Fortunately, this analogy rekindled Xia Tong's spirits, and she threw herself into her "arithmetic rope skipping" with gusto, taking a beating all afternoon. Lin Mingfei repeatedly worried that Xia Tong would cry, but later realized his worries were unnecessary. Far from crying, Xia Tong actually showed a resounding resilience. The two of them continued training until just before dinner.

During dinner, He Youjin came again and said that he wanted to finalize the exact time of the training match with Lin Mingfei.

"That Gourd Team." He Youjin felt a bit uncomfortable hearing this unremarkable name. He coughed and said, "To be honest, they're a bit anxious."

"A team that can't even make it to the qualifiers, don't you plan to train for a few more days?" Zhou Yanjun rolled his eyes and said, "Why are you rushing over here to send Dad off in such a hurry?"

"Maybe they're rushing to take our lives," Lin Mingfei said lightly. He held his chin with one hand, tapping his cheek with his five fingers in turn. "Did they get some new secret weapon?"

"Hey, you guessed it right, Zero!" He Youjin clapped his hands, his expression serious. "I asked around, and this team named Shui Jiji was sold to a wealthy second-generation kid playing around this year."

"So what?" Zhou Yanjun poked Shi Ya with his thumb: "Our Master Shi is also a rich second-generation!"

"I'm nothing but a rich second-generation, don't talk nonsense." Shi Ya pushed his hand away: "I'm middle class at best."

"Well, that's a true rich second generation, the kind with so much money they don't know where to spend it," He Youjin said. "So they bought three strong Alpha players from the European region! Two of them are Russian!"

Zhou Yanjun gasped: "Hiss! Maozi!"

Bo Yu: "A fighting nation."

Shi Ya: “I heard he can fight a bear with his bare hands!”

After they finished their comments, they all turned to look at the little Omega at the table.

Xia Tong was eating a piece of fried asparagus, but she couldn't swallow it because she was stared at. "Smack", the small piece of green plant slipped from her mouth, and she was dumbfounded.

"Okay, don't look at him." Lin Mingfei knocked on the edge of the table and warned, "So what if we're a fighting nation? This isn't a boxing match."

"Emmmm, think on the bright side!" Zhou Yanjun said, "At least they don't speak the same language!"

"Then I have to remind you that the remaining two contestants of our nationality have been taken to an educational institution to cram their English. It's a one-on-one course, and they also have to practice rolling their tongues!" said He Youjin.

"Is this true?" Zhou Yanjun asked in shock.

"My insider in the league told me!" He Youjin said mysteriously and solemnly.

"Fang Haoyang?" Lin Mingfei interrupted.

He Youjin hesitated for a long time and admitted reluctantly: "...Hmm."

"Then the credibility should be quite high." Lin Mingfei said.

"And unfortunately, I guessed it right." He Youjin rubbed his fingernails with gritted teeth and said, "That bastard Fang Haoyang has already designed the poster for our training match, calling it a friendly exhibition match. He's contacted three live streaming platforms and has even planned the sponsorship and promotion and everything. This is simply a public execution!"

"Wow." Lin Mingfei sighed falsely.

"Stop it, brother, you want to recruit me?" He Youjin pounded his leg anxiously: "This situation is urgent, it's burning!"

"Why are you so anxious? The person involved isn't anxious at all." Lin Mingfei raised her chin towards Xia Tong and said, "Look, it didn't affect the meal at all."

He Youjin: "...If he's stupid, you're stupid too!"

Xia Tong quickly finished the rice in her bowl, wiped her mouth, stood up, and said proudly, "I'm going up to train!"

"Go ahead." Lin Mingfei laughed and pouted at He Youjin, "See, he's not stupid at all."

Xia Tong didn't immediately rush into the arena after entering the game, fearing he'd be beaten to the ground and lose his temper if he went in alone. He collected over a dozen wizard tutorials and guides from forums, coded them one by one, and compared and analyzed them, systematically listing the pros and cons of each equipment build and damage rotation. Then, he would choose players of different classes and challenge them to duels on crowded maps.

It was only after a real duel with someone that Xia Tong realized how much room he had for improvement. When he was playing in a three-person team with Zhou Yanjun and Bo Yu, he took advantage of the fact that the other party did not understand their personal situation. He let Bo Yu and Zhou Yanjun rush to the front to attract fire, while he hid in the back and took the opportunity to output. He won many games by taking shortcuts, but when he was really fighting face to face with others and using skills, his ending was either rolling on the ground or rolling on the ground.

There is a reason why so many people play the two melee professions, Axe Warrior and Paladin. With close combat, 12345, and once you get the initiative, you can kill the squishy professions and leave only a thin layer of health. It's simple and crude. Xia Tong memorized so many output routines, but she only used them once when competing with ten people, and she only won that time.

Xia Tong felt very uncomfortable and declined the invitation from his teammates to play in a group. He meditated alone for a long time, reviewing the process and details of the only duel he had just won. He was still in the game until after ten o'clock in the evening. Suddenly, the game interface was disconnected. Ten seconds later, he was forced to quit the game. The lights in the "cocoon" went out and the door slowly opened.

Xia Tong was still a little confused. When she looked up, she saw Lin Mingfei standing outside the hatch of the "Cocoon" with her arms folded.

