Transformation

In the days that followed, Instructor Chen's training remained the same—daily foundational drills with gradually increasing intensity.

For anything that clearly exceeded what her body could bear, Xu Lingqu decisively conceded points for safety. She pushed through whatever she judged herself capable of completing, and when the day ended, she went straight to the infirmary to lie down.

The days passed quickly amid this fulfilling, hectic training and the precious moments of rest in between.

The day before Instructor Kai Ang was due to return, Instructor Chen assigned the same training content as the first day.

The five-kilometer weighted run. The students, already accustomed to it, quietly adjusted their weights and prepared. At the command, the training began.

As they ran, a small stir arose among the students.

Xu Lingqu, who was usually at the very back, had suddenly appeared in the middle of the pack. Her breathing was easy, nothing like the first day when she'd seemed on the verge of death. Her steps were steady and solid.

The students running behind her had one immediate thought: this was bad.

They couldn't even outrun Xu Lingqu now? The students at the back began chasing desperately, while those in front didn't dare slack off either and sprinted with all they had.

Jin and Xu Xiqin, leading the pack, sensed the commotion behind them and poured on more speed, urging the group into a crazed acceleration.

Another instructor standing beside Instructor Chen watched the students sprinting as a collective and stared in disbelief. "These little brats... have they lost their minds?"

The instigator herself, Xu Lingqu, ran on at her own pace. Her final ranking wasn't even that high—still among the last ones.

But this time, she stood there perfectly fine, calm and composed, standing as straight as a bamboo pole. The other students—especially those nearest to her—were sprawled on the ground, tongues hanging out, gasping for air like they were dying.

Every student had finished the training five minutes faster than the last time. Those in the combat track had broken the 25-minute standard for official Imperial Military personnel, and those in non-combat tracks all finished within 30 minutes.

Everyone had unleashed their potential, all because one person had exceeded expectations.

Xu Lingqu walked over and helped Xu Xiqin to her feet. This time, Xu Xiqin had pushed herself too hard to hold her commanding position and had, for once, collapsed from exhaustion.

Jin, "suffering the same fate" nearby, reached out in protest. "I need help too!"

Xu Lingqu glanced at the other person still standing—Shen Shouli.

"You help him."

Shen Shouli refused. "No. He was rolling on the ground. He's covered in dust."

Jin was so angry he scrambled to his feet on his own. "How dare you say that about me!"

At that moment, Tang Muwen, who was also too exhausted to straighten his back, walked up and nearly toppled over when Jin bumped into him. Xu Lingqu freed one hand and caught him.

Tang Muwen's eyes sparkled with surprise and delight. "Thank you..."

From the initial wariness and disdain to this—Xu Lingqu willingly reaching out to help him up—it was a qualitative leap forward. Naturally, he was thrilled. In his eyes, in some sense, this was Xu Lingqu, who had strong boundaries, marking him as someone within her circle.

But Xu Lingqu herself hadn't thought that deeply. It was simply to avoid appearing ungrateful. Tang Muwen had been bustling around after her for days, acting like her personal lackey.

If she couldn't even lend a hand when it cost her nothing, that would be too cold.

Cold. The word popped into Xu Lingqu's mind, and suddenly the image of her raising a gun without hesitation in the apocalypse and shooting infected people flashed through her head again.

That word, once so deeply tied to her like a brand, now felt unfamiliar and made her uncomfortable.

She unconsciously released her hold on Tang Muwen's hand. He staggered but managed to steady himself. He said nothing, just lifted his face and smiled at her.

Xu Xiqin leaned against her shoulder, acting spoiled like a golden retriever whose owner had just come home. "Sister, you're amazing. You're completely not the person you used to be."

Xu Xiqin nuzzled against her shoulder. When she'd first met this adopted sister of hers, she'd perfectly matched the stereotype that her mother and brother had described.

A sickly, unlovable 'sister'—short, pale, and lifeless.

That Xu Lingqu hadn't matched the sister Xu Xiqin had imagined in any way. She'd instinctively felt that her sister was someone she should protect.

Even if her brother and mother didn't like her, in her eyes, her sister was a weak person who had done nothing wrong. She had naturally placed her sister within her protection.

But as the trial period at Moye Military Academy went on, Xu Lingqu had displayed her strength and resilience in every way through each incident. This time, what she inspired was no longer the protective instinct toward the weak, but a presence of strength that was powerful enough to make people instinctively trust and rely on her.

"How old are you, still clinging to your sister and acting spoiled?" Jin couldn't stand the sisters' tender moment and couldn't help interrupting. "And isn't Xu Lingqu the adopted daughter? Why are you acting like you've been real sisters for over a decade..."

Xu Xiqin, who had been basking in the happiness of leaning on her sister, had finally had enough. She spun around and kicked out, and Jin barely raised his arm to block.

"Don't you have plenty of strength? Why are you pretending to be weak and leaning on our commander!" Jin shook his arm, which had gone numb from the kick. "I'd say your brother really didn't waste the extra training he gave you all these years."

"How do you know so much about our family?" Xu Xiqin stepped forward to grab Jin and drag him over for interrogation. "Huh? Is your family on the Capital Star too? Are you the son of some duke, baron, minister, or general—pretending to be from the Three Star Systems and having fun with us?"

Jin quickly hid behind Shen Shouli. "It was all Shen Shouli who told me! If you don't believe me, ask him!"

Shen Shouli stood between the two of them like a pillar, separating the elementary-school-style brawl.

Shen Shouli turned his head to look at Xu Lingqu beside him, his expression clear: "Are you going to do something about this?"

Xu Lingqu shook her head decisively. "Can't control it."

Faced with this treasure of a young master whom everyone—her brother, her mother, and everyone around her—had praised endlessly, Xu Xiqin calmed down slightly. She didn't grab his collar and demand answers, but she looked at Shen Shouli with confusion. "You... you usually act like you can't be bothered with anything. How do you know everything privately?"

Shen Shouli reached behind him and jabbed Jin. Jin clutched his left lower abdomen and fell to the ground.

Even as he hit the ground, he didn't forget to wink at Shen Shouli and mouth the words: Sorry for making you take the fall.

He was clearly gloating.

"Didn't I visit your house the other day? Isn't it normal that I know?" That was also why he hadn't wanted to socialize and had hidden in the garden—and then had witnessed the banquet's protagonist, Miss Xu, kick someone into the fountain.

He'd also given false testimony for the first time in his life, saying he hadn't seen anything.

The latter part went unsaid. Shen Shouli's gaze paused on Xu Lingqu for a moment before quickly shifting away. It was pointless to say it out loud anyway. After all, the person before him was vastly different—like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon—and Miss Xu was always unappreciative of his efforts.