Chapter 198 - 166: Fleeting Time

Chapter 198: Chapter 166: Fleeting Time

"Ranran, you’re back? Quick, Mom wants to introduce you to some people. This is Mr. Fang, and that’s Huihui. And this is Fang Meng—you should know her, right? I heard from Meng that you two are in the same class?"

Lin Xiaoli stood up, walked over to Lin Zhengran, and gestured for him to take a seat.

Lin Zhengran, still a bit bewildered, mumbled a reply and greeted her parents. He really never imagined that his family actually knew Fang Meng’s. ’What a coincidence.’

"Hello, Mr. Fang. Hello, ma’am."

Fang Meng’s parents’ eyes lit up when they saw Lin Zhengran.

For one, Lin Zhengran looked even better in person than in photos. On top of that, they had all just been discussing his academic achievements.

He was the town’s top scholar and had placed first in all sorts of competitions. No elder could dislike such a seemingly perfect young man.

Fang Meng’s Mother quickly greeted him, "We finally get to meet Ranran! You’re definitely much more handsome in person than in your photos! And you have such a wonderful presence!"

Fang Meng’s Father was delighted. Though a man of few words, he chimed in with his own praise, "He really is a good kid."

His mom had Lin Zhengran sit on the sofa.

He asked his parents, "Have you known Mr. Fang and his family for a long time?"

Lin Yingjun felt like he was creating problems for his son, but life was just unfair like that. Some people don’t have a single childhood sweetheart.

Others... like his own son, for whom even four or five seemed like an understatement.

Lin Yingjun said,

"That’s right. Your mother and I were university classmates with Mr. Fang and Huihui. We used to be very close, but after graduation, life happened. Everyone got married, started careers, and we lost touch. But now that the kids have grown up, we’re gradually getting reconnected."

"Oh, so that’s how it is."

Lin Zhengran glanced at Fang Meng, who had been staring at him the whole time. She sat primly, and while she was quiet, she didn’t seem as reserved or timid as He Qing.

Their eyes met for a moment before Fang Meng spoke up at a leisurely pace, "Lin Zhengran, did you know? We have a childhood engagement."

The room fell silent. Even the adults didn’t say a word.

Lin Zhengran’s eyes widened. For a rare moment, he thought he must have misheard. "What did you say?"

"I said, we have a childhood engagement," she repeated.

’I heard that loud and clear...’

Even Fang Meng couldn’t help but smile as she explained, "My parents and yours arranged it when they were young. They said that if we ended up liking each other, we could get married after we graduate from college."

Still in shock, Lin Zhengran turned to look at his parents, Lin Xiaoli and Lin Yingjun.

Lin Xiaoli and Lin Yingjun both cracked awkward grins.

Their expressions seemed to say, "Ranran, this is a bit of a legacy issue from our past. Our hands are tied. All we can say is that fate works in mysterious ways."

Meanwhile, Fang Meng’s parents exchanged a glance. Fang Meng’s Mother whispered, "Did we tell Meng about getting married after college? I thought it was just a childhood engagement?"

Fang Meng’s Father was quite taken with Lin Zhengran. Ever since learning about the young man’s various talents from Fang Meng, he had been very pleased with this potential future son-in-law. He lowered his voice and said,

"They’re classmates, you know. I think our daughter might be saying that on purpose. We should just let it be."

Fang Meng’s Mother nodded, only half-understanding.

On the sofa, Fang Meng and Lin Zhengran turned to look at each other again.

Fang Meng spoke up again out of the blue, "Starting today, I’ll be talking to you a lot, my dear betrothed, Lin Zhengran."

Lin Zhengran blinked. ’What is this girl up to?’

[This month, after you and the Imperial City Empress founded the Zhengshi Sect, the two of you, as its founders, expanded recruitment for Cultivation Disciples, revised the sect’s rules, and established its ranking system.]

[The sect has also branched out, establishing three sub-sects. Miss Jiang, who has been traveling with you, joined your sect at the first opportunity and now remains by your side day and night.]

