Chapter 193 Leaving Hometown to Pursue Education_1
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"The sixth time, and it's another failure."
Stepping out of the tea house, Liu Zhiyuan sighed, already regaining his composure.
"Xianmen's talent, how could they possibly offer their services to a Divinity Transformation force, especially one that's doomed to never reach the top? This task assigned by the master..."
"No one with prospects of reaching Nascent Soul would consider it, not even those hopeful for Golden Pill. Lower-level cultivators in the family are too humble in front of high-level cultivators."
"One can only choose those who originally had no hope for Golden Pill and are destined to stay at the Foundation Establishment Stage for life in Xianmen... like me."
As for those who can't even achieve Foundation Establishment, they are worthless.
...
"Jiang Ding, I'm hungry."
Back at home, Jiang Yuan was still watching television, not turning her head.
Jiang Ding shook his head.
He couldn't say much. Aside from the first half-month after school started, for the rest of the time she was escorted to the cram school by Jiang Ding himself. It was only during the breaks that she watched TV, and their sibling relationship had grown a bit colder lately.
That's pretty normal; which kid doesn't love to play?
Yet so normal that it's utterly impossible for her to be admitted into Qingfeng University's Cultivation Department.
Whoosh!
The Flying Sword buzzed as it flew, darting into the kitchen with slivers of Sword Qi gently tearing open the plastic bag and lifting out the ferns, not even needing to wash them—its dense Sword Qi spreading out, cleaning even the tiniest bits of fuzz.
Next, it was time to handle the pork: remove the hair, scrape the skin...
The Flying Sword flipped and soared, demonstrating absolute control.
"You need to rinse it with water!"
Jiang Yuan reminded.
"They're already very clean," retorted Jiang Ding, somewhat unwillingly. "I guarantee they're cleaner than a hundred washes by you. Not just the dirty parts—I mean up to bacteria. It's all up to the hygiene standards."
Every layer was scraped off by Sword Qi, absolutely clean.
"That's not enough. You have to wash it with water."
Jiang Yuan insisted.
Jiang Ding heaved a sigh.
The Flying Sword, with strands of Sword Qi, picked up the ferns and pork, carefully washing them under the tap.
Slicing the pork, cutting the ferns into pieces, pouring oil into the hot wok, adding pickled peppers and wild onions, the Azure Sword Qi stirred in the pot, tossing and frying. Within minutes, a dish of wild onion stir-fried ferns was served up by the Flying Sword, placed on the table in front of the two.
This was what Jiang Ding, unable to cultivate for the past two months and bored out of his mind, came up with.
At first, he broke many pots and pans, replacing them daily. Then, through gradual practice, he became more skilled.
His Life Flying Sword was an extension of his hands and feet, capable of doing anything they could, which made perfect sense.
He then made another dish of stir-fried smoked pork with fish mint, a cold dish of smashed cucumber—three dishes in all.
The Azure Flying Sword flitted in and out of the room, pouring water, serving rice, fetching chopsticks... The siblings had only to open their mouths to eat.
"Xiaolan is so impressive!"
Jiang Yuan lay contentedly on the couch, occasionally opening her mouth as the food automatically found its way there, even getting water poured and her mouth wiped—a full set of services.
"It's me who is impressive," Jiang Ding emphasized.
He lay in a similar position to Jiang Yuan's.
The Flying Sword came and went, took care of the cleaning after the meal, cleared the table, and in the flash of its light, the house was clean. It transformed into a basketball-sized bonsai and was planted in the middle of the living room.
In these two months, being situated on a Second-Order Top-Grade Spiritual Vein and training incessantly, its growth had not slowed. It was now over three meters tall, inhaling and exhaling Spiritual Power and Great Sun Essence at a faster rate.
"Here you go."
Jiang Ding tossed over a mutton-fat jade pendant, on which pale blue net-like patterns flickered intermittently.
After two months of testing, it was confirmed to be reliable and would not harm innocents.
"What's this?"
Jiang Yuan's eyes brightened.
This thing looked very valuable at first glance.
"A Soul Condensing Jade Pendant... Wearing it can concentrate the mind, calm the spirit, and it's most effective for a weakling like you."
"Moreover, it contains a strike from me, a Xianmen's Talent of Sword. It can autonomously detect enemies harboring the intent to harm you, with enough power to kill most Cultivators at the Peak of Qi Practicing."
"It's expensive, so don't lose it."
"Pfft! What 'Talent of Sword' are you?"
