《I Am Shocked That You Call This Cultivation》 Chapter 1 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Earthquake!¡± In his daze, Chen Pingan heard a voice. ¡°Earthquake!?¡± The next second, he reacted and hurriedly opened his eyes. What greeted his eyes was a swaying chandelier. ¡°Damn, it¡¯s really an earthquake!¡± Chen Pingan scrambled out of bed and did not bother to observe his surroundings, which had become completely different from before he slept. The shaking coming from the floor was becoming more obvious. In fact, the entire building was now shaking. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Footsteps sounded from the stairs. As soon as Chen Pingan walked out of the room, he was stunned by the scene that greeted his eyes. He saw an old man with white hair who should be in his eighties or nineties carrying a two-meter-tall refrigerator on his shoulder. The old man was running extremely fast as he went down the stairs in front of him. ¡°What a healthy old man!¡± Chen Pingan looked at the grandpa¡¯s disappearing figure and was silent for a moment before he praised with difficulty. ¡°Why is there another earthquake?¡± At this moment, another old man cursed as he ran down the stairs. He passed by Chen Pingan with just a few steps and was gone in the blink of an eye. ¡°???¡± The old men were all so fast that Chen Pingan was dumbfounded. He began to doubt life. What kind of changes had happened in this world? Why were all the weak and sickly old men suddenly moving so swiftly? How were they descending the stairs with a speed that surpassed the young men? This was especially true for the old man who had just passed by Chen Pingan with the fridge. When he passed by, Chen Pingan noticed that his body was extremely sturdy. Chen Pingan felt his worldview gradually shattering. ¡°You¡¯re telling me that an old man is capable of doing something like that?¡± The building started shaking again and Chen Pingan regained his senses. He didn¡¯t have the time to think any longer and hurriedly ran down the stairs and arrived at the plaza in the middle of the neighborhood. The plaza in the neighborhood was filled with many residents that lived nearby. It was daytime so the young men were not at home. Most of the people in the empty space were old people and young children. At this moment, four or five old men were gathered in a corner of the plaza. They were eating melon seeds as they hung out next to their refrigerators. At this moment, they were chatting happily as if it was just any other day. ¡°Dali, what realm are you at now? I saw that you were running very fast just now. You ran down the 19th floor in two minutes and broke the previous record.¡± The old man called Dali smiled in embarrassment and said, ¡°I¡¯m only at the Nascent Soul Stage. I can¡¯t compare to Soul Formation Stage cultivators like you. All of you are more than a hundred years old and still so healthy. I even saw you carry a refrigerator. How could I possibly do something like that?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Ever since I entered the Soul Formation Stage, my body has been very different from before. I excel in whatever I do. And I am even on par with those young people when it comes to strength.¡± ¡°I wonder when I can reach the Tribulation Stage.¡± The old man sighed with emotion. The Tribulation Stage was a realm that only those with true immortal cultivation talent could reach. The old men were still chatting happily. Chen Pingan stood by the side and listened to the conversations of the old men. His ears moved slightly as he suppressed his laughter with difficulty, his face flushed red. What era was it now? How old-fashioned must these old men be to still be dreaming of becoming immortals and discussing the different realms. Chen Pingan felt inexplicably ashamed just listening to this. ¡°However, the bodies of these old men are so tough. They don¡¯t seem like ordinary people at all.¡± Just as Chen Pingan was sighing with emotion, scenes appeared in his mind one after another. All the memories regarding his current body surged into his mind. At the same time, Chen Pingan also understood why these old men were more physically fit than he was. He had transmigrated. This was a modern world where Spirit Qi had been revived, causing the world to enter a cultivation era! The realms that these old men were talking about did indeed exist! In this world, regardless of gender or age, everyone was skilled in the cultivation technique. Every day, there would be people who broke through to a new realm. Chen Pingan was immediately excited. His childhood dream of becoming a cultivator was about to come true in this world! ¡°Spirit Qi revival¡­ Cultivation era¡­¡± Chen Pingan repeated the words that popped up in his mind as his lips curled into a smile. He had become a true cultivator! Immune to poison and immortal! The struggles of surviving the modern world which troubled him for a long time had suddenly disappeared. Money was now just a worldly possession. Since he had become a cultivator, why would he need to worry about money? When cultivators were tired, they could just fly to the peak of a mountain to take a break. Because they abstained from eating, they also did not have to worry about starving. This was the difference between cultivators and regular people! Chen Pingan¡¯s excitement for the future and the smile on his lips was noticed by an old man nearby. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this young man?¡± ¡°He¡¯s been standing there laughing and acting dazed, could it be that he was stunned by the earthquake just now? What a pity, he¡¯ s still so young¡­¡± The old men looked at Chen Pingan and whispered, pointing and whispering. ¡°I think it¡¯s possible. What a pity it is to have your brain be damaged by an earthquake at such a young age.¡± Another old man sighed with emotion, his tone filled with pity. ¡°He probably didn¡¯t finish his compulsory cultivation lesson when he was in school. I don¡¯t see any Spirit Qi around him. He¡¯s not even at the elementary level of the Qi Refinement Stage.¡± The old men focused their attention. As expected, this young man with a silly smile had yet to reach the elementary level of the Qi Refinement Stage. Noticing this, the other old men also sighed and shook their heads. They all pitied the helpless young man in front of them. In this era where everyone cultivated, the elementary level of the Qi Refinement Stage was the easiest realm for cultivators to enter. This realm had nothing to do with one¡¯s talent. As long as one paid attention and was diligent, anyone could enter the elementary level of the Qi Refinement Stage before they were 16 years old. Chen Pingan was completely unaware of the thoughts running through the old mens¡¯ heads. He was simply looking forward to his daily cultivation life in the future. At this moment, the large screen standing at the side of the plaza lit up. On the screen, a news channel started broadcasting and pleasant background music sounded. Chen Pingan collected his thoughts and subconsciously looked over. [We have great news. Our country¡¯s Golden Core Stage cultivator, Ye Beixuan, broke the men¡¯s world record for the 100-meter sprint with a time of only 4.56 seconds. The entire country is in ]an uproar!] The announcer hosting the news spoke happily. The few old men who were chatting also noticed the news broadcasting on the big screen. After hearing the news announcement, they praised that Golden Core Stage cultivator. ¡°Ye Beixuan is indeed worthy of being the most powerful Golden Core Stage cultivator. He had won many national trophies for the various short-distance events. I heard that he broke the world record for a sprint at only 20 years old. He has a bright future ahead of him!¡± ¡°Right? Which country will he be traveling to next? In any case, he¡¯ll definitely be the champion.¡± The old men praised the Golden Core Stage cultivator that was mentioned in the news. They were both 20 years old, but unlike Chen Pingan, Ye Beixuan was already a Golden Core Stage cultivator who had broken the world record for a sprint. Chen Pingan, on the other hand, had yet to enter the elementary level of the Qi Refinement Stage. Who knew the difference between two young men could be so extraordinary? Chen Pingan stared at the news on the screen. He had heard the conversations of the old men and his forehead darkened. ¡°Uh, a hundred meters. Shouldn¡¯t one be able to cross that distance in the blink of an eye?¡± After all, ancient cultivators were able to cover thousands of kilometers in an instant. And here, a Golden Core cultivator had taken more than 4 seconds to complete a mere 100 meters? This Golden Core Stage cultivator must be a fake! Chen Pingan felt that he must have transmigrated wrongly, which was why the cultivators here were unlike the cultivators he had expected to see.. Chapter 2 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The news continued to broadcast on the big screen. [Recently, a cultivator near the Civil Life Road revealed that there is a Nascent Soul Stage expert in his neighborhood who has been researching the Turtle Breath Technique. Because of this, we have specially sent many reporters to investigate and see if the rumors are true.] ¡°The Turtle Breath Technique is not something that could be developed by just any cultivator. This Nascent Soul cultivator must be an expert skilled in rare cultivation techniques.¡± The old men were experienced and knowledgeable. Most of them were Nascent Soul Stage experts, but they had yet to develop any proper cultivation techniques. Hearing this news, their interests were immediately piqued. They wished they could immediately find out whether the Turtle Breath Technique had been successfully developed. It wasn¡¯t just the old men. Chen Pingan was also paying attention to the big screen, his eyes shining. Turtle Breath Technique? Chen Pingan pondered over this term carefully. It sounded like a very powerful cultivation technique. If one cultivated this technique, they would probably be able to restrain their aura all over their body. After all, the key to a successful sneak attack was to remain undetected by the enemy! Brilliant! This was what it meant to be a cultivator. This was what it meant to be a Nascent Soul Stage expert! Chen Pingan regained his confidence in the cultivation world. He continued to watch with anticipation. [According to local reporters, that Nascent Soul Stage expert has unfortunately drowned when left home to do diving tests in the Qian River for his cultivation technique. His corpse was discovered at 5: 40 AM this morning.] The scene on the screen changed and a vast river appeared. A body could also be seen as it was being fished up from the river. Chen Pingan was dumbfounded when he saw this scene. His mind could not process what was going on. Was there something wrong with his understanding, or was this world¡¯s definition of experts abnormal? If a Nascent Soul Stage expert could drown himself with a single dive, then could he really still be considered as an expert? The old men beside him did not stay idle either. They slapped their thighs in pity. ¡°What a pity!¡± ¡°Just a little more and the Turtle Breath Technique would have succeeded!¡± ¡°However, it¡¯s also his fortune to be able to experience the marvel of the Turtle Breath Technique before he dies.¡± Chen Pingan refused to believe this. He continued to watch the news. He refused to believe that there were no normal cultivators in this cultivation world. The scene of the Qian River suddenly shifted to the scene of a funeral hall. In the funeral hall, there was an old man with his eyes closed and no aura. [Breaking news: Just now, another great cultivator at the Tribulation Stage died of old age 209.] ¡°¡­¡± Chen Pingan did not know what to think. Countless thoughts ran past his head as his mouth twitched. In the cultivation world, the highest realm was the Tribulation Stage! And yet this Tribulation Stage expert only lived for two hundred years? What happened to immortality? Chen Pingan wondered if the only benefit to being a Tribulation Stage expert in this world was simply a slightly expanded lifespan. He felt as if he had come to a fake cultivation world. What made Chen Pingan feel even more depressed was that the eyes of those old men were filled with envy. When the words ¡°Tribulation Stage¡± were mentioned, their eyes almost glowed green. ¡°I recognize that Tribulation Stage expert. It¡¯s Tian Hao!¡± One of the old men slapped his forehead in excitement. The sound of the slap was so loud that even Chen Pingan was worried for the old man. However, the old man acted as if nothing had happened and pointed at the old man lying on the screen. The other old men also started recalling and one of them immediately reacted. ¡°Are you talking about Tian Hao, the guy who broke through to the Golden Core Stage at age 16 and shattered the world record for weightlifting at age 18?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! That¡¯s him!¡± ¡°So many years have passed. I didn¡¯t expect him to have actually stepped into the Tribulation Stage and lived for more than 200 years. I¡¯m so envious. If only I had half his talent.¡± ¡°The Tribulation Stage isn¡¯t that easy to reach. Let¡¯s not hope for it. I¡¯ll be satisfied as long as I can break through to the Body Integration Stage and live for more than a hundred years!¡± The old men continued on with their gossip, but Chen Pingan could not listen to them at all. He fell silent. Chen Pingan was stunned. He kept watching the news reports one after another and fell silent. A Golden Core Stage cultivator broke the sprint world record of 4.56 seconds. A Nascent Soul Stage cultivator drowned. A Tribulation Stage cultivator died of old age at age 209. Chen Pingan wondered if these people could truly be considered as cultivators. He was simply baffled. Chen Pingan was in a daze as he returned home. The cultivation of this world was too different from the cultivation he had expected to see. [Ding!] [Congratulations to the host for successfully activating the Immortal Cultivation System. The system will provide the perfect cultivation mode according to unique traits of the host! A series of system prompts suddenly sounded in Chen Pingan¡¯s mind. [Congratulations to the host for obtaining the newbie gift bag!] [Qi Refinement Technique: The cultivation technique used by the ancient immortals at the Qi Refinement Stage. Allows cultivators to build a stable foundation, increase the absorption speed of Spirit Qi, and break through the first level of shackles!] After a few minutes, the system notifications finally calmed down. Next, it was Chen Pingan¡¯s turn to lose his calm. He activated the immortal cultivation system. ¡°Immortal cultivation system?!¡± The appearance of the immortal cultivation system made the dispirited Chen Pingan¡¯s face glow with vitality again. The difference between the so-called cultivators in this world and true cultivators was like heaven and earth. True cultivators came and went without a trace and were capable of inspiring fear and raising waves! Indeed, every transmigrator needed a cheat code. Chen Pingan¡¯s cheat code was the immortal cultivation system! Chen Pingan quickly got used to the immortal cultivation system. According to the description of the system, the system¡¯s cultivation seemed much more reliable than the cultivation of those so-called cultivators. At the very least, Chen Pingan could cultivate properly with the help of the system. Chen Pingan opened the cultivation technique tab in the system. Immediately, a blinding light shot out. He subconsciously closed his eyes and took a long time to adapt before looking at the contents of the cultivation technique. [What was Qi Refinement?] [Qi refinement allowed a cultivator to feel, in between breaths, the invisible matter that exists in the world.] [Everything can change in a breath, all connected in heart and mind. Everything can be tracked and connected.] [With the Spirit Qi of heaven and earth as the main source, allow the Spirit Qi to be breathed into the body, and let the turbid air be breathed out.] Chen Pingan closed his eyes and sat cross-legged. He transformed the contents of the cultivation technique in his mind into actions. His chest rose and fell with his breathing. As he breathed, Spirit Qi gushed out. In the beginning, there was only a small amount of Spirit Qi. With each breath he took, the Spirit Qi around him gradually increased. Gradually, Spirit Qi surged over like an ocean and actually became corporeal. One could see the Spirit Qi that was tangible! This meant that with enough Spirit Qi, there would also be large amounts of energy! The Spirit Qi in the room was in chaos, surging endlessly. As for the youth sitting cross-legged on the ground, he absorbed the Spirit Qi that surged in like a whale swallowing the sea. He did not refuse any of it. He was like a black abyss that could not be satisfied with the Spirit Qi in the room. It became hard to imagine that his body could accommodate so much Spirit Qi. Although the original body¡¯s Spirit Sea was not big, it was very empty. It only contained the Spirit Qi that was breathed in in Chen Pingan¡¯s day to day life. It could be seen that Chen Pingan did not cultivate at all usually, which was why his Spirit Sea was basically empty. Perhaps the cultivators of this world did not even know what true cultivation was.. Chapter 3 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios With the help of the introductory contents of the cultivation technique, as well as his own comprehension, Chen Pingan slowly started to figure out how to enter the elementary level of the Qi Refinement. His body and mind were immersed as he absorbed Spirit Qi. This was the first time he was absorbing Spirit Qi, and he didn¡¯t expect the process to be so gentle. The moment the Spirit Qi entered his body, his body started feeling comfortable. It was as if he had just been refreshed by a large cup of summer cold water on a hot summer day. His Spirit Sea was gradually filled as he felt the Spirit Qi pass through him smoothly. His bones and meridians also started taking in Spirit Qi on their own, as if they had all come alive. Even though the Spirit Qi had only just entered the body, it was already being sucked in by a powerful suction force. Chen Pingan groaned in comfort. After the Spirit Qi entered his flesh, bones, and meridians, it nourished any ailments he had from previously staying up too late and replenished the Yang Qi in his body. His body even seemed to have become stronger and he had even grown a centimeter taller. The aura in the room surged. Everything was still proceeding smoothly. The Spirit Qi in the room was quickly exhausted, and Chen Pingan began to crazily absorb Spirit Qi from the entire world. The vast Spirit Qi above the city gathered into the shape of a sword tail and surged in a single direction, looking like a dragon that was circling in the sky. The shocking phenomenon above the city started causing uproars. Television stations from all over the world were reporting about it. [Urgent news! A huge dragon-shaped condensation of Spirit Qi has appeared above the entire Yang City. It is reported that a Tribulation Stage expert is ascending, which is what caused this terrifying phenomenon!] The residents took out their phones and took pictures of this shocking scene. They had never seen Spirit Qi so vast that it looked like a huge dragon. ¡°There must be a Tribulation Stage expert ascending in that direction. What a huge formation. The other Tribulation Stage expert who ascended some time ago didn¡¯t even create such a phenomenon in the sky.¡± Someone looked into the distance and said in shock. ¡°This is very likely an expert hidden in Yang City. Based on this phenomenon, this expert must have lived for 300 years!¡± Everyone was shocked. There were also Tribulation Stage experts among those who were shocked. The Tribulation Stage expert stared blankly at the phenomenon in the sky, his mouth agape, and he was speechless. Although he was also a Tribulation Stage expert, neither his cultivation technique nor his cultivation could cause one tenth of the current commotion. The Tribulation Stage expert was puzzled. Since when did Yang City have a Tribulation Stage expert? Discussions like these were happening all over the city. The discussions on the Internet were even more intense. There were heated discussions under all kinds of posts. ¡­ At Xin Guang Residence. Room 304. If anyone was present, they wouldn¡¯t be any less shocked than they had been when they saw the phenomenon that had appeared in the sky above Yang City today. Sitting cross-legged in the room was a young man. His entire body was glowing, and his skin was gushing with Spirit Qi. Upon closer inspection, one would definitely be surprised. This was because the pores on the youth¡¯s skin were wide open as Spirit Qi gushed out. In fact, this was actually a process of filtering to remove impurities. Turbid and impure Spirit Qi was constantly being replaced while the purer Spirit Qi between heaven and earth took its place. At this moment, Chen Pingan¡¯s Spirit Sea was already overflowing and was in a saturated state, unable to absorb any more Spirit Qi. But his body was different. Everyone¡¯s body was a natural storage vessel. Every inch of skin, flesh, blood, and bone was basically a treasure chest that could be filled. It could store countless Spirit Qi for future uses. The stored Spirit Qi could also nourish the body and replenish the Yang Qi, allowing one to maintain the basic physical circulation of the entire body. Time passed. The light emitted by Chen Pingan¡¯s body was no longer becoming stronger. Instead, it was gradually weakening and dimming. The skin on his entire body seemed to be bloated with water. The pores started to close and blocked the surging Spirit Qi. The dust settled. The aura in the room gradually calmed down, but the phenomenon outside continued and did not dissipate as quickly. ¡°I think I¡¯ve officially entered the elementary level of the Qi Refinement Stage.¡± Chen Pingan stretched his back, and his body crackled. Although he had been cultivating cross-legged for so long, he did not feel tired at all. Instead, he felt as if he had endless strength and even thought that he could run a few kilometers in one go. This would have made sense to him if he felt that his physique had improved. However¡­ Chen Pingan raised his hands in front of him and sized it up in surprise. His skin felt like an egg that had just been peeled and his entire body was delicate and white, as if water could be squeezed out with just a pinch. Chen Pingan was surprised to find that his eyes and ears had become exceptionally clear. He could clearly see and hear the movements within twenty meters. Noticing this, Chen Pingan wondered if this was what was so special about entering the elementary level of the Qi Refinement Stage. Chen Pingan sat on the sofa and allowed his eyes to drift into the distance. As he did this, the entrance ten meters away seemed to be magnified. He could clearly see a young ant crawling on the ground, licking its teeth leisurely. He could even sense that the Spirit Sea in his body was stirring slightly, causing old Spirit Qi to surge out and the Spirit Qi from heaven and earth to be sucked in. Any Spirit Qi that was being absorbed was quickly devoured by his vast Spirit Qi before it could even affect his Spirit Sea. ¡°I read in an ancient book that one should take advantage of the qi of all things in the world and use it to reconstruct one¡¯s body.¡± ¡°If I¡¯ve already gone through such a huge transformation after breaking through to the elementary level of the Qi Refinement Stage, I wonder what will happen when I reach the Foundation Establishment Stage?¡± Chen Pingan muttered to himself. Thinking of his future situation, he suddenly laughed foolishly. By comprehending nature and absorbing Spirit Qi, he had already completed the hardest step of cultivation. His future cultivation endeavors would only become easier! Since he had become a true immortal cultivator and had taken the orthodox path of cultivation, he felt that he had to make good use of his special abilities. ¡°My original body was working as a painter in Yang City. But I don¡¯t have to take that path.¡± Chen Pingan started to think. Besides having Spirit Qi, the world he had transmigrated to was no different from the city world he had lived in before. Since he had an immortal cultivation technique, he thought he ought to make good use of it. Otherwise, he would have wasted his abilities. Night fell. Chen Pingan was immersed in his fantasies of the future. On the first night he transmigrated, he slept very soundly and was not affected at all by the outside world. At the same time, in an office building in Yang City¡­ Although it was already past working hours, the lights were still on here. The people in the office building had dark circles under their eyes as they hurriedly prepared for tomorrow¡¯s news. With such a terrifying phenomenon happening in the sky above Yang City today, they knew that tomorrow¡¯s news would definitely be explosive and have high popularity and exposure. The higher-ups had asked all of them to work overtime for the entire night. No matter what, the higher-ups wanted the news to be broadcasted tomorrow morning. Thus, everyone worked diligently on their respective tasks so that they would be able to announce today¡¯s phenomenon to the entire country in the morning news tomorrow. It made everyone couldn¡¯t help but look forward to the exciting news that would be broadcasted tomorrow.. Chapter 4 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The sky had just lit up. Chen Pingan got up in high spirits. After yesterday¡¯s cultivation, his body did not feel any discomfort or soreness. Instead, he felt refreshed in his eyes and ears. ¡°I¡¯ve just entered the elementary level of the Qi Refinement Stage. I have to seize the opportunity to cultivate while I can still feel the after effects.¡± The first thing Chen Pingan did after waking up was to sit down to cultivate and to practice what he had read yesterday . Because he was cultivating normally, the commotion was not as great as the first time. Apart from the obvious surge of Spirit Qi in the living room, there was no abnormal phenomenon. Cultivation was an extremely mysterious thing. When you didn¡¯t come into contact with it, you would subconsciously find it boring. However, once you cultivated for a few hours, you would feel as though your bones were shattering. Despite this, cultivation was still more comfortable than any other exercise and brought great benefits to the body. It was clear that Chen Pingan had received the benefits. After he tasted the joy of cultivation, he simply could not stop himself. Time passed minute by minute as he cultivated. In the blink of an eye, it was already past seven in the morning. ¡°What a beautiful morning.¡± Still feeling as if he had not had enough, Chen Pingan let out a mouthful of black gas, expelling the waste produced from his body. Because he had just entered the elementary level of the Qi Refinement Stage, he had yet to reach the point where he could abstain from eating. And since Chen Pingan had not eaten much since last night, his stomach had been rumbling with hunger for the entire morning. Chen Pingan tidied up his room slightly and prepared to go downstairs for breakfast. He also wanted to take this opportunity to experience the pure Spirit Qi in nature. After stepping into the cultivation world, he had also mastered a breathing technique. Without cultivating, Chen Pingan could absorb a small amount of Spirit Qi just by breathing. ¡°Apparently, breathing in more of the Spirit Qi outside is very helpful for cultivation. It could indirectly increase the immunity of the body and even cleanse the remaining filth of the body!¡± Chen Pingan lived on the 19th floor but decided not to take the elevator down this time. The elevator was usually crowded and he also needed to wait for it to arrive. He found it more convenient to just take the stairs. If it were in the past, he definitely wouldn¡¯t have taken the stairs. Ever since he entered the elementary level of the Qi Refinement Stage, however, his physical strength and speed had increased several times. To the current Chen Pingan, getting down from the 19th floor was an easy feat and he did not have to worry about running out of breath. Two minutes passed. Chen Pingan walked out of the door of the corridor steadily. When he passed by the neighborhood plaza, his eyelids jumped fiercely. Several old men were squatting in the right corner of the plaza, in the exact same position as last night. They held onto poker cards as they spoke with clear and loud voices while their eyes remained fixated on the huge screen. A female host dressed in formal attire with light makeup on appeared on the screen. She reported the news with a clear voice. [Recently, in a certain neighborhood in Yang City, a resident has broken through to the Body Integration Stage on his 50th birthday. It is said that he is the youngest Body Integration Stage expert!] Chen Pingan¡¯s expression remained unchanged. He was no longer bothered by the news of a Body Integration Stage expert and was prepared to leave the plaza. Even Tribulation Stage experts died at age two hundred. How much trouble could a Body Integration Stage cultivator cause? ¡°He broke through to the Body Integration Stage at the age of fifty? How talented! Dali is also fifty, right?¡± An old man said after hearing the news on the screen as he threw a card. The old man called Dali looked embarrassed and felt a little ashamed. ¡°Yes, my talent is inferior to his. He is already at the Body Integration Stage, but I¡¯m only at the Nascent Soul Stage.¡± His eyes drifted away, and from the corner of his eye, he saw a familiar figure about to cross the plaza and walk out. ¡°Young man, where are you going?¡± Dali changed the topic calmly. Now that he had found someone who was even less talented than him, he could avoid the previously embarrassing topic from continuing. Chen Pingan suddenly felt as though his worst fear had come true. Chen Pingan cried bitterly in his heart and pretended not to hear anything. He increased the speed of his feet and wanted to avoid them after his encounter with them last night. After all, each of them were capable of throwing insults that were as powerful and as ruthless as cannonballs. ¡°Young man! This old man is talking to you!¡± Dali shouted at the top of his lungs. His voice was louder than a horn, and everyone in the neighborhood heard him. Chen Pingan thought that this old man did not sound like an old man at all. He turned around with a stiff expression. After all, he could no longer pretend to have not heard him given the volume he yelled out with. ¡°Right, I was just talking to you. You¡¯re so young, but your hearing is already so bad!¡± Dali waved his hand. ¡°Come over quickly.¡± Chen Pingan walked over reluctantly and stood in front of the old men like a child who had done something wrong. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Dali and the old men looked at him unhappily. They could not detect any Spirit Qi around Chen Pingan. When they saw Chen Pingan¡¯s dispirited face, they shook their heads. ¡°Um, is there anything you need? I¡¯m in a hurry to eat.¡± Chen Pingan only wanted to get away from these old men as soon as possible. In his eyes, they were even more troublesome than his distant relatives. Dali began to lecture him. ¡°What¡¯s the hurry? You didn¡¯t pay attention in cultivation classes, did you? That¡¯s why you haven¡¯t even entered the elementary level of the Qi Refinement Stage yet!¡± The other old men nodded in agreement and pointed at Chen Pingan. ¡°Look at your stubble. You¡¯re just a young man, yet you don¡¯t even trim it. Also, you stay at home every day and don¡¯t interact with others. How is that going to benefit your cultivation?¡± ¡°You should go out more often and experience nature. Also, try to cultivate more. Eventually, you¡¯ll naturally reach the elementary level of the Qi Refinement Stage.¡± Chen Pingan looked at this group of impassioned old men who spat as they spoke. He gulped and wanted to explain. Before he could do so, another piece of news was being reported on the screen. [With the college entrance examination approaching, there has been more traffic on the road. Due to the traffic, a certain examinee left his car on the road and ran a distance of more than 10 kilometers in only thirty minutes!] [For him to have such explosive and shocking speed, just what realm is this examinee at? Our local reporters¡­] ¡°¡­¡± Chen Pingan was speechless. He thought that the broadcasters must be purposefully broadcasting this news piece at this current moment. ¡°Look at him! He has just taken the college entrance examination and is already so powerful. What excuse do you still have for not putting more effort into your cultivation?¡± Dali pointed excitedly at the big screen, and almost wanted to pin Chen Pingan¡¯s entire head on the screen. ¡°Even my grandson is stronger than you. He entered the elementary level of the Qi Refinement Stage at the age of five. Sigh!¡± ¡°Look at you. You¡¯re already twenty and yet you haven¡¯t even entered the elementary level of the Qi Refinement Stage yet!¡± The other old man had a happy and gratified expression when he mentioned his grandson. However, when he looked at Chen Pingan again, he stared at him for a long time before finally sighing deeply. The old men were still taking turns to educate Chen Pingan and he was about to lose his patience. He was very unhappy that a group of old men had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and started lecturing him. Just as Chen Pingan was about to retort, excited music sounded on the screen. He paused and looked over. A few red words flashed on the screen. Then, the charming female host said in shock, [Yesterday at 3: 54 pm, a dragon-shaped phenomenon appeared above the entire city of Yang City. Specialists have confirmed that this is not a natural phenomenon. For such a phenomenon to appar, it¡¯s very likely that an expert in the Tribulation Stage is cultivating or ascending!] [Specialists have figured out that the phenomenon came from the southeast.. According to their investigation, the Tribulation Stage expert is very likely to be from the Xin Guang Residence!] Chapter 5 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios As soon as the female host finished speaking, another scene appeared on the screen. It was a video of the sky from yesterday. The video was shot with a wide angle lens and showed the entire Yang City. In the blue sky, a dragon-shaped condensation of Spirit Qi that was thousands of kilometers long had appeared and was circling above Yang City. It was lifelike and overbearing. Even though Chen Pingan did not witness the scene with his own eyes and only saw it through the video, he was still extremely shocked. ¡°What a shocking phenomenon. There¡¯s actually such a super expert hidden in our neighborhood?¡± One of the old men said in shock. ¡°Who is this person? How could he remain undetected after being in our neighborhood for so long? His strength actually seems a little terrifying.¡± Dali¡¯s eyes flickered with excitement. He had lived in the neighborhood for so many years, but he had only just found out that there was a Tribulation Stage expert living alongside him. ¡°This expert probably wanted to stay hidden, so he restrained his aura so that he wouldn¡¯t expose himself.¡± The old men sighed with emotion. They desperately wanted to become Tribulation Stage experts and even dreamed about it. Unfortunately, they did not have the talent. Chen Pingan stared fixedly at the screen and was deeply shocked by the phenomenon and the existence of such a terrifying expert. ¡°Is this the strength of a Tribulation Stage expert? Or could it have been someone of a higher realm? What a terrifying existence. All he did was cultivate and he had already caused such a phenomenon.¡± Chen Pingan muttered in his heart. Because of this matter, he started to have hope in this world again. ¡°This matter probably isn¡¯t as simple as we think it is. This expert probably hid himself so that the enemies would be fooled and lower their defenses. What a smart move!¡± ¡°There are probably other experts in the neighborhood as well. As expected, I know too little about this place. It¡¯s not that everyone is weak here¡­ It¡¯s just that the strong have chosen to stay hidden. Looks like experts do exist in this world.¡± The more Chen Pingan thought about it, the more glad he was for staying quiet yesterday. Fortunately, he found out about the existence of experts early on and had yet to say anything that would provoke them. Otherwise, if he were to have boasted shamelessly and angered some expert, his outcome would definitely be miserable! He had just entered the elementary level of the Qi Refinement Stage, so how could he compare to those experts? Dali and the other old men turned their gazes to Chen Pingan. In their eyes, Chen Pingan went from frowning to smiling bitter to acting silly. They sighed and turned to offer him some guidance. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel ashamed about yourself now that such a powerful expert appeared in our neighborhood?¡± ¡°You¡¯re so young, yet you¡¯re ignorant and incompetent. Not to mention that you¡¯re also lazy and didn¡¯t even finish your compulsory cultivation lesson. Just how are you planning on increasing your realm?!¡± Perhaps because they were affected by that expert, the old men were surging with emotions. When they saw that Chen Pingan had yet to enter the elementary level of the Qi Refinement Stage, a sense of loss welled up in their hearts. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll put more effort into cultivating in the future. I¡¯ll learn from that expert!¡± Chen Pingan promised the old men with sincerity. He looked at the old men in front of him and recalled the news on the screen. Could it be that one of these old men was the expert hidden in the neighborhood? During the earthquake yesterday, Chen Pingan saw the old man known as Dali carry the refrigerator as he ran from the 19th floor to the 1st floor without even losing his breath. There was also another old man who walked with extremely swift footsteps. His movements were even nimbler than a young man¡¯s. He was like a rabbit and was so agile and did not behave like an old man at all. Chen Pingan sized up the old men and became even more certain of his guess. He was sure that one of them was the expert on the news. And he even thought that there might be multiple experts among them. Seeing Chen Pingan¡¯s sincere attitude, the old men nodded in satisfaction. Although the old men did not approve of Chen Pingan¡¯s strength, they still liked his attitude. ¡°You¡¯re still young. You still have time to learn the compulsory cultivation lesson. You can catch up to others if you work hard.¡± Dali encouraged. ¡°Dali here is right. It¡¯s not too late to start learning the compulsory cultivation lesson again and make up for the knowledge you left behind in school. It will only be too late when you wait until you¡¯re our age.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Back then, I entered the elementary level of the Qi Refinement Stage with ease. Actually, thinking back now, it wasn¡¯t even that difficult. Just work twice as hard as others and I guarantee that you can break through to the elementary level of the Qi Refinement Stage within half a month!¡± The old men suggested to Chen Pingan one after another. ¡°You guys are right. I¡¯ll go buy books later and start studying hard.¡± Chen Pingan listened to the old men¡¯s guidance and nodded repeatedly, humbly accepting everyone¡¯s suggestions. Indeed, there were many experts in the neighborhood. Chen Pingan had struggled so much to enter the elementary level of the Qi Refinement Stage yesterday, and yet the old men spoke of their breakthrough as if it was nothing difficult. What a shocking talent! Just how much more time will Chen Pingan need before he can get to the same realm as the old men? It seemed that Chen Pingan¡¯s path of cultivation will be a long one. Yesterday, Chen Pingan was still feeling happy about entering the elementary level of the Qi Refinement Stage. Today, he suddenly felt that strength couldn¡¯t be obtained overnight. Strength needed time to develop and he still had a long way ahead of him. ¡°The lifetime experience of an expert is more precious than any cultivation technique. The old men were only being so blunt with me because they had high hopes for me. I won¡¯t disappoint them!¡± ¡°From today onwards, I¡¯ll cultivate diligently. The experts here are all hidden and unfathomable. On the surface, these people don¡¯t seem to have any strength, but in fact, their strength is unfathomable. Otherwise, how could someone be able to cause such a phenomenon just by cultivating?¡± ¡°Fortunately, I did not offend them. Otherwise, if they want to kill a small fry like me, they could do it easily. With just a thought, they can crush me to death!¡± The more Chen Pingan thought about it, the more frightened he became. Fortunately, he had not offended the old men. Otherwise, how could he still be alive? But he started to wonder whether it was difficult to learn the compulsory cultivation lesson. ¡°Just put more effort into it. If there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand, you can come downstairs and ask us.¡± The morning news was over, and the old men returned to their card game. They said a few polite words and dismissed the young man in front of them. Chen Pingan was shocked. Their seemingly casual words had suddenly resolved his worries. Could it be that the old men could hear his inner thoughts?! Could this be the legendary eavesdropping technique? The eavesdropping technique was an ability to see through other people¡¯s thoughts. Chen Pingan suddenly felt that the old men were very powerful. Chen Pingan did not dare to have any more thoughts. He hurriedly bid farewell to the old men and hurriedly left the neighborhood. He didn¡¯t want to stay there any longer. The old men had actually mastered such a divine ability. This was not something ordinary people like him could compare with. If he continued to chat with them and ended up angering them, wouldn¡¯t he be courting death?! Chen Pingan did not dare to think further. Without looking back, he ran out of the entrance of the neighborhood in a panic and went straight to the nearby library. He had realized the gap between him and others and knew that he had to work hard in cultivation to slowly reduce the gap. Chen Pingan followed the GPS on his phone and found the nearest library. As he was feeling elated and was about to step in, his phone rang. The ringtone was a creepy kid¡¯s laugh. Chen Pingan was shocked. He hurriedly pressed the answer button and did not even look at who the caller was. The ringtone was too sudden and even attracted the attention of many passersby. At this moment, Chen Pingan was so embarrassed that he wanted to dig a hole and bury his head in it. ¡°Pingan, it¡¯s me!¡± A rough male voice sounded from the other end of the phone. It was loud and clear, and Chen Pingan¡¯s eardrums hurt for a moment. Chen Pingan pulled his phone slightly further away. He turned his head and looked at the caller. It was Brother Xiong, a refined man who always wore golden eyes. Brother Xiong was a good friend of his and also his cousin. Chen Pingan and him had a good relationship since they were young. ¡°Hey, cousin.