Ashe: Seriously, it's not like I haven't seen them before!

"Forget it."

After a pause, Ashe spoke again.

"Don't worry. I won't take a shower for now. I'll just use the kitchen sink to wash up. There's hot water there anyway."

"Oh, okay."

Her voice had steadied. Ashe could hear the obvious relief in Rose's tone.

Ashe glanced at the tightly shut bathroom door.

Then she headed for the kitchen.

When pursuing someone, it was important to know when to ease up. Never cling too tightly.

That was one of the principles Ashe had summed up in her previous life.

Even if Rose came out to face Ashe now, it would probably only make things more awkward.

Better to let Rose sit in that bathroom and overthink things on her own.

Women's imaginations were "rich," after all.

Especially when it came to reading too much into things and jumping to conclusions. In a sense, they had a remarkable natural talent for it.

Fortunately, Ashe's soul was male, so that talent had never awakened.

With that thought, Ashe finished washing up and dried her face.

Her body was perfect, so even after a night's sleep, her hair never got greasy or messy. She didn't have the morning troubles many girls did; her hair stayed smooth and neat every day.

So, with her jelly-like red lips gripping the black hair tie, Ashe gathered her purple hair into one hand.

"Pop." Her other hand caught the hair tie as it slipped from her lips.

A quick loop and tug, and she had a simple, neat ponytail.

Once she was ready, Ashe put on the black athletic shorts and T-shirt that had arrived last night.

She gave the bathroom door, which had stayed silent for a long while, one last glance.

Then she called out deliberately loud, "I'm going to pick up Qilin. See you later, Rose!"

Without waiting for Rose to respond, Ashe walked out.

The door slammed shut with a bang.

Inside the bathroom, Rose's cheeks were flushed.

She let out a subconscious sigh of relief.

Staring at her reflection, her lips still caught between her teeth, Rose muttered,

"Damn it. What am I even doing?"

Then the sound of running water echoed from the bathroom, continuing for a long time.

Meanwhile, following the route she remembered from the way there, Ashe made her way to the entrance of Super Seminary.

She sat down casually on the grass nearby.

Ashe slowly closed her eyes and began one of her daily practices: meditation.

Qilin hadn't arrived yet, so Ashe decided to make use of the time.

After all, persistence was what made you stronger. Even the smallest gains counted.

Besides, for Ashe, meditation was part of her martial arts training with the Thunder God.

After who knew how long, the system chimed: "Meditation complete. Thunder God Cultivation Points +2."

Ashe slowly opened her eyes.

A pair of bright eyes was fixed intently on her.

Looking at the woman sitting quietly beside her, Ashe's lips curved upward without her meaning to.

Skipping any unnecessary greetings, Ashe asked naturally, "How long did I meditate this time?"

"Exactly half an hour. I just got here too, so I sat beside you for a while."

"Good. Have you had breakfast?"

She stood up and pulled Qilin to her feet.

Ashe glanced at Qilin's luggage in the distance.

She turned around, about to speak, when Qilin held out a warm, neatly packed breakfast.

"I've eaten. You haven't. Don't argue—eat first. Your luggage can wait."

"Okay." Ashe didn't say anything more, her answer already anticipated.

Their daily routine had played out countless times over the past ten years.

Qilin had watched Ashe brush her off about breakfast countless times, so she had long since learned Ashe's usual responses.

After trying and failing to get through to Ashe, Qilin had taken to bringing her breakfast whenever they were together. Of course, she usually made it herself.

And while Ashe was meditating, the only person whose approach wouldn't make her snap awake was Qilin.

If anyone else came near while Ashe was meditating, her body would naturally pull her out of it. Then she'd judge whether they meant harm and decide if she needed to strike immediately.

Over those ten years, the understanding and trust between them had grown until they were nearly inseparable.

And only in front of Ashe did Qilin show the gentleness beneath her tough exterior. Likewise, Qilin was the only person Ashe never schemed against.

They sat back down where they had been, and Ashe quietly began eating breakfast.

Qilin sat beside her again.

They said nothing to each other. They didn't need to.

"Okay, let's go."

Ashe tossed the trash into a nearby bin.

Then she pulled along two enormous suitcases and walked into Super Seminary with Qilin.

"All right, I'll unpack the rest myself."

"Don't you still have to train? Go on! I'll come find you later."

With both hands on Ashe's shoulders, Qilin gave her a gentle push toward the dormitory door.

Ashe looked at her with an amused expression. Qilin's cheeks were flushed.

But she urged her on in a firm voice. "Go train already. See you later!"

Before Ashe could reply, Qilin shut the door.

"Bang."

Looking at the closed door, Ashe helplessly spread her hands.

"Seriously, it's just underwear."

"It's not like I haven't seen you without it before. And now you're embarrassed?"

Shaking her head with a sigh, Ashe turned and headed for the open area at Super Seminary she had picked out the day before.

And Qilin was right: Ashe needed to train.

Two Nurturing Points, after all.

Besides, if Ashe neglected her martial arts training, then the next time she visited the One Mind Realm, her shut-in master would probably beat her up good. Even if it was only a spiritual body, the pain was very real.

Remembering what that felt like, Ashe quickened her pace.

As for why Qilin knew Ashe practiced martial arts every day, it all started after Ashe's first system trial.

Ashe had suddenly begun getting up early every day and "fooling around" with a wooden sword. Ai Anguo and his wife, who were still alive at the time, were a little shocked, but they figured Ashe had watched too many martial arts movies.

But when they saw Ashe practicing every day, they sent her to a nearby taekwondo school that was somewhat famous in the area.

They had hoped to stop her from fooling around. But two days later, Ai Anguo and his wife suddenly got a call from the school.

They went to pick Ashe up, only to find taekwondo instructors from Silla sprawled across the floor, clutching their mouths.

And there was Ashe, standing in the middle of the school with her hands on her hips.

Though she was only a few years old, her figure was already beginning to develop. She kept shouting in Silla's language, "Don't get me wrong, Coach. I'm not picking on you. I'm saying every single one of you here is trash!"

"What the hell? You think you can teach me?"

Naturally, they called the police. The officer handling the case was Qilin's father.

But the incident was so shocking that the news was hushed up.

The investigation later found that Ashe had acted because the Silla instructors had been groping the other students.

Not only had they taken a beating, they'd also been arrested.

Since Qilin's father was interested in Ashe, he introduced Qilin to her after they met a few times.

As for the taekwondo school, the students all quit afterward. Ai Anguo and his wife simply let Ashe practice on her own.

Only Ashe knew that later, when she told her shut-in master about Silla martial arts, the master had commented, "Why do they kick so high?"

Shadow's brows furrowed slightly, as if she couldn't understand it at all.

Ashe kept training even after the system's notification chimed.

When her phone rang, she walked over and picked it up.

Seeing the name on the screen, she answered without hesitation.

"Mengmeng, what's wrong? Is something the matter?"

Listening to the woman's reply, Ashe had a pretty good idea what had happened.

"Big Sis Ashe, I—I think I've run into a pyramid scheme."

"There's someone dressed all in black who's been coming to see me every day lately, trying to get me to join some Super Seminary!"