Having returned home, Ji Xinghuo, after washing up, lay in bed and thought a bit before sending Zhao Manying a message: "I’m home."
A second later, he received a reply: "Okay."
It even came with a cute emoticon.
A smile appeared on Ji Xinghuo’s face, and he continued to type on his phone. He was going to say goodnight, but they ended up talking about other stuff. His phone kept pinging non-stop, and before they knew it, they had been chatting for hours, seemingly with endless topics to cover.
Not until the sky began to lighten did they reluctantly bid each other goodnight.
After sleeping for about three or four hours, Ji Xinghuo got up feeling energetic and instinctively reached for his phone, which, indeed, had a new message: "I’ll be handling some private matters with the team this morning and will be training at the club in the afternoon until about five o’clock. Let’s have dinner together then."
Ji Xinghuo glanced at the time—it was only nine in the morning, still eight hours to go.
"Just enough time to cultivate."
He sent a message back and then headed out to the training room.
Every time he completed a training cycle and was resting, Ji Xinghuo would check his phone to chat for a bit with Zhao Manying, who would send him photos, telling him what she was up to. Although sometimes he couldn’t reply immediately, he would share his own status whenever possible.
By evening, Ji Xinghuo, somewhat impatient, finished his cultivation and quickly washed up, changed clothes, and hailed a taxi to the Tianqin Sports Arena.
Originally, it was here that he passed the physical fitness test, obtained an Alien Species, and became a Mutant.
The home base for the Emperor Star Team, Zhao Manying’s team, was located at Tianqin Sports Arena.
Returning to this familiar place, Ji Xinghuo was quite nostalgic.
Soon, Ji Xinghuo awaited Zhao Manying, who today had switched to wearing long, wavy red hair that cascaded over her shoulders, a gray coat, high boots, and holding a chic, small bag, exuding an atmosphere of sophistication—a totally different image from yesterday.
Ji Xinghuo admired her for a moment, then smiled and said, "I almost didn’t recognize you."
"It took me half an hour to get this look," Zhao Manying twirled in front of him to show off her outfit for the day, "Do you like it?"
"You look beautiful!" Ji Xinghuo sincerely complimented.
With today’s advanced makeup technology, even the most complicated and exquisite hairstyles could be completed in no more than twenty minutes if one was willing to spend the money. This included hair dyeing, extensions, cuts and blow-dries, among other manipulations, combined with various styles of outfits, one could go 365 days without repeating the same look.
People were coming and going nearby, and by just looking up, you could see the Emperor Star Team’s promotional videos on the stadium’s large screen and even a gigantic poster that was several stories high.
Yet, no one realized that the beautiful woman beside them was Zhao Manying.
Hearing Ji Xinghuo’s compliment, Zhao Manying’s eyes filled with laughter, and she was in a very good mood as she linked arms with him and they got into the car together.
The voices of the two could be heard in the Magnetic Levitation Car as it quickly sped away.
In the following days, the two of them met every day, just like a real couple.
Ji Xinghuo adjusted his schedule to match Zhao Manying’s availability; whether it was day or night, they would eat, shop, and date together. Occasionally, they would enter the privately booked Martial Arts Arena to freely spar and practice Martial Arts, progressing together.
As they immersed themselves in their own world, the online buzz about Zhao Manying’s romance gradually faded.
Although countless people were curious about the identity of her boyfriend, Zhao Manying released a sincere public letter asking everyone to respect their privacy and clarified that her boyfriend was not a competing Mutant, nor a public figure, a celebrity, or a rich second generation, but just an ordinary citizen who did not wish his life to be disturbed.
This caused quite a stir.
Everyone was amazed that Zhao Manying would choose a boyfriend outside of the entertainment circle, all envying the man who had such good fortune.
Nevertheless, Zhao Manying still received many blessings from her fans.
Actually, Ji Xinghuo had noticed several times that someone was following her, but with his sensory abilities, he could easily shake them off.
In the midst of the intense clanging of metal, Ji Xinghuo was forced to retreat several steps back, his back slamming against the wall.
A longsword, swift as lightning and moving unpredictably, flew towards him; it was so fast his eyes could barely catch its shadow. Ji Xinghuo swung his longsword in defense, managing to send the incoming blade flying.
Using Flash Step, he moved along the wall, but the longsword flew back toward him.
This time, he wasn’t quick enough to dodge, and the longsword grazed his cheek before embedding into the wall, leaving a tiny cut on his face.
"I lost," Ji Xinghuo muttered as he wiped the blood from his face, but the wound immediately healed, leaving no trace.
In the center of the Martial Arts Arena, Zhao Manying waved her hand to recall the metal longsword back into her grip. She was dressed in a white training outfit, her black hair tied back in a ponytail, tall and striking, her demeanor fierce. She had won the duel but wasn’t too happy about it and shook her head, saying, "You held back again."
"I didn’t," Ji Xinghuo walked over, "I gave it my all."
"Why don’t I believe that?" Zhao Manying fetched a bottle of water from mid-air and handed it to Ji Xinghuo, saying, "If you’re trying to help me break my Heart Demon this way, it’s unlikely to work."
Ji Xinghuo took a few sips of the water, then handed the bottle to her, "I really didn’t hold back. That day on Huashan, I was able to beat you because I was in an exceptionally good state and performed beyond my usual level. You don’t know much about me."
"Is that so?" Zhao Manying took the water bottle and took a sip.
These days, the two had faced each other dozens of times in reality, with wins and losses about even, generally equal in strength. Ji Xinghuo had not shown the same overwhelming force as he had that night.
Even though Ji Xinghuo repeatedly stressed that this was his real strength, she still didn’t quite believe him, always feeling that Ji Xinghuo still had some tricks up his sleeve.