¡± Chen Pingan replied naturally. Chen Pingan had all the memories of his original body. Therefore, if he wanted to deal with his close friends or family, he could do it easily without them suspecting a thing. As the original owner was very antisocial and did not have many friends, he rarely interacted with people. The original body had lived in this neighborhood for almost five years and had not interacted with his neighbors more than twice. He liked to keep to himself. When Chen Pingan did not know how to deal with a situation, he simply stayed quiet. This way, other people would not suspect him at all. Since his original personality was like this, it was also normal for him to behave this way.. Chapter 6 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°I¡¯ve already settled the matter I told you about. When are you coming over?¡± Brother Xiong did not suspect anything and was calling to discuss a matter. ¡°What is it?¡± Chen Pingan responded without thinking. When he was speaking, he even wanted to bite off his tongue. What kind of a response was that? ¡°Why aren¡¯t you concerned at all? In order to find connections to let you in, my legs have been almost broken from traveling around for the past few days!¡± The voice on the other end of the phone suddenly raised. Brother Xiong was furious. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that they were cousins, would he take on this thankless task? Brother Xiong was a teacher at a public school known as Qin Kai Cultivation School. He taught sports and was very famous in school. Over the past few years, he had often led students to competitions all over the country, winning multiple trophies for the school and even the entire province. Brother Xiong had his own way of teaching sports. Many of his students even made it to the national team. This was why the school valued Brother Xiong so much. In an era where everyone was passionate about sports competitions, the status of a physical education teacher soared. He was the most famous person in the entire Qin Kai Cultivation School. Brother Xiong was doing well. His good friend and cousin, Chen Pingan, on the other hand, was living in poverty. This was because when Chen Pingan was young, he had been focusing entirely on painting. He even missed his compulsory cultivation classes and the school could not control him at all. After that, he dropped out of school early. He had been living a poor life for the past few years. Every month, he relied on the money he earned from painting to survive. He lived trying to make ends meet. In addition, Chen Pingan had yet to reach the elementary level of the Qi Refinement Stage and his constitution was not as good as an ordinary person¡¯s. Because he stayed up late all year round, his body was deteriorating day by day. Seeing his cousin in such a state, Brother Xiong felt upset and wanted to help him. There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. Brother Xiong sighed and controlled his overly agitated emotions. He lowered his voice and said, ¡°Pingan, I¡¯m really not trying to speak ill of you, but look at how you¡¯ve been living all these years. Do you really think it¡¯s fine to keep living like this?¡± ¡°If this goes on, aren¡¯t you afraid that your mother will be upset? Don¡¯t be too stubborn. Your path of painting is leading you nowhere. Look at what you¡¯ve become.¡± Chen Pingan still didn¡¯t say anything, as if he was conflicted. Brother Xiong was delighted. After saying so much, it seemed that the other party was finally willing to listen. He continued his counseling. ¡°Pingan, I¡¯ve taken care of it for you already. You just need to report to school at 9 am next Monday.¡± Report next Monday? Chen Pingan, who was browsing through the books in the library, was stunned for a moment. Then, he continued to search through the vast sea of books for suitable cultivation books. He was not strong enough, so his main priority now was to cultivate. He would listen to the advice of the old men in the neighborhood and re-learn the necessary knowledge for cultivation. Other things could be put aside for now. ¡°I¡¯m not going, cousin. I¡¯m sorry to trouble you. You¡¯ve helped me with everything during this period of time. I¡¯m really grateful to you, but I can¡¯t go.¡± Chen Pingan took the opportunity to reply. ¡°What?¡± Brother Xiong wondered if he had heard wrongly. He wasn¡¯t going? ¡°I¡¯m not going.¡± ¡°Let me be honest with you. Do you know how difficult it is to pull strings these days? I spent so much effort to convince the principal to give you a substitute teacher position.¡± Brother Xiong was furious on the other end and did not give Chen Pingan any chance to speak. He did not even breathe when he spoke. ¡°Although it¡¯s just a substitute teacher position, don¡¯t worry. As long as you stay in the school and teach for a few years, you will get into an authorized position and the benefits will increase.¡± Qin Kai Cultivation School was the largest public school in Yang City. Many people wanted to enter it, but they couldn¡¯t do so unless they had some connections. ¡°Pingan, the salary of the substitute teacher isn¡¯t too high at the moment. After deducting most of the monthly expenses, you only get three thousand yuan. But it¡¯s better than what you¡¯re currently doing, right? At least this job is stable!¡± Brother Xiong thought that Chen Pingan was complaining about the low salary of the substitute teacher and thus tried his best to persuade him. ¡°Besides, you can stay in the staff dormitory arranged by the school. You can save on the expenses of the rent. With a monthly salary of three thousand yuan, you can live comfortably.¡± He really did not wish for his cousin to continue painting. Chen Pingan couldn¡¯t even guarantee his basic necessities, so what was the point of persisting? ¡°I¡¯ve thought it through very clearly. The conditions are tempting, but I can¡¯t accept them. I have to work hard to cultivate and restore all the knowledge that I once wasted. I don¡¯t have the time to teach.¡± Chen Pingan refused righteously. At the same time, he carried a stack of books to the counter to settle the bill. ¡°Cousin, I was such a jerk in the past. From now on, I¡¯m going to turn over a new leaf and cultivate seriously!¡± ¡°Alright, that¡¯s all for now. I¡¯m currently paying the bill. I¡¯ve bought all the cultivation lesson books from the past, so I have to hurry up and study them. We¡¯ll talk about it when I have time in the future!¡± He said confidently into the phone. The staff who was scanning the book labels on the counter looked at Chen Pingan in surprise. In this day and age, there were all kinds of people. But the staff member rarely saw young men in their twenties who were only starting to read the compulsory cultivation lesson books. However, due to his professionalism, the staff member didn¡¯t want to hurt the young man¡¯s confidence. At the same time, on the other side of the phone. ¡°Pingan¡­¡± Brother Xiong was stunned. He held the phone and opened his mouth to say something, but Chen Pingan had already hung up. Brother Xiong tried to recall what Pingan just said. He wondered if his cousin truly wanted to relearn the contents of the compulsory cultivation lessons from high school and university. He also wondered if there was something wrong with his cousin. In order to cultivate, he even abandoned a prospective job! ¡°When you¡¯ve spent all your money, I¡¯ll see how confident you are to reject me. Eventually, you¡¯ll come and find me.¡± Brother Xiong was sure that Chen Pingan was just acting on a whim. Based on his understanding of his cousin, it would be strange if Pingan could endure the boredom of cultivation for a long time! For a moment, he was relieved. Now, he was just waiting for Chen Pingan to take the initiative to call him back. After all, it was not easy for him to get that substitute teacher¡¯s job opportunity, so how could he turn it down? ¡­ On the other hand, Chen Pingan¡¯s face was beaming with joy. He was carrying a pile of cultivation books in his arms. There were books from elementary high school, middle school, and university. He had bought all the books related to cultivation. ¡°The old men are right. Reading these books will definitely benefit me greatly. I only took a cursory glance at the catalog just now, and I already felt a lot of emotions.¡± ¡°If I were to study all these books, I wonder how much would I gain? The suggestion the old men gave me sure is great!¡± Chen Pingan thanked the old men in his heart. If it weren¡¯t for them, he wouldn¡¯t have discovered such useful cultivation books. He carefully carried the books as if they were rare treasures. After leaving the library, he walked straight back to his neighborhood. ¡°I have to hurry back to cultivate. I don¡¯t have enough time.¡± Chen Pingan did not waste any more time on the road. After all, time was money. He was already behind others and could not afford to slack off. In such a small neighborhood with hidden experts, he might not be able to fight against the experts, but at least he had the ability to escape them. If something were to happen, Chen Pingan could always escape.. Chapter 7 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The library was only a mile from the neighborhood. Chen Pingan took less than three minutes to get back to the neighborhood. By now, it was already 4 pm. The plaza in the neighborhood had gotten very lively. There were children playing, chatting, and exercising in groups. ¡°That peerless expert might be among them.¡± Chen Pingan carefully observed the group of residents. He looked around and felt that the expert was most likely hidden in the group of old men in the neighborhood. The group of old men were always nestled in the corner of the plaza, their movements very much like street ruffians. ¡°How profound. Usually, it¡¯s already difficult to squat like that. But when these old men do it, it seems as though they are partaking in some flexibility training!¡± If not for the pile of books in his hands, Chen Pingan would have slapped himself. He had been rude to the old men many times in the past. He believed that if they were to hold it against him, he would definitely suffer. He glanced at the old men in the corner in horror. None of the old men paid him any attention. Chen Pingan heaved a sigh of relief. Perhaps it was because the old men were magnanimous and did not want to be petty with him. He knew that these old men could read the thoughts of others. Earlier, he had thought that¡­ ¡°The old men won¡¯t blame me, right? But they¡¯re probably angry with me, since they won¡¯t even look at me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s over. In the future, I still have questions about cultivation that I need to ask them. Will they still be willing to teach me?¡± Chen Pingan revealed a depressed face. He silently walked through the plaza. As he walked, he really hoped that the old men would call out to him. But no. Not even once. Crestfallen, Chen Pingan entered the corridor. He felt regretful and mustered his courage to greet the old men, but the moment he turned his head to do so, the courage he had gathered vanished without a trace. They did not even look over and were busy talking about another child. As they talked, they revealed a smile that Chen Pingan had never seen before. It was filled with gratification and admiration. Such a smile had never appeared when they were talking to him before. ¡°Have I disappointed them?¡± Sadness was written all over Chen Pingan¡¯s face as he dragged his weak body back to his house. Not long after he disappeared from the corridor. ¡°Dali, your grandson¡¯s talent is not bad. He managed to enter the elementary level of the Qi Refinement Stage at the age of five.¡± The old men praised generously. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Out of all the grandchildren, only one of them is capable.¡± When Dali heard his good friends praising his grandson, he was so happy that he couldn¡¯t keep his mouth shut. ¡°Hey, I saw that young man just now. He seemed like he really did take our advice. I saw him carrying a stack of books home.¡± One of the old men looked at the dark corridor and said with relief. ¡°That¡¯s a good thing. Speaking of which, it¡¯s all thanks to that hidden expert in our neighborhood. He had given the young man motivation to push forward and not sink any further.¡± The other old men also sighed with emotion. This was the young man¡¯s good fortune. He had encountered an expert in the Tribulation Stage and was lucky to turn over a new leaf before it was too late. ¡°It¡¯s not easy.¡± An old man was looking at one of the high buildings in the neighborhood. He lived on the same floor as the young man. Coincidentally, they were neighbors. But there was almost no contact between them, because the young man who lived next door to him rarely went out during the day. He was extremely solitary. At first, the old man looked down on the young man. But today, he saw the change in this introverted young man and immediately reminded him of his past. The old man himself had experienced a period of rebellion that no one knew about. During this period, he did not cultivate and spent his time racing on the road. Later on, he suddenly came to his senses and started to train when he was almost twenty years old. He had spent sixty-five years to reach the Void Refinement Stage from the elementary level of the Qi Refinement. Because he entered the elementary level of the Qi Refinement Stage late, he did not have a good foundation. Thus, every step he took was very difficult. Fortunately, his two sons did not follow in his footsteps and successfully cultivated, marrying and having children. The old man¡¯s wife died early, and his two sons were also living abroad. They only come back to visit before the new year every year. Other than that, the old man spent his days with his father. But a while ago, his father had passed away after entering the Mahayana Realm. The old man was left alone. The only fun he had was to chat with these old men every day on the plaza. ¡°I¡¯ll make chicken soup tonight to nourish that young man¡¯s body. Young people nowadays are too skinny.¡± The old man muttered to himself as he walked towards the market. The young man¡¯s experience was very similar to his. He seemed to be able to see himself in a trance, and started recalling his wild and unrestrained past. Back when he was cultivating, he had suffered a lot. Perhaps now, he could give the young man some of his own cultivation experience and insights to prevent him from taking too many detours in his cultivation. ¡­ Chen Pingan kept thinking about what happened just now. Uneasiness filled his heart. He had just gotten to know a group of old men who might be powerful experts, but in the blink of an eye, their relationship had been reduced to such a state. ¡°Sigh!¡± Chen Pingan shook his head and sighed. He wiped the table until it was shiny and placed the books neatly on the clean table. ¡°I¡¯d better hurry up and comprehend my cultivation. If I improve a lot, the old men might not be angry with me anymore.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t let them down.¡± Chen Pingan¡¯s expression was solemn as he knelt on the ground and looked at the cultivation books in front of him. He still seemed like a devout believer, despite not putting his palms together and kneeling. He picked out a book from the pile. Written on the book were the words ¡± Low Level Compulsory Cultivation Lesson Book¡±. Chen Pingan realized that this book should be a book meant for elementary high school. Chen Pingan placed the book beside his nose and sniffed it lightly. Compared to the cultivation technique rewarded by the system, this book had an indescribable fragrance that refreshed the mind. ¡°The old men are right. Just by smelling its surface, I can already detect such a rich fragrance. This book is probably not that simple.¡± Chen Pingan calmed himself down and slowly flipped through the pages. Just as he flipped open the cover, he saw a fantastical picture that showed the surface of a moon and some clouds. In the picture, there stood an immortal with a faint smile. His first reaction was to think of the phenomenon above Yang City that day. The immortal in this painting must be a Tribulation Stage expert! Despite not seeing him in person, he could feel an oppressive aura from the person through the thin paper . Chen Pingan was so frightened that he did not dare to look at the immortal any longer. He hurriedly flipped the page and arrived at the catalog. It was said that a catalog was the essence of a book. This statement is indeed accurate. Chen Pingan took a glance and felt a headache coming on. A Lot of information flooded in. The first line of the catalog wrote: Spirit Qi World. After that, Chen Pingan also saw phrases like ¡°breathing exercise¡±, ¡°strong physique¡±, and ¡°high spirits¡± written in the catalog. Chen Pingan was deeply moved. The catalog of this book did not have any unfamiliar terms. Instead, it used the simplest words or phrases to allow its meaning to be easily understood. ¡°The breathing exercise here refers to the process of absorbing Spirit Qi and purging the impurities. This book is truly wonderful. It summarized the entire circulation of Spirit Qi with the simple phrase ¡°breathing exercise¡±.¡± ¡°Strong physique should be about tempering the body. This, too, is a wonderful phrase. Why hadn¡¯t I thought of this before?¡± ¡°I am already enlightened after reading the catalog. Many of my questions have even been answered. Impressive indeed. It seems like this book covers the entire cultivation system.¡± Chen Pingan was full of praise for this compulsory cultivation book. After reading the entire book, he benefited greatly and his mind became exceptionally clear. He closed the book and recalled the contents of the book in his mind, forming a sea of knowledge in his mind. ¡°Now, I¡¯ll start cultivating.¡± Chen Pingan had memorized the contents of the book by heart, and he sat down with his legs crossed and was prepared to begin cultivating according to the contents of the book.. Chapter 8 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Hu.¡± The room was filled with the sounds of breathing. Chen Pingan adjusted his breathing frequency according to what he had learned from the books. Time ticked by. At this moment, Chen Pingan felt light and relaxed. It was as if his body had broken free from any restraints. His body seemed to have been laid flat on a pile of goose feathers. With every move, countless feathers would flutter and caress every part of his body, making him feel extremely comfortable. ¡°Spirit Qi is no different from oxygen. Simply absorb the Spirit Qi and feel it enter your body as it turns into nutrients for the body.¡± Chen Pingan thought to himself as he slowly absorbed the Spirit Qi. He deliberately adjusted the frequency of his breathing and slowed down the abortion of the Spirit Qi as it nourished his internal organs. Aside from nourishing his internal organs, several strands of Spirit Qi of Heaven and Earth also floated into his empty Spirit Sea. Countless Spirit Qi of Heaven and Earth had been devoured but his Spirit Sea was still not yet filled up. Chen Pingan¡¯s chest began to heave violently, and his breathing became heavier. He no longer controlled the frequency of his breathing and allowed the Spirit Qi to enter naturally. Suddenly, it was like a flood had broken through the floodgates. The Spirit Qi rose to more than dozens of feet tall. All of the openings on his body, from his pores, nose, mouth, and several acupuncture points on his head, were working to absorb the Spirit Qi of heaven and earth. The vigorous Spirit Qi in the room disappeared in the blink of an eye. In an instant, the Spirit Qi vortex grew larger and larger, covering the entire Xin Guang Residence! It wasn¡¯t just the Yang City that was affected. The commotion had even spread to several nearby cities. Thunder rumbled in the sky, and lightning flashed. Every single strike of lightning had the power to destroy an entire city! The bright sky instantly turned pitch-black as though night had descended. It looked like a storm was about to arrive. The strange thing was that the black cloud lasted all afternoon, and the storm did not come as scheduled. ¡°What am I looking at?¡± The residents of Xin Guang Residence looked up at the sky. The entire neighborhood seemed to have been cut off from Yang City. There was an obvious dividing line in the sky, surrounded by dense black clouds. Only their neighborhood was brightly lit. ¡°Look there! Look!¡± A resident pointed to a certain building in the neighborhood. A white vortex was faintly discernible above it. It was enshrouded in white mist and looked extremely surreal. ¡°A vortex created by cultivation?!¡± ¡°The expert in our neighborhood must be in that building!¡± The residents stared at the phenomenon in the sky in shock. No one dared to approach the building in the neighborhood. If they disturbed the cultivation of this expert, the consequences would be unimaginable! The vortex in the sky gradually expanded. Not only did it cover the top of the building the expert was in, but it also gradually expanded to the buildings around it. The vortex grew larger, and the speed at which it absorbed Spirit Qi became faster and faster, as if it was devouring heaven and earth. Most of the Spirit Qi entered into the vortex and only a small portion of it contributed to the vortex. Although it was only a small portion, the vortex still covered the entire Xin Guang Residence. The density of the Spirit Qi was also more than double that of before. Many residents in Xin Guang Residence sensed the increase in the surrounding Spirit Qi. A few of them even started to cultivate on the plaza. They could not waste the dense Spirit Qi as they predicted that it would dissipate soon. In the end, all the men, women, old, and young in Xin Guang Residence were sitting cross-legged and cultivating. It was definitely an unprecedentedly grand occasion. The various newspapers in Yang City were already extremely busy at this moment. After the previous phenomenon, another abnormal phenomenon appeared again today! This time, the phenomenon was even more terrifying, spreading to several nearby cities! The nearby cities had never seen such an astonishing cultivation phenomenon before. Everyone was in a state of panic, thinking that a calamity was coming. In an instant, chaos erupted everywhere. There was only a single place that was extremely quiet, where all the chaos in the outside world was isolated. No matter what the phenomenon was like in the outside world, this place remained extremely silent and undisturbed. ¡°Hu, it¡¯s finally going to be over soon.¡± Chen Pingan heaved a sigh of relief. The moment he opened his eyes, the surging Spirit Qi in the surroundings immediately returned to its original position. A small portion of it stayed in the room while the rest of the Spirit Qi floated in all directions and returned to heaven and earth. ¡°Have I reached the early stage of Qi Refinement Stage?¡± After two rounds of cultivation, Chen Pingan had progressed a little further than the elementary level of the Qi Refinement Stage. His current strength should be at the early stage of the Qi Refinement Stage. Chen Pingan was wild with joy. Compared to when he had just entered the elementary level, the changes after he had reached the early stage of the Qi Refinement Stage were the most obvious. Now, without even having to rely on his eyes or ears, he could use his Spirit Sense to sense movements within a hundred meter radius. He could even sense the mosquitoes that were flying towards him from behind. He could even sense the residents outside the corridor who were busy cultivating, which surprised Chen Pingan. Chen Pingan suddenly opened his eyes. What was going on? Was he seeing things? Were all these residents really cultivating? Moreover, how could they all be cultivating at the same time? ¡°Is there something wrong with my Spirit Sense? Or could it be that there¡¯s something I¡¯m not seeing due to the lack of my cultivation?¡± Chen Pingan pulled open the curtains with trembling hands. The windows were made of clear glass, and the plaza outside could be seen from his room clearly. Chen Pingan saw over a hundred residents sitting cross-legged in the plaza. Some of them had ended their cultivation early. Otherwise, there would have been more people cultivating there. ¡°Was there a special event happening tonight? Collective cultivation?¡± Chen Pingan could not understand it at all. Was there a neighborhood culture that he was not part of? With the window open, he stood quietly by the window as he felt the breeze. At this moment, knocking sounds came from the door, as well as loud and anxious shouts. ¡°Young man! Open the door!¡± ¡°I brought you soup.¡± Chen Pingan didn¡¯t even have time to close the window. He found the voice familiar, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn¡¯t figure out who it was. ¡°You can ring the doorbell.¡± Banging sounds came from the door. The person outside was surprisingly strong. Chen Pingan wondered if the person wanted to smash down his door. He opened the door from inside. When he saw who it was, Chen Pingan suddenly couldn¡¯t hear anything and was focused on a single thought. Did this old man hear what he was thinking in his heart before? Chen Pingan did not move, his body was stiff, only his eyes were moving. ¡°Have you been scared silly? Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± The old man who said that he was going to make chicken soup for Chen Pingan really did end up bringing over a big bowl of steaming chicken soup. ¡°Young man?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Say something!¡± The old man used one hand to shake Pingan¡¯s body, trying to wake him up. What was going on? Was he that scary? The old man couldn¡¯t help but wonder why the young man became so stunned after seeing him. ¡°Hello. Why are you here?¡± Chen Pingan forced out a smile. His smiling face was uglier than his crying face. ¡°I cooked too much soup, so I brought you a serving. Look at your thin arms and legs. Even a gust of wind can blow you down.¡± The old man walked into the entryway as if he was in his own home and placed the soup on the dining table. When he saw the cultivation books on the table, a satisfied expression appeared on his face. ¡°Were you cultivating just now?¡± The old man asked casually. After all, the Spirit Qi in the neighborhood now was especially dense after that powerful cultivator in the neighborhood cultivated and caused a huge commotion. Chen Pingan was stunned for a moment before recalling that the old man could read minds. Indeed, Chen Pingan could not hide anything from him. Chen Pingan¡¯s heart skipped a beat and his face turned pale. He stammered, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. You are lucky to have met an expert in our district who is currently cultivating. The concentration of Spirit Qi in the area is very high, so cultivating will be much easier..¡± Chapter 9 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Was the neighborhood expert cultivating again? ¡°No wonder the effect was so obvious after only cultivating for a while. So it was thanks to him.¡± Chen Pingan came to a sudden realization. He had thought the improvements had come from his comprehension. It turned out that there was an expert cultivating in secret nearby and had inadvertently helped him. ¡°Keep cultivating. You will break through soon.¡± The old man was very satisfied with the young man in front of him. He had only lectured him today and the other party had already started cultivating seriously. ¡°Thank you.¡± Chen Pingan had a look of gratitude on his face. Other than the system, he had also been guided by the old men multiple times now. He swore that he would never forget their kindness. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so polite. We¡¯re all neighbors, so it¡¯s only right for us to help each other. If you have any doubts about your training, come to Room 306 and look for me.¡± The old man walked around the room with a smile and was impressed by how tidy the room was. His impression of the young man started to increase. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t disturb you anymore. Drink this chicken soup while it¡¯s hot. Bring the bowl back to me tomorrow.¡± After saying that, the old man left. Before Pingan could say anything, a gust of wind blew past his eyes and a figure flashed past. He rubbed his eyes. When he opened them again, he realized that there was no one in front of him. The old man had already left. The old man came and went in a hurry. Pingan wondered if this was how all experts acted. Chen Pingan was a little lost in thought as he looked at the chicken soup. ¡°I wonder who this expert is. Every time he cultivates, he would create such a huge commotion that the entire neighborhood would know about it.¡± Unfortunately, Chen Pingan kept missing the phenomena caused by the expert¡¯s cultivation. Chen Pingan suddenly sighed. He still had a long way to go. After all, the difference in strength between a Tribulation Stage expert and an early-stage Qi Refinement Stage cultivator wasn¡¯t small at all. There was a natural chasm between them. Speaking of which, he felt a bit ashamed since he had been secretly delighted about his breakthrough just now. He was only at the early stage of the Qi Refinement Stage, yet he was already feeling so proud. Chen Pingan¡¯s complacency vanished completely. ¡°The road ahead is still very long.¡± He turned his head and put away the cultivation books on the table one by one, planning to slowly go through them in the following days. Suddenly, a message popped up on his phone. [Dear customer, your balance is insufficient. We will reserve the answering function for another 48 hours. Please pay as soon as possible!] Chen Pingan suddenly realized his phone balance had run out. He swiped the message and opened the payment page. He didn¡¯t think it was a big deal and decided that he was going to just pay. After thinking for a while, he decided to charge 100 yuan to save himself some trouble. [Insufficient balance, please reconfirm the amount paid!] Pingan was stunned. There was less than 100 yuan left in his account? Impossible! Was his original body really so poor? He muttered to himself as he opened his wallet. When he saw the double digits, he was completely petrified. ¡°32¡­ Is that all I have?¡± The coldness spread from Chen Pingan¡¯s feet to his heart. He had mixed feelings that he couldn¡¯t exactly put into words. With trembling hands, he topped up his phone balance with all his remaining money. ¡°How am I going to continue living?¡± He had to think of a way to earn money. At the very least, he needed to support himself financially. Otherwise, he would starve to death before he could even reach the level that would allow him to abstain from eating! Suddenly, he recalled a certain rough male voice in his head. ¡°Brother Xiong?¡± But with so many things happening, Chen Pingan could no longer focus on cultivation. He simply could not make up his mind. Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night. Not only Chen Pingan, but also many media personnel in Yang City were also losing sleep. Even the media studios in the nearby cities had their lights on throughout the night. The phenomenon that had occurred today was comparable to the might of heaven. Once it was reported, not only Yang City, but even the entire Jin Gang Province would be shaken. ¡­ A warm ray of morning light shone through the window and landed on Chen Pingan¡¯s face. Chen Pingan got out of bed quickly. He had not forgotten the arrangements he made for today. He had decided that he would return the old man¡¯s bowl as soon as possible before going out to look for some freelance work. This way, he could at least be able to support himself for a while. After all, he didn¡¯t think that borrowing money was a valid option. If he remembered correctly, the original owner of the body didn¡¯t have many friends. Even if he wanted to, there was only one person who would lend him money. However, it was impossible for Chen Pingan to borrow money from Brother Xiong. He had just rejected Brother Xiong¡¯s offer righteously yesterday. How embarrassing would it be if he went over to borrow money now? He was not shameless enough to do such a thing. Chen Pingan washed up and walked to Room 306. He did not know if the old man was in the room. ¡°I¡¯ll just try my luck.¡± Room 306. Chen Pingan held a round bowl with both hands and stood obediently at the door like a primary school student who was being punished. ¡°Hello.¡± His voice was as soft as a mosquito. No one responded. It was extremely quiet. Chen Pingan pressed the doorbell again. At the same time, his ears twitched. The next second, he turned around and left. After all, there was no one in the room. Originally, he thought about using his Spirit Sense to check if there was anyone in the room. However, he did not dare to be so presumptuous since the other party was the old man. It was not a good move to pry and violate the old man¡¯s privacy without permission. At the thought of this, Pingan felt fortunate that the old man was not at home. After pondering for a long time, he immediately thought of something and knew where to look for the old man. ¡°The neighborhood plaza!¡± The old men in the neighborhood liked to gather in the plaza in the morning to watch the morning news, play cards, and chat. If nothing went wrong, the old man would definitely be there! Chen Pingan held the bowl and ran down the stairs in a hurry. He did not take the elevator. After all, the elevator was too slow and was not as fast as his feet. As expected. The moment he stepped out of the corridor, he headed in a familiar direction. As expected, Chen Pingan saw a group of old men squatting at the plaza, pointing at the big screen. Chen Pingan patted the dust off his body and smoothed the creases on his clothes before walking over. On the other side of the plaza, the old men did not notice the approaching figure. Their eyes were focused on the big screen. Their eyes on their old faces were currently filled with shock and horror. For a moment, they forgot to chew on the melon seeds in their mouths, as if they had been frozen in time. Chen Pingan followed the direction the old men were gazing at and looked over curiously. On the screen, he saw the same female host from yesterday who was now in a different professional attire. [Shocking! Yesterday at 5 pm sharp, a phenomenon appeared again in the Xin Guang Residence. It covered the entire Yang City and a few nearby cities for 6 hours!] The scenes started changing on the big screen until a shadow appeared. On the screen, it was pitch black all around, and lightning was raging everywhere. Countless bolts of lightning could be seen on top of the city, and looked as if they were trying to swallow the entire Yang City! Chen Pingan was shocked. Was this a phenomenon caused by the neighborhood expert last night? It was even more terrifying than the abnormal phenomenon from two days ago! ¡°Which expert is it this time? This phenomenon looks different from the last phenomenon. What a scary neighborhood! I wonder how many experts are living here.¡± Chen Pingan seemed to have thought of something. His hand trembled and the bowl fell to the ground. Bang! There was a crisp sound, and the old men subconsciously turned their heads to look. Not far away stood the young man from the neighborhood, as well as the broken ceramic shards around him. ¡°Those shards look familiar.¡± Uncle Xun, who was the old man who delivered the soup to Chen Pingan last night,¡¯ said airily. Chen Pingan shuddered and almost lost his balance. He was starting to become more and more confused with this neighborhood. Every single old man here seemed like a hidden expert with unfathomable skill. He couldn¡¯t continue like this. He was on tenterhooks every day and didn¡¯t have the mood to focus on cultivating at all. His mind was occupied with questions about that mysterious expert. This neighborhood was just too strange. Experts cultivated here everyday while choosing to stay hidden. Chen Pingan felt that if he continued to stay here, not only would his state of mind become unstable, he might even end up accidentally provoking the neighborhood expert. This won¡¯t do. I have to leave this neighborhood and find a quiet and ordinary place to slowly cultivate and increase my strength. Then, everything will be fine. He thought of a person who would be able to save him at this critical moment! Chapter 10 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Chen Pingan didn¡¯t even say anything. Under the stunned gazes of the old men, he ran home in one breath. ¡°I must leave this godforsaken place.¡± There were experts causing abnormal phenomenons here every day. Who in their right mind could withstand this?! Chen Pingan thought of someone and took out his phone to search for the person¡¯s contact number. Without hesitation, he called the person. The call was picked up after just three rings. Chen Pingan asked, ¡°Brother Xiong, yesterday, did you say that the substitute teacher job came with food and accommodation?¡± Eh? ¡°That¡¯s right. Food and accommodation are provided. The monthly salary is 3,000 yuan.¡± Brother Xiong was really dumbfounded. He had thought that Chen Pingan would change his mind and contact him, but he did not expect that it would be so soon. Didn¡¯t he just say yesterday that he was determined to cultivate diligently and would make up for the compulsory cultivation lessons? In less than a day, he had already changed his mind and was already asking for the position. ¡°I can report tomorrow!¡± Chen Pingan was elated. Since the job came with food and accommodation, he could leave this neighborhood for good and solve his problems. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that from now on, you will turn over a new leaf and work hard to cultivate, so that you can make up for the cultivation lessons that you missed during school?¡± ¡°What happened? Are you starting to regret it?¡± Brother Xiong teased him mercilessly. He knew his cousin¡¯s personality better than anyone else. It would be a wonder if Chen Pingan could persevere when it came to cultivation. He knew that Chen Pingan was being impulsive and would only last a day at most. Apparently, Brother Xiong had overestimated Chen Pingan, given that he gave up cultivating in less than a day. ¡°I think that a job is more suitable for me. I can even see you every day. After all, it is a proper job that includes food and accommodation. Anyone who rejects a job like this must be a few screws loose in the head.¡± Chen Pingan took over the conversation. Since they were cousins, they could talk openly. ¡°Hahahaha, it¡¯s good that you think that way. Many people aren¡¯t even able to get this job even if they wanted to.¡± Brother Xiong was afraid that Chen Pingan would look down on this job, so he repeated what he had said before, ¡°You know, a substitute teacher actually has the same treatment as an officially hired teacher. After you pass the entrance exam, you can become an official teacher. At that time, you will be financially secure like me!¡± ¡°You should do well at school. If you don¡¯t make any serious mistakes, the school will not fire you for no reason.¡± ¡°I know. Thanks, Brother Xiong.¡± Chen Pingan was extremely grateful. Without Brother Xiong, he really did not know who to ask for help. He also knew that if he continued to stay in this neighborhood, he would definitely be in deep trouble in the future. If he accidentally provoked a mysterious expert one day, he could even die from being slapped too hard by that expert. Since the experts in the neighborhood were not planning on moving, it was better for him to leave first. ¡°Brother Xiong, can I settle in early and move to the school¡¯s staff dormitory today?¡± Chen Pingan could not wait to move out of this neighborhood. He did not want to stay any longer. ¡°That works too. But you¡¯d better pack up today and come to the school to look for me. I¡¯ll introduce you to the principal.¡± ¡°If nothing goes wrong, the principal will arrange for you to attend tomorrow¡¯s class. When that¡¯s done, you just have to go to class on time.¡± ¡°As this is your first substitute class, there should be higher-ups going over tomorrow morning to assess the quality of your lecture. But don¡¯t worry, as the physical education teacher, they won¡¯t be as strict on you. You just need to pass the physical fitness test.¡± Brother Xiong might sound like a boorish man, but he was actually very meticulous and would always arrange everything very well. After hearing what Brother Xiong said, Chen Pingan felt more at ease. He was no longer so worried about the job. ¡°I¡¯ll look for you at three in the afternoon. Where should we meet?¡± ¡°At the school gate. Have you forgotten the fact that you have never entered the school before? Without my help, you¡¯ll definitely be unable to find your way in there.¡± Chen Pingan was stunned. He had forgotten that his original body rarely went to school and would usually just meet him at home. After they agreed on a time and place to meet, they continued chatting for a while before Brother Xiong hurriedly hung up the phone. As Brother Xiong still had two classes in the morning, he did not have the time to continue chatting with Chen Pingan. ¡°This matter has finally been resolved. I¡¯m free right now so I¡¯ll use the time to pack up.¡± Chen Pingan heaved a sigh of relief. He was finally leaving this neighborhood! He narrowed his eyes, as if he could see the beautiful future ahead of him. Now that he had a decent job and could cultivate in peace, he could slowly digest those cultivation books and improve his strength step by step. Chen Pingan was overjoyed. In the future, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about anything happening in the neighborhood anymore. Just thinking about it made him laugh out loud. The original body of Chen Pingan did not own many things and only had some miscellaneous items like drawing boards. Chen Pingan did not plan to move them with him, so he decided to keep them here in the neighborhood. This was because he had signed a one-year contract with the property management. The lease was not up yet, so he could leave his things here for a month or two. He only needed to pay the rent on time every month. Chen Pingan packed some of his clothes and picked up the pile of cultivation books he had bought the day before as well as some necessities. He packed his two suitcases full to the brim. There was no need for him to bring anything else over now. After all, the staff dormitory was fully equipped. After tidying up, he glanced at the time. It was exactly two o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Now was the right time for him to go to the cultivation school. Chen Pingan had a smile on his face and was in a good mood. He hummed a tune as he opened the door and left. ¡­ Qin Kai Cultivation School. This was the largest cultivation school in Yang City. Moreover, it was a public school, and its fees were cheaper than many private schools. It was a school that was deeply loved by the people of Yang City, and many parents were happy with sending their children to this cultivation school. Chen Pingan stood at the entrance of the school and looked at the four golden and magnificent words at the entrance. ¡°It¡¯s huge. It takes up more space than many universities.¡± He stood at the entrance and looked into the school. It was so vast that he could not see the end of it. It was not because there was a building blocking his view, but it was just so huge that he could not see the end. Even though there were many buildings in the school, it did not feel crowded. Every building was built far apart from each other. ¡°What a wealthy school!¡± Chen Pingan was still lamenting when he saw a familiar figure from the corner of his eye. It was a man who wore gold-rimmed glasses. He looked refined. Before Chen Pingan could react, he was thrown forward and punched twice on his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re finally here! How long has it been since we last met? Why have you lost so much weight?