In the arena, Chu Qianze opened a room alone, simulating all the conditions according to league standards.
After setting it up, he sent an invitation to Zong Xinjue.
[Player Zong Xinjue entered the room.]
Chu Qianze waved to Zong Xinjue and sent over the configured parameters, saying, “It should be okay like this? I’m not entirely sure about the specific data, so I had to go with a rough estimate.”
Zong Xinjue compared the parameters briefly and nodded, “It should be fine.”
“Then let’s practice according to the plan first, identify each other’s weaknesses and areas for improvement, and then proceed with further adjustments.” Opening the panel, Chu Qianze reviewed the plan he had previously introduced and roughly simulated tactics in his mind.
No time to waste, Zong Xinjue raised his hand, equipping a massive shield. “Let’s begin now.”
Seeing the opponent raising the giant shield and charging towards him, Chu Qianze leaped backward and landed on a cylindrical pillar.
“So eager? Then I won’t hold back either.” As he spoke, metal quickly emerged and swirled around him, assembling into firearms. Bullets rapidly shot out towards Zong Xinjue.
Facing the incoming attacks, Zong Xinjue remained composed, raising his giant shield to block them.
[Skill: Block]
…
[The duel ends, Player Chen Qianli emerges victorious!]
The wings of the machinery retracted, and Chu Qianze descended from the air, coming to Zong Xinjue’s side. “How was that? Pretty impressive, right?”
“Your skills are just too overpowered,” Zong Xinjue said with some frustration. How could he compete when Chu Qianze seemed to counter him completely?
“In the arena, it’s just the nature of duels. To ensure relative fairness in matches, the league officials will definitely adjust the attributes of my character. I don’t really mind; some things are ingrained in my mind, and even if the skills are tweaked, I can still make them work.”
With a smile, Chu Qianze retracted the machinery on him and switched to the Poison Master profession. “Alright, now I’ve changed my profession. You can analyze the differences between the two.”
Zong Xinjue’s expression turned serious. “Okay.”
[The second round of the duel begins!]
…
[Congratulations to Player Chen Qianli for the victory!]
His pupils slightly contracted, and it wasn’t until the end of the match that Zong Xinjue realized. What was that skill just now?
It ended too quickly, and there wasn’t enough time to gather sufficient information.
“Again!”
[Congratulations to Player Chen Qianli—]
Zong Xinjue retrieved the giant shield he had thrown out. “Continue.”
…
[Congratulations to Player Chen Qianli—]
Not knowing which round it was, Zong Xinjue collapsed on the ground, disregarding any sense of decorum.
“Where did you get these skills? Your professional skills are just too terrifying.”
Chu Qianze sat down beside him. “Want some water?”
“Just a sip.”
Zong Xinjue sat up, took a sip from the cup, and then resumed his dramatic collapse on the ground.
“The difference between holographic online games and keyboard esports is too significant. Although both are games, the things to pay attention to are completely different. When I started playing this game, I even thought of using it to continue my esports dream, but this is not really a form of competition.” Zong Xinjue gazed at the sky in this position.
The way he spoke, it almost sounded like he was ready to give up?
Chu Qianze glanced down at him and found that the corners of Zong Xinjue’s eyes, his mouth, and even his entire face were radiating a kind of glow.
“This is so amusing,” Zong Xinjue murmured.
Hearing this, Chu Qianze was somewhat surprised.
“Because of holographic technology, it tests comprehensive qualities even more, and there are so many areas to train and focus on, full of uncertainties. But that’s what makes it more interesting.” Zong Xinjue sat up, took a recovery potion from his backpack, and gulped it down.
Standing up, tossing the potion bottle into the recycling bin, Zong Xinjue was filled with determination.
“Come on, let’s continue!”
“Ready for adjustments?”
“Ready. Move faster! I have to defeat you at least once!” Flames seemed to burn in Zong Xinjue’s eyes.
Thought he might be a bit sluggish for a moment, but this guy went straight for his head.
Chu Qianze chuckled, stood up, and patted his clothes. “Well, I’ll have to get serious then. Don’t let yourself be beaten to tears.”
“Tears?” Zong Xinjue laughed. “I’ll dedicate that phrase to you.”
Chu Qianze: “Let’s begin, then.”
[In the arena, the nth round of the duel officially begins!]
Chu Qianze wins.
[The n+1 round of the duel!]
