Su Xiaoqi, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong headed to an open field on the outskirts of Soto City. He and Zhu Zhuqing were about to begin combat training here.
After the earlier battle with Zhao Wuji, Su Xiaoqi realized he severely lacked real combat experience. Basic training could be done anytime, but actual fighting opportunities were rare.
Su Xiaoqi looked at Zhu Zhuqing and said,
> "Zhuqing, attack me using your most effective technique."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded and activated her Martial Soul. Her greatest strength, of course, was **speed**.
> "Let's begin."
As soon as Su Xiaoqi spoke, he locked his gaze on every movement Zhu Zhuqing made.
The next moment, Zhu Zhuqing launched forward, her body trailing faint afterimages as she moved.
> "So fast..."
Su Xiaoqi was stunned. His eyes couldn't accurately track her position. As expected, he was struck by Zhu Zhuqing's claws—but she had held back her strength.
After that first hit, Zhu Zhuqing created some distance, constantly shifting left and right, preparing for her second strike.
This time, Su Xiaoqi changed his strategy. Since he couldn't match her speed, he gave up trying to follow her visually. Instead, he heightened his five senses, trying to **feel** the subtle movements of the air around him.
No matter which direction Zhu Zhuqing attacked from, the **air would shift slightly** the moment she made her move. That was the signal he needed to dodge.
At first, Su Xiaoqi could only dodge **once in every five tries**, and even that one time relied partly on luck.
But as time went on, he slowly started to grasp the rhythm of her attacks. His success rate began to climb.
After dodging her claw once again, Su Xiaoqi grinned and said,
> "Zhuqing, I think your speed is slowing down."
> "Hmph."
Zhu Zhuqing snorted. Her speed hadn't changed—it was Su Xiaoqi who had adapted in such a short time.
She could still land hits, but it was nowhere near as effortless as before.
Su Xiaoqi stepped closer with a smile.
> "I know, I know—our beautiful and kind Zhuqing is going easy on me. On a real battlefield, I'd probably be dead five times over by now."
> "Smooth talker."
Zhu Zhuqing turned away, ignoring him. But a faint smile had formed at the corner of her lips.
---
From the side, Ning Rongrong walked up and said,
> "Su Xiaoqi, you're such a freak. You're definitely not a normal person."
Su Xiaoqi rolled his eyes.
> "If you don't know how to give compliments, just don't say anything. And what do you mean I'm not normal? Do you sense any soul power from me?"
> "Well, no…"
> She nodded, then shook her head.
> "But come on, what normal person sends Teacher Zhao flying? Or punches Dai Mubai until he vomits blood?"
Su Xiaoqi quickly cut her off:
> "If you're bored, go use your **Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda** to support Zhuqing. I want to up the difficulty."
He didn't want Zhu Zhuqing to hear **Dai Mubai's** name again—and he was also hoping to push his training further.
Ning Rongrong grinned:
> "Sure, but only if you include me in your training from now on. It's way more fun hanging out with you guys."
Su Xiaoqi glanced at Zhu Zhuqing instead of answering directly. He wouldn't be staying in this world forever—so the decision had to be hers.
Zhu Zhuqing nodded. As long as it was just for training, she had no issue with it.
> "Yay! Awesome!"
> Ning Rongrong cheered, then looked at Su Xiaoqi.
> "Alright, here I go!"
> "Seven Treasures shine, First: Strength!"
> "Seven Treasures shine, Second: Speed!"
Two beams of light enveloped Zhu Zhuqing.
Su Xiaoqi said with a serious tone:
> "Zhuqing, now come at me like you want to **kill** me. I want to push myself to the limit."
Zhu Zhuqing hesitated at first, but quickly nodded. She knew Su Xiaoqi wasn't someone you could treat as an ordinary person.
---
> "Zhuqing, let's call it for today... I'm beat."
Su Xiaoqi collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. With the **Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's boost**, Zhu Zhuqing was a whole different beast. And without her holding back, he was burning through energy like crazy.
> "All Saiyans are freaks…"
Zhu Zhuqing muttered under her breath while wiping sweat from her brow. She had consumed a lot of energy too.
Ning Rongrong squatted down beside Su Xiaoqi and asked curiously:
> "Su Xiaoqi, who are you really? I promise I won't tell anyone."
She had assumed that with her support, Zhu Zhuqing would completely dominate. And at first, she did.
But slowly, Su Xiaoqi began adapting again. In the end, they were going toe-to-toe—**it was insane**.
Su Xiaoqi replied lazily,
> "I'm just one of billions of ordinary people."
> "Hmph, stingy! I'll get the truth out of you one day."
---
After resting for a bit, they returned to Soto City and had a simple dinner. Then Su Xiaoqi used the "night is dangerous" excuse to urge Ning Rongrong to return to **Shrek Academy**, while he and Zhu Zhuqing went back to the **Rose Hotel**.
> "Zhuqing, it's getting late—I'll head back to my room."
He had felt fine earlier, but now being alone in a room with Zhu Zhuqing was making him nervous.
> "You… you can stay here if you want."
Zhu Zhuqing's voice was as soft as a whisper. After spending the day together, she felt safe around him—and she trusted Su Xiaoqi wouldn't try anything improper.
> "Uh… right! I just remembered I left some clothes outside. See you tomorrow!"
Su Xiaoqi vanished before she could respond.
Zhu Zhuqing stared at the empty doorway and chuckled.
> "So even Saiyans get scared…"
---
Back in his own world, Su Xiaoqi rushed to take a **cold shower**, calming himself down. If he'd stayed any longer, he might've lost control—and that would've been *very bad*.
Lying in bed, unable to sleep, he opened the **chat group** and began chatting with the other members. He was especially excited to see how many points he'd earn once the **midnight update** hit.
When the clock struck midnight, the system announcement came in:
---
> **\[Notification] Group Member Su Xiaoqi has successfully altered the storyline. Reward: 5,000 points.**
> **\[Notification] Group Member Nami has successfully altered the storyline. Reward: 4,000 points.**
> **\[Notification] Group Member Zhu Zhuqing has successfully altered the storyline. Reward: 3,000 points.**