Jiang Yuan scoffed but carefully wore it around her waist.
When their mom got off work at six o'clock, after cooking and eating dinner, Jiang Ding gave her another jade pendant.
"Dingding."
"Are you going to school tomorrow?"
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Lin Wanqiu took the jade pendant, sighed softly, and her eyes were somewhat red and swollen.
For the first time in sixteen years, since birth, he, like a baby, was leaving home for a distant place, and he didn't know how long he would be gone.
Jiang Yuan lowered her head and secretly shed tears.
"Mhm."
Jiang Ding, who had been feeling sentimental and on the verge of tears, calmed down at this moment and comforted her, "Mom, Xiaoyuan, you can call me if you miss me. I'll have a lot of free time at Qingfeng University."
"Alright."
...
Hum!
The high-speed train vibrated slightly and then left the platform, speeding toward the distance at 600 kilometers per hour.
Jiang Ding stared at the platform until the two tiny dots completely disappeared from his view, and he remained rigid for a long time before shifting his gaze away.
Even today,
the Xianmen Sect had multiple modes of travel, like flying, teleporting, planes, capable of crossing thousands of kilometers in just a few hours.
But considering the factors of economy and safety, trains are still the safest.
This is what Jiang Ding cared about.
With the defensive power of a Xiantian Martial Artist, even in a car accident, nothing serious would happen. The slight delay was of no consequence.
"Are you also going to university?"
A pretty girl with a bun on the seat across from him asked.
"Yes."
Jiang Ding nodded and closed his eyes to rest.
Even though he was among the Xianmen, being outside and surrounded by strangers, he, who was somewhat socially anxious, instinctively changed his appearance and clothes as soon as he left the ticket gate. Now he looked like an ordinary, introverted young man.
Of course, even if he showed his true appearance, it's likely that no one would recognize him.
No one is naturally the center of attention for others; everyone has their own business.
The public has quite a short memory when it comes to this.
The girl with the bun pouted, turned her head away, and gave up the idea of making small talk.
"Going to university, what a coincidence, me too!"
Not far away, a brown-skinned, athletic young man picked up the conversation, "I'm heading to Zijin University's Cultivation Department to enroll. Are you going there too?"
Zijin University, one of the bottom No.12 Universities near Xiandu.
"Cultivation Department!"
The girl with the bun's eyes lit up and she looked at him admiringly.
The surrounding people, especially the females, all turned their gazes toward him.
Students from the Cultivation Department, each being cultivators, would have no problem outclassing most mortals in terms of economic status in the future. They were the most outstanding partners in the hearts of many young girls.
"I'm from Qingfeng University, but just a regular department..."
The girl with the bun said somewhat self-consciously.
"It's alright, cultivators can also emerge from the regular departments. There have even been Golden Pill Monks who've come from there."
The brown-skinned young man was outgoing and talkative, effortlessly getting the girl's phone number, and blending in with the surrounding women, their cheerful laughter filling the air.
"I think..."
Quite a few confident women sent him covert glances.
Good-looking, articulate, humorous, and a student from the Cultivation Department, he was the ace of spades in the deck, naturally occupying a vantage point in the mating game.
Many who were like Jiang Ding wouldn't stand a chance.
Looking average, being ordinary in all aspects, and introverted male university students occasionally cast fleeting glances towards him, immediately averting their eyes and showing envy.
The train traveled, passing countless kilometers, with his hometown already out of sight.
"Ding!"
Jiang Ding opened his eyes to the familiar sound of the Array Spirit.
"Seventeen kilometers from here, by the edge of the railroad, a Xuanwu Tiangong Cultivator at the Foundation Building Stage has broken through into our realm. Support will arrive in ten seconds, requesting assistance from nearby citizens."
Across the seat, the girl who had been laughing paused.
She noticed that the boy in front of her had changed suddenly—his eyes shone like the stars, reminiscent of the blazing sun. Though his features were exceedingly ordinary, as one might find anywhere on the street, he captured her mating instincts firmly.
It was as if a voice embedded in her genes was shouting desperately,
Secure this man!
Your life will be extended, your prospects will be bright, and your genes will have an absolute advantage in passing on!
"Fellow student, where are you headed? My name is Li Ruer..."
The girl with the bun's heart skipped a beat, no longer responding to the brown-skinned boy's words. She put on a gentle smile and tried to engage in conversation again, then paused in surprise.
The seat across from her was empty.