There were beads of sweat on her delicate face and features, especially on the tip of her nose. A few tiny drops of sweat were winding and gathering in one place, like a stream coming from all directions, and when the water volume was enough, it would start to rush. But what was waiting for it was not a river, nor the sea, but the back of Ah Zhu's finger. She wiped it off, and her brows, which had not been opened for a long time, were full of doubts.

"Why don't you leave?"

Xia Xiao was stunned for a moment, then laughed out loud when he reacted, seeming to be laughing at Azhu's embarrassment, and also at his own previous state.

"Don't worry, take a break for two minutes. You look so tired and sweaty."

"Now you know how to be gentle with women?"

Azhu fanned himself with his hands, and Xia Xiao reached out and wiped all the sweat off his face.

The warm big hand wiped across her soft little face, causing Ah Zhu to make a very soft sound. It is true that every girl will show a gentle side under the hands of her boyfriend, but she will also show a very terrifying side, just like Ah Zhu who drank a sip of water from Xia Xiao's kettle and continued to walk towards the top of the mountain, looking very heroic and high-spirited.

Unlike the previous walk, Ah Zhu started to jog, and Xia Xiao could only follow behind. Although he couldn't see her face, her eyes must be extremely determined. This was a good thing, but Xia Xiao felt a little distressed. Ah Zhu was almost eighteen years old, but she knew nothing about her life experience. It was really miserable.

Ah Zhu once said that she was not curious about who her biological parents were. She loved her grandmother and did not hate her parents who abandoned her. But she knew why they abandoned her. Was there a hidden reason? Or were they really that cruel? That curiosity always troubled Ah Zhu, especially every late night, she wanted to know the answer.

Hu Bugui used to give Ah Zhu some thinking questions. Those questions were difficult and Ah Zhu didn't like them. If her master didn't force her to do them or think about them, she wouldn't pay attention to them, let alone take the initiative to find them. But no matter how hard she racked her brains, she finished all the questions on the test paper, except for this one, which she still had no answer to.

Now the answer is at the top of the mountain, not far away. Ah Zhu feels that he should go a little further and not give up. At least for the first time, he needs to know his own limit, so that it will be easier to make countermeasures in the future.

Unconsciously, Ah Zhu has become more and more like Xia Xiao. She herself does not realize it, but she looks at the distant mountain top, regardless of the changes in the scenery below her feet, and continues to take steps and run forward with determination, as if she firmly believes that she will reach her destination.

Xia Xiao had never seen Ah Zhu like this before, and he followed closely behind. Now was not the time to say discouraging words or take a break, so Xia Xiao reminded him:

"Pay attention to the use of vital energy and allow it to flow throughout the body."

"Okay."

Ah Zhu is surrounded by the starry sky, which is her unique power. When she runs in front of Xia Xiao, it seems that she has cleared the mysterious fog in the distant land, making Xia Xiao no longer so uneasy. The latter is also curious. He has faced this road alone before, but at the other end of the road, there is an extremely frightening power that makes him shudder. When he walks into the alpine meadow, there is a power that constantly persuades him to retreat. But now, that power is much weaker.

Xia Xiao felt that this was not due to psychological suggestion, but because Ah Zhu in front of him was really a girl with miracles, with as many mysteries as the stars shining in the sky. But she finally took this step bravely, and sought the truth very frankly and bravely.

Without fear or worries, Ah Zhu took bigger and bigger steps, and seemed to be getting more and more excited. Xia Xiao accompanied her silently. From the time he stopped climbing until now, everything he did was no longer for his own climbing, but for Ah Zhu to get there and understand everything she wanted to know.

Xia Xiao thought of something, and suddenly understood why Ah Zhu was so confident and full of fighting spirit. On her first day at the academy, she had been to the top of the mountain. Although someone took her there, she had been there before. Looking at Ah Zhu's back, Xia Xiao suddenly smiled, feeling enlightened. No wonder this girl was so determined to win. It turned out that she was very confident.

The alpine meadow was extremely lonely, with no bushes, and even the grass grew very low, humble to the core, and not even a single flower bud to embellish it. But soon, the meadow was replaced by an even more desolate alpine desert. Now, there were gravels and a faint chill flowing all around, and a few blades of grass were extremely rare. But after running two cycles, they finally passed the meadow, which was not easy at all.

The sun beside Tongtian Peak became a loyal audience for Xia Xiao and Ah Zhu. It had seen many people climbing the mountain, but very few of them jogged like this. However, their enthusiasm was not worn away by time, but became stronger and stronger. The more you fight, the braver you become.

Wind blew around, but it did not collide with the cold air. Instead, it brought streams of warmth, which became a subtle help for Ah Zhu, making his body lighter and able to withstand the increasingly cold temperature around him.

Ah Zhu was very tired, her short hair stuck to her forehead and cheeks with sweat. But when she glanced sideways and felt Xia Xiao's vitality, she perked up again and continued to move forward in the lifeless desert.

The meadow is like a barren desert, and the cold desert is a Gobi desert with no trace of life. It is extremely dead silent, and even the wind seems to come from the underworld, and it is extremely cold.

Among them, the stones of different sizes are the only existence here. They are more loyal than the sun, because they watch the footsteps and postures of countless people climbing the mountain day and night. Today alone, in just half a day, they have seen more than a dozen people climbing the mountain. As a competent stone, they don't know why they are sweating so much, but because of this, they don't know what is on the top of the mountain.

