Chapter Seventeen: A Fierce Tiger in the Heart, Gently Scenting the Roses

The hills were lush and green, and the afternoon sun was perfect. A gentle breeze carried the fresh scent of grass and trees. Two young figures disappeared over the hillside in the blink of an eye.

"If I'm not mistaken, did that child look a bit displeased just now?" Angel Yan asked, crossing her arms and tapping her chin with a slender, onion-shoot-like finger, glancing into the distance with surprise.

With seven thousand years of life behind her, her senses were incredibly sharp. Although Ge Xiaolun had shown no outward signs of annoyance, she had been observing him the entire time and could sense it clearly.

Old man Ryze fell silent for a moment, then his eyes filled with a touch of emotion. "Xiaolun is indeed a child, but in the world of mortals, he is a dragon among men. Perhaps our few words were enough for him to guess something. He simply doesn't know much yet, and he might be expressing his attitude in a subtle way."

Angel Yan went quiet at these words, then smiled. "He really is a cute child."

"Alright, let us return to the main topic. Though I feel it is a bit early for you to be discussing these matters, Leiyang..."

...

"Xiaolun, you seem a bit down all of a sudden."

In a spacious training room at the Super Seminary, Du Qiangwei spoke with curiosity after bringing Ge Xiaolun there.

Perhaps because they had been spied on by Angel Yan earlier, they both felt the playground wasn't safe enough.

"Oh?" Ge Xiaolun raised an eyebrow. "You noticed..."

"Of course. You were quite energetic when you were teasing that female angel, staring straight at her legs," Du Qiangwei leaned against a barbell rack, a teasing smirk on her lips. "And then you suddenly stopped... could it be that you finished secretly?"

It is worth noting that Ge Xiaolun and Angel Yan had certainly not been shy earlier. Angel Yan had been looking up and down at Ge Xiaolun's build and face, while Ge Xiaolun had been staring at her legs, much like someone inspecting goods. To put it bluntly, it was like a tortoise looking at a green bean—a strange sort of mutual attraction.

"Get lost!" Ge Xiaolun spat. "Your boss here has plenty of stamina... but I really wasn't in the mood to watch them chat anymore. It was boring."

"Why? I thought it was okay," Du Qiangwei asked curiously.

Actually, she had wanted to watch more. Even though the conversation between Teacher Ryze and the angel was cryptic, it involved the help others were providing to Earth and new extraterrestrial encounters, which felt quite novel.

"It's simple." Ge Xiaolun shook his head dismissively. "While I don't mean to harbor malicious suspicions toward Teacher Ryze or anyone else... as a citizen of Earth, watching two extraterrestrials discuss and decide the fate of our planet while we stand by as background props—do you really think that's interesting?"

He looked at Du Qiangwei with calm eyes.

"This..." Du Qiangwei realized what he meant, her delicate brows knitting together.

"Of course, don't overthink it. After all, we are young and don't know much yet." Seeing she understood, Ge Xiaolun didn't push the point. He didn't want to be hostile toward aliens, nor did he want to turn Qiangwei against them. They were, after all, friendly extraterrestrials. He had simply felt awkward staying there; it was a waste of time.

Although he was the Power of the Galaxy and his combat power was currently decent, he knew that without battle honors or sufficient experience, his words wouldn't carry enough weight to convince anyone. Speaking up would only be awkward.

Of course, as long as he grew quickly, others would soon realize that without the nod of the Power of the Galaxy, whatever they discussed would be in vain.

"Let's focus on what's right in front of us. I want to learn how to call upon my dark alloy armor and weapons. You joined the Super Seminary before me, so you should be able to teach me, right?" Ge Xiaolun didn't waste more time on useless matters and smiled at Du Qiangwei.

Compared to those other things, as a warrior, he preferred to focus on improving his own capabilities. Especially for a former mortal like him, every bit of improvement brought him immense joy and satisfaction. For now, he had temporarily maxed out his defense and attack. It was time to flesh out and improve his six dimensions.

"Of course." Du Qiangwei quickly composed her thoughts and summoned Ge Xiaolun's dark alloy armor. The brand-new, heavy armor clattered as it hit the ground.

