Chapter 13: Stir-fry Two More Dishes

June 9th.

Zhou Chen and his fellow students gradually filed out of the examination hall, their moods lifting like the sun breaking through the clouds. The students emerging from the exam could be divided into three categories: the relaxed and carefree, the anxious and nervous, and the lost and helpless.

The first group consisted of those who had prepared diligently and possessed absolute confidence, feeling that they had performed well. The second group felt their performance was subpar due to poor form during the exam; they were deeply worried that this slip-up would jeopardize their future. As for the third group, with the end of the grueling exam, their tightly coiled nerves had suddenly snapped, leaving them bewildered about the future, lacking any plans or direction. They did not know what they wanted, nor what they needed.

Zhou Chen belonged to the first group.

With a smile on his lips, he spotted Liu Shurong among the crowd outside the school gates.

"Mom!"

Liu Shurong patted Zhou Chen’s head, choosing not to ask how the exam had gone. "Let’s go home. I’ve prepared a feast with plenty of good food today to reward our little hero!"

"Okay."

The area outside the school was a sea of parents who had come to wait for their children. One could see some students with lower emotional resilience slapping themselves or weeping, convinced that they had failed.

In such moments, the benefit of a supportive home environment became clear. Liu Shurong did not place any pressure on Zhou Chen; she simply felt her son had worked too hard and deserved to relax and enjoy a good meal.

Back home, Liu Shurong and the eldest sister, Zhou Yuting, busied themselves in the kitchen for a while before bringing out dish after fragrant dish. As the family of five sat around the table, the gluttonous Zhou Xiaoyan couldn't resist reaching for a piece of tender, melt-in-the-mouth steamed pork with rice flour.

Zhou Yuting lightly tapped her hand, teasing, "This feast is specially prepared for your brother’s graduation from high school. He hasn't even picked up his chopsticks yet! When you take your college entrance exam one day, I’ll make a feast for you, too!"

Zhou Chen laughed and placed a chicken leg in Zhou Xiaoyan’s bowl. "Xiaoyan is at the age where she needs energy to grow. Eat up!"

Liu Shurong placed two bottles of drinks on the table and poured a small glass of medicinal wine for Zhou Xiang. The wine had been personally brewed by Zhou Chen's grandfather using precious Chinese herbs; it was renowned for its potency in nourishing the body and restoring vitality. Whether it was summer dampness or cold hands and feet in winter, a small glass daily provided noticeable relief.

"Pour one for Xiao Chen, too."

Liu Shurong hesitated. "He’s still young."

Zhou Xiang pushed his glass toward Zhou Chen. "He’s not a child anymore; he’s an adult. It’s medicinal wine; as long as he doesn't overdo it, it won’t do him any harm."

The family of five enjoyed a harmonious meal, and the conversation naturally drifted to the exam. Though Zhou Xiang tried to appear indifferent to avoid pressuring his son, he couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Chen, how do you think you did?"

Zhou Chen replied nonchalantly, "It was alright. I’m just not sure if I placed first or second in the country."

"Haha, good! That’s great! I suppose my hope for my son to succeed has finally come to fruition," Zhou Xiang laughed heartily and poured himself another glass of wine.

Zhou Chen drank plenty of the medicinal wine as well, but his soul strength, at the eighth level of Qi Refining, kept him perfectly clear-headed. Zhou Yuting couldn't help but be suspicious. "Xiao Chen, you’re drinking so much yet you aren't even tipsy. Did you drink often back when you went to bars?"

"I can't help it; I’m just naturally gifted."

After the meal, Zhou Chen returned to his bedroom. While ordinary students might plan to travel or find a summer job after the exam, Zhou Chen had his own agenda. Naturally, it centered on cultivation.

He needed to figure out which places could provide him with more soul energy. He also needed to track down the young man who possessed the spirit stones to see if any more remained. Most importantly, he planned to return to his hometown to study medicine under his grandfather.

Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Zhou Chen circulated the "Dao Heart Demonic Seed" technique to bolster his soul energy. The speed of his own cultivation was ultimately too slow; it lacked the efficiency of plundering.

Late at night, Zhou Chen’s expression shifted. He quickly lay down and pulled up the covers. Through the surveillance of the Soul-Devouring Insects he had placed around the neighborhood, he saw an individual with a powerful soul rapidly approaching his home.

Zhou Chen had seen this person before—a modern cultivator from the Yanhuang official organization who had been waiting for him at the bar. Failing to ambush him there, the person had taken the initiative to hunt down the primary suspect.

Zhou Chen sneered inwardly, though he maintained the appearance of someone in a deep sleep. As he expected, the intruder was no ordinary person. With a single leap, the man vaulted over ten meters high, landing on the windowsill of the bedroom and peering inside.

After a long while, the man departed. He had sensed nothing unusual about Zhou Chen; his physical strength matched that of an ordinary person, and there was no internal energy within him. To the intruder, he was nothing more than an average high school graduate.