Little Lazybug

"Sigh, Sister Xin, you're better off not hearing it; it's just contagious bad luck," Xu Qing shook his head, too lazy to repeat such vapid words.

Xu Xin didn't press him, simply reminding him again, "They might still come to bother you, so you need to be careful."

"Mm, I'll just ignore them anyway," Xu Qing shrugged.

Time slipped by until mid-January, and the first semester was drawing to a close.

The weather had turned chilly, and students were bundled up in thick layers and scarves.

"Xiao Qing, don't go back during winter break. Can you stay at my place instead?" Qin Lin walked side-by-side with Xu Qing, holding his hand.

Having just become a couple, they were in the honeymoon phase and naturally didn't want to be apart.

"That won't work. The semester is over, so I have to return to the Xu Family. Otherwise, how would I explain it to Sister Xin? Once I've finished the Spring Festival at home, I can come find you," Xu Qing said.

"Alright," Qin Lin replied helplessly. Although she desperately wanted to be with Xu Qing every day, she knew she couldn't rush things.

"Hehe, you're such a grown-up now, why are you still so clingy?" Xu Qing teased her with a smile.

He wasn't nearly that clingy himself.

"Of course I am. It was so hard to find someone I like; I don't want to let him out of my sight for even a second," Qin Lin squeezed his hand, her eyes soft.

"Is it really that dramatic? It's not like I'm going to run away. Don't worry, I won't run; I'll take responsibility for you for the rest of my life," Xu Qing chuckled.

"That's what you said. From now on, you're mine."

"Oh my, how overbearing. That should be my line, shouldn't it? You're supposed to say, 'From now on, I'm sticking with you.' Alright, let's try that again..."

With the final exams concluded, the first semester came to an end.

"Sister Xin, let's go home," Xu Qing said, shouldering his bag.

Xu Xin looked at him and teased with a smile, "Aren't you going to miss Teacher Qin?"

"Of course she misses me, but it's just for a little while. I'll go see her when the time comes," Xu Qing grinned.

"Mm, let's go then. The car is already here," Xu Xin nodded with a smile.

It was clear that the romance between Xu Qing and Teacher Qin was sweet and that they were handling it with good boundaries, which was great to see.

Xu Xin and Xu Qing arrived at the school gate, where a high-end sedan was already waiting.

The two got into the car, and it soon vanished into the flow of traffic.

After returning to the Xu Family estate, Xu Qing and Xu Xin first met with the elders to discuss things at school.

Afterward, Xu Qing headed to the shooting range in the backyard.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Metal arrows flew out, easily piercing the Kro Alloy wall five hundred meters away.

"Huh? Xiao Qing, your strength has increased again," Xu Xin said in surprise.

She remembered that previously, when Xu Qing used these bows, the arrows would only stick into the surface rather than punching straight through.

"I guess that's true," Xu Qing realized it too; his strength had grown significantly.

He hadn't really paid attention while he was at school.

"Xiao Qing, did you practice while you were at school?" Xu Xin asked, surprised that Xu Qing could be so diligent.

"Uh... no," Xu Qing scratched his head awkwardly. He hadn't practiced at all; even the cultivation guide Xu Xin had bought for him was still sitting in his desk, brand new.

Seeing Xu Qing's embarrassed expression, Xu Xin immediately realized the truth. "Xiao Qing, have you really not practiced at all? You haven't even looked at the guide I bought you?"

"Mm... yeah," Xu Qing put down the bow, poking his fingers together with a guilty conscience.

How to put it? He always forgot about it. Even if he suddenly remembered there was a guide at home, he would forget again within a few minutes.

It could be said that he really didn't care about cultivation because he was... lazy.

Xu Xin didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Who would have thought that her silly younger brother had become a martial artist without ever actually training?

In other words, his strength up until now had come entirely from the continuous release of spiritual power in his sea of consciousness—a completely passive improvement.

"Sigh, Xiao Qing, you can't be this lazy. You're a martial artist now, at least; you can't be completely ignorant of cultivation," Xu Xin poked his head gently with her finger.

"Mm-hmm, Sister Xin is right," Xu Qing nodded like a pecking chicken, looking very obedient.

"Pfft... of course I'm right, you little lazybones," Xu Xin laughed. She had thought he was growing up, but he was still the same as ever.

"However, your situation seems a bit special. Generally, a Spirit Controller only releases spiritual power from their sea of consciousness as their physical fitness improves, because the body is the vessel that carries that power."

"Yet you haven't even practiced, only done a little bit of exercise, and the spiritual power in your sea of consciousness has been releasing all along, conversely affecting your physical fitness."

"The whole process is incredibly gentle; it's quite unbelievable," Xu Xin mused.

Xu Qing's situation was completely different from other Spirit Controllers; the process was happening in reverse.

"I guess that's a good thing, right? Maybe I could even be a War General by now," Xu Qing chirped with a smile.

Xu Xin glanced at him. "It's not that easy. Breaking through from a Warrior to a War General is very difficult and has extremely high requirements for physical fitness. Setting aside your spiritual power, you haven't even cultivated; it's basically impossible to reach the War General level based on physical fitness alone."

"Is that so? Then if I start practicing now, I should be able to break through to the War General level pretty quickly, right?" Xu Qing thought for a moment and said.

Xu Xin didn't speak, only stared at him.

That look seemed to be saying, "Go ahead and cultivate for me to see, stop just talking about it here, actually do it."

Meeting Xu Xin's gaze, Xu Qing felt a bit embarrassed. "I know, I know, I will cultivate, this time for real."

"I'll believe you just this once. Teacher Qin is also a martial artist, and a War General level one at that. You can ask her for advice and have her teach you; that way, you'll get started faster. It's said that the first time you cultivate, your strength will take a leap," Xu Xin suggested.

"Alright, when I go to find her, I'll have her teach me," Xu Qing nodded.

"Mm, if you dare to slack off on me this time, Xiao Qing, I'm going to spank you, got it?" Xu Xin pinched his cheek.

Xu Qing's face turned awkward. "Got it."

That day, Xu Xin and Xu Qing arrived at the Alliance Mall.

"Come on, Xiao Qing, let's see how much your base strength and speed have increased," Xu Xin said.

Xu Qing nodded, then proceeded to test them one after the other.

Strength: 6241kg, Speed: 81.3 meters per second.

"Not bad. In just half a year, your strength and speed have increased by nearly half. You're getting closer and closer to an Initial War General," Xu Xin nodded with satisfaction, feeling a little surprised.

Xu Qing was likely the only person who could continue to increase in strength without ever having undergone cultivation.