Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

On the altar, light blue smoke curled in the air.

In the center sat a cooked pig’s head; to its sides, a chicken and a duck, each boiled. Behind these, three cups and a jug of liquor, and finally, three bowls of pork, chicken, and duck soup with greens, garlic shoots, and liver forming a vegetable porridge. Three pairs of chopsticks rested beside the bowls, with a cigarette next to each.

Many ancestors had enjoyed tobacco and liquor, even though no one in the family shared these habits.

In the middle of the table, a lump of yellow clay bore nine sticks of incense, and a festive red lamp burned brightly, casting the room in a warm glow.

”Dingding, Xiaoyuan, come over and burn the paper money, kowtow to the ancestors.”

Lin Wanqiu beckoned.

Jiang Ding and the others tore the offering paper piece by piece, laying it over the brazier, igniting it, and bowing deeply.

”Ancestors, bless me to rank first next semester, to grow prettier, to become smarter as I grow...”

Jiang Yuan muttered her prayer.

Jiang Ding, however, had no such wishes.

He kowtowed and worshiped out of kinship; even if there was a so-called underworld, and the ancestors had spirit, he would not need their blessing. Anything he desired, he would obtain on his own.

Crackling

After the ritual, Jiang Ding lit an arm-length string of firecrackers. Instantly, sparks flew in all directions, the explosion boomed in the ears, scraps of paper scattered, and the thick scent of gunpowder assaulted the senses.

After waiting for the smoke to clear a bit, the family ensured everything inside the house was intact. They locked the door and left for their grandparents’ house.

…

At their grandmother’s house,

after a flurry of activity, the whole family finally sat down for the New Year’s Eve dinner just after eight o’clock.

”Ah, Yuanwang isn’t coming home for New Year’s this year; I do miss him,”

their grandmother said, her face creased with more wrinkles than the year before. While she was content looking at the whole family, there was a touch of regret in her words.

”Mom, the Cultivation Department is different from the regular one. They have a twenty-year curriculum, with a summer break every two and a half years and a winter break every five years. You can chat with him on the phone just as well,”

Lin Yong, her son, explained once again.

”Dingding, how has your studying been this year?”

Concerned that Jiang Ding might feel his wife was too old-fashioned and fixated on her grandson, Grandfather Lin Gang quickly shifted the attention to him.

”It has improved a lot from before, Grandpa. I’ve made significant progress,” Jiang Ding answered. He added, ”And I have to thank Cousin Yuanwang for the Qinghua Yunji Elixir; it helped me greatly.”

The elixir had been a substantial aid at the start, and he would not forget that kindness.

”Hey, why bring all that up?”

Lin Yong said cheerily after a sip of wine, his face glowing with pride. His son’s admission to the university’s Cultivation Department was his proudest achievement: ”Dingding, no matter what, just study hard, strive, and aim to get into the university’s Cultivation Department too.

Even if you don’t make it, try to attain certification as a First-order Alchemy Apprentice, First-order Spirit Beast Tamer Apprentice, or something of the sort. The future will still be bright.”

”Mmm, Uncle, I will,”

Jiang Ding said with a smile.

”And Xiaoyuan...”

Night time.

The whole family waited until the wee hours to set off fireworks for welcoming wealth, eventually succumbing to sleep from exhaustion.

Because there weren’t enough rooms in his grandparents’ house, Lin Wanqiu made up a bed for himself on the living room sofa, alone.

Unable to sleep, Jiang Ding stepped out onto the balcony, silently watching the sporadic fireworks of wealth bursting in the distance, the scent of gunpowder sharp in his nose yet not unpleasant to him.

The grandparents’ house was a familiar place from his childhood, and he did not feel like a stranger there.

”...How much longer will times like these last...”

Suddenly feeling reluctant to let go, he wished to stay in this moment forever, not wanting to chase after something far away.

He closed his eyes and, standing on the balcony, fell into a deep state of cultivation.

…

After the first day of the new year had passed, Lin Yong and Lin Wanqiu returned to their own homes; they both had colleagues, friends, and relatives to entertain.

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Jiang Ding also frequently helped with cooking and entertaining guests, but never once cut back on his cultivation time.