¡± The moment he heard the voice, Chen Pingan knew who it was. This rough male voice was too unique. Other than Brother Xiong, who else could it be? ¡°Brother Xiong?¡± Chen Pingan scratched his head in embarrassment. He sighed in his heart. Indeed, one cannot judge a book by its cover. Brother Xiong was a living example of this. Beneath his refined appearance was the soul of a wild man, completely different from his image. ¡°In the past, I tried to get you to come out and meet me but you always said you were busy. I¡¯ve never seen someone as difficult to meet as you.¡± ¡°Great, now that we¡¯re all working here, it will be easy for me to see you. I¡¯ll just go straight to your dormitory to find you!¡± Brother Xiong was still talking to himself. It could be seen that he was really happy. Although he and Chen Pingan looked like distant relatives to outsiders, they were actually of the same age and had grown up together. Their relationship was even more solid than that of real brothers. However, ever since Chen Pingan started painting, he had reduced contact with the outside world. For a period of time, Brother Xiong did not even see Chen Pingan. From then on, Brother Xiong started to have the idea of letting Chen Pingan come over to teach. However, Chen Pingan had always been stubborn and refused to come.. Chapter 11 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios At the entrance of Qin Kai Cultivation School. Chen Pingan and Brother Xiong exchanged pleasantries. Most of the time, Brother Xiong carried the conversation. Only after a long time did Brother Xiong finally remember the important matter. ¡°Pingan, I¡¯ll bring you to meet the principal first. We¡¯ll go to the staff dormitory to get the keys later. If you still want to walk around the school later, I can accompany you. I have nothing to do in the afternoon anyway.¡± Chen Pingan nodded. He had said too many words of gratitude today. If he thanked Brother Xiong again, he was afraid that Brother Xiong would beat him up. ¡°Let¡¯s go, the principal¡¯s office building is not far ahead.¡± Chen Pingan followed Brother Xiong all the way into this vast cultivation school. There were many buildings in the school but it was not crowded. This was because the school was very large, and each building was separated by a very wide distance. After walking for a long time, he understood what Brother Xiong meant by ¡°not far¡±. They walked for a full ten minutes! Cultivators walked very quickly. If they were ordinary people, they would need at least twenty minutes. ¡°How grand.¡± Chen Pingan stood in front of a tall building. If Brother Xiong had not said anything, he would have thought that this was an office building. Chen Pingan thought about how schools nowadays were so rich and could afford to build tall buildings easily. ¡°Stop daydreaming. Come in quickly. The principal has been waiting inside for a long time.¡± Brother Bear urged. ¡°Coming, coming.¡± Chen Pingan walked around to the entrance of the building. After he entered, he noticed that the interior had a different renovation style. He looked left and right and was full of admiration. There was so much advanced equipment here that it was just dazzling. Just the decorations on the first floor were already so eye-catching. Chen Pingan wondered how amazing the furniture upstairs would be. He followed Brother Xiong and took the elevator which went directly to the top floor of the building. The layout there was much simpler. There was only a conference room and several offices with closed doors. Brother Xiong walked straight to the end and knocked on the door. An elderly voice came from inside. After getting permission from the principal, he gestured for Chen Pingan to enter. ¡°Principal, this is the substitute teacher I recommended to you earlier, Chen Pingan.¡± Brother Xiong lowered his voice and said respectfully. ¡°Hello, Principal, I¡¯m Chen¡­ Pingan, the new substitute teacher.¡± After Chen Pingan entered, he lowered his head and did not dare to size up the school¡¯s principal. After receiving Brother Xiong¡¯s gaze, he walked forward and introduced himself. But when he saw the old man sitting in front of him clearly, he was really confused. Wasn¡¯t this that same old man from the neighborhood, Uncle Xun?! Was¡­ was he the principal of this school? Chen Pingan had never heard anyone mention the identity of Uncle Xun in the neighborhood. The amiable Uncle Xun was actually the principal! A principal of a big school living in such an old neighborhood? ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Uncle Xun to actually be the principal of this school. Could he be the hidden expert in our neighborhood?¡± Chen Pingan thought about many things until he heard Brother Xiong cough. He shuddered as he saw the principal, Uncle Xun, rise to his feet at some point, his hand suspended in midair. Seeing that Chen Pingan wasn¡¯t shaking his hand, Uncle Xun couldn¡¯t keep a straight face and started to frown. ¡°Principal Xun¡­ nice to meet you!¡± Chen Pingan hurriedly reached out and timidly shook the other party¡¯s hand. His forehead was covered in sweat. Could Uncle Xun be angry? ¡°Well, I heard from Little Xiong that you¡¯re good at long jumps, right?¡± Uncle Xun was not displeased by the small incident just now. On the contrary, he felt gratified. After all, the young man had listened to their words earlier! In his eyes, this young man did not continue to be ignorant and incompetent. Not only did Chen Pingan start to cultivate diligently, but he even found a new job. Uncle Xun was pleased with the change in the young man in front of him, and was even a little pleased with himself. Uncle Xun felt extremely proud that he was responsible for guiding a young man who had gone astray onto the right path. ¡°Yes.¡± Seeing the gentle expression on Uncle Xun¡¯s face, Chen Pingan finally relaxed as he spoke nervously. ¡°Coincidentally, we need a physical education teacher who can teach long jumps at the moment. You can take over. I¡¯ll inform the Academic Affairs Office later. They¡¯ll make the necessary arrangements. Your schedule should be out in the next two days.¡± Uncle Xun closed the resume and signed a document with his head lowered. He briefly explained the arrangements the school had made for Chen Pingan. This was a public cultivation school. Apart from having an additional cultivation course, the school¡¯s physical education course was also subdivided into many smaller sport courses. This was because the entire country was currently advocating for sports competitions. Students would also enroll in the sports courses according to their strengths. This way, the students¡¯ talent for sports could be maximized. Previously, a female teacher had been in charge of the long jump sports course. However, because she was pregnant, she quit the job and went home to rest. ¡°Do you have any questions?¡± Uncle Xun finished signing and looked up. ¡°No.¡± Chen Pingan shook his head like a rattle-drum. He did not have many requirements for his job and already thought that it was really good for it to come with food and accommodation. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be too restrained. Little Xiong will accompany you to walk around the school and familiarize yourself with the environment. If you have any problems at work, you can directly communicate with the Academic Affairs Office. And if you still have any problems, feel free to come here to look for me.¡± Uncle Xun revealed a faint smile, his fierce appearance immediately becoming amiable, now having a bit more of the feeling of a caring old man. ¡°Also, do you need to stay in the staff dormitory?¡± Chen Pingan nodded immediately when he heard that. He had not forgotten why he was here. His job was only a secondary concern. At the current moment, moving out of the neighborhood was more important! ¡°I need to stay in the staff dormitory. The neighborhood I live in is quite a distance from here. If there¡¯s a traffic jam in the morning, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be late for work.¡± Uncle Xun could understand. After all, it was normal for young people to like to sleep in, unlike old people like them who slept lightly. He looked at Brother Xiong and instructed, ¡°I¡¯ll leave this to you. Arrange a dormitory for him.¡± ¡°Is there anything else? I¡¯ll contact you when everything with the Academic Affairs Office is settled. You can just go to class directly. There¡¯s no need to report to me.¡± Uncle Xun¡¯s expression was warm. On the other hand, Cheng Pingan and Brother Xiong didn¡¯t have anything else to talk to him about, so they withdrew from the office. The moment he walked out of the office, Chen Pingan let out a sigh of relief. He finally felt relieved. Just now, despite Uncle Xun¡¯s benevolent and amiable appearance, Chen Pingan still felt extremely nervous. ¡°Could Uncle Xun be that neighborhood expert? However, when he spoke to me, he had a faint smile on his face. He was very polite and did not seem like the mysterious and powerful expert.¡± Pingan thought about it carefully and started feeling more and more certain that Uncle Xun wasn¡¯t the expert. Although Uncle Xun¡¯s status was very high and was also the school¡¯s principal, his cultivation level had not reached a profound level yet. Moreover, why would the neighborhood expert treat him so nicely? There was no reason for the expert to greet him with a smile. Chen Pingan reckoned that he was thinking too much, which was why he had been suspecting everyone in the neighborhood and scaring himself.. Chapter 12 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Brother Xiong guided Chen Pingan around the huge campus to help him get familiar with the school environment. ¡°We¡¯ve already been to the school canteen, teaching building, and the sports center. Do you still remember?¡± Brother Xiong asked worriedly. The school was vast, and the color and structure of the buildings were also similar. Even after walking through it once, it would still be very difficult to remember it completely. The same buildings might not even be recognizable on the way back. ¡°Brother Xiong, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll just ask around if I can¡¯t find the buildings tomorrow.¡± Chen Pingan smiled awkwardly. Ever since he started cultivating, he had developed a photographic memory. In his eyes, remembering these buildings was child¡¯s play. The two of them walked to a building. This building had very bland colors and was very different from the colorful buildings around them. Chen Pingan asked curiously, ¡°What is this building?¡± ¡°This is where our school¡¯s celebrity rankings Index is located. In order to motivate the students and teachers, the principal and the school¡¯s higher-ups specially built a tall building here to record the top students and teachers of the school since it was founded.¡± ¡°You can even find a statue of me inside there.¡± Brother Xiong smiled smugly, his expression almost made it seem like he was asking for a beating. ¡°They even built a statue for someone like you?¡± Chen Pingan was surprised and added, ¡°It looks like the quality of the celebrity rankings isn¡¯t too good.¡± ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? In the past, I¡¯ve even nurtured a few elites of the country. I was the one who helped them win all kinds of long-distance running competitions in the province. If not me, who else would they include in the rankings?¡± Brother Xiong felt wronged. Although he was a little arrogant, every word he said was the truth. He was the famous long-distance race coach of the Jin Gang Province. At a loss of words, Chen Pingjing smiled. He felt that the things Brother Xiong said did not really fit well with his image. ¡°Alright, stop talking about your glorious history. I¡¯m sick of hearing it. Tell me more about the capable elites that have appeared in this school.¡± Brother Xiong snorted unhappily and said unwillingly, ¡°I¡¯ve only been in school for three to four years. There are simply too many elites in the school. I can¡¯t remember them all.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you a few. Ye Beixuan, the young man who broke the world record a few days ago, was trained by our school. You didn¡¯t know that, did you?¡± Although he was talking about other people¡¯s achievements, Brother Xiong had a proud look on his face when he talked about the students who graduated from his school. However, Brother Xiong felt as if the school¡¯s achievements were his own. ¡°Yes, yes, I didn¡¯t know that. Are there any other elites?¡± Chen Pingan remembered hearing about the sprint champion. But it would still be a bit lacking if the school only had one sprint champion. ¡°Of course, I only mentioned him casually. There are countless people who are better than him in school.¡± Chen Pingan¡¯s interest was piqued. Better than Ye Beixuan? ¡°Do you know how long it takes for an ordinary person to break through from the Qi Refinement Stage to the Body Integration Stage?¡± Brother Xiong kept him guessing. Chen Pingan shook his head. In a traditional cultivation world, there were very few Body Integration Stage, Mahayana Stage, and Tribulation Stage cultivators. They were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. This was because only a small portion of cultivators were capable of breaking through the chains that bound the realms. He was not sure how different this world was from a traditional cultivation world. Perhaps it didn¡¯t even have any difference and was exactly the same. Brother Xiong, who knew what the answer was, mysteriously extended five fingers. ¡°Fifty years?¡± Chen Pingan said with uncertainty. Brother Xiong shook his head and stopped beating around the bush. He said, ¡°At least 70 years.¡± ¡°How is that related to the five fingers?¡± Chen Pingan did not expect this answer. How was this answer related to the five fingers Brother Xiong extended? ¡°It isn¡¯t related. I just want to show you my slender jade-like hands. Don¡¯t they look like the fingers described in ancient times?¡± Brother Xiong admired it alone with an intoxicated look. ¡°¡­¡± Chen Pingan pulled away from him and started walking even faster, not wanting to be associated with this weirdo. ¡°Pingan, wait for me. Why are you walking so fast?¡± When Brother Xiong said this, he did not try to keep his voice down. His voice was rough and loud, attracting the attention of the students beside him. ¡°Stay away from me, you sick pervert.¡± ¡°Aiya, I was just joking.¡± Brother Xiong put his arm around Chen Pingan, who was a head shorter than him, and continued to talk about the original topic. ¡°Do you know that our school even produced a genius? After reaching the elementary level of the Qi Refinement Stage, it only took twenty years for him to reach the Body Integration Realm!¡± ¡°At that time, the entire country was in an uproar. Now, he seems to be at the Tribulation Stage and has left Yang City. I¡¯m not too sure what he¡¯s doing now.¡± Chen Pingan looked at Brother Xiong in shock. How was that possible? He was already at the Body Integration Stage in his twenties, and he broke through to the Tribulation Stage before the age of forty? This was not a genius, but a monster of the cultivation world! ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. I didn¡¯t make this up. You can ask anyone in Yang City. Everybody knows about Li Hao!¡± ¡°A cultivation genius!¡± Brother Xiong gave the highest affirmation to Li Hao. That kind of genius should be doing extremely well in some big province now. Chen Pingan took a deep breath. He should have known that there were many experts in this world. However, the people he came into contact with were too weak. Naturally, he had measured the world based on the people around him. He was like a frog at the bottom of a well. His vision was too short! There were so many experts hidden in the Yang City, not to mention the countless experts in the vastness of the outside world. Cultivators outside the Yang City who were ahead of all of them might have even figured out the realm above the Tribulation Stage. When he thought about it carefully, Chen Pingan¡¯s entire body shivered. It wasn¡¯t that the people of this world were too weak, but rather that he didn¡¯t have the chance to truly come into contact with experts. ¡°The one who left the deepest impression on me is Teacher Gu. He entered the Tribulation Stage at the age of 50. But you won¡¯t get the chance to see him.¡± Brother Xiong did not notice the strange expression on the faces of the people around him. The more he spoke, the more he got carried away. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that his memory wasn¡¯t too good, he would have definitely told Chen Pingan about all the famous elites in the school. ¡°Why? Is Teacher Gu not teaching here anymore?¡± Chen Pingan¡¯s expression eased a little. After witnessing the two phenomena caused by the expert in the neighborhood,, his tolerance for shock had increased greatly. ¡°No, he disappeared. He had vanished completely from this world.¡± When Brother Xiong said this, he didn¡¯t feel regretful but was instead envious. ¡°Back then, many people in Yang City saw an immortal slowly ascending and disappearing into the sky.¡± ¡°That was Teacher Gu. Many specialists speculate that Teacher Gu has figured out the realm above the Tribulation Stage and ascended to the Heaven Realm!¡± A realm above the Tribulation Stage? Teacher Gu was even stronger than the expert in the neighborhood! The shock in Chen Pingan¡¯s heart could not be described with words. After the past few days, his world view had been completely overturned. Apparently, there were many terrifying experts hidden in this world! ¡°There are also many elite talents. For example, the world record for diving was broken by one of our students.¡± Brother Xiong was still talking to himself. He felt that he wouldn¡¯t be satisfied unless he finished talking about all the celebrities of the school. Chen Pingan¡¯s respect for the school rose in his heart after listening to Brother Xiong. Not only did this school have a strong foundation, it also had many strong people and a rich history! Chapter 13 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The two of them walked for a long time in school. Brother Xiong¡¯s voice was hoarse. He had been unable to control his excitement. Chen Pingan handed him a bottle of water that he just bought after passing by the convenience store. They had been traveling around the school for a long time and had gotten lost. There were no buildings around them. All they could see was the stone-paved street and the maple trees on both sides. There were only a few students passing by, and it looked like the two of them were headed in the direction of the staff dormitory. Chen Pingan looked around and was about to ask Brother Xiong beside him when he noticed something. There was a familiar figure on the left. He had seen this figure from the back countless times. Chen Pingan¡¯s feet seemed to have been nailed to the ground. He stopped in his tracks and stared at the back of the figure who was sweeping the floor. He did not dare to go forward to confirm. Suddenly, that figure stiffened, as if he sensed someone¡¯s gaze, turning to look at him. It was Dali from the neighborhood. ¡°Hello, Teacher Xiong. Eh? Young man, you¡¯re here too?¡± When Dali saw Chen Pingan, he was very surprised. ¡°Uncle Li, do you know Pingan?¡± Brother Xiong looked at Uncle Li and Chen Pingan. He was confused as to why the two of them knew each other. ¡°Oh, we live in the same neighborhood. The young man¡¯s name is Pingan. What a lucky name!¡± Da Li walked forward with his broom and greeted them. ¡°Hello, are you here because of¡­¡± Chen Pingan saw the old man in this school and his heart jumped. Was he being targeted by some powerful person? Otherwise, why did he keep seeing the old men from the neighborhood? It was strange! ¡°I¡¯m a cleaner here. I¡¯ve been sweeping the land here for most of my life. Mr. Xiong often sees me. I¡¯m quite familiar with him.¡± Dali held the broom and smiled. ¡°That¡¯s right. I didn¡¯t expect Uncle Li to live in the same neighborhood as Pingan. You guys will see each other frequently in the future.¡± Brother Xiong was very friendly and could get along well with most of the school staff. Regardless of whether it was the students or the staff, they all liked Brother Xiong. Dali said in surprise, ¡°Young man, are you a teacher in this school?¡± ¡°Just a substitute teacher. I¡¯m not an official teacher.¡± Chen Pingan was embarrassed. As expected, he was too nervous just now. When he saw the uncle of the neighborhood, he subconsciously thought that the other party was the neighborhood expert. And if not, he thought that Dali was probably a spy sent by the expert to watch him. But on second thought, Chen Pingan realized that there was no reason for the neighborhood expert to be watching him. After all, if the other party wanted to, he could easily kill Chen Pingan. When he heard the old man say that he had been in school for many years, all of Chen Pingan¡¯s worries disappeared and he no longer suspected Dali to be the expert. Experts had always been proud. As someone so powerful, why would the expert be willing to become a cleaner when he could be offered countless high-paying jobs. ¡°A substitute teacher is still a teacher. There¡¯s no need to define it so clearly. Not bad, it looks like you are starting to show some promise.¡± Dali didn¡¯t know what the young man was thinking. Instead, he kept praising him. ¡°Don¡¯t work too hard. It¡¯s not easy to be a teacher. After all, it can get pretty busy. If you ever get tired, remember to take a break.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget to cultivate in your free time. If you don¡¯t have classes on weekends, you can also read those books you bought previously.¡± Although he had a grandson, every time Dali saw Chen Pingan, he would always feel like he was a family member. Hence, Dali gave him a few reminders. ¡°I¡¯ll remember. Thank you. It looks like we¡¯ll be seeing each other a lot in the future.¡± The old man¡¯s words were like a warm current flowing into Chen Pingan, enveloping his entire body. ¡°You can ask me if you have any questions about cultivation¡­ Actually, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m the best person to ask. After all, there¡¯s a lot of teachers that are more capable¡­¡± Before the old man could finish his sentence, he heard the young man¡¯s objection. ¡°That¡¯s not true, you¡¯re very helpful too. I benefited a lot after taking your advice and buying all those books¡­¡± Chen Pingan gave the old man a sincere smile. The old man had helped him a lot and he also learned a lot from the books. Ultimately, it even helped him smoothly break through to the early stage of the Qi Refinement Stage. ¡°It¡¯s good that I was able to help. You guys can get back to what you were doing. I still have some places that I need to clean.¡± Dali smiled and said goodbye to the two of them. He carried his broom and shuttled to a corner of the school. ¡°Goodbye!¡± Chen Pingan looked at the old man¡¯s disappearing figure and felt extremely relaxed. Fortunately, the people he met at school were all ordinary cultivators and not that mysterious expert. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault for being too sensitive.¡± After all, cultivating was very difficult and ordinary people did not have a strong comprehension ability or talent. According to Brother Xiong, it would take at least 70 years to break through to the Body Integration Stage. And it would take even longer to break through to the Tribulation Stage. ¡°How can there be so many impressive experts? The neighborhood expert was just an exception. Perhaps the expert had just been attracted by the rich Spirit Qi in the neighborhood.¡± Chen Pingan smiled bitterly. It seemed that he had falsely believed that there were a lot of experts in this world and was probably just affected by Brother Xiong. Just as he was deep in thought.. ¡°This is the staff dormitory. Let¡¯s go up and take a look.¡± Brother Xiong took out a bunch of keys from his bag and waved it in front of Chen Pingan. Chen Pingan came back to his senses. Unknowingly, they had reached the staff dormitory area. There were four buildings in total, each of them 20 stories high. Brother Xiong led him to one of the buildings. He inserted his card and successfully entered the door. After passing through the small courtyard in the middle, they arrived at the stairway. ¡°Your dorm room is on the 19th floor. Room 303. It¡¯s a standard single room.¡± As Chen Pingan glanced over, Brother Xiong smiled and teased, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. We all get single rooms. Did you expect to live in a suite?¡± ¡°Do you know any other good places? How about this¡­ I¡¯ll let you come over every once in a while after I make it big and move into a suite.¡± Chen Pingan rolled his eyes and said, ¡°That¡¯s not what I wanted to say.¡± ¡°Not that? What else could it be?¡± Brother Xiong arrived in front of Room 303 with ease and found a corresponding key among a bunch of keys. With a click, the door opened. ¡°You live here too?¡± Chen Pingan felt that this guy was too familiar with the floor. It was as if he had walked through it countless times. ¡°No, I live in the building next to yours. I¡¯m just familiar with this place. You¡¯ll know when you go in.¡± Brother Xiong had a wicked smile on his face as he turned his body to let Chen Pingan enter. Brother Xiong didn¡¯t go in and chose to stay by the door. ¡°You look like you¡¯re up to something.¡± Chen Pingan frowned as he walked into the house. The moment he entered, he was dumbfounded. He couldn¡¯t find any windows in the room. The sun was shining brightly in the afternoon, but the house was frighteningly dark without any light. Suddenly¡­ Slap. The lights in the house were turned on by Brother Xiong and lit up immediately. However, Chen Pingan could not smile at all. He turned his head stiffly and pointed at the room. ¡°You sure you¡¯re not kidding? Are you sure this is my room?¡± ¡°I once lived here for half a year. Luckily, the teacher next door moved away, allowing me to escape from my misery.¡± Brother Xiong replied with a bitter smile. After saying that, he pounced on Chen Pingan and tried to give him a comforting hug. Chen Pingan dodged quickly. He looked at the standard single room in front of him and felt suffocated. There was everything here, including a refrigerator, cupboard, washing machine, and all the essentials. The only thing the room lacked was light! There was no balcony in this room and the window was facing a wall. There was no light at all. The sun was clearly shining outside, but Chen Pingan felt as if it was already late at night. No matter how many lights he switched on, he felt that it was still incomparable to the real sunlight. ¡°Are there no other rooms? I saw many buildings nearby.¡± Chen Pingan looked indignant and wondered if he would get depressed if he lived here. ¡°It¡¯s all fully booked. Pingan, make do with it for a while. You can move over when there¡¯s an empty room.¡± ¡°If not, you can stay in the neighborhood for now. You can move when there¡¯s another empty room.¡± Brother Xiong had a helpless look in his eyes. He had lived here before, so he knew better than anyone how depressing this single room was. As soon as these words were spoken, to his surprise, Chen Pingan immediately agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll live here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡± Chen Pingan chose this place over the neighborhood decisively. He would rather die than go back to the neighborhood. At most, it would only be a little depressing here. However, if things went wrong in the neighborhood, his life would be endangered.. Chapter 14 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°If you really can¡¯t handle living here, you can always move to my room to live with me. My place is slightly bigger than yours.¡± Seeing how determined Chen Pingan was, Brother Xiong passed the keys to him and reminded him, ¡°The Academic Affairs Office contacted you. Remember to get back to me and don¡¯t forget to go to class on time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s your first class. Wear something decent and make a good impression on the spectating higher-ups and the students in the class.¡± Chen Pingan took the keys and made an OK gesture. After that, the two of them got busy. Although it was just a single room, the room was still divided into many areas. There was the washroom and the kitchen, as well as a huge rest area. It took them a while to clean such a large area. It was almost dark when everything was done. After that, Brother Xiong received a phone call and headed out. Before he left, he repeated what he said earlier to Chen Pingan to make sure Chen Pingan didn¡¯t forget. ¡°Looks like everything is done. I¡¯ll just bring the remaining clothes over later.¡± Chen Pingan looked around the room. Although it was small, it had all the essentials. He thought that he didn¡¯t need to move all of his stuff here and would just bring two suitcases over later. After that, he would be officially done. He walked out of the staff dormitory and left the school according to his memory. ¡­ At Xin Guang Residence. It took Chen Pingan less than ten minutes to get from the school to the neighborhood. He closed the doors and windows at home, picked up his luggage, and walked out of the neighborhood. Perhaps it was because it was mealtime, there were not many residents in the neighborhood plaza. The group of old men that usually hung out at the plaza was also nowhere to be seen. Chen Pingan turned around to look at the plaza. He had witnessed many things here, and now he was finally leaving. He felt¡­ unbelievably unhappy! He had finally escaped from this neighborhood! Chen Pingan left without looking back. He felt relieved in his heart. In the future, no expert would disturb his cultivation! His path of cultivation would return to its normal trajectory. Now, he would finally be free and unaffected by anyone¡¯s threats and constraints! ¡­ Qin Kai Cultivation School. At the staff dormitory. Perhaps it was because he had left Xin Guang District, Chen Pingan felt unusually relaxed at this moment. Due to this, Chen Pingan also started to feel that this single room was actually not that bad. Here, no one disturbed his cultivation. The room was dark, but there was no lack of Spirit Qi! After all, what he needed the most was not sunlight, but rich Spirit Qi! Chen Pingan ate a simple dinner and placed the items in his new home one by one. After that, when the food in his stomach was more or less digested, he took out the cultivation books he bought earlier. Last time, he had read the Low Level Compulsory Cultivation Lesson Book. By now, he had already digested most of the contents of that book and had gained a lot of enlightenment. For the past two days, he could no longer learn anything new from the book. Chen Pingan decided to study a new book tonight. He took out another book from his luggage. It was a book called the Intermediate Compulsory Cultivation Lesson Book. He had a premonition that the comprehension he obtained from this book would be even deeper than before. [What is immortal cultivation?] Chen Ping found this sentence written in the middle of the blank page as soon as he opened the book. [Isn¡¯t cultivating just a method of becoming stronger?] He continued to flip through the pages, ignoring them. When he read the contents of the next page, he was greatly shaken. [What is immortal cultivation?] [What is the purpose of immortal cultivation?] [Ask yourself, why do we cultivate?] All sorts of thoughts and questions appeared in his mind. All kinds of questions regarding cultivation appeared in an instant. Before one question could be answered, another question appeared. Chen Pingan¡¯s initial indifference turned into contemplation. He now started to ponder the question on the first page: What is cultivation? Naturally, he didn¡¯t have anyone around to give him an answer or explanation. Chen Pingan kept the question in the back of his head and continued reading. The strange thing was that this book did not have a catalog. He couldn¡¯t find the answer to his question. In the next second, his pupils suddenly shrank, and his lifeless eyes shone with a dazzling light. In the dim yellow room, he held the book in his hands and began to read in a daze. [Improving one¡¯s body and tempering one¡¯s character. That is what cultivation is!¡±] The question that had been lingering in Chen Pingan¡¯s mind had been answered. With just one sentence, everything had now been explained clearly. ¡°Wonderful! The question that has been bothering me for so long has been answered so easily!¡± Chen Pingan was pleasantly surprised. This book was definitely a rare treasure! He continued reading. [The reason why people cultivate is no different from eating, drinking, and defecating. It is an activity that must be carried out. There is no choice involved and it is something that must be done.] [If one struggles with eating, drinking, or defecating, problems will definitely arise in the body. This is the same for cultivation. People who don¡¯t cultivate will have a shorter lifespan!] [Cultivation has to be progressed step by step and also needs to adhere to certain principles. Otherwise, major problems will easily arise!] Chen Pingan¡¯s eyes lit up. There were a few sentences that did not seem particularly eye-catching at first glance. However, after careful study, he realized that these three sentences were the essence of the entire page. This book had actually accurately described the cultivation process. It explained that cultivation needs to be slow and steady, or else there would be unpredictable problems. Chen Pingan had been too anxious during his last cultivation. Back then, Spirit Qi had surged into his body, causing many of his capillaries to rupture. Fortunately, he discovered it in time and controlled his speed to avoid a disaster. ¡°The person who wrote this book must be an expert above the Tribulation Stage. He¡¯s just too powerful. He knew what problems cultivators such as myself experience.¡± Chen Pingan could not contain the excitement in his heart. He suddenly became extremely humble, as if the most powerful expert was sitting in front of him at this moment. Realizing that the book was the hard work of some expert, Chen Pingan felt a deep respect towards the author and planned to absorb all of the contents of the book. He was engrossed in the book and had no idea how much time had passed. For a long time, he held the book in his hands and was mesmerized by the world described in the book. This intermediate level compulsory cultivation book was different from the previous low level compulsory cultivation book. It was no longer a picture book describing an immortal cultivator floating in a fairyland, but a detailed diagram explaining how Spirit Qi entered the body. The diagram clearly described how Spirit Qi operated when it passed through the body, as well as the corresponding effects. The next diagram was about how people control Spirit Qi and the process of absorbing Spirit Qi. All the complicated processes became easy to understand with the help of the diagrams. All the problems that had existed since his first cultivation session had been easily solved. Chen Pingan was ecstatic. He had completely understood the cultivation process. Although he had the help of the Qi Refinement Technique provided by the system in his first session, he still needed to rely on himself to slowly figure it out. Even though he was lucky enough to enter the elementary level of the Qi Refinement Stage, he still had many unanswered questions after completing the process. These questions that troubled him started to increase as he cultivated more and more. If the problems were not solved after a long time, it would just become more and more difficult for him to break through the chains and reach the next realm. Chen Pingan knew this very well. However, today, he had gotten the answers from the book and solved the problems that had been troubling him for a long time! How could he not be excited? Chen Pingan closed the book and was extremely excited. He had gained a lot of knowledge tonight! His newfound comprehension had given him a new cultivation path! With a new cultivation technique that was based on this newly-acquired knowledge, Chen Pingan was confident that he would break through to the middle stage of the Qi Refining Stage by tonight.. Chapter 15 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Cultivation was a slow and steady process. It emphasized on the slow absorption of Spirit Qi, as well as the deep and steady breathing. Chen Pingan was currently in such a state. His body seemed to have gotten rid of all the restraints in the world and floated up as though he was rising to the surface of the sea. As the imaginary sea breeze blew over his body, the impurities in his body were removed and he felt refreshed. In the next second, he suddenly felt like he had sunk to the bottom of the sea. Strangely, however, his body did not seem to be affected by gravity and he could wander freely at the bottom of the sea. He even started imagining seaweed, colorful fish, and even¡­ Spirit Qi. The Spirit Qi floating in the air revealed its true form when it was at the bottom of the sea. It was crystal clear and had a mist-like quality. In fact, it was even better than mist. More and more Spirit Qi sank to the bottom of the sea. The vast and boundless seabed was now filled with sparkling water vapor. Chen Pingan subconsciously took a deep breath, wanting to absorb the Spirit Qi into his body. However, a corner of the mist at the bottom of the sea started to move. When the Spirit Qi entered his nose, it felt cold and moist. Chen Pingan took out a portion of his attention to control the Spirit Qi. Based on what he had learned from the diagrams in the book, he guided the Spirit Qi into the correct trajectory and allowed it to go through the process of entering the body. ¡°Did I succeed?!¡± This time, the process was exceptionally smooth. The Spirit Qi entering his body was no longer rampaging everywhere like before. Instead, it obediently flowed in the right direction. Part of it flowed into his Spirit Sea, while the other flowed into his meridians. Chen Pingan¡¯s furrowed brows relaxed. He checked his body and found no ruptured capillaries! The Intermediate Level Compulsory Cultivation Lesson Book was indeed useful! He continued to repeat the process for a very long time, until his body formed a habitual memory. Now, he didn¡¯t need to control it, and the Spirit Qi would enter his body smoothly without any interruptions. At this point, Chen Pingan simply let go and no longer tried to control his Spirit Qi. His body had already formed muscle memory, so he didn¡¯t need to rely on his mental control at all. He was completely immersed in the ocean of fantasy. He felt wonderful as he was immersed in the cold Spirit Qi. In reality, Chen Pingan wasn¡¯t hallucinating and was indeed submerged in the sea. It was just that he was submerged in a much bigger sea! While Chen Pingan was cultivating, the outside world was in complete chaos! A vast expanse of ocean appeared above Yang City, and dark blue waves swept through the entire city. Even the nearby cities were affected. The moon hanging in the sky reflected the boundless ocean. On the azure sea surface, everyone below the city was trapped. It gave everyone the illusion that the city had fallen to the bottom of the sea! ¡°Is this an illusion?¡± A reporter who was standing by at the Xin Guang Residence accidentally saw the phenomenon in the sky and was shocked. He was dumbfounded and only spoke after a long time. Ever since the two abnormal phenomena occurred, they had discovered that phenomena always appeared in the Xin Guang Residence. Hence, the reporter had decided to wait here. He wanted to be the first to discover the abnormal phenomenon and publish it on the internet before other newspaper companies in Yang City did. Unexpectedly, he did not encounter a phenomenon above the Xin Guang Residence. Instead, he had come across a phenomenon that covered several cities. It was as if they were in the underwater country of Atlantis. The other reporters were equally shocked. They were shocked and wondered how this was possible. The reporters looked at each other and saw the horror in each other¡¯s eyes. Then, when they looked at the vast ocean in the sky, they discovered that cracks had appeared on the calm seabed! It was a huge crack! ¡°Look over there! There¡¯s a streak of white light there! Is it splitting open?!¡± A white light suddenly appeared on the azure seabed. It was very abrupt and conspicuous. What exactly was that? Everyone was surprised. They stared fixedly at the sky mindlessly. At the moment, all of their attention had been attracted by the phenomenon in the sky. At the center of the phenomenon, the white light gradually became brighter and wider. It was especially dazzling in the blue ocean, as if something was descending into the world! ¡°Hurry up and film it! This will definitely be reported as shocking news! Hurry up!¡± A bald man among the reporters slapped his forehead and shouted loudly. The other reporters were startled and quickly regained their senses. The bald man was right. Once this piece of news was released tomorrow, it would definitely shock the entire province, no, the entire country! Due to the fact that it was midnight, many of the residents in Yang City had already fallen asleep. Only a small number of people managed to witness the shocking phenomenon, which was several times more powerful than the two previous phenomena! The reporters from a newspaper company in Yang City were all ecstatic, knowing that this phenomenon would be a hit. They couldn¡¯t help but imagine what expressions people would have when they published this news online. ¡°This news will be extremely popular. Hurry up and film it so that we can post it tomorrow!¡± The bald man spoke excitedly as he guided the other reporters to take photos of the phenomenon. The sea of white light was like an ink painting that was both shocking and breathtaking. ¡°This is probably the first time such a frightening abnormal phenomenon has appeared.¡± ¡°I wonder what realm the cultivating expert is at. Could it be that some mighty figure is transcending the Tribulation Stage and ascending?!¡± A few reporters had already recovered from their shock. At this moment, they could only exclaim endlessly in admiration when they saw this exquisite scene. The bald man admired the beauty of the phenomenon with a slightly regretful expression. ¡°It¡¯s a pity that the source of this phenomenon isn¡¯t originating from the Xin Guang Residence. It looks like it¡¯s coming from the Qin Kai Cultivation School.¡± Just as his voice fell, the phenomenon in the sky changed again! Everyone¡¯s eyes were filled with shock at this moment. They couldn¡¯t utter a single word of praise as their hearts were filled with shock! At this moment, the sky seemed to have been split open. The dividing line became bigger and bigger as a sharp light appeared and a strange beast jumped out from the white light! It was hard to tell whether this beast was a large bird or a large fish. But it was as if the beast had been hiding at the bottom of the sea for a long time and had been busy obtaining the purest nutrients between heaven and earth. Its energy appeared to be endless. The birdlike fish beast was hundreds of miles long and it leaped around in the sky above Yang City. When the birdlike fish beast¡¯s body rose, it covered the entire Yang City with its shadow. It was as terrifying as the apocalypse. In fact, its body was so big that it could easily destroy the entire Yang City! ¡°Could this be an ancient magical beast?!