The healing-type divine substance in the second-tier divine elixir was extremely scarce, and its own healing power was not particularly strong.
Its ability to rapidly heal external injuries mainly relied on mobilizing the injured person's own healing ability.
That was why the manufacturer added plenty of calming, sleep-inducing drugs to the elixir, so that the injured person would fall into a deep sleep after taking it.
This strengthened the injured person's own healing ability and made it easier for the elixir to mobilize that ability to heal their injuries.
Xu Yuan knew all this, which was why he had specifically told his mother and little sister not to call him unless something came up.
He was not afraid that they would wake him and interfere with his recovery, but that they would worry if they kept calling and could not wake him.
And that was exactly what happened. After taking the elixir, Xu Yuan slept like the dead.
It was not until around eight on Sunday evening that he slowly woke.
"Tsk, I slept twenty-four hours straight. If the corporate slaves back home found out, wouldn't they cry with envy?"
Xu Yuan could not help smacking his lips.
After all, some guys might not even get twenty-four hours of sleep across all five workdays of the week.
He pressed his abdomen, confirming that his injury had indeed healed completely, then stretched on the bed, twisting like he was possessed by an evil spirit, before getting up, slipping on his slippers, and leaving the bedroom.
The tidy living room was as bright as day, and seven or eight dishes sat on the dining table, all looking untouched.
Zhang Yaying and Xu Kexin sat at the table, and both their eyes lit up when they saw him emerge!
"You're up, Yuan! I'll heat up the food. Hurry and wash up so we can eat together!"
Zhang Yaying stood, picked up the dishes, and headed into the kitchen.
Xu Yuan paused. Wasn't dinner time long over?
Then he realized that his mother and little sister had been waiting especially for him, so he abandoned the idea of taking a shower first, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and sat down at the table.
"I haven't made these dishes in ages. I don't know if my cooking's still any good. Come on, you two, try them."
Zhang Yaying reheated all the dishes, brought them back, and fussed as she put food into her son's and daughter's bowls.
The little girl had long been drooling over the food. Seeing that she could finally dig in, she immediately began wolfing it down!
"Oh, you silly girl. What girl eats like that?"
Caught between laughter and tears, Zhang Yaying hurriedly poured her daughter a glass of water in case she choked from eating too fast.
Xu Yuan found it amusing. As he ate, he habitually pulled out his phone to check it:
The first thing he saw was the Heavenly Messenger messages Fatty had sent during the day:
[Fatty: Brother Yuan, I broke through to Skin Tempering Fourth Stage!!!]
[Fatty: Brother Yuan, from now on, I'll do anything you tell me to. If I so much as furrow my brow, may I never eat another steamed bun in my life!]
The corner of Xu Yuan's mouth twitched. Was not being able to eat steamed buns some terribly severe punishment?
But thinking about how Fatty was always carrying a bag of steamed buns, that punishment really did seem pretty severe for him.
He casually sent Fatty a "Congratulations," then opened his conversation with Zhang Baosheng.
[Zhang Baosheng: You're finished.]
This was Zhang Baosheng's reply to what he had said last night. Xu Yuan could practically see the little prick gritting his teeth.
Without replying, Xu Yuan gave a cold laugh and opened the martial arts class group chat.
He wanted to see whether there was any definite word on Luo Yaoxi's awakening.
Instead, he found a pile of photos in the chat history, every one showing the martial arts base's exchange hall.
Unlike what Xu Yuan had seen yesterday, however, the hall in the photos was packed with people!
They were crammed together like a train station during the Spring Festival travel rush.
"Good grief, don't tell me they all went there for me?"
Xu Yuan scrolled back and read the chat, discovering that those people really had gone there for him.
And it was not just martial arts students. There were also teachers from various schools who had heard the news and wanted to hire him to teach, along with quite a few wealthy business owners hoping to partner with him to open a martial arts school.
Martial arts schools were also places that offered guidance in martial skill training, charging more than the stalls in the exchange hall.
For martial arts classes, they were like extracurricular tutoring centers.
However, no one in the group mentioned that the mysterious master was a student at No. 3 Middle School. It seemed the guy at the base entrance had not sold him out.
Or perhaps he had, but only to a handful of people?
Xu Yuan was not sure. He planned to ask the next time he visited the base. If the guy had kept his secret, he would have to give him a carton of good cigarettes at the very least.
Judging by this, if I want to set up a stall for extra cash again, I'll probably have to use my own face. And I'll have to hold back a little, or I'll definitely end up with a mountain of trouble.
Muttering inwardly, he scrolled back a little further. Seeing that Luo Yaoxi's situation was still only speculation, Xu Yuan was about to put his phone away.
