On the morning of the constitution screening, Su Zhou’s parents, for once, didn’t head to work first thing. Instead, they took a short leave of absence to see Su Zhou off. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"Go on."

Su Beiluo ran a hand through his hair. His hairline wasn’t a cause for concern, but he already had a few gray hairs.

He didn’t waste words, offering a straightforward encouragement. "As your father, I should probably tell you not to get stage fright and to do your best... But on second thought, there’s probably no one in all of Hongzhou with more nerve than you—so go for it!"

As he spoke, he clapped Su Zhou hard on the shoulder, only for his own hand to sting with pain. But for the sake of his fatherly dignity, he forced himself to endure it, crying out internally, ’How did this kid’s body get so hard?! That felt like slapping an iron plate!’

"There’s no need to worry too much."

Ning Shiyu’s expression, however, was much gentler, even carrying a hint of a smile. "Many of the doctors at the screening are my colleagues. I couldn’t take part because I have a meeting in the Celestial Capital this afternoon... but I still heard a few things."

"Don’t worry, you’re just going to a camp near Meiling. It’s no big deal. Just remember not to catch a cold... Hah, I’d have better luck reminding Qiming than you."

Ning Shiyu clicked her tongue. Thinking it over, she realized there was nothing more to say. They couldn’t really warn him about anything. Given Su Zhou’s constitution, if he were to catch a cold, Earth would basically have to reenact ’The Day After Tomorrow’ or ’Frostpunk’.

"No problem." Now downstairs, Su Zhou gave a thumbs-up without a care in the world. He had a small suitcase with him, packed with a change of clothes. "I’ll take good care of myself. Besides, instead of worrying about that, you should be worrying if the food and lodging they provide will be enough for me to eat."

"Don’t cause trouble for others!"

At the thought of Su Zhou’s appetite, Su Beiluo felt a headache coming on. "Lately, you’ve been eating enough for ten people! This whole Spiritual Energy Revival... don’t tell me it revives appetites too? If that’s the case, Nantian’s kid has good Talent, so how come I haven’t seen his appetite explode?"

Father Su was talking about Shao Qiming. It was unclear whether Shao Qiming originally had some talent or if the Wisdom Fruit gave him a boost, but he could now sense Spiritual Qi entering his body, making him one of the dozen or so geniuses in the entire school.

The Su Family and the Shao Family had been friends for generations; their bond went back at least two hundred years. Tracing it back, the friendship was forged when the two families went through life and death together while fleeing south as refugees from the Central Plains. This was during the century of internal strife at the end of the Anx Dynasty, just as Zhengguo was being founded.

Legend had it that starting from the generation of Su Zhou’s great-great-grandfather, the families had agreed that if one had a son and the other a daughter, they would arrange a marriage to make their bond even closer. Who would have thought, however, that both families would have only sons for four straight generations? By the time Su Zhou’s father’s generation came along, there were finally sisters, but times had progressed. No one paid attention to things like arranged marriages; they were all about finding love on their own.

BEEP BEEP—

Hearing the honk of a horn, Su Zhou’s family looked up and saw that the Shao family’s car had arrived.

An inconspicuous black official car pulled up to the building. The window slowly rolled down, revealing not the familiar driver, but Shao Qiming’s rarely seen father, Shao Nantian.

"Old Su, long time no see."

Shao Nantian’s features weren’t exactly what you’d call exceptional, but his eyebrows were as sharp as swords, which was a big plus. When he smiled, he was especially charismatic.

Though he looked like a refined gentleman, his voice was loud and his tone bold. He was an extremely charming man who made people want to befriend him without even realizing it.

"Haha, long time no see! It wasn’t so bad a few years ago, but lately, you’ve been flying all over the world all year round. We haven’t even had time for a drink!"

After the Su parents and Shao Nantian exchanged pleasantries for a bit, they didn’t chat for long before putting Su Zhou in the car. Ning Shiyu had to catch a flight to the Celestial Capital soon, and Su Beiluo had to get back to his case. A major theft had occurred recently, involving an Ability User controlling birds to steal jewelry and car keys, so they were both quite busy.

It seemed Shao Nantian had come this time specifically to find a moment to see Shao Qiming off to the constitution screening. Once Su Zhou was in and seated, the car started and began to move forward slowly.

"Uncle Shao, it’s been at least nine months. You’re as dashing as ever, with that overwhelming charisma."