As the rounds of the duel continued, by the time the next round started, it didn’t bother to speak.
Chu Qianze looked at Zong Xinjue charging towards him relentlessly, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his mind. He had to admit, he liked this kid’s determination.
“Do you want to take a break?” Chu Qianze suggested when the duel ended.
“No need, let’s continue directly,” Zong Xinjue said, his hands resting on his knees. Even though he had taken a stamina potion, he still felt incredibly tired. While his character’s various indicators had indeed recovered, the mental fatigue remained unabated.
Seeing Zong Xinjue’s obvious decrease in movement and reaction speed, Chu Qianze sighed. Despite that, he stood there without making a move.
The giant shield in Zong Xinjue’s hands hovered in midair, and he frowned slightly. “Why aren’t you moving?”
“I’ve been practicing for a long time, and continuing doesn’t yield much improvement. How about we analyze the data first?” Chu Qianze suggested.
“Finish this round, and then we’ll end it.”
“How many times have you said that?”
Chu Qianze lifted the giant shield hovering above his neck, took a step forward, and approached Zong Xinjue. “I feel pretty tired. Can we take a break?”
Lies. It was clearly so effortless.
A visible falsehood, not sincere at all. After encountering Chu Qianze’s smile, Zong Xinjue retracted the giant shield. “Let’s stop the duel for now and do something else.”
His tone carried a hint of reluctance.
[Duel ends, players, please exit as soon as possible.]
The prompt quickly popped up, seemingly impatient. If it could express emotions, it might say: “Oh my goodness, you’re finally leaving. Hurry up, get going, don’t stay here any longer.”
Zong Xinjue didn’t pay any attention to the panel prompt. He had already opened the panel, starting to record the mistakes and advantages from the just-ended duel, reflecting and summarizing each.
“Is it starting already?”
Chu Qianze leaned over to take a look. Zong Xinjue had marked various aspects with different colors, including the effects of skills, burst rates, mixed techniques, and even created several mind maps. All the information was clear at a glance.
Zong Xinjue nodded lightly, his hands still in motion. After roughly recording the situation, he switched to the feedback-specific page. The summary of this duel was already written on it. When he felt it was sufficient, he spread it out in front of Chu Qianze.
“What do you think I can do better?”
“Ask me?” Chu Qianze raised an eyebrow.
After a brief review of the information, Chu Qianze pondered for a moment. “I think your condition is already very good. Your skills are solid, and your reaction speed is well-trained. If there’s something to improve, perhaps… it could be your physical fitness in reality.”
“In reality?” Zong Xinjue’s eyes flickered.
Chu Qianze continued, “Although physical fitness in reality has a relatively small impact on the reference weight in the game, since you’ve reached a bottleneck in training and your character’s stats are already saturated, why not try starting from this aspect? Keep up the current reaction speed training and increase the time spent on real-world training. What do you think?”
The suggestion might sound a bit elusive, but upon careful consideration, it made sense.
“Alright, I’ll go to the gym for training as you suggested,” Zong Xinjue agreed.
“Just the gym? That’s too lax.” Chu Qianze crossed his arms, and the metallic machinery floated around him.
“In addition to reaction training and physical fitness, let’s add a morning run.”
“A morning run?” Zong Xinjue’s expression changed slightly. Wasn’t that an early wake-up call!
“That’s right, a morning run. Look at the time now. You stay up late every day. Developing good sleep habits is crucial, you know? You might withstand it now at your age, but it’ll pay off in the future. Your body isn’t in great shape now. What’s with that lack of flexibility? When I did massage before, it was so stiff it was hard to look at.” Chu Qianze couldn’t help but complain.
Hearing this, Zong Xinjue became a bit disgruntled. “I at least go to the gym for training every week.”
“So, add morning runs to the routine?”
Chu Qianze spread one hand out, while the other held onto the hand on top. “Are you unwilling to wake up early even for the sake of your esports dream?”
Zong Xinjue gritted his teeth. “Fine, morning runs it is.”
“At least half an hour, is that too much?” Chu Qianze suggested.
He himself did several rounds every day, requiring an hour.
“Sure,” Zong Xinjue agreed.
If you’re waking up early for reaction training, running for any duration won’t be a problem.
With the primary issue resolved, Chu Qianze’s tone softened. “Is there anything else for now?”
Checking his own documents, Zong Xinjue replied, “Organizing relevant data and discussing tactics for various teams.”