"Zero..."

"What time is it?" Lin Mingfei said calmly, raising her chin. "Go to bed."

"But......"

"Go to bed." Lin Mingfei repeated, her tone slightly heavier. "You have to get up for a morning run at six tomorrow morning. Did you forget?"

"Oh yeah!"

Xia Tong suddenly woke up and stood up dazedly by supporting himself on the seat. When he stepped out of the cabin door, he lost his balance and tripped over the metal pedal, falling forward uncontrollably.

"Ah..." He cried out briefly, his heart dropping rapidly, held down by the feeling of weightlessness. Then he was held up by a pair of strong and warm arms and wrapped in a solid embrace.

Through the thin cotton fabric, Xia Tong's face pressed against the man's chest. He could hear the thumping of another heartbeat, drowning out his own hurried heartbeat and breathing. And once again, he could smell the faint, refreshing scent of sandalwood.

"Why aren't you sleeping even though it's like this?" Lin Mingfei's voice was warm and magnetic, like the pleasant sound of a cello playing in her ears. Her tone seemed to be blaming, but also seemed to be distressed.

"I... I'm not sleepy." Xia Tong's mind was a mess, and she couldn't even focus her vision. She felt completely intoxicated, deeply trapped in this invisible land of tenderness. "It's my feet. They're numb."

Lin Mingfei hummed softly from the depths of her throat, and it was unclear whether it was a doting smile or a mockery. She then bent down and picked up Xia Tong horizontally.

"Hey..." Xia Tong was caught off guard and subconsciously hooked her arms around Lin Mingfei's neck. Then, she blushed like a cooked shrimp. "What are you doing...what are you doing!"

"Didn't you say your feet were numb?" Lin Mingfei turned around leisurely, lowered her eyes and looked at him with amusement.

"It's just that my feet are numb..." Xia Tong explained in an inaudible voice, her fingers trembling as she clenched the fabric of Alpha's clothes at the back of his neck.

"Then I was just hugging you..." Lin Mingfei lowered her head, lowered her voice, and exhaled a breath of warm air, which fell on his cheek like a floating cloud. "What are you thinking about, you bad guy?"

"No, I didn't." Xia Tong's face was red as if blood was dripping out. After being exposed to society for so long, he felt that some chaotic and undeveloped parts of his mind were gradually being discovered. He seemed to be able to integrate more and more into the surrounding environment, and he was becoming more and more sensitive and emotionally changeable. Just like now, although he couldn't explain why he felt ashamed, but just...

Lin Mingfei seemed to find his reaction amusing, and added in a low, meaningful voice, "There's no one around now anyway, right?"

Xia Tong stuttered for a moment: "You——"

Before he could finish his reproachful words, Lin Mingfei put him down on the ground. The Alpha held one of his arms to support him, freeing his hand to open his bedroom door.

"Okay, I'll deliver it to your home." Lin Mingfei smiled softly: "I feel that the red scarf on my chest is even more colorful."

Xia Tong: “…”

"When will our training match be held?" He remembered that Lin Mingfei should have gone with He Youjin tonight to discuss the date of the training match, and couldn't help but ask.

"Maybe in a week. It can't be too late."

"oh......"

Xia Tong lowered her head, unable to explain the emotion in her heart. The string that had not been loose at all was tightened even more.

"Don't be too anxious. Just follow my instructions and everything will be fine." Lin Mingfei suddenly leaned forward and rested her forehead against his. "Trust me, okay?"

"good......"

"Good night then, see you tomorrow."

"Um......"

After waking up from a dream, Xia Tong realized that the road of cultivation was far from over.

His legs felt like they were soaked in two jars of vinegar. They were sore and swollen that he couldn't lift them. His knees were even trembling slightly.

He walked tremblingly to the bathroom, holding on to the wall, to wash up, and then walked tremblingly out of the bedroom, holding on to the wall. He felt like an octogenarian in his seventies or eighties who urgently needed a cane.

When he bumped into Zhou Yanjun, the fat man shook his head and sighed, "I knew it would happen if you didn't exercise for a long time and then suddenly did strenuous exercise. The muscles would anaerobic fermentation to produce a large amount of lactic acid, and then it would become like this. I have to experience this pain every once in a while."

Xia Tong cried, "My legs hurt when I touch them now, sob!"

"Ah, seeing you reminds me of Andersen's fairy tales." Shi Ya felt both distressed and amused: "Have you heard the story of the Little Mermaid? For the sake of her beloved, she traded her fish tail for human legs, but every step she took was like walking on the edge of a knife -"

"Hey, my!" Zhou Yanjun said with a terrified look on his face, "Don't mention Timer, I've already seen the picture."

At this time, Lin Mingfei came over leisurely on her mountain bike.

"He's coming, he's coming." Bo Yu poked Xia Tong's shoulder and warned, "He's coming with the devil's bicycle."

Xia Tong swallowed in horror with a "gulp".

"Good morning, are you still doing morning exercises today?" Lin Mingfei looked at Xia Tong with a half-smile, her ears pointed like a fairy, and her tone was a little provocative: "The Little Mermaid?"

Xia Tong: “…”

A few seconds later, he tightened his face and breathlessly squeezed out a word: "I ride!"