“You useless thing, for the sake of your master’s physical and mental well-being!”
Pointing to her own chest, Huang Xiu issued a fierce, repeated warning.
Yet, for her, it was truly nothing but a burden.
She lifted her head.
Through the misty air, she saw the girl in the dressing mirror raise her head.
A fierce expression marred the familiar face.
Huang Xiu’s expression suddenly faltered, a hint of panic in her eyes.
‘And seriously, it’s only been a little over two months, yet I feel like I’ve completely adapted to this appearance…’
She forced a smile, then a frown, and the girl in the mirror mirrored her expressions precisely.
‘I’m truly adorable.’
Huang Xiu recalled this thought from somewhere, then remembered that she had never once seen her own beautiful face display any cutesy or pampered expressions.
A sudden urge stirred within her.
‘Should I… try it?’ She hesitated, a blush of shame rising, mixed with other inexpressible emotions.
She pondered for a long while, but the solitude of the room ultimately provided the perfect excuse to experiment.
‘Whatever.’
Huang Xiu swallowed, ‘It’s just me here. Huang Xiaoxian is busy playing on his tablet under the bed. No one can see.’
With this reasoning, she barely managed to convince herself.
She retracted her right hand, her long, fair fingers curled into a cat’s paw gesture.
The girl in the mirror, clad only in her underwear, tilted her head slightly, revealing a faintly sweet smile.
“Meow?!” A soft, tender sound, surprisingly delicate, escaped her lips.
Huang Xiu hadn’t expected to produce such a voice, one she had only ever heard in anime, by pinching her throat.
Her facial expression shifted rapidly several times, ultimately settling into a deep, mortified red.
Huang Xiu had just finished showering, so her cheeks were already flushed, which thankfully made the intense blush less conspicuous.
‘Ugh, I can’t stand it!’ Huang Xiu rubbed her arms, trying to quell the goosebumps that had erupted across her skin.
That attempt at cuteness had been overly affected, sickeningly sweet.
She dared not try again, quickly pulled on her pajamas, and began to sort her dirty clothes.
Her underwear was meticulously hand-washed in the basin, while the rest of her soiled clothes were tossed into the washing machine.
By the time everything was done, it was already four in the morning.
Outside the window, the sky gradually brightened, with the rosy hue of the morning sun peeking over the distant dormitory buildings.
Golden-red light spilled across the floor from the window.
Huang Xiu’s biological clock was usually very regular, but the dazzling light outside instantly banished any lingering sleepiness.
‘If I sleep now, I won’t be able to sleep tonight. I might as well just stay up until evening.’
With that thought, she settled in front of her desk, pulled out her notebook, and began to review last night’s combat training.
Combat debriefing was a methodology Professor Yuan had taught them in class for self-improvement.
After every battle, it was crucial to promptly summarize and analyze the combat, identify one’s weaknesses, and work to overcome them.
Only then could one grow stronger through battle, rather than merely accumulating combat experience while making slow progress in strength.
“’My initial response last night was adequate. Dealing with two Three-Month Pigs was no problem. It was only later, when Teacher Yuan ambushed me, that I ended up in such a sorry state.’
Huang Xiu lightly scribbled in her notebook, her mind replaying the details of last night’s battle.
In the initial skirmish, she held the upper hand, able to advance or retreat at will.
With no danger of injury, she had appeared remarkably composed.
However, later, when facing four Three-Month Pigs simultaneously, the risk of being knocked down and injured at any moment became very real.
She found herself leaning more towards evasion than offense, becoming hesitant and cautious.
Several of her attacks failed to land effectively.
Ultimately, due to excessive physical exertion, she had to pour all her strength into killing one Three-Month Pig, completing a triple kill.
“’Compared to me, Squad Leader Tian Rong and Liu Lu were more daring in their attacks, precisely because their dual blades and dual hammers necessitated close-quarters combat.’
A water-based pen spun like a helicopter between her delicate fingertips as Huang Xiu pondered.
Her biggest issue in weapons combat was her excessive fear of injury, which prevented her from attacking with full force.
Only when she felt 100% safe would she prioritize offense.
‘Although my physical constitution isn’t particularly strong, my recovery ability is unmatched in the class. So, I actually have a margin for error; there’s no need to be so afraid of getting injured,’ Huang Xiu mused.
‘Moreover, in close combat, it’s impossible to avoid injury unless there’s an overwhelming difference in strength. The crucial thing is whether the attack opportunities gained by risking injury are truly worth it.’