“That could take quite some time. How about going to Fashionable Whirl for afternoon tea? We can discuss while enjoying some treats,” Chu Qianze suggested.
Exiting the arena, the room automatically closed.
“I’ll have a strawberry mousse and a chocolate-baked milk. What about you?” After figuring out his dessert choices, Chu Qianze turned to Zong Xinjue. He found Zong Xinjue with a serious expression, furrowing his brows, as if pondering something.
Judging from the look of it, he was probably still thinking about the recent duel.
Seeing Zong Xinjue moving straight ahead, seemingly not paying attention, and a large pillar coming up in front, Chu Qianze slowed down and took a few steps to the right, directly standing in front of Zong Xinjue.
Unexpectedly, Chu Qianze suddenly changed direction. Zong Xinjue saw the situation, but his body continued forward according to inertia. His reaction was too slow, and he ended up bumping into Chu Qianze.
“Be more careful.” Chu Qianze supported him, preventing him from falling. Even though, given the previous trend, Zong Xinjue would have likely stabilized on his own.
“Back to reality now?”
Zong Xinjue blinked, the simulated scene from just now still lingering in his mind. What comes after that combo?
He responded a beat late, “Uh, back to reality.”
That answer didn’t sound very sincere.
Chu Qianze smirked, bent down, and with a quick motion, lifted Zong Xinjue onto his shoulders.
Zong Xinjue was bewildered. At this moment, he was lying on Chu Qianze’s shoulders, his legs hanging in the air, primarily with his stomach uncomfortably pressed against something.
“Wait, what are you doing?!”
“You walk without even looking ahead. To prevent you from bumping into something later, I’ve decided to carry you like this,” Chu Qianze explained, and with that, he continued walking with Zong Xinjue on his shoulders.
“I’ve been looking at the road the whole time!”
“Yeah, it goes in the left eye and out the right, but it never reaches the brain.”
This guy is a total workaholic. The kind that doesn’t care about anything once they start working. From signing up until now, he’s been contacting people every day, either analyzing data or studying strategies, or combining both and mixing in various other things.
“I did pay attention just now. Can you put me down?” Being carried like this for the first time was downright embarrassing.
“Put you down?” Chu Qianze chuckled, his voice calm and unhurried. “There was a pillar up ahead just now, and it had an electric net around it. If I hadn’t stood in the middle, would you have walked right into it?”
“Not at all. Do you think I’m a child?”
Chu Qianze responded, “You’re underestimating children. They know how to go around.”
Zong Xinjue fell into silence for a moment. “But you were right next to me.”
“…Alright, forget about that. Let’s change the topic. When was the last time you had a meal?” Chu Qianze asked, adding, “Be honest.”
“Today at noon, around 1 PM,” Zong Xinjue replied after a moment of thought.
“What did you eat?”
“…A piece of chocolate.” Sensing that the atmosphere wasn’t quite right, he added, “And a glass of water.”
“That’s your lunch?”
Can this even be considered lunch?
Chu Qianze raised an eyebrow. “What about breakfast?”
“…”
In the awkward silence, Chu Qianze grasped the truth. “You didn’t eat, did you?”
“Just a little. I didn’t eat much.” Drinking water should count, right?
Zong Xinjue felt inexplicably guilty.
Chu Qianze chuckled, his tone devoid of any particular emotion. “Where are you now?”
“…In the game.”
“I mean, where are you in reality?”
“At home.”
“Log off immediately, order some takeout, and let’s talk about other things after you’ve eaten.”
Not hearing any response, Chu Qianze spoke impatiently, “What’s wrong? Do I need to say it a few more times? You can’t be like this. Aren’t you afraid of messing up your stomach?”
“It’s always been like this, and nothing has happened. I exercise regularly, so it’s not that easy for something to go wrong.” Zong Xinjue buried his head. He had given up hope that Chu Qianze would put him down.
“Should I praise you for that?”
Chu Qianze rolled his eyes. “If you don’t pay attention now, it’ll be too late when something actually happens. If you can’t cook, just order takeout. Can you handle that at least?”
“Do you know the takeout app? Noodles, rice dishes, fried chicken, barbecue—just pick something randomly. Wait, scratch that. Skip the fried chicken and barbecue; those aren’t main courses. Take your time choosing.”
“I’ve placed the order.” Zong Xinjue moved quickly, directly ordering something he had ordered before, without even considering new options.
