Something's Not Quite Right With Both Sisters

In the main hall, the Combat Rankings screen told the story.

Lu Yuan's rank had climbed to second place.

The hall fell into a stunned silence. Every person there stood with their mouths hanging open.

It was only Lu Yuan's second month at the academy — only his second Combat Power Test — and he had surpassed nearly every student in the Talent Camp to claim second place.

First place still belonged to a sixth-year student, a prodigy on the verge of graduation.

The shockwave this sent through the crowd was easy to imagine.

Si Tingxue's rank of eighth was equally staggering, in its own right.

But set beside Lu Yuan's, it fell just a hair short.

Just then, Rebecca came bouncing down the stairs, humming a cheerful tune, and returned to the main hall. She noticed the silence — everyone staring blankly at the Combat Rankings — and a flicker of confusion crossed her face.

"Hmm? What's going on with everyone?"

She turned to look at the Combat Rankings out of curiosity, then her eyes went wide and she froze.

Second place: Lu Yuan.

Rebecca opened her mouth, hardly daring to believe it.

"A-Yuan is actually *this* strong?!"

Her expression shifted. "Oh no. Xiao Xue!"

She quickly scanned down the list and found Si Tingxue's name at eighth.

But her expression remained troubled.

As Si Tingxue's closest friend, Rebecca knew her abilities better than anyone. Eighth place was her limit for now — climbing higher would have to wait until Si Tingxue's tempering improved. Yet Lu Yuan had only just broken through to Third-rank, and here he was at second place. Even to Rebecca, it was unbelievable.

"The way things look, Xiao Xue lost. Oh, this is bad."

Rebecca scratched her short orange hair with a fretful look, already picturing Si Tingxue's sour expression.

*Hmm… how do I cheer her up later?*

Just then, Si Tingxue's cool, crisp voice sounded right behind her.

"Cheer me up? For what?"

Rebecca stiffened like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, shooting upright.

"Ah? Nothing! Absolutely nothing!"

Si Tingxue gave her a puzzled glance, then stepped into the hall and looked at the Combat Rankings.

When she saw Lu Yuan's rank, her body gave a faint start. Her eyes widened — the first time anyone had seen a real shift in expression cross that cool, composed face.

Rebecca cleared her throat and wrapped an arm around Si Tingxue's.

"Hey, Xiao Xue — wins and losses are just part of the game. Don't take it too hard. That guy's obviously a freak of nature. We don't need to measure ourselves against him."

Si Tingxue stared at Lu Yuan's rank, gaze shifting. She recalled the conversation they'd had back at the defense encampment, and bit lightly at her lower lip.

After a moment of silence, the tension drained from her face until it was calm again.

"…I'm still too weak."

It was the first time Rebecca had seen Si Tingxue recover so quickly. She blinked and looked her over.

"You sure you're okay, Xiao Xue?"

Si Tingxue shook her head. "I'm fine. I just need to work harder."

She glanced over at Rebecca and said flatly, "That goes for you too. You're not lacking in talent — train with me from now on."

"Huh? Aren't we supposed to balance work and play?"

Rebecca's face fell. She scratched her short hair with a pained look. Training wasn't exactly her idea of a good time; she much preferred having fun.

Si Tingxue gave a small shake of her head. "Grandfather Rafael is coming back before long. If he catches you slacking, he'll give you an earful."

"Hehe~ Can't you just not tell him, Xiao Xue?"

Si Tingxue looked at her. "You want me to lie to Grandfather Rafael?"

Rebecca's grin froze. She forced a weak laugh, rubbed the back of her head, and sighed.

"Fine, fine. I'll train properly."

While the two were talking, Lu Yuan came down the stairs and spotted Si Tingxue and Rebecca standing outside the hallway. Curious, he called out, "What are you two doing standing out here?"

Both turned to look at him.

Si Tingxue shot him a glare. There wasn't much of an expression to read, but Lu Yuan had known her long enough to tell she was annoyed.

Beside her, Rebecca was puffing her cheeks like a little cat, wearing the look of a loyal companion rallying to her master's side.

Lu Yuan was thoroughly baffled.

*What is wrong with these two?*

He didn't dwell on it and walked over to check the Combat Rankings.

When he saw that he was ranked second, he paused — genuinely surprised. He'd figured he'd land somewhere in the top five. This was higher than he'd expected.

*So the strongest students in the Talent Camp are probably around King Grade? Maybe first place is a bit stronger?*

Either way, it didn't matter to him. He scanned down and spotted Si Tingxue's name at eighth. A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Well, well — classmate Si Tingxue, the Combat Rankings don't lie, do they? Looks like I won."

*Ah. So that's what this is about.*

Given how competitive Si Tingxue was, losing clearly didn't sit well with her. Lu Yuan, on the other hand, was perfectly happy about it.

He turned to face her.

Si Tingxue fixed him with a stare and let out a cold snort.

"Obviously. Tonight, we're going to my sister's place."

Lu Yuan smiled. "Works for me."

Rebecca had dropped her earlier glare and was now cheerfully raising her hand with a grin.