¡± A reporter cried out in alarm. The appearance of this strange beast instantly disrupted the beautiful scene in the sky. Suddenly, everything seemed to come alive. ¡°I recognize it! It¡¯s a Kun Peng!¡± Another reporter was even more excited. He immediately recognized that the ancient beast in front of him was the Kun Peng recorded in ¡°Free and Unrestrained¡±. There was such a record in the book ¡°Free and Unrestrained¡±: ¡°There is a fish in the Northern Underworld, and its name is Kun. Kun is huge, and it is unknown how many thousands of miles its body covers. When it transforms into a bird, it becomes Peng. The back of a Peng also stretches for thousands of miles. When it flies in anger, its wings are like clouds that hang down from the sky. Peng is a bird and its fate is to migrate to the Heavenly Lake of the Southern Underworld.¡± The ancient beast in front of them was almost exactly the same as what was recorded in the book! ¡°It really is a Kun Peng!¡± The bald man¡¯s memory gradually became clearer as he recalled the paragraphs in the ¡°Free and Unrestrained¡± book. Everyone became extremely excited. What luck! To be able to capture such a terrifying phenomenon at such a close distance, the newspapers they publish tomorrow would definitely be sold out! The previous two shocking phenomena were nothing compared to this! ¡°What could the expert responsible for this possibly be doing¡­ If he¡¯s only cultivating, then just how terrifying is this expert?¡± What realm must he be at for him to be able to create such a magnificent phenomenon? ¡°Such a terrifying phenomenon¡­ Could it be an immortal above the Tribulation Stage?¡± The bald man gulped down his saliva with difficulty. The phenomenon that appeared today was on a completely different level from the previous two phenomena. As soon as the phenomenon in Yang City appeared, even though it was still the middle of the night, people were being awakened one by one by their friends and family. The entire Yang City gradually became lively. Qin Kai Cultivation School, the origin of the phenomenon, soon attracted countless reporters. Everyone knew that such a magnificent phenomenon would definitely be the biggest news in history! Meanwhile¡­ At Star City, a city near Yang City. All of a sudden, the strange beast that had appeared in Yang City disappeared and reappeared above Star city. In the clear blue sea, the ancient beast that looked like the legendary Kun Peng appeared! The entire Star City was in an uproar! After the previous phenomenon appeared, Star City had finally regained its calm. However, because of tonight¡¯s underwater phenomenon and the Kun Peng that had descended from ancient times, Star City had fallen into another frenzy. The legendary Kun Peng had reappeared! How could they not go crazy? ¡°An Immortal among humans?!¡± The citizens of Star City cried out loudly. Those who were at the Tribulation Stage and above were known as immortals. However, no one had ever seen any of these so-called immortals. Perhaps there were such immortals around, but people tacitly agreed that after experts in the Tribulation Stage ascended to become immortals, they would ascend to the Immortal World. This was what people traditionally thought. However, such a terrifying phenomenon made them wonder if an immortal had appeared among them. It wasn¡¯t just Yang City and Star City that were affected. The Kun Peng also appeared above other neighboring cities! Overnight, several cities exploded into an uproar, setting off an unprecedented wave of discussion! Apart from the people who were deep asleep, there was another person who was unaware of everything that happened in the outside world. That person was Chen Pingan. He did not know how big of a commotion his simple cultivation had caused in the outside world. By now, the phenomenon had alarmed several cities and set off huge waves. Chen Pingan was still immersed in his cultivation, comprehending the mysteries of heaven and earth.. Chapter 16 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios In the staff dormitory of Qin Kai Cultivation School, there was a figure standing on the balcony of a certain floor as the wind blew at him crazily. ¡°Holy sh*t, a Kun Peng actually appeared in the sky?¡± Brother Xiong was dumbstruck as he stared blankly at the night sky that looked like a blue bottomless sea and the Kun Peng that was swimming freely in the horizon. Was he hallucinating? Brother Xiong was still half-asleep so he could not tell if the Kun Peng that appeared before him was real or fake. He pinched himself hard on the arm and immediately gasped from the pain. ¡°I¡¯m not dreaming! It¡¯s really a Kun Peng!¡± Brother Xiong could not help but cry out in shock. Shock and astonishment appeared on his face, making his face look especially interesting. He froze on the spot, forgetting about his urge to relieve himself. All he cared about right now was the Kun Peng floating in the sky! Apart from Brother Xiong, there was another person in Qin Kai Cultivation School who was equally unsettled. ¡°When did such a terrifying expert appear in our school?¡± Uncle Xun¡¯s old face looked particularly comical at the moment. His mouth hung open as his eyes drifted to the view outside the window. Uncle Xun did not return to the neighborhood because he was working late tonight. He had wanted to walk around the school for a while after sitting for so long and unexpectedly discovered the phenomenon in the sky! The sky that was supposed to have a bright moon now looked as if it was covered by the deep sea. The bright moon and stars had all disappeared, replaced by the blueness of the sea. Uncle Xun had never seen anything like this before. The still surface of the sea rose and fell slightly as a cool breeze blew across the watery depths. ¡°This expert is currently in our school. Which student or teacher could it be?¡± After recovering from his shock, Uncle Xun immediately guessed that the phenomenon tonight had been caused by someone from the school. However, who could it have been? He had to find this person! If the outside world knew that such an expert had appeared in Qin Kai¡¯s cultivation school, the school¡¯s reputation would soar and they would also receive more resources from the Education Bureau. The school¡¯s scale could then be expanded further. This was a rare opportunity! The phenomenon lasted for most of the night before gradually fading away. The astonishment in the eyes of the bald man and other reporters had yet to fade. They looked at the night sky that had gradually returned to its calm state and sighed emotionally. ¡°Today was a good day. We got to witness such an incredible phenomenon. This trip was really not in vain!¡± ¡°The abnormal phenomenon has disappeared. Let¡¯s quickly edit the video. We must post it online tomorrow morning and put it into the newspaper!¡± The bald man said to the reporters. They had to hurry back to the newspaper and produce the news article overnight. They knew that once the news of tonight¡¯s phenomenon was released, it would definitely cause a sensation tomorrow! At this moment, Chen Pingan was completely unaware that his cultivation had caused a sensation in Yang City and even the entire country. The entire time, he failed to notice the commotion outside. ¡°The middle stage of Qi Refinement Stage!?¡± As soon as he came out of his cultivation state, he opened his eyes and was surprised to discover the changes around him. Compared to the quantitative change of the breakthrough to the early stage of the Qi Refinement Stage, the breakthrough to the middle stage of the Qi Refinement Stage brought about a qualitative change to his cultivation. It was a huge leap. The increase in his physical strength was one benefit, but another benefit he received was that he could now see everything within five kilometers without any hindrance. Even an ant could not escape his eyes. Suddenly, Chen Pingan slapped the back of his head with both hands without turning his head, killing the approaching fly with a single slap. This action would horrify outsiders. Chen Pingan¡¯s arms seemed to have no bones and could bend at will. Actually, it was not just his arms. Every part of his body had become soft and boneless. He could now bend his limbs in an abnormal way that exceeded the limits of his body. ¡°Looks like my vigilance has increased.¡± After feeling his Spirit Qi, Chen Pingan came to a conclusion. He then calmly retracted his hands. However, he was not surprised. After all, the early stage of the Qi Refinement Stage was already well developed before he broke through. His breakthrough to the middle-stage of the Qi Refinement Stage had only made him stronger. ¡°I should be able to reach the late stage of the Qi Refinement Stage within a week.¡± Chen Pingan displayed the strength of his body and was overjoyed. He was very satisfied with this cultivation speed. In less than a week, he had already broken through to the middle stage of the Refinement Stage with astonishing speed. He planned to focus on reading books for the next few days to comprehend a new path of cultivation instead of another breakthrough. Chen Pingan knew very well that he could not be too hasty. He had broken through too quickly recently and now needed to stabilize his foundation and strengthen it. He would only break through to the next realm when he reached a better state. Chen Pingan thought as he casually swung his arm. As he swung his arm, it produced a sound that was as loud as thunder, and the room crackled. Feeling as if he had just woken up from a dream, he repeated the motion and deliberately controlled his strength slightly this time. Immediately, he noticed that the produced sound had become different. ¡°Eh, looks like my body is different from before.¡± In the past, his body¡¯s explosive power had only been strong and powerful. It was the kind of strength that allowed him to kill someone with just a single punch. However, Chen Pingan understood that a loud sound did not mean incredible strength. If he encountered an expert whose cultivation realm was higher than his, he would easily be defeated. Furthermore, it would be hard for him to launch a sneak attack when the sound he produced was so loud. If he could not control the sound, the enemy would be able to take precautions. He had been trying to think of a way to control the sound of the explosion, but no matter how hard he tried, he noticed that he couldn¡¯t really control it. Now, Chen Pingan was surprised to find that his power had weakened. No, his power remained the same, it was just that the sound it produced had become more controllable. Now, he could control his power at will. ¡°The strength of the body seems to have a gentle quality to it.¡± Now, Chen Pingan¡¯s strength was not just brute force, there was even a trace of softness mixed with its destructive power. It was very complicated. He used it a few times and realized that he could control his strength at will. However, he still had no idea how to control the gentle quality of the force. He tried it many times, but he could not force the ¡°gentleness¡± out! ¡°Could it be that I need to cultivate a corresponding secret technique?¡± Chen Pingan scratched his head and fell into deep thought. However, he didn¡¯t have any cultivation techniques other than the Compulsory Cultivation Lesson books recommended by the old men. ¡°Forget it, it will probably work itself out. I had many questions last time as well but they were answered in the book I read today. I¡¯ll probably find the answers to these questions during my next cultivation session.¡± He did not intend to pursue this topic any further. This was the kind of person Chen Pingan was. If he could not think of a solution, he would let it go to avoid causing trouble for himself. Chen Pingan handled the matter at the neighborhood in a similar way. Since he knew that there were hidden experts in the neighborhood that he could not afford to provoke, he concluded that all he had to do was leave the neighborhood. ¡°My range of vision has also increased. I wonder if there are any other changes caused by my breakthrough to the middle stage of the Qi Refinement Stage?¡± Chen Pingan was not very knowledgeable about such matters. Most of the time, after breaking through to the next realm, he would discover the changes in his body by accident. In the books of cultivation, there were also no distinctions between realms. There were no clear explanations that explained the differences between each realm and stage. Even the basic abilities were not listed in the books. Chen Pingan could only try to figure it out by himself. However, he had to admit that this process was very enjoyable. Every day, he would discover a new attack power and master a new skill. He really did enjoy it. ¡°Perhaps I could try teleporting?¡± This thought appeared in Chen Pingan¡¯s mind. He had wanted to do this for a long time, but he had always been unable to achieve it. As soon as the idea came to his mind, his body immediately acted accordingly. Immediately, he started using his Spirit Sense. His black eyes acted like black vortexes and anything that was targeted by them would fall into the control of his Spirit Sense. ¡°Move!¡± Chen Pingan focused for a long time. His eyes and thoughts were fixed on the desk in front of him. With a soft shout, he activated his psychic power. Crack. The desk actually moved without any physical interference. The foot of the desk slid across the floor, making an annoying sound. The sound continued to ring out. After the desk slid across the floor for tens of metres, it suddenly stopped. It was as though the power that had been attached to the desk had been sucked dry. Chen Pingan¡¯s face lit up. His psychic ability had proved to be successful, but he didn¡¯t dare to continue using it. He was afraid that a teacher who was staying downstairs would suddenly come upstairs to complain. It was not good to disturb the neighbors so late at night. Chen Pingan was an honest man and always cultivated quietly. He did not want to be like that powerful expert in the neighborhood who caused such a huge commotion and disrupted the order of life. He did not like that at all. Chen Pingan stretched his body slightly. Then, he opened his phone and looked at the time. It was almost three in the morning. He was about to put down his phone when the screen lit up. He wondered who was sending him messages so late in the night. He wondered if it was an advertisement. Puzzled, Chen Pingan unlocked his phone. There was a red dot on the upper right corner of the message box which indicated that there was an unread message inside. It also displayed the time, which was 2: 58. ¡°Who is it? Why are you texting me so late at night?¡± Without thinking, he clicked on it. [Hello, Teacher Chen. I am Wang from the Academic Affairs Office. This will be your work schedule for the next week. Please check it in time. If there are any mistakes or changes, please call the Academic Affairs Office. Our phone number is: 0774-673930.] There was a picture attached to the bottom of the message. It was Chen Pingan¡¯s schedule for the coming week. Chen Pingan was stunned. He did not expect it to be a message from the Academic Affairs Office. Furthermore, he was surprised that they would send him a message in the middle of the night. ¡°How professional. Working overtime so late at night just to arrange my classes. He sure is responsible. However, it would be even better if he were more efficient.¡± Chen Pingan smiled sincerely and opened the picture. The class schedule was very simple. According to the schedule, Chen Pingan was mainly in charge of four high school level classes as well as the long jump sport course. The classes were mainly held on Mondays to Fridays, and he had the weekend off to enjoy himself. This was the reason why teachers were envied. ¡°Eh? No classes tomorrow?¡± Chen Pingan looked at the class schedule three times, afraid that he would miss out on one of the classes. He was new here, and it was crucial for him to establish a good image. He could not afford to make any mistakes. He checked it a few more times but still found that the column for tomorrow was blank. The high school class he was in charge of did not have physical education class tomorrow. ¡°The teacher at the Academic Affairs Office is so nice. He must have taken a day off to let me get used to the school. He probably knows that I¡¯m still unfamiliar with a lot of things and need some time to adapt.¡± ¡°What a nice guy!¡± Chen Pingan started typing on his phone. He looked at the short message in the chat and smiled as he sent a message. [Roger that, thanks for your hard work!] There was a hint of warmth in the formal-sounding words. This was the feeling he wanted to convey. He wanted to establish a warm and polite image in front of his new colleagues. Chen Pingan put down his phone in satisfaction and laid on the bed. As he recalled everything that happened today, his eyelids became heavier and heavier.. No matter how hard he tried, he could not keep his eyes open and finally fell asleep. Chapter 17 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Yang City was particularly chaotic tonight. Many places were brightly lit, and people were in a hurry, busying themselves in front of computers. For the sake of exposure and popularity, the major newspaper companies in Yang City did their best to uncover the secrets behind the phenomenon. In the end, they decided to focus on the area where the Qin Kai Cultivation School was located. They all knew that this would be a piece of news that would shock the entire province! Everyone was looking forward to tomorrow¡¯s arrival. They were all wondering how people would react after finding out about tonight¡¯s incident. ¡­ Amidst the busyness and anticipation, the next day finally arrived. The sun had risen, and the first rays of the morning sun shone down on every corner of Yang City. There was only one room that was still completely dark, as if it was still nighttime in there. An ear-piercing alarm went off in the room, chasing away all of Chen Pingan¡¯s sleepiness. Chen Pingan did not move on the bed. Instead, narrowed his eyes and looked for the direction of the alarm. ¡°Gotcha.¡± He suddenly looked in one direction. A second later, the alarm clock was turned off. ¡°It¡¯s good that I have psychic power. What a blessing for someone with terminal laziness.¡± Chen Pingan turned off the alarm with his mind. Although he was still lying on the bed, his Spirit Sense floated out of the room and entered into the elevator with a group of teachers who were headed to their respective classes. He wanted to use his Spirit Sense to experience the wonderful journey to work. The elevator reached the first floor and his Spirit Sense floated outside the staff dormitory. The group of teachers walked out of the staff dormitory in twos and threes. The teachers greeted each other in a friendly manner and those with good relationships would walk together and chat as they headed towards the teaching building. ¡°Did you guys go online last night? Something big happened!¡± One of the fashionable female teachers said in shock. From her tone, the others wondered if something big had happened last night. Chen Pingan could even hear the tiny sounds of ants chewing on food, much less the loud voices. It was not difficult for him to hear them. However, Chen Pingan was not interested in the gossip between the female teachers. Just as he was about to spread his Spirit Sense further, he heard a shocking piece of news. ¡°What happened?¡± A few teachers gathered around the female teacher. They had prepared the lesson plan late last night and did not have the time to go online. As the person who usually knew about the latest news, the female teacher was exceptionally well-informed in the field of gossip. ¡°Do you all still remember the two strange phenomena that appeared above Yang City?¡± The female teacher was very satisfied with everyone¡¯s reaction. She didn¡¯t reveal what she knew directly and continued to whet everyone¡¯s appetite. ¡°I remember! Hey! Don¡¯t change the topic. Tell us what happened last night.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Yue Qing, hurry up and say it. Stop whetting our appetite!¡± Everyone was anxious, but they couldn¡¯t stop Yue Qing from whetting their appetite. It worked on them all the time. The female teacher named Yue Qing smiled without saying a word. ¡°Did another phenomenon appear again last night?¡± One of them was a male teacher wearing black-framed glasses who looked like a programmer. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and said firmly. ¡°Really? Yue Qing, is that true?¡± Everyone had doubts about the male teacher¡¯s guess. Every time he made a guess, he would appear so certain. For some reason, his guesses were always ridiculously wrong. Yue Qing¡¯s female teacher nodded with a smile, confirming the male teacher¡¯s guess. ¡°Ah? He was right? Nice one, Teacher Wen. You¡¯ve finally gotten it correct for once.¡± ¡°Sigh, how can that be considered big news? The first two phenomena were shocking because we had never seen something like that before. However, by now, we¡¯re already used to it. It¡¯s not like there¡¯s anything new this time.¡± Everyone laughed and joked around. They were no longer as enthusiastic as they were when they had heard about the first two phenomena. People were visually stimulated, after all. The previous two phenomena were very shocking, but by now, they had already gotten used to it. The people of this world, be it the residents in the Xin Guang Residence or the students and teachers of the Qin Kai Cultivation School, were all unusually calm. Even if an earthquake happened at this moment, all of them would still not be fazed and would just escape calmly. When Chen Pingan heard that there was a strange phenomenon last night, he felt glad. He could only think about how fortunate he was to have left the neighborhood so quickly. However, that did not stop him from watching the show. He wanted to see what kind of commotion the neighborhood expert had caused this time. ¡°You¡¯re all mistaken. The abnormal phenomenon this time around is very different. If you all were to see it, you would definitely take back what you just said.¡± Yue Qing¡¯s smile disappeared. She recalled the strange scene from last night and was still a little afraid. The other teachers thought that she was deliberately mystifying things. In an attempt not to embarrass her, a few of them started to play along, ¡°What kind of phenomenon was it then?¡± ¡°For Yue Qing to care so much about this phenomenon, it must have been extraordinary!¡± ¡°Yeah, right.¡± Yue Qing knew that these people didn¡¯t believe her, so she lost her interest. She stopped chatting with them and quickly walked towards the field. School was about to start and the field was already filled with melodious music. ¡°I¡¯m not talking to you guys anymore. All of you will find out and be scared silly soon enough. I¡¯ve tried my best to convince you guys, but it seems like no one believes me.¡± After Yue Qing finished speaking, she ran straight to the field and walked to the class she was in charge of. The other teachers did not stop her. Everyone was also very busy and had their own classes to look after. Because of Qin Kai¡¯s school rules, all the students had to gather in the field to listen to the morning news from Monday to Friday at 8 AM. It was said that the rule was made by the first principal. When he was young, the first principle always busied himself with studying and paid no attention to the outside world. In the end, due to his lack of knowledge in current events, not only did he not get his name on the celebrity rankings, he even did poorly on his college entrance examination and lost 20 points! At that time, the first principal had sworn to watch the morning news every day, and this habit stuck with him even after he started working. Even after becoming a principal, in order to maintain his habits, he specially set this school rule. Ever since then, the teachers and students would watch the morning news together from Monday to Friday. This tradition had been established ever since Qin Kai Cultivation School was founded.. Under the pressure of that first principal, the tradition lived on. Chapter 18 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios At the staff dormitory. ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk. What a magnificent sight. Qin Kai Cultivation School sure is wealthy!¡± Chen Pingan sighed as he lay in bed. At this moment, he was not looking at a dark ceiling but a vast and bright field. It was different from an ordinary school field and had simple benches placed on it. Starting from 7: 30 in the morning, students would walk out of the teaching building one after another. They walked around the field with ease and sat down on their corresponding seats. In less than half an hour, the field was already full. The teachers and students all arrived in an orderly manner and did not produce any unnecessary noise. At the moment, everyone¡¯s eyes were fixed on the big screen on the high platform. Chen Pingan¡¯s Spirit Sense floated above the field as he looked at the thousands of teachers and students. Anyway, no one noticed him. If he had been there in person, Chen Pingan would behave like an honest person and would not stare at others so openly. However, he was currently his Spirit Sense. He scanned the crowd quickly, which comprised nearly five thousand people. In less than three minutes, he had looked through them one by one and developed a general impression of each of them. ¡°Uncle Xun is here too?¡± Chen Pingan looked at the old man in front of him in surprise. The old man was in high spirits and his hair was combed so smoothly that even a fly could probably slip on it. Compared to when he was dressed in a singlet and a pair of slippers in the neighborhood, the Uncle Xun who was currently dressed in a suit and tie looked like a completely different person. ¡°No wonder I couldn¡¯t tell at first.¡± Chen Pingan went to the back of the field. Although others could not sense his Spirit Sense, for safety reasons, he chose to stay in the most hidden corner. ¡°Today¡¯s morning news will probably report about last night¡¯s phenomenon.¡± As he spoke, the big screen lit up and automatically switched to another channel. The screen flashed and an image appeared. A male host with a turtleneck and slicked-back hair appeared on the screen. Chen Pingan immediately thought of Uncle Xun. These two people were dressed exactly the same. [Good morning, everyone. I¡¯m the host, Li Fei. As always, I hope you enjoy your morning with Wantong News.] [I wonder what shocking news we will see today.] [Anyway, let¡¯s not talk too much and we will get to the news straight away!] The male host spoke clearly and fluently without any accent. He sounded especially comfortable. The long morning news finally started. Chen Pingan was a little tired from listening to it. After all, the news only reported insignificant matters. [Recently, on his 180th birthday, our Yang City¡¯s Old Master Yuan, told our reporter a shocking piece of news!] [Old Master Yuan is now a Mahayana Stage expert. He has abstained from eating and drinking for 14 days, but it appears that he is still fine!] [This is a great breakthrough in human history. In the next 500 years, human civilization will definitely take a big step forward!] The scene switched to a hotel lobby where a grand birthday banquet was being held. The guests were all seated, and an old man with gray hair and a wrinkly face walked out of the crowd. The old man waved to the camera and smiled kindly. Many students were whispering in the field. ¡°I tried to abstain from eating, but I only lasted for 4 days. Old Master Yuan sure is amazing!¡± ¡°14 days and 14 nights. I don¡¯t even dare to imagine it. It¡¯s just too awesome!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Chen Pingan sighed and did not make any comments. If traditional cultivators were to know that this Mahayana Stage expert was being praised for abstaining from eating for 14 days and 14 nights, how would they react? Fortunately, there were still many true experts in this world. However, they kept a low profile and avoided the media. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that their cultivation-induced abnormal phenomena had been recorded, perhaps no one would have discovered the existence of these experts. ¡°I really hope that one day, I can personally witness the phenomenon created by an expert and gain some insights from it.¡± The broadcast on the screen continued and Chen Pingan didn¡¯t think much of it. He thought that it was probably about some cultivator breaking the world record again. Chen Pingan didn¡¯t feel anything when he heard the news, but the teachers and students were all excited. Especially when that cultivator appeared on the screen, the crowd¡¯s spirits were instantly raised and cheers could be heard everywhere. ¡°This old man who has abstained from eating for 14 days is from Qin Kai Cultivation School?¡± Chen Pingan had guessed correctly. If it was a cultivator from another school, why would the teachers and students of Qin Kai¡¯s school be so happy? Fortunately, this piece of news quickly ended. [Everyone, this piece of news is going to shock the entire province!] The male host changed his usual demeanor and his refined tone turned into one of extreme shock, as if he had changed into another person. His calm expression was replaced by shock and excitement. Everyone was affected by his expression and their hearts were raised. Chen Pingan¡¯s heart was pounding. He had a feeling that the next piece of news would definitely be related to the phenomenon last night. Everyone looked at the big screen at the same time. The field fell into silence. For a moment, no one spoke. [At 1: 10 PM last night, in Jin Gang Province, in many cities including Yang City, a shocking phenomenon appeared in the sky!! The entire province was affected!!!] [Jin Gang Province has dispatched many experienced specialists to study the terrifying phenomenon last night to unravel its mysteries!] The male host¡¯s impassioned voice echoed in the open field. In the quiet field, only the male host¡¯s voice could be heard. What kind of phenomenon could cause a sensation in the entire province?! This was the first time that a phenomenon had triggered a joint movement in many cities! All the teachers and students in Qin Kai Cultivation School were silent. At the moment, they were still fixated on what the male host had just said. The next second, the screen revealed a scene that would linger in the minds of everyone on the field. Everyone widened their eyes in disbelief. On the screen was a vast ocean. More accurately, it was an ocean that appeared out of thin air above a city. It was not a painting but a real ocean! Because of the shimmering water, other than the fact that there were no creatures inside the ocean¡­ Actually, that was not true. At that moment, since the ocean had appeared above the city, the people in the entire city were all creatures inside the ocean. Everyone on the field was silent and dumbfounded. Where did this phenomenon originate from? Was it Yang City? They weren¡¯t sure because they seemed to have seen multiple cities show up on the screen. The male host spoke again. [The phenomenon that appeared in the middle of the night showed up in various cities at different times. After the research of many experienced specialists, they discovered that the shocking phenomenon actually came from Yang City!!!] Yang City again?! This time, everyone¡¯s expressions were all very interesting and also surprisingly similar. Chen Pingan was dumbfounded. Because the next thing the male host said confirmed his guess. [The specialists from Jin Gang Province not only found out from their analysis that the phenomenon originated from Yang City, but they also found out that it came from Qin Kai Cultivation School!] The phenomenon did not come from Xin Guang Residence, but from Qin Kai¡¯s school! The phenomenon came from Qin Kai Cultivation School! Chen Pingan was completely stunned. The words of the male host continued to play in his mind as he saw a huge Kun Peng appear on the screen! The Kun Peng from the ancient era had come to life and was leaping around above Yang City! Chen Pingan¡¯s feet seemed to have been frozen in place. He could no longer walk. His eyes were glued to the screen as he heard the voices of the people around him. ¡°Is Li Fei talking about our school?¡± Some students asked their classmates in disbelief. Since when did their school have such a powerful expert? ¡°It¡¯s true. He¡¯s talking about our school. I heard him. It¡¯s our school!¡± Some students shouted excitedly. ¡°Heavens, who could it be? How terrifying!¡± The noise on the field was getting louder and louder, drowning out the host¡¯s voice. After all, who would still have the patience to listen to what he had to say? Everyone was seething with excitement because of the phenomenon! Qin Kai Cultivation School was about to cause a huge commotion in Yang City and in Jin Gang Province. Chapter 19 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The teachers and students of Qin Kai Cultivation School started an intense discussion on the field. This was definitely a major event in the history of Qin Kai Cultivation School. Despite having seen it yesterday, the principal of Qin Kai Cultivation School, Uncle Xun, was still extremely shocked after seeing the phenomenon on the screen. ¡°Unbelievable. Could that person be here right now?¡± Uncle Xun glanced over his shoulder. He was sitting up front and had the best view of all the teachers and students on the field. He took a good look at each of them and wished that he had a magnifying glass to get a better look at them. He had to find the expert who caused the phenomenon last night! Meanwhile¡­ Dali, who was sweeping nearby, recovered from his shock. He didn¡¯t expect Qin Kai Cultivation School to have such a powerful immortal! He had been working in Qin Kai Cultivation School for so long, but he had never heard of this person. Of all the days that it could happen, why did it happen yesterday¡­ Suddenly, a person appeared in Dali¡¯s mind. It was a thin young man. It was a fellow young man he had seen recently. Dali recalled that this young man seemed to have moved into the neighborhood last night. Da Li shook his head violently. After all, how could it be possible? ¡°That young man hasn¡¯t even entered the elementary level of the Qi Refinement Stage yet. It¡¯s probably just my senile decay. The phenomenon last night was something that could only be caused by immortals above the Tribulation Stage. How could it possibly be that young man?¡± Da Li shook his head and smiled bitterly as he tried to forget about it. He thought that the immortal naturally had his own reasons for not wanting to reveal himself. He was just like that neighborhood expert and did not want to be disturbed. Dali did not delve deeper into this question. At his age, he had already become indifferent to powerful immortals. ¡°Just do your job, Dali. What Tribulation Stage? What Immortal? None of this is my business.¡± Dali returned to work with the broom in his hand. Today, it was his turn to be in charge of cleaning the field. Dali looked around and searched for the rubbish such as paper scraps nearby. Dali had his own method of cleaning. First, he would do a big-scale clean-up on the entire area. Only after that would he go and clean up the trash that he missed. Meanwhile, Chen Pingan was still frozen in place. ¡°An expert in Qin Kai Cultivation School?¡± What was the meaning of this? He had finally gotten out of one sticky situation just to end up in another. Apparently, it was now the Qin Kai Cultivation School¡¯s expert¡¯s turn to reveal himself. Chen Pingan looked at all of the teachers and students on the field with a stiff expression. Could the expert be hiding among them? It seemed as if Chen Pingan was triggering the appearance of experts wherever he went. What kind of an ability was this!? Suddenly, Chen Pingan¡¯s hair stood on end as his body trembled uncontrollably, his face turning pale! He saw Uncle Xun looking at him and also saw Dali, who had been sweeping the floor in the staff dormitory yesterday! Why was Dali on the field?! Also, why were Uncle Xun and Dali looking at him like that?! Could it be¡­ Could it be that one of them was the expert from last night? Chen Pingan couldn¡¯t stay here any longer. He immediately withdrew his Spirit Sense and fled with all his might. After all, he would simply be courting death if he kept trying to show off his Spirit Sense. ¡°Hu hu hu¡­¡± Chen Pingan lay on the bed and panted heavily. His clothes were drenched in cold sweat, and a chill ran down his spine. Could one of them be the expert? Uncle Xun was the principal of the school. When Chen Pingan went to report yesterday, Chen Pingan did hear Uncle Xun mention that he was staying late in the school office. Which meant that Uncle Xun had been in school the entire night! ¡°So¡­ it was Uncle Xun?¡± Chen Pingan felt that his brain power was about to run out. After thinking it over, he felt that the probability of Uncle Xun being the expert was the greatest! Strange phenomena had appeared in both the neighborhood and in Qin Kai Cultivation School. And Uncle Xun had been in both places! ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe that this is just a coincidence.¡± ¡°Also, why was Uncle Li looking at me like that?¡± There was something wrong with these two. ¡°When I see these two people in the future, I¡¯ll definitely stay far away from them. That¡¯s right, I just have to stay away from them.¡± He had already become a teacher at Qin Kai Cultivation School. In the short term, he would not be able to move home. Even if he wanted to, where else could he move to? If he moved back to Xin Guang Residence, the danger there would still be just as high. ¡°I¡¯m just a small fry. As long as I don¡¯t provoke them, they won¡¯t even bother to pay me any attention.¡± Chen Pingan made up his mind to be more careful in school in the future and try to avoid interacting with Uncle Xun and Dali. After being frightened in the field, Chen Pingan felt exhausted. He laid on the bed for a while before getting up and going to the fridge to find some food that could fill his stomach. ¡°I wonder what the future¡­¡± Chen Pingan lowered his head and sighed. His beautiful school life had turned into a cat-and-mouse chase! Chen Pingan wanted to forget about it. After all, there was no point in thinking too much. He thought that he would just deal with it in the future. ¡­ On the field of Qin Kai Cultivation School. Uncle Xun looked away in disappointment. There seemed to be nothing unusual about this group of teachers and students. He wondered if the expert was somewhere else. However, the teachers and students of the school were all here, so who else could it possibly be? ¡°Wait, someone isn¡¯t here! Chen Pingan!¡± Uncle Xun¡¯s eyes flared. However, the light in his eyes quickly went out in the next second. Uncle Xun thought about it for a while and realized that it was impossible. After all, in his eyes, Chen Pingan hadn¡¯t even entered the elementary level of the Qi Refinement Stage yet, so how could he be an immortal? What nonsense! But then, Uncle Xun realized that it was true that the commotion only started after Chen Pingan had moved into Qin Kai Cultivation School. Could it be that¡­ Uncle Xun quickly dismissed his thoughts. After all, he couldn¡¯t feel any Spirit Qi from that young man. ¡°That young man stays at home every day. He doesn¡¯t cultivate or work hard. When I saw him previously, he was sloppy all over. There¡¯s no way he¡¯s actually an immortal.¡± In Uncle Xun¡¯s eyes, Chen Pingan looked like he was only twenty years old. Even if Chen Pingan was not as decadent as he initially imagined, there¡¯s still no way Uncle Xun would believe that Chen Pingan was an immortal. The more Uncle Xun deduced, the more he felt that he had been overthinking. He wondered if it had all been one big coincidence. Chen Pingan had coincidentally moved into the school¡¯s staff dormitory last night while an immortal was cultivating. However, he was not a person who would make arbitrary decisions. He still wanted to find some opportunities to test Chen Pingan and verify his speculation just in case. ¡°There¡¯s no time like the present. I¡¯ll test him today to see if he¡¯s truly an immortal.¡± Uncle Xun revealed a smile that seemed quite amiable to outsiders and withdrew the various thoughts in his mind. After all, he could always take it slow since the person in question was already in his territory. Here in the school, he was the one who called the shots. At this moment, Chen Pingan, who was eating instant noodles, suddenly sneezed. ¡°Do I have a cold?¡± He mumbled to himself while thinking about other things. There was no class today, so he didn¡¯t have to go anywhere. Chen Pingan wondered how he could kill time today. Brother Xiong had left on a trip and was bringing his students to Star City for a competition. He would not be at Qin Kai Cultivation School for the time being. ¡°Other than Brother Xiong, I don¡¯t know anyone at Qin Kai Cultivation School. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anywhere I could go.¡± Just then, the phone screen on the sofa lit up and then went off. ¡°I wonder who it is?¡± Chen Pingan walked over and leaned lazily on the sofa before picking up his phone. The phone was unlocked and Chen Pingan saw a text message from an unknown number. He looked at the string of numbers and fell into deep thought. The number looked familiar, as if he had seen them somewhere before. As his cultivation level increased, Chen Pingan¡¯s memory had become several times better than before.. With just a quick glance of something, he would be able to retain it in his memory. Chapter 20 - Yue Qing Is Actually a Cultivation Teacher Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°I wonder who it could be?¡± Chen Pingan thought about it for a long time but couldn¡¯t figure out who it was. In the end, he had no choice but to give up guessing. He clicked on his phone and a message popped out. [Teacher Chen Pingan, I¡¯m the principal of Qin Kai Cultivation School. First Year Class Eight has two physical education classes this afternoon. Remember to go to class on time!] Didn¡¯t they tell him there was no class today? Now he had a class schedule again? Why was the school¡¯s schedule so inconsistent? Fortunately, Chen Pingan had nothing else to do. Otherwise, it would have been troublesome. Chen Pingan held his phone in his hand and read the message two more times. He felt a strange feeling in his heart. ¡°Wait, Uncle Xun?!¡± Chen Pingan sat up straight, his eyes wide open. Should the staff from the Academic Affairs Office be in charge of this? Why was Uncle Xun the one texting him about his classes? After all, why would the principal of a school be responsible for such a task. This was unbelievable! Chen Pingan¡¯s hand that was holding his phone trembled. Suddenly, he felt goosebumps all over his body. Something was wrong! ¡°Could it be that he discovered my Spirit Sense in the field today?¡± It was very likely that Uncle Xun was an immortal. And if he were, then of course he would feel uncomfortable being spied on by someone else¡¯s Spirit Sense. Even an expert would find it uncomfortable, let alone an immortal. ¡°I¡¯m done for! This is definitely a small display of strength from Uncle Xun!¡± Chen Pingan put on a long face. He had just said that he would stay away from Uncle Xun and the others in the future, and now he was already being targeted. He had been jinxed! Coincidentally, Brother Xiong was not in Qin Kai Cultivation School at the present moment and could not help him. Chen Pingan could only rely on himself. After thinking about it for a long time, Chen Pingan comforted himself and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t it just a class? With all the students present, what¡¯s the worst thing Uncle Xun could do to me?