"Hiss…"
Su Xiaoqi rubbed his butt. Ning Rongrong's earlier words had distracted him, causing him to lose control of his ki and fall from the sky.
Fortunately, he hadn't flown very high, and he landed butt-first. If it had been head-first, he might've ended up with a huge bump on his forehead.
Zhu Zhuqing's face was full of concern. She had wanted to catch him, but everything happened so suddenly—plus, with the weights she was wearing, she was a step too late and could only watch helplessly as he fell right in front of her.
The main culprit, Ning Rongrong, looked apologetic and said,
"Sorry, I just got too excited… Want me to massage it for you?"
Su Xiaoqi shot her an annoyed look:
"Ning Rongrong, can't you talk properly? This is like, what, the third time already?"
He was increasingly convinced that there was something seriously wrong with Ning Rongrong's head. That part of his body wasn't exactly somewhere she could offer to massage so casually.
Zhu Zhuqing glared at Ning Rongrong, then reached out to help Su Xiaoqi up and asked with concern,
"Does it still hurt? Do you want to go back and rest a bit?"
Su Xiaoqi replied,
"I'm feeling much better now. This kind of minor injury recovers quickly for me. Besides, I want to take advantage of the feeling I just found and keep practicing."
"Okay, I'll stay with you."
Zhu Zhuqing considered herself pretty diligent when it came to training, but now, faced with a cultivation maniac like Su Xiaoqi, she had to admit she couldn't compete.
Su Xiaoqi told Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong not to disturb him, then sat cross-legged and closed his eyes to focus, feeling the flow of energy within his body.
This time, his goal was to fire a **ki blast**.
Time passed. Nearly an hour later, Su Xiaoqi still hadn't moved. Ning Rongrong was starting to get restless.
Just as she was about to ask Zhu Zhuqing what was going on, she was stopped in her tracks by a sharp glare. She understood how important this moment was for Su Xiaoqi—he couldn't be disturbed by anyone or anything.
Another ten minutes went by.
Suddenly, Su Xiaoqi opened his eyes and stood up. He clasped his hands together in a flower bud-like shape and placed them at his waist. The next moment, a bluish-white orb began to form in his palms.
**"Ka~~me~~ha\~me…"**
As Su Xiaoqi chanted each syllable, the bluish-white energy orb in his hands swelled in size.
**"HA!!!"**
The instant he shouted the final syllable, a bluish-white energy blast, trailing a long tail of light, shot out from his hands.
**BOOM!**
Not far ahead, a boulder as tall as a person was blown apart by the blast into several large chunks, shocking Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong.
Su Xiaoqi looked at his slightly trembling hands, his heart filled with excitement.
**He had done it.**
Even though the power was on the weaker side, he had successfully fired a **Kamehameha**.
Overjoyed, he dashed over to Zhu Zhuqing and swept her up in a tight hug.
"Zhuqing, did you see that? I did it!"
Zhu Zhuqing, initially stunned, quickly relaxed and smiled,
"Congratulations. From now on, my safety is in your hands."
Su Xiaoqi nodded seriously.
"Don't worry, I'll protect you for the rest of my life."
Hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing wrapped her arms around his waist and said softly,
"I'll remember those words forever."
Just as the emotional atmosphere was reaching its peak, **Ning Rongrong's voice once again ruined the mood**:
"Hey, you two! Can you maybe be a little more considerate of my feelings here?"
Annoyed that his tender moment was interrupted again, Su Xiaoqi let go of Zhu Zhuqing and glared at Ning Rongrong.
"You again? I'm seriously starting to regret bringing you along."
Ning Rongrong didn't get angry. Instead, she giggled and said,
"Well, you brought me already, so… how about telling me what that 'Kame… something' thing just now was?"
"It's my self-created soul skill," Su Xiaoqi answered casually, clearly not in the mood to explain in detail.
Zhu Zhuqing spoke up at this moment:
"Ning Rongrong, what you saw today—don't breathe a word of it to anyone. Or don't blame me for turning on you."
Ning Rongrong tilted her head playfully,
"I've been meditating this whole time. Did you two do something?"
Su Xiaoqi was amused by her feigned ignorance and laughed.
"Now you're acting smart, but this morning you fell for Flender's nonsense so easily. Got completely fooled."
"But since you're being clever now, if you behave well from now on, I might teach you those two techniques I just used."
Su Xiaoqi understood the importance of balancing praise and scolding—**a slap followed by a sweet date**, as they say.
In theory, everyone possesses **ki**, and everyone can train to manipulate it. But actually mastering it is far from easy.
So even if he told Ning Rongrong how, it didn't mean she'd be able to do it.
Hearing that, Ning Rongrong quickly patted her modest chest and promised:
"Don't worry! I'll be super obedient."
Su Xiaoqi waved her off:
"We'll see when you actually live up to that."
"Also, your physical condition is really weak right now. If you want to learn these skills, you need to strengthen your body first. But don't forget your priorities—your main task is still to cultivate your soul power, got it?"
He genuinely meant well. He didn't want Ning Rongrong to mess up her soul master cultivation for the sake of learning something she might not even grasp.
"Yes, I understand!" Ning Rongrong answered loudly.
Su Xiaoqi nodded. After putting his training weights back on, he said,
"That's it for today. Let's head back to the hotel and get some rest."
---
Back at the **Rose Hotel**, Ning Rongrong returned to her room to write a letter to her father, **Ning Fengzhi**, planning to expose all the disgusting behavior she had witnessed at Shrek Academy.
Su Xiaoqi, meanwhile, went straight into **Zhu Zhuqing's room**, collapsed on the sofa, and started chatting in the group while resting.
Zhu Zhuqing had originally wanted to take this opportunity to ask him a few things while they were alone, but when she saw how excited he was chatting in the group, she decided to let it go.
She figured things between them would develop naturally. It was only a matter of time.
---
**\[Prompt: Plot mission triggered—Group member Nami is about to enter the "Cocoyashi Village" storyline. Nami can alter the storyline as needed. The more drastic the changes, the more points are awarded. This mission allows up to five group members to participate.]**
**\[Reminder: This is a short-term plot mission. Invited members will return to their original worlds within 24 hours of mission completion.]**
**\[Nami]: Great! I successfully triggered the plot mission!**
**\[Lu Linglong]: Five people? That means we all get to join.**
**\[Sakata Gintoki]: Hurry, hurry, hurry! Gin-san's sword is thirsting for battle!**
\*\*\[Su Xiaoqi]: You sure it's your *sword* that's thirsting, and not something else? *sneaky laugh.jpg*"
**\[Sakata Gintoki]: Bastard! Gin-san would never be that kind of guy. @Zhu Zhuqing, Zhuqing-chan, help! He's corrupting Gin-san!**
**\[Su Xiaoqi]: I thought we were bros, and now you're stabbing me in the back? *heartbroken.jpg***
**\[Zhu Zhuqing]: @Sakata Gintoki, don't corrupt Xiaoqi. He's doing fine right now.**
**\[Sakata Gintoki]: Nani?! Am I seeing this right? Are you trying to anger Gin-san to death so you can inherit my Odd Jobs business?**
**\[Su Xiaoqi]: Please, no one wants your dump of an agency. Feeding those bottomless pit teammates of yours costs a fortune.**
**\[Sakata Gintoki]: Gin-san doesn't talk to people who don't wear the same pants as him. Nami-chan, only you can heal Gin-san's wounded heart. Let me join you!**
**\[Nami]: Serves you right. That's what you get for acting like that all the time.**
**\[Nami]: Everyone, I can't invite you just yet. The system says the mission can't start until I return to Cocoyashi Village tomorrow morning.**