Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation

"Cough cough."

Shan Qingrong called out.

"Next, any student who wants to take on one of the class officer roles can come up and give a speech!"

Huang Zhongfei stood up to make his speech and started the battle for the class president election.

Apart from Huang Zhongfei, Bai Yuxia also went up, as well as Dong Qingfeng; all three wanted to be class president.

Then came the voting, where Huang Zhongfei won by a landslide over the other two and secured the position of class president.

There was no helping it; during the show of hands, almost all the girls chose Huang Zhongfei, securing his unbeatable status.

After Dong Qingfeng's defeat, he ran for the study committee and was ultimately elected.

Ma Shicheng cursed under his breath, "Why the hell would you let him be the study committee member? That guy doesn't look like good news."

Guo Kunnan said, "Damn, if you think he's no good, then why didn't you run for it?"

Ma Shicheng fell silent for a moment, then asked him, "Do I look like the studious type to you?"

Hu Jun said, "Big brother, big brother, do I look like I fit the role of the life committee member?"

"Yes, you do. You look like an honest guy, definitely not one to embezzle funds. I trust you," Guo Kunnan said as he patted his shoulder.

"Then I'll go up later, remember to vote for me, guys!"

Hu Jun bravely went up to the platform to run for the life committee member, but with no competitors, he was directly appointed by Shan Qingrong.

The last position left was that of the sports committee member, which the glasses-wearing, sturdy Zhang Chi took home.

Shan Qingrong announced the end of the Class 8, Grade 1 class officer elections, followed by a speech encouraging them to work hard and serve the class well, which was met with applause.

"Tomorrow, everyone needs to pay ten yuan for class dues, which we'll use to buy cleaning supplies and a water dispenser. Turn it in to the life committee member, Hu Jun. Hu Jun, make sure you keep track of it; all expenses need to be written on the little blackboard at the back for everyone to see," Shan Qingrong assigned Hu Jun his duties.

Hu Jun immediately filled with enthusiasm; he'd never been a class officer before!

...

During the first break of the evening self-study session, Ma Shicheng and a few others found a new wifi hotspot in the little garden forty meters in front of Classroom 8, and the boys from the back two rows ran off like wild dogs to leech the internet.

During the break, two boys were pushing and shoving at the back of the classroom. Jiang Ning glanced at them, and their expressions changed. Remembering the kick from Jiang Ning that day, they disappeared in a puff of smoke to cause a ruckus outside.

Jiang Ning had truly only given the two a look, and their exaggerated reaction surprised him.

He got up and stood in the outside corridor as the sky outside darkened.

Next-door, in Experimental Class 1, the lights were bright, and the atmosphere quiet. Many students sat at their desks flipping through books, studying ahead.

It must be said, compared to the noise in the regular classes, the students in the experimental class did seem to work harder.

High school courses were much harder than those in junior high, and you needed not just talent but a lot of practice to perform well in the college entrance exam.

If you didn't work hard, you'd just be overtaken by others.

The level of education in Yu Zhou City lagged behind in Hui Province. Even though Fourth Middle School ranked among the top three high schools in the Yu Zhou urban area, it fell far short of Second Middle School.

The student sources of Yu Zhou Second Middle School were several times that of Fourth Middle School, with nearly all of the top students from Yu Zhou City concentrated there, along with the best teachers.

In the end, the college entrance exam was the same for everyone.

Was this fair to the students of Fourth Middle School? It wasn't fair.

But was it fair for Yu Zhou Second Middle School? Not really, because the education resources in the provincial capital were even better.

Yet for those students from townships and village schools, Fourth Middle School's students were countless times more fortunate.

'If I were just an ordinary person, even if I could do it all over again, I would probably still need to bury my head in books and take a shot at the narrow bridge of the college entrance exam.'

'It's a pity, though, that I'm a cultivator.'

Jiang Ning stood like this in the corridor, his gaze distant.

Suddenly, a fluctuation from his Divine Sense caught his attention; he looked over, one was their classmate Wang Yong, the other was Lin Zida, who he had encountered shouting on the court that day.

"Jiang Ning, what are you standing out here for?" Wang Yong approached with a friendly smile.

He had just finished talking to Lin Zida, coming from the garden, and happened upon Jiang Ning standing at the doorway.

Thanks to Jiang Ning, he was able to form a connection with Lin Zida.

"It's too stuffy inside," Jiang Ning replied calmly.

"This is Lin Zida, from the experimental class next door," Wang Yong introduced.

Jiang Ning nodded, "Mmm."

Seeing Jiang Ning's indifferent attitude, Wang Yong chuckled secretly, thinking if Jiang Ning knew Lin Zida's status, he'd surely be eager to cozy up to him.

