Morning returned again.
Cold bit through the mountains, sharper than a blade.
Leo stepped outside wearing his tracksuit, breath turning white in the air. He walked up to the next room and knocked hard.
Knock. Knock.
"Get up," Leo said calmly.
"Let's go."
The door creaked open.
Chen Wei stood there half-awake, hair a mess, arms crossed to fight the cold.
"You dragged me out again?" he complained.
"In THIS freezing weather?"
Leo smirked.
"We're taking revenge, remember?"
Chen Wei yawned.
"My revenge?"
"No. Yours."
Leo didn't argue.
They started jogging uphill.
🏔️ Running Through the Mountains
The mountain path stretched endlessly.
Cold wind cut across their faces.
Yet… it felt strangely beautiful.
Mist rolled over distant peaks.
Birds flew low.
The ground was wet with morning frost.
Chen Wei breathed heavily.
"…Idiot," he muttered.
"…why does this feel so peaceful?"
He suddenly stopped.
"Hey."
Leo stopped too.
Chen Wei pointed ahead.
"Why is there such a huge pit in the middle of the mountain?"
Leo looked at it.
"That?" he said casually.
"I made it."
Chen Wei stared.
"…You?"
"When I was a kid," Leo continued,
"my dad used to bring me here for training."
"Day after day.
Punching. Lifting. Falling."
He looked into the pit.
"Over time… it became this."
Silence followed.
🪨 Strength of the Mountains
Leo walked into the pit and grabbed a massive stone.
With one motion—
He lifted it.
Chen Wei's jaw dropped.
"…That's a welcome gift?"
Trying to save his pride, Chen Wei grabbed another stone.
He strained.
Veins popped.
Nothing moved.
"…Why won't you cooperate?" he whispered angrily to the rock.
He glanced sideways.
And froze.
Nearby, old men—
skinny, bent, barely any muscle—
were casually lifting stones even bigger than Leo's.
One man carried two.
Chen Wei's soul left his body.
"…I see," he muttered.
"I'm the weakest lifeform here."
A goat wandered over.
Chen Wei looked at it seriously.
"You see this?" he said to the goat.
"I'm trapped."
He hugged the goat dramatically.
"Yuna… why did you leave me?"
"In this freezing cold… how am I supposed to sleep alone?"
The goat bleated once and walked away.
Leo didn't even look surprised.
🔥 Training Begins
Leo stepped into the pit again.
"Enough jokes," he said.
He dropped the stone.
BOOM.
The ground shook.
"Training starts now."
Chen Wei swallowed.
"…Inside the pit?"
Leo nodded.
They began.
Stone lifting.
Punching the earth.
Jumping in and out of the pit again and again.
Cold air burned their lungs.
Sweat froze on their skin.
Pain spread slowly—
deep and honest.
The mountains watched silently.
And the pit, once made by a child,
began shaping warriors again.
END OF CHAPTER 41