How Did the Reborn Empress Become My Bootlicker? - Chapter 16:

Chapter 16: I Have Nothing to Do With Him. I Just Want to Become Strong.

Su Yuan: …

He had to admit, Shangguan Meng truly possessed some sort of special magic.

The kind where… you never knew what earth-shattering nonsense might come out of her mouth next.

Childhood sweethearts?

What a joke!

The two of them had lived under the same roof for nearly a year, and aside from phrases like “Dinner’s ready” or “Let’s go,” the number of conversations with actual substance didn’t exceed five.

Based on that—

They weren’t even regular friends. More like… familiar strangers.

That’s why, before Xu Anyan could say anything, Su Yuan immediately clarified, “Sorry, we’re not childhood sweethearts. We’re just…”

Mid-sentence, Su Yuan choked.

Because he realized—he didn’t even know how to describe their relationship.

If it were Aunt Xu, he could say she was a respected elder, a warm and understanding older sister figure.

But Xu Anyan…

How was he supposed to explain that?

Should he just call her a ‘familiar stranger’?

It made sense in his head, but saying it aloud felt… a little inappropriate.

While Su Yuan was struggling with this, Shangguan Meng was already wearing her full gossip-eating expression, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.

“I know that in the strictest sense, childhood sweethearts means growing up together from a young age,” she said. “But you two are both teenagers. Isn’t it perfectly normal to have a crush on each other? No need to be shy~”

If it were any other girl being teased like that—

Even if she really didn’t have any feelings, she’d probably still blush and stammer out a flustered denial.

But Xu Anyan?

She remained indifferent the entire time, her tone calm, as if she were stating a mundane fact, “Sorry, there’s nothing like that between us. The only reason I want to participate in this experiment… is simply because I want to become stronger.”

The moment she said that—

It was like she’d triggered some hidden switch.

Shangguan Meng blinked, then the smile on her face slowly faded.

She stared straight at Xu Anyan, the light in her bewitching heterochromatic eyes shifting.

To become stronger… and only that?

Such rare resolve.

In Xu Anyan’s eyes, she saw conviction. And perhaps… a reflection of her own younger self, who once wanted nothing more than to become strong.

Her expression softened. She leaned lazily back into the sofa, then glanced toward Shangguan Ru beside her.

“Sis, with how sincerely this girl just spoke, wouldn’t it be a little heartless if you didn’t accept her~?”

Shangguan Ru: …

She knew her sister’s temperament well.

Once Shangguan Meng said something, no one could change it. No one could stop it.

So she nodded and agreed, “Alright. You can join my training experiment too. But if at any point you can’t take it, just let me know. You’re allowed to withdraw.”

Shangguan Meng flashed a sweet grin at Xu Anyan, “If you really want to become strong, quitting halfway isn’t an option~”

Xu Anyan met her gaze thoughtfully.

She sensed that Shangguan Meng’s attitude toward her had subtly shifted.

Was it that single sentence—”I just want to become strong”—that moved her?

If so…

Then what was Shangguan Meng’s reason for wanting to become stronger?

After all, she was already extremely powerful—arguably the strongest of her generation in the Great Xia Empire.

Was it… something to do with the Shangguan family?

She recalled—

In her previous life, the fallout between Shangguan Meng and her clan, her disappearance, and eventual death were all shrouded in mystery.

Maybe there really was more to it.

Forget it.

No point overthinking it now.

What mattered most was gathering resources, cultivating hard, and growing stronger as fast as possible.

If she remembered right, the next few years would be turbulent for Blue Star. Massive upheavals were coming…

“Alright,” Shangguan Ru said, redirecting the conversation.

“The training program I just described is done under my personal name. It won’t interfere with any of your other choices.”

“I’ve already arranged for your SSS-grade resource allocation certifications to be processed.”

“Starting today, you’ll both receive the highest-tier resource privileges our nation offers to monstrous talents.”

“Although there are still three months until the national martial exam, those three months would be wasted at school. You’ll train with me instead.”

“I guarantee your combat strength will skyrocket in three months.”

“As for what you choose to do after the exam—whether you want to attend a martial arts university, join the military, or walk the lone path as a freelancer—I won’t interfere.”

“However, you’ll need to return to me periodically for training until you either master ‘Qi’ or the experiment fails.”

“During that time, I’ll provide you with the best cultivation resources, the best medical support, and the best equipment.”

“All I ask is that during training, don’t treat yourselves as human. Push your potential to the absolute limit. Understood?”

Su Yuan and Xu Anyan nodded simultaneously.

Shangguan Ru looked extremely satisfied, her energy rising.

“Because this training project has been on hold for a while, I’ll need a few days to prepare… Three days. The experiment starts in three days.”

“During these three days, I want you to mentally prepare yourselves. And be sure to let your parents know—after this, you might not be home for several days in a row…”

After that series of instructions—

Shangguan Ru finally let someone escort Su Yuan and Xu Anyan out.

Once they left, Shangguan Ru couldn’t contain her excitement.

She sat next to Shangguan Meng, grabbed her hand.

Though she was a mature and seductive beauty with a top-tier figure, at that moment, she looked like a gleeful child.

“Sis! I might really succeed this time!”

Shangguan Meng gave a soft smile and nodded, “Do your best.”

But deep down… she was still thinking about that one sentence from Xu Anyan:

“I just want to become strong.”

In Xu Anyan, she saw a reflection of herself.

If you become strong enough, you can break the chains that bind you.

That was the absolute truth of this world.

She gently stroked Shangguan Ru’s icy blue hair, her heterochromatic eyes gleaming strangely.

“Xiao Ru, whether your experiment succeeds or not… once it’s over, that girl—I want her.”

Shangguan Ru nodded, “Okay.”

Then she asked, “What about that boy?”

Shangguan Meng withdrew her hand, stretched lazily, then curled up against Shangguan Ru’s shoulder like a cat. Her delicate face held only mild interest.

“Him? We’ll see…”

…

After leaving the Director’s office, Xu Anyan and Su Yuan followed a staff member down the hall.

But neither of them said a word.

The silence made the atmosphere a little icy.

The staff member was so nervous they barely dared to breathe, even beginning to wonder—did these two SSS-grade monsters have some sort of grudge?

In truth—

They were just lost in their own thoughts.

Su Yuan was calculating the emotional points he’d just earned from those two sisters—over 700 points.

Now he had to decide: save up until he hit 1,000 and go for a beginner-level ten-pull? Or do two intermediate single pulls?

Last time, his first pull was incredibly lucky… so maybe his luck had already run out? Better to go with volume—a ten-pull might be the safer bet?

Beside him—

Xu Anyan was also thinking.

But her thoughts were about the system.

She was wondering what exactly the system meant by “massive resources.”

If it was just resources obtainable on Blue Star, then it wouldn’t help much.

After all, now that she was connected with Shangguan Ru, normal resources were no longer an issue.

What she really needed were things like Soul Crystals, Star Marrow, or Source Thunder Crystals—the rare resources only found in outer space.

As for the possibility of losing to Su Yuan in the power comparison and being forced to do the so-called [Dog-Licking Challenge]—

She hadn’t even considered it.

In her eyes, Su Yuan…

Wasn’t a threat at all.

…