At the edge of the training ground, several instructors stood together after finishing their lunch.
Beside them was Bai Meimei, the Deputy Head of the Discipline Inspection Department.
The group casually observed the trainees who were still struggling on the wooden stakes in the center of the field.
From their perspective, the new recruits looked almost comical.
The trainees stood stiffly on the narrow stakes like pumpkins placed on poles in a field.
Many of them had already reached their physical limits.
Their lips were pale, their bodies trembling slightly as they tried desperately to maintain their balance.
Some swayed back and forth like trees in the wind, yet stubbornly refused to fall.
Xu Zhixiong glanced at his watch and snorted coldly.
"The quality of this batch of recruits is really disappointing."
"It has only been three hours, and seven people have already fallen."
His voice carried obvious dissatisfaction.
Then he added sternly,
"Training will last until midnight at the latest."
"If anyone falls again, the entire group will lose points for failing."
The instructors nearby nodded in agreement.
However, Bai Meimei suddenly spoke.
"But if everyone loses points…"
"Wouldn't that be no different from everyone receiving bonus points?"
Her words caused Xu Zhixiong to pause.
He frowned slightly.
After thinking for a moment, he realized that Bai Meimei's reasoning actually made sense.
It was currently 1 PM.
If the trainees heard that they would have to stand on those unstable wooden stakes until midnight—
Most of them would likely collapse immediately.
Instructor Xie Yingxue calmly adjusted her glasses and said,
"The reason they are struggling so much is because their rhythm was disrupted during the first stage of training."
"Both their physical strength and spiritual power were wasted unnecessarily."
As she spoke, her gaze drifted toward someone standing among the trainees.
Zhao Mu.
The person responsible for disrupting the rhythm earlier.
At the moment, Zhao Mu stood on a half-broken wooden stake, balancing on one foot.
Yet his posture was incredibly stable.
His body remained completely steady, as if he had grown directly from the wooden stake itself.
Xie Yingxue narrowed her eyes slightly.
"If no one finds a way to break this stalemate," she continued calmly,
"then everyone will remain standing until midnight."
A playful smile appeared on her lips.
"Will someone brave enough step forward?"
Right now, all 161 trainees were trapped in a difficult situation.
Simply focusing on oneself was not enough.
Even if someone had exceptional endurance, they could still lose points because others kept falling.
Therefore, the only way to secure a high score was to solve the problem for the entire group.
Qingfeng Camp did not need obedient followers.
What it wanted were elites who could adapt to situations, analyze rules, and take responsibility.
But…
Showing initiative on the very first day of boot camp required courage.
Most people did not dare to take such risks.
For example—
Shao Han.
At this moment, Shao Han had frozen both his body and the wooden stake beneath him into a solid block of ice.
He stood firmly like an ancient statue.
Whenever someone fell nearby, he merely frowned.
Inside, he cursed them silently.
"Useless trash."
At the same time, however, he secretly hoped that everyone else would fall.
That way, he could secure the highest score for this training session.
His gaze drifted toward Zhao Mu.
"Why haven't you fallen yet?" he muttered coldly.
His eyes were filled with hostility.
If his glare had physical power, the already cracked wooden stake beneath Zhao Mu would have split in half again.
Just then—
A strange sound suddenly echoed across the quiet training ground.
"Creak… creak…"
The sound was harsh and strained.
It resembled the noise of wood slowly cracking under pressure.
Many trainees instinctively turned their heads toward the source.
Even Zhang Biao, who had been yawning lazily while leaning against a tree, opened his eyes.
When he saw what was happening, his expression immediately brightened.
"Ha!"
"It's that kid again."
The sound was coming from Zhao Mu.
At that moment, Zhao Mu stood calmly on his half-broken wooden stake.
His right foot pressed firmly against the wood.
A burst of spiritual power surged through his leg.
He concentrated that power into the wooden stake beneath him.
Then—
He slowly pushed downward.
The ground of the training field was extremely hard.
Years of training had compacted the soil until it was almost as solid as concrete.
Yet under Zhao Mu's pressure—
The wooden stake slowly began sinking into the ground.
Millimeter by millimeter.
The surrounding trainees stared in disbelief.
Soon, many of them suddenly understood his intention.
Wooden stakes placed loosely on the ground would naturally sway and wobble.
