“Who is it?” I asked with a smile.
“Bei Chi…” Lin Chun said, “This guy doesn’t talk much, but he hasn’t complained at all from beginning to end, and he’s been working very hard…”
I nodded and walked to the beach. By this time, they had finished counting the last few grains of sand.
Seeing me approach, everyone’s faces lit up with joy.
Chen Ran spoke first, “Lu Ge, the sand in my hand…”
“Mm-hmm, no need to tell me.” I interrupted him before he could finish.
“This…” The expressions on their faces were not good.
After all, they had been here for so long, without rest, and in a state of high tension.
It was all to meticulously sort and count the sand, to determine the exact quantity.
I understood their mindset very well.
Regarding the task of counting sand, putting aside whether it had any practical meaning, they felt that I should respect their hard work.
At the very least, I should listen to how much sand they had counted.
But I chose not to. I didn’t listen and simply waved my hand, “You’ve all worked hard. We’ll stop here for today. Come back a bit earlier tomorrow morning, and gather here…”
Since my sense of time wasn't very accurate, and I had no suitable way to keep track of it, I could only give a rough idea of the time.
The few of them exchanged glances but said nothing more. They nodded and went back to rest.
I sat on the beach with a faint smile on my face and entered a state of cultivation.
It wasn't until the sky was completely dark that I returned to my room.
The next morning, I deliberately woke up late. By the time I reached the beach, the sun had already risen high.
The few of them sat there, their faces showing signs of drowsiness.
Lin Chun also looked at me with a hint of confusion.
“I overslept a bit…” I smiled, “Today we can start the formal training. How about this…”
I feigned a moment of thought, then pointed to the beach, “I have an idea. The area around the city needs some renovation, and we'll need a lot of materials. This sand…”
“Lu Ge, I can go find limestone!” Chen Ran quickly offered.
“I’ll go get the tools right away!” Bai Ran said.
“No, no, no!” I waved my hands, “Since you’re all here for training, today’s training content is very simple. You need to use your hands to carry sand to the city gate. The more the better, of course!”
Upon hearing this, their expressions became a little unnatural. After hesitating for a long time, they finally nodded.
While they were hesitating, Shen Zhi had already started.
This girl didn’t even ask me how much sand was needed…
Seeing them begin their task, a smile appeared on my face.
Last night, I had left the Qian Li Zhi Ye on the beach. Their waiting here meant they were also being influenced by the Shepherd’s Power, even if they didn’t know it.
On their journey carrying the sand, they were also being covered by my Qian Li Zhi Ye.
So, they were being affected at all times.
Only through such prolonged influence could they, to a certain extent, be accepted by the Shepherd’s Power.
With this premise established, the subsequent cultivation could then begin.
Although they could have sat quietly, like Lin Chun.
To a certain degree, being influenced was sufficient; they didn’t need to do anything else.
But I didn’t want to do it that way.
Given the current situation, I believed that one’s state of mind was extremely important!
If they didn’t have a good attitude, if they weren’t prepared to endure hardship and suffering, I saw no point in wasting time caring for them.
Furthermore, I needed their absolute trust in me. In other words, they shouldn’t overthink my arrangements.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a good thing for me.
Lin Chun watched them silently. I had specifically instructed him not to reveal that he could cultivate without my permission, no matter what.
I was well aware of how great the allure of being able to cultivate was. But if those few people were only willing to accept such unreasonable arrangements because of this, then this matter would have no meaning.
Currently, they were not entirely certain in their hearts. In other words, their trust in me was not yet sufficient.
Regarding the promises I had made to them earlier, the grand visions I had painted, they harbored doubts in their minds.
The reason I was doing this now was solely to maintain their doubt.
This doubt would help to identify a portion of people, those whose trust in me far outweighed their doubts.
And that would be enough!
And so, they had only about ten minutes for lunch at noon. The rest of their time was spent carrying sand with their bare hands.
It was a profoundly boring and monotonous task…