"Calling upon dark alloy armor and weapons involves micro-wormhole transport technology, which is my area of expertise. Since you have a background in science and engineering, you have a foundation in physics and computer technology, so it shouldn't be too difficult to learn. Plus, with the computing power of your third-generation god body as an assist, you can design the algorithms yourself, and let the system handle the rest."

Although Du Qiangwei’s combat power was far inferior to Ge Xiaolun’s, when it came to dark physics—especially wormhole-related knowledge—she was more than qualified to be his teacher.

Following her instruction, Ge Xiaolun learned quickly. With the assistance of the Power of the Galaxy's AI, once he imported the algorithms related to wormhole technology, it helped him form a usable system. It was a temporary shortcut. After all, these were things that even the mediocre fighters of the Black Troop in the original story could learn. The only difference was that they relied on the dark-matter computing cloud in their armor, while Ge Xiaolun could rely directly on the Power of the Galaxy.

By the end of the afternoon, Ge Xiaolun was familiar with summoning his armor and the Void Greatsword, as well as calculating wormholes for common objects. Comparing his progress with the tablet Lin Feng had given him, he cross-referenced the issues in his super-gene program and felt a sense of clarity.

Throughout the afternoon, neither Teacher Ryze nor Angel Yan appeared, and neither Ge Xiaolun nor Du Qiangwei cared. At dusk, after having dinner in the cafeteria, Du Qiangwei led Ge Xiaolun around until he was fully acquainted with the Super Seminary environment.

"So, there are only two students here? Does that mean I'm the boss of the whole academy?"

The sun was setting, and the warm breeze was intoxicating. On a bench by a small path, willow branches swayed. Ge Xiaolun, holding a bottle of cola, lay down on Du Qiangwei’s denim-clad lap and clicked his tongue.

"Yes, yes, yes. You're the boss, you're the boss of the whole academy, and I'll acknowledge you as the boss... but the boss shouldn't just take advantage of people!" Du Qiangwei sat on the bench, looking down at the large head that had naturally rested itself on her lap, and gritted her teeth. She clenched her fair fist and threatened his shameless, handsome face.

She had long realized that this powerful and slightly wicked guy was an unashamed lecher. Whether it was when he first teased her about her dormitory, when he set conditions for the Super Seminary, or when he stared at Angel Yan's legs, he didn't even try to hide it. Just like when they were touring the campus earlier, his hand had naturally draped over her shoulder; even after she slapped it away, he had the thick skin to act as if nothing had happened. And just now, she thought he would at least sit near her, but he’d simply used her as a pillow!

If she didn't know that she couldn't beat him, and if she wasn't afraid that annoying him might cause him to "crash" her system, leading to even more unspeakable things, she would have punched that hateful, handsome face until it was black and blue.

"If I'm the boss and can't take advantage of things, wouldn't that mean I'm a boss for nothing?" Ge Xiaolun didn't care, sipping his cola and arguing his point. He didn't eat beef, but he never said he didn't eat cilantro. He had a fierce tiger in his heart; how could he not sniff the rose?

"Mmm... sweet!" With her wine-red hair brushing against his face and the girl's scent lingering in his nose, Ge Xiaolun wore a satisfied smile. He knew he was a bit of a rascal, but how could an honest man ever get the girl?

"I hope I don't become stronger than you one day," Du Qiangwei said, looking down at him while pinching his face, her teeth gleaming. "Otherwise, I'll eventually let you know what a subordinate's backstabbing feels like!"

She was a person who stood by her bets. She admired his powerful combat strength and was glad to have such a strong comrade for the coming war. But that didn't mean she would become his woman—especially one of many!

"Don't worry, before that day comes, I'll make sure you experience what backstabbing is first," Ge Xiaolun replied nonchalantly.

"You..."

"Alright, don't be so stingy about letting me lie down for a while." Before Du Qiangwei could continue her indignation, Ge Xiaolun sprang up. He checked the sky, calculated the time, and reached out toward her. "Come on, Boss will take you for a flight in the sky to help you digest your dinner."

Du Qiangwei paused, then gave him a thoughtful look. "You aren't planning to take me up there to do *that*, are you?"

Ge Xiaolun laughed; Du Qiangwei certainly lived up to her reputation!

"Don't worry, it's not that exciting."