But if they were driven into the earth, they would become much more stable.
Once anchored firmly in the ground, the difficulty of maintaining balance would decrease dramatically.
Several trainees couldn't help but marvel.
"Genius…"
However, others remained cautious.
It wasn't that they hadn't thought of the idea.
The problem was—
They were afraid.
What if the instructors considered it cheating and deducted their points?
Zhao Mu, however, had not only thought of the solution.
He actually put it into action.
The sound of wood being forced into the ground echoed clearly across the silent training field.
The instructors' sharp gazes immediately focused on him.
Zhang Biao smiled like a tiger watching its prey.
It was impossible to tell whether he was pleased or angry.
But Zhao Mu stopped after pushing the stake about ten centimeters into the ground.
Then he calmly crossed his arms and stood still.
His expression remained perfectly composed.
In the military, rules were everything.
But the instructors had never said that trainees were forbidden from modifying the wooden stakes.
Therefore—
He had not broken any rules.
Zhao Mu had already confirmed this during the earlier weighted running training.
At that time, he relied purely on his innate physical strength rather than spiritual power.
The instructors had increased his burden, but they did not deduct his points.
From this, Zhao Mu understood something important.
Creativity within the rules was allowed.
Xu Zhixiong lowered the brim of his cap slightly.
A faint smile appeared in his eyes.
"He's standing perfectly fine," he murmured.
"He did this intentionally."
"To set an example for the others."
His tone carried clear admiration.
"He has courage."
"And a sense of responsibility."
"He's a good kid."
Zhang Biao scratched his chin.
"Still…"
"Watching him steal the spotlight all the time makes me want to discipline him a little."
Xie Yingxue pushed her glasses up again.
"The brilliance of a genius cannot be hidden."
"And he is not arrogant."
"He carefully analyzed the situation and provided a reasonable solution."
She paused.
Then she added firmly,
"Testing the boundaries of the rules and daring to take responsibility…"
"I admire that spirit."
The instructors continued whispering among themselves.
Meanwhile—
The trainees were watching Zhao Mu closely.
When they realized he had not been punished, many of them immediately followed his example.
One after another—
Wooden stakes were driven into the ground.
With the stakes anchored firmly, standing on them became far easier.
For the first time since training began, the trainees felt a sense of stability.
Many of them looked toward Zhao Mu with gratitude.
If he had not taken the risk to test the instructors' reaction—
They might have been forced to suffer until midnight.
However, Shao Han simply scoffed.
"You enjoy showing off, don't you?"
"A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind."
Even though the training had become easier, some trainees refused to follow Zhao Mu's method.
People like Mo Guanguan, Zhu Meng, and Zhuo Yun preferred to challenge their limits.
They continued balancing on the unstable stakes.
Even so—
From that moment until 4 PM, no one else fell.
Finally—
A sharp whistle pierced the air.
"BEEEEEP!"
Zhang Biao shouted loudly,
"Training dismissed!"
The entire training ground erupted with relief.
Many trainees gasped for breath.
Some even groaned in pain.
One after another, they jumped down from the wooden stakes.
"Oh my god…"
"My feet are completely numb!"
"My legs don't even feel like they belong to me anymore!"
"And my bladder…"
Several trainees immediately ran toward the restroom.
Zhang Biao raised his voice again.
"You have ten minutes to rest!"
"After ten minutes, go eat!"
Zhao Mu stretched slightly and called out to his roommates.
"Come on."
"Let's go to the restroom."
As expected—
A group of boys walked together, chatting and joking as they headed toward the bathroom.
Along the way, many trainees stopped Zhao Mu.
"Zhao Mu… thank you."
"If it weren't for you, we'd probably still be standing there."
A tall, muscular young man approached.
It was Zhu Meng.
His appearance was rough and imposing, like a wild lion.
Yet his expression was surprisingly gentle.
He extended his hand sincerely.
Zhao Mu shook his hand.
Zhu Meng said seriously,
"We're competitors, but you still helped everyone."
Zhao Mu smiled calmly.
"Competition and cooperation are not opposites."
"The interests of the group and the interests of individuals can coexist."
His words were simple.
Yet they carried a quiet confidence.
And at that moment—
Many trainees began to realize something.
Zhao Mu might not just be talented.
He might also become a natural leader among them.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)