The third mock exam arrived. Every year, Xingcheng No. 1 High School's mock exams for senior students are joint exams with prestigious schools in the province and other provinces, so the school has done thorough preparation beforehand, aiming to showcase its outstanding strength. After class that day, after the homeroom teacher, Mr. Li, announced everything in the classroom, the students began nervously preparing for the exam. Xu Chen, after moving his desk, went home with Wang Li. Facing the setting sun, the two strolled slowly. Xu Chen held Wang Li's hand and asked, "Lili, how's your math review going?" Wang Li smiled sweetly and said softly, "It's alright. With your help, and me doing more practice problems, I should be fine." Xu Chen smiled upon hearing this, and taking advantage of the quiet roadside, secretly kissed Wang Li's cheek. Wang Li blushed and lightly slapped Xu Chen. The two parted at the intersection, chatting and laughing, and then went home separately.
Back home, Xu Chen, unusually, didn't take out his books to study. After so many exams, he had completely mastered the problem-solving strategies. As for the textbook knowledge, he remembered it perfectly when he first came to Xingcheng No. 1 High School. Xu Chen took out his phone and started browsing Tomato Novels. Recently, he had become very interested in the cultivation novels on Tomato Novels. After getting tired of watching TV dramas, he started reading these kinds of novels. Xu Chen found the cultivators in the novels very interesting; each of them possessed unparalleled medical skills and could pull people back from the brink of death. Sometimes he wondered why he hadn't mastered such good medical skills. Was he not an Immortal Emperor? What was the realm of an Immortal Emperor? His master was at the peak of the Tribulation Transcending stage; was he an Immortal Emperor? Regarding the descriptions of immortals, were Earthlings just imagining them, or had they actually seen immortals? Were cultivators considered immortals? These questions had been swirling in Xu Chen's young mind, which was over two hundred years old, lately. He casually opened a cultivation novel and started reading, just to pass the time.
An afternoon passed, and night fell. Xu Chen went out to check the living room and found no one home. He decided to go for a walk. To adapt to life here, he still ate when his family was around, as a form of entertainment. Having been at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage for many years, he had long since passed the stage where he needed to eat. Watching the gently swaying branches of the trees in the neighborhood, Xu Chen felt completely at ease. As he walked, he reached the riverbank. Xu Chen glanced at his phone and realized he had unknowingly walked quite a distance. Enjoying the river breeze, Xu Chen looked around and saw an old man fishing by the river. Although it was dark, Xu Chen's eyesight was unaffected. The old man had an extraordinary air about him, dressed in luxurious clothes, and was sitting in a folding chair, fishing by the river. It seemed interesting. Xu Chen quickly walked over to the old man without making a sound. He had long wanted to try fishing. At this moment, he saw that the old man only glanced at him silently, without any change in expression. Xu Chen waited quietly for the fish to bite, without making a sound. Soon, the float moved. The old man pulled hard on the fishing rod, and Xu Chen looked expectantly to see what fish he had caught. The rod was pulled all the way down, and the fish gradually rose to the surface. The old man looked at Xu Chen with a strange expression. "Young man," he said, "I see we have a connection. I'll give you this fish." Xu Chen was astonished. "Old man, this is impossible! This is the fruit of your labor, how can I accept it?" The old man's eyes gleamed, and he slowly said, "Just accept it. I've calculated that this fish will be of great use to you." Xu Chen began to ponder. This old man was no ordinary person. Did he know my identity? No, no, I've never told anyone about my identity. So why would he say this fish will be of great use to me? Looking at the fish in the bucket and then at the departing old man, Xu Chen was filled with doubt.
