it out for him!
As he lay there lighting candles for himself one after another, the blue quest marker pinged, dissolving into a message:
Congratulations! REQUIRED LEVEL Quest complete! +10 Martial Points!
Qiu Yunru nearly spit up a fountain of blood. He wanted to kick the menu, but he couldn't even lift his poor and weary legs. Only ten? Only ten?! How could it only give him ten when the penalty had been fifty? Violation! Violation! What's more--why hadn't it told him that there was a reward for completion, and only a punishment?! Wasn't that too cruel? Wouldn't he have felt a little better about running his muscles to pulp if he'd known he would get something, even if it was small?!
Whatever the case was, it was over and done now. He lied there for a long time, stewing and cursing the game system. After a little while, he noticed something:
His senses had become sharper!
It wasn't by a lot, as 10 Martial Points was not a great many. But now that his points were at 12, even as his muscles burned, his body felt lighter. The sounds of birds in the forest rang a little clearer, and he could hear the rustling of the grass all around. Qiu Yunru closed his eyes and wept a little more internally (What a crybaby he'd become since being thrown in here!). Sometimes small good things came to those who worked hard after all.