Zhen followed Xi Xiu and Xue Fanhui around every day. Whatever they did, she did too, and no matter how long the training lasted, she never complained of being tired.
In the end, Xi Xiu could not bear to watch any longer and decided to revise the plan.
Zhen's physical fitness should have been decent, but her Mental Power level was probably lacking.
Xue Fanhui could also see that Zhen was struggling. She had not expected the little girl to endure it silently, gritting her teeth and holding on.
Xi Xiu and Xue Fanhui discussed it through their terminals and reduced the daily training time from three hours to two and a half. They also cut half an hour from theory lessons, leaving the remaining hour for play.
When Zhen received the new schedule, she was both startled and touched. Ever since her parents were gone, this was the first time someone had truly kept her in their thoughts.
That night, Zhen hid beneath her blanket and cried in secret. She swore that she would never hold them back again and would repay Xi Xiu and Xue Fanhui with everything she had.
Vivian, who silently watched it all, thought back to her childhood with Wei Lanshan and the others.
It had probably been just like Xi Xiu and the others. Back then, those days had been so very gentle.
Two months after returning from Purple Coast, Xi Xiu's terminal received the first payment she had ever earned through labor.
Shally had sold all the Shulai Stones they had found at the seaside last time. The Star Coins had been settled today and transferred into the children's accounts together.
Xi Xiu stared at the balance on her terminal and grinned from ear to ear. She was in the middle of losing her baby teeth, so her grin looked rather comical. Xue Fanhui pressed a hand to her forehead at the sight of her little money-grubber expression.
She was usually such a steady little girl, so why did she love Star Coins so much? As long as she contributed to the Alliance and raised her contribution points, Star Coins would naturally come.
Xue Fanhui shook her head. Zhen transferred one-third of the Star Coins she had received to Xi Xiu.
Xi Xiu did not accept them. "Zhen, why are you giving me Star Coins? Keep them. You'll surely have use for them someday."
"Xiu Xiu, I only found so many because you taught me how. These Star Coins should rightfully go to you." Director Vivian had said that one had to repay kindness.
"Enough, no need to give me any. Keep them yourself. We can use them when we travel together someday."
The moment Zhen heard that, her eyes lit up.
"G-go traveling?"
"Mm. Once Vivian thinks we can go out, we'll travel."
Xi Xiu and Xue Fanhui had already discussed it. After they turned ten, they would have far more freedom and could travel within Ningkui Star instead of remaining in the Orphanage to study all the time.
Between the ages of twelve and sixteen, they would have one mandatory outing experience lasting more than three star-months, meant to assess what they had learned over the years.
Those experiences would all be recorded in their files. The Orphanage submitted outing applications once a year, and the list of names was sent to Ningkui Star's Children's Affairs Bureau.
Once approved, the children could head directly to the Spaceport and take the Bureau's Star Shuttle to their destination. To ensure their safety, they would also return on the Bureau's Star Shuttle.
They would wear badges marking them as trainees on an outing, and anyone they encountered could rate them on the Star Net. This was extremely important.
It was an experience every child in the Alliance had to go through. Xi Xiu and Xue Fanhui had agreed that after Xi Xiu turned twelve, Xue Fanhui would submit an application with her, and they could visit the star system they had chosen together.
Now that Zhen was joining them, the three of them could go together when the time came.
"Okay, thank you, Xiu Xiu." Zhen's voice was a little choked.
Xi Xiu was helpless. Zhen was a sensitive beauty who especially loved to cry whenever she was moved. Xi Xiu simply did not know what to do with her.
Xue Fanhui had an even bigger headache, so whenever this happened, she tossed the matter to Xi Xiu. After all, Xi Xiu had the patience to care for people!
And so, time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, it was already Xi Xiu's third year at the Orphanage. She was over eight years old, and her body arts had reached level eight.
After discussing it with Xue Fanhui, the two decided to find opponents on the Virtual Network to improve their techniques, each entering a separate virtual combat space.
Opponents in the combat space were randomly matched, and Xi Xiu was paired with a formidable opponent.