Lin Zida took a close look at Jiang Ning, said nothing, and just smiled.

Wang Yong exchanged a few pleasantries with Jiang Ning, and only when Lin Zida entered the next classroom did he say,

"Class is about to start. I need to go back."

Jiang Ning's Five Senses were incredibly sharp, so he clearly noticed Wang Yong's special attention to Lin Zida.

He didn't mind, though. As a Cultivator, aside from his parents and relatives, there was no one in the world worth his effort to please at the moment.

He made it back to his seat just before the class bell rang.

The bell chimed, and Ma Shicheng and a few others ran into the back door like they were being chased by dogs.

...

After evening self-study ended at nine-thirty, Jiang Ning pushed his mountain bike with Xue Yuantong trailing closely behind him.

Guo Kunnan and Dan Kaiquan were boarding students, and after joining forces that day to face off against Song Sheng, their relationship had warmed up quickly, unlocking new levels of brohood as they planned to go out together in search of food.

When they saw Jiang Ning, they teased,

"Hey Jiang Ning, you're walking her home, huh?"

Jiang Ning glanced at Xue Yuantong, who was walking with her head down and said nonchalantly,

"Yeah, I live next door to her."

Hearing this, the two became somewhat envious. Xue Yuantong had delicate features and good body proportions, despite being on the shorter side.

Anyone with a bit of vision could tell that Xue Yuantong would definitely be beautiful when she grew up.

Jiang Ning walking home with her every night was enough to tell that they had a special relationship.

After Jiang Ning took off with Xue Yuantong on the bike, Dan Kaiquan sighed,

"School just started, and Jiang Ning already has a partner, sigh!"

Guo Kunnan consoled him, "Why sigh? There are so many pretty girls in our class. It's good that Jiang Ning got himself a partner early. Otherwise, competing with us, we may not be able to beat him. He's so good at fighting, surely some girls like that."

Dan Kaiquan thought about it and agreed. Xue Yuantong wasn't the prettiest girl in the class; Bai Yuxia and Shen Qing'e were much more popular than Xue Yuantong.

Guo Kunnan was an open and straightforward guy. He said,

"I'm planning to pursue Shen Qing'e. What about you?"

Deep down, Dan Kaiquan felt it was a pity; he also found Shen Qing'e attractive and had considered pursuing her.

But since his bro Kunnan had spoken up, he definitely couldn't pursue Shen Qing'e now. Otherwise, their friendship wouldn't last long.

Dan Kaiquan felt Guo Kunnan wasn't worthy of the pure and pristine Shen Qing'e and made up his mind that the other guy definitely wouldn't succeed.

He had already planned to invite Guo Kunnan out for a round of barbecue once he had given up after a failed confession.

Guo Kunnan continued to press him, "What about you? Who will you pursue?"

He had shared his secret, so Dan Kaiquan had to reciprocate or it wouldn't be brotherly.

"I'll go for Bai Yuxia," Dan Kaiquan said.

Guo Kunnan looked puzzled; at first, he had also set his sights on Bai Yuxia, but after some inquiries, he learned that during her three years in middle school, many boys had confessed to Bai Yuxia, and she hadn't accepted any of them.

Guo Kunnan felt he had no chance and, therefore, settled for Shen Qing'e.

"Good luck, then," he offered his blessings.

At the same time, he thought of recording the moment Dan Kaiquan faced rejection and took him out for drinks to capture him crying his heart out.

Dan Kaiquan stated confidently,

"Of course, the two best girls in class, one for each of us bros. You'll be my wingman, and I'll be yours; we're sure to succeed."

Imagining such a scene got Dan Kaiquan excited, thinking how much face he would gain by having a girlfriend as pretty as Bai Yuxia to show off!

While chatting, they arrived at the snack stall. Guo Kunnan shouted,

"Boss, give me a crumble cake with a fried egg and a large chicken skewer, and don't skimp on the chili pepper."

"Make it two of those."

"Coming right up."

He pulled out ten yuan and handed it to the stall owner.

Then he told Dan Kaiquan,

"I'm treating this time. Don't be shy about it!"

When Guo Kunnan spoke, he felt a twinge of pain. As a boarding student from a nearby town, he only had one hundred and twenty yuan for the five-day school week, averaging to twenty-four yuan a day, so ten yuan was a lot for him.

But in order to show off his generosity to Dan Kaiquan, he still insisted on treating him.

Dan Kaiquan was very happy upon hearing this. Guo Kunnan was a good guy he could hang out with.

His weekly allowance was just a little over one hundred yuan. The money wasn't enough with game top-ups and internet cafe expenses.

And with the future expenses of wooing a girl, his budget was tight.