The ultimate victor of last night’s practical training was neither Tian Rong nor Huang Xiu’s friends.
It was an unknown, burly male student named Zhang Hezhimale.
Though he was referred to as unknown, it was only because Huang Xiu typically only paid attention to the more famous students from various provinces.
Zhang Hezhimale himself possessed considerable talent; he might even become a pillar of the Great Xia Nation in the future.
He had chosen the popular broadsword as his weapon, a custom-made thick-backed bronze-ringed saber that was both heavy and sharp.
His saber techniques were exceptionally practiced, and his physical conditioning was excellent, but these weren’t the key to his ultimate victory.
Huang Xiu had witnessed his entire battle, and could only describe it with two words:
‘He’s smart!’
Zhang Hezhimale’s combat strategy was arguably the best in their class, allowing him to seize every opportunity to exert his full strength.
Even if it meant potentially getting injured, he would strike if the reward far outweighed the risk.
In the end, he endured two blows from a Three-Month Pig, seizing several fleeting opportunities to decapitate three Three-Month Pigs in quick succession, achieving a terrifying six kills.
“’Zhang Hezhimale’s strategy of trading injuries for damage is to be used sparingly, but in necessary moments, it’s an excellent way to turn the tide.’
Huang Xiu recorded this sentence in her notebook and etched it into her heart.
‘I, Huang Xiu, will definitely make use of this next time!’
Having completed her review, she stood up and stretched, her graceful waistline revealed.
Then she checked the time; it was only five o’clock, and sleep still eluded her.
Huang Xiu simply opened her phone and checked her messaging apps.
Having just gone through a live combat exercise, many in her class were too excited to sleep.
Messages in the class group chat were flashing by at an incredible speed.
Huang Xiu opened her phone, quickly replied to all her messages, then exited the class group chat.
On the messaging app’s information bar, arranged from top to bottom, were the pinned high school and university class groups.
Next were Yun Ning, Ying Zhiyu, and Jia Qianrou, among others.
Huang Xiu scrolled down and found Shi Lei further below.
The last message displayed was from two days ago.
‘Indeed… distance and time are the best remedies.’
Her finger rested on Shi Lei’s profile picture, not moving.
The phone did not jump into the chat interface.
Although under Fang Miaoging’s strong insistence, she no longer completely ignored Shi Lei’s messages.
However, as military training drew nearer, the excuse she had once given Shi Lei—’University is too busy, I don’t have time’—had become genuinely true.
She used to play games with Shi Lei to maintain their relationship, but now even that had lessened.
Firstly, their rest schedules didn’t align.
Secondly, ever since their all-nighter, she had, out of a slight pique, dedicated all her weekend gaming time to playing ranked matches with Yun Ning.
They only chatted occasionally, and it had been a long time since they played games together.
Shi Lei’s frequency of sending her messages had also gradually slowed.
However, because Fang Miaoging had more leisure time, Shi Lei now frequently chatted with Fang Miaoging to inquire about Huang Xiu’s current situation.
This made Huang Xiu feel inexplicably amused. To understand someone else’s circumstances through another person… that truly felt absurd.
‘Ugh, I’m so bored. Don’t want to sleep, want to play games.’
Huang Xiu swiped the screen and opened her chat with Yun Ning.
The most recent chat record was a message from Yun Ning before her practical training yesterday, consisting of an encouraging emoji pack and words of encouragement.
‘Has Senior Male Student Yun woken up yet…’
Huang Xiu wanted to ask Yun Ning to play games, but she worried it was too early and that her message might wake him if he was still asleep.
Besides, would Yun Ning really agree to play games with her so early in the morning?
Huang Xiu hesitated for a long time.
The simple phrase ‘Log on’ was typed and deleted, typed and deleted again, never sent.
‘Whatever.’
Huang Xiu finally threw caution to the wind and sent a message.
[I’m Very Xiu: Senior Male Student Yun, are you awake yet? Little kitty is awake.]
After sending it, she immediately flopped onto her bed, her feet paddling up and down as if swimming, waiting for a reply.
[Yun Ning: Awake. Just about to go for my morning run.]
‘He actually woke up at five and started his morning run?’
Huang Xiu felt the aura of a ‘study-god’ practically radiating through the screen.
‘But if he’s morning running… then he can’t play games with me, can he?’
Her mouth drooped, then she saw that he had sent a photo.
A crimson rubber track, a lush green football field, a clear, pure pale blue sky…
[Yun Ning: The view at five in the morning is really beautiful, Junior Female Student. Do you want to come for a morning run and exercise?