On the drive, Su Zhou nodded to Shao Qiming, who was also in the back seat, and then tossed out a casual comment.

"Su Zhou, you’ve gotten much sturdier yourself. I missed your coming-of-age birthday. How about I take you to the South Sea for some surfing and drinking next time?"

Shao Nantian laughed heartily as he turned the steering wheel. "Right after the Holy Ascension Selection Test, I’ll take you two boys on a proper vacation!"

"I won’t say no to surfing," Su Zhou said with a wave of his hand. "But I’ll pass on the drinking. I don’t smoke or drink. Healthy living."

"You’re not like your dad in that respect. He and I can down two bottles of baijiu over a single meal."

As he said this, Shao Nantian glanced in the rearview mirror and could tell that Su Zhou’s spirit was much better than before.

In fact, using the methods taught by those ’masters and professors’ in the Celestial Capital, he could even see the abundance of Blood Qi within Su Zhou’s body. It was far stronger than that of a typical ferocious tiger or raging bear—he couldn’t tell by exactly how much, but it was definitely not a small difference.

’These past few years, I’ve been searching for a way to cure the hidden problems affecting Yuefeng and Qiming. Just recently, I finally managed to meet a few professors skilled enough to cure them without any side effects, and then both of them just... recovered...’

Outwardly, he was still bantering with his son and Su Zhou about what he’d seen over the past few months, but inwardly, Shao Nantian was pondering, ’That kid, Su Zhou, has been extraordinary since he was little. After the Spiritual Energy Revival, this trend has become even more obvious. His Blood Qi is like a rainbow—that’s a realm only a few Grand Martial Masters from the Celestial Capital Rui’an Martial Arts Hall have barely reached, yet he’s already achieved it.’

’Could it be that he...?’

No matter how puzzled he was, Shao Nantian showed no sign of it on the surface. He wasn’t worried either. ’Forget it. I’ve watched Su Zhou grow up. It’s a good thing his Talent is high, and it’s a good thing Yuefeng and Qiming’s illnesses are cured. It’s all good. No need to dig too deep.’

’What I need to know, I will eventually find out.’

With that thought, Shao Nantian’s tone changed. "Qiming, Su Zhou, I came over specifically to tell you a crucial piece of information."

"This is Zhengguo’s first-ever ’Spiritual Gas Constitution Monitoring,’ so every part of its process will become the standard for the future."

"So?" Shao Qiming blinked, playing along perfectly with his father’s lead.

Shao Nantian gave a mysterious smile. "So, according to the information I’ve received, some unimaginably important figures might be making inspections... Who knows, you might even run into one."

At that moment, they arrived at the school gate. Everyone in the car could see three armored vehicles parked at the entrance in the distance. Shao Nantian stopped the car just before the blockade.

But before Su Zhou and Shao Qiming got out, he called out to them and took two small vials from his coat.

They were jade vials, specifically used for holding Spirit Pills.

"Dad, what’s this?" Shao Qiming wasn’t very familiar with jade vials and didn’t immediately understand why his dad was handing him one. Su Zhou, however, raised an eyebrow slightly, giving the vial a thoughtful look before glancing back at Shao Nantian.

"Medicine to help you stay calm."

Shao Nantian didn’t say much more, just smiled. "Take it before the screening. It won’t help you unlock any hidden potential or enhance your physique, but it will sharpen your minds and keep you from getting stage fright, allowing you to perform at your best."

"Do your best!" he said. He watched them get out, gave them an encouraging gesture, and then promptly turned the car around and left.

Watching Shao Nantian’s car disappear into the distance, Su Zhou held the jade vial and chuckled. He explained to Shao Qiming, "Uncle Shao probably came all this way just to deliver these two pills... A pill like this, I’m guessing it’s an ’Ice Heart Pill.’ It’s a Spirit Pill that eliminates excessive emotional fluctuations and clears away distracting thoughts. Normally, ordinary Cultivators use them when breaking through to a new realm."

"As for the price, the ingredients aren’t particularly expensive, but the most important things about a pill are the refinement technique and the connections to get it. Anyway, I think that without the right connections, you absolutely couldn’t buy this with money."

"Is that so..."

Hearing this, Shao Qiming raised his hand and gazed at the pill. He nodded slightly, as if wanting to say something, but in the end, he just let out a breath and said softly, "We’ve got to do our best."

The two of them crossed the blockade. After having their student IDs checked twice by Soldiers, they were finally allowed onto the campus.