Chapter 448: The Demeanor of the Strong is Deeply Rooted in People's Hearts

"Taozi!"

"Hmm?"

Chen Shu leaned close to Taozi, his expression serious, staring into its eyes, his finger pointing at the tip of its nose: "Tell me the truth! Did I wake up yesterday?"

"Woof~"

"Speak human!"

"Woof!"

"Yes, or no. Yes, or no."

"Meow~"

"Yes, or, no~" Chen Shu slowed down his speed, trying to teach it, "Yes, or, no~"

"Baa~"

"Forget it, you stupid cat."

"Awoo-woof!"

"It's been so many years, I've shown you so many cat-girl cartoons, and you still can't take human form; you're mostly a lost cause."

"Woof woof!"

The man and the cat were both sitting on the floor, one sitting cross-legged, the other sitting upright, following a sequence, one sentence from you and one from me, back and forth.

"I suspect you're insulting me..."

"Mmhmm~"

"You're still saying 'mmhmm'?"

"An~"

The young girl was lying on her side on the sofa nearby, her body curled into a ball, her hands clasped together, her head pressed against the sofa, looking so petite, her eyes open as she silently stared at them—although she hadn't slept much for two days and two nights, only dozing off for a bit during boring classes, she had started to feel a little sleepy, but she just didn't want to sleep.

Brother-in-law really didn't believe her anymore.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked Taozi.

That hateful sister! She must have used a strategy of sowing discord!

"Hah~~"

The young girl yawned, blinked her eyes, and they became a bit moist, but she still kept staring at them.

This definitely wasn't her fault; it was all the fault of the Night Person Bloodline.

The sky outside the window turned a fish-belly white.

At the same time, in the second-floor bedroom.

Ning Qing placed her book on her lap, sitting with her back against the headboard, but she wasn't reading; instead, she rested her head against the soft cushion on the wall, her gaze tilted upward, quietly listening to the movement downstairs, the corners of her mouth curling into a slight arc.

Chen Shu spent half a day digging through his memories, and also spent half a day in fear and trepidation, feeling uneasy; he wanted to know, yet was afraid to know... During this process, Qingqing was always standing not far away, quietly observing him.

In the end, he confirmed, or rather, realized—

This time, in all likelihood, he had not been out of his mind.

His mood at the time was complicated, as if a spice jar had been overturned, a mix of all sorts of flavors.

He felt as if he had been playing the clown for half a day—yes, just like Zhang Suannai—while Qingqing had been standing by the side the whole time, watching him make a fool of himself.

This joke was definitely not as simple as just being watched for half a day; it wouldn't just pass once he realized it, its effects would last for a very long time. This resulted in him, who clearly hadn't been out of his mind, feeling even worse than if he had been mildly out of his mind.

I am a silly dog...

Only this sentence remained in his heart.

March 19th, afternoon.

Chen Shu and Ning Qing went out with Taozi, walked to the house next door, and knocked on the neighbor's door twice.

"Bang bang!"

"Coming!"

Two sets of footsteps came from inside.

Chen Shu tilted his head back to the side and rear, only to see a figure fly out from the air, cross the courtyard wall and gate, and land outside the courtyard.

"Let's go!"

"Does this door of yours still have any meaning?"

"It does!"

Zhang Suannai looked him up and down: "It looks good!"

Immediately, she frowned.

Having not seen him for a few days, she felt this person had changed, but she couldn't put it into words, so she could only rely on her Spiritual Sense and clever wit to deduce—

"Are you at the Eighth Stage?"

"Yes."

"!"

So fast!

Zhang Suannai felt a Surprise in her heart.

She had clearly entered the Seventh Stage a month or two before him, and she had always practiced diligently, never slacking off for a single day; not only had the gap not widened, but he had actually caught up to her in just a few days!

Both of them had marks, and with similar talent, logically speaking, this situation shouldn't have happened!

Could it be...

"!"

Zhang Suannai widened her eyes, unable to believe it—

The quality of the Sword God Mark is not as good as the Spirit Saint Mark?

"What's wrong with you?"

"No... nothing..." Zhang Suannai suddenly reacted, waving her hand as if nothing had happened, "When was it?"

"Yesterday."

"..."

"..."

Zhang Suannai fell into silence, not knowing what she was thinking.

