The Invincible Strongest Student

When we’re young, everyone dreams of traveling the world with a sword at their hip, to see all the splendor out there.

But in the end, it’s just a dream, an unrealistic one—very few people can actually make it come true.

Yet right now, Zhao Qingtang felt like she might actually be on the verge of realizing her childhood dream of becoming a heroine. Her body felt so light it was as if she’d shaken off gravity itself; with just a little hop she could jump so high—if this wasn’t Lightweight Skill, then what was?

Lin Tian watched her with a grin; he’d never realized Zhao Qingtang could have such a cute side, especially when she’d just pinched her own cheeks—that was so adorable it made him want to plant two kisses on them.

"I told you long ago, practicing Breathing has a lot of benefits for your body. Right now, doesn’t your lower abdomen feel warm and comfy?" Lin Tian asked with a smile.

Zhao Qingtang nodded wildly, her face full of innocent delight, just like a kid in kindergarten.

"Your Sea of Qi has already formed. The Spiritual Qi you accumulate day by day will all be stored in there. You can think of it as the energy in your body. Once you break through the shackles of the human body, your strength, endurance, speed, and so on will all improve significantly." Lin Tian explained patiently.

Zhao Qingtang’s eyes went wider and wider. She stammered, "No way..."

"Didn’t you just experience it yourself?" Lin Tian asked back, squinting as he smiled.

All of a sudden, Zhao Qingtang snapped to attention and said, "I remember now—back in the little courtyard a few days ago, those people... No, wait, the people from Luoyan Dock, could it be they’re all like me?"

Lin Tian nodded ambiguously, his eyes full of mirth as he looked at Zhao Qingtang.

"This is way too magical. I feel like I’m Superwoman now!" Zhao Qingtang said excitedly, clenching her little pink fists.

"Comrade Superwoman, I have to solemnly inform you: you’d better keep these abilities tightly under wraps, and absolutely do not let outsiders see." Lin Tian cautioned carefully, his expression turning serious.

Zhao Qingtang immediately lowered her voice too and said sensibly, "I get it! Gotta keep a low profile!"

"Hahaha, you’re very perceptive. Sky’s the limit for your future." Lin Tian laughed.

"Humph, I think so too." Zhao Qingtang was still soaking in her excitement. Chances were she’d be too happy to sleep for the next few days because of this.

"Oh right!" Zhao Qingtang suddenly sat back down by the bed, leaned close to Lin Tian’s face, and stared so seriously it was like she wanted to inspect every pore on him. She asked solemnly, "Are you way stronger than me right now?"

Lin Tian thought for a moment and finally came up with a comparison: "The gap between us is like the gap between a freshly graduated student from Kanyue City Medical College and your grandpa."

The metaphor might not have been perfectly precise, but it was definitely the easiest for Zhao Qingtang to accept.

Sure enough, after she heard it, her excited little face immediately drooped. Disheartened, she said, "Sounds like the gap is kinda huge."

But she perked up again very quickly. "Can I teach this Breathing method to my grandpa and grandma?"

What a filial kid—whenever she got something good, her first thought was always of her elders.

Lin Tian said, "Of course you can. Just don’t teach them the way I taught you, hand-in-hand. If something happens, you might not be able to handle it."

"Mm, got it."

"Also, their speed will absolutely be nothing like yours. You’re riding a rocket, while if they cultivate, that’s more like walking on foot. Still, it’ll do them good."

"How come?"

"Because you’re doing Dual Cultivation with me." Lin Tian said bluntly.

At once, Zhao Qingtang’s expression turned a bit odd. Anyone hearing the words "Dual Cultivation" would immediately think of some not-so-wholesome images, right? No wonder she was making that face.

"It’s mental-and-physical Dual Cultivation, not the R-rated kind you’re thinking of." Lin Tian said with a wry smile. He’d avoided mentioning it before precisely because he didn’t want Zhao Qingtang to misunderstand.

"Fine." Zhao Qingtang reluctantly accepted this explanation.

Lin Tian got up and walked to the window. He pulled open the curtains; the rain had stopped and the sky had cleared, with gentle sunlight streaming in through the glass. A glance at the clock on the wall told him it was already 7:40 the next morning.

"Huh?"

Zhao Qingtang froze, then said, a tangle of emotions in her voice, "So a whole night has passed?"

She’d thought, like before, that only two or three hours had gone by.

"Yeah." Lin Tian nodded with a bitter smile.

"Then..." Zhao Qingtang glanced toward the door, her mouth falling open in shock. Her face changed as she said, "Grandpa and Grandma must be awake by now. They don’t let me sleep in—at the latest they drag me up by 7:30 for breakfast. But it’s almost eight, and no one’s knocked yet. Do they think you stayed in my room all night?"

At that, Zhao Qingtang sucked in a sharp breath of cold air. If that were really the case, even jumping into the Yellow River wouldn’t wash her clean!

Lin Tian spread his hands. "That’s the truth. I did stay in your room all night."

"You... Is this really the time for jokes? It’s all your fault—what are we gonna do now?"

Lin Tian rolled his eyes hard. This was some next-level blame-shifting; even Dou E would complain about the injustice!

"How about you climb out the window? This is only the fifth floor, and you’re a master now—you can totally handle it, right?"

"..."

"No, no, that’s way too dangerous. You absolutely can’t jump! But if you go out through the door, you’ll definitely be caught!" Zhao Qingtang started spiraling into anxious overthinking.

Just as Lin Tian was about to say something, Zhao Qingtang added, "Forget it, you stay here for a bit. I’ll sneak out and take a look first."

In fact, Lin Tian had already used his X-ray vision to take a look. All four elders were awake and sitting in the living-room outside, eating breakfast, watching the news, chatting—though their gazes kept drifting toward Zhao Qingtang’s room.

But Lin Tian couldn’t tell Zhao Qingtang what he’d seen. Sooner or later they’d have to face reality anyway, so he might as well let her see for herself.

Click~

She turned the doorknob and opened a small crack. Hunched over, Zhao Qingtang slowly poked her head out to peek.

"Qingtang!"

Unfortunately, she was caught right away. Which was perfectly normal—her room was basically a minefield right now, and the whole Zhao family was on edge about it.

In an instant, the four adults all turned their gazes on her.

Zhang Youling held a glass of milk in both hands and looked at her daughter with a squinty smile. "Playing hide-and-seek? In your own home you’re still sneaking around like that. What exactly did you do last night?"

"Nothing! I didn’t do anything!" she shot back loudly.

In the room, Lin Tian slapped a hand to his forehead. Wasn’t this the classic "there’s no silver buried here" routine? This girl’s lying skills still needed work!

"Heh, then how did you sleep last night?" Zhang Youling asked again with a smile—though it was a cold one.

"P-pretty well..."

"Is that so? I suppose Lin Tian slept pretty well too?"

"..."

"Alright, stop making him hide. Let him come out. I may be old, but I’m not some old stick-in-the-mud. I’m actually quite open-minded."

This time it was Zhao Xuefeng who spoke. He even craned his neck to try and look into the room, but the door was open just a sliver, so he couldn’t see a thing.