I'm caught in the cycle of endless competition, you're waiting for me in the apocalypse.

After everyone left the medicinal bath, An Xin was surrounded by several people.

"Xinxin, have you broken through again?" Wei Ran asked first.

"Yes, I've advanced a minor realm. I'm now at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment." An Xin was very happy, but she also had some doubts. She had just advanced to a major realm and then advanced to a minor realm in less than three days. Was it too fast? Would her foundation be weak? She had to ask Xiao Jiu about this when she got back.

"I just advanced to the next level, and you're about to do it too. Are you trying to kill me?" Wei Ran said resentfully.

"Well, don't even mention you, I also feel it's too fast, I'm really afraid the foundation won't be stable. Actually, while I was soaking in the medicinal bath just now, I was thinking about what Uncle Du told me. Do you remember the questions I asked Uncle Du in class? He came to me just now to talk about these things." An Xin didn't hold back at all with them, sincerely hoping that they could also gain some understanding, so she told them all about Uncle Du's words and her own thoughts.

Just then, Master Chen emerged from the medicinal bathhouse, intending to return to his room to rest. He noticed his young disciples still gathered there, and was about to go over and remind them to go back and rest when he heard An Xin's words. He pondered this, remaining silent and not disturbing them, before turning to leave. However, the more he thought about those words, the more reasonable they seemed. He quickened his pace, and then, in a flash, leaped up and flew towards his room.

Before sitting cross-legged in meditation, he sent a message to Master Zou, asking for leave and informing him that the plan for the disciples' medicinal bath tomorrow was ready and in the medicine bath room, asking him to prepare it for them on his behalf. After giving these instructions, he didn't wait for Master Zou's reply and began his meditation.

..........................................

After listening to what An Xin said, the young masters and ladies all fell into deep thought. Seeing that they were indeed thinking, An Xin reminded them to go to their dormitories to meditate.

Once she returned to her dormitory, she quickly summoned Di Ting.

"Little Jiu, Little Jiu, is my level up too fast this time? I'm so afraid that my foundation is unstable."

"It is true that you have advanced to a minor level, but Xinxin, this time your advancement was due to enlightenment and body tempering. Have you noticed that your cultivation is different from others? Others may advance through spiritual energy, by widening their meridians and increasing their spiritual power, or through body tempering. You, on the other hand, have advanced several times because of enlightenment, which is fundamentally very different. Others cultivate themselves from the outside in, relying on external objects for cultivation, focusing more on the body. But you are different. You first tempered your divine sense, relying on constantly comprehending the 'Dao' for cultivation, and the body and external objects become icing on the cake. After all, the environment changes with the cause."

"I understand. In other words, even if I change bodies, the cultivation of the body becomes exceptionally simple and fast because of the strength of my soul and consciousness and my understanding of the Dao."

"You can understand it this way. What you said is only part of the story. The longer you cultivate and the more you comprehend the Dao, the more you will understand what I'm saying today." Di Ting felt that this was the wisest person He had ever met, and couldn't help but want to say more to her. "Each of your epiphanies enhances your cultivation level and expands your divine sense. Physical training is also essential, as it will help you cultivate even faster. But I'm not worried about that at all! I used to think that you were very passive and didn't dwell on things you couldn't understand, and that you liked to lie low. So at that time, I was afraid that you would also be indifferent to cultivation, not working hard because of your talent. But recently, I've seen the complete opposite. You've been seeking ways to become stronger, studying and thinking seriously, and you're also very diligent in physical training."

"Hehe~ Xiao Jiu~ You're getting better and better at praising people now~" An Xin was in a good mood and smiled broadly, saying, "Before the apocalypse happened, I had a lot of complaints. I complained about why Dad wasn't there, making Mom work so hard, complaining about how hard it was to work, complaining about how mercenary people in society were. In short, I was a cynical youth. And back then, I did earn some money through my own efforts, which helped me and Mom solve our predicament. At that time, I always felt that human will could overcome anything, as long as I was willing to work hard. Then the apocalypse came, and the fear, panic, confusion, and death that followed made me feel powerless and helpless. These things really couldn't be changed by my efforts. My mom and I's escape was really hard. Two women, and women with no ability but some looks, it was very difficult to survive in that world that devoured people without spitting out the bones."

"But you did it, you protected your mother and helped many other people as much as you could."

"Yes, back then I learned to accept suffering and be submissive. As long as I was alive, why dwell on things? Being able to eat a piece of bread was already a blessing, let alone wanting milk. After seeing so much of the complexity and ugliness of human nature, I lost all expectations of such things, and without expectations, there was no disappointment. After experiencing so much killing and life-and-death situations, I finally made friends I could rely on, had someone I secretly loved, and had the life I longed for, but I still died... But thankfully, I met you, Xiao Jiu. I saw hope again. I have to seize the opportunity, otherwise I would be letting you down."

"Alas... No rainbow appears without rain. These hardships are what make you who you are."

"Haha, Xiao Jiu, you're making it sound like I've already succeeded. We're still a long way from returning to our original world, aren't we? We need to keep going! Oh right, I remember now, when I first advanced, I could see a thousand meters ahead and hear in all directions. My Heavenly Eye might have been enhanced, but what about my hearing?"