Chen Shu fell into silence, not knowing what he was thinking.

After a few seconds, the two of them came back to their senses.

Zhang Suannai's eyes darted around, flickering as she sized up Chen Shu: "During your promotion this time, in the middle, were there any, um, moments where you weren't very clear-headed?"

"No."

Chen Shu answered as such, though his expression was somewhat complex.

"I don't believe it!"

"Believe it or not, that's up to you."

"Liars are dogs!"

"Liars are dogs."

"I still don't believe it! You saying that is the same as saying nothing!" Zhang Suannai looked at Qingqing beside her again: "Was he not in his right mind this time?"

Ning Qing glanced at Chen Shu indifferently:

"No."

Chen Shu's expression became even more complex.

Zhang Suannai frowned, keenly feeling that something was wrong, but since Qingqing would not lie, she couldn't help but fall into thought.

Within a mere half-second, her processor usage exceeded 80%.

At this moment, Chen Shu suddenly asked:

"And what about you?"

"Huh?"

Caught off guard, Zhang Suannai was somewhat flustered.

"I, I didn't either."

"Liars are dogs!"

"Why would I say that? I'm not stupid." Zhang Suannai dropped this line, then turned and walked away. As she walked, she stretched, the thin white T-shirt she was wearing somewhat translucent in the spring sunlight, though only the tight, slender curve of her waist could be seen. "Oh my, the weather is so nice today, let's go, otherwise Xiaoxiao's match will have already started, and Chen Banxia is already on the way."

The two of them followed behind her, holding the cat.

Ning Qing glanced at Chen Shu.

Chen Shu glared at her, reached out and punched her arm twice, then wrapped his arm around her shoulder and walked out.

Half an hour later, Ling'an Academy.

The scene of the Regular Group's grand final was packed with people.

Chen Shu's group, along with the cat and dog, sat in a row.

There was a chaotic noise in their ears; listening carefully, one could distinguish many shouts coming from the Artificial Intelligence Academy:

"Senior Sister Xiaoxiao! Go for it!"

"Senior Sister Xiaoxiao, beat him up!"

Chen Shu inexplicably felt it was very interesting.

So, his sister-in-law, who was like a child in his heart, was already being called "Senior Sister Xiaoxiao" by so many people.

This feeling was very strange, indescribably wonderful.

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, the referee's voice spread throughout the venue via loudspeakers, and the cold-faced Senior Sister Xiaoxiao took the stage.

A black short-sleeved T-shirt, a pair of denim overalls, hands in her pockets, her two arms thin and white; she wasn't wearing those retro shoes on her feet, but had changed into a pair of Martial Artist training shoes that were better for performance, making her look a few centimeters shorter than her actual height.

As usual, she first turned her head to scan the audience.

The petite, slender, and cold-faced Senior Sister Xiaoxiao raised her hand high and waved in the direction of her brother-in-law.

"Go for it, Senior Sister Xiaoxiao!"

Chen Shu cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone and joined in the shouting.

Chen Banxia and Zhang Suannai also happily followed along.

Seeing this, Taozi also barked twice to avoid appearing unsociable, but glancing sideways and seeing her owner sitting motionless, she realized that this was likely the true style of a superior being, so she stayed quietly in Chen Shu's arms, watching calmly and making no sound.

Senior Sister Xiaoxiao's opponent also appeared.

This was a fifth-year student from the Computer Science Academy, with a Spirit Sea cultivation at the Fourth Rank Peak.

Don't let the fact that he was a programmer fool you; he was also a fan of traditional Martial Cultivators. While at school, he often went to spar with students from the Martial Academy, and after leaving school in his fifth year, he interned at a well-known software company, accumulating rich practical experience in his battles against product managers.

"Go for it, Senior Huanghe!"

"Go for it, Senior Brother Huanghe!"

For a moment, the sound drowned out Senior Sister Xiaoxiao.

The little girl's heart was as calm as her sister's—

A true powerhouse does not care about these trivial matters.

"Clang!"

The sound of the gong rang out.

The little girl still kept her hands in her wide trouser pockets, standing motionless on the spot, tilting her head slightly to stare at her opponent, calm and unhurried, with a cold expression on her face.

Continuing to maintain the image a powerhouse should have.

Senior Huang He, who had been on guard, couldn't help but be stunned at the sight and shouted, "Don't act cute at a time like this, hey..."