Just then, a friend request suddenly popped up on the screen:
[Little Luo, little Luo, pass every exam: I'm Luo Yaoxi. Could we add each other as friends?]
Xu Yuan's gaze shifted slightly, and he tapped accept.
Luo Yaoxi's message arrived immediately:
[Little Luo, little Luo, pass every exam: How's your injury?]
[Xu Yuan: Completely healed. Did you need something?]
[Little Luo, little Luo, pass every exam: Healed? Really? (⊙▽⊙)]
[Xu Yuan: Really.]
[Little Luo, little Luo, pass every exam: That's wonderful! o(≧▽≦)o]
After that message, Xu Yuan kept seeing that she was typing, but no message came for a long time, as though she was hesitating over something.
[Xu Yuan: ?]
[Little Luo, little Luo, pass every exam: ...Which Xu Yuan are you right now?]
Xu Yuan's brow twitched. Has this girl discovered that I'm another soul?
No, she was probably asking whether he was the good Xu Yuan from before or the brute Xu Yuan.
After a moment's thought, Xu Yuan typed five Chinese characters:
[Xu Yuan: A brand-new Xu Yuan.]
[Little Luo, little Luo, pass every exam: You mean you've turned over a new leaf? I knew you'd become better!]
Xu Yuan: "..."
What incredible comprehension!
[Xu Yuan: I wanted to ask you something. People say you've awakened. Is that true?]
[Little Luo, little Luo, pass every exam: I can't say. Teacher Niu told me to keep it secret.]
"?"
Can't say?
Keep it secret?
Wasn't this just putting up a sign saying "No three hundred taels of silver buried here"?
Wasn't this girl first in her year in academic subjects? Why did she seem so dim?
Meanwhile, inside a small single-story house, Luo Yaoxi's eyes curved into crescents. "Telling him this way doesn't count as disobeying the teacher, right?"
Naturally, Xu Yuan could not know what Luo Yaoxi was thinking. He congratulated her and ended the conversation.
Seeing Xu Yuan put down his phone, Zhang Yaying, who had been silent beside him, finally spoke. "Yuanzi, your money... where did it come from?"
Yesterday, Xu Yuan had first paid the Zhang father and son three thousand in compensation, then transferred over three thousand to her. Together, that was almost two months of her income. She could not rest easy without asking.
"I earned it by guiding people in martial skill training. Mom, just take it without worrying." Xu Yuan did not conceal it, but he did not intend to go into detail either.
"Huh? You can guide other people's training?"
Although Xu Yuan never let her ask about his grades, Zhang Yaying had quietly inquired and knew that her son was at Skin Tempering Second Tier, at the very bottom of his martial arts class.
Could someone at the bottom of the class guide other people too?
Who would ask him for guidance?
"My Divine Talent is poor, but my martial arts aptitude is actually pretty good. It's just that I've offended a lot of people, so I kept it hidden. I was afraid they'd figure out what I was capable of and use it against me," Xu Yuan explained.
This was the explanation he had prepared for his teachers' questions after the assessment.
Although he had planted a seed in his classmates' and Lin Yuan's minds beforehand, giving them the impression that he had "hidden his talent," he still needed an explanation for why he had hidden it, didn't he?
The explanation was not perfect, but it was at least plausible.
Just as now, Zhang Yaying readily believed him after hearing it, though she was somewhat speechless.
Her son went around stirring up trouble every day. He really had offended plenty of people.
"Then, Yuanzi, after your assessment tomorrow, could you choose not to join the Divine Guard Army? Could you stay at school as a martial arts teacher, or find a martial arts school to work as an instructor?"
After a moment of silence, Zhang Yaying suddenly asked, her eyes lighting up.
Earth Star had a well-developed internet. Even as an ordinary person, she could learn quite a lot online about martial arts class assessments.
With her son's cultivation at Skin Tempering Second Tier, he could not possibly pass the martial arts class assessment, even in a small place like Yang City.
Since he could not pass, naturally, it was time to start planning for what came afterward.
"Why don't you ask your teacher tomorrow, Yuanzi? See if you can stay at school to teach. If that doesn't work, have a look at the martial arts schools here in Yang City."
Zhang Yaying continued on her own. "The Divine Guard Army might offer opportunities to earn merit and rise through the ranks, but you have to go out and clear out Weird Beasts and aberrant plants. It's far too dangerous."
Only after listening for a while did Xu Yuan realize that his mother had suddenly brought all this up because she did not believe he could pass the assessment.
But that was normal. Right now, apart from himself, probably no one believed he could pass.
Even that fatty Luo Han might not believe it.
Still, he said nothing. No matter how much he said now, it would not compare to letting the results speak for themselves after tomorrow's assessment!