¡± Although he said that, he was still very nervous. What if? Just as Chen Pingan was lost in his thoughts, the doorbell suddenly rang. ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be anyone in this school who would come looking for me.¡± Muttering under his breath, Chen Pingan got up from the couch and opened the door because there was no peephole. The moment Chen Pingan saw who it was, he panicked. ¡°Uncle¡­ Uncle Xun, why are you here?¡± ¡°I came to see you. Did you get the message? After thinking about it, I decided to visit you personally. I don¡¯t have anything else to do today anyway.¡± Uncle Xun walked past Chen Pingan and entered the room. It was just like how he entered Chen Pingan¡¯s room when they were still in the neighborhood. ¡°Little Xiong isn¡¯t around, and you¡¯ve just arrived at school, so you probably don¡¯t have anyone you can talk to. Don¡¯t worry, if you encounter any difficulties, don¡¯t keep it to yourself and just tell me.¡± ¡°We¡¯re neighbors after all. If it¡¯s something I can help you with, I definitely won¡¯t leave you hanging.¡± Uncle Xun paced back and forth in his room. He had spoken those long words in one breath. Was Uncle Xun really here to see him? Chen Pingan heaved a sigh of relief. It didn¡¯t seem like he was lying. ¡°Pingan, why didn¡¯t you go to the field today?¡± Uncle Xun sat down on the sofa and asked quietly. ¡°I¡­¡± Chen Pingan had just relaxed when he heard this. His back stiffened and his heart skipped a beat. ¡°Did you oversleep?¡± ¡°Oh, I forgot to tell you. We gather at eight in the morning between Monday and Friday. All students and teachers must be present.¡± Uncle Xun smiled as he went over the school rules. ¡°Okay, Uncle Xun, I¡¯ll remember that. I¡¯ll be there on time from now on.¡± Chen Pingan¡¯s palms were sweating as his brain worked furiously. Did Uncle Xun see through his Spirit Sense? Chen Pingan thought that Uncle Xun probably did and just didn¡¯t want to be petty with him. ¡°It¡¯s a pity that you didn¡¯t go to the field today. We all watched the explosive news that happened last night!¡± Uncle Xun secretly observed Chen Pingan¡¯s reaction. He only had one reason why he brought this up, and that was to test Chen Pingan. ¡°What news?¡± Chen Pingan responded with a puzzled look on his face, but his heart was in turmoil. ¡°There was another abnormal phenomenon last night! It was even bigger than the previous two phenomena. The specialists¡¯ analysis tells us that it was caused by an immortal!¡± ¡°To think that something like this happened in our Qin Kai Cultivation School!¡± ¡°Here, let me show you. It¡¯s all over the internet. Don¡¯t you even go online?¡± At the mention of this morning¡¯s news, Uncle Xun¡¯s face was filled with excitement. He pulled out his phone and handed the recording to Chen Ping¡¯ an. Chen Pingan received it doubtfully. Even though he had seen the phenomenon once, he still naturally felt shocked when he looked at it again. Shock and horror appeared on Chen Pingan¡¯s face. No matter how many times he had seen it, it would always leave him shaken and terrified of the immortal behind the phenomenon. Uncle Xun took in Chen Pingan¡¯s reaction when Chen Pingan saw the strange phenomenon. He could tell that it was a genuine reaction. It was also a normal reaction a young man like Chen Pingan should have. After all, it was impossible for an ordinary person to not be shocked by such a phenomenon! ¡°Have you been scared silly?¡± Uncle Xun laughed and joked. He was now even more certain that the immortal from last night could not be Chen Pingan and was someone else. After half a day, Chen Pingan finally said, ¡°This phenomenon last night is really terrifying.¡± This was no ordinary terror! Chen Pingan said from the bottom of his heart, ¡°I think only an immortal can cause such a phenomenon.¡± He tore his gaze away from the screen of his phone and looked at Uncle Xun as he handed the phone back to him. Chen Pingan felt apprehensive. Could the immortal be Uncle Xun? However, he thought that it didn¡¯t seem like that was true. If it was Uncle Xun, then why would he be telling Chen Pingan all of this so excitedly? ¡°Yeah, such an immortal is located in our school!¡± Uncle Xun¡¯s expression was proud, carrying a trace of pride. After all, this immortal located in Qin Kai Cultivation School was the only immortal that appeared in Yang City for a thousand years! Currently, Uncle Xun was certain that there was no other immortal in Yang City! ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll stop here. I still have other matters to attend to at school. Remember to go to class in the afternoon. And don¡¯t be late!¡± Without waiting for Chen Pingan to speak, Uncle Xun charged out. He left swiftly and decisively. ¡°Uncle Xun¡­ I seem to have guessed wrongly.¡± Chen Pingan looked in the direction where the figure had disappeared, and he suddenly murmured to himself. Uncle Xun¡¯s swift and decisive style didn¡¯t quite match the image of an immortal! However, other than Uncle Xun, who else could it be? Could it be Dali from the neighborhood? Chen Pingan felt like his brain was about to explode. The entire morning passed in his wild imagination. In the blink of an eye, it was almost 2 pm. ¡°Two classes will be over soon.¡± Chen Pingan changed into comfortable sportswear. After looking at his phone for a while, he walked out of the staff dormitory. The high school¡¯s teaching building was located at the other side of the school. If one were to walk directly from the staff dormitory to the teaching building, it would be equivalent to crossing half of the school¡¯s distance. The whole distance would take at least fifteen minutes. As classes were about to start, there were many students and teachers walking towards the teaching building. Chen Pingan was dressed in a black sportswear and stood out on the sidewalk. Coupled with his unfamiliar face, he attracted the attention of many students and teachers. These gazes were extremely intense, and it was difficult for him to directly ignore them. Just as Chen Pingan was trying his best not to notice those people¡¯s gazes, a smear of red appeared in front of his eyes, followed by a small face the size of a palm. The smile on the face was very infectious. A girl? Chen Pingan looked at the girl in front of him and recalled who it was. It was the female teacher he saw in the morning.. Chapter 21 Just as Chen Pingan was thinking about it, the female teacher in front of him spoke familiarly. ¡°Hey, you must be Teacher Chen Pingan, right? I¡¯m Yue Qing, the homeroom teacher of First Year Class Three and I¡¯m also a cultivation teacher!¡± ¡°You probably don¡¯t know me. I also only heard about you from Brother Xiong. You must be the new teacher, right?¡± Yue Qing started chatting with Chen Pingan naturally. Her voice was soft and soothing. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me. My name is Chen Pingan. Nice to meet you!¡± ¡°You know Brother Xiong?¡± Chen Pingan kept his distance. He didn¡¯t have a bad impression of Yue Qing, but it was their first time meeting, so it was inevitable that he would feel awkward. However, Yue Qing didn¡¯t mind. She had a unique charm that allowed her to quickly become familiar with the people around her. ¡°Brother Xiong? The teachers in our school are very familiar with him. He was also quick to get along with all the students.¡± Yue Qing was beside Chen Pingan and walked on the sidewalk with him. ¡°Indeed. There are very few people who would dislike someone like Brother Xiong.¡± Chen Pingan replied with a smile. When Big Brother Xiong was mentioned, they suddenly had something in common to talk about. Because Brother Xiong was the only mutual friend they knew. It was the most suitable topic to allow them to break the awkwardness of their first meeting! ¡°Teacher Pingan, you teach sports, right? Which class do you teach?¡± ¡°Year One Class Eight.¡± ¡°Oh, it looks like we¡¯re headed in the same direction then. Our classes are in the same building.¡± Yue Qing saw the confusion in Chen Pingan¡¯s eyes and explained, ¡°It¡¯s like this. There are two teaching buildings in our school. The first and second year high school students share the same building. In that building, there¡¯s a total of 7 floors. The 1st floor has a teacher¡¯s office, so they could only fit two classes on that floor. Aside from the 1st floor, all the other floors have 6 classes each.¡± ¡°I see. Teacher Yue Qing, did you mention that you were a cultivation teacher just now?¡± This was something Chen Pingan was more interested in. At first, he was too shy to ask too much because they were not too familiar with each other. With her help as a cultivation teacher, wouldn¡¯t that mean that his questions about cultivation would be easily resolved? ¡°That¡¯s right. Our school has many courses, and we also teach many different types of cultivation. For example, the Compulsory Cultivation Lessons for cultivation are divided into low, intermediate, and high levels. There are also other courses for cultivating simple cultivation techniques.¡± ¡°I¡¯m mainly responsible for the intermediate level Compulsory Cultivation Lesson, which is taught to first year high school students.¡± Yue Qing didn¡¯t feel that Chen Pingan¡¯s question was inappropriate. Cultivation courses were very common here and were just like any other major courses such as English and Math. ¡°Simple cultivation technique?¡± Chen Pingan¡¯s eyes lit up. What he lacked the most were cultivation techniques. The books he had only contained basic knowledge and lacked information about offensive cultivation techniques. ¡°That¡¯s right. Didn¡¯t you learn it when you were in high school? I still have some impression of it now, especially the stuff I learned during my second year of high school. After learning the simple cultivation technique, I became very energetic every day. Speaking of which, that cultivation technique was actually quite useful.¡± Yue Qing couldn¡¯t stop talking when the topic was about her high school life. ¡°I don¡¯t remember much from my high school¡­ But it sounds interesting when I hear you talk about it.¡± Chen Pingan shifted the topic to simple cultivation techniques. Just as he was about to ask where he could buy books about simple cultivation techniques, a series of urgent bell rings suddenly sounded in front of him. ¡°Teacher Pingan, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. I¡¯m going to be late for class! I¡¯ll be going now!¡± As soon as Yue Qing heard the ringtone, she ran as fast as she could. She didn¡¯t forget to turn around and say goodbye to Chen Pingan. Her black figure gradually got smaller and eventually disappeared on the sidewalk. ¡°Oh, okay. If there¡¯s a chance in the future, let¡¯s meet again¡­ Wait, don¡¯t I have class too? Wait for me, Teacher Yue Qing!¡± Chen Pingan came to his senses and charged at the same speed as Yue Qing. In the blink of an eye, he had passed a hundred meters. A gust of wind blew on the sidewalk. The students who were running toward the teaching building were all in a hurry because they were late. Suddenly, they saw a shadow from the corner of their eyes and were shocked. Who was the person who had just brushed past them? He was so fast that he could already compete as an international athlete. Those students were only surprised for a moment before recovering their expressions. After the phenomenon last night, their tolerance for shock had become extraordinary. Compared to the phenomenon, this speed was nothing! In the Year One Class Eight classroom. When the bell rang for the second time, Chen Pingan arrived at the entrance of the classroom of Year One Class Eight. He was neither panting nor blushing and it was impossible to tell that he had just undergone vigorous exercise. To him, that distance was nothing! Crack. Chen Pingan gently pushed the door open, and a faint sound came from the crack in the door. However, because the class was silent at this moment, the sound sounded like it was amplified. All the students in the class looked towards the door in unison. In an instant, Chen Pingan felt more than fifty gazes focused on him. ¡°Good afternoon, students. I am your new physical education teacher, Chen Pingan. You can call me Teacher Pingan or Teacher Chen.¡± Chen Pingan introduced himself. At the same time, he roughly sized up his classmates. It was not at all difficult for him to remember more than fifty people at once. However, Chen Pingan¡¯s eyes turned cold as he glanced at the back of the classroom. There was a row of higher-ups from the school sitting neatly there. There were about ten of them. When his gaze swept across one of them, he was slightly stunned. A bad feeling welled up in his heart. That person was Uncle Xun! He sat in the middle, and when he noticed Chen Pingan¡¯s gaze, he gave him a very kind smile. Chen Pingan also returned a simple and honest smile while he wondered why Uncle Xun would appear here. ¡°Uncle Xun is the principal. It shouldn¡¯t be surprising for him to attend the lecture.¡± On second thought, Chen Pingan thought that there wasn¡¯t really a problem. He was indeed scaring himself! The students in the class were all smart and quick-witted. They had long known that the person sitting at the back was the school¡¯s higher-ups. At this moment, they all looked at Chen Pingan with sympathy and thought about how unlucky this new teacher was to have encountered such a big scene the moment he arrived. After all, even the principal had personally taken time out to come over with the other higher-ups of the school to examine the quality of his teaching. This new teacher was really too unlucky! ¡°Students, let¡¯s gather at the sports center later. Those who haven¡¯t changed yet, hurry up and go change.¡± Chen Pingan maintained a calm expression as he spoke to the students of class eight. ¡°Yes!¡± Some of the more active students responded enthusiastically before leaving the classroom in an orderly manner. ¡°Principal, how do you do? Thank you for your hard work and for taking time out to do this. If I make any mistakes in class, I hope that you can correct me.¡± Chen Pingan said these polite words with ease. After all, Chen Pingan was not as introverted as his original body and was very proficient in socializing. ¡°Little Chen, considering that it¡¯s your first time teaching, you did well.¡± An old man standing next to Uncle Xun spoke with a serious expression. ¡°We have nothing to correct. Just keep doing your job and don¡¯t worry about us. You can just pretend we don¡¯t exist.¡± Er, I do want to ignore you guys, but with so many people and so many pairs of eyes staring at me, how can I completely ignore you? Chen Pingan cursed in his heart. He did not dawdle any longer. After exchanging a few words with the school¡¯s higher-ups, he left in a hurry. Considering that he still had a class to attend, the higher-ups quickly let him go.. Chapter 22 The sports center was two buildings away from the teaching building. It only took the students a few minutes to cross the several-hundred meter distance. On the first floor of the sports center, there was a special long jump zone. It was very wide and was about the size of two classrooms. Considering that summers were too hot and winters were too cold, the school set up an indoor long jump zone to give the students a better experience. When Chen Pingan arrived at the first floor of the sports center, he saw a lot of his classmates standing scattered around the long jump zone. Some were warming up while others were sizing up each other¡¯s jumping distances. They were all busy doing their own thing. Looking at the scene in front of him, Chen Pingan suddenly felt like his own school life was now far away from him, like a distant dream. ¡°Students, gather here. Today¡¯s sports event will be the long jump. Later, I will be testing you one by one based on your student number.¡± Chen Pingan clapped his hands and gathered the students. The boys and girls all stood in a row according to their student number. The standard for long jumps between men and women was the same. This was because the physique and abilities of each person were only dependent on their realms. Therefore, there wasn¡¯t an additional distinction between men and women. ¡°Why are these old fogeys here again?¡± As Chen Pingan was speaking, he caught a glimpse of Uncle Xun and the school¡¯s higher-ups from the corner of his eye. They stood uniformly on the other side with high spirits as they stared at Chen Pingan sharply. He sighed to himself and didn¡¯t want to keep thinking about it. In any case, his only duties were to tell the students when to start and to record their marks. How could anything go wrong when he had such a simple job? ¡°Later on, I will let you know when to start. When it¡¯s your turn, you will start running and then perform your long jump. At the end, I will announce the results. Do you all understand?¡± ¡°Understood!¡± The students had already finished their warm-up exercises and were in high spirits. To them, this kind of sports test was the most exciting. Chen Pingan smiled as he looked at the first student to do the long jump. Just as he was about to wave the flag and signal for the student to start¡­ One of the higher-ups who was spectating the class spoke up. ¡°Wait, Teacher Pingan.¡± Chen Pingan¡¯s hand that was about to wave the flag immediately froze. The moment he heard this familiar voice, he knew who it was. ¡°Teacher Pingan, I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have disturbed your class.¡± Uncle Xun¡¯s smile was extremely amiable. In fact, he even looked a little embarrassed. In front of the surrounding higher-ups and students, he maintained an amiable image of a principal. Only Chen Pingan¡¯s eyelids twitched as he had an ominous feeling. As expected. ¡°Teacher Pingan, you may not know this, but these students have just been promoted from middle school and have yet to master the standard long jump movements. They¡¯re not like you, Teacher Pingan. You are experienced and know the standard long jump movements well.¡± ¡°Coincidentally, this is your first lesson. How about this¡­ Why don¡¯t you give these students some guidance by performing a long jump demonstration yourself?¡± Uncle Xun smiled as he offered his suggestion. His smile was warm and inviting. Actually, he had only come here as a formality. After this morning¡¯s test, he was already certain that Chen Pingan was an ordinary person. As for the request for the long jump demonstration, he was just bored and did it on purpose. When Brother Xiong recommended Chen Pingan, he praised Chen Pingan intensely, claiming that Chen Pingan would have been part of the national team if he had only studied hard. Since Brother Xiong had claimed that Chen Pingan was so good at long-distance jumps, Uncle Xun also wanted to see it for himself. He wanted to know just how powerful this legendary long jump genius was. He also wondered if Chen Pingan was even better than those long jump seedlings in school. ¡°Is that alright with you?¡± Chen Pingan could no longer maintain the smile on his face. At this moment, his smiling face looked uglier than his crying face. He wondered if he had heard Uncle Xun correctly when the other party asked him to make a demonstration. He couldn¡¯t understand why that would be necessary. He felt that Uncle Xun was plotting against him. ¡°Students, do you want Teacher Pingan to do a long jump demonstration?¡± Uncle Xun said this casually before even giving Chen Pingan a chance to reply. However, despite his casual tone, he had already stirred up the emotions of the students. The students were all eager to watch the show. After hearing what the principal said, someone in the crowd took the lead and they all started cheering without any worries. ¡°Teacher Pingan, Jump! Jump!¡± When someone started the chant, all the busybodies in the class also joined in, ¡°Teacher Pingan, jump! Teacher Pingan, jump! Jump! Jump!¡± ¡°Jump! Jump!¡± In the end, the entire class was chanting in unison. ¡°¡­¡± Chen Pingan was dumbfounded. He had been caught between a rock and a hard place. This situation was not good at all. ¡°My jump won¡¯t be perfect! Don¡¯t hold your hopes too high!¡± He said bitterly, signaling the students to stop chanting. ¡°Teacher Pingan is too humble. Since you decided to become a long jump teacher, you must have the confidence.¡± Uncle Xun did not relent. He knew very well that Chen Pingan could no longer back down. This time, Chen Ping was really helpless. He had no other choice but to bite the bullet! ¡°Alright, since the principal has already spoken, I suppose I have no choice but to do it. I hope everyone here won¡¯t make fun of me.¡± Under everyone¡¯s gaze, Chen Pingan walked to the runway calmly. He stalled and walked for five minutes on a runway that was less than ten meters long. Without considering the runway, the long jump zone had a distance of about a hundred meters. It was basically a waste to make it so long. Ever since the school was established, no one had ever jumped more than a hundred meters. Even the school¡¯s long jump geniuses, who were extremely rare, could not do it. However, the previous principal, who designed the long jump zone, told the public that the reason why they made the long jump zone so long was so that they could better protect the students from getting hurt. Even so, a hundred meters was still too long. Back then, everyone thought it was ridiculous but chose to keep quiet. By now, the long jump zone was ready for Chen Pingan. Chen Pingan stood on the runway and bent down to prepare himself for the run while explaining to the students the key points of the action. It had to be said that this physical education teacher was very competent! Just based on his explanation alone, everyone¡¯s impression of Chen Pingan improved. However, what they did not know was that Chen Pingan was trying to delay for as long as possible. ¡°I predict that Teacher Pingan will surpass thirty meters!¡± Some students started guessing. ¡°Thirty meters?! You¡¯re exaggerating. That¡¯s the standard for international athletes. Do you think that a physical education teacher is as good as an athlete?¡± Most of the students were doubtful, because no matter how good the new physical education teacher was, it was impossible for him to surpass the level of an athlete. If he really had the ability, he would already be participating in the international long jump competition. Why do you think he¡¯s working at Qin Kai Cultivation School? ¡°That¡¯s right, I agree¡­¡± The male student laughed as he retorted. In the next moment, a strong gust of wind blew across the field, sending dust flying into his mouth. However, the male student suddenly seemed to be frozen in place. His mouth was still open as he allowed the dust to fly in. He was stunned and could not believe it. He stared fixedly at the long jump zone. Was he seeing things? The figure started running on the runway. His starting movements were perfect and he was extremely fast. In just a second, he had arrived at the jump line. He bent down on his knees and was close to bouncing out. Every single one of his moves seemed to be perfect. Now, all that was left was for him to leap out in one fell swoop! At this critical moment, a crisp voice sounded behind Chen Pingan. ¡°Teacher, you¡¯ve stepped on the starting line! You¡¯re breaking the rules!¡± Eh? Chen Pingan was momentarily distracted as he wondered who this bratty kid was. The body that was frozen in the middle of the air instantly fell to the ground. He did not even finish his parabolic trajectory before coming to a full stop, ending his entire jumping process. The result of this leap was¡­ one meter! Chapter 23 The result was¡­ one meter. Chen Pingan was too embarrassed to look at his own result. The male student that spoke earlier felt that he was to blame and had an impulse to go forward and comfort the new teacher. Not only the male student, but the other students also had the same expression. For a moment, everyone did not know what to say. As no one spoke, it was quiet for a while. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of breathing. On the other side, the school¡¯s higher-ups were standing not far away. They took in everything that happened in the jump zone and had very interesting expressions on their faces. ¡°???¡± Uncle Xun did not know how to describe the thoughts that were currently going through his mind right now. He suddenly cursed Brother Xiong in his heart. Uncle Xun alternated from being shocked to being angry. He couldn¡¯t believe that the so-called genius Brother Xiong had recommended him was only at this level. Pui! ¡°Anyone I hire outside would be better than him¡­ more than a hundred times better!¡± Even Dali¡¯s little grandson, who was only five years old this year, would jump further than that! Chen Pingan was really too lousy! Uncle Xun covered his face helplessly. He could only comfort himself by reminding himself that Chen Pingan had yet to reach the elementary level of the Qi Refinement Stage, so naturally his physique was weaker than ordinary people. ¡°Teacher Pingan, are you alright?¡± One of the younger higher-ups cleared his throat and spoke. Everyone looked at the pathetic Chen Pingan in the sand with sympathy. Chen Pingan wanted nothing but to bury his head in the sand. In fact, his head was actually buried in the sand. ¡°Of all the times that I could mess up, why did it have to be now?!¡± Chen Pingan was extremely ashamed and resentful. He had just focused all his attention on running just now and was about to jump¡­ No, he did jump. It was just that he had been interrupted by a bratty kid! He recalled how the bratty kid said that he had broken the rules by stepping on the line. At this moment, Chen Pingan wanted nothing more than to kill that student. He was only demonstrating! This was not a competition! A female higher-up couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and took the opportunity to help resolve Chen Pingan¡¯s awkward situation. She harshly reprimanded the students, ¡°Who was the one who spoke and disturbed teacher Chen just now? Don¡¯t you know that the moment of the jump is very crucial?¡± ¡°If Teacher Pingan were to perform normally, he would definitely be able to jump over 25 meters!¡± ¡°Why did you all have to make such a commotion!¡± The group of students lowered their heads after being reprimanded. No one dared to step forward or make a sound. After all, the higher-ups were all here. As long as the person who started the incident was of sane mind, he would not willingly give himself up. Chen Pingan¡¯s face turned even redder upon hearing this. He wasn¡¯t comforted and had instead felt even more sullen. He had a vague feeling that he had been humiliated. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Chen Pingan crawled up from the sand. Perhaps it was because he was still suffering from trauma, Chen Pingan looked especially pathetic. He even almost sprained his ankle. ¡°I¡¯ve embarrassed myself in front of everyone. Consider this a demonstration of what not to do. Students, you must learn your lesson from Teacher Pingan. Don¡¯t trip over when you jump.¡± Chen Pingan teased himself with a smile. This method of self-mockery was indeed useful. The moment he said that, the atmosphere in the venue eased quite a bit and the awkwardness instantly disappeared. The higher-ups of the school who were spectating the class nodded in satisfaction. Although this new physical education teacher¡¯s skills were not good, he still proved to be capable of handling unexpected incidents. The students returned to their original positions and the original long jump test got back on track. Apart from the small incident that happened just now, everything was still going smoothly. The small incident also ended just like that. ¡­ After the two classes in the afternoon, Chen Pingan had nothing else to do. Because of the small incident in the afternoon, he was not in a good mood, so he returned to the staff dormitory. ¡°Sigh! My life these days is simply too difficult!¡± Chen Pingan was sprawled on the ground. He looked up at the ceiling and sighed. His cultivation was inferior to others and he still had a long path ahead of him. His tiny bit of attainment in the realm was utterly insufficient. After all, a single one of those phenomena caused by the experts could crush him in an instant! At the same time, his work was also not going well. He had just started being a teacher today and had already made such a huge mistake. ¡°Sigh!¡± Ever since he transmigrated here, there was not a single thing that had gone well for him. The days had just begun and Chen Pingan thought that he couldn¡¯t just keep going like this. He started wondering about the path ahead of him, wanting to improve faster. Chen Pingan started to think. At this moment, the system that had not appeared for a long time suddenly sounded in his mind. [Ding! Detected that the host has been cultivating for three days. Reward: one copy of Alchemy Art!] Chen Pingan¡¯s phone fell to the ground with a loud thud, making contact with the hard ground. ¡°A reward? Alchemy Art?!¡± Chen Pingan repeated the system¡¯s words in disbelief. Because a lot of things had happened since the cultivation system was activated three days ago, Chen Pingan had long forgotten about the system. Its sudden appearance today reminded Chen Pingan of the existence of the cultivation system. ¡°After learning the Alchemy Art, I will be able to refine my own pills in the future. I can even specialize in refining pills that will increase my cultivation speed!¡± Chen Pingan swept away his earlier gloominess and grinned. Without any hesitation, he received the Alchemy Art rewarded by the system. A silver light appeared in front of him and instantly started shimmering with golden radiance, lighting up the dark room. This light made him feel warm all over. The light in front of him gradually dissipated and extinguished, leaving only a black book floating steadily in front of him. Chen Pingan took it effortlessly. There was nothing unusual about the black book. It was very ordinary and was no different from the black notebooks sold on the market. The only difference was that the cover was a little old. The black cover did not have any words engraved on it. He carefully examined it but found nothing. In the end, he gave up. At this moment, Chen Pingan could not contain his excitement. His hands trembled as he opened the black book. After opening the book, his eyes were greeted with a full page of content. There were a few big words on the front page, which he understood without much effort because the words were written in a familiar font. ¡°The Spirit Gathering Pill formula.¡± Chen Pingan couldn¡¯t help but read it out loud. His face was filled with doubt. Spirit Gathering Pill? As he continued to read, the confusion on his face gradually disappeared and was replaced by excitement. Could this be the Spirit Gathering Pill that could help cultivators increase their cultivation speed?! If Chen Pingan could increase his cultivation speed, it meant that he could also enter the Foundation Establishment Stage earlier! At the moment, he was still in the middle stage of the Qi Refinement Stage. If he did not have the Spirit Gathering Pill, there was no way he could achieve this jump overnight! He wanted to reach the Foundation Establishment Stage as soon as possible! After receiving the formula of the Spirit Gathering Pill, Chen Pingan started to see a bright path of cultivation for himself. The confusion and frustration he felt earlier had all disappeared with the wind. As long as he grasped alchemy skills quickly and refined the Spirit Gathering Pill as soon as possible, he would be able to increase his strength dramatically! The threat those immortals posed to him would also subsequently decrease. As expected, as long as he became stronger, the dangers around him would all be resolved.. Chapter 24 The Spirit Gathering Pill formula! Chen Pingan studied the words with extreme devotion, as if he was handling an extremely precious treasure. ¡°To refine the Spirit Gathering Pill, one needs to prepare the following ingredients beforehand: 1 tael of Vermillion Bird Grass, 1 tael of Lingzhi Grass, 5 tael of Licorice Grass, 1 tael of Peony Petal, 1 tael of Ginseng.¡± Chen Pingan felt his liver ache as he looked at the list of ingredients. There were many of them that were not cheap. He could barely even afford one tael of ingredients. The original Chen Pingan did not have any savings so the current Chen Pingan also could not afford to fork out so much money. He didn¡¯t even have a hundred yuan and was absolutely penniless. ¡°Sigh, I just got out of one predicament and now I am stuck with another problem, it is so difficult!¡± Chen Pingan¡¯s face fell. He put the issue of money aside and continued reading the formula for the Spirit Gathering Pill. In order to refine the Spirit Gathering Pill, other than preparing the ingredients in advance, an additional pill furnace is also needed. Pill furnaces were not troublesome to get and could be easily purchased on the Internet. After all, this was the world of cultivation. It wasn¡¯t difficult to purchase materials for pill refinement. There were even many ways to do so. ¡°After all the preparations are done, warm the furnace first. You can use fire-attribute Spirit Qi flames or bright flames. The chances of the latter failing are relatively higher.¡± Chen Pingan nodded as he read on. His Spirit Qi wasn¡¯t of the fire attribute, so he didn¡¯t have an innate advantage. He could only rely on the bright fire. The process of refining pills was actually very simple. After preparing the ingredients and materials in advance, the first step was to get the fire going. Once the temperature in the pill furnace rose to a certain degree, the first ingredient could then be added. The temperature of the pill furnace also needed to be different according to the type of medicinal pill that was being refined. Using one temperature for all the pills was not recommended. For example, for the Spirit Gathering Pill, the fire in the pill furnace couldn¡¯t be too high, and the temperature had to be maintained at around 40 degrees. If the temperature was too high, it would easily cause the first medicinal ingredient of the Spirit Gathering Pill, which was the Vermillion Spirit Grass, to lose its unique medicinal effect. Only after the first ingredient was completely melted and turned into energy could the second ingredient be added. The fire of the pill furnace would also need to change according to the new ingredients that were added. Repeat the process for the third and fourth ingredients. The formula for the Spirit Gathering Pill also had detailed records of different temperature changes for the pill furnace. Every step was extremely detailed and even included descriptions of the color of the flames and the changes caused by the melting of new medicinal ingredients. After Chen Pingan finished reading the contents of the book, his scalp went numb. No wonder alchemists were so rare. If even an ordinary Spirit Gathering Pill had such a complicated refinement process, then just how hard must it be to refine those incomparably precious medicinal pills? Chen Pingan did a rough calculation. In the refinement of the Spirit Gathering Pill, one needed to change the temperature 16 times just for adding the ingredients into the pill furnace! This didn¡¯t even include the merging process of the medicinal ingredients. According to the book, the pill furnace¡¯s heat also needed to be adjusted when the medicinal ingredients were merged together. ¡°Even with the pill formula, one would still need to have a good control of the fire in order to successfully refine the pill.¡± Chen Pingan rubbed his temples as the insane amount of information flooded into his mind. As there was too much information, he felt a little dizzy for a moment. After looking through it once, the refinement process of the Spirit Gathering Pill had already been deeply engraved into his mind. He was now extremely familiar with the steps required to refine the Spirit Gathering Pill. It was as if he had obtained the experience of a pill-refiner who had refined the pill more than a hundred times. ¡°Refining pills is not as simple as I thought. Even if you are familiar with the refinement process, it would still be different when you start refining it yourself.¡± Chen Pingan had a grave expression. Refining pills was not easy. However, he could always practice and get better. But where was he supposed to get the money to buy the ingredients and pill furnace? ¡°I wonder if I can advance my salary?¡± Chen Pingan thought about it and felt that it probably wouldn¡¯t work. It was only his first day at work, after all. It was still too soon and would be inappropriate for him to ask for an advance salary from the finance department. Besides, with Uncle Xun¡¯s personality, he would probably be pissed if he found out Chen Pingan wanted to get an advance on his first day of work. Chen Pingan felt uneasy. Although his cultivation progress was slow and he was still an insignificant cultivator in the Qi Refinement Stage after such a long time, Uncle Xun still treated him well and seemed to have high hopes for him. Suddenly, he pictured an old man rushing to the dormitory from the neighborhood with a stick. In his imagination, this old man picked him up with one hand and was using his other hand to beat him with a stick. He didn¡¯t dare to keep imagining. That scene was just too much for him. Chen Pingan shuddered and quickly dismissed this thought. He did not want to disappoint Uncle Xun! ¡°Who else can I get money from?¡± Chen Pingan was in a dilemma. Not only did he need money, he also needed to find a way to get the rare ingredients. Just how was he supposed to get all of this done? He had just used his phone to search for the ingredients needed to refine the Spirit Gathering Pill. Aside from the four ingredients that were listed earlier, he also could not find the Flower Goblin Thorn, the Golden Buddha Finger Bone, the Ice Dragon Tendon, and the Flame Dragon Scale on any of the major pharmacies online. Moreover, he could not even find the most basic information about the ingredients. Suddenly, a person flashed across Chen Pingan¡¯s mind. A tall and omnipotent figure! He immediately took out his phone and scrolled through his chat with Brother Xiong and found many transactions coming from Brother Xiong¡¯s side. It seemed that his original body had borrowed a lot of money from Brother Xiong in the past. Since there was such a tradition, then he could not be the one to break it. Chen Pingan could only reluctantly let the tradition live on! In his chat with Brother Xiong, he quickly typed with his fingers and clicked send without hesitation. [Brother Xiong, do you have money? Can you lend me 10,000 yuan?] After he sent this message, he didn¡¯t stay idle. He added a middle to high grade pill furnace and the medicinal ingredients he could find on the Internet into his online shopping cart. Just as he finished doing this, a new message popped up on his phone. [¡­] Brother Xiong replied with a series of dots as well as a smiling emoji. [I really need money now. I¡¯ll pay you in installments when I get my salary, okay?] Chen Pingan typed on his phone. After he finished editing his message, he also sent Brother Xiong a few emoticons. This time, he didn¡¯t wait long before the other party replied. Brother Xiong did not say a word of nonsense and directly sent a transaction. At the same time, Chen Pingan received an additional 10,000 yuan in his account. ¡°Indeed, Brother Xiong is already used to this tradition.¡± Chen Pingan looked at the message sent by his phone bank and instantly beamed with joy. He had solved half of the problem and there was just one thing left. [Brother Xiong, do you know where to find the Flower Goblin Thorn, Golden Buddha Finger Bone, Ice Dragon Tendon, and Flame Dragon Scale? A friend of mine urgently needs these four ingredients. Please ask around and let me know.] After sending this message, he quietly waited for the other party¡¯s reply, but the chat page kept showing that the message had not been read. After a while, the light on the cell phone finally flashed. Brother Xiong was still in the competition, so it wasn¡¯t convenient for him to look at his phone for too long. He replied with a brief message. [Yue Qing knows. Ask her. Number: 17833944976.] When Chen Pingan read the message, he was stunned. Yue Qing? Wasn¡¯t that the female teacher he met this afternoon? Chen Pingan was still unable to understand how a cultivation teacher like Yue Qing would be able to help. After all, those medicinal ingredients were extremely rare and couldn¡¯t be bought on the market. What method could Yue Qing possibly have? With this thought in mind, he dialed the series of unfamiliar numbers.. He hoped that Yue Qing would be able to help him out! Chapter 25 ¡°Beep, beep, beep.¡± Chen Pingan held his phone nervously as he listened to the ringtone set by the person he was calling. He started to look forward to the future. After all, if he could gather all four ingredients, he would not be far from refining pills. ¡°Hello?¡± The phone call was finally connected. A soft female voice sounded with a hint of confusion. Chen Pingan hurriedly said, ¡°Hello, Teacher Yue Qing. I¡¯m the new physical education teacher. Chen Pingan, we just met this afternoon.¡± ¡°Ah, Teacher Chen Pingan.¡± On the other side, Yue Qing suddenly understood. However, after finding out who the caller was, she was even more puzzled. ¡°Teacher Pingan, I don¡¯t remember giving you my contact details?¡± The person on the other end of the line said shyly, ¡°Sorry to disturb you at this time of the night. I asked Brother Xiong for your number.¡± Yue Qing¡¯s face lit up. Teacher Pingan had specially asked Brother Xiong for her number? Was it because he was charmed the moment he saw her this afternoon? Yue Qing really liked this feeling that came from being admired by others. She pursed her lips and smiled. However, after hearing what Chen Pingan said in the next moment, the smile on her face froze. ¡°The thing is, I¡¯m in urgent need of several medicinal ingredients. Unfortunately, neither the Internet nor the pharmacy have these ingredients. Then, through Brother Xiong, I learned that you have a way to buy them?¡± Chen Pingan finished speaking in one breath. The other party did not respond for a long time, and he began to feel nervous again. Fortunately, the voice on the other end sounded again very quickly. The voice had a colder tone than before, but Chen Pingan couldn¡¯t care less. After hearing Yue Qing¡¯s answer, his first reaction was joy. He didn¡¯t expect there to be a chance! ¡°Which medicinal ingredients are you looking for?¡± ¡°The Flower Demon Thorn, Golden-Headed Dhuta Finger Bone, Ice Dragon Tendon, and Fire Dragon Scale.¡± He quickly listed out the four ingredients that he needed. ¡°You¡¯re in luck. Among the batch of medicinal ingredients that was recently sent to our family, there are the medicinal ingredients you listed. But we don¡¯t have a lot so I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s enough. Do you need it urgently?¡± Chen Pingan beamed with joy. Knowing that the problem that had troubled him for so long was finally resolved, he was extremely happy and excited. ¡°I don¡¯t need much. I only need five taels of each herb. It¡¯s quite urgent.¡± After pondering for a while, Yue Qing agreed. ¡°Sure, no problem. Are you free tomorrow morning?¡± Chen Pingan thought about it. Tomorrow¡¯s class had already been moved to today. ¡°I don¡¯t have class tomorrow. What time specifically should we meet?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll meet at the staff dormitory at 9 am tomorrow morning. I¡¯ll take you to the ingredients shop.