After the lunch break came wilderness simulation training, followed by specialized wilderness survival skills training.

Unlike the morning’s physical training, wilderness simulation training required some physical fitness but didn’t completely depend on it. There were activities like frog jumps and weighted squats, as well as single-leg balance and archery.

Of course, for Hu Xianbin in his current state, even those activities that didn’t heavily rely on physical strength were still difficult.

Since he had nearly exhausted himself during the morning rock climbing session, although the lunch break allowed him to recover some energy, it was far from enough to restore him to a fully energized state.

The other department heads weren’t faring any better. The morning’s rock climbing and physical training had already drained them, so the afternoon training was basically sustained by willpower alone.

After the weighted squats, the department heads hastily removed the heavy backpacks they’d been carrying and collapsed on the spot. They sprawled out in “spread-eagle” positions, staring at the facility’s ceiling like a bunch of lifeless salted fish that had lost all hope.

Watching them, Bao Xu’s lips curled into a cold smile.

They couldn’t handle even this much?

This was nothing!

He thought back to his own experiences: walking through the Great Rift Valley in Africa, trekking across the Sahara Desert…

Hmph, these people were merely doing preparatory activities in an indoor facility, and they were already finished?

A bunch of weaklings—he needed to intensify their training even more!

Bao Xu clearly had no intention of letting these people off so easily. He kept an eye on the time, ready to drive them up as soon as the rest period ended and force them to continue with subsequent activities like single-leg balance and archery.

It had to be said that Sa Ziran’s training schedule arrangement was quite reasonable. From morning to afternoon there were four major segments, starting with the most physically demanding rock climbing, followed by the fairly exhausting physical training. After a midday rest, the afternoon’s two segments also began with more physically demanding activities before moving to less demanding ones.

The exercise intensity gradually decreased, slowly squeezing out every last bit of energy from these people.

The process was like filling an empty cup—first with large stones, then with gravel, and finally with clear water…

In short, this scientifically arranged training schedule allowed Bao Xu to be ruthless without reservation.

Bao Xu watched the timer on his phone, precisely calculating how much rest time these department heads had left, while involuntarily feeling a sense of happiness welling up from the depths of his heart.

Previously, when forced to travel, he couldn’t play with his phone for extended periods while the other department heads enjoyed themselves in Jingzhou. Now, he could use his phone freely, but the other department heads could only watch enviously.

This feeling was wonderful!

Just then, Bao Xu spotted a familiar figure entering the facility.

Bao Xu was momentarily stunned, then hurriedly walked forward to greet him.

“Mr. Pei!” Bao Xu’s voice carried a hint of excitement and a sense of seeking recognition for his work.

Pei Qian’s gaze swept across the room, and he couldn’t help but smile.

The department heads were lying on the ground one after another, all with their limbs sprawled out, twisted in various positions. Clearly, Bao Xu had squeezed the last bit of strength from them.

They also noticed Mr. Pei’s arrival, but despite their best efforts, they could only stretch their necks slightly or move their eyeballs—standing up to greet him was absolutely impossible.

Seeing the department heads’ condition, Pei Qian suddenly thought of a phrase:

“Forgive this humble servant who lies paralyzed and cannot properly pay respects!”

Actually, it fit the current scene quite well.

Guo Licheng still had some energy left. He sat up from his lying position and was about to stand up to greet Pei Qian, but Pei Qian quickly walked over and pressed him back down.

“It’s fine, don’t get up. You should rest.”

Being pressed back down, Guo Licheng strangely felt as if he were a critically ill patient being visited by Mr. Pei.

Seeing that Bao Xu had even worked Guo Licheng to such a state, Pei Qian’s gaze toward Bao Xu contained even more appreciation.

Indeed, I knew I hadn’t misjudged this person!

These department heads were all mentally dispirited, as if their bodies had been completely hollowed out—clearly all thanks to Bao Xu’s efforts.

“Heh, you bunch of traitors finally got what you deserved!” Pei Qian was practically gloating.

Just then, Pei Qian heard a weak voice at his feet: “Mr. Pei, I’ve seen many people arguing online about ‘Eternal Cycle.’ What exactly happened? Did something go wrong…”

Pei Qian looked down to see Hu Xianbin asking feebly, looking just like a critically ill patient lying on the ground asking a doctor if there was any hope for him.

Pei Qian couldn’t help but chuckle to himself.

In your condition, you’re still obsessing over work?

It seems the training isn’t enough yet—your mind is still cluttered with distractions.

Bao Xu, arrange additional training for Hu Xianbin!

Pei Qian smiled slightly, crouching down to pat Hu Xianbin’s shoulder: “Don’t worry, everything has been arranged by me. There’s no problem at all.”

“Since you’re at the special training base, focus on your training. Don’t be needlessly anxious or worry about work issues.”

“Bao Xu, Hu Xianbin clearly still has energy to spare. Give him some additional exercises!”

