Chapter 275: Poor Parents' Hearts, Poor Elder Sisters' Hearts

The sixth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Chen Shu and the Vice Sect Master were on a video call.

The Vice Sect Master was an elderly man after all; although he was erudite and had a youthful mindset, and was very familiar with modern culture and technological creations, there was still a strange feeling about video calling him—for instance, he always stayed very close to the camera, and his face occupied the entire screen.

"Don't be anxious, this is very normal, it's not that something has gone wrong. The materialization of the Spirit Sea relies heavily on feeling; practice more, and go look for that feeling more often."

"This isn't written in books, and it's not easy for others to teach."

"In any case, the intersection between the Spirit Sea and reality lies within that single line. Once you find it and grasp it, you will never forget it in the future."

"Your progress is already very fast, there is no need to be overly demanding. If it really doesn't work, you can rest for a day and properly clear your mind. Perhaps the perception of this feeling will emerge automatically, or if you change your perspective next time, it will be very easy to find."

Chen Shu had a sense of déjà vu, like when he was learning to drive in his past life and trying to find the clutch, only this instructor was refined and courteous and wouldn't scold anyone.

"Understood."

"Is the holiday coming up soon?"

"Today is the last subject; once the test is done, it's break time."

"Which subject?"

"A Spirit Sea test." Chen Shu paused, "I'll return to the sect tomorrow, and go home after the New Year."

"Mm, coming to the sect is better; some things are much better discussed in person than over the internet." The Vice Sect Master nodded repeatedly, "With your progress, perhaps you can bring your Spirit Body to the introductory level in the first half of next year."

"I'll strive for it."

Chen Shu checked the time and said with a smile: "I'm going to take the test, I'll practice again when I get back."

"Good."

The video call was hung up.

The Vice Sect Master was certainly decisive.

Chen Shu liked interacting with such people; there was no unnecessary chatter in anything, just say what needs to be said, do what needs to be done, and keep the rest to a minimum.

Relaxed and straightforward.

Chen Shu turned off the computer, got up, and went out.

Brother Meng had already finished all his exams and was packing his things, his brows furrowed the whole time.

Brother Jiang was also taking his last exam today, which seemed to be Martial Artist Pharmacology. It was truly difficult for someone like him, a special admissions student, to take this course; his whole person exuded a sense of anxiety and worry from the inside out.

"Yo!"

Seeing this, Chen Shu couldn't help but say: "You two, your moods aren't very beautiful, are they? What's wrong? Did the school suddenly forbid dating in the dormitory?"

"Go away..."

Meng Chunqiu waved his hand, then couldn't help but ask: "What are you testing today?"

"A Spirit Sea test, and then I'll be liberated."

"I wish you a zero, Brother Chen."

"How is that possible? How many Cultivators have you seen who are at the Sixth Stage in their junior year?" Chen Shu had grown close with his roommates, so he had fewer reservations, "Even if I wanted to drop out now, the principal would have to come and talk to me."

"What stage? Brother Chen, you misspoke, right?" Meng Chunqiu stared blankly at Chen Shu, attempting to correct him, "Fifth Stage."

"Brother Chen, you're at the Sixth Stage?"

Jiang Lai also looked up at him in surprise.

"That's right."

"Impressive."

"Impressive..."

Jiang Lai was shocked internally.

Meng Chunqiu's expression became increasingly complex.

"Brother Jiang, then I'll take my leave first. Brother Meng, wait for us to finish our exams, let's have a farewell meal before leaving." Chen Shu said as he walked out. When he reached the corridor, he couldn't help but turn his head back to look at Jiang Lai and urged, "Regardless of whether you know how to do it, fill in the blanks. Especially those questions you know how to do but seem like you don't—no matter if you're sure it's the right answer, as long as it feels like it, as long as it might be correct, write it all down. Let the teacher see your effort and sincerity."

Everyone understands these principles, but the human brain is a marvelous thing; it always forgets, or is too lazy to do so.

But if someone reminds you, it will be effective for a period of time.

As for cheating, that was impossible.

Brother Jiang was a very honest person and wouldn't do such a thing.

Half an hour later.

The Spirit Sea test site.

A long, winding queue had formed in the classroom again.

Teacher Fu Jia sat at the very front. After getting used to that slightly stern and rigid face, it actually revealed an increasingly intellectual gentleness.