“So fast?” Chu Qianze continued walking, casually adjusting Zong Xinjue on his shoulders. “What did you order?”
Zong Xinjue listed the dishes he had ordered.
“Can you put me down now?” he asked with a hint of pleading in his tone.
“The takeout hasn’t arrived yet. Why are you in such a hurry?” Chu Qianze activated the Mechanical Wings skill directly, lifting Zong Xinjue into the air, resembling the posture of carrying a sack.
“Hey, at least change your posture!” Zong Xinjue propped his elbows on Chu Qianze’s scapula, straightening himself, attempting to get down.
Ahead was a public area, filled with people. Being carried like this…
The scene was simply unbelievable.
At this moment, the panel lit up, indicating a new message. Seeing the information, Zong Xinjue’s eyes lit up. “The takeout is here!”
Chu Qianze slowed down his flying speed. “Now?”
“Yes, it just arrived at my doorstep. I need to go get it.”
Saying this, Zong Xinjue patted Chu Qianze’s shoulder. “Can you put me down now?”
Chu Qianze exerted force and gently lowered Zong Xinjue from his shoulders. “Eat well, we’ll talk later.”
“Got it,” Zong Xinjue rubbed his wrist. “Just like an old mother.”
Chu Qianze squinted his eyes and chuckled. “That’s because I know how to live. If you want to be like her, she won’t appreciate it. Keep going, and I’ll carry you around the public area for a stroll.”
“Get lost!” Zong Xinjue scolded with irritation.
Joking and laughing, all for the sake of their health, this made him feel a bit unusual.
“I’m logging off for now.”
“Sure, finish your meal and come back. We’ll meet at the usual spot,” Chu Qianze watched as Zong Xinjue disappeared, then went to a dessert shop to reserve a seat and began to leisurely enjoy his time.
After devouring two slices of cake, Zong Xinjue logged back in.
“Finished eating?” Chu Qianze wiped his mouth with a napkin and asked leisurely.
“Just now,” Zong Xinjue pulled out a chair and sat down. The table was filled with snacks.
“Did you go through those documents?”
Seeing the other person entering a state of focus, Chu Qianze didn’t waste any words. He put the spoon aside. “I went through it. Regarding the enhanced physical training you mentioned, I have a method that is very effective, but the process can be a bit tough. Would you like to know more?”
Zong Xinjue moved the documents slightly and looked at Chu Qianze. “What is it?”
In the gym, Chu Qianze was sitting on a nearby machine. Seeing Zong Xinjue hanging on the horizontal bar without moving, even after a whole ten seconds had passed, he flashed a light-hearted reminder, “Don’t stop, there are still ten to go.”
Zong Xinjue gripped the horizontal bar with both hands, crossing his legs and curling them up. He exhaled a breath, already too lazy to talk to anyone.
“Only ten left, come on, finish it in one go. Persistence is victory!” Chu Qianze encouraged from the side.
Holding his breath, Zong Xinjue tightened his biceps, engaged his core, and tried to pull himself up.
Just as Chu Qianze was about to say, “Very good, only nine left—”
When that ‘nine’ just appeared, Zong Xinjue fell down again.
It’s regrettable that he failed midway, and the progress bar that was moving forward just now has now retracted.
“There are still ten! Put in more effort,” Chu Qianze sat on a chair, taking a sip of sour plum juice.
“I know!” Zong Xinjue’s face turned red, and with a burst of strength, he managed to do five pull-ups.
Chu Qianze leaned back on the chair, one leg casually propped up on the nearby footrest, counting the numbers.
Finally completing the remaining pull-ups, Zong Xinjue let out a sigh, breathing heavily, hands resting on the armrests.
“Congratulations, you’ve successfully achieved the achievement of 40 pull-ups.” Mimicking the tone of a TV announcer reporting good news, Chu Qianze handed over a towel.
Accepting the towel, Zong Xinjue truly had no strength to speak. After a while, feeling a bit better, he said, “Next time I train, you can shout a bit more.”
“How about it? Do you feel more motivated with my encouragement?”
“Do it a few more times, and I’m sure I’ll really want to hit you.” He’s working so hard, and there’s someone sitting there sipping a drink, it’s just too much.
Zong Xinjue forced a smile, “With a bit of resentment, maybe I can win against you a few times when we meet in the arena.”