‘Morning run? Are you kidding me? Do I look like the kind of person who goes running early in the morning?’ Huang Xiu scoffed.
She had always been a proponent of energy conservation, avoiding any unnecessary energy-consuming activities.
If she could sit, she wouldn’t stand; if she could lie down, she wouldn’t sit; if she could take a car, she would absolutely not walk.
Huang Xiu heard the washing machine on the balcony beep, so she rose and left her bedroom.
After hanging her clothes, she sat in the living room, staring blankly at the tightly shut door of her room.
‘I’m really so bored…’ Huang Xiu silently glanced at her running shoes placed by the entrance.
The school track at five in the morning was sparsely populated.
Aside from Yun Ning and Huang Xiu, most were students from the Research Department.
For students in the Exploration Department, their daily training intensity was already sufficient, making additional morning exercises unnecessary.
“These are weighted training rings. Do you need them?”
Yun Ning took several metal rings from his small bag and dangled them before Huang Xiu.
“No…” Huang Xiu shook her head. She had come to run simply out of boredom, to spend time with Yun Ning.
She wasn’t genuinely interested in exercising.
Besides, she was already exhausted. Adding weighted rings would be like actively seeking sudden death.
“Alright.” Yun Ning nodded noncommittally, then fastened the weighted rings to his own ankles.
He lightly stroked the iron rings with his right hand, activating them with Void Energy and adjusting their weight.
“Let’s warm up first!” Yun Ning joked, “Otherwise, don’t go weak in the legs like last time.”
“I won’t!”
Huang Xiu definitely didn’t want to impede Yun Ning’s morning exercise. Being so weak in the legs that she couldn’t even descend the stairs had left a deeply etched memory.
After the battle concluded last night, Huang Xiu had stretched while observing the ongoing fights.
After a brief warm-up with Yun Ning, the two stepped onto the track and began their morning run.
Huang Xiu ran very slowly, at a leisurely pace akin to an old man strolling, estimated to be about nine minutes per kilometer.
Watching Yun Ning ahead of her, Huang Xiu softly said, “Senior Male Student Yun, you don’t need to mind me. Run at your own pace.”
Although she didn’t know Yun Ning’s ability, judging from their few battles together, it appeared to be a body-strengthening type of ability.
His consistent daily exercise also suggested that this routine significantly boosted his combat power.
Yun Ning nodded, then accelerated, quickly leaving Huang Xiu far behind.
‘I wonder what Senior Male Student Yun’s ability is?’
Huang Xiu watched Yun Ning’s receding figure, suddenly realizing that among Professor Yuan’s students, she might be the only one unaware of his ability.
‘Senior Male Student Yue definitely knows, and Senior Female Student Yue should know too.’
Huang Xiu ran with steady breaths.
The gentle morning breeze caressed her face, carrying the scent of fresh grass and the unique coolness of morning dew.
A strong curiosity suddenly surged within her.
This curiosity grew more intense, until half an hour later, when Yun Ning finished his morning run and sat down for post-run stretches, Huang Xiu couldn’t help but ask.
“Um… Senior Male Student Yun, what’s your ability?”
She felt a little embarrassed, her voice barely a whisper. Inquiring about someone else’s ability was considered very impolite.
She regretted asking immediately and quickly added, “If your ability is special or private, you don’t have to tell me.”
“Haha, my ability is indeed quite special, even at Tiandu University.”
Yun Ning let out a hearty laugh.
“However, there’s no need to keep it a secret from you, Junior Female Student. After all, we’re fellow disciples. Senior Male Student Yue and Senior Female Student Li also know about this ability.”
“What is it?” Huang Xiu grew even more curious.
Special… could it be more special than her [Senluo]?
Speaking of which, the unique aspect of her [Senluo] ability was quite subtle. Most people might simply perceive it as basic plant manipulation.
“I named my ability [Player].”
Yun Ning lowered his voice slightly, “It’s a very rare growth-type ability.”
“I can gain rewards from the ability’s feedback by completing tasks I set for myself.”
“The rewards depend on the difficulty and nature of the task. For instance, daily exercise rewards me with improved physical fitness, and studying laws rewards me with enhanced cognitive or mental abilities.”
As Huang Xiu listened to Yun Ning’s description, her mouth fell open wider and wider.
It was her first time encountering such a unique ability—one that allowed him to enhance his strength by completing tasks and receiving rewards.
This ability was indeed very weak when first awakened, but its power would become terrifying as rewards continually accumulated.