Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation Chapter 1701 - 927: Underlying Currents Surge

A faint chill lingered in the early morning air.

"Why's it so noisy outside?"

"What's all the yelling about?"

Gong Jin sat silently at the classroom's rear, ears filled with the endless racket from the balcony. He always found this bunch of students extraordinarily rowdy.

"It’s Yun Tingting and Tang Fu smashing badminton! Those long legs, amazing!"

’Tang Fu?’

Gong Jin had no clue who she was. As a recent transfer student, the school remained largely unknown to him.

Slowly, he rose to his feet.

Lu Qiqi, fawning a bit over the aristocrat, spotted his movement and asked nervously, "Are you going to watch them play badminton?"

Gong Jin answered offhandedly, "Just stepping out for fresh air."

No intention whatsoever of watching badminton.

He strolled toward the balcony, passing the four great kingdoms. His gaze caught the classroom's lone chair, where the little girl from the river dam lay sprawled across her desk in deep slumber, velvet hat perched on her head, as though nestled in her personal cocoon.

Gong Jin mused inwardly, ’You can still sleep at a time like this?’

Beyond the classroom.

One floor down, Yun Tingting swung her racket through the brisk wind. Her silhouette proved irresistibly alluring. Curiously, the boys on the second-floor balcony flared with sudden enthusiasm.

Guo Kunnan despaired: "I can’t keep watching, I really need to study!"

Today marked seat assignment day, and his spot left much to be desired.

"This counts as studying too." Meng Gui leaned against the wall, "Studying skills."

After rejecting a confession, Yun Tingting skyrocketed to fame. Legend said whoever beat her at badminton could claim her as girlfriend.

Cui Yu declared, "Exactly, if we observe Yun Tingting daily, eventually we'll crack her moves!"

Liu Chuandao grew restless: "Watching without practicing is pointless!"

Racket gripped tight, he bellowed from classroom inside to the balcony: "Anyone up for skