Mountain Climbing

...

The next day.

Qin Ning and his group arrived at the foot of Mount Emei.

The mountain had an elevation of over three thousand meters. Scaling it on foot required a trek of more than twenty kilometers of mountain trails.

Even for highly professional mountaineers, reaching the summit from the base would take at least four to five hours. For ordinary people, it would easily take a dozen hours or more.

At this moment, Qin Fei was buzzing with excitement.

This was a place she had yearned to visit since childhood. Finally being here today naturally put her in an exceptionally joyful mood.

Moreover, for this mountain climbing trip, everyone had specifically changed into casual activewear.

"Given our current physical fitness, if we don't take any breaks, getting to the top should only take about an hour, right?" Zhong Mingyuan spoke up.

"Hehe, how about we have a little race?" Xia Fei looked at the group and suggested.

Hearing this, Zhou Ping'an also grew interested. "Race what? How do we do it?"

"How about we race to see who reaches the top first? Let's add a little wager just for fun, nothing too big," Cai Cheng laughed.

Wang Er nodded. "Then let's set a small target of a hundred million. If I reach the top first, each of you gives me a hundred million. Dare to take the bet?"

"You think we're scared of you?"

The crowd scoffed. They had all cultivated together; who would be afraid of whom?

Although Richard was already forty years old—nearly twice the age of these youngsters—he hadn't slacked on his cultivation recently. He felt his physical condition had improved drastically and was naturally very interested.

Besides, it was just a hundred million; he'd just consider it joining in on the fun.

"But I don't have any money." Liu Silin had also tagged along this time, thick-skinned as ever.

As Elder Liu's grandson, his status was naturally no lower than Wang Er and the others, but when it came to personal wealth, he truly couldn't compare.

Although the Liu family had some uncles in business, it was simply impossible for him to casually whip out a hundred million.

"No worries, Young Master Liu, we'll cover your share for you," Fan Sicheng and Bai Xuelin spoke up.

"Cough, cough, wouldn't that be too embarrassing?" In the past, Liu Silin probably wouldn't have compromised, but this time was different. His grandfather had told him that he absolutely had to grow a thicker skin; otherwise, he wouldn't even get the chance to lick a single leg hair of Qin Ning's.

"Just the three of you? Aren't you basically giving us free money?" Zhong Mingyuan said disdainfully.

Hearing this, Liu Silin was instantly displeased. "Hey, what kind of talk is that? Are you saying our physical fitness is that bad?"

Evidently, he only knew that Zhong Mingyuan, Xia Fei, and the rest had been following Qin Ning around recently, but he had no idea what exactly they had been doing. He was even more unaware that times had changed. Through their cultivation, even though Xia Fei and the others had yet to produce spiritual energy, their physical fitness was already not much inferior to Wang Yousheng and those former soldier kings.

"You guys go ahead with your race. You'd better warm up here first. I'll head up with Xiao Fei and the girls," Qin Ning smiled faintly. Leaving those words behind, he led Qin Fei, Cheng Weiyang, Gu Siyu, and Su Xingwan to begin their ascent.

The girls had naturally been cultivating during this period as well. Qin Fei, in particular, had long since developed spiritual energy. A three-thousand-meter-high Mount Emei posed absolutely no challenge to them.

Along the way, Qin Ning and his group didn't walk fast. They were mostly there to enjoy the scenery. Qin Fei and the other girls held their phones, taking pictures everywhere, having the time of their lives.

About half an hour later, Wang Er and the others, having finished warming up at the base, also began their climb. Their speed was incredibly fast; in less than ten minutes, they caught up to Qin Ning's group.

This sight left Liu Silin, Fan Sicheng, and Bai Xuelin, who were trailing behind, completely dumbfounded.

"How is this possible? When did these guys get such good physical fitness?" Liu Silin's face was full of disbelief.

"They've been following Young Master Qin for so long, could they have learned how to cultivate too?" Bai Xuelin couldn't help but ask.

"Highly likely." Fan Sicheng nodded seriously. "Young Master Qin's methods are unfathomable to gods and ghosts alike. Leading this bunch to cultivate would definitely not be a difficult task."

"I wonder if we'll ever have the chance to follow Young Master Qin and cultivate too?" Envy appeared on Bai Xuelin's face.

Liu Silin spoke up, "As long as your skin is thick enough, nothing is impossible. Come on, let's speed up too!"

...

About an hour later, Wang Er and the others began to reach the summit one after another. The first to reach the top was Xia Fei, followed by Zhou Ping'an.

The two of them were the earliest to follow Qin Ning. Although they hadn't started cultivating at the very beginning, they had the advantage of drinking immortal tea early on. Therefore, in terms of physical fitness, they were naturally much better off than the others.

"An elevation of three thousand meters, and I actually walked up here in just over an hour, without feeling tired at all!"

But the most excited of them all was none other than Richard.

He naturally knew very well what his physical condition used to be like.

At forty years old, let alone climbing a mountain, just climbing a few flights of stairs would probably leave him gasping for air for half the day.

But now, upon arriving at the peak of Mount Emei, he didn't feel the slightest bit tired. He even felt like he could do another round trip!

This was the benefit of being by Young Master Qin's side. Richard had finally experienced it firsthand.

"Holy crap, did they reach the top already?"

Meanwhile, Liu Silin and his two companions, who had only covered a tenth of the journey in over an hour, were dumbstruck. They had just received a call from Zhong Mingyuan. It felt like they had only just begun, yet those guys were already at the summit?

"I can't do it anymore. If I keep walking, I'm afraid I'll die of exhaustion. I think we should just take the cable car up," Bai Xuelin panted, directly surrendering. He no longer wanted to put in the effort.

Soon, the three found a cable car boarding point. After getting on the cable car, it felt as if their entire bodies had become much lighter.

"Isn't that Young Master Qin and Xiao Fei?"

From the cable car, Fan Sicheng looked down and spotted a few familiar figures at a viewing platform.

"How come they've only made it this far?" Liu Silin was taken aback.

"They're actually here to have fun and enjoy the scenery. Isn't it normal for them to walk slowly?" Bai Xuelin said.

Fan Sicheng suddenly grew curious. "Say, if Young Master Qin climbed the mountain at full speed, how long would it take him to reach the top?"

"It should still take at least an hour, right? After all, the path is what it is. It's not like he can fly up, right?" Bai Xuelin chuckled.

Hearing this, the other two nodded in agreement. Obviously, although they knew Qin Ning possessed special abilities, saying he could fly was a bit too absurd. The three didn't dare to imagine Qin Ning truly having such a capability, especially since they had never actually seen it.

Meanwhile, Qin Fei, who was enjoying the scenery on the platform, received a call from Xia Fei at the summit. After hanging up, she looked at Qin Ning. "Brother, Young Master Xia and the others said there's a place to eat on the mountain. They're asking if we're hungry. They said they can even bring some food down for us."

"No need, let's just go straight up," Qin Ning said with a smile, before leading them to a secluded corner.

After ensuring no one was around, Qin Ning waved his hand. A surge of power enveloped Qin Fei, Cheng Weiyang, Su Xingwan, and Gu Siyu, and the four of them instantly vanished from the spot.