The students in the "Ancient Cultivation Class" of the "Ancient Cultivation Department" all had decent talent. By their junior year, many students had already reached the Third Tier. So far in the testing, the lowest was the Second Tier, and there was even a female student who had reached the Fourth Stage, which was quite rare.

It would soon be Chen Shu's turn.

The one currently being tested was the Class Monitor.

The result was 2a.

It wasn't conspicuous in the class; just as he had said when they first met, his talent was average.

However, with his talent, 2a must already be the Second Rank Peak; the distance to the Third Tier was just a matter of one potion.

It seemed the Class Monitor was very diligent.

At the same time, the Class Monitor's mindset was also very good. Everyone was joking with him, and he responded to each one with a smile. While they were chatting, another male student tested with a score of 4e, which should be a newly promoted Fourth Stage.

Chen Shu looked up and watched.

These two Fourth Stage students, one male and one female, were the two who raised their hands when Teacher Fu Jia asked if anyone had already opened their Spirit Sea at the start of the semester.

This male student also seemed to be a disciple of the Spirit Sect, while that female student was a descendant of the traditional nobility of Yiguo, though it had now declined. He didn't know if the Spirit Sect would absorb her into the sect as well.

In any case, both of them had very good talent.

The class monitor also chatted with them for a bit, a real social butterfly; as she passed by Chen Shu, she asked him again: "Big Boss, how is it?"

"Not bad."

"Are you at the Fifth Stage?"

"I am at the Fifth Stage."

Chen Shu answered very calmly.

A soft gasp went around the room.

The class monitor was also surprised for a moment, then said with a grin: "Then the Martial Body meet next semester will depend on you; our school hasn't taken first place in several years."

"Hard to say."

Chen Shu said this while walking forward.

Swiping the card, confirming the information.

Pressing his hand onto it.

A strand of Spirit Power was emitted from the testing machine, entering his body through his hand.

This time, his perception of this strand of Spirit Power was very clear.

Much like his first guess, the level of this Spirit Power was roughly equivalent to a Sixth Stage Peak Cultivator, its quality slightly higher than the Spirit Power within his own body; he could not only clearly capture the trajectory of this Spirit Power as it moved through his body and the testing process, but if he wished, he could easily cut it off, or even use his home-field advantage to mislead it, making it report a false result.

It was just that there was no need to do so.

Deliberately hiding or deliberately bragging were both quite awkward.

It was best to just let things take their natural course.

"Beep beep!"

The Spirit Power testing machine fed back the result.

At this, even the knowledgeable Teacher Fu Jia could not help it; she widened her eyes and lifted her head:

"You're at the Sixth Stage?"

The class monitor beside her was so surprised her jaw dropped.

The classroom was also deathly silent.

To this, Chen Shu acted neither shy nor proud, showing only a modest amount of smugness, like someone who had just finished a god-like performance in a video game, and he gestured vaguely with his hand toward everyone:

"Basic operation, don't 6."

The classmates stared at him blankly, most of them having only one thought in their minds: when I go back later, I can brag to others!

Teacher Fu Jia was also thinking: when I go back later, I can brag to the other teachers.

Only the class monitor had different thoughts than them.

The class monitor was thinking: hard work pays off, the class finally has its first Big Boss; the way I've been waiting on him for these past two or three years, it counts as being attentive, right?

……

The seventh day of the twelfth lunar month.

Chen Shu took off from Zhilan Garden.

Because he was going to the Spirit Sect first and wouldn't return to Bai City until the end of the month, and Chen Banxia had already started work and wouldn't return until the New Year holiday, Chen Banxia didn't matter anyway; in short, Qingqing had no reason to return to Bai City, and the little girl had no motivation to go back either—pitting her wits against her sister and playing with Taozi was much more interesting than going home.

Winter in Lingzhou was also very cold.

Compared to Yujing, the temperature was slightly higher, at least not below zero, but the humidity was very heavy, especially on the mountain, where the humidity was even heavier.

This was somewhat uncomfortable.

Because for a Cultivator, although they could still feel the low temperature and perceive the cold, once they were used to it, it actually didn't matter; a Cultivator wouldn't shiver from the cold, have stiff limbs, or catch a cold and get a runny nose, but heavy humidity and heavy fog were a bit annoying.

With such abundant Spirit Power on the mountain, it would be great to carve a Formation that covered the whole mountain, making it like spring all year round.

