Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation

Under the astonished gazes of the others, Jiang Ning withdrew his palm and walked back from under the tree.

The palm strike he had just executed was meant not to damage the tree, so he had slightly used his spiritual power to knock the shuttlecock down.

To him, it was merely an insignificant gesture; had he been serious, with his Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer and Thunder Refining Body Cultivation, a single effortless palm strike could have broken the tree in two.

But that would have been too shocking.

Jiang Ning slowly returned, and only then did the others come to their senses.

Shen Qing'e quickly said, "Jiang Ning, you really got the shuttlecock down."

She was truly grateful. Now, with exams looming, if the shuttlecock hadn't been retrieved, it may well have been lost by the time they finished their exams and came back to deal with it.

Moreover, compared to Yu Wen's and Zhang Chi's methods, Jiang Ning had made it look much too easy, as if he hadn't exerted himself at all.

She looked at Jiang Ning, unable to comprehend how his not-so-strong body could conceal such immense power—it was simply unfathomable.

A thought suddenly struck her: 'If he were to participate in the upcoming sports event, perhaps the whole school would get to know him, wouldn't they?'

Jiang Yanan crowded in, curiously sizing up Jiang Ning, then glanced down at the leaves on the ground as if seeing him for the first time.

Last semester, Jiang Ning had intervened twice in class, and she only thought he was good at fighting, never realizing he was this resourceful.

Yu Wen felt a bit embarrassed inside; she had just been sure Jiang Ning was wasting his efforts, and now the turnaround was too swift.

Though she had had some issues with Jiang Ning not long ago, she was, after all, a high school girl, and it was embarrassing to ignore the help she had received.

"Thank you, Jiang Ning, I owe you one. I'll treat you to milk tea next time," Yu Wen said, keeping her head down.

Hearing this, Zhang Chi beside her couldn't help feeling thirsty; although he hadn't been of much help, didn't his efforts still count for something?

He grinned, "What about me, Yu Wen? I'd like some bubble milk tea."

Yu Wen's expression froze instantly, she lifted her head and gave Zhang Chi a couple of sharp glances as if her eyes were knives.

This left Zhang Chi silently complaining; was it just a cup of milk tea?

If you're not inviting, then don't invite; why look at him that way?

It was as if he couldn't afford a cup of milk tea.

Seeing that several girls were still about to talk to Jiang Ning, Xue Yuantong came over and pulled Jiang Ning away:

"Let's hurry up, the car's still not parked."

"Yeah, okay, we're leaving," said Jiang Ning as he led her away.

"Bye," called Jiang Yanan.

Shen Qing'e stayed put, watching their retreating figures, and sighed inwardly. Once upon a time, the person beside Jiang Ning had been her.

But that could never be restored.

Yu Wen picked up the racket: "Qing'e, you and Jiang Ning come from the same place, right?"

...

The afternoon exams quickly ended, and a three-day mini-break followed.

Dan Kaiquan came out of the exam room with a grand total of fifty yuan left in his pocket, nowhere near enough to spend it all.

His father had recently been promoted, and when he returned from the holiday, after the monthly test results were out, he'd receive another reward.

Even less chance of spending all the money.

'Maybe I could find an excuse to buy a little present for Bai Yuxia?'

Several gift options popped into Dan Kaiquan's head:

'Music box, kaleidoscope, crystal hourglass, pure silver pendant.'

Dan Kaiquan, in his pursuit of romance, had gone to great lengths, scouring the internet in advance for countless gift-giving strategies.

He had even explored the latest trendy online shopping platforms.

As he pondered this on one side, he waited for Guo Kunnan; his family was out in the rural area below, with nothing much to go back to.

They had agreed not to go home today but to enjoy themselves in the city tonight and return tomorrow morning.

Dan Kaiquan noticed that lately Brother Nan was obsessed with his mobile phone.

He seriously suspected that Brother Nan had fallen in love again, and it was likely online this time.

Online love wasn't reliable; he had to get Brother Nan interested in girls from the real world, to like a tangible person.

His own love troubles weren't yet resolved, but Dan Kaiquan considered himself slightly more experienced than Brother Nan.

Dan Kaiquan was among the earliest batch of students to leave the test center, and as more students gradually exited, his gaze towards them carried a sense of superiority.

Jiang Ning pushed his bike towards the school gate.

"Leaving now, Jiang Ning?" Dan Kaiquan greeted him.

"Yeah, I'm off."

Jiang Ning had made plans with Xue Yuantong to raid the snack street together.

Dan Kaiquan didn't wait long when Guo Kunnan's group, together with Hu Jun, Cui Yu, and Meng Gui, emerged from the exam hall.

Once they gathered, everyone was faced with a dilemma: what to do next.

It was only four o'clock; there was more than an hour until dinner.

Especially the movie-watching quartet—Meng Gui, Cui Yu, Guo Kunnan, Hu Jun—it was not a good time to go to Meng Gui's house to watch movies!

At this hour, watching all night would be too taxing on their bodies.

Dan Kaiquan suggested, "Why don't we stroll around the sports field and check out some girls?"

This response was unanimously approved; heading to the sports field after a test to relax was actually quite pleasant, and Fourth Middle School had many attractive girls, very easy on the eyes.

They set off for the sports field, with the western sun casting its light on the grass and track.

Feeling the rubber track beneath his feet, Dan Kaiquan said to the guys:

"Brothers, I'm thinking of signing up for next month's sports event."

Cui Yu asked him, "Which event are you choosing?"

"Which event? It's got to be the 100-meter dash," Dan Kaiquan firmly declared.

If there was an event that captured the most attention during the sports event, it was definitely the 100-meter dash—the cleanest and most straightforward way to show his superiority.