His friends, like Li Junhao and others, were the same; even during the New Year holidays, they hardly had any time for fun. The learning intensity was no less than that at school, and often it was even more demanding.

This was the norm for a third-year high school student.

Those who gave up were streamed into vocational schools and regular high schools after completing junior high. Xianmen High School invested a lot, and in practice, implemented an elite education system.

Jiang Yuan was different; starting from the first year of junior high, he was hardly ever seen, either arranging to set off firecrackers with one friend or going to watch a fireworks show with another, or having class gatherings, picnics, playing cards, and entertaining the like.

No matter what, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month passed in a calm and unhurried manner, and the festive atmosphere began to wane.

”I don’t want to go to remedial classes!”

In the early morning, Jiang Yuan walked between Lin Wanqiu and Jiang Ding with a gloomy face and a backpack on his shoulders.

In fact, if it had not been for Lin Wanqiu forcibly taking him away last night, he planned to stay up all night watching television and playing games. During the New Year’s period, Lin Wanqiu hadn’t supervised him, and he had lived quite unrestrainedly.

”No way!”

Lin Wanqiu’s face was stern.

”Xiaoyuan, you need to work hard and learn from your brother. At the very least, we should pass our subjects, right? Your scores in Chinese, math, physics, and morality are all below seventy points. You cannot become a person who contributes to Xianmen in the future.”

”I just want to be a useless homebody.”

Jiang Yuan said listlessly.

Lin Wanqiu: ”...”

No matter how much she slacked off, she was still dragged to the remedial classes by the two of them, and only then did they take the bus to Rongcheng Steel Plant.

This was an industrial park that spanned dozens of acres, with strict security measures. To enter the plant area, one had to go through multiple security checks. Jiang Ding even suspected that one of the checks was for the divine soul.

”Oh, Wanqiu, is this your son?”

”He’s here for an internship? Ah, my son, well...”

Along the way, many of Lin Wanqiu’s colleagues greeted them. Seeing Jiang Ding, they all seemed envious.

As longstanding employees, they were well aware of the preciousness of the internship spots at Rongcheng Steel Plant. If one’s academic performance wasn’t outstanding, they wouldn’t qualify to come here and would have to choose other smaller companies.

”Hello, Aunt Zhang. Hello, Aunt Zhou. Li...”

Jiang Ding politely greeted the elders.

”Oh, he’s just lucky. It’s nothing to brag about...”

Lin Wanqiu’s smile betrayed her pride, yet she still made a pretense of modesty, which made her extremely uncomfortable.

Inside the factory area,

Lin Wanqiu stopped in her tracks and instructed, ”Dingding, just keep walking straight from here, and someone will meet you. If you see unfamiliar buildings, do not enter without permission.”

”Got it, Mom.”

Jiang Ding nodded.

Indeed, after walking a hundred meters or so, he saw Hua Bing and Wu Tianli had already arrived, chatting and laughing. When they saw Jiang Ding approaching, Hua Bing’s cheeks turned slightly red, and she immediately put on a serious face.

”Happy New Year!”

After exchanging greetings, Jiang Ding went to a corner, closed his eyes to rest, and entered the cultivation state, showing no interest in any gossip.

Hua Bing secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

A while later, a middle-aged woman with a serious expression, wearing grey protective clothing, and moderately attractive, who had a third-layer Qi cultivation base, walked over.

”Good day, the three of you. I am Zhou Xiuyun, the quality engineer at Rongcheng Steel Plant, a First-order Refining Master Apprentice. You can just call me Engineer Zhou,” she said briskly.

”Hello, Engineer Zhou,”

said Jiang Ding and the others in unison.

”The internship will last for a month. In the first week, our plan is to observe and practice the sorting, crushing, melting, and extraction processes of the raw materials for Magic Arts-Breaking Steel. From the second week to the third week, we will learn how to inscribe formations on Half Magic Tools using the Optical Formation Engraving Machine. In the fourth week, under the guidance of Refining Master Wu Chengzhong, we will learn how to inscribe formations on Magic Tools.”

As Zhou Xiuyun walked, she gave them a brief introduction:

”This way, please. This is the sorting and crushing workshop for ores such as iron, manganese, zinc, aluminum...”

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