Xu Chen carried the fish bucket home, wanting to see what was so strange about the fish. He sat down on a roadside bench and carefully examined the fish in the bucket. The fish was very small, smaller than a human hand, but its shape resembled a carp, with a red head and white mouth. Near its head, on either side, grew a small green fin. Xu Chen was so shocked his jaw almost dropped. "This... this isn't the sect's... isn't this the sect's Wenyao fish? It's kept in the spiritual spring behind the sect leader's hall. Legend has it that eating one can even make a useless person cultivate immortality. Xu Chen heard that a disciple with poor aptitude once tried to sneak into the spiritual spring to steal fish, but was discovered by an elder and had his soul scattered, dying a particularly tragic death." "Does Earth have this kind of fish too?" Xu Chen looked at the water containing the fish and immediately cursed: "A spiritual spring? Holy crap, this is a spiritual spring?" He had cultivated in the Spirit Spring before, so he naturally knew its conditions. However, he was astonished to find a divine fish and a bucket of Spirit Spring water just by chance, and even the bucket was made of warm, white jade. A moment later, as if remembering something, Xu Chen quickly returned to the riverbank. Looking at the deserted riverbank, he murmured, "Master, is that you?" He stood there for a long time, holding the fish, before turning back. Suddenly, he realized, "This fish is quite small and seems fine. But how am I going to take this bucket of Spirit Spring water and this white jade bucket back? I can't put live things in my storage bag, and this fish will definitely die if it leaves the Spirit Spring." Xu Chen stared at the white jade bucket and the fish inside, pondering for a while. He saw the spiritual energy of the Spirit Spring water in the bucket constantly rising and falling, hitting an invisible wall before dissolving back into the spring. After thinking for a moment, Xu Chen took off his coat, wrapped the jade bucket around it, and carried it home.
Meanwhile, in the distance, the old fisherman was watching Xu Chen. Seeing him leave, he murmured, "Chen'er, your love tribulation has been averted for you by your master and me." He looked at the surrounding landscape and soon left, returning to the Tianquan Sect. Not long after, Xu Chen returned home carrying a jade bucket. Wang Rong opened the door and, seeing her son carrying a bucket wrapped in clothes with a small fish inside, asked in surprise, "Chen'er, you went fishing so late at night?" Xu Chen replied, "Mom, an old man gave this to me while I was walking along the riverbank on my way back. I plan to take good care of it." Wang Rong didn't ask further, "Then you must take good care of it. Don't let it die. When you were little, you killed too many small animals—turtles, rabbits, cats—they never lived more than a month in your care." Xu Chen smiled awkwardly and carried the jade bucket into his room.
The night passed, and the third mock exam arrived. Xu Chen and Wang Li were on their way to the exam hall. Their scores were high enough to be placed in the same exam room, much to the delight of their homeroom teacher, Ms. Li. With two such outstanding students in the class, the school might reward her handsomely this year. At that moment, Xu Chen took Wang Li's hand and comforted her, "Lili, don't be nervous, believe in yourself." Wang Li waved her hand, "Hey, my math score is up now, being nervous has nothing to do with me." As she swung her arm, the jade bracelet Xu Chen had given her bobbed up and down. The two walked into the exam hall together. The other students were used to seeing this exam-taking couple. As the exam bell rang, Xu Chen smoothly began working on the second-to-last exam of his senior year.
A day passed, and Xu Chen and Wang Li walked out of the examination hall. "Chenchen, look, look! There's an orange cat by the roadside!" The two were taking a walk outside the school gate when Wang Li spotted the orange cat. Xu Chen examined the cat and noticed its clean and soft fur. "Lili, do you like cats? Come on, let's go to a pet store. This one looks like it already has an owner." Wang Li squatted down and petted the orange cat, but the cat looked wary and quickly ran away from Wang Li's clutches. Wang Li said with some regret, "I wanted to pet it a little longer. Never mind, Chenchen, let's buy one after the college entrance exam. If we buy one now, we won't have much time to take care of it." Xu Chen nodded, keeping the idea of buying a cat for Wang Li in mind. "As for that fish, try to rent a place to live in Beijing and raise it until it's grown up." Xu Chen looked at Wang Li, pondering what to do with the fish in the future.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
