Studying, What the Hell is Studying.

Even though Qian Yuya showed little expression—Le Yu suspected both Qian Family siblings suffered from hereditary facial paralysis—Le Yu couldn't shake the feeling that Qian Yuya's words held a hint of sarcasm.

Since there was nothing else for him to do, Le Yu returned to the living room to practice Combat Arts and pass the time.

The living room had a large, empty area without furniture, where Qian Yuliu used to train his Combat Arts before he even joined the military academy. In the very center of this empty space, the ground showed clear wear and indentations, evidently worn down by Qian Yuliu himself.

When Le Yu stepped onto it, his feet perfectly fit into the indentations on the ground. Many memories surfaced in his mind like bubbles, and he naturally adopted the starting stance of the Biting Combat Arts, beginning to practice it and recall a wealth of knowledge.

Most Combat Arts can be divided into three parts: 'Nourishment', 'Application', and 'Refinement'.

'Nourishment' refers to physical conditioning. Practicing Combat Arts can strengthen the body—but it requires a complete Combat Arts inheritance. The warm-up before practice, the stretching afterward, and the massages during rest are all indispensable. Otherwise, practicing Combat Arts will only harm the body.

However, all Combat Arts that have been passed down to the present day are complete versions, hammered out countless times by numerous Awakened. It's said that some aristocratic families possess some unknown 'Secret Arts' as trump cards, but the original Qian Yuliu scoffed at this—how could the inheritance of dozens of generations and hundreds of people in an aristocratic family compare to Combat Arts continuously iterated and improved by hundreds of generations and tens of thousands of people across the country?

'Application' refers to practical use. Not all Combat Arts were invented for combat. For example, the Inner Scenery Hand Combat Arts allow medical officers to treat most illnesses simply by manipulating meridians with their bare hands. And even for Combat Arts used in battle, it's not enough to just learn how to punch—you also need to learn strategies like how to respond if an enemy attacks you in a certain way.

Because Combat Arts information is completely transparent, every type of Combat Arts has perfect strategies for dealing with other Combat Arts, much like how all characters in a fighting game have optimal playstyles. For example, 'if he throws an uppercut, you duck under him and attack his groin.'

Of course, strategies are one thing, but whether you can win against an opponent depends not only on your skill but also on whether the opponent is a master.

Therefore, if one wants to master a Combat Arts, the amount of material to memorize is definitely much more than for a cultural studies exam.

'Refinement' refers to Mental Power training. Although practicing Combat Arts cannot directly increase Mental Power, the process of practicing Combat Arts allows the Awakened to mobilize Mental Power to a greater extent.

To use an analogy with muscle strength, an ordinary person can only deliver less than 50% of their strength in a straight punch, while a trained fighter can mobilize their muscles comprehensively to deliver 80% or even 100% of their strength.

The same applies to Mental Power. The Mental Power efficiency of ordinary people is only 30% to 40%, with the rest of their Mental Power dissipating when mobilizing light energy. Only Awakened who have been immersed in Combat Arts for many years can increase their Mental Power efficiency to over 60%.

When Combat Arts Mental Power efficiency exceeds 70%, it means one can use it freely and has reached Entry Level. Qian Yuliu's Biting Combat Arts Mental Power efficiency was around 70%.

Mu Feihong can beat me senseless, not just because his technique is better than mine, but also because his Mental Power efficiency is slightly higher than mine. But that slight difference is enough to make me unable to fight back…

As Le Yu practiced, he recalled the morning's battle. Many vague points suddenly became clear, and many habitual, subconscious actions were also clearly understood.

When he finished practicing the Biting Combat Arts, Le Yu had returned to his original position, standing in the indentation. His whole body felt slightly warm, his muscles pleasantly sore, his breathing smooth, and he even felt a little hungry.

And Le Yu had also completely understood.

His talent in Combat Arts had a lot of room for improvement.

Up until now, he hadn't been able to fully digest Qian Yuliu's legacy; he could only get infinitely close to Qian Yuliu's level.

Learning? What's the point of learning? I'll just wait until I complete the 15-day survival challenge, then upgrade with one click.

Thump, thump, thump.

"Xiaoyu~ Are you home?"

A voice came from outside. Le Yu went to open the door and saw a girl in a purple and blue uniform standing there. She had medium-length choppy hair with bangs, a bit of baby fat on her face, and her eyes sparkled as she looked at Le Yu.

"You must be Qian Yuya's classmate? Come in and have a seat, she's cooking," Le Yu said kindly.

Le Yu opened the door to let the girl in. The girl quickly said "Excuse me" and then looked at Le Yu curiously: "My name is Li Ying, I'm Xiaoyu's classmate."

It wasn't Li Ying's first time at Xiaoyu's house, but it was her first time seeing someone else there. The young man in front of her had a kind, youthful face and looked somewhat similar to Xiaoyu, but he called Xiaoyu directly by her full name, 'Qian Yuya'... Could he be Xiaoyu's relative? Or an uncle?

Le Yu gestured for Li Ying to sit down and poured her a glass of water before smiling and asking, "How is Qian Yuya doing at school? Is anyone bullying her?"

"No, no, Xiaoyu is very popular in class, why would anyone bully her?" Li Ying shook her head repeatedly, her gaze at Le Yu growing more and more curious: "Are you very close to Xiaoyu?"

Who is this handsome older brother to Xiaoyu? A relative? A neighbor? Or a child groom?

