Chapter 86: Straw Mattress Obstacle Course (2)
As Anji’s head poked out of the mattress tunnel, she wriggled free with some difficulty and remained lying flat on the ground, panting. It was a lot harder than she thought it would be. Even with the finishing line in sight, Anji couldn’t move a muscle. Her heart was racing crazily, and she felt light-headed. However, unlike before, Anji did not feel nauseous and managed to remain conscious.
Mingfeng did not say anything to cheer or rush his daughter. He wanted Anji to understand her new limits and challenge them. Gu Ying watched silently, believing in Anji’s determination not to abandon the challenge in its last stretch. Beside her, Lizi was wringing her handkerchief. After two months of training with Yan Ping, Anji had improved so much! Seeing her young mistress accomplish this much was a miracle. The Celestial Dragon Sect owed Yan Ping a lot for helping their youngest mistress.
After ten long minutes, Anji finally regained some strength to pick herself off the floor. Her legs and arms were trembling, and almost every part of her body hurt. However, she would crawl to the finishing line even if she had to!
Using the mattresses behind her as support, Anji pulled herself up into a standing position. Her legs were shaking like a newborn deer. However, her eyes locked onto the finishing line without wavering.
Mingfeng swelled with pride with every step Anji took towards the finishing line. It took her almost twenty minutes to finish the four obstacles, and she only needed another twenty steps to finish the entire obstacle course. After the eighth shaky step, Anji tripped when her leg felt too heavy and fell forward with a gasp. She cushioned her fall with both arms and groaned at the impact. There was no strength left in her muscles but the finishing line was so close!
Unwilling to throw in the towel, Anji tried to get up again but only managed to turn to the side and barely lift her head up. Her limbs felt like dead weight, refusing to budge. Breathing heavily, Anji growled in frustration as she wriggled her body from side to side. Slowly but surely, the finishing line became closer and closer.
By now, the audience in the training hall was silently rooting and cheering for Anji. Thirty minutes of struggles later, their youngest princess was only a few inches from the finishing line!
Pausing for the sixth time since her fall, Anji looked at the finishing line right before her eyes but out of grasp from her fingertips. She was so tired, and her eyelids felt as heavy as her body. However, she stubbornly refused to fall asleep even if she couldn’t move another inch.
Unlike earlier when she was panting, Anji’s breathing was more evened out now and relaxed. She stared at the finishing line blankly and zoned out, unable to hear the cheering from the servants watching her from the sidelines.
Unlike Gu Ying and Mingsheng, Lizi had lost control of her excitement and started to shout words of encouragement. Her excitement and enthusiasm resounded with the other servants who were also watching. Even the guards on duty joined in, hollering at Anji not to give up.
Unlike the servants and guards who had a lower level of cultivation, Mingfeng and Gu Ying noticed something different about Anji. She had long gone past her physical limits. It was a shame that she could not complete the obstacle course, but she had done her best. They were proud of her. Yet, Anji seemed to have another trick up her sleeve.
For the next fifteen minutes, the cheers continued resounding in the hall, attracting the attention of people passing by who had also come to witness the youngest princess’ challenge. However, Anji remained motionless, only blinking occasionally on the ground. Mingfeng did not allow anyone else to interfere. If his daughter did not admit defeat or lose consciousness, it meant she had not given up.