“Are you talking about domestic violence?” Chu Qianze looked shocked, eyes slightly widened in disbelief.
“Just kidding.” Zong Xinjue let out a breath, stood up, and started stretching.
Chu Qianze helped him with the stretching and after a while, he asked, “Did you do some ligament stretching exercises earlier today?”
“No, why do you ask?” Zong Xinjue switched hands and stretched the muscles on one side.
“I feel like your leg ligaments are much better than before. They used to be as straight as a bamboo pole, and now they’re more like a rod that can bend.”
Pausing his stretching movement, Zong Xinjue lowered his head and changed direction, “I’ve been practicing at home and focusing more on this aspect of training recently.”
Originally just a casual remark, Chu Qianze didn’t pay much attention to it. However, seeing Zong Xinjue’s reaction, he felt that things might not be so simple.
Just ligament stretching?
If Zong Xinjue hadn’t mentioned it, he wouldn’t have known.
Releasing his hands, Chu Qianze took a step back, “That’s enough, let’s move on to the next exercise.”
“Got it.” Wiping off some sweat, Zong Xinjue sat on the mat with his legs bent.
Chu Qianze turned his back to him and sat on top of his outstretched legs, “This one is simple, just 100 of these. Begin!”
…
After finishing a series of exercises, Chu Qianze stood beside Zong Xinjue, looking down at him as he lay on the ground. He couldn’t help but find it a bit amusing. “Although it’s quite tiring, there’s no need to be like this, right?”
Is it just a bit tiring?
Zong Xinjue was drenched in sweat, lying there with no energy to speak. All he could manage was to roll his eyes silently.
“This set of exercises needs to be done consecutively to be effective. Resting now will reduce the effectiveness by half,” Chu Qianze reminded.
Zong Xinjue took a deep breath and climbed up from the ground. “Continue.”
Although the other person was acting according to his plan, the enthusiasm was not high at the moment. His plan might be a bit demanding, but if he persisted, the results would undoubtedly be excellent.
The first week was the most challenging, but once he adapted, things would become much easier.
After a moment of contemplation, Chu Qianze squatted down, supporting his chin, and said, “If you can stick to this plan for the whole week, we’ll go on a date.”
Zong Xinjue’s eyes paused, and he turned sharply to look at Chu Qianze.
“Are you serious?”
It seems to be quite effective.
Chu Qianze raised a smile, “Of course, I don’t lie.”
“All the training, just one week? Just one week is enough?” Zong Xinjue confirmed once again.
Does this guy find it too short?
Although the original intention was to stick to gym training for just one week, since the other party is so expectant…
Chu Qianze nodded, “That’s right.”
“It’s a deal!” The mood that was just low-spirited suddenly became enthusiastic.
In the following days, Zong Xinjue became unusually proactive, even requesting training in advance each time.
On the morning of the seventh day after the agreement.
Chu Qianze, dressed in sportswear with one hand in his pocket, stood at the intersection, waiting for Zong Xinjue to arrive.
In the previous days, the other party would always arrive early, but now it’s almost the agreed-upon time, and there’s still no sign of him.
Finding it strange, he directly sent a message to the other party.
[Remember today’s morning run?]
[If you’re here, just give a shout]
[Haven’t overslept, have you? (Sweating)]
[Three minutes left; if there’s no message, I’ll just go ahead.]
Having reached the agreed-upon time and still not seeing anyone, Chu Qianze thought for a moment, then dialed the other party’s phone.
The call was answered, only to be immediately hung up.
After a while, a message came through.
Zong Xinjue: [Sorry, didn’t see it just now.]
[You go ahead for the run; I might not make it today.]
Chu Qianze’s brow furrowed slightly as he immediately dialed the other party’s number again. After a moment without an answer, he sent a message.
[Answer the call.]
Seeing that the call was picked up, Chu Qianze connected it to his Bluetooth earphones. “Why did you suddenly change your mind?”
Hearing silence from the other end, he scratched his head. “Speak up.”
“Nothing, just encountered something unexpectedly, can’t make it for the morning run. You go ahead.” Zong Xinjue’s voice sounded different than usual.
“Patient 675, meet me at Examination Room 3!”
Chu Qianze was about to say something when he heard a voice from the other end.
Examination Room…
“You’re at the hospital?” Chu Qianze’s eyebrows furrowed, and he made a quick decision. “Send me your location, and we can talk when we meet.”
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