"Our relationship is pretty good, I guess. So, how are Qian Yuya's grades?"

"Very good! Xiaoyu is one of the best in both cultural studies and Combat Arts classes. Oh, are you still studying? Or have you started working?"

"I've been working for over a year now," Le Yu chuckled. His questions about Qian Yuya's school life were partly influenced by Qian Yuliu's memories, and partly, well, he was curious about what his sister, who lived under the same roof, was like at school.

He suddenly lowered his voice: "Tell me quietly, is Qian Yuya dating anyone?"

Li Ying blinked, then excitedly licked her lips, whispering, "Not yet, but I know Fang Wenhua from our class likes Xiaoyu, and Xiaoyu used to have a pretty good impression of him too."

If you're talking gossip, now you've got my attention!

"Used to?" Le Yu keenly caught the keyword.

"Yeah, but Fang Wenhua said the wrong thing today, and Xiaoyu probably hates him now," Li Ying sighed with a hint of regret.

Le Yu was a little curious: "What did he say wrong? Did he swear? Or tell a dirty joke?"

"No, no," Li Ying thought to herself, This older brother's thought process is so strange. "It's a long story..."

"How were your grades in Chinese language arts?"

"Pretty good."

"Then summarize the main points and make it short."

Li Ying paused, then her mind caught up, realizing the connection between Le Yu's two sentences. She chuckled, "Simply put, Xiaoyu's bad older brother came to school today, and then Fang Wenhua said something bad about him, and Xiaoyu probably started hating him because of that."

Le Yu blinked, then enlightened, "I see... Ah, I didn't expect Qian Yuya to have such a cute side."

"Yes, Xiaoyu is actually very cute," Li Ying giggled. The more she looked at Le Yu, the more pleasant he seemed. And Le Yu was very interesting, secretly discussing gossip about Xiaoyu with her, which made her feel even closer to him—for girls, gossiping is one of the best ways to bond.

After chatting for a while longer about Xiaoyu, Li Ying finally couldn't hold back her curiosity and asked, "May I ask your name? And what is your relationship with Xiaoyu?"

After asking this question, Li Ying felt a little blush.

Compared to the students at school, Le Yu left a very good impression on her. Not only was he handsome, but he was also witty and humorous, perfectly matching Li Ying's fantasy of a lover. She secretly decided that she would visit Xiaoyu's house more often in the future. Even if she couldn't get closer to this older brother, it would be good to just see him and enjoy the view!

But this big brother didn't seem to know Little Yu very well. Not only did he call her by her name directly, but he also didn't know any details about her life. Sigh, if only this big brother were Little Yu's actual brother!

"Me? My name is… Qian Yuliu, I'm Qian Yuya's brother," Le Yu said slowly, taking a sip of water.

Li Ying blinked.

"Qian Yuliu? Which 'Yu'? Which 'Liu'?"

"'Yu' as in feather, 'Liu' as in flowing water."

"Actual brother?"

"Well… I'm not entirely sure. Our parents passed away a long time ago, and I never asked before. I suppose we are."

"Does Little Yu have any other brothers?"

"Not that I know of," Le Yu shattered Li Ying's last shred of hope. "The bad guy brother who came to your school today? That would be me."

Li Ying instinctively scooted her butt away from Le Yu.

She genuinely hadn't expected this young man in front of her to be the rumored Qian Yuliu!

When Le Yu had beaten up Teacher Feng Chuanliu on the sports field today, Li Ying hadn't really seen much. Besides, the teaching building was so far from the field; it was already good enough that everyone could hear Feng Chuanliu's roars. How could anyone clearly see the face of a Statistics Department agent?

Most importantly, Le Yu's first impression of her was completely different from what she imagined a Statistics Department agent to be. Li Ying had heard that Statistics Department agents were a bunch of crazy, greedy, lustful, vicious, evil people, with an average of three scars and six bullet holes each.

But Le Yu didn't seem like a bad person at all; he even appeared a bit soft and cute. Therefore, Li Ying instantly dismissed the possibility of him being Qian Yuliu.

"Th-th-th-that…" Li Ying pulled a book with a blue cover from her bag and, with trembling hands, handed it to Le Yu, stammering, "Th-th-this is Little Yu's notes that I borrowed. I-I-I forgot to give them back to her just now after school…"

Do you have to be so scared? Le Yu felt a bit helpless. "Don't be nervous. I'm off work now, I won't be arresting anyone for the Statistics Department. Besides, you're Little Yu's friend. I'd be too busy protecting you; how could I possibly harm you?"

Li Ying thought he had a point, but her legs still trembled uncontrollably. People fear a tree's shadow for good reason. The Statistics Department had a notorious reputation, and Qian Yuliu, as one of its key figures, was rumored to be a ruthless killer, responsible for at least dozens of lives. How could Li Ying not be afraid?

"Little Ying?"

Hearing Qian Yuya's voice, Li Ying felt as if she'd been granted a great pardon. She immediately stood up and said, "Little Yu, I came to return your notes! Now that they're returned, I have something to do, so I'm heading home now!"

After saying that, Li Ying darted out of the Qian Family home without looking back.

As for getting closer to Little Yu's brother… Sorry, there are plenty of handsome men in the world. I, Li Ying, still want to live a few more years!

Qian Yuya took off her apron, watched Li Ying's hurried retreating figure, then turned to look at Le Yu.

Le Yu had an expression as if nothing had happened:

"Is dinner ready?"