She checked the person's profile. It was equally simple, with only their real age visible, as that was the one setting that could not be hidden.
Their gender and star system were both confidential. If not for the mismatch in age, Xi Xiu would have thought she had encountered Ye Zhenwei on the Virtual Network.
Although she had concealed part of her strength, it was possible for her to be utterly crushed to some extent—but not this badly.
Since Hong Xixiu had come to the Alliance, this was her first ten-match losing streak!
Xi Xiu was beaten senseless every day. Since entering the Star Net's virtual space to study, this was the first time she had been completely overwhelmed in every aspect. Her opponent was simply terrifying.
After every training session, Xi Xiu felt dead inside, yet she had no choice but to remind herself that she needed to become stronger.
She told Xue Fanhui and Zhen about her opponent on the Virtual Network, vividly describing the spectacular process of how she had been utterly crushed.
Xue Fanhui and Zhen also thought the person was incredibly powerful. In private, they even discussed what would happen if this person faced the Alliance's genius girl, Ye Zhenwei. They would probably be evenly matched.
Under Xi Xiu and Xue Fanhui's guidance over the past two years, Zhen had improved rapidly. Her body arts had already risen to level six, and she was only a little short of level seven.
Xue Fanhui and Xi Xiu were quite satisfied with her progress. She was no longer a little crybaby, and her whole demeanor had become much brighter, as though she had found hope in life.
Vivian watched the three children grow and nodded to herself.
At their current rate of effort, Ningkui Star should produce several legends. She was looking forward to it.
Wei Lanshan finally sent Vivian a message three years later. It contained only a few simple words: "Message received. All is well. Do not worry."
That truly was the Wei family style. Vivian stared at the screen and muttered to herself.
Robot 08 was still the one caring for Xi Xiu and the others. However, Alliance technology had developed rapidly in recent years, and 08 had been upgraded several times. It was now practically an all-purpose robot, apart from being incapable in combat.
One afternoon on Ningkui Star, Xi Xiu had just finished showering when she nimbly climbed up to their secret base.
Zhen and Xue Fanhui were already waiting for her.
"Xiu Xiu, hurry up. These snacks are so delicious. I saved some for you, or Fanhui would have eaten them all." Zhen handed the snacks in her hand to Xi Xiu.
Of the three of them, Fanhui had already turned ten and could access her savings. Thus, she had entered a frenzy of online shopping, completely letting herself go and constantly buying snacks.
The Orphanage organized trips to the coast every year for them to search for Shulai Stones. Over the past three years, the three of them had accumulated quite a sizable sum of Star Coins through their efforts.
"Thank you, Zhen. My beautiful Zhen Zhen treats me best. Fanhui only knows how to bully people, hmph." Xi Xiu hugged Zhen, ate her snacks, and accused Xue Fanhui of being disloyal.
"..." Xue Fanhui raised an eyebrow sharply. "In that case, shall we cancel the snack-buying program from now on?"
"No, no, no! Fanhui is the best, the best in the whole world!" Xi Xiu hurriedly tried to salvage the situation.
"Enough. What, did that opponent of yours utterly crush you again?"
"Don't mention it. The gap is too huge." Xi Xiu shed broad noodles of tears.
The age gap was one thing, but the difference in strength was what truly frustrated her. Even though she had hidden part of her strength, even if she went all out, she estimated she could only win around four matches.
There had been no news lately of a fifteen-year-old genius emerging in the Alliance. Could it be that geniuses were all hiding their strength and mingling among ordinary people, just like her?
The more Xi Xiu thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
"Fanhui, what about you? Did you knock your opponent flat?"
"Of course. But based on how you described your opponent, their Mental Power is probably above 3S, isn't it? Could they be a genius like Ye Zhenwei of the Alliance Star?" Xue Fanhui went straight to the point.
"I think so too. So it's perfectly normal that I was utterly crushed..."
Xi Xiu felt that even if she used all her true strength against this person, she would have no chance of winning. They were too terrifying.
She needed to work even harder!
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