"Should that really be the case?"
Yunli lazily rested her hands behind her head, her expression distant and absent-minded.
Clearly, she still had not recovered from the shocking news she had just heard. Her thoughts continued spinning in a chaotic vortex.
As Mu Yao's best friend and roommate, Song Qianqian was already very familiar with Mu Yao's daily habits.
A while ago, she had sharply noticed that something about Mu Yao seemed different lately.
As the dormitory's resident mascot whose height rivaled even Yunli's, Song Qianqian naturally paid close attention to her friend's physical and emotional condition.
Then, by pure coincidence, she stumbled across an unexpected scene.
Song Qianqian saw the little loli chatting happily with a handsome young man. Mu Yao's crisp laughter rang clearly through the air.
The sudden discovery nearly caused Song Qianqian to expose herself on the spot from sheer shock.
Still, as a caring and trustworthy friend, she sincerely wished Mu Yao happiness.
But to prevent the little girl from accidentally falling for the wrong person, Song Qianqian ultimately decided to hand this important responsibility over to Yunli after serious consideration.
After all, Yunli seemed to know where Mu Yao often disappeared to.
And so, after suddenly receiving this important mission, Yunli walked down the road with a blank look on her face.
For someone with absolutely zero romantic experience, her mind was completely empty of ideas.
She even started suspecting this might simply be Song Qianqian's overactive imagination at work.
After all, little Mu Yao was incredibly naive.
"Forget it. I really am a little worried about her."
"At worst, I'll just ask directly later or try sounding out her teammates first."
Having made up her mind, Yunli slowly headed toward the Ability Bureau.
"Hm?"
The moment she entered the Ability Bureau, Yunli casually glanced toward the people at the front desk.
Still, she paid them little attention and continued directly toward the training room.
"All study and no play makes smart Mo Xin dull."
Mo Xin sprawled across the floor like melted jelly, her limbs spread lifelessly as though she were a salted fish that had completely lost its dreams.
The suffering of being dragged out of a warm bed early in the morning had somehow continued even after graduating high school.
"Ahem."
This time, Chen Yuxuan did not mock her, while Lu Hao desperately tried giving her meaningful looks.
Unfortunately, the exceptionally "clever" Mo Xin completely failed to understand the captain's hints.
Rolling her eyes, she continued complaining lazily.
"Sigh, I really want a vacation. I don't want to train anymore~"
Morning sunlight streamed through the training hall windows, landing softly upon Mo Xin.
Thinking about how her techniques had steadily improved lately, she could not help revealing a helpless smile.
Back then, she had been an energetic girl overflowing with passion for cultivation.
Now, however, she had fully become the exact kind of "casual cultivator" senior sister Yunli always talked about.
Even though she knew her strength was constantly increasing, the brutal daily training still made her unable to resist complaining now and then.
At the very least, it helped relieve some of the exhaustion.
Besides, Master Yunli had been busy tinkering with mysterious things lately and rarely had time to personally guide her.
Watching the scene unfold, Chen Yuxuan's eyes filled with pity, Lu Hao struggled not to laugh, and Mu Yao quietly sighed.
The three of them simultaneously lowered their heads as if mourning a tragic future.
"Huh? Why are you all sighing all of a sudden? Oh, Mu Yao, is that you?"
Completely unaware of the danger approaching, Mo Xin suddenly noticed a pair of fair and delicate feet standing before her.
At first, she assumed they belonged to Mu Yao.
But almost immediately, she sensed something was wrong.
Mo Xin (๑òᆺó๑): "Wait, that's not right. Mu Yao usually doesn't walk around barefoot. The one who hates wearing shoes is usually..."
As the figure slowly crouched down, Mo Xin's neck stiffened like rusted machinery.
Her eyes slowly lifted upward inch by inch until the familiar figure reflected clearly within her pupils.
Mo Xin (๑꒪▿꒪)
Yunli (ꐦ◕‿◕): "Good Disciple~ Really? Is it just because I've been busy lately and haven't had time to accompany you?"
"I'm sorry, Master Yunli! I won't dare do it again!"
"Take a break. I brought breakfast for you."
"Yay! Master Yunli is the best!"
Mo Xin's expression changed faster than a Sichuan opera face-changing performance.
Yunli covered her forehead and sighed helplessly.
What else could she do?
This girl was both her best friend and her precious Disciple.
Since that was the case, the only option left was spoiling her.
Yunli shook her head with a completely defeated expression.
Then she glanced toward the nearby teammates who were enthusiastically watching the drama unfold and placed the breakfast down.
"I brought some for everyone too. Captain, you guys should come eat as well."
Although they were technically just "cheap teammates," the awkwardness and distance from the early days had already completely disappeared.
Without hesitation, everyone happily gathered around to share breakfast together.
Amid the warm and lively atmosphere, Mo Xin suddenly slammed the table and stood up with a flushed face.
"Captain, you guys are way too inconsiderate! You didn't even warn me that Master Yunli was coming! I could've gotten up to greet her properly! Carrying so much breakfast must've exhausted Master Yunli, right?"
Lu Hao helplessly spread his hands.
"Hahaha! Don't blame me for this. I was practically staring holes into the table trying to hint at you!"
Mu Yao laughed so hard she bent over clutching her stomach.
"Hahahaha! Junior Sister, Lu Hao and I both tried warning you. Who told you to keep daydreaming and talking to yourself!"
"Couldn't you just say it directly?!"
Mo Xin instantly exploded from embarrassment.
The moment her words fell, rapid footsteps echoed through the room as she lunged toward the two laughing uncontrollably, her skirt fluttering noisily behind her.
"This girl."
Yunli helplessly shook her head while taking a bite from her bun.
Captain Chen calmly scooped up a spoonful of porridge.
"Settle down first. We still need to finish breakfast."
Under the warm morning sunlight, Mo Xin's chasing and everyone's laughter mixed into complete chaos alongside the gentle sounds of bowls and chopsticks clinking together.
Eventually, after the commotion finally subsided, the simple breakfast came to an end amid lingering laughter.
"Wow, Mo Xin really has changed. I actually couldn't escape her grab just now."
"Yeah, Junior Sister is completely different from when she was still malnourished."
After more than a month of training, Mo Xin's physical fitness had already surpassed the limits of ordinary humans.
This kind of improvement was fundamentally different from Ability Users.
After all, Ability Users could not gain ridiculous stat boosts from training like leveling up in a game.
"True. Even though I've been watching Mo Xin's progress the entire time, I still can't help feeling amazed."
Mo Xin o(￣︶￣)o: "Hahaha! Captain, your praise is making me embarrassed! Please continue though. I can totally handle more compliments! Hahaha, ow!"
Yunli ঌ(ᗜ`˰´ᗜ)໒: "What are you doing? A martial artist must guard against arrogance and impatience."
Mo Xin (இдஇ`): "Sorry, Master Yunli..."
Yunli (¬_¬ ): "Still, your improvement really is impressive. Hmph. Keep working hard from now on."
Mo Xin (ᕑᗢᓫ): "Sigh, I mean: Yes! Master Yunli! Hehehe!"