The desert was as long as the meadow. Xia Xiao and Ah Zhu felt that the weather had suddenly changed, and the colors around them had changed. It seemed that both humans and gods were angry, and it seemed that they had done something wrong. Under such changes, Ah Zhu slowed down her pace. She wanted to ask Xia Xiao whether she should move forward, and the latter asked her:

"Can you still run?"

"able!"

"Then keep running!"

Although she was a little scared, Ah Zhu nodded and continued to walk. She didn't pay attention, but she felt a slight pain in her feet, but the soles of her shoes were worn thin. But for the persistence in her heart, she should work hard, right? If she does nothing, how can she gain anything?

Grandma had told Ah Zhu more than once that all things are equal, and that there is no gain without effort. There are many kinds of effort, and there are also different kinds of gains. If you sleep all day, the crops will not grow, and if something like a pie in the sky really happens, you will not get it.

Ah Zhu implemented every word her grandmother said in her life. Although she left the mountain village, it was as if she had never left. On an ordinary sunny morning, in a remote mountain village that was not affected by the war, the old woman raised her head and looked to the south. Suddenly, she felt motivated to continue living and walk a little further in life, because in the future, there was a girl waiting to honor her.

"ah--"

Amidst the invisible oppression, Ah Zhu suddenly roared, as if fighting against the heavens. This was the method Xia Xiao taught her, a great self-motivation, but she felt it was more like a provocation at this moment. The heavy dark clouds heard it and responded with thunder, which made her shiver all over.

"Xia Xiao, you lied to me again!"

"Never mind, just charge forward. This is the academy, there's no need to be timid."

"What if it hits me?"

"With me here, no lightning can hurt you."

"You said it!"

"I said so!"

"Then continue!"

Azhu is full of energy. In her mind, she just rushes forward, and the scene where Xia Xiao defends everything for her is very romantic.

Um……

Anyway, Ah Zhu felt it was romantic, as if she was going to protect everyone in the world, but Xia Xiao was standing behind her to protect only her.

With Xia Xiao's energy, Ah Zhu ran faster, ignoring the cold wind around him, fearless. The meadow was walked step by step, and the cold desert was full of footprints. But when they reached the high mountain glacier zone, Xia Xiao and Ah Zhu knew that it was time to charge.

The world in front of them had changed color. No matter how sunny and bright the sky was not far behind them, they could only see a very deep dark hue. The dark clouds in the sky had turned as dark as ink, and the thunder and lightning in them were like a heavenly calamity that could knock people away from this place. In front of Xia Xiao and Ah Zhu, glaciers stood up like rocks, growing everywhere. The cold air was all around them. This was the air of the underworld, which could destroy nine souls and destroy the spirit.

Ah Zhu turned around and glanced at Xia Xiao, who had not made a decision yet. He just looked at the road and said to her:

“Above the glacier is the top of the mountain.”

Ah Zhu followed his gaze and looked forward, then grabbed Xia Xiao's hand, her eyes full of fighting spirit and desire for protection. She wanted to know her life experience, but she was also afraid. She was afraid that the cold air in the glacier would freeze her into an ice stick, and she was also afraid of the thunder above her head. Her starry sky was not wide enough to allow them to wreak havoc in it.

"Go ahead!"

After Xia Xiao finished speaking, Ah Zhu took a step forward, with her hair rising. She was like the sun behind the dark clouds, braving the temporary darkness and vowing to break through it.

As expected, thunder roared overhead. They kept hitting down, causing the glacier to explode, but they were always one step behind Ah Zhu and Xia Xiao. But when the glacier and even the ground cracked, all the vitality in Xia Xiao's body gushed out.

After the sound of the sword, there was a light made of metal, which became the soft armor on Ah Zhu's body. There was the sound of the gurgling waves and the waves hitting the shore, which made his steps light, as if he was walking on the surging waves, with infinite power. Then there was a strong sound of a bang, which was the blazing flames, allowing Ah Zhu to step over more bricks with every step.

Finally, there was a bird cry, which was the wind, the trees, and the thunder. They formed a pair of wings behind Ah Zhu, and also made the lightning around him fly away.

Xia Xiao followed closely behind, watching Ah Zhu transform into a colorful phoenix, ignoring the cold air and thunder that blocked his way, and just rushed forward. Even though Xia Xiao had a keen sense of smell, he could hardly sense the power of the cold air and thunder, and could not tell whether it was an illusion or a real scene. They were only a hair's breadth apart, so it was normal that he could not tell them apart at this time. But when they reached the end of this mountain road, they were all stunned!

Logically speaking, the top of the mountain is above the glacier. Although the senior sister said that the mountain top cannot be reached by walking, why does this road end in front of the glaciers?

The glacier was like a wall, blocking all roads. Dark clouds overhead kept falling, and there was no way out. Xia Xiao and Azhu stood on the last stone brick, their eyes full of confusion and bewilderment.

There was thunder and lightning overhead, and an extremely thick pillar of lightning did not give them any time to think, and began to drive them away hastily.

The thunder fell, and Xia Xiao and Ah Zhu began to return the same way, but they were still touched by the flash of thunder. It was just a little light, and there was not much danger, but it made Xia Xiao feel like he was hit hard, and he kept rolling down on the bricks. Ah Zhu hurriedly chased him, hugged him and fled in panic.