Chapter 7

"Son, what are you cooking? It smells so good. This is Chinese herbal medicine..."

Seeing her mother's puzzled and worried expression, Xu Xian coughed and said with a smile, "If I told you I was refining an immortal elixir, you wouldn't believe me, right? How about this? The decoction I'm making, it smells good, doesn't it! An old Chinese doctor taught me this ancient prescription, which is specifically for treating rheumatism, back and leg pain, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and other chronic diseases... It has been verified by several Chinese doctors, so the prescription can't be wrong..." If it were wrong, he would have been poisoned by the Qing Ling Dan long ago.

Hearing her son's words, Fei Qiue'e felt a lump in her nose; her son had finally grown up! He knew how to care for his mother! Thinking back to the days when she had to change his diapers and pull him up, watching him jump and play with other children, from always clinging to her to eventually finding her annoying and always treating him like a child... Watching her son grow day by day, but still being so immature, they had secretly worried many times...

But now, her son actually knew how to worry about her and think for her! Fei Qiue'e felt both delighted and a bit melancholic.

She was delighted that her son had finally grown up. She was melancholic because her grown-up son would eventually leave her embrace to venture out into the world.

You see, people are always so contradictory! And a parent's love is always so great!

Xu Xian, who was either heartless or simply hadn't thought that much, couldn't feel his mother's emotional changes. He could only vaguely sense that his mother was deeply moved. However, Xu Xian, who had lied, felt somewhat guilty because he hadn't really thought that much.

How could someone do such a thing without being a bit dim-witted!

Therefore, Xu Xian really wanted to slap himself, but with his mother watching, he couldn't really do it.

After a moment of emotional turmoil, Fei Qiue'e said, "Son, your method is wrong! Who uses a pressure cooker to decoct medicine? How do you control the heat? Decocting medicine is not the same as stewing soup. If it's not done well, the immortal elixir can turn into a poison..."

Xu Xian coughed awkwardly, realizing he had made another mistake, but since things had come to this point, he could only do this.

"Mom! I couldn't find a pot for decocting medicine! It's fine, as long as the liquid doesn't completely dry out, it's all good!"

Indeed, after refining the Qing Ling Dan, removing the residue, it turned into a paste, so it wasn't a big deal compared to this.

If the Nine Yang Immortal had any spirit, seeing his successor refine elixirs like this, he would probably jump out of his coffin and strike him with lightning!

But no matter what, the elixir Xu Xian refined using the pressure cooker, after secretly testing it, did not turn into poison. It even had a significant effect on improving physical condition. After Fei Qiue'e and Xu Wanshan took it, they both felt much better, slept through the night, and woke up the next day with much more agile legs and feet.

When a person's spirit and body are in good condition, they feel more energetic about everything. Even the usually silent Xu Wanshan had more smiles on his face.

However, Xu Xian wasn't as happy as they were. Why? Because his first attempt at refining elixirs ended in failure! And the failure was due to a common-sense error that was unforgivable, something that could be written into the history of elixir refining failures and take the top spot.

But 'giving up' was something that was very hard for Xu Xian. Otherwise, he wouldn't have kept Yu Xiaoyu as his dream lover and never dated anyone. With his self-perceived good looks and charm, he probably would have had a few wives by now!

Therefore, even before the college entrance exam, he was still working hard for the cause of elixir refining. Although he had spent nearly 50,000 yuan and used several wild ginseng roots, he finally managed to refine five batches of Qing Ling Dan.

Each batch contained nearly a hundred pills, with varying qualities due to the different types of water used. One type was mountain spring water he collected at night; another was bottled mineral water; another was tap water; another was dew he collected in the morning on the mountain; and the last was water from the pond in the Immortal Mansion...

The quality of the elixirs refined with different types of water varied greatly. The elixirs refined with tap water were the worst, probably not even worth the White Emperor's attention; those refined with mineral water were better, with about 30% of the original Qing Ling Dan's efficacy; those refined with mountain spring water were slightly better, with about 40% efficacy, but still not as good as those refined with dew, which, although not as good as the Qing Ling Dan in the Immortal Mansion, still had 50% efficacy.

The best was the water from the pond in the Immortal Mansion, with 70% efficacy, the highest quality. At this point, he had reached his limit.

With this achievement, Xu Xian felt that all his hard work over the past few days was worth it.

Moreover, he was now at the third level of Qi Cultivation.

...

"Xu Xian... oh, Xu Xian, open the door, quick, open the door..."

"Coming, coming, you're so excited about the exam!" Xu Xian pouted, putting all the books on the table into the Immortal Mansion, and walked out of the bedroom, grabbing a fried dough stick from the table and calling to his mother in the kitchen, "Mom, I'm going to the exam!"

"Hey, son, do you want me to take you?" Fei Qiue'e ran out of the kitchen. Although it had only been a few days, it was clear that her appearance was much better than before, with fewer white hairs. This obvious change made Fei Qiue'e and Xu Wanshan marvel a lot.

"No, no, I'm a grown-up, no need to take me!" Xu Xian waved his hand, opened the door, and looked at Yao Fatty outside, "You don't seem very excited!"

"I, I'm nervous, really nervous!" Yao Fatty had a sad face, "If I don't do well this time, my old man said he'd send me to the army. Oh my God! With my body, going to the army would be a torture!"

Xu Xian snapped his fingers and laughed, "It seems your big fatty has some ambition! He actually knows to send you to the army!"

"Bro, can I call you bro? Don't keep putting me down, I'm really nervous!"

"This is pre-exam anxiety, just a psychological effect. Treat it like a regular exam..." Xu Xian said, snapping his fingers in front of him, and a wave of intent forced him, making him feel as if the temperature around him had dropped several degrees, causing him to shiver. "Feeling better?"

Yao Xiaopang rubbed his elbows, cautiously looked around, and whispered, "It's really strange, Xu Xian, has there been any ghost activity around here recently? Why do I suddenly feel so cold, like I'm about to catch a cold..."

"There's no ghost activity here, but I have seen some ghosts recently!" Xu Xian rolled his eyes, "Let's go! It's already eight o'clock!"

The college entrance exam, for many people, or for a large number of people, is an extremely important and sacred rite of passage. Despite many people criticizing the various flaws of the domestic college entrance exam and questioning whether it is necessary...

It remains so special, making countless people strive for it, making countless students lose sleep, worry, and even go crazy over it. This is its charm, even though it is somewhat distorted.

Because it is an opportunity, a watershed, a standard for distinguishing between high achievers and ordinary people. Some people become famous because of it, while others jump off buildings because of it, harming themselves and others. Some people hold their heads high because of it, while others can never hold their heads up again because of it.

Ten years of hard work, all for the hope of shining brightly at this moment!

It has such magic, making everyone revolve around it, making people cry and laugh!

Xu Xian and Yao Xiaopang are among them. Although Xu Xian's identity has changed, he still has to participate, even resorting to some cheating methods. For him, it's not about the exam itself, but about dignity, his and his parents'.

So, shortly after the college entrance exam officially began, Xu Xian took out the books from the Immortal Mansion and placed them on his thighs, flipping through them.

Although it shattered many people's glasses, he still did as he pleased.

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**[End of Chapter]**

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