Wouldn't Budge

Xu Xin was delighted, too. Now that Grandpa had spoken, she could call Xu Qing her younger brother at important occasions without any problem.

"Thank you, Grandpa," Xu Xin called to him.

"Thank you, Family Head," Xu Qing said after a few seconds of stunned silence.

A hint of a smile appeared on Elder Xu's stern face. They could all see how Xu Xin regarded Xu Qing as her younger brother.

Still, a collateral branch was a collateral branch. One couldn't just become a direct-line member on a whim.

They had watched Xu Qing's conduct over the years. He had a good character and excellent grades, so he had passed their test. And since Xu Xin liked him, it was only natural to make him a member of the Xu Family's direct line.

"From now on, you can call me Grandpa, just like Xin Xin does," Elder Xu said.

"Grandpa," Xu Qing said, blinking.

At the sound of that word, Elder Xu's expression softened. "All right, let's eat."

The celebratory dinner passed in a joyful atmosphere.

And so, Xu Qing and Xu Xin applied to the same university—the best in Jiangnan City, Jiangnan University.

Xu Xin chose business administration as her major. Xu Qing didn't particularly care about his major, so he chose the same one. After graduation, he would be working under Xu Xin anyway.

A few days after they submitted their applications, their acceptance letters arrived.

"Sister Xin, the letter's here!" Xu Qing said happily, holding up his acceptance letter.

Xu Xin smiled and nodded, then opened it to check. It was an acceptance letter from Jiangnan University.

"Xiao Qing, remember when I said you could become a Warrior first? Do you want to become one?" Xu Xin asked him.

Xu Qing thought for a moment, then nodded. "A little."

After a pause, he added, "But I also want to go to university with you, Sister Xin."

Xu Xin smiled at that. "All right. I'll ask Elder Brother. He knows more about this sort of thing."

That afternoon, Xu Gang returned to the Xu Family home.

"Little sister, you said you wanted to talk to me. What is it?" Xu Gang asked as he came to the backyard and found Xu Xin and Xu Qing having afternoon tea.

Seeing Xu Qing eating, Xu Gang couldn't help laughing. He looked just like a hamster.

"Brother, there's something I want to tell you, but you can't tell anyone," Xu Xin said seriously.

Seeing how serious his sister was, Xu Gang nodded. "Sure. Go ahead."

"Brother, Xiao Qing has the aptitude to become a Warrior. I secretly tested him, and he meets the High-level Fighter standard. I wanted to ask what he needs to do to get official Warrior status," Xu Xin explained.

"What?! You're saying Xiao Qing is already a Warrior—and a High-level Fighter at that?" Xu Gang was shocked.

But Xu Qing hadn't had any training at all. How had he suddenly become a Warrior, let alone a High-level Fighter?

"Mm. I tested him myself, at the Alliance Mall," Xu Xin said with a nod.

Xu Gang looked at Xu Qing as he ate, finding it hard to believe. Had this kid really become a Warrior out of nowhere?

A High-level Fighter might not mean much to him. The Xu Family had a whole crowd of War Generals working for them, after all. What was a Fighter compared with that?

But Xu Qing was only seventeen. He wouldn't turn eighteen until the end of the year.

A seventeen-year-old High-level Fighter had terrifying talent and enormous potential.

Take the Two Great Dojos, for example: the Limit Martial Arts Hall, founded by Hong, the world's strongest man, and the Thunder Martial Arts Hall, founded by Thor, the world's second-strongest man.

Both dojos had branches in Jiangnan City dedicated to finding young geniuses.

But geniuses weren't easy to find. They were one in ten thousand. If either dojo found one, both would fight to recruit him.

They might even come to blows over it.

"Give me a moment to process this," Xu Gang said, sitting down to collect his thoughts.

If it was true that Xu Qing was a seventeen-year-old High-level Fighter, then there was no doubt he was a genius—a top-tier one at that.

A High-level Fighter was only one step away from becoming a War General. What if Xu Qing broke through soon? That would be incredible.

Seeing how shocked Xu Gang was, Xu Xin smiled.

She had been shocked several times herself when she tested Xu Qing. And what she had told Xu Gang was the most conservative version. She hadn't even mentioned the truly astonishing part.

"Sister Xin, why isn't Elder Brother saying anything?" Xu Qing asked, looking at Xu Gang sitting motionless.

"He's thinking," Xu Xin replied with a smile.

It took Xu Gang quite a while to recover. When he looked at Xu Qing again, his gaze had changed; it was much more fervent.

"Little sister, has Xiao Qing trained before?" Xu Gang asked.

Xu Xin shook her head. "No."

"So Xiao Qing really is a Peerless Genius," Xu Gang said excitedly. The Xu Family was about to have a genius Warrior.

"Xiao Qing, do you want to become stronger?" Xu Gang asked.

Xu Qing looked at him. "Stronger?"

Hadn't they been talking about becoming a Warrior? Why had they switched to getting stronger?

"That's right, stronger. Xiao Qing, your talent is excellent. With talent like yours, I think you might be able to enter the world's number-one Elite Training Camp. It's a Sacred Land all Warriors around the world yearn to reach. If you get in, you'll have a boundless future," Xu Gang said, brimming with excitement.

"Brother, don't tell Xiao Qing all this. I don't want him getting involved in those things," Xu Xin interrupted sternly.

Seeing that his sister was a little angry, Xu Gang calmed down. "All right, all right, I'll stop. But little sister, you need to understand that Xiao Qing has tremendous talent as a Warrior. He's a genius, and he should be on the stage he belongs on."

"Besides, for Warriors, the years from sixteen to thirty are when they improve the fastest. Xiao Qing is only seventeen. If he gets the best training, he'll surely become one of the world's top fighters—a War God."

But Xu Xin shook her head. "I don't care whether Xiao Qing becomes a War God. I only know he's still young and can't go anywhere. He has to stay by my side, or I won't feel at ease."

Hearing how firmly Xu Xin said it, Xu Gang could only look helpless. His little sister was usually gentle and sweet, but once she made up her mind, nobody could talk her out of it.

"Little sister, you're protecting Xiao Qing too much. It's not good for him to grow up that way. You can't keep treating him like a child forever. What will you do later?" Xu Gang shrugged.

Xu Xin had treated Xu Qing like her own little brother since childhood, and she doted on him. Everyone could see it.

"If he stays by my side, no one can bully him," Xu Xin insisted.

Xu Gang's mouth twitched. Hadn't she just said he was already a High-level Fighter? Who would dare bully him? They'd be asking for a beating.

"I only want to get Xiao Qing official Warrior status for now. We can talk about everything else later. Brother, can you handle it or not? If you can't, just say so. I'll find a way myself." Xu Xin didn't want to keep going back and forth with Xu Gang.