Chapter 19

Since that day they met, Jiang Churan hadn’t contacted him again. Even when they met by chance at school, she would just nod and pass by.

On the contrary, Jiang Tanqiu gradually became familiar with Chen Fan. Although he didn’t think much of his desk mate, he could still chat and go out to eat with Chen Fan. In the eyes of the classmates, he was the one closest to Chen Fan.

That day, Chang Wen found the two of them.

“The school basketball team is having a training match at noon. Jiang Tanqiu and Chen Fan, you two go help move the drinks.”

After saying that, she didn’t wait for their agreement and turned to leave.

Jiang Tanqiu sneered behind her back: “Tch, still trying to chase Si Yingxia, and ends up using us like dogs.”

He turned around and saw that Chen Fan was silent, which made him even more frustrated.

“You’re too nice, being used by Chang Wen, and I’m being dragged into it too.”

Chen Fan acted as if he hadn’t heard and did as he pleased.

After lunch, they arrived at the basketball gym and found that there were already quite a few people sitting on both sides, mostly girls. They were whispering and looking at the entrance. When the official team members and substitutes arrived, no one paid much attention. But when Si Yingxia entered the court, the entire venue erupted in cheers.

“So crazy?”

Even though Chen Fan knew that Si Yingxia was popular among girls, he was still slightly surprised.

“Comparing people can be frustrating,” Jiang Tanqiu sighed. “I’ve seen three or four beauties at the level of the class president, and he still ignores them. Sigh.”

Chen Fan shook his head.

He didn’t envy this. In his previous life, he roamed the star rivers for five hundred years, seeing countless divine maidens, holy maidens, and peerless beauties. How could he be interested in a bunch of girls on Earth?

What made him find it amusing was that after half a month, he saw Yang Chao again.

Among the school team members, Yang Chao and Si Yingxia were the most popular, with girls surrounding them.

“Do you see that tall guy? He’s Yang Chao, the captain of the school team. He’s an incredibly impressive person.”

Jiang Tanqiu pointed at Yang Chao:

“His father is the chairman of Tian Sheng Grand Hotel. To eat at Tian Sheng, you need at least three thousand yuan. Someone once provoked him and was beaten up by him and the school team members. The school didn’t even investigate it.”

He looked envious and jealous: “If we could be as impressive as Yang Chao, that would be great.”

After saying that, he glanced at Chen Fan and sighed: “Forget it, I’m thinking too much. We and Yang Chao are worlds apart.”

Chen Fan smiled but didn’t say anything.

Jiang Tanqiu’s family was also well-off, but compared to Yang Chao, whose family had assets worth hundreds of millions, there was a huge gap.

The training match was essentially a performance by Si Yingxia. Every time he got the ball, he could always break through the opponents’ defense. His dribbling and shooting were very flashy. Every time he scored, the girls in the audience would scream loudly.

In the end, the school team crushed the substitutes 82-22, with Si Yingxia scoring 30 points, the highest in the game.

Seeing the match end, Chang Wen quickly walked up and handed a bottle of chilled drink to the sweat-soaked Si Yingxia, then gently wiped the sweat from his forehead with a towel.

Si Yingxia still had a cool expression.

“Jiang Tanqiu, Chen Fan, why are you still standing there? Go give the other players their drinks.” Chang Wen turned to look at the two who hadn’t moved, and couldn’t help but get angry.

“Let’s go.” Chen Fan patted Jiang Tanqiu’s shoulder and carried the drink box over.

“Thanks.” Yang Chao reached for the drink, but suddenly looked up and saw Chen Fan, his hand freezing in place. His face turned a mix of green, red, and white.

“What’s wrong?” A teammate pushed him.

“Ah, nothing.” Yang Chao awkwardly smiled.

“Long time no see.” Chen Fan nodded.

“Yeah, it’s been a while.” Yang Chao mechanically took the drink, his face looking like he was about to cry.

Chen Fan didn’t say much more to him, finished distributing the drinks, and left with Jiang Tanqiu.

After they left, Yang Chao let out a long sigh, his eyes filled with deep fear.

“Isn’t that Jiang Tanqiu and the transfer student?” Si Yingxia said while drinking.

“You know him?” Yang Chao gave him a strange look.

“He’s Chen Fan, the new student in our class. Just an ordinary person, I asked him to help move some things.” Chang Wen laughed disdainfully.

In her eyes, Chen Fan was far inferior to Si Yingxia and Yang Chao, and even to Jiang Tanqiu. If she weren’t the class president, she wouldn’t even bother to speak to him—wasting time.

Yang Chao frowned, about to say something but stopped. After all, the incident at the Royal KTV was embarrassing, and if he told them, they would definitely mock him.

They didn’t know that when Chang Wen spoke, Chen Fan, who was leaving, paused, a flash of anger in his eyes.

...

Unconsciously, he had been in school for half a month.

That night, Chen Fan sat cross-legged on the rooftop of the residential complex. His cultivation, which had been stuck since the first day of school, finally showed signs of progress.

“Tonight, I will finally reach the middle stage of the Foundation Establishment period.”

He sat still, the ‘Void Body Cultivation Technique’ running, and the spiritual energy within ten meters around him turned into wisps of smoke, entering his body through various acupoints.

As he gradually broke through the bottleneck, the ‘Void Body Cultivation Technique’ ran faster and faster, and even his breathing stopped. An invisible suction force expanded wildly, and his body thirsted for more energy.

At this moment, the moonlight in the sky seemed to be attracted, transforming into a cold energy that poured into his body. From the outside, Chen Fan was enveloped in a faint white light, looking almost inhuman.

Normally, at the Foundation Establishment stage, one couldn’t absorb the essence of the sun and moon, but the ‘Void Body Cultivation Technique’ was too powerful. If one’s cultivation was sufficient, one could even refine the void and absorb it as energy.

The true essence in his body ran at high speed. In Chen Fan’s perception, the barrier to the middle stage of the Foundation Establishment period was becoming increasingly loose.

But it still wasn’t enough. Whether it was the spiritual energy or the moon’s power, there was still a step to breakthrough.

“Fortunately, I kept a few when I refined the pills for Wei Fu.”

He took out three small Essence Cultivation Pills and swallowed them. The pills entered his stomach and flowed like a warm current through his limbs. A sense of satisfaction surged in his heart.

Finally, with a ‘crack’—

The barrier broke!

The countless cells in his body rejoiced, and a more powerful true essence flowed through his meridians, growing stronger with each passing moment.

Not only the true essence, but his body also became stronger with the influx of energy. Cultivation was not just about advancing in cultivation; it was also about the evolution of human life. At a high level of cultivation, humans would gradually transform from mortal bodies to energy bodies or even divine souls. At that point, they would be almost immortal.

After reaching the middle stage of the Foundation Establishment period, Chen Fan didn’t look any different on the surface, but both his physical body and cultivation were much stronger than before.

Chen Fan sighed and stood up from the ground.

It took him a month, but he finally entered the ‘middle stage of the Foundation Establishment period.’

“This time, without the small Essence Cultivation Pills, I would have needed at least another half a month to break through. It seems I need to put my money-making plan on the agenda.”

Chen Fan thought to himself.

The next day, Chen Fan received an unexpected call. It was from Zhou Tianhao, who had previously had a conflict with him.

Zhou Tianhao said he would set up a table at the Mingdu Grand Hotel at noon to apologize to him.

Chen Fan thought about it and nodded in agreement.