And in the rapeseed fields at the foot of the mountain, a hint of yellow was already appearing; it was estimated that after the Spring Festival, if the sun came out, the rapeseed flowers under Yuding Mountain would be in full bloom.

Chen Shu began to study earnestly.

He had no other purpose here, just to study. Every second spent slacking off was a waste of having come here. He was either studying the Spirit Body, asking the Vice Sect Master for advice, or receiving the Vice Sect Master's teachings, or reading books at Phoenix Tower; only at night when he returned to the courtyard, finished showering, and lay on the bed, would he take out his Mobile Phone for a short while before sleep to scroll through short videos, and he only watched the people he followed, falling asleep once he finished.

The crazy studying here was for the sake of slacking off after leaving; not watching short videos here was for the sake of watching them while lying on Qingqing's lap after leaving.

He stayed until the afternoon of the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, nearly twenty days in total.

Chen Shu said goodbye to the Vice Sect Master, wished her an early Happy New Year, and sat on the flying car back to Yujing.

The reason he left today was that Yiguo's Spring Festival long holiday started on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, and Chen Banxia and Wei Lvshi were both off starting that day.

Chen Shu arrived in Yujing just at dusk, and Chen Banxia had just gotten off work; this person was like a monkey in a cage, extremely impatient as the holiday approached, having no mind for work all day, chatting away in Jade Capital Ghoul, and she was likely the first one out the door when work ended.

After eating dinner, the next morning, the group took a flying car back to Bai City, saving quite a bit on airfare.

On the flying car, Chen Banxia looked a bit dazed, looking left and right, and finally reacted, asking Chen Shu:

"How come you always have a private car picking you up?"

"Maybe I'm more highly regarded within the sect."

"Did you take a master?" Chen Banxia asked vigilantly, "Who did you take?"

"Not yet."

Chen Shu answered honestly.

He had originally thought the Vice Sect Master was going to take him as a disciple, and they had cultivated enough of a relationship that Chen Shu didn't mind, but the Vice Sect Master had been slow to propose the idea, so he hadn't bothered with it. Anyway, for a lazy person like him, skipping a step was always a good thing.

Chen Banxia frowned and began to analyze: "It's clear the Spirit Sect really does think highly of you... your talent is also not bad... are you going to reach a High-Tier?"

"Maybe."

"What do you mean by maybe?"

Chen Banxia's fair brow furrowed into a knot, which, combined with her chubby face, was exceptionally cute, making one want to give her a flick on the forehead.

It was just that she didn't think so herself; in her heart, she was currently projecting the image of a devoted sister worried sick about her younger brother, shining with brilliance.

Chen Shu didn't answer her, but opened the wine cabinet beside him and took out a bottle of yellow wine: "Royal Wine Cellar, a discontinued series, seems like it's been many years; there's a wine warmer here, and it'll probably take a whole day to fly back, want to have a drink?"

"Can it be drunk?"

"Of course it can be drunk, why would it be left here if it couldn't?"

"I mean, this seems very expensive..."

"It's fine, I saw it here a year and a half ago, and it's still here now; it's a waste if no one drinks it." Chen Shu paused, "Besides, from my observation, it seems I'm the only one who uses this flying car anyway."

Upon hearing this, the pilot turned his head and said, "This vehicle is now exclusively yours, and I am your exclusive driver."

"Then aren't you very free, brother?"

"Thanks to you."

"What about your salary?"

"About twenty thousand a month, can't compare to a formal pilot."

"I'm envious."

"Hahaha..."

The pilot let out a hearty laugh.

Chen Banxia scratched her head.

It seems her younger brother is indeed highly valued; at this rate, being in the Spirit Sect, he probably won't be able to avoid pushing for High-Tier even if he wanted to.

The elder sister felt very worried about this.

Her younger brother is still young, he doesn't yet know what he wants, doesn't know how he will spend the rest of his life, and to rashly embark on this path... it's not that this path is necessarily wrong, or necessarily unsuitable for him, it's just that as his sister, she fears he will lose the right to choose, and when he finally comes to his senses later and knows how he wants to spend the rest of his life, it happens to be different from the path he is currently on, but he will already be on this path and unable to turn back.

"Sigh..."

The elder sister sighed, feeling worried in her heart, but her hands were a bit uncontrollable because the weather was too cold.

"Glug glug..."

The yellow wine was poured into a wine glass and placed into the wine warmer.

She had no choice but to drown her thousand sorrows in drink.