¡± Chen Pingan naturally didn¡¯t have any problems. After all, he couldn¡¯t wait to gather all the medicinal ingredients and start refining pills as soon as possible to raise his cultivation level. The two chatted for a while more before hanging up. ¡°The matter is finally resolved.¡± Chen Pingan hung up the phone and heaved a sigh of relief. Now, he just had to wait for tomorrow to arrive. He wondered what was going to happen tomorrow. Chen Pingan figured that he would probably be able to purchase the medicinal ingredients successfully. He also thought ahead and wondered if anything would go wrong during the pill refinement process. Chen Pingan lay on the bed and allowed all sorts of thoughts to flash through his mind. It was late at night when he started to feel sleepy. It was a peaceful night. ¡­ The next morning, after seven o¡¯clock¡­ Due to his biological clock, Chen Pingan woke up early. He opened the window and peeked outside. ¡°The weather is good. I¡¯ll take a walk downstairs. The Spirit Qi in the morning is usually purer.¡± Chen Pingan closed the window, put on a hoodie and went outside. It was still early in the morning. Apart from the diligent students who were walking around the school with their breakfast, there was basically no one else. ¡°Fortunately, there¡¯s no one around at this time. If not, I would have to remain alert if I bump into anyone I know.¡± Just as he finished speaking, he saw Dali walking towards him with a broom in his hand. Chen Pingan¡¯s worst fear had suddenly come true. ¡°Young man, why are you up so early?¡± Dali was already in front of him. A look of gratification flashed across Dali¡¯s eyes. Dali believed that Chen Pingan must have been motivated by the abnormal phenomenon from two days ago. After all, Chen Pingan even woke up early in the morning to cultivate now. Because the Spirit Qi in the morning was purer than usual, cultivating at this time would yield twice the results with half the effort! ¡°Are you on duty today?¡± Chen Pingan smiled and greeted Dali. He was a little wary because he thought that the abnormal phenomenon in the school was likely to be caused by Dali. ¡°I¡¯m in charge of this place today. So I decided to clean it early when there aren¡¯t a lot of people.¡± ¡°Young man, you¡¯ve improved a lot recently. I¡¯m really happy for you. Not bad, not bad. Keep it up. Your efforts will not be in vain.¡± Dali¡¯s undisguised praise caused a flash of surprise to appear on Chen Pingan¡¯s face. After a brief moment, he responded, ¡°This is all thanks to you guys. If it weren¡¯t for your guidance and your recommendation of the compulsory cultivation lessons, I wouldn¡¯t have improved so much.¡± This was the truth. If Chen Pingan hadn¡¯t come into contact with the compulsory cultivation lessons, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to comprehend a new path of cultivation and smoothly break through to the next realm. Therefore, the reason why he could reach his current cultivation level was mostly because of those old men in the neighborhood. ¡°We didn¡¯t help much. You should thank the immortal at school!¡± When he spoke of the immortal, Dali¡¯s eyes were shining. Although he didn¡¯t have a chance of becoming an immortal in this lifetime, that didn¡¯t stop him from worshiping them! Compared to the immortal, the expert hidden in the neighborhood was nothing! ¡°Pingan, you have that immortal to thank for having inspired you. That¡¯s the reason why you¡¯re so motivated. It¡¯s all thanks to the immortal!¡± Dali didn¡¯t think that he and the other old men were the ones who inspired the young man. After all, they had only recommended one or two books on cultivation. He truly believed that the immortal was responsible for motivating Chen Pingan to work hard. ¡°The immortal in the school is too powerful. By just cultivating, he had created a phenomenon that covered the entire city. Even the other cities were affected. This experience has truly been an eye-opener!¡± When Dali mentioned the abnormal phenomenon, he became especially passionate. He was almost sixty years old, but when he spoke of the immortal, his eyes were filled with respect. Dali had seen the phenomenon multiple times after that night. At home, he would take out his phone from time to time and watch the shocking phenomenon with admiration and respect in his heart. The feelings he felt from watching it were indescribable. Dali suddenly understood why the fangirls of those idols felt that way. To him, that immortal was his idol. And he was willing to follow this idol for the rest of his life. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such a shocking phenomenon in my entire life. It was also the first time I had seen a Kun Peng. That scene was simply like a dream. It was too real. I bet something like that won¡¯t even show up in the movies.¡± ¡°It was truly a display of extraordinary strength! I suppose immortals are called immortals for a reason. If I can see such a phenomenon again, I will be able to die without regrets!¡± When Dali talked about the immortal and the abnormal phenomenon, his eyes were full of excitement and he seemed to be immersed in extreme fanaticism.. Chapter 26 ¡°It¡¯s such a pity that I didn¡¯t witness the phenomenon that night!¡± Chen Pingan had a look of pity on his face. He was fine with it when it happened in the neighborhood, but he was frustrated now that he was even missing the phenomenon at school. He had only heard about those phenomena from others and never had the chance to witness them personally. Dali was still impassioned as he said, ¡°You have to train hard and work towards the realm of Immortals. You should learn from them. They are already standing at such a high position, yet they are still working so hard to cultivate and explore higher realms.¡± ¡°Learn more of this determination!¡± Chen Pingan kept nodding as he listened to the old man¡¯s words. He agreed with the old man. He really had to learn from those seniors. He was only in the middle stage of the Qi Refinement Stage, and the cultivation path ahead of him was still long. He had to maintain his humility in order to reach the level of those immortals in the future. ¡°I will study hard and cultivate. I will strive to become an expert like an immortal one day and transcend nature!¡± Chen Pingan was enlightened by the old man¡¯s words. Chen Pingan believed that his previous doubts about his own cultivation had come from his lack of stability and anxiety. The road of cultivation was long and arduous to begin with. If one wanted to reach mastery in one go, they would only end up dead. Chen Pingan and the old man discussed the immortal in the school for a long time. The two of them showed respect and admiration towards that immortal. Chen Pingan yearned to reach the realm of immortals, while Dali was simply obsessed with immortals. The two viewed immortals as their lifelong idols! It was not until the bell rang that the two of them bid each other farewell. They began to look forward to the next appearance of the immortal. It was just past 9 o¡¯clock. Chen Pingan didn¡¯t wait long at the entrance of the staff dormitory before he saw Yue Qing walk out from inside. She was easy to recognize and she had a very distinct smile on her face. Her smile was extremely infectious. ¡°Teacher Yue Qing, thank you for coming with me. Actually, you could just give me the address so you won¡¯t have to go through so much trouble.¡± The two of them walked side by side. Yue Qing turned to look at him and smiled sweetly. She said, ¡°My family¡¯s ingredients shop is located in a very remote area. Even a local won¡¯t be able to help you get there. If you go alone, you¡¯ll never arrive.¡± Chen Pingan now understood why he couldn¡¯t find the ingredients online. If not for Brother Xiong¡¯s help, he might have missed this opportunity. ¡°Teacher Pingan, what pill do you want to refine with those four medicinal ingredients?¡± Chen Pingan was stunned. He didn¡¯t expect Yue Qing to figure out what he was up to so quickly. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. Even though I¡¯m only at the Golden Core stage, I¡¯ve been very interested in pill refinement since I was young. My family runs a medicinal shop, so I¡¯m more familiar with the types of medicinal ingredients than you are. Those four types of medicinal ingredients are so rare that ordinary people wouldn¡¯t even know about them.¡± ¡°Other than pill refiners, no one knows anything about those rare medicinal ingredients!¡± Yue Qing smiled slyly, her tone firm. She secretly sized up Chen Pingan and could not detect the slightest bit of Spirit Qi around him. To her, this meant that Chen Pingan had yet to enter the Qi Refinement Stage. For his age, Chen Pingan could be considered a failure. However, Yue Qing was surprised when found out that Chen Pingan was actually a rare and precious pill refiner. With the identity of a pill refiner, even if Chen Pingan did not enter the Qi Refinement Stage, he could still do whatever he wanted in Yang City. ¡°I¡¯m not a pill refiner. I just read about pill refinement in the cultivation books and wanted to give it a try. Who knows? I might just succeed.¡± Chen Pingan¡¯s gaze was sincere and there was a hint of shyness in it. He looked like a big boy whose secret had been exposed. He had the formula for the Spirit Gathering Pill. However, he knew that he needed to keep it a secret. He couldn¡¯t even tell Brother Xiong about it. Chen Pingan was used to being cautious. If someone found out that he had the formula for the Spirit Gathering Pill that could increase his cultivation speed, they might even kill him to snatch the formula from him. ¡°Cultivation books? Those are useless. The information in those books are incomplete. I¡¯ve already tried them. I advise you not to think about it. Those medicinal ingredients are not cheap. You might just end up wasting them.¡± Yue Qing looked disappointed. If Chen Pingan wasn¡¯t a pill refiner, then he was simply too far away from her standards of a romantic partner. ¡°It¡¯s fine. How would I know if I don¡¯t try? I¡¯ll only give up after I try.¡± Chen Pingan did not notice the strange expression of the woman beside him. His face still looked the same as before. However, deep down inside, he was secretly glad that he had gotten the Alchemy Art from the system. He was not worried that there would be a problem with the pill refinement process. Instead, he was worried that he might not be strong enough to successfully refine the medicinal pill. The two of them chatted casually and soon reached the school gate. Then, they took a bus. Yue Qing¡¯s pharmacy was located in the suburbs of Yang City. There was no way to get there directly by bus, so they had to take a taxi after getting off the bus. After two hours, they finally arrived at the medicinal shop hidden in some small residential buildings. Chen Pingan followed Yue Qing through the small residential buildings. The place was small, but there was plenty of light. After a few turns, they finally arrived. They arrived at the door of a very ordinary residential building with three floors. Chen Pingan followed Yue Qing in. The moment he walked in, he was surprised to find out that it was like a whole different world inside. The layout of the room was very ordinary and the special thing about it was the backyard. The backyard was a place that had been intentionally opened up, and it had a very wide view. Chen Pingan looked through the glass window in the living room and saw rows of precious ingredients drying in the backyard. There were all kinds of ingredients and it was a dazzling sight. ¡°Come over. All the ingredients you want are here. I already told my parents to prepare them last night.¡± Yue Qing walked out of a room with a bag in her hand. Even though the ingredients were wrapped in a paper bag, a strong medicinal fragrance still wafted out. She handed over a stack of paper bags and said, ¡°Check and see if it¡¯s the ingredients you want.¡± Chen Pingan did not hesitate in the slightest and accepted it graciously. He opened the tightly wrapped paper bag and saw four different medicinal ingredients. They looked peculiar but contained a dense medicinal fragrance. When the fragrances of these four ingredients were mixed together, they surprisingly smelled good. He carefully identified them according to the formula for the Spirit Gathering Pill. They seemed to have all met the requirements, and there was nothing for Chen Pingan to be picky about. He placed the ingredients back in the paper bag and closed it. ¡°There¡¯s no problem with the ingredients. I want all of them. How much do they cost? I¡¯ll pay you.¡± ¡°These are rare medicinal ingredients, and the ones I just took out for you are all of high quality. We are all teachers at Qin Kai Cultivation School, so I also won¡¯t ask for too much from you. How about this, I¡¯ll give you all of them for 7,000!¡± These four ingredients cost 7000 yuan?! Chen Pingan was stunned. He had originally borrowed 10,000 yuan from Brother Xiong, but he had spent more than 4,000 yuan to buy other ingredients last night. Now, he had less than 6,000 yuan in his hands. ¡°Can you make it¡­ slightly cheaper?¡± ¡°Teacher Yue Qing, can you give a colleague a discount?¡± A flush crept over his face as he bargained with someone he wasn¡¯t that familiar with. Chen Pingan felt so awkward he wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it. He had never done anything so shameful in his previous life. In the end, Chen Pingan used up all of his wealth and also accepted some conditions to successfully buy the ingredients. Yue Qing even gave him a second-hand pill furnace and some fire fuel for free.. Chapter 27 When Chen Pingan carried that huge pill furnace back, he felt many gazes on him. If it wasn¡¯t for his thick skin, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to handle the shame. ¡°The single room in the school is too narrow and I won¡¯t be able to refine the pills there.¡± He was mainly worried that the pill furnace would accidentally explode in the dormitory. If he caused the dormitory¡¯s public property to be damaged, he would really be finished. Although Yue Qing had repeatedly assured him that the pill furnace was still of excellent quality despite being used by her many times when she was younger. However, Chen Pingan didn¡¯t dare to take the risk. He still felt that the pill furnace wasn¡¯t reliable and was something she gave him because she no longer needed it. If the pill furnace did end up exploding, it would only be a small matter if he got injured. Damaging the school¡¯s public property, however, would be a big matter, as it would have a negative impact on the school. When that happened, Uncle Xun would definitely fire him in a fit of anger! He could not take this risk. After thinking about it, Chen Pingan figured that there was only one place that was the best choice. ¡°The roof of the building in the neighborhood is probably the best place for me to refine pills. The place is quite wide. Also, ever since the plaza was built, people rarely go up there anymore.¡± After Chen Pingan made up his mind, he carried the ingredients and pill furnace to the neighborhood without stopping. It was two o¡¯clock in the afternoon when he arrived at the neighborhood. It was the hottest time of the day and there were not many residents loitering outside. Chen Pingan quickly ran into the building he used to live in. He carried the pill furnace and climbed up to the roof in one breath. He placed the pill furnace properly and took out the medicinal ingredients that were stored in the pill furnace. He placed them on the ground according to the formula. After doing all of this, he looked at the medicinal herbs on the ground and lightly sighed. Chen Pingan was prepared and was ready to start refining pills. Success or failure would be determined in a moment. ¡°These ingredients should be enough for two refinements.¡± Chen Pingan calmed down slightly and placed his hand gently on the pill furnace. A chill traveled through his skin and into his body. He took out a small piece of fire fuel that he had prepared beforehand. It was about the size of a fist. This kind of fire fuel was very special. The outer layer was black while the inner layer was dark red. In order to ignite it, one had to rely on the Spirit Qi in the body. Even if one¡¯s Spirit Qi was not of the fire attribute, one could still ignite the fire fuel. Slap. Chen Pingan had just forced out the Spirit Qi that was floating in his body. The moment it came into contact with the fire fuel, blue flames burst out. He used his Spirit Sense to move the blue flame into the furnace. Chen Pingan continuously extracted a strand of Spirit Qi from his body as he maintained the size of the blue flame. The cold furnace gradually warmed up. Seeing the pill furnace turn red, he panicked for a moment and hastily threw in the first medicinal ingredient. Puchi! As soon as the first medicinal ingredient entered the pill furnace, it immediately burned to ashes. A burning smell came from the pill furnace. ¡°Ah! I ruined it!¡± Chen Pingan watched helplessly as the precious ingredient turned into ashes in front of his eyes. His heart ached. His first attempt ended in failure. From the beginning until now, less than a minute had passed. Chen Pingan looked at the black ash in the furnace and sighed silently. He had been too anxious just now. He repeated the pill refinement process in his mind. The formula said that when the first ingredient was placed into the pill furnace, the heat couldn¡¯t be too high. He had panicked and forgotten about it. ¡°Sigh!¡± He tidied up his complicated feelings and cleaned up the black ashes in the cauldron, preparing to start his second try. ¡°I only have one more chance. If I fail after this¡­ I will have to borrow money from Brother Xiong again.¡± Chen Pingan cheered himself on as he silently thought of a backup plan. Luckily, he still had Brother Xiong to rely on! Now having experienced it once, he was even more proficient in controlling the flame this time as he slowly raised the temperature of the pill furnace. Bang! Chen Pingan did not wait for the surface of the pill furnace to turn red before throwing in the first medicinal ingredient. When it fell into the pill furnace, a muffled sound was heard. He was startled, but he didn¡¯t stop. He slowly raised the flame and stared at the medicinal ingredient inside the pill furnace. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t burnt. ¡°Thank goodness, thank goodness. It worked!¡± Under the burning of the flames, the medicinal ingredient was transforming and started to compress. In the end, the Vermillion Bird Grass had shrunk into a puddle of water, which meant that it was time. Chen Pingan swiftly added the second ingredient into the mix, and when the water shaped Vermillion Bird Grass encountered the Peony Petal, it instantly turned into a frozen water residue as it fused with Peony Petal. He observed the movements inside the pill furnace while controlling the temperature. Under the stimulation of the flame, the two medicinal ingredients in the pill furnace gradually fused together, forming the embryonic form of a round pill. Chen Pingan recalled the requirements mentioned in the Spirit Gathering Pill formula. It stated that when the pill was in its embryonic form, one needed to slowly adjust the flame and take this opportunity to put in the third ingredient. Time slowly passed as he refined the pill. Towards the end, his control over the flame became more and more proficient. He even did not need to deliberately recall the steps of the formula and could control the size of the flame by observing the color and smell of the medicinal ingredients. ¡°Now, I just have to add the last ingredient.¡± Beads of sweat appeared on Chen Pingan¡¯s forehead as he stared at the five smooth pills inside the pill furnace. They were jade green in color, small and exquisite. They floated inside the pill furnace, full of spirituality. Taking advantage of the fading heat, he threw the last ingredient into the pill furnace. The five quiet pills began to stir restlessly. At this moment, lightning suddenly flashed and thunder rumbled in the sky with the scorching sun. Several bolts of lightning flashed in the sky above Yang City. They were like numerous sharp swords, flashing with glaring lights! ¡°Didn¡¯t the weather forecast say that it wouldn¡¯t rain today?¡± Chen Pingan cast a doubtful glance at the changes in the sky. Then, he looked at the pills that were fusing in the furnace and mumbled unconsciously. ¡°As long as the lightning doesn¡¯t hit my pill furnace, I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s raining.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, a bolt of lightning flashed past! Chen Pingan raised his head in confusion. He felt that the bolt of lightning was so close to him it could have almost hit him. Chen Pingan felt as if something bad was about to happen. He quickly retreated before suddenly turning around, realizing that he had forgotten to carry something. ¡°Pill furnace! My pill furnace!¡± Before Chen Pingan could take another step, a bolt of lightning struck the pill furnace that was in the midst of completing the final step of the fusion! Boom! The pill furnace that Yue Qing claimed to be of excellent quality and had a long history exploded the moment the lightning struck it. All of a sudden, fragments started flying everywhere. The rooftop was damaged as dust was raised everywhere. The smoke was hazy and there was a pungent burnt smell. After the lightning struck down, the lightning and thunder in the sky strangely disappeared without a trace. On a torn down rooftop, there was a person standing alone with a silly expression. After the lightning disappeared for a long time, Chen Pingan¡¯s body finally moved. He lowered his head and looked at the few black coal balls that were rolling around his feet. He could vaguely tell that they were the pills he had just refined. He opened his mouth but no words came out. After a long time. ¡°My pills! Damn it, who triggered the lightning and thunder!¡± Chen Pingan started to wail. The remaining medicinal ingredients were not spared and were completely turned into black ash by the lightning. Now, both the pills and the medicinal ingredients were gone. The legendary pill furnace of superb quality was also broken. There was nothing left.. This was truly a double loss! Chapter 28 The lightning had already dissipated, leaving behind black medicinal pills scattered on the ground. Chen Pingan picked up the five pills that were scattered on the ground. They were completely charred black. It really made him wonder if he would die after eating these black, coal-like pills. Chen Pingan held the five black pills in his hand and started to doubt his life. Was this pill refinement attempt a failure? According to the description of the Alchemy Art, the pill that was successfully refined should be round and smooth, crystal clear, and emit a faint medicinal fragrance. As for the pill in Chen Pingan¡¯s hand, it looked indescribable and even faintly emitted a burnt smell. ¡°It seems like Yue Qing was right. It¡¯s not possible to succeed in one¡¯s first pill refinement attempt. I bet even the god in heaven would turn his head if he was watching right now. Sigh.¡± Chen Pingan put the five failed products into his pocket and walked down the stairs dejectedly. He had really overestimated his own strength, despite not having fire-attribute Spirit Qi. He really thought that if he gathered all the ingredients, he wouldn¡¯t be far from success. He thought of Dali¡¯s words of encouragement this morning and his disappointed mood eased a lot. The path of cultivation was long. Whether it was cultivation or pill refinement, he needed to take it slowly. There was no such thing as instant success in this world. ¡°Grandpa Dali is right. I need to work harder and learn from that immortal!¡± Chen Pingan was relieved, and his eyes flashed with determination again. He decided not to be brought down by his failure. In the end, it could not erase his determination to refine pills. In reality, Chen Pingan had been wrong. The medicinal pill he had refined just now was actually a high-grade medicinal pill. Any high-grade medicinal pills would trigger a lightning strike. This was not explained in the Alchemy Art, so Chen Pingan was completely unaware of it. However, most pills did not have the ability to resist the lightning strike unless the pill furnace had the ability to resist the lightning, or if a cultivator personally blocked the lightning strike. It just so happened that Chen Pingan didn¡¯t meet either of those requirements. He was only at the middle stage of the Qi Refinement stage, and it would be very difficult for him to resist the lightning strike. As for that pill furnace, it was a second-hand furnace. Its quality was far from what Yue Qing had described. The reason why the pill furnace hadn¡¯t been destroyed for so many years was because Yue Qing didn¡¯t know what true pill refinement was. With her level, she was unable to cause any substantial damage to the pill furnace. Due to various reasons, the pill was unable to successfully overcome the lightning strike and ended up in its current state. Thus, its medicinal effect was halved. However, Chen Pingan was unaware of all this. ¡°All of my money is gone.¡± He sighed in his heart. For the time being, he could no longer borrow money from Brother Xiong. Because he had just borrowed it yesterday, he didn¡¯t want to ask Brother Xiong for money again. Otherwise, Brother Xiong would think that he had developed some bad habits. Chen Pingan thought of something in his mind and walked out of the neighborhood building dejectedly. He took out his phone and looked at the time. It was five in the afternoon. Outside the previously empty plaza, there were now many residents hanging out. Some were chatting, some were children, and some were walking dogs. ¡°There was a lightning strike just now. It was so scary. My father even thought it was going to rain.¡± ¡°Yeah, I heard it too. When I came out to take a look, the lightning in the sky had already disappeared. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange?¡± ¡°Damn, what¡¯s so strange about that? Maybe it¡¯s some stupid kid who¡¯s behaving poorly. The god in heaven probably just wanted to teach him a lesson!¡± ¡­ Chen Pingan speechlessly walked past the group of aunties. Just as he was about to walk out of the plaza, he heard a crazy dog barking behind him. He looked over his shoulder instinctively, his eyelids twitching violently. He recognized the dog. That was Dali¡¯s dog, Da Huang. It was a big yellow dog that had been nourished by Spirit Qi all year round. It was tall and was even stronger than Chen Pingan. Chen Pingan was probably the second person in the neighborhood who was most familiar with Da Huang apart from Dali. Before he moved out of the neighborhood, Da Huang had been very mean to him and would often bark at him. If Da Huang treated everyone the same way, Chen Pingan wouldn¡¯t feel so aggrieved. However, Da Huang didn¡¯t even bark at the other old men or children in the neighborhood. It was only when it saw Chen Pingan that it acted like this. Chen Pingan ignored Da Huang¡¯s barking and turned around to leave. After Da Huang saw that the person it was barking at had left, it immediately gave chase at an extremely fast speed. It did not forget to let out a howl, as if it was trying to attract Chen Pingan¡¯s attention. Chen Pingan listened to the howls that were getting closer and closer. His temples were throbbing and he had a very bad premonition. Bang! Just as he was busy in his thoughts, he tripped over something. Then, as he fell backward, he saw the thing that tripped him. It was Da Huang! Da Huang, who used to only bark at him, had really gone crazy this time. After knocking Chen Pingan down, it stared at him without blinking and even drooled. ¡°Da Huang, are you crazy?! Quickly get off my body. My meat isn¡¯t delicious. It¡¯s salty and bitter. Get off me, I¡¯ll buy you canned food.¡± Chen Pingan¡¯s eyelids twitched even more, and his chest was wet with Da Huang¡¯s saliva. At the same time, Da Huang¡¯s drool started flowing even more intensely. Da Huang was barking crazily, and its drool dropped straight on Chen Pingan¡¯s face. Chen Pingan was extremely speechless. Was this fellow going crazy from hunger? Chen Pingan wondered when Dali last fed the dog. After all, Da Huang seemed to have gone crazy from hunger. ¡°Da Huang, did you hear what I said? Come down while I¡¯m still playing nice, or I¡¯ll really toss you!¡± Chen Pingan gently persuaded. It wasn¡¯t that he was weaker than Da Huang. In fact, it was because he was afraid that his current strength was actually too strong. He feared that if he couldn¡¯t control his strength well, he would accidentally kill Da Huang when he tossed him away. If this matter reached Dali¡¯s ears and he found out that Da Huang had been killed, he would definitely stir up a commotion in school for three days and three nights. Then, he would sneak into the school¡¯s staff dormitory in the middle of the night and kill the person who murdered his dog. Chen Pingan gritted his teeth at the thought of that scene. At that moment, he felt a chill in his chest. ¡°Si.¡± Da Huang had a piece of cloth in its mouth. It seemed that the cloth was not what Da Huang and it spat it out in disdain. ¡°Da Huang! I¡¯ll beat you to death!¡± Chen Pingan lowered his head and looked at his snow-white chest. His eyes were red with anger as he roared. Da Huang was fearless as it sniffed around Chen Pingan¡¯s body. Together with its claws, it searched Chen Pingan¡¯s body. Chen Pingan couldn¡¯t care less anymore. He was being suppressed by a dog. If other people found out about this, how embarrassed would he be? Da Huang was still moving around on his body, shifting its claws and scratching Chen Pingan¡¯s pants pocket. Chen Pingan¡¯s gaze turned dark. He kept his pills there, so he swiftly grabbed Da Huang¡¯s neck and lifted it up. ¡°Who taught you to do something like that, huh? You¡¯re so young and yet you¡¯re already behaving so poorly by touching other people¡¯s crotch. Today, I¡¯ll teach you a lesson on behalf of your owner!¡± Chen Pingan lifted up Da Huang, who weighed 160 kilograms, with one hand and cursed angrily. Da Huang did not seem to react in time, as it was scared out of its wits. This was the first time it had left the ground. It swung its legs up, and instead of feeling the ground on its paws, it felt a strange feeling. Da Huang was dumbfounded. Its eyes were wide open, and it did not dare to move as its body stiffened.. Chapter 29 ¡°I¡¯ll spare you this once. If you do this again, I¡¯ll chop you up and eat your meat!¡± Chen Pingan looked at Da Huang, who looked like it was about to suffocate. White foam seemed to bubble out from the corner of Da Huang¡¯s mouth so he quickly placed the dog on the ground. The moment it returned to the familiar ground, Da Huang immediately collapsed onto the ground. Its lifeless eyes lit up instantly. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t eat it! You can¡¯t eat that, it¡¯ll kill you!¡± Chen Pingan was shocked by the scene before him and subconsciously scolded. He wanted to run over and stop Da Huang, but it was too late. At this moment, Da Huang had already slipped past his feet like a nimble fish. It didn¡¯t care about anything as it pounced forward. It extended its tongue and sucked the medicinal pills that were scattered on the ground into its stomach before eating them all. After Da Huang finished doing all of this, it shook the fur on its body in satisfaction and raised its head arrogantly. Under Chen Pingan¡¯s incredulous gaze, it ran away. Chen Pingan felt his pants pocket. It was empty. Not a single one was left. Da Huang had eaten everything. ¡°Those pills are failed products! It won¡¯t die after eating them, right?¡± Chen Pingan¡¯s expression froze as he looked at Da Huang in the distance with fear. DaHuang ignored him and ran on the grass happily and looked fine. Chen Pingan observed for a long time and realized that Da Huang didn¡¯t have any abnormalities after eating the pills. He secretly let out a sigh of relief. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re fine. Otherwise, if your owner finds out, he¡¯ll definitely fight it out with me.¡± Chen Pingan retracted his gaze. His clothes had been torn by Da Huang, so he took them off and carried them in his hands. He ignored the barking behind him and walked towards the entrance of the neighborhood. However, the moment he left the neighborhood, Da Huang, who was peeing in the forest, shivered. All its fur stood up, and even its tail became erect. Da Huang let out a terrified bark. In the next second, it lost consciousness, as if it was falling asleep. Right at this moment, Da Huang¡¯s body underwent a major transformation. The Spirit Qi floating above the neighborhood frantically surged over and formed a vortex with it as the center. The Spirit Qi was then frantically absorbed into Da Huang¡¯s stomach. Da Huang kept absorbing the abundant surrounding Spirit Qi. Then, its body slowly floated in the vortex as it crossed its legs and entered a cultivation state. Da Huang suddenly opened its eyes, and a ray of wisdom flashed past. Da Huang seemed to have suddenly understood the true essence of its life as a dog. It started to adjust its breathing frequency. The speed at which it absorbed Spirit Qi had also become even more ferocious than before. It kept its legs crossed in the vortex and calmly absorbed the Spirit Qi of heaven and earth. The Spirit Qi vortex that surrounded it became extremely vast, as if all of the Spirit Qi in the Yang City had been sucked over. Due to Da Huang¡¯s crazy absorption of Spirit Qi, the Spirit Qi above the neighborhood gradually became thinner. The Spirit Qi all over Yang City also gathered into several streams that led to the forested area of Xin Guang Residence. Da Huang was busy trying to comprehend the true essence of its life. It felt a sense of comfort that it had never felt before. It could even feel the surrounding Spirit Qi. In a daze, it started to become more than just an ordinary dog. In Da Huang¡¯s subconscious mind, it thought that it was a god that ruled this world! The sky above the neighborhood slowly changed according to Da Huang¡¯s will. The Spirit Qi also slowly transformed into a shocking phenomenon. Meanwhile¡­ Chen Pingan had just walked out of the neighborhood when his body froze. He did not know if it was his imagination, but he could feel that something in the neighborhood had changed. ¡°Why is the Spirit Qi fluctuating?¡± These past few days, he had been deliberately using his cultivation technique to circulate Spirit Qi in his body. Now, he had already formed muscle memory and was able to constantly absorb Spirit Qi. Although this absorption speed was slower than the speed he had when he was cultivating, it was still enough to supply his Spirit Sense. Therefore, the moment the Spirit Qi in the neighborhood fluctuated, Chen Pingan was able to sense it. He looked in the direction of the Spirit Qi fluctuation, and the clothes in his hand fell to the ground with a thud. He was shocked to see that a heavenly dog had materialized from the Spirit Qi that appeared above the neighborhood! ¡°Sun-Swallowing Heavenly Dog?!¡± Chen Pingan¡¯s expression changed as he looked at the abnormal phenomenon above the neighborhood. The size of the dog was expanding, and it soon enveloped the neighborhood and continued to spread outwards! At the next moment, the extremely large heavenly dog started to cover the scorching sun, and the area around the neighborhood darkened. It was clearly the afternoon, but the entire neighborhood was strangely dark, making people shudder! ¡°I finally saw an abnormal phenomenon with my own eyes. It really is terrifying!¡± Chen Pingan¡¯s face was filled with shock. The moment he saw the abnormal phenomenon in the neighborhood, the suspicion that had been lingering in his heart disappeared. The reason Chen Pingan was suspicious was because the abnormal phenomena always appeared when he was cultivating. Thus, he never had the chance to witness them personally before. Because of this, Chen Pingan had always suspected if he was the one who caused all those abnormal phenomena. However, today, he had personally seen the abnormal phenomenon. This had proved to him that the person responsible for the abnormal phenomenons was not him but someone else instead. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing I didn¡¯t tell anyone about my suspicions. Otherwise, it would have been really embarrassing.¡± While Chen Pingan was feeling relieved, he was also amazed by the strength of the expert in the neighborhood. After all, that expert was able to create such a terrifying phenomenon! It was impossible for someone as weak as him to trigger such a phenomenon. All of a sudden, he realized the difference in strength between him and the true experts. Meanwhile¡­ The small neighborhood was enveloped by the large and mighty heavenly dog. At the center of the phenomenon, the sky was darkening much faster than the other places in Yang City. ¡°Ah, why is there a change in the weather? Could it be that an abnormal phenomenon is happening in the neighborhood again?¡± Some of the older women raised their heads in confusion. When they saw the phenomenon in the sky, they looked shocked and shouted loudly at the other residents. Some of the residents in the neighborhood heard the noise and walked out of their balconies to look at the dark sky. ¡°I thought it was going to rain, but it turns out that the expert in the neighborhood is cultivating again.¡± An old man who saw the phenomenon remained calm. He glanced at the abnormal phenomenon in the sky before turning around and returning to his room. After all, this was already the third abnormal phenomenon the old man had seen recently. Moreover, the first two phenomena were much more impressive. ¡°The abnormal phenomenon this time is a little weaker. It also looks a bit familiar.¡± The old man commented without changing his expression. However, he felt that the abnormal phenomenon that appeared in the sky this time was strangely familiar. It was as if he had seen it somewhere before? After thinking about it for a long time, he still couldn¡¯t come up with anything. At the same time, some of the old men who were playing cards in the neighborhood plaza saw the phenomenon in the sky and suddenly slapped Dali who was sitting beside them. One of the old men was both shocked and excited as he said, ¡°Dali, your Da Huang has ascended to heaven!¡± ¡°P*ss off. You¡¯re the one who will be ascending to heaven soon. My Da Huang is resting at home.¡± As Dali spoke, he threw out a card and ignored the old man beside him. He assumed that the old man had wanted to divert his attention from the cards to win. ¡°Dali, it¡¯s true. Your Da Huang is really amazing. Look up there!¡± The other old men also noticed the abnormal phenomenon in the sky. In fact, they noticed early on that the sky had turned dark. It was just that they didn¡¯t think much of it back then. ¡°Old Li, why are you acting like this too?¡± Dali was speechless at how immoral these old men were. He didn¡¯t think that they would stoop so low and try to trick him just to win at a game of cards. He hadn¡¯t taken the old man¡¯s words seriously to begin with, so he only glanced upwards to satisfy the others. However, the moment he glanced up, he was almost scared to death. It was indeed Dali¡¯s Big Huang that had appeared in the sky. Even the mole under the heavenly dog¡¯s stomach matched Da Huang¡¯s mole perfectly, as if it had been copied and pasted. ¡°Sun-Swallowing Heavenly Dog¡­ Dali, it looks like your Da Huang has succeeded in life. It actually appeared in the abnormal phenomenon of that neighborhood expert.¡± The other old men sighed. For some reason, they were a little envious of the heavenly dog above the neighborhood. ¡°My Da Huang¡­ is going to be famous.¡± Dali muttered in disbelief. Once the media found out that Da Huang was the heavenly dog in the abnormal phenomenon, they would definitely include it in their news report. By then, Da Huang would become famous! However, what was so special about that silly dog? Dali couldn¡¯t help but wonder why Da Huang had appeared in the neighborhood expert¡¯s abnormal phenomenon. However, he still felt that such an experience was quite wonderful. Dali continued to wonder if there was something he still didn¡¯t quite understand. He even suspected that Da Huang was a dog chosen by the heavens. Dali stared blankly at the abnormal phenomenon that was gradually spreading out. Under the influence of the phenomenon, he started to feel that his dog was special.. Chapter 30 The phenomenon slowly spread from the neighborhood to other parts of Yang City. Outside the neighborhood, people started to notice the phenomenon in the sky and were shocked by it. Meanwhile, Chen Pingan was also filled with emotions. He felt a deep sense of respect for the neighborhood expert. Witnessing a phenomenon directly was completely different from seeing it online. It was even more impactful! ¡°Too strong!¡± As he slowly walked out of the school, Chen Pingan admired the phenomenon in the sky. This phenomenon was very unique and directly covered the entire Yang City. Although it did not spread to other cities, it was still rather majestic! ¡°There are so many experts living in the neighborhood and the school. In comparison, my level is just too low. I have to work hard to improve my strength and reach their level as soon as possible!¡± Chen Pingan swore in his heart. Although he had failed at refining pills today, he had at least witnessed the phenomenon of a powerful expert¡¯s cultivation. He felt that the day had not been in vain. After he sighed with emotion, he suddenly felt fortunate. Fortunately, he had moved out of the neighborhood a long time ago. Otherwise, who would be able to endure living in a place where phenomena occurred every few days? ¡°There are too many powerful experts hidden in the neighborhood. The danger level is too high. Thankfully, I don¡¯t live in the neighborhood anymore.¡± The decision he made previously was too wise! By now, Yang City was completely covered by the phenomenon. The sky was completely dark, and Chen Pingan quickened his pace back to school. However, there was still a group of people in Yang City who were rushing into the darkness. Although the commotion caused by the phenomenon in the Xin Guang Residence this time was not as great as the previous two times, it was still significant. The news of the consecutive abnormal phenomena in Yang City had spread to places other than the Yang City. All the other major newspaper and magazine outlets across the country were secretly paying attention to the things happening in Yang City! For this reason, all the reporters from the newspapers in Yang City were mobilized to film the Sun-Swallowing Heavenly Dog phenomenon that appeared in Xin Guang Residence today. After all, this would be a big piece of news that would shake the entire country! ¡­ At the Qin Kai Cultivation School staff dormitory. ¡°The sky is still dark? The phenomenon today is really terrifying!¡± Chen Pingan stood by the window and looked in the direction of Xin Guang Residence. He could see a heavenly dog that was so big that it covered the entire Yang City. He did not dare to stay in the neighborhood any longer just now so he didn¡¯t look at the phenomenon carefully. However, now that he looked at it seriously, he realized that something was wrong. ¡°Da Huang?!¡± Chen Pingan cried out in alarm. Wasn¡¯t the heavenly dog in the distance Da Huang? After all, it looked exactly the same as Da Huang. Even if Da Huang turned into ashes, he would still be able to recognize it. That silly dog had stepped on him this afternoon and he even got a good look of the mole on Da Huang¡¯s stomach earlier. Chen Pingan knew that the mole on the heavenly dog was exactly the same as Da Huang¡¯s mole. ¡°Even Da Huang has appeared in the phenomenon of experts. It looks like Da Huang has truly succeeded in life.