"?"

What is he saying?

Nonsense!

Since that's the case, I'll send you off the stage.

The little girl pulled her hands out, bent her body and legs, suddenly erupted with immense strength, and rushed toward him.

Senior Huang He held his breath instantly—

Upon learning that there was another Fifth Stage besides that Sword Cultivator in the Martial Academy, he understood that he would run into her sooner or later, so he hadn't missed any of Ning Ji's matches over the past few days, and naturally knew that hidden beneath Ning Ji's cute and soft appearance was a violent heart.

If he wasn't mistaken, Ning Ji was also following the Martial Cultivator path, with very strong physical fitness, mainly manifested in great strength, and her advantage was her high cultivation base; in previous battles, she basically ended the fight in a single encounter.

No one could withstand her strength.

Such an opponent was not comparable to those weak product managers at the company.

However, he heard that Ning Ji was only twenty years old; no matter how high her cultivation talent was, her age was a factor after all, so it was impossible for her to have been fighting since she was a child, right? Therefore, her combat techniques and experience couldn't possibly be as rich as his.

According to his analysis—

As long as he dodged her first strike and avoided a direct confrontation with her, relying on his rich experience in dealing with product managers, there was still a possibility of maneuvering.

So Senior Huang He stared intently at that figure.

Close! Getting closer and closer!

A second seemed to be split into dozens of parts by him, his thoughts long, but in reality, it was just in the blink of an eye that she arrived before him.

This is the most critical moment! Must bring out full strength!

Swish!

Senior Huang He dodged nimbly.

And was then grabbed by one hand by Ning Ji, who possessed the Night Person Bloodline known for speed and reaction.

"Bang!"

Senior Huang He flew off the Arena.

"Hoo..."

Senior Xiaoxiao stood up straight, continued to put both hands into the pockets of her overalls, expressionless, her eyes also cold, aiming at Senior Huang He under the stage.

Presumably, after this match, her image as a cold powerhouse should be deeply rooted in people's hearts, right?

"Winner! Champion! Artificial Intelligence Academy, Ning Ji!"

"Senior Xiaoxiao is awesome!!"

"Senior Xiaoxiao is so cute!"

"Senior Xiaoxiao is so adorable!"

"Senior Xiaoxiao, I love you!"

"?"

What are these people shouting?

Senior Xiaoxiao frowned.

Ten minutes later, everyone had dispersed.

Senior Xiaoxiao stood outside the Martial Cultivation Hall, her face cold; younger students even older than her greeted her on the roadside, either praising or fawning, and she only nodded coldly in response—if her brother-in-law hadn't been draping his arm over her shoulder like she was a child, she would probably have had a lot of powerhouse demeanor, right?

But even so, she maintained her expression, trying her best to keep her powerhouse demeanor.

Maintain as much as one can.

Every little bit helps, after all.

"Congratulations, Senior Xiaoxiao, on winning the Regular Group championship." Chen Shu draped his arm over Xiaoxiao's shoulder; the touch was exceptionally soft and delicate, as if her bones were loose, "But why do they also call you Senior Xiaoxiao? How do they know your name is Xiaoxiao?"

Upon hearing this, Senior Xiaoxiao silently turned her head and glanced at Zhang Suannai.

It was all because when she was a freshman, Sister Suannai was afraid that because she was young, she would be bullied by classmates, so she always came to pick her up after class, saying "Xiaoxiao" this and "Xiaoxiao" that; plus she was four years younger than the average classmate, so everyone felt this nickname was intimate and suitable for calling a little sister, and they all started calling her that too.

Later, she often participated in and even led research projects, and had contact with lower-grade students; those students all called her Senior Xiaoxiao, until last semester, because she discovered a more perfect Driver Rune Carrier, she became completely famous within the academy.

"It seems you have already become the cute mascot of your academy! Also, our Xiaoxiao is so cute, who wouldn't like her?"

"?"

What is brother-in-law saying again?

Senior Xiaoxiao frowned again.

"Let's go, let's go, to celebrate cute Senior Xiaoxiao winning the championship, Zhang has spent a huge sum to treat us to an Imitation Court Meal." Chen Shu still had his arm around her, walking outward with a face full of smiles.

The little girl's legs were not as long as his, so she had to scramble her feet quickly.