[Although Miss Jiang usually appears carefree and unreliable, after joining the sect, she caused you no trouble. On the contrary, she worked diligently with you to expand it. After some discussion, Miss Jiang decided to join Xiaozhu Peak, one of the three sub-sects of the Zhengshi Sect.]

[Xiaozhu Peak rests above the clouds, a steep mountain where heavenly music echoes. It is a place well-suited for the sect’s female disciples to practice their Cultivation. Upon joining, Miss Jiang immediately became Xiaozhu Peak’s first Eldest Senior Sister. With her lively and enthusiastic personality, she leads her junior martial sisters in their training, helping them all to advance.]

[One day, after descending the mountain, you and Miss Jiang had an unexpected encounter during a night outing, forcing you to share a room for the night. That evening was eventful—the Demon Sect Witch even caught the two of you in a compromising situation—but in the end, you still... shared a romantic night together.]

[Soon after, a secret letter arrived from your clan, summoning you home to meet an old acquaintance. You were curious. It was only upon returning to your clan and meeting this person that you discovered the clan had arranged another marriage contract for you years ago!]

[What’s more, the other party to the engagement is none other than the Eldest Princess’s personal assassin, Miss Fang! Even the heavens must sigh at your incredible luck with women. It’s so astonishing, one might as well decree that all beautiful girls be married to you at birth.]

Lin Zhengran: "???"

[The above events have earned you a total of: Cultivation Level +3, Energy +5, Power +10, Physical Strength +5.]

[You have successfully broken through the level-60 Qi Refining Stage bottleneck, advancing from level 59 to level 62.]

[Your current attributes are as follows:]

[Spiritual Qi Level: 62][Core Formation Stage]

[Note: You can now clearly see the progression of stages: Foundation Establishment Stage, Body Cultivation Stage, Qi Refining Stage, Core Formation Stage, Nascent Soul Stage, Divinity Transformation Stage, Tribulation Crossing Stage.][This information can be accessed at any time but will no longer be displayed automatically.]

[Power: Maxed]

[Physical Strength: 88][Unlocked: Ability to break lifespan limits, enhanced physical strength, doubled Cultivation speed.]

[Energy: 89][Unlocked: Guaranteed strong and healthy offspring, ability to perform ’seven times in one night’.]

[Affinity for All Things: Level 2][You possess an absolute talent for all things. All disciples you teach will experience enhanced progress. Those bound to you by contract will experience a threefold enhancement.]

[Congratulations on unlocking a new Talent Skill. Your Power Talent will now be known as Spiritual Power. Like Affinity for All Things, Spiritual Power is divided into five levels. At Level 1, you can use Spiritual Energy Manipulation, freeing you from the constraints of physical combat.]

Lin Zhengran hadn’t expected this breakthrough. A skill like Spiritual Energy Manipulation was a far more significant upgrade than any he had received before.

「A year and a half flew by after the incident with Fang Meng and the childhood engagement.」

Lin Zhengran had been incredibly busy during that year and a half.

For the music company, he shot a music video with Jiang Xueli and had her appear on a few simple variety shows, allowing her to finally make her on-screen debut.

Jiang Xueli also launched her own music social media account. She experienced a meteoric rise over the past year and a half, becoming a fairly well-known singer. Even Mr. Jiang and Mrs. Jiang were surprised their daughter had come so far.

The business of Zhengshi Company was also far more demanding than expected. With all sorts of foundational tasks to handle, Jiang Jingshi was swamped, and Lin Zhengran, as the general manager, naturally had to help out. Thankfully, after a year and a half, the company’s core operations were fully established.

As for the sports company, Lin Zhengran had also done a fair bit of coaching over the past year and a half, and the members of the company improved rapidly under his guidance.

Of course, their progress was nothing compared to He Qing and Jiang Xueli’s. By now, Jiang Xueli had firmly established herself as the top artist at Zhengshi Music.

The same went for He Qing. After joining Zhengshi Sports and undergoing training, she participated in the municipal selection tournament and easily took home the championship.

She had secured her spot for the provincial competition.

In that year and a half, they had all gone from their first year of high school to their second, and then to their third.

They were less than half a year from graduation... with only one last semester to go.