Lin Xiao

The bright, warm winter sunlight streamed through the crystal-clear floor-to-ceiling windows on the villa's second floor, spilling across the spacious training hall and over Chen Daolin as he casually thrust and swept a long spear in his white training clothes. Light and shadow crossed his young, sharply defined face, making his expression seem, for an instant, as vivid as a painting.

"How should spear techniques and Movement Technique be combined and blended together?" Chen Daolin mused.

His teacher, Situ Bolei, had once told him that everyone was unique, and everyone had a different level of insight. Martial arts that suited someone else might not suit you.

The martial path was a process of understanding yourself and finding your own way.

Beyond persistent, grueling practice, all one could do was keep seeking insight—or search for a breakthrough in battle, on the boundary between life and death.

"Hard. Far too hard." Chen Daolin lowered his spear, his face full of frustration.

Ever since mastering the first level of World Destroyer in October, Chen Daolin had begun working on the second. Only then had he realized that the second level was much more difficult to master than the first.

The book was steeped in ancient Huaxia thought, profound and mysterious, which gave Chen Daolin a headache. He often had to seek advice from his teacher, Situ Bolei, and had even made studying ancient Huaxia culture part of his daily routine.

But there was no helping it. The manual's creator, Hong, was an Eastern man who revered Huaxia culture. You could see it in the ancient Huaxia architectural style of Hongning Base City and the Elite Training Camp he had built. Hong had, without a doubt, profoundly influenced the entire world.

"Ring, ring, ring..." The phone alarm he had set in the training hall suddenly went off. Chen Daolin glanced toward it, went over and turned it off, then stepped into the bathroom to shower. The bathroom in his villa was huge. The white-tiled bathtub was big enough for two people to lie side by side with their legs stretched out. When he grew tired from thinking about spear techniques, Chen Daolin sometimes filled it with hot water and soaked to relax.

Chen Daolin settled into the bathtub and quieted down. White steam rose through the bathroom.

The villa next door had a bathroom too. Ji Xuan undressed, revealing a full, athletic figure. Beneath her flat stomach, her long, shapely thighs were full of vigor. Her expression was calm, and her dark hair had grown to her shoulders, lending her a touch of feminine softness. She had a straight nose, thin lips, and clear, watery eyes. Unlike many girls, her features were not especially soft; they had a hint of angularity. She dried herself off, quickly returned to her room, changed into white clothes, and walked out.

"Where are you going, Sis?" Ji Han poked her head out from the room where she had been reading. Her dark hair fell loose, and she wore only a thin pink pajama set that left her pale calves bare. She still held a copy of The Theory of Financial Capital.

"I'm going into the city with your Daolin-ge to see your Lin Xiao-jie." Ji Xuan didn't even turn around. Before she had finished speaking, her figure blurred and she was already out the door.

That was how quickly martial artists walked.

"You're leaving me all alone again." Ji Han puffed out her cheeks and pouted. Then she thought of something, and a smile returned to her face. She went back to her room, flopped onto the bed, and opened her laptop. Though she was alone, she furtively opened a website and grinned at the long string of zeroes in the bank balance displayed on the screen.

Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan both doted on her. They were also loaded: Chen Daolin had over ten billion in his account. The Extreme Martial Arts Hall's annual activity fund was five billion; he had won five billion by challenging Candice; there were the enormous rewards for hunting monsters, and the frequent victories in occasional wagered matches against other Training Camp students... All of it had allowed Chen Daolin to amass a fortune in just a few months.

It was perfectly normal for him to give his only little sister, Ji Han, ten or twenty million in "pocket money."

Her older sister Ji Xuan was relatively "poor," but she had still given Ji Han two million.

By then, Ji Xuan was walking with Chen Daolin toward the city center.

"I wonder how Lin Xiao's doing at university," Chen Daolin said, a faint smile appearing on his face as he spoke of his friend. Since being reborn in this world, he had become rather solitary and had few friends. Ji Xuan and Lin Xiao were the only two.

"She was complaining about being broke on video chat the other day. She's the only girl in her dorm who eats at the cafeteria every day," Ji Xuan said with a shake of her head. "She also said the other girls in her dorm went shopping without ever inviting her."

Lin Xiao's family had been in much the same financial situation as Ji Xuan's: they were struggling. Getting into university had been difficult enough, let alone paying for all the extra expenses.

She wasn't the sort of person who cared about appearances, but the people around her were always comparing themselves to one another. People often lived their lives under the scrutiny of others.

Comparing yourself to others was human nature, too.

At heart, neither Chen Daolin nor Ji Xuan was fond of indulging themselves. Given their status and abilities, they didn't care much about money, either.

"I'll leave it to you this time. If I give her money, she might think I'm trying to keep her." Chen Daolin knew where to draw the line.

"Heh. Maybe she'd be only too happy to let you." Ji Xuan's tone was odd.