"You mean this? I noticed that too. Your hearing seems to have improved. Perhaps..." As she spoke, Xiao Jiu summoned the Fortune Scroll, examined it carefully, and then put it away. "Indeed, I obtained a great supernatural power, the Heavenly Ear!"

"Ah? Divine hearing? I know that. Guanyin Bodhisattva's perfect hearing is the Prajna that can lead to enlightenment."

"What you've described has already exceeded the scope of the Six Realms. The Heavenly Eye or Heavenly Ear you've attained so far won't extend beyond the Six Realms. Moreover, they require continuous improvement. (The Heavenly Eye can perceive the life, death, suffering, and joy of all beings in the Three Realms and Six Paths, as well as all forms and colors in the world. The Heavenly Ear can hear the languages ​​of suffering, joy, sorrow, and happiness of all beings in the Three Realms and Six Paths, as well as all sounds in the world, without obstruction.) Your current Heavenly Eye can probably only see things within a thousand meters, regardless of day or night, seeing through illusions. Your Heavenly Ear can only hear sounds within a hundred meters, understanding various languages. Of course, at your current level, you can control these abilities at will, no longer needing those hand gestures or activation incantations. You can use them with a mere thought, and you can hide them when you don't want to use them, saving spiritual energy."

"Haha~ So I'm not the second brother in Calabash Brothers anymore~ I have eyes that can see a thousand miles and ears that can hear the wind!" An Xin laughed heartily at the thought, and kept pounding the bed.

“Once you finish your body tempering, you’ll become the Third Brother, with an indestructible body.” Di Ting couldn’t help but tease her, causing An Xin to fall onto the bed and laugh uncontrollably.

After a while, An Xin wiped away the tears of laughter and asked Di Ting, "I've been focusing on enlightenment all day and haven't really experienced the pain of physical training. I guess I've been training my body today?"

"Are you being so Versailles-like? You haven't even properly experienced the pain of body tempering... Don't tell anyone else! You'll really get beaten up."

"Haha, wasn't that what I was talking about with Xiao Jiu? Okay, okay, let's get down to business!"

"You're too naughty! ...Alright, you did work out today. Haven't you noticed you've lost weight?"

"Huh? You've lost weight? Where have you lost weight?" An Xin quickly looked down, pulled open her collar to look inside, and pinched it with her hand, still unsure.

Di Ting hurriedly covered its eyes with its paws... feeling wronged and irritable, it said, "Xin Xin, be careful! There are still people here... ah, no, there are divine beasts!!!"

"Sorry, sorry, haha..." An Xin said awkwardly, looking utterly dejected, "This body's curves weren't as good as my original one to begin with, and you're telling me I've been working out and lost weight... How can I accept this... Waaah..."

"Oh dear, today we've just compressed the excess fat around your muscles, making them firmer. Body tempering is essentially about training muscle strength and explosive power, improving flexibility and coordination. It won't erode your curves! These past few days, you've been suppressing your spiritual energy and cultivating with your physical body, combined with medicinal baths, and you'll soon reach the second stage of body tempering."

"That's great! I was thinking that using spiritual power to cultivate with everyone would be too 'ordinary.' I didn't expect it to actually improve my own cultivation. It's a wonderful surprise."

"This is also a reward for your understanding and consideration of others."

"Xiao Jiu, you're absolutely right!"

..........................................

At 3 a.m. as usual, the training platform welcomed its first user of the day.

The number of sword swings has increased to 5000, basic sword techniques and footwork to 100, and "One Slash to Slay the Thief" to 30.

"Excellent swordsmanship..." came a round of applause.

An Xin finished her routine and turned her head to see a familiar figure: "Why are you here earlier than yesterday?"

"Hmm, you woke up early and came early. I didn't expect you to know how to use a knife." Qi Mingxuan looked at An Xin's Miao knife.

"Yes, I've just started practicing. This is a Miao sword." An Xin said, handing the sword to Qi Mingxuan.

Qi Mingxuan's eyes lit up with excitement, like a little boy seeing a toy car. He picked up the knife and began to touch it.

An Xin was worried that he might not be able to see, and that he might hurt himself from touching it too much in his excitement, so she said, "Mingxuan, it's too dark now, you probably can't see it, right? I'll take it out for you to admire when it's light. I'll take you to a nice place now~"

Reluctantly handing back the Miao sword, Qi Mingxuan nodded without hesitation, eager to go. Then, filled with shock and shyness, he was lifted up in a princess carry by An Xin… Yes, a petite girl princess-carrying a tall man…

Before he could resist, An Xin channeled her spiritual energy, swooping down and gracefully descending from the training platform. Shy and shocked, Qi Mingxuan instinctively wrapped his arms around the girl's neck, his emotions gradually replaced by an unusual excitement. It was a feeling he had never experienced before—flying through the air, but unlike the feeling of a hot air balloon or an airplane. That thrilling and free feeling, that feeling of soaring through the wind, that strange sensation from his rapidly beating heart… it was truly something to yearn for and be captivated by.