¡± Chen Pingan said bitterly. However, that silly dog had secretly eaten his failed pills. Chen Pingan wondered if there would be any problems with Da Huang¡¯s body. ¡°It should be fine. It was still alive when I left. Moreover, Da Huang still has Grandpa Dali. If anything happens, Grandpa Dali could send it to the hospital. It probably wouldn¡¯t die.¡± Chen Pingan consoled himself. Da Huang¡¯s physique was stronger than a normal person¡¯s physique. It would not die from eating a few failed pills. However, Chen Pingan¡¯s pill refinement plan had utterly failed. That damned lightning strike had ruined all of his efforts. Even the pill furnace and medicinal ingredients were ruined. At this moment, Chen Pingan didn¡¯t have any extra money to buy new ingredients, so his pill refinement plan could only be temporarily put on hold. ¡°Other than medicinal pills, I wonder if there are any other ways to quickly raise one¡¯s cultivation realm?¡± Chen Pingan muttered to himself and took out his phone to check. Just as he was searching for related posts on the forums, a new message popped up on his phone, forcing him to pause his search. [Crazy news!] [Pingan, our Yang City has become famous. Now, people all over the country are talking about our Yang City. As a citizen of Yang City, you can¡¯t imagine how proud I feel as I am leading my team across the country. ] [To be honest, I have never had such a strong feeling of pride in all my life. Right now, I am deeply proud of being a Yang City citizen!] Chen Pingan was confused. He looked at the series of messages that Brother Xiong sent. The notifications that kept popping up on his phone were all sent by Brother Xiong. ¡°Are you crazy for sending me so many messages? I wonder if they won the competition?¡± Chen Pingan deliberated for a moment before sending him a message. [Did you guys win the competition? Congratulations!] Right after sending his message, Chen Pingan received a new message from the other party. Brother Xiong was unbelievably quick at replying to messages. ¡°Looks like they really did win. He¡¯s so excited and even replied so quickly.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but open the new message. The next moment, his smile froze on his face. [Don¡¯t you even go on your phone usually?] [Just this afternoon, a big event happened in Yang City and caused a sensation all over the country. It has exploded on the entire internet. Don¡¯t you know about this?!] Brother Xiong did not wait for him to reply and directly sent a few videos over. The length of the videos was between three to five minutes. ¡°A big event in Yang City? Could it be the phenomenon today?¡± Other than today¡¯s phenomenon, Chen Pingan could not think of any other big events. He clicked on one of the videos and saw the logo on the upper left corner. He was suddenly shocked. This was the logo of a national television channel! After a few seconds, a male host suddenly appeared on the black screen. Chen Pingan was very familiar with this male host. He was the top host of the country! He hadn¡¯t even started watching the video yet, but just seeing the male host was already enough to excite him. The male host was as elegant as usual and excitedly reported the content. [The whole country is shocked! Abnormal phenomena appear one after another in Yang City, and even spread to other cities near Yang City!] [At around 5: 30 pm this afternoon, another phenomenon appeared once again in the southeastern neighborhood of Yang City! It was a phenomenon of a heavenly dog that was so big it swallowed the sun. According to the reaction of the local residents, this is the third phenomenon that has appeared in Xin Guang Residence this month!] [According to statistics, a total of four phenomena have appeared in Yang City this month. Three of them happened in Xin Guang Residence, and there was also one phenomenon that happened at Qin Kai Cultivation School!] [Specialists have analyzed that the frequent appearances of the abnormal phenomena above Yang City were not caused by a natural disaster. Instead, they have been caused by a strong practitioner or even an immortal cultivating.] Chen Pingan listened to the male host¡¯s excited broadcast and looked at his phone screen. The video showed all three of the phenomena that had appeared above Yang City previously, as well as the phenomenon that appeared this afternoon. Even though he had watched the video of the abnormal phenomenon many times, Chen Pingan still felt both shocked and proud when he watched it again. He felt proud because the immortal was a resident of Yang City. Now that the country¡¯s attention had been unanimously shifted to Yang City, everyone in the country started changing their view on this small city. This made the citizens of Yang City feel extremely proud, especially now that the citizens of the other cities no longer dared to look down on them. Affected by his original body, Chen Pingan was similarly proud of being a citizen of Yang City. ¡°Is there something special about Yang City? Why are there so many experts hidden in this city?¡± After he calmed down, Chen Pingan looked at the video and murmured. Perhaps all of this was a coincidence. However, there were no abnormal phenomena in other cities, so it was very likely that these experts were in seclusion.. Chapter 31 After Chen Pingan finished watching the video, he went to a webpage and started to search for news about the Yang City phenomenon. In the end, after just having typed the word ¡°Yang¡±, a lot of news about Yang City appeared. Just as Brother Xiong had said, the internet was filled with a lot of trending posts about the Yang City abnormal phenomenon. Netizens from all over the country were discussing it intensely. As he browsed, Chen Pingan saw a very interesting post. The title of the post was: Dig deep into the shocking secret behind the Yang City abnormal phenomenon. He continued reading and found the netizens¡¯ discussion. ¡°The abnormal phenomenon in Yang City is so terrifying. There¡¯s already been an appearance of a Kun Peng and a heavenly dog. I¡¯ve never even seen anything like this and I even live in the big city of White City. I never knew someone could cause such a huge commotion just by cultivating!¡± A netizen from Star City replied, ¡°When the Kun Peng appeared in Star City, I was scared to death. It looked so realistic, as if it was real.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m also from Star City. So far, two of the phenomena have already spread to our city. It¡¯s hard to imagine just how astonishing the phenomena were!¡± Many netizens from other cities said excitedly, ¡°Just watching the video makes me feel extremely shocked. I wonder what I would feel if I had seen it up close? This won¡¯t do. I have to go to Yang City in the near future and personally experience how terrifying the Yang City phenomenon is.¡± ¡°Sister, bring me along. I also want to go to Yang City and see the phenomenon with my own eyes!¡± ¡°Me too! Me too! Count me in. My dying wish is to meet an immortal!¡± Many netizens responded one after another. They were all curious about the terrifying and mysterious abnormal phenomena that happened in Yang City and wanted to witness them up close. On the other hand, after the news about the Yang City abnormal phenomena had spread throughout the entire country, most people became extremely curious about the experts or immortal behind them. Compared to the abnormal phenomena, the immortal in Yang City was especially mysterious. After all, this immortal had never appeared in front of the camera or showed his face. Everyone couldn¡¯t help but want to find out what this immortal looked like. In just one afternoon, the abnormal phenomena in Yang City and the hidden immortal became the hot topic of discussion in the country! People from all over the country were interested. Everyone wanted to go to Yang City and witness the terrifying phenomenon first-hand! ¡­ In Room 304, in a neighborhood in Moon City. There were more than thirty people sitting in the hall of the room. Among them, there were men and women of different ages. At this moment, their expressions were all solemn. ¡°There have been so many abnormal phenomena in Yang City. After the analysis, we even found out that every single one of these phenomena matches the records of true cultivation. It might have been a coincidence if it only occurred once. However, since it happened so many times, it¡¯s definitely not a coincidence!¡± An old man suddenly stood up and said as he looked out of the window. If Brother Xiong was present, he would definitely recognize the old man at a glance. This person was Teacher Gu, who had disappeared from Qin Kai Cultivation School for more than twenty years! Although Teacher Gu was actually a hundred years old, due to his cultivation, he appeared to be only fifty years old. ¡°What do you guys think?¡± The old man retracted his gaze and turned to look at the group of people sitting in the hall. Teacher Gu was familiar with many of the people sitting here. Many of them were his former students or colleagues. ¡°Teacher Gu, are you saying that someone in Yang City¡¯s Qin Kai Cultivation School has already touched the true path of cultivation?¡± The person who was speaking was the national sprinter that had caused an uproar earlier, Ye Beixuan. As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the hall looked towards the old man. After all, Teacher Gu understood more about cultivation than them. In a certain sense, Teacher Gu¡¯s realm was higher than theirs. Therefore, Teacher Gu was the person who was most qualified to speak about the abnormal phenomena. Teacher Gu pondered for a while and finally said with certainty, ¡°From the abnormal phenomena, I can be 100% sure that someone in Yang City has already embarked on the path of true cultivation. As for whether it¡¯s someone from Qin Kai Cultivation School or Xin Guang Residence, I can¡¯t be sure for now.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, everyone¡¯s eyes sparkled and their faces brimmed with excitement. This group of people came from all over the country. They all gathered together for a common goal and formed an organization called the True Cultivation Faction. Why was it called the True Cultivation Faction? It was because the members of this faction have accidentally discovered that the so-called immortal cultivation in this world was actually fake cultivation! The cultivation of this world was completely different from cultivation in the true sense of the word! The so-called immortal cultivation that they once admired was nothing compared to traditional cultivation! It all started from the trip Teacher Gu took when he went to explore ancient artifacts one day. During his trip, he stumbled upon a secret cave that contained many ancient books and techniques related to true cultivation. According to the ancient records, cultivators were supposed to be able to fly in the sky. When a true cultivator stepped into the Tribulation Stage and above, they would become an undying existence and immortals that shared the same lifespan as heaven and earth. This was true cultivation! This was what a true cultivator was supposed to be like! On the other hand, the so-called Tribulation Stage cultivators in this world only had a lifespan of over 200 years. They did not have any amazing abilities and just had stronger bodies than ordinary people! True Tribulation Stage experts would continue to ascend in their cultivation. However, the so-ascension in this world was death. The Tribulation Stage experts of this world weren¡¯t true Tribulation Stage experts at all! Teacher Gu, especially, knew how frustrating it was because he had reached the Tribulation Stage when he was still in his fifties. After that, he had no clue how to advance to the next level. After all, according to the cultivation of this world, there was no road ahead for him to take. Death after the Tribulation Stage was also not as mysterious as people thought it was. Regardless of whether one died of old age or died after having reached the Tribulation Stage, the final outcome was still the same! After that trip to explore ancient artifacts, Teacher Gu read the records in ancient books and realized that the so-called immortal cultivation in this world was not true immortal cultivation. Above the Tribulation Stage, there were higher and even more formidable realms! Therefore, after Teacher Gu explored the ancient artifacts, he disappeared from Qin Kai Cultivation School to search for true immortal cultivation. By doing so, he had also unintentionally caused others to believe that he had already ascended. As for the rest of the True Cultivation Faction members, some of them were influenced by Teacher Gu and yearned to also learn what true immortal cultivation was. Some of them had similar experiences as him. After entering the Tribulation Stage, they fell into a bottleneck and unintentionally learned about true cultivation. Such a group of people who desired true immortal cultivation spontaneously gathered together and formed a cultivation organization. Unfortunately, everyone here was like a headless fly. They had searched bitterly for more than twenty years, but they had no clue at all. They had not even entered the true elementary level of Qi Refinement Stage. As for those ancient books found in the secret cave, most of them had been damaged and they only managed to find a few records of cultivation. Over the years, they had relied on the one or two sentences remaining from the damaged books to try to figure out the true path of cultivation, but it was as difficult as ascending to the heavens. However, it wasn¡¯t that they didn¡¯t have any gains. On the path of cultivation, they had actually already begun to have a bit of their own Dao and comprehension. Ye Beixuan, for example, was a student of Teacher Gu. Because he had comprehended a trace of the Dao of Cultivation, he was able to integrate it into this world¡¯s cultivation. By doing so, his cultivation level had skyrocketed and his strength became even stronger than the Golden Core Stage experts of this world. Otherwise, how could he break the world record for a sprint! Chapter 32 A true cultivator had appeared in this world! This piece of earth-shattering news undoubtedly gave the members of the True Cultivation Faction a bit of hope on finding the true path of cultivation! If they could find this cultivator who stepped into the true cultivation realm before them, that would mean that they wouldn¡¯t have to search without clues like headless flies. Now, they just needed to locate him and learn the true essence of cultivation from him to break through into the true Qi Refinement Stage! ¡°Teacher Gu, what should we do next?¡± Someone from the cultivation faction asked. ¡°The opportunity has presented itself. Of course we have to grasp it firmly.¡± Teacher Gu had a determined look on his face. He had waited a long time to enter the true cultivation realm, and he was already becoming impatient. ¡°There have been a total of four phenomena in Yang City, and three of them have occurred in Xin Guang Residence. We can start by investigating Xin Guang Residence. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find that mighty figure.¡± Ye Beixuan couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Why don¡¯t we start with Qin Kai Cultivation School? The phenomenon at the school was bigger than any other phenomenon. Even the Kun Peng appeared.¡± ¡°Now that Yang City has caused such a huge commotion, the attention of those experts and many big media outlets are all focused on Qin Kai Cultivation School. If we go there as well, we probably won¡¯t gain much.¡± Teacher Gu thought deeply and said, ¡°Moreover, Qin Kai Cultivation School has raised many national athletes over the years. Its status is very high in Yang City. Besides, we are all from Qin Kai Cultivation School. If we go back at this time, it will seem too conspicuous.¡± Actually, he had already thought about returning to Qin Kai Cultivation School first. But on second thought, he realized that he could always ask the staff of the school for information. After all, they had all stayed at Qin Kai Cultivation School for a long time in the past. Teacher Gu continued, ¡°Under the gaze of so many people, that mighty figure wouldn¡¯t be able to hide in Qin Kai Cultivation School.¡± ¡°As for that Xin Guang Residence, it¡¯s an extremely ordinary neighborhood. The first abnormal phenomenon happened there, and I have a very strong feeling that the mighty figure is hiding inside!¡± Hearing Teacher Gu¡¯s logical analysis, the rest of the cultivators felt that it made sense. Their target must be waiting for them in Xin Guang Residence! ¡°We only have one purpose in this trip to Yang City, and that is to find that mighty figure and learn from him the true essence of cultivation.¡± ¡°Of course, if that mighty figure is easy to talk to, we will have a chance to obtain one or two books on cultivation from him. In the future, we can use that knowledge and successfully enter the Qi Refinement Stage!¡± The group of people from the True Cultivation Faction laughed extremely happily. They seemed to all be imagining themselves as clairvoyants flying around after having learned the true essence of cultivation. Ye Beixuan suggested excitedly, ¡°Teacher Gu, I¡¯m from Yang City and I know Yang City very well. Let me go!¡± ¡°Teacher Gu, I want to go too.¡± ¡°Count me in.¡± The group of people from the True Cultivation Faction all recommended themselves. They all considered it to be a great honor to be able to discuss cultivation with that mighty figure. It was also a rare opportunity! Everyone could hardly wait and wanted to travel to Xin Guang Residence immediately to find that mighty figure. ¡°Everyone, don¡¯t be anxious. This time, we can¡¯t all go. If there are too many people, it will become troublesome. After all, we are a secret organization. We have to keep a low profile.¡± Teacher Gu looked at everyone and finally said slowly, ¡°How about this? Since we are going to Yang City this time, we¡¯ll bring the people who are familiar with the city. Little Ye, Li Hao, and I are all from Yang City and have spent a long time in Qin Kai Cultivation School. No one will suspect a thing if we return to Yang City.¡± ¡°You guys don¡¯t have to worry. After all, we¡¯re an organization. After working together for so many years, I¡¯m sure you guys can trust my character.¡± ¡°We will naturally share the ancient books and cultivation techniques that we obtained in Yang City with everyone. We will then all enter the Qi Refinement Stage together. Only when our organization grows stronger will it be beneficial for each of our own development.¡± With just a few words, Teacher Gu easily resolved the worries of the other people from the True Cultivation Faction. He was right. They had too many members. If they went to Yang City together, they would attract too much attention and might expose the existence of the True Cultivation Faction. Most of the True Cultivation Faction members nodded in agreement. Ye Beixuan was so excited that he was grinning from ear to ear. He couldn¡¯t wait any longer and moved quickly. One second, he was chatting in the hall, and the next, he was gone. Teacher Gu ignored him. He looked at a man on the sofa, who was the key to the success of this operation. That man¡¯s talent was stronger than Teacher Gu¡¯s, and his comprehension ability was also exceptional. He was famously known as the Demon Cultivator of Qin Kai Cultivation School. The quiet man on the sofa was Li Hao, the cultivation genius who had reached the Body Integration Stage at the age of twenty. Li Hao had only joined the True Cultivation Faction for two years. However, he had a deeper understanding of cultivation than everyone present. He had already figured out a bit of the true path of cultivation. If nothing went wrong, he would successfully enter the true Qi Refinement Stage in one or two years! After a long time, Li Hao moved his mouth and said without any change in his tone, ¡°I don¡¯t have any problems with that.¡± After getting a response from the other party, Teacher Gu secretly heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°If no one has any objections, then it¡¯s decided. The three of us will head to Yang City together. The rest of you will be stationed in Moon City. If anything happens, contact us over the phone.¡± After Teacher Gu said a few words, he went back to his room with Li Hao to pack his things. Five minutes later, the two each packed a small backpack. They gathered at the gate. ¡°Where¡¯s Little Ye? Where did she go?¡± Teacher Gu looked around but didn¡¯t see Ye Beixuan. Li Hao did not speak. He leaned against the door and looked at one of the rooms in front. In the next second, a figure rushed out of the room. ¡°Teacher, Senior, I¡¯m here.¡± Teacher Gu¡¯s eyelids twitched when he saw Ye Beixuan in full gear. He said in disdain, ¡°We¡¯re just going to Yang City. There¡¯s no need to bring so many things, right?¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do. I am the current sprint champion, after all. I need all of my equipment.¡± Ye Beixuan carried a total of four large suitcases in his hands. They were all his sportswear, which was his most prized possession. ¡°I don¡¯t know how long we¡¯ll be staying in Yang City but I think it will take at least a year¡­ Hey, guys, wait for me!¡± Teacher Gu and Li Hao left without speaking in tacit understanding. They were both speechless after hearing Ye Beixuan¡¯s words. As the members of the True Cultivation Faction started traveling 5,000 km to reach Yang City, people from other cities also started heading to Yang City one after another. Everyone¡¯s purpose was the same¡ªto see the legendary mighty figure. Yang City, a remote little city, would not be peaceful for a long time to come.. Chapter 33 After the news in Yang City caused a sensation throughout the country, many people¡¯s attention was immediately focused on Qin Kai Cultivation School and Xin Guang Residence. Everyone was alert and was afraid that they would miss the next phenomenon. Qin Kai Cultivation School¡¯s higher-ups were as busy as dogs every day. They had just dealt with the media outside and had yet to catch their breath when a group of authoritative experts arrived. The principal was extremely bitter and complained in his heart. He no longer had the pride he had a few days ago when he just found out that there was an immortal in the school. In fact, the principal and the higher-ups were so angry that their teeth hurt. They wanted to find that immortal and kick him out so that they would have time to catch their breath. At this moment, Chen Pingan was the happiest. Without the supervision of the principal, he lived a very comfortable life. Every day, he would go to class and study his cultivation books after class. One afternoon. ¡°How strange.¡± Chen Pingan sat on the exercise equipment and looked at the news on his phone as he muttered in confusion. He had just finished his physical education class when his phone rang. It was a news update about the Yang City abnormal phenomena. In fact, Chen Pingan had been reading so much about the abnormal phenomena these past few days that he felt like vomiting. The news were all reporting the same content and offered nothing new. All of the reports were about the abnormal phenomena. The news media reporters had traveled thousands of miles from other big cities to get here, but they hadn¡¯t been able to dig out any useful information. The immortal hidden behind the abnormal phenomena had never shown up. After a while, Chen Pingan lost interest in such trivial news. He casually swiped the pop-up information on his phone, and as he did so, he saw a relatively interesting piece of news. [The heavenly dog behind the abnormal phenomenon in Xin Guang Residence has been found!] Chen Pingan wondered if it was Da Huang. Below the headline was a video. From the angle of the video, one could obviously tell that it was a hidden camera. In the video, there were many onlookers. Chen Pingan saw many familiar faces. Among them was the old man from the neighborhood, Grandpa Dali. ¡°What is everyone looking at?¡± Chen Pingan mumbled as he tilted his head along with the video, wanting to see clearly. The video finally showed a clear angle that captured the scene perfectly. In the video, everyone was surrounding a yellow-haired dog whose eyes were filled with wisdom. It sat on the ground and looked at the people around it. It even ignored Dali, which it was usually very friendly with. ¡°Da Huang?!¡± Chen Pingan¡¯s eyes widened as he stared at the silly-looking yellow dog. His heart skipped a beat. In the video, Dali was still trying his best to get his dog to follow him. ¡°Da Huang, what¡¯s wrong? Have you turned dumb? Go back with your old man, don¡¯t just sit in the forest like a fool.¡± No matter how hardDali tried, Da Huang on the ground didn¡¯t even look at him. Its eyes seemed to be looking at something through the crowd. ¡°Could it be that its brain is damaged from eating the medicinal pill?¡± Chen Pingan¡¯s scalp went numb. Da Huang¡¯s demeanor had become entirely different from before. In the past, Da Huang would get excited when it saw people and climb onto their bodies. But now, Da Huang just sat there with a silly face. It didn¡¯t even bark at strangers. It was written in the book that the medicinal properties of a failed pill would change, and a large portion of the pills would possess a certain degree of toxicity. Back then, Da Huang had consumed five failed pills which were probably high in toxicity. Judging from its current state, it did seem like it was poisoned. On that day, Chen Pingan left after observing Da Huang for a while. Chen Pingan was certain that Da Huang must have fallen ill after he left and did not receive timely treatment after that. Chen Pingan blamed himself for being too careless. ¡°If I had sent Da Huang to the hospital early in the morning, perhaps Da Huang wouldn¡¯t have fallen ill. If so, none of this would be happening.¡± Chen Pingan was extremely regretful. He had left in a hurry that day. Now that he thought about it, he really wished he had done something different. Da Huang had lived with Grandpa Dali for more than ten years and had such a deep bond with him. If Grandpa Dali knew that Da Huang had eaten a failed pill, he would definitely want to find out who the person responsible was! When Chen Pingan thought of this, he couldn¡¯t help but tremble. He felt that he had gotten himself into some real trouble this time. ¡°Does Grandpa Dali know that I¡¯m the one who was responsible? Why don¡¯t I go visit him now and get some information? If no one in the neighborhood saw me with Da Huang back then, then¡­¡± Chen Pingan had learned his lesson this time and acted cautiously. He would first inquire about Da Huang before making his next move. ¡°I might as well just go today.¡± Chen Pingan did not even go back to change his clothes. After he left the school, he hailed a taxi and went back to Xin Guang Residence. ¡­ The entrance of Xin Guang Residence was crowded with people. Many people had come because of the news. They were from all over the country and immediately booked plane tickets after hearing about the Yang City abnormal phenomena. They all rushed over without stopping after getting off the plane. Qin Kai Cultivation School was heavily guarded and so only authoritative institutions and big media outlets had the chance to enter. Others did not have the chance to enter. Therefore, many people could only place their hopes on Xin Guang Residence. This seemingly ordinary neighborhood was not as guarded as Qin Kai Cultivation School. It was extremely easy for them to just sneak in and join in the fun. In fact, because there were too many people entering and exiting the neighborhood these few days, many families living in the neighborhood had been robbed. After all, there was no shortage of robbers and thieves among the people that came and went. The residents in the neighborhood collectively complained to the property management. For this reason, the property management had arranged security at all entrances and exits. Those who did not have a residential permit were now barred from entering. Those people who had come because of the news had no choice but to wait at the entrance of the neighborhood. Even the nearby hotels were fully booked. They could only wait to capture the next abnormal phenomenon with their phones from a distance. Even if they could not enter, the number of people who came all the way to Yang City was still increasing every day. It could be seen from the crowd at the Xin Guang Residence. The security guard at the entrance stopped the new batch of foreign visitors with an apathetic expression. He had long since gotten used to seeing people like this. There were three people standing outside the vast crowd at the entrance of Xin Guang Residence. They had complicated looks in their eyes, and they were all staring at the Xin Guang Residence entrance. ¡°Teacher Gu, didn¡¯t you say that not many people would pay attention to the neighborhood?¡± Ye Beixuan felt speechless. ¡°What do you know? There is a larger crowd at the Qin Kai Cultivation School!¡± Teacher Gu coughed awkwardly and defended himself. Just as he finished speaking, an older man in front of him turned around with a silly smile. He spoke in a dialect and corrected Teacher Gu. ¡°I just came from that school. The security guards are very headstrong and won¡¯t let us wait there at all. The entrance of the school is basically empty.¡± ¡­ Teacher Gu¡¯s face turned red after being exposed. He didn¡¯t know how to respond. ¡°Thank you, Brother!¡± Ye Beixuan smiled at the old man. He wasn¡¯t afraid of being scolded by Teacher Gu. However, he also didn¡¯t want to make Teacher Gu feel embarrassed. ¡°Teacher Gu, we can¡¯t enter the neighborhood anymore. What should we do next?¡± Ye Beixuan changed the topic abruptly. The three of them had come here to find the mighty figure hiding in the Xin Guang Residence. Now that they couldn¡¯t enter, all their plans were for naught. ¡°This¡­¡± Teacher Gu was also in a dilemma. How was he supposed to know what to do? After all, he was only older and not all-knowing. Li Hao, who had been silent, took out a residence card and a key. He swaggered forward and said calmly, ¡°I rented an apartment inside. Let¡¯s go. Don¡¯t just stand there.¡± ¡°???¡± They both wondered why Li Hao had not spoken earlier. Teacher Gu and Ye Beixuan were stunned. By the time they regained their senses, Li Hao had already reached the entrance and entered the neighborhood without any obstructions. The two of them looked at each other in tacit understanding, then swiftly rushed over with their luggage. The eyes of the onlookers at the entrance flashed. It was as if two black shadows had run over. Then, their mouths were filled with wind and dust.. Chapter 34 In Xin Guang Residence. It was Thursday today, so there weren¡¯t many people wandering around in the neighborhood during the day. It was much quieter than the entrance. Even the idle old men who usually appeared on the plaza did not appear today. They had all gone to the forest in the back of the neighborhood. The forest was filled with the voices of the old men talking over one another. All of them were full of energy and their voices were loud and clear. ¡°Dali, don¡¯t be too sad. This is Da Huang¡¯s fate. Who asked this dog to run around blindly? Maybe a mighty figure was cultivating and accidentally injured it.¡± One of the old men patted Dali¡¯s shoulder and consoled him. Another old man casually analyzed, ¡°What do you know? I am certain that Da Huang has reached enlightenment after being influenced by that mighty figure!¡± As they spoke, Da Huang, who seemed to have a fleeting gaze, gave an approving look at the old man when it heard this. Then, it continued acting the way it acted before. Dali, who had been squatting beside Da Huang, saw the instantaneous glow in Da Huang¡¯s eyes. However, the glow quickly disappeared in the next second before Dali could feel happy about it. Da Huang¡¯s eyes went back to being lifeless. ¡°Maybe it ate something in the woods. You should bring it to the hospital later.¡± A reliable old man suggested. The moment he said that, many of the old men in the surroundings agreed with him. The small forest at the back of the neighborhood was often left unattended and trash would often be thrown there. It was likely that Da Huang had eaten something bad after coming here. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll do that. I¡¯ll go home and pack some things first. I¡¯ll bring Da Huang to the hospital later.¡± Dali slapped his forehead. He figured that Da Huang¡¯s current idiocy was obviously a symptom of being poisoned and had nothing to do with the cultivation of that expert. Dali thought that it was probably just a coincidence for Da Huang to appear in the abnormal phenomenon. ¡°Stay here and watch Da Huang for me. Don¡¯t let it escape. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be able to find it later.¡± After saying that, Dali ran upstairs. Only six old men were left as they looked at each other and surrounded Da Huang. Six pairs of eyes stared at Da Huang as they started chatting. ¡°Da Huang, are you aware that you have ascended to heaven? We need you to come back now, alright? After all, you have become famous in Yang City now. Many people are waiting to take pictures of you.¡± ¡°Yes, Da Huang, get better and then go star in a movie so that you can earn money for Dali.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Look at Da Huang. Its eyes are fleeting and it¡¯s not barking. How will it film a movie when its turned dumb.¡± The group of old men laughed mockingly, and then they began to talk about other topics. However, they failed to notice that the seemingly dumb Da Huang roll its eyes at them in disdain before continuing to comprehend the true meaning of its life. The old men also did not notice that there were three people standing in another corner of the forest. They were Teacher Gu, Li Hao, and Ye Beixuan. Ever since Dali left, they had been observing Da Huang in the middle of the crowd. When they saw the subtle changes in Da Huang¡¯s eyes, their eyes lit up. ¡°That dog looks a lot like the dog that appeared in the sky above Yang City two days ago.¡± Ye Beixuan wasn¡¯t too sure. After all, there were many other dogs that looked like Da Huang and had yellow fur. It wasn¡¯t very reliable to conclude that the dog in front of them was the heavenly dog from the phenomenon just because the two dogs shared the same fur color. ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± Teacher Gu said excitedly. The three of them had found Da Huang based on the aura fluctuations. On the other hand, the old men were clueless and could not sense the fluctuations. This was because this kind of special aura fluctuation could only be detected by a true cultivator. If Da Huang had been a high realm cultivator, it might have been able to conceal its aura and Teacher Gu and the others would not be able to detect it. ¡°This big yellow dog should have just broken through not long ago. Its aura is very chaotic, and its fluctuations are very obvious.¡± Li Hao spoke in a rare manner. There was a hint of fanaticism in his usually calm tone. Indeed, Li Hao spoke with fanaticism. ¡°That dog has entered the Qi Refinement Stage?¡± Teacher Gu was shocked. He noticed the change in Li Hao¡¯s emotions and listened to him carefully. Then, he became even more shocked. They had tried for so many years, yet they had always been unable to cross that threshold of the Qi Refinement Stage. Now, were they supposed to believe that a big yellow dog had actually reached the Qi Refinement Stage? They were even worse than a dog. Ye Beixuan was equally shocked. He knew how difficult it was to enter the Qi Refinement Stage. Even someone as talented as Li Hao failed after two years. He looked at the big yellow dog with a burning gaze, as if he wanted to swallow the dog alive. Ye Beixuan yearned to enter the Qi Refinement Stage as soon as possible. Ever since he had a taste of the benefits of true cultivation, he had yearned for it even more. If he had not comprehended a little bit of the Dao of Cultivation, it would have been impossible for him to stand out among so many Golden Core and Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators, let alone win the sprint championship. ¡°That¡¯s right. I still need to come into contact with that dog before I can find out whether it¡¯s in the elementary level or the early stage of the Qi Refinement Stage.¡± Li Hao did not have much of an expression, but he still felt extremely uneasy. If there was no one present, he would have long pounced over. ¡°We¡¯ll go over there. It¡¯ll be fine. After all, we can just say we¡¯re new tenants and we¡¯re not familiar with the neighborhood.¡± Teacher Gu brought the two of them over. He was the oldest and was about the same age as the old men so it was easier for him to interact with them. ¡°Hey, what are you guys talking about?¡± Teacher Gu greeted them with a smile. ¡°We were just casually chatting. You guys don¡¯t look familiar¡­¡± When the old men heard Teacher Gu, they looked over. When they saw these three people¡¯s unfamiliar faces, they became a bit vigilant. ¡°Brothers, we just moved into this neighborhood. We¡¯re new tenants. These two here are my sons. We moved here for them to work in Yang City.¡± Teacher Gu smiled and chatted with the old men. His tone was sincere and there was nothing wrong with it. The two people standing behind him didn¡¯t look too good. They felt sour after being referred to as Teacher Gu¡¯s sons. The old men didn¡¯t notice anything wrong with them. After finding out that they were new tenants, they chatted casually with Teacher Gu. While the others were not paying attention, Li Hao quietly approached Da Huang. In fact, as long as he did not speak, the people around him would not notice his existence. As a so-called invisible person, he could maintain an extremely low presence. Li Hao was surprised to notice that Da Huang¡¯s aura was gradually stabilizing. It turned out that this dog had been sitting here for so long because it was learning to restrain its aura! ¡°Da Huang? I heard you¡¯re called Da Huang?¡± He tried to communicate with the big yellow dog. His tone was slightly filled with admiration and respect. Even if it was a dog, as long as it had entered the Qi Refinement Stage, it deserved his respect. Da Huang ignored him. ¡°You¡¯re amazing.¡± Li Hao said something out of the blue. The old men who were chatting nearby raised their eyebrows. They wondered if that young man had really just said that Da Huang was amazing. Da Huang, who was sitting on the ground, closed its eyes. It had already been awakened spiritually and could understand human speech. Ever since it had comprehended the true essence of its life, it had strayed away from any kind of joy or sorrow. It only yearned for peaceful cultivation. Nothing in the mortal world could bother it. Li Hao¡¯s pretentious praises could coax other dogs, but this dog expert would not be so easily swayed.. Chapter 35 Seeing Da Huang¡¯s reaction, Li Hao¡¯s respect for it deepened. It was as if it was not an ordinary dog in front of him but a dog expert who had achieved the Dao! Since the dog in front of them was able to appear in that mysterious abnormal phenomenon, then wouldn¡¯t the person who raised the dog be even more powerful? Li Hao had such thoughts in his heart. Suddenly, he stood up and walked to the group of old men who were chatting happily. He said with a gentle expression, ¡°This dog is so obedient. Who raised it?¡± At the side, Teacher Gu seized the opportunity and said, ¡°This child has liked dogs since he was young. It can¡¯t be helped. I always thought dogs were too troublesome, so I never got one for him.¡± Teacher Gu kept stealing glances at the big yellow dog from the corner of his eyes. He did not have Li Hao¡¯s sharp perception, but he could still sense that the big yellow dog was not ordinary. It seemed that their previous guess had been correct. ¡°I see. Da Huang was raised by Dali, but it seemed to have eaten something wrong recently. Dali just went home to get something and was preparing to bring Da Huang to the hospital to take a look.¡± The old men did not doubt them at all and pleasantly chatted with Teacher Gu. One of the old men even started explaining enthusiastically. ¡°Who is Dali?¡± Teacher Gu and Li Hao looked at each other and asked casually. ¡°He¡¯s an old resident of this neighborhood. He¡¯s been living here for decades.¡± ¡°Everyone is very familiar with him. Oh, there he comes. That¡¯s Dali.¡± As the old men were talking, they saw Dali striding over. Dali heard what they said and replied loudly, ¡°What bad things are you saying about me?¡± ¡°You sure have good hearing. Stop being so suspicious. What bad things could we possibly say about you?¡± The old men were already used to Dali¡¯s sensitive hearing and joked. Only Teacher Gu and the other two were not calm. Ordinary people would not be able to hear from such a far distance, but Dali could easily hear the conversation between the old men from far away. Could he be the legendary clairvoyant? Dali must be an expert hiding in Xin Guang Residence! Teacher Gu and the other two unanimously believed that Dali was the legendary ex[ert. The admiration and respect in their eyes almost overflowed. ¡°Hello, Senior Dali. We are new tenants.¡± Teacher Gu said respectfully. ¡°What are you talking about, senior? It looks like we¡¯re all around the same age. Just call me Dali.¡± Dali frowned. There was something strange about these three people. ¡°You¡¯re too kind, senior! You¡¯re too kind!¡± Ye Beixuan wasn¡¯t good at reading people. When he saw Dali, he immediately approached him and greeted him respectfully. Just as he greeted him, the senior shot him a murderous look. He did not dare to speak anymore. Li Hao, who had been silent, pulled him over and glared at him. Ye Beixuan felt even more aggrieved. He wondered what he did wrong. He didn¡¯t understand why everyone was looking at him like that. Teacher Gu stood respectfully at the side. Seeing Dali frown, he immediately understood that Senior Dali did not want others to know his identity! ¡°Da¡­ Dali, what happened to your dog?¡± Although he knew that Senior Dali didn¡¯t like people calling him senior, Teacher Gu still felt timid to address the other party as ¡°Dali¡±. It was really difficult to communicate with a senior in a casual tone. ¡°It must have eaten something wrong. You¡¯ll need to excuse me. My Da Huang seems to be getting more and more abnormal so I have to bring it to the hospital now.¡± When Dali squatted down and tried to pick up Da Huang, he realized that his dog had its eyes closed and was motionless. Previously, its eyes were still open. Dali suddenly had a bad premonition and wondered if his dog¡¯s condition had gotten worse. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be leaving first!¡± Dali carried Da Huang on his shoulder and ran away before he could finish speaking. Only Teacher Gu, Li Hao, Ye Beixuan, and the old men were left. The old men did not think much of the situation since they had seen Dali run faster while carrying a refrigerator during the earthquake. However, Teacher Gu and the others had never seen that. After this series of events, they increasingly felt that Dali was the powerful expert hidden in Xin Guang Residence. ¡°What a fast speed.¡± Even Ye Beixuan exclaimed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? During the earthquake, Dali ran even faster. We weren¡¯t his match.