Chen Daolin: "..."

In the main district of Jiangnan Base City, at a drink shop near the entrance to Jiangnan Second Military Academy, Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan sat at a table, looking like a couple on a date. They were young enough to pass for university students, but there was something distinctive about them, and many of the customers kept sneaking glances their way.

Chen Daolin and Ji Xuan sipped their drinks and chatted casually.

They mostly talked about the Training Camp and their insights into their respective Movement Technique, spear techniques, and saber techniques. Anyone else who overheard them would have been completely baffled.

People moved in different circles and encountered different things. It was only natural that their futures would turn out differently, too.

Soon, the crowd coming out of Jiangnan Second Military Academy began to grow. A pretty, fresh-faced girl with her hair in a single ponytail, wearing a yellow down jacket and black jeans, walked out of the school gates and straight toward the drink shop.

"You two finally made it." Lin Xiao dropped into the seat beside Chen Daolin and even gave him an annoyed little shove. Of course, Chen Daolin didn't budge an inch. These days, even a rocket launcher might not have been enough to move him.

"?"

But this girl had been getting bolder and bolder. Since they hadn't seen each other in so long, Chen Daolin let her have her way and shifted over slightly.

After ordering another drink, Ji Xuan smiled and asked Lin Xiao, "You look exhausted. Is university really that busy?"

Lin Xiao rolled her eyes at Ji Xuan. "My great expert Ji, I'm at a military academy. Unlike you, who's already made a name for herself in the Elite Training Camp, I still have to study hard so I can get a job and support myself after graduation."

Chen Daolin teased her. "With that sour look on your face, you might as well find someone to marry."

Lin Xiao shot him a look. "What kind of status does a housewife have these days? The one with the money has the power. You need control of the finances to hold your head high. I'm not foolish enough to become someone else's dependent." She changed tack. "Of course, if some rich, handsome guy who listens to me came along and pursued me, I might consider it."

"You've got quite the imagination." Chen Daolin was too exasperated to respond.

Just then, a tall, slim young man dressed in trendy clothes entered the drink shop and headed toward Lin Xiao and the others. Lin Xiao frowned when she saw him.

"Xiaoxiao, what are you doing here? I've been looking all over for you. There's a really good movie showing at the Space-Time Cinema nearby today. Let's go watch it, then I'll buy you dinner." The young man reached out to Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao slapped his hand away and said coldly, "After the movie, are we supposed to get a room, too?"

"Uh..." The young man gave an awkward laugh. "Xiaoxiao, you've got me wrong. I really do like you. There are so many girls at school, but you're the only one I'm pursuing. Give me a chance, okay? Come on, let's go see the movie."

"Yu Zishi, I barely know you, and I'm not interested in you. Please stop coming after me." Lin Xiao didn't mince words. "Now leave. I want to talk to my friends."

Yu Zishi hadn't expected Lin Xiao to humiliate him like this in front of other people. His face fell, and he forced down his anger as he looked at her. "You really won't give me a chance?"

Lin Xiao stared at him coldly without saying a word.

When Yu Zishi saw her expression, he knew he didn't stand a chance. Feeling thoroughly humiliated, he glanced at the ordinary-looking young man sitting close beside Lin Xiao, who was wearing designer casual clothes, and sneered. "Oh, so that's why you were in such a hurry to come out. You're here with another man. You act all high and mighty, but you're just after money. Tell me, how much for a night?" In his anger, he lost control and let the words fly.

Without a moment's hesitation, Lin Xiao splashed her drink at him. But Yu Zishi reacted surprisingly well and dodged with a quick sidestep. He kept sneering. "What, did I hit a nerve? Are you angry because I'm right?"

Lin Xiao's chest heaved, and her eyes reddened. Chen Daolin had known her for so long, but he had never seen her look so humiliated. He had planned to sit there quietly, but now he stood up and rested a hand on Ji Xuan's shoulder. He knew she was having a hard time holding back, too.

"Want to fight? Let me tell you, my brother's a martial artist." Yu Zishi saw Chen Daolin stand up, but Chen Daolin remained rooted to the spot, his expression fearless.

Chen Daolin looked at him. The calm in his eyes put Yu Zishi under immense pressure. He felt like a frog being watched by a venomous snake; his body stiffened, and cold sweat poured from him.

"If you don't want to spend the rest of your life in a hospital bed, get lost." Chen Daolin thought it over, then decided not to hit him.

After all, Yu Zishi was probably one of Lin Xiao's classmates. Making a scene might cause trouble for her.

Yu Zishi didn't dare say a word. He left the drink shop, furious and terrified, thinking, Bastard. I'll get my brother to find someone to teach you a lesson...

Crack!

Chen Daolin heard Yu Zishi's anguished scream from outside. He lowered his head slightly and looked at Ji Xuan's calm expression, then shook his head.

Well, it served him right.