"Me too! Me too! It's been forever since I had Xiao Xue's cooking!"

Lu Yuan glanced at her, mildly surprised.

*Si Tingxue can actually cook?*

While the three were talking, every Gene Warrior in the hall had their eyes fixed on Lu Yuan and Si Tingxue. Two first-years, outshining everyone else in the room. Only in their first year and already in the top ten — barring anything unexpected, those two were the academy's future top two, no question. Envy filled the eyes of every onlooker.

Si Tingxue and Rebecca headed off, and Lu Yuan stayed to wait for Si Tingfeng, Yang Ping, and Maige.

The three of them finished their tests not long after. When they came down and saw the rankings, Yang Ping and Maige had gone numb to it. Si Tingfeng couldn't help but give a wry smile.

"I always figured you'd overtake me one day, A-Yuan. Just didn't expect it to be this soon."

He felt somewhat helpless about it. He was an Innate Inheritor too, but his inheritance was only Chief Grade — that already put him behind Si Tingxue, let alone where Lu Yuan stood now.

The four of them left the hall under everyone's gaze and headed back to the dormitory district. Afterward, Lu Yuan said goodbye to the others and made his way to Si Tingyu's dormitory.

He had been putting serious effort into practicing Steel Body lately. But compared to Black Steel Force, Steel Body proved considerably harder to master — so far, he could only boost his defense by about fifty percent. He still needed to keep going to Si Tingyu's to get beaten up.

When Lu Yuan arrived, he found Si Tingxue and Rebecca already there, chatting with Si Tingyu in the living room.

All three looked over as he came in.

Rebecca gave him a cheerful wink. "You're so slow, A-Yuan!"

Beside her, Si Tingxue glanced at him, gave a quiet huff as her version of a greeting, then looked away.

Si Tingyu smiled warmly. "I heard from Rebecca — you made second on the Combat Rankings?"

Lu Yuan nodded. "That's right, Instructor. It's thanks to your guidance."

Si Tingyu shook her head, her tone serious. "That's the result of your own talent and hard work. I only taught you defensive techniques."

From their sparring sessions, it was clear to her that Lu Yuan's abilities far exceeded what his inscribed Transcendent Genes should account for. She didn't know the exact reason, but he obviously had his own secrets and fortunate encounters. Opportunities weren't unheard of in the Land of Origin, and Si Tingyu wasn't the type to pry into a student's personal fortunes — so she let it go without another word.

Hearing that Lu Yuan had placed second on the Combat Rankings surprised her, but mostly she felt proud of her student. His talent was undeniable — but she had also witnessed his dedication firsthand. Not everyone could take daily beatings until bones cracked and joints gave way without ever once complaining.

Si Tingyu's golden-red eyes rested on Lu Yuan, soft with warmth.

Watching Si Tingyu praise him, Rebecca's eyes went wide. She stared at her with unconcealed astonishment. She knew all too well how strict Si Tingyu could be — frankly, she was a little scared of her. The last thing she'd expected was for Si Tingyu to be this warm toward Lu Yuan.

*That's practically unheard of!*

She glanced over at Si Tingxue, whose pretty face was as cool as ever, and couldn't help the thought that crept into her mind: *Something's not quite right with both of these sisters.*

Lu Yuan scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed smile. "Without your defensive training and Steel Body instruction, my combat strength wouldn't be nearly this high."

Si Tingyu smiled slightly. "I hear Xue'er is cooking dinner for you tonight?"

Lu Yuan glanced over at Si Tingxue and smiled. "That's right — it was our bet."

Si Tingyu looked over at Si Tingxue, who was radiating a quiet aura of barely-contained irritation, and an amused sparkle lit her golden-red eyes.

"Then let's go train and let Xue'er cook on her own."

She turned to look at Rebecca. "You're coming too."

Rebecca froze, trembling.

"I… I wanted to help Xiao Xue in the kitchen…"

"Hmm?"

Si Tingxue's eyes narrowed, and she fixed Rebecca with a stern look.

Rebecca's face crumpled. She was almost in tears.

*I knew I shouldn't have come! At home I could've watched movies and played games — life would've been so easy!*

She got to her feet, practically drowning in self-pity.

"Fine. I'll train too."

Lu Yuan shot Si Tingxue a gleeful grin.

"Good luck with dinner, classmate Si Tingxue."

Si Tingxue: "…"

She clenched her fist, shot him a glare, then looked away, refusing to acknowledge that insufferably smug expression of his.

"Don't worry — I honor my bets. I'll put real effort into it!"

After that, Lu Yuan and a quivering Rebecca followed Si Tingyu downstairs to the underground training room, and the session began.

Several hours later, evening had fallen.

In the underground training room, Lu Yuan's body was sent flying and crashed hard into the wall with a thunderous **boom**, leaving a visible dent. His complexion was pale as he slowly slid down.

Rebecca sat nearby, trembling, staring at Lu Yuan and Si Tingyu with wide, horrified eyes.