¡± The old men had casual expressions. Da Huang had already been sent to the hospital, so there was no need for them to continue staying in the forest. The few old men made plans to play cards together. After saying goodbye to Teacher Gu and the other two, they left. However, Teacher Gu and the other two were not so calm. After everyone left, the shock in their eyes had already faded, turning into excitement and a trace of anticipation. The dog they just saw with their own eyes was a genuine Qi Refinement Stage dog. They believed that Dali, the owner of Da Huang, would definitely be at an even higher realm. After all, it wouldn¡¯t make any sense for the owner to be at a lower realm than his own dog. Therefore, Teacher Gu and the rest were very sure of one thing¡ªDali was definitely a strong expert that was stronger than the Qi Refinement Stage! ¡°Is Dali¡­ the senior we¡¯re looking for?¡± Ye Beixuan was still in disbelief. ¡°It can¡¯t be wrong. However, this senior doesn¡¯t seem to want others to find out about his identity. The strong have always liked to keep a low-profile. In the future, don¡¯t make the mistake of exposing him in front of others.¡± ¡°When we see him in the future, we¡¯ll just treat him as an ordinary person.¡± Teacher Gu was certain that Dali was the legendary expert and was very happy. He thought that it would take a long time to find that senior and didn¡¯t expect to meet him today. He felt that the whole journey had been successful without them having to put in much effort. ¡°Senior¡¯s strength is truly unfathomable. I actually can¡¯t sense any fluctuations in his aura. He has completely restrained it.¡± Li Hao looked in the direction where Dali disappeared and sighed. It was very difficult for ordinary cultivators to restrain their aura. Without extraordinary strength, it was simply impossible! ¡°We can tell from the abnormal phenomena that ordinary cultivators won¡¯t be able to cause such a huge commotion. In the future, we have to find more opportunities to get along with him and build a good relationship with him. There will be many benefits!¡± Teacher Gu reminded Ye Beixuan to restrain his reckless nature. Otherwise, he would be in deep trouble if he offended this senior. ¡°If this senior would be willing to teach us a bit of the true cultivation path, it will be very beneficial for our future cultivation. After that, it will be very easy for us to enter the Qi Refinement Stage!¡± Li Hao nodded and told Ye Beixuan the same thing as Teacher Gu. Ye Beixuan felt aggrieved that he was being lectured by two people at the same time. After all, he had only been polite and respectful to that senior just now. He believed that there was nothing wrong with what he did! ¡°I wonder what¡¯s wrong with Senior¡¯s dog?¡± Ye Beixuan thought that it was weird for a dog at the Qi Refinement Stage to be sick. After all, that dog was even stronger than him. Teacher Gu and Li Hao smiled and left, leaving Ye Beixuan behind. They both believed that the senior simply lied about the dog being sick to prevent other people from noticing its cultivation. ¡°I can¡¯t believe Ye Beixuan is unable to see through such an obvious lie. Sigh.¡± Teacher Gu and Li Hao signed at the same time. They both decided to keep Ye Beixuan away from that senior in case anything bad happened.. Chapter 36 On the other hand, Chen Pingan had just arrived at the entrance of the neighborhood after leaving Qin Kai Cultivation School. The moment he arrived, he was greatly frightened by the scene before his eyes. His legs felt as if they were heavy with lead, and he froze on the spot. Dali was running towards him with all his might as he carried Da Huang on his shoulder. Da Huang, who was usually lively and active, seemed as if it was dead and was stiff. Chen Pingan was so frightened that he almost wanted to run away. Looking at Dali¡¯s angry expression, Chen Pingan wondered if the other party figured out what he did. Or could it be that¡­ Da Huang had died? While Chen Pingan was in a daze, Dali had already arrived in front of him with Da Huang. Dali¡¯s face was flushed red. ¡°Grandpa Dali, what happened to Da Huang?¡± Chen Pingan asked with a stiff expression. ¡°Oh, Da Huang!¡± As Grandpa Dali was speaking, Da Huang, who was no different from a dead dog a second ago, suddenly woke up. Da Huang struggled violently on his shoulder. Da Huang¡¯s body was especially tall and sturdy. When it struggled, even a strong ox would probably not be able to withstand its strength. Da Huang¡¯s feet kicked hard on Dali¡¯s chest. The force was very strong, and the sound of bones cracking could be heard! The next second. Dali cried out in pain. He felt that one of his ribs had been broken by that dog¡¯s kick. Da Huang, who was on his shoulder, took the opportunity to jump down before Dali could do anything. Chen Pingan was dumbfounded. He did not expect something like this to happen. Suddenly, he heaved a sigh of relief, feeling joy from the bottom of his heart. He silently sized up Da Huang. Its eyes were bright and full of spirit, and it looked lively and energetic. Its strength was like a bull, completely different from the dumb Da Huang Chen Pingan had seen in the video. ¡°Woof, woof, woof.¡± Da Huang sensed Chen Pingan¡¯s gaze and immediately raised its tail. It ran to his feet and called out affectionately. Chen Pingan looked at the fawning Da Huang and felt goosebumps all over his body as he stood further away. But at the next moment, Da Huang ran over again. ¡°Pingan, Da Huang is so affectionate towards you!¡± Dali had already recovered. Seeing this scene, he teased bitterly. Dali was speechless. He couldn¡¯t believe that he had raised an ingrate who would rather be intimate with someone else instead of its own owner. Moreover, Da Huang even kicked Dali. ¡°Dali, stop joking. When has Da Huang ever been intimate with me?¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because it¡¯s been a while since I moved out of the neighborhood. Da Huang hasn¡¯t seen me in too long, so it might be feeling nostalgic.¡± Chen Pingan immediately tried to explain. He started imagining if Da Huang was really being affectionate towards him. He was immediately baffled by the idea. After all, Da Huang nearly tore apart his clothes the last time they met. Dali thought about it. That was indeed the case. Da Huang had always been at odds with Pingan. ¡°However, Da Huang is still acting very strange. It didn¡¯t move at all just now, and now it¡¯s alive and kicking as though nothing is wrong.¡± Da Huang¡¯s eyes darted around as it stared at Chen Ping¡¯ an. It followed Chen Ping¡¯ an wherever he went, and its movements were extremely agile. ¡°Strange!¡± Dali glanced at Da Huang and didn¡¯t understand. Dali wondered if Da Huang was just having a stroke. ¡°I heard that a dog of Da Huang¡¯s breed often does unimaginable things. Apparently, it¡¯s quite normal for it to be acting vigorously even though it was quiet just a moment ago.¡± Chen Pingan felt guilty and explained confidently, as if he was telling the truth. ¡°Woof, woof, woof.¡± Da Huang was dissatisfied and yelled at him. ¡°Look, Da Huang agrees with me.¡± Chen Pingan pointed at Da Huang and recalled the incident when he was pounced on that day. He quietly distanced himself from Da Huang. Dali didn¡¯t suspect anything and nodded in agreement. Finally, under Da Huang¡¯s reluctant gaze, he brought Da Huang home. As for Chen Pingan¡­ Under Dali¡¯s warm invitation, he had no choice but to go home for a meal. The two of them and the dog walked in the neighborhood. The neighborhood wasn¡¯t big, and there were a total of five buildings. The building that Dali lived in was near the small forest, so they took a detour. After walking for about five minutes in the neighborhood, they saw the neighborhood plaza. Past it was the building where Dali lived. At this moment, a gust of wind blew in front of him. Chen Pingan subconsciously closed his eyes. When he opened them, he was shocked to see three people standing in front of him. Ever since that time at the field, he had been very cautious. He rarely used his Spirit Sense when he was outside, so as to avoid offending the hidden mysterious expert. Among the three people who suddenly appeared in front of him, Chen Pingan thought that one of them had a familiar face. Chen Pingan quietly sized them up. The three people¡¯s attention was not on Chen Pingan. Instead, they all looked at Dali beside Chen Pingan. ¡°Se¡­ Dali, didn¡¯t you just say that you were going to the hospital?¡± Teacher Gu greeted Dali with a smile. He was not surprised since he had already guessed that it was a lie. Dali glanced at Da Huang, who was hovering beside Chen Pingan, and helplessly said, ¡°It suddenly recovered when we were about to leave the neighborhood. I am still puzzled.¡± Dali wondered why these three people kept haunting him. He felt that they were behaving suspiciously and didn¡¯t think that they were good people. ¡°I see.¡± Teacher Gu and the other two had friendly smiles on their faces. After all, they didn¡¯t intend on exposing the other party¡¯s lie. ¡°Dali, who is this?¡± They finally noticed that there was a young man standing beside Dali. Similarly, they couldn¡¯t detect any aura fluctuation from the young man. He gave off the same feeling as Dali, but there was something different about him. The group suddenly came to realization. They discovered that this young man didn¡¯t have much Spirit Qi, while Senior Dali had Spirit Qi around him. According to Dali¡¯s Spirit Qi, they could tell that Dali was equivalent to a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator of this world. ¡°Ah, I forgot to introduce you. Pingan, these are the new tenants who just moved into our neighborhood. This is Teacher Pingan from Qin Kai Cultivation School. He used to live in this neighborhood.¡± When Teacher Gu and the other two heard Dali¡¯s words, they finally understood that the two were just neighbors living in the same neighborhood. They thought that the young man in front of them was probably just an ordinary person. Moreover, it was an ordinary person who hadn¡¯t even reached the Qi Refinement Stage of this world. Ye Beixuan shifted his gaze back to Senior Dali. He didn¡¯t think highly of an ordinary person who had yet to reach the Qi Refinement Stage. This was because entering the Qi Refinement Stage of this world was different from entering the true Qi Refinement Stage. In this world, as long as one learned from cultivation books and cultivated often, one would naturally be able to enter the Qi Refinement Stage without any physical obstruction. ¡°Hello, Teacher Pingan. My name is Gu Li. You can call me Uncle Gu.¡± ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Li Hao.¡± After Li Hao received Teacher Gu¡¯s hint, he immediately understood. He knew not to focus on the young man and instead use this opportunity to communicate with Dali. Both of them then looked at Ye Beixuan as he said reluctantly, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Ye Beixuan.¡± ¡°Hello, my name is Chen Pingan. I¡¯ve long heard of your great names.¡± Chen Pingan had already recognized Ye Beixuan before he even introduced himself. Chen Pingan could tell that the other party was the Golden Core Stage cultivator who broke the world record on the first day he transmigrated. However, he did not expect to also see Teacher Gu, another famous figure of Qin Kai Cultivation School. After all, hadn¡¯t Teacher Gu disappeared from the world after entering the Tribulation Stage at the age of 50? At the same time, Chen Pingan also recognized Li Hao, the genius who had reached the Body Integration Stage at the age of twenty. He had actually appeared in Yang City with the other two. Chen Pingan felt shocked but also confused.. Was it a coincidence that the three of them appeared at Xin Guang Residence together, or did they have other motives for coming here? Chapter 37 ¡°Ye Beixuan?!¡± ¡°You¡¯re Ye Beixuan? The world champion?¡± Dali was even more surprised than Chen Pingan. Although Ye Beixuan was nothing compared to the immortal, he had still broken the world record for a sprint. Ye Beixuan even appeared frequently in the news a while ago. Now that such a famous person had appeared in front of him so suddenly, it was no wonder Dali would be shocked. Teacher Gu and the other two didn¡¯t expect Dali to have such a big reaction. They were stunned for a second and couldn¡¯t help but sigh. They simply thought that the senior in front of them had good acting skills. Ye Beixuan beamed with joy. Although he knew that Dali¡¯s reaction was fake, hearing his name coming out of Dali¡¯s mouth still made him feel proud. He had a sudden impulse to tell the entire world that Senior Dali had remembered his name. ¡°Uncle Li, I was just lucky.¡± Ye Beixuan looked extremely obedient. ¡°You¡¯re too humble. That wasn¡¯t luck, it was strength. You¡¯re just strong!¡± After Dali praised him, he turned his head and earnestly advised Chen Pingan. ¡°Pingan, you are about the same age, so you will have to work hard to catch up. Look at him, he is already at the Golden Core stage.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s also no need for you to feel too much pressure. Just work hard on your cultivation and continue to make progress.¡± ¡°Grandpa Dali, I know. Recently, I¡¯ve been preparing to read the High Level Compulsory Cultivation Lesson Book. After reading the low and intermediate level lessons, I¡¯ve gained a lot of insights and benefited a lot.¡± Chen Pingan did not feel embarrassed to receive Dali¡¯s advice. Instead, he was filled with gratitude. A large part of the reason why he was able to improve so much today was due to the guidance of Dali and other old men. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to comprehend so many new paths of cultivation. Also, ever since he transmigrated, other than Brother Xiong who often helped him, Uncle Xun and Grandpa Dali had also given him a lot of help. They would often ask if he was doing well and even offered him guidance in cultivation. Chen Pingan had remembered all of these favors and vowed to never forget them. Grandpa Dali acted as if there was no one else around and continued to guide and console Chen Pingan. He told Chen Pingan to look for Chen Pingan if he encountered any problems. Chen Pingan stood at the side and listened quietly, nodding from time to time. This scene was very heartwarming. Teacher Gu and the other two looked at each other. They didn¡¯t say anything to disturb the two of them. They just looked at Dali¡¯s kind face and became interested in the young man in front of them. They thought that someone who was so close to Dali would probably also be able to help them befriend Dali. Dali, who was standing at the side, felt his mouth go dry after speaking for so long. When he saw the three people standing in front of him, he finally remembered that they were still here. He smiled embarrassedly and explained, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was a bit engrossed since this young man is so worrisome. I spoke too much and forgot that you guys are still around.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s alright. Uncle Li, just pretend that we don¡¯t exist. You don¡¯t have to feel sorry. We also enjoyed listening to you speak. We¡¯ve also benefited a lot.¡± Li Hao did all that in front of Dali, who was still a stranger to him. His eyes were fixed on Dali and he was filled with admiration for this senior. Actually, he was very envious of that young man called Chen Pingan. After all, Li Hao thought that receiving sincere advice from the old man was a great honor. If he had been the one who received the advice, he would feel so happy that he would even wake up laughing from his dreams. ¡°You guys are too kind. Old Gu, it¡¯s not easy for you to raise a sprinter champion.¡± Dali admired Teacher Gu from the bottom of his heart. Since they said that the three of them had moved into the neighborhood together, he naturally treated Teacher Gu as Ye Beixuan¡¯s father. ¡°Heh, no, no. You¡¯re too kind.¡± Teacher Gu smiled hard. Luckily, Dali saw that it was getting late and hurriedly said goodbye to the three of them before pulling Chen Pingan upstairs. Before Chen Pingan went upstairs, he looked at the three people who were still standing at the same spot and felt a little puzzled. Why did Ye Beixuan and the others suddenly move into Xin Guang Residence? While he was still deep in thought, Da Huang behind him became restless and licked his ankle. Chen Pingan¡¯s body trembled as he looked at Da Huang in disdain. He wondered if the dog was really sick. Da Huang wagged its tail even harder. Its eyes were sparkling with anticipation as it looked at the person in front of it with its big watery eyes. ¡°Da Huang, there¡¯s something wrong with you. Stay away from me.¡± Deng deng deng deng. Chen Pingan hurriedly chased after Dali. He didn¡¯t dare to be left alone with Da Huang anymore. Ever since that day, he had developed a trauma. ¡°Woof, woof, woof.¡± Da Huang began to pursue him relentlessly. ¡­ There were three people squatting beside the neighborhood plaza. They were behaving suspiciously as if they were planning something. They communicated telepathically to each other. They were using a sound transmission technique that Teacher Gu had accidentally obtained when he was exploring the cave for ancient artifacts. The technique was extremely mysterious as it had no requirement for one¡¯s realm. Everyone in the True Cultivation Faction could use it without any difficulty. ¡°Senior Dali seems to think highly of Chen Pingan.¡± Ye Beixuan raised an eyebrow. He could tell how much Dali loved that kid just from all the guidance Dali had just given him. ¡°Yes, I can see that too. That young man should have something extraordinary about him that made Senior think so highly of him.¡± Li Hao nodded expressionlessly. He was very jealous of that kid. ¡°We¡¯ll investigate that young man later and see if he has obtained some of Senior¡¯s teachings and entered the Qi Refinement Stage like Da Huang. In fact, he might be fooling us by restraining his aura.¡± Teacher Gu had to make ample preparations. He could not underestimate the people who were close to Dali since they could also be experts. ¡°If the young man is an ordinary person, he will be easier to deal with. We can pull him into the True Cultivation Faction. With his help, I believe that Senior will be less vigilant against us.¡± Li Hao immediately sent a voice transmission. ¡°This is a good idea. We can also use this opportunity to rope in senior. If even Senior joins our True Cultivation Faction, then¡­¡± Even though Li Hao did not finish his sentence, the other two still naturally knew what he meant. Their eyes lit up and their hopes were reignited. The first step for them now was to deal with the person beside Senior Dali, that young man. The three of them squatted at a corner of the neighborhood plaza and started to plan. They only had one goal¡ªto deal with Chen Pingan! ¡°Achoo.¡± When Chen Pingan walked down from Dali¡¯s house, he felt a chill on his back and sneezed twice. He looked back suspiciously and immediately heaved a sigh of relief. Luckily, Da Huang didn¡¯t chase after him. ¡°After Da Huang ate the pill, it seems that its brain has become abnormal.¡± Chen Pingan recalled how Da Huang had been squatting by his feet at the dining table and licking his feet pitifully. It still acted the same way even after Chen Pingan gave it a bone. If a dog was not interested in the bone, it meant that there was something wrong with the dog¡¯s brain! ¡°Luckily, Grandpa Dali is unaware of what happened. Anyway, Da Huang is still alive and kicking. Other than its brain, there seems to be nothing wrong with it.¡± Chen Pingan secretly rejoiced.. Chapter 38 When Chen Pingan was about to leave the neighborhood, he met a few unexpected people. ¡°Brother Pingan, you¡¯re going back to school so soon?¡± Teacher Gu and the other two stood in a row on the sidewalk. They smiled gently, but it made Chen Pingan¡¯s back turn cold. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s getting late. I still have class tomorrow.¡± Chen Pingan couldn¡¯t tell what the three of them were trying to do. Chen Pingan looked fine on the surface but he was secretly alarmed. He felt that there was something wrong with the three of them! ¡°Then we won¡¯t stall Teacher Pingan any longer. Originally, we had wanted to invite you to our house to have a seat because we are all teachers from Qin Kai Cultivation School. Looks like we are quite fated.¡± Teacher Gu did not intend to hide his identity. After all, people from Qin Kai Cultivation School would more or less know about them. Besides, this was not a bad thing. If Chen Pingan knew their identities, it could eliminate his suspicions. In reality, Chen Pingan was even more worried. He couldn¡¯t figure out what the other party wanted to accomplish by befriending him. ¡°Heh, indeed.¡± Chen Pingan didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with Teacher Gu and the other two. If there was some big secret tied to their intentions, he would be in big trouble. ¡°Teacher Pingan, you must be very confused as to why the three of us suddenly appeared here, right? Actually, there¡¯s no harm in telling you.¡± Chen Pingan interrupted him. ¡°No, no, no. Teacher Gu, you must have something to do. I won¡¯t disturb you.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, he ignored the stunned trio and ran past them. Chen Pingan¡¯s thought process was very simple. He did not want to get involved in the matters of those people, especially Teacher Gu and Li Hao. Since they had already entered the Tribulation Stage at such a young age, it was very difficult for him to fathom their current strength. He guessed that their strength was probably similar to that of the neighborhood expert. If that was the case, he could not afford to provoke them. At the thought of this, he ran even faster, as if he was being chased by a monster. Teacher Gu and the other two had prepared their lines in advance, but before they could say anything, Chen Pingan had already disappeared. ¡°We didn¡¯t even do anything! Why is he running so fast?¡± Ye Beixuan was speechless. He did not believe that that guy was a real cultivator. After all, a true cultivator wouldn¡¯t have been so timid. ¡°He looks terrified of us.¡± Li Hao was a little confused. Could it be that Dali was only guiding Chen Pingan and did not teach him the true cultivation path? ¡°We¡¯ll go to the school to intercept him tomorrow. Beixuan, ask around tonight and find out where he lives. After that, you can make a trip to the school tomorrow.¡± Teacher Gu sighed and made a new plan. ¡°Why me?! I don¡¯t want to!¡± Ye Beixuan protested immediately. ¡°Who else then? Are you asking me, a person who disappeared for almost thirty years, to suddenly make an appearance at Qin Kai Cultivation School? What would the principal think?¡± ¡°Li Hao will also arouse suspicion if he suddenly goes there and looks for a new teacher. If we end up attracting attention, it will be troublesome. Senior Dali might even bear a grudge against us because of it.¡± Teacher Gu looked at the sad Ye Beixuan and said earnestly, ¡°Beixuan, we know that this is a difficult task, but think about it carefully. If you can get along well with Chen Pingan, Senior Dali will definitely have a deeper impression of you than us.¡± ¡°And when that happens, who do you think will get the most benefits?¡± As expected, Ye Beixuan was tempted. Teacher Gu even went as far to act regretfully and say, ¡°Since Beixuan is unwilling, let¡¯s give up on this plan. We can slowly find an opportunity to interact with Senior Dali in the future. There will always be hope. It¡¯s just a matter of time.¡± ¡°Teacher Gu, I didn¡¯t say I wasn¡¯t willing.¡± Ye Beixuan was embarrassed. He glanced at Teacher Gu and Li Hao and lowered his head. The real cultivation path was very alluring to him. After all, Ye Beixuan didn¡¯t think that Chen Pingan would be hard to deal with. In reality, however, Chen Pingan was harder to deal with than he had imagined. While Ye Beixuan and the rest were planning on how to deal with Chen Pingan, Chen Pingan was already on high alert. ¡°I¡¯m only at the Qi Refinement Stage. I don¡¯t have money or power, so why are they targeting me?¡± Chen Pingan sat on the sofa in the dormitory. He recalled how Ye Beixuan and the others had displayed ill intentions towards him when they first met him. But there was nothing special about him, was there? Chen Pingan felt that their appearance in Yang City, especially in Xin Guang Residence, was most likely due to the abnormal phenomena. However, Chen Pingan couldn¡¯t figure out how he was related to the abnormal phenomena. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll just stay away from them in the future. I won¡¯t get involved.¡± Chen Pingan tossed the strange events of the day to the back of his mind. He casually picked up the Intermediate Level Compulsory Cultivation Lesson on the table and read it over and over again, completely memorizing the contents inside. Only when he could no longer comprehend anything new did he put the book down. ¡°There¡¯s still the last book. I should start reading it tomorrow.¡± Chen Pingan was not in a hurry to read all the cultivation books at once. After all, reading them in one go would only backfire. He understood this much. He would rather take things slowly than not gain anything in the end. It was already dark. Chen Pingan remembered that he had three lessons tomorrow afternoon. He did not think about anything else and went to bed after washing up. As Chen Pingan fell into a deep sleep, there were still many people from the outer city quietly waiting on their balconies, waiting to personally witness another abnormal phenomenon of Yang City. However, despite everyone¡¯s expectations, nothing would happen tonight in Yang City. It had already been three days since the phenomenon of the Sun-Swallowing Heavenly Dog appeared. Within these three days, everyone in Yang City and the people in other cities were all looking forward to the next phenomenon. They all wondered about the shocking phenomenon that was going to appear next. ¡­ The next morning. Chen Pingan was woken up by a series of rapid knocks on the door. ¡°Who is it? It¡¯s so early in the morning!¡± He was annoyed. Anyone who woke up early in the morning would not have a good temper. Bang! Ye Beixuan¡¯s left hand stopped in mid-air as he looked at the person inside the door in shock. Then, he smiled like a spring breeze. ¡°Teacher Pingan, good morning!¡± Chen Pingan did not respond. Chen Pingan looked at him quietly with a dark expression. He had no intention of letting him in. Ye Beixuan didn¡¯t feel awkward at all. He lifted the breakfast he had bought earlier and smiled sheepishly. ¡°Teacher Pingan, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to disturb your sleep. I had to visit Qin Kai Cultivation School and decided that I would stop by to see you.¡± ¡°I seem to have come at the wrong time. I didn¡¯t consider it properly this time. I hope you won¡¯t take offense at me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not even 8 AM yet, the principal probably hasn¡¯t even started work yet, right?¡± Chen Pingan looked at Ye Beixuan with a fake smile. He didn¡¯t believe Ye Beixuan. Chen Pingan thought that Ye Beixuan could have at least used a better excuse. ¡°Brother Pingan, I won¡¯t beat around the bush with you then.¡± Ye Beixuan took advantage of the distraction and entered the room.. Chapter 39 ¡°Hey, why would you enter someone¡¯s house without permission?¡± Chen Pingan protested against Ye Beixuan¡¯s behavior. ¡°Don¡¯t be angry. I really have something important to tell you. It¡¯s just that this matter is too serious and I can¡¯t let others hear about it.¡± Ye Beixuan walked in as he spoke, his eyes darting around. Suddenly, his gaze stopped at a certain spot, his eyes flickering. ¡°I am not curious. You don¡¯t have to tell me anything. I still have class. Please hurry back.¡± Chen Pingan was not interested in what Ye Beixuan had to say. He wished that Ye Beixuan would just keep it as a secret so that he wouldn¡¯t get into trouble. ¡°Do you know what kind of a person Senior Dali is?¡± Ye Beixuan bent down and picked up the cultivation book on the table. He teased, ¡°These cultivation books are useless. Didn¡¯t Senior Dali ever teach you anything useful?¡± ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Chen Pingan¡¯s eyes lit up. He thought that he would be the judge of whether those books were useful or not. If those books were as useless as Ye Beixuan said they were, then why was his cultivation progressing so successfully every time? After all, he had been relying on those books to advance his cultivation realm. Chen Pingan clearly did not believe the other party¡¯s words. Cultivation books were very helpful for his cultivation! ¡°What I want to say is that¡­ that Senior Dali is the legendary expert of Yang City, and he¡¯s even at the level of an immortal. The many phenomena in Xin Guang Residence were all caused by him.¡± Ye Beixuan casually threw down the book and approached Chen Pingan. He enunciated each word as he observed Chen Pingan¡¯s expression. To his surprise, Chen Pingan¡¯s eyes were filled with shock, as if he were unaware. ¡°Has Senior Dali never told you?¡± Ye Beixuan pressed on. He was trying to confirm if Chen Pingan really didn¡¯t know or was pretending not to. ¡°What evidence do you have to prove that all of this was caused by Grandpa Dali? Can you really prove that he is the hidden expert of the neighborhood?¡± Even though Chen Pingan had thought of this possibility, he still couldn¡¯t believe it when Ye Beixuan said it with such certainty. From his usual behavior, Chen Pingan never noticed anything unusual about Grandpa Dali. He seemed just like an ordinary person to him! ¡°I¡¯m not lying to you. The reason we know that Senior Dali is that powerful person is because we have come into contact with some things, things that are different from the cultivation of this world.¡± Ye Beixuan suddenly laughed. It was a brash and arrogant laugh. ¡°The reason why I said your cultivation books are useless is because we¡¯ve seen the ancient books of true cultivation!¡± ¡°The so-called immortal cultivation of this world is nothing more than a fart. It¡¯s completely useless. It can¡¯t even be considered the tip of the iceberg! Chen Pingan was stunned. He was truly stunned. He wondered what Ye Beixuan meant by true cultivation. Could it be that the cultivators of this world were not true cultivators? Chen Pingan had questioned it before. However, after experiencing the terror of those abnormal phenomena, he stopped questioning it. Due to the terrifying abnormal phenomena, he had erased all of his doubts. He believed that there was no way the hidden expert or immortal wasn¡¯t a true cultivator. ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense. If what we¡¯re cultivating isn¡¯t really true immortal cultivation, then how do you explain the abnormal phenomena in our school and the neighborhood?¡± Chen Pingan was very skeptical of Ye Beixuan¡¯s words. He would only believe the other party if Ye Beixuan could demonstrate what true cultivation was. ¡°It¡¯s very simple, because Senior Dali is the same as us. He walks the true path of cultivation. However, he has walked the path longer than us. We have just started, and we are still trying to figure it out.¡± Ye Beixuan understood Chen Pingan¡¯s attitude. When he first found out about this, his reaction was even more intense than Chen Pingan¡¯s. ¡°The reason why Teacher Gu and I came to Yang City is because of Senior Dali. We have come to obtain some of the true essence of his cultivation. We hope that he can help us enter the true Qi Refinement Stage earlier.¡± ¡°You should know about the deeds of Teacher Gu and the others. Why would an expert in the Tribulation Stage suddenly appear in Yang City after ascending? What could be the reason?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because Teacher Gu discovered the secret of true immortal cultivation. The so-called ascension of our world is actually caused by the accidental death from being struck by lightning after having reached the Tribulation Stage. In fact, the ascension to the true Tribulation Stage is like becoming a god. You become an undying and indestructible existence.¡± When Ye Beixuan said this, Chen Pingan suddenly looked up and wondered if he had heard correctly. Wasn¡¯t this the true immortal cultivation he had once expected to see? Ye Beixuan continued to talk without paying any attention to Chen Pingan. ¡°We organized a cultivation faction that specializes in cultivating in the traditional sense. Unfortunately, most of the ancient books left behind by our predecessors were destroyed and they didn¡¯t leave behind any useful information. Fortunately, someone like Senior Dali had appeared in Yang City.¡± ¡°He is the last hope for us to enter the true Qi Refinement Stage. As for you, you are the junior closest to Senior Dali. That is why we came to seek your help. With your help, we can successfully gain Senior Dali¡¯s trust.¡± Chen Pingan had now completely believed that true experts were different from the ordinary cultivators in this world. Even though they lived in the same world, their difference in strength was obvious. This was because the two cultivated differently. The true experts cultivated true immortal cultivation, while the ordinary cultivators were only strengthening their bodies. He thought back to the first day he transmigrated, and the news he saw that completely overturned his understanding of cultivation. After hearing Ye Beixuan¡¯s explanation, he realized that his initial understanding had been correct. Chen Pingan started to realize that Dali was a true cultivator and was probably also the expert hidden in the neighborhood. In fact, it was even more likely that he was the immortal who had cultivated in the school. ¡°Grandpa Dali¡¯s acting is really superb. Even I was fooled.¡± Chen Pingan muttered to himself. ¡°If you still don¡¯t believe me, just look at me. Because I had touched a bit of the true essence of immortal cultivation, I was able to easily break the world record of the sprint.¡± Ye Beixuan mouth was running dry but the other party still wasn¡¯t reacting at all. He wondered if he was being unclear. ¡°I believe you, but I won¡¯t be able to help you. Grandpa Dali never told me about any of this.¡± Chen Pingan¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He was amazed by how powerful one could become just by getting a little bit of the true essence of immortal cultivation. If so, after reaching the true Qi Refinement Stage, wouldn¡¯t one be able to directly crush the so-called Tribulation Stage cultivators of this world?! Suddenly, Chen Pingan sighed regretfully. Dali had not revealed any of this to him. He quickly dismissed that thought because he had the cultivation system. Even if he didn¡¯t enter the cultivation faction that Ye Beixuan mentioned, he still wouldn¡¯t need to worry. It was just that his improvement wouldn¡¯t be as obvious as Ye Beixuan said it would be. ¡°Nothing at all?¡± Ye Beixuan refused to give up. After all, he could tell that Dali thought highly of Chen Pingan and would not hide the true path of cultivation from Chen Pingan. ¡°He really didn¡¯t tell me anything. If there¡¯s nothing else, you can go back first. I have class later.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. You are welcome to join the True Cultivation Faction at any time. It¡¯s fine even if you haven¡¯t come into contact with the true path of cultivation. You can consider it carefully and think about what I said.¡± ¡°We¡¯re of the same age, so it wouldn¡¯t hurt to be friends. That¡¯s all for now. I¡¯ll go back first.¡± Ye Beixuan disappeared after saying those words.. Chapter 40 ¡°There must be a lot of powerful people in the True Cultivation Faction. If I were to enter alone in my current weak state, wouldn¡¯t I be tortured to death?¡± Chen Pingan muttered to himself as he looked in the direction where Ye Beixuan had disappeared. In fact, the reason why Chen Pingan left the neighborhood then was because he knew that there were terrifying experts hidden inside. If he were to join the so-called True Cultivation Faction, it would make him even more uneasy. However, he did like Ye Beixuan¡¯s idea of becoming friends to occasionally discuss true cultivation. ¡°But¡­ the cultivation books weren¡¯t as useless as he said they were¡­ Could it be because my realm is too low?¡± Chen Pingan picked up the cultivation books that had fallen to the ground. He looked at the cover of the book and recalled what Ye Beixuan just told him. He was confused. At least for the current him, the cultivation books were still very useful! ¡°This is the problem with the strong. Cultivation books are too basic and can no longer satisfy their needs, so they don¡¯t think it¡¯s very useful for them.¡± Chen Pingan sighed. In the end, his cultivation realm was still too low, unable to compare to those experts at all. The path of cultivation ahead of Chen Pingan was still long! He lowered his head and sighed as he opened the window. It was especially hot today. After he opened the window, a little cool air floated in. ¡°Summer is coming, Yang City is starting to heat up.¡± Chen Pingan muttered as he turned around to tidy up the room. He had three lessons in the afternoon. If nothing went wrong, the higher-ups of the school would not attend the lessons again. After all, the higher-ups were too busy dealing with the big shots from all over the country to bother about him. But speaking of the abnormal phenomenon in Yang City, nearly four days had passed, and still nothing had happened recently. ¡°What a pity. I still want to see another abnormal phenomenon with my own eyes.¡± Just as Chen Pingan finished speaking, a figure appeared in his mind. It was Dali! Chen Pingan recalled that he was just told that Dali was the expert in the neighborhood. ¡°I have to be more careful in the future. I¡¯ll also have to avoid speaking nonsense in front of Grandpa Dali. If I make him unhappy, the outcome will be very bad.¡± On the way to class, Chen Pingan intentionally took a longer detour to avoid bumping into Dali. Fortunately, Chen Pingan didn¡¯t meet Dali or Ye Beixuan along the way. After heaving a sigh of relief, he went on with his day. The three lessons in the afternoon went by without any accidents.. Apart from the incident in the morning, everything seemed to be going smoothly. Chen Pingan was drenched in sweat after three periods of physical education class. He rushed back to his dormitory without stopping and took a remote path. He took a shower and changed into a clean set of clothes before lying down on the sofa. Chen Pingan caught a glimpse of the cultivation books on the table from the corner of his eye. He had already finished reading the first two cultivation books and had completely digested them by now. ¡°It¡¯s time to read the next book.¡± He turned around and took out the last treasured cultivation book from a box. It was the High Level Compulsory Cultivation Lesson Book. Chen Pingan was even more devoted than the previous two sessions. He felt that this cultivation book was simply extraordinary. It was light and didn¡¯t have much thickness, and the entire length of the book was very short and seemed to contain a great mystery. Just like before, he flipped open the cover and exclaimed in surprise. There was no longer a catalog. Chen Pingan flipped through the pages suspiciously. He skipped past many blank pages and directly read the content on the front page. ¡°Only the essence is written here!¡± He could not help but sigh. He was no longer reading about basic circulation of Spirit Qi, but a cultivation system which had integrated everything perfectly. It was the most extensive cultivation system that Chen Pingan had come into contact with so far. It included everything from the entering of the Spirit Qi into his body to the circulation process of the Spirit Qi in his body and the exiting of Spirit Qi from his skin. It contained the knowledge of many aspects of cultivation. ¡°Is this what the ancients meant when they said that you could form a layer of basic protective Spirit Qi around the skin?¡± He did not expect to see such a defensive method mentioned in the book and was slightly shocked. ¡°Hmph, and to think that I almost believed Ye Beixuan when he said it was useless. Luckily, I didn¡¯t listen to him and kept the book. If I had thrown it away, I would have lost a defensive divine ability!¡± Chen Pingan suddenly rejoiced. This kind of defensive divine ability was rare. He had cultivated for so long and had only come into contact with things related to cultivation. This was the first time he had come into contact with such a divine ability. He carefully read through every word and every small symbol of the book, like a devout believer reading the bible. After two hours, the sky had already started to darken. Chen Pingan finally shifted his gaze away from the book. ¡°Hu, this is too wonderful, I can¡¯t describe it with words!¡± He was still exclaiming non-stop. Even though the book only had a dozen or so pages, every word in it was condensed with meaning and incomparably precious! While his comprehension was still deep, Chen Pingan took this opportunity to recall the content he had just read and immediately entered a fixed cultivation state. As usual, he absorbed Spirit Qi and replenished his Spirit Sea to nourish his bones and meridians. As he slowly and orderly replaced the Spirit Qi in his body, his body began to glow with vitality. It was as if he were a willow tree pulling out its tender branches as it swayed in the breeze. In fact, in Chen Pingan¡¯s imagination, he had become one of the branches of this willow tree as it absorbed all the Spirit Qi in a vast land. When the Spirit Qi entered the branch, the young willow tree became even more green. Then, cracks appeared on the willow tree in his imagination. After that, the tender willow tree turned into a white ape who stood on its two feet. There was no Spirit Qi turbulence around the white ape until it started breathing. Only then would Spirit Qi slowly float out, showing no signs of gushing. All of a sudden, it was as if this white ape had absorbed enough Spirit Qi and its Spirit Qi was overflowing. Now, even if Spirit Qi entered its body, it would only flow out of its nose, mouth, and skin. The white ape was Chen Pingan¡¯s incarnation. Simply put, all of this was happening in Chen Pingan¡¯s imagination. At this moment, the vast Spirit Sea in his body was already occupied by an immeasurable amount of Spirit Qi, and there was even a surplus. However, he still continued to cultivate because his Spirit Sea was only the foundation that would help him prepare for the Spirit Qi defensive divine ability. Chen Pingan was still immersed in his own imagination. By now, the white ape had disappeared. This time, what appeared was not a ferocious beast or a young willow tree, but an immortal! It was the same immortal as the one he had first seen on the cover of the cultivation book. Like the floating immortal on the cover, Pingan¡¯s body floated up as well. There was Spirit Qi supporting him from below, and the entire scene seemed extremely mysterious. At this moment, Chen Pingan was completely unaware of everything that was happening to him. This was because he had completely replaced himself with his imagination of the immortal. It was as if he was in his shoes and could witness the scenes in his imagination from the immortal¡¯s perspective. Suddenly, the imagination started to become a lot more realistic and believable. Just as Chen Pingan was cultivating in a trance-like state, a crack appeared in the sky above Qin Kai Cultivation School as light seeped out from the crack! From that crack, the Spirit Qi of mountains and oceans gushed out.. At this moment, the entire Qin Kai Cultivation School was like a fairyland! All of a sudden, a fairyland that only existed in ancient books had appeared in the real world!