Chapter 62

Yebear laughed and roared, kicking the fat man so hard that he stumbled and fell into the group. He bellowed, "Get into the formation!" Then he shouted at everyone, "All of you, run five laps around this mountain. If you run slow, I'll break both your legs myself."

If one wanted to join the Blackwind Mountain gang, they had to go through three months of hellish training. Only those who survived the training could become official gang members.

Recently, the number of people joining the gang had surged. The Blackwind Gorge New Recruit Training Valley was now bustling with hundreds of new recruits training. They carried stones, hit tree stumps, and practiced with bone spears, creating clouds of dust. More were running around the mountain in a life-or-death effort.

In the center of the mountain valley, a naked gang member was tied to a stone pillar. A fierce, muscular man swung a scorpion whip with backward hooks and lashed the bound man, tearing a bloody strip of flesh from his body.

A heart-wrenching scream echoed through the mountains, causing all the recruits to shiver in fear, and they trained even harder.

Either die from the training or survive it—there was no third option.

Those who couldn't endure the harsh training and tried to escape were caught and whipped to death.

This was Blackwind Mountain.

Yebear roared, and over sixty people charged out like bulls in heat. Zhou Lu, looking bewildered, mixed in with the crowd, ran a few steps, and then turned his head, wondering, "Do I have to run too?"

When he saw Yebear, who had somehow mounted a tall horse and was chasing them with a club, his face turned pale.

He realized that the hellish training had already begun on his first day in the mountain.

Zhou Lu ran as fast as his fat legs could carry him, chasing the other gang members.

If Xiaoluan saw Zhou Lu joining the Blackwind Mountain gang, she would be so scared that her heart might stop. Was this fat man so reckless that he didn't care about his life? If she knew Zhou Lu's plan, she would do everything to stop him.

The mountain in Blackwind Gorge wasn't too high, but running one lap on the winding path was more than five miles. Five laps? That's over twenty miles.

Plus, there was a fierce captain on horseback chasing them, ready to beat anyone who ran slow to death. Everyone was pushing themselves to the limit, using all their strength.

After all, they were all ruthless bandits who had survived by the edge of their blades and had some martial arts skills. They could hold on for the first and second laps, running like rabbits. By the third lap, some were starting to struggle for breath. By the fourth lap, the sixty people were almost on the verge of collapse, their faces ashen, gasping for air, and feeling as if their chests were on fire with excruciating pain.

In the Blackwind Mountain New Recruit Valley, deaths were common. Many had already died from running, and in Yebear's group, at least seven had died in the past few days.

The most insane part was that if you couldn't endure it, you weren't allowed to quit. If you tried to escape, you would be caught and beaten to death.

No one had expected the training to be so brutal before joining.

To live a good life in Blackwind Mountain, you had to earn it with your life.

The entire group was staggering, barely hanging on by a thread, dragging their feet forward.

"Are you all dead? Running slower than sloths, do you want to be beaten more? All of you, get your spirits up!"

Yebear, the captain, roared, raised his club, and spurred his horse to catch up.

Hearing Yebear's angry shouts, the gang members were so angry that they felt their chests might explode, clenching their teeth in hatred.

Is this training? Not even a moment to catch your breath, this intensity is clearly meant to kill us.

After a few weak ones died in the first few days, today's intensity had increased even more. It seemed Yebear thought there weren't enough deaths.

The gang members' eyes were red with anger. If they could catch Yebear, they would tear him apart and drink his blood.

Zhou Lu was also drenched in sweat, panting heavily as he ran to the back. He never imagined that the training in Blackwind Mountain would be so brutal, almost inhuman.

Yebear, on horseback, saw the fat figure at the back and swung his club, striking Zhou Lu's back.

With a loud crack, the club sent Zhou Lu tumbling, his face bruised and bloody from hitting the rocks.

This was Yebear's usual tactic. He beat those who ran slow to death, as he had a quota of deaths to fill.

Zhou Lu tumbled and felt his chest about to burst. He was almost dead from running, and now he was being beaten. Why not just kill me? He wiped the blood from his nose, his face twisted in anger, and struggled to get up.

Seeing the fat man slowly stand up, Yebear's face turned cold, and he was about to curse from his horse. But Zhou Lu suddenly pointed at Yebear and shouted, "Damn your ancestors, you really hit me?"

Yebear was stunned, and all his words got stuck in his throat.

"Huh?"

The other gang members also stopped and turned to look, shocked.

This fat man was the first to curse the captain after being beaten. Many were secretly pleased, seeing the fat man as a bit of a fool who would do anything when pushed to the limit.

Zhou Lu's curse echoed everyone's thoughts, making them secretly satisfied.

Yebear's face turned iron gray, his eyes bulging. He jumped off his horse and strode toward Zhou Lu, club in hand.

The fat man's face was also twisted in anger. He picked up a stone from the path and roared at Yebear, "Is this human training? Does it not hurt you to hit me? Don't push me too far, or I'll fight you to the death!"

Zhou Lu held the stone in front of him.

The other gang members immediately rallied, stepping forward to surround the fat man, their eyes glaring at Yebear.

For days, they had all cursed Yebear in their hearts and wanted to kill him. With the fat man leading, they could blame everything on him if Blackwind Mountain investigated. They wouldn't miss this chance to cause trouble.

Even stabbing Yebear in the chaos would be satisfying.

Yebear, seeing the murderous intent in the fat man and the other gang members, paused, then sneered and nodded, "Blackwind Mountain has a rule. If you don't obey the captain, you can challenge him. If you kill the captain, you can take his place."

Yebear's cold eyes scanned the gang members, and he sneered, "Do you want to challenge me? Who wants to step up?"

Zhou Lu, his face twisted in anger, took a step forward with the stone.

Yebear ignored the fat man, tapped the ground with his foot, and a rock the size of a head bounced to his chest.

Yebear's fist struck the rock, and with a loud crack, it shattered into pieces, scattering in all directions.

Only then did Yebear turn to Zhou Lu, nodding mockingly, "Do you want to challenge me? Come on."

The other gang members gasped, their faces changing. Zhou Lu's face turned pale, and the stone fell from his hands. The fat man stepped back, trembling, and shook his head, "No challenge, I don't challenge." He turned to the others, "Who wants to go?"

The gang members retreated again, stunned by Yebear's punch.

A punch that shattered a stone? What would it do to a human body? Could a human body be harder than a stone? What kind of strength was that?

Zhou Lu swallowed hard, estimating that Yebear's punch was at least at the peak of the fourth level of the Tuman Heart Sutra, and possibly even the fifth level.

That was a formidable strength in the eyes of ordinary gang members.

Zhou Lu's face was unnatural, unsure whether to cry or laugh at Yebear, and he shook his head, "Misunderstanding, Captain, it was all a misunderstanding. I was just joking, hehe..."

"Still hehe?"

The other gang members were almost enraged. You fat man, if you start a fight, finish it. This is it? You made us all charge forward, and now Yebear will remember this and be even harsher on us.