Si Tingyu quietly withdrew her hand and walked over. She produced a vial that glimmered with shifting starlight and brought it to his lips. He opened his mouth without a word and drank it down.

The routine was well-practiced between them.

After all, Lu Yuan regularly got beaten to the point of broken bones. He could've used Life Light to recover quickly. But he had never used Life Light in front of Si Tingyu — every time, he let her feed him the medicine instead. Over time, it had become second nature to both of them.

The Starlight Blessing Elixir was a powerful healing medicine, and Si Tingyu never hesitated to use it on him whenever he was injured.

After he finished the elixir, Si Tingyu stood.

"Rest a bit. We'll continue in a moment."

Lu Yuan nodded quietly. "Sure."

He lay back on the floor, feeling the elixir dissolve into threads of gentle warmth that spread through his entire body.

Just then, an intelligent robot came down the stairs and announced, "Master, Second Young Mistress says dinner is almost ready and asks that you come upstairs to eat."

Si Tingyu responded, "Understood."

She turned to Lu Yuan. "That's enough for today. We'll pick it up tomorrow."

She wiped the sweat from her face. Since they had been practicing Body Techniques, neither of them had used Spirit Power or Combat Techniques — only raw physical force. Even Si Tingyu worked up a sweat.

Her white training uniform, already somewhat loose-fitting, was now soaked through and clung to her figure, accentuating every line of her striking physique. Si Tingyu paid it no mind whatsoever. She turned and walked into the changing room, and the sound of running water followed shortly after.

Lu Yuan lay on the floor, waiting for his body to heal.

Rebecca crept over nervously and crouched beside him, eyes wide, carefully poking his slightly bruised arm.

"Doesn't that hurt?"

Lu Yuan winced. "What do you think?"

Of course it hurt. But after going through so many gene evolutions — where the pain was far more intense than this — it honestly didn't feel like a big deal by comparison.

Rebecca looked at him with genuine admiration. "A-Yuan, you're incredible. You can take all that — no wonder Sister Tingyu treats you so well. I've never seen her be this nice to any guy before."

Lu Yuan rolled his eyes. "I'm her student. Isn't it natural for her to look after me?"

Rebecca paused, thought about it. "I guess that's true."

Then she added, "But you're still really impressive. No wonder you're stronger than Xiao Xue — I could never train the way you do."

A smile tugged at Lu Yuan's mouth. "That's right. My strength is entirely the fruit of my own relentless effort."

"Amazing!"

Rebecca clapped her hands, a hint of genuine awe in her eyes. "You and Xiao Xue both work so hard. I want to learn from you two — play less — or Grandpa's going to chew me out something fierce."

Lu Yuan couldn't help but laugh. "Then work at it. If you ever run into trouble, come find me — I'm always happy to help."

"You mean it? Deal!"

After chatting for a while, Lu Yuan's injuries had fully healed — partly because his physical recovery had grown considerably stronger, and partly because the Starlight Blessing Elixir was genuinely potent.

He stood up. Si Tingyu emerged from the changing room wearing a white casual outfit. She glanced at him. "Go wash up."

Lu Yuan entered the changing room. It had a shower area, still carrying faint warmth and a clean fragrance from Si Tingyu having just used it.

After washing up and changing into fresh clothes, he came back out to find Si Tingyu and Rebecca already gone — headed upstairs, probably.

He followed them up and found everyone already seated at the dining table. There were quite a few dishes laid out. A rich, deep aroma hit him — the kind that came from using premium Feral Beast meat and rare natural ingredients.

Lu Yuan's eyes lit up. He walked over, sat down, and looked at Si Tingxue with a trace of surprise.

"I honestly didn't think you could actually cook, classmate Si Tingxue."

Rebecca had already started eating and said, somewhat muffled, "Of course she can — Xiao Xue's cooking is incredible."

Si Tingxue tilted her chin up. "Try it yourself."

Lu Yuan took a bite and found it genuinely excellent — even better than Si Tingyu's cooking, if he was honest. He gave Si Tingxue a thumbs-up in silent approval and dug in.

The food was so good that Lu Yuan ate until his stomach was straining. He finally set down his chopsticks with reluctant resignation.

He genuinely hadn't expected it — that this ice-cold girl could cook like this.

After the meal, Lu Yuan said goodbye to the three of them and headed back to his own dormitory. It was dark out by the time he got back. Si Tingfeng and the others weren't in the common room, so he went straight to his room.

He first updated his trade listing on the school's forum, putting Spirit Power Gene Fluid up for sale.

Then he browsed through the forum and found a thread about his climb to second on the Combat Rankings — it had blown up. There was even a thread about his bet with Si Tingxue, and somehow that one was trending even higher. The whole thing was full of speculation about whether Lu Yuan and Si Tingxue were in a relationship.

Lu Yuan stared at the screen with an exasperated grimace. *Gossip — truly the universal human instinct, regardless of what world you're in. People with too much free time.*

Then again, Lu Yuan himself had just eaten far too much — and he wasn't the type for gossip either.

At most, he was just… quietly scrolling.