High Martial Arts: Slay enemies to become stronger, forge invincibility from billions of corpses.

The next morning.

This is the first time in Song Chen's life that he has stood in front of a mirror for so long.

In the full-length mirror on the wall of the meditation room, there stood a somewhat unfamiliar version of myself.

The dark blue B-grade battle armor had smooth lines and fit his body well. He wore a long black trench coat over it, the hem of which just covered his thighs. His mother had bought it for him last night.

"Not bad?" he asked, turning his head.

Li Xiuying leaned against the door frame, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons as she smiled.

She came over and straightened his collar: "My son looks good in anything."

"But this armor... isn't it a bit too formal? This young lady is inviting you to dinner, and you're dressed like you're going to war."

Song Chen looked down at himself.

"I don't have any other clothes."

"Besides, I'm used to it."

Li Xiuying opened her mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

For eighteen years, this child's closet has only contained his school uniform and a few faded old T-shirts.

He used to not have the money to buy things, but now that he has the money, he doesn't have time to shop at all.

She patted his shoulder: "Mom will buy you some nice things next time. Go on, don't keep them waiting."

When Song Chen left, Song Zhengye was reading a newspaper on the sofa without even looking up.

Come back soon.

"understood."

Stepping out of the residential compound, the sun was shining brightly.

The streets of the inner city were filled with the faint fragrance of osmanthus blossoms. He flagged down a hovercar and gave them the address of the Third Martial Arts High School.

Twenty minutes later, the car stopped at the familiar school gate, where they agreed to meet.

The campus was quiet, with only a few security guards on duty at the gate.

Song Chen got out of the car and immediately saw Lin Qingxue.

She stood under the cherry blossom tree next to the school gate, wearing a light pink dress, her long hair draped over her shoulders. A gentle breeze blew, and her dress and hair swayed softly together.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the petals, casting dappled shadows on her.

When she saw him, her eyes lit up, and then she smiled, pursing her lips.

"You've arrived."

Song Chen walked over: "Hmm, have you been waiting long?"

She glanced at him, her gaze lingering for a second on his armor and trench coat: "No, I just arrived."

"Your outfit..."

"Not suitable?" Song Chen asked.

Lin Qingxue shook her head, her smile deepening, and tilted her head slightly: "It's quite beautiful, it's just..."

"It's a bit like going on a mission."

Song Chen was silent for a second.

"I don't have any other clothes."

Lin Qingxue paused for a moment, then chuckled softly, her laughter as gentle as the wind whistling through a wind chime.

She turned and walked into the campus: "Let's go, let's take a walk first."

"Aren't we going to eat?"

She turned to look at him, her eyes crinkling with a smile: "It's still early, I want to go back to school."

Song Chen followed her, and the two walked side by side on the campus path.

The campus of Third Martial Arts High School is not large, but it is very quiet.

The roadside was lined with sycamore trees, their leaves already beginning to turn yellow. Sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

They walked very slowly.

Lin Qingxue pointed to an open space by the playground: "Do you remember this place?"

Song Chen looked over; it was the place where they used to have practical training classes.

The white lines drawn back then still remain on the cement floor, worn and blurred.

"Remember."

Lin Qingxue's voice was soft: "When you defeated me here for the first time, I went back and cried all night."

Song Chen was stunned for a moment.

Why?

She replied with a smile, "I'm not convinced. My health points are so much higher than yours, yet you still managed to defeat me with your skills. When my dad found out, he scolded me, saying that my combat awareness is too poor."

She paused, then lowered her voice.

"Back then, I was determined to win, so I kept coming to spar with you and ask you questions about martial arts..."

Song Chen remembered that Lin Qingxue had indeed been looking for him frequently during that period.

During breaks, after school, and even on weekends, she would appear in front of him, holding a wooden knife, and earnestly say, "One more time."

He thought she was just competitive.

"And then?"

Lin Qingxue lowered her head, looking at the road beneath her feet: "Later...later I didn't want to win anymore."

Why?

She remained silent for a long time.

The path turned a corner and passed a row of old school buildings.

The sunlight shone from the side, casting long shadows of the two people.

"You know something about my family situation, right?"

Song Chen nodded.

The Lin family is considered a martial arts family in Anning City.

Her father was a third-tier martial artist who worked in the garrison commander's office, and her brother was also in the city defense army, a second-tier martial artist at a young age.

Her family had high expectations for her, and she was filled with various training courses from a young age.

She looked at the ground and said softly, "From childhood to adulthood, everything I've done has been arranged for me."

"What time I get up, what time I cultivate, what time I eat, what time I go to bed, what martial arts I learn, what school I go to, what friends I make... everything is decided for me."

She stopped and looked up at the sycamore leaves overhead.

"You know what? When I got my period for the first time, my first reaction wasn't fear, but worry about whether my blood sugar level would drop this month."

Song Chen didn't speak; he didn't know how to respond.

Lin Qingxue continued, "My dad never praises me. When I get first place in the class, he says I should have been first. When I practice martial arts to the point of proficiency, he says I'm still far from it. When my Qi and Blood value breaks through 1.0, he says my brother was faster than me back then."

Her voice trembled slightly, but she still had a smile on her face.

"I thought all homes were like this."

She turned to look at him: "Until I met you."

Song Chen's heart skipped a beat.

"You are different. You never feel inferior because of your low blood energy, nor do you feel inferior because of your poor family conditions. When you practice martial arts, there is a real light in your eyes."

She lowered her head, her voice growing softer: "You're never impatient when I ask you questions."

"No matter how many times I ask, you will explain it seriously. If once is not enough, you will explain it twice, and if twice is not enough, you will explain it three times. Sometimes after you finish explaining, you will ask me, 'Did you understand?'"

Her eyes were a little red.

"You know what? No one has ever asked me if I understood, and no one has ever cared whether I actually learned it or not."

Song Chen stood there, her throat tightening slightly.

Lin Qingxue looked up at him and said, "Later, I didn't want to win anymore, because if I won, you wouldn't explain the problems to me."

A gust of wind blew, and a few sycamore leaves drifted down, swirling among them.

Song Chen looked at her.

The sunlight fell on her face, turning her eyelashes golden.

Her eyes were very clear, like a mountain stream, you could see right to the bottom.

He suddenly remembered many things.

He remembered the towel and water she would hand him after each sparring session, and how she would casually sit next to him during breaks.

He recalled that before the practical training, she specially went to the school gate to give him a combat knife.

I remember when she said, "It's enough that you came back alive," her voice was so low it was almost inaudible.

She remembered that when she saw his 2.2 health points at the martial arts association, she said with tears in her eyes, "You liar."

He recalled the moment his heart skipped a beat when she sent him the message last night.

Looking at the girl in front of him, he said, "Lin Qingxue."

"Um?"

He looked at her and said earnestly, "You can ask me anything you want anytime in the future."

Lin Qingxue was stunned for a moment, then she smiled.

It wasn't a polite, reserved smile, but a genuine smile that welled up from the bottom of my heart.

Her eyes curved into crescent moons, her lips curled up high, and a faint blush rose on her cheeks.

"it is good."

The two continued walking forward.