When he heard the first two sentences, Hu Xianbin found them rather heartwarming, but upon hearing the last sentence, his face instantly turned ashen.

“Mr. Pei, that’s absolutely not necessary!”

But Mr. Pei had already stood up, preparing to leave.

Bao Xu looked at the time: “Alright, everyone get up. Mr. Pei’s visit has already given you five extra minutes of rest. Now we’ll immediately start training!”

“Hu Xianbin, for the upcoming archery training, you’ll draw the bow twenty additional times and shoot twenty additional arrows!”

The archery training had two components: one was simply drawing the bow, requiring trainees to fully draw and hold it for a certain amount of time to correct their posture; the other was actual shooting, evaluated based on accuracy and ring count on the target.

When Hu Xianbin heard that he needed to draw the bow twenty more times and shoot twenty more arrows, his face immediately crumpled.

It’s over. Looks like I won’t be able to hold my food again during dinner tonight…

Pei Qian observed the state of the special training base and nodded with satisfaction.

Good, very good!

This special training base should definitely be promoted and expanded, allowing department heads and core members from all departments to enjoy the experience.

This was just the first batch of special trainees, and it had already proven that Bao Xu was a reliable person and that the training programs at the base were completely trustworthy.

Pei Qian was somewhat eager to see more training camps in the future.

…

…

September 14th, Friday.

Yan Qi once again sat before his computer, downloading the new update for “Eternal Cycle” while waiting to get off work.

This time, Yan Qi’s mood was both excited and anxious.

He was excited because he already knew that this update would adjust the combat system, and he was eager to see how a game renowned for its combat would be changed.

His anxiety stemmed from the ongoing player controversies about “Eternal Cycle,” and there was no certainty that the combat system changes would satisfy the players.

Moreover, “Eternal Cycle’s” update seemed somewhat chaotic, clearly indicating some minor problems within Tenda, which also raised concerns about whether the game’s quality would be affected.

Additionally, GOG had also published an update announcement stating that they would release a new hero, the Warden, this weekend, obviously a collaborative update with “Eternal Cycle.”

The specific skill mechanics of this new hero hadn’t been disclosed by officials yet.

Yan Qi speculated that this was because the combat mechanics in “Eternal Cycle” were somehow connected to the Warden’s hero skills in GOG. Officials didn’t want to spoil anything in advance, preferring players to experience it first in “Eternal Cycle” before promoting it through GOG to reach more players.

Before downloading this update, Yan Qi first checked online to see player comments. Sure enough, everyone had temporarily set aside their disputes and was waiting for this week’s update content.

Soon, the download was complete.

Yan Qi immediately entered the game and loaded his save file.

He remembered that last weekend he had put in great effort to complete the first part of the game, defeating Meng Po and waiting for the white mist gate behind her to unlock.

However, after loading the game, he didn’t appear at Meng Po’s boss arena. Instead, a “Remember Combat Techniques from Life” option appeared, leading him to a place resembling a martial arts dojo.

Across from him sat another martial deity in a cross-legged position, though this one emitted a faint red glow to distinguish it as an enemy.

“Hmm? They made a training mode specifically for this combat system?”

Yan Qi was a bit surprised.

Given the nature of the “Looking Back is the Shore” game series, such detailed explanations of combat systems were generally not provided.

Although “Looking Back is the Shore” itself was very difficult, it had no training content. After players entered the Burial Grounds, there were only simple explanations of button functions left on the ground or on tombstones, leaving players to figure things out on their own.

Clearly, Mr. Pei’s design philosophy for this game was: players, find your own way; if you die in the game, that’s not my problem.

But “Eternal Cycle” had actually created a training mode. Did this mean that the newly updated combat system was so complex that players might be completely unable to master it without a training mode?

Yan Qi thought this was the only possibility, but on further reflection, he felt that such a possibility was unlikely—he was overthinking it.

After all, “Eternal Cycle” was just DLC. Even if they updated the combat system, they would at most tweak some values, make minor adjustments to button functions, and adjust certain action details.

The underlying combat mechanics shouldn’t undergo any major changes.

If they changed even the underlying combat mechanics, how could it still be called DLC? Wouldn’t it be better to develop a new game and earn more money?

After entering the training mode, the system began methodically guiding players to try various operations.

First was the breath value setting.

The system introduced the differences between the current stamina value and the original stamina concept, explained what the breath value icon represented, and instructed players to attack enemies according to the rhythm of exhalation to regulate their breath value.

“Green, white, yellow, and red colors represent different breath value states, with the icon expanding to represent inhalation and contracting to represent exhalation…”

“This feels almost like a rhythm game.”

Yan Qi discovered that just the simple addition of a breath value system had completely transformed “Eternal Cycle’s” combat system compared to before.

With breath value, players now had an extra dimension to consider.

Originally, they only needed to think about three dimensions: attack, defense, and movement. But now they also needed to consider the dimensions of “timing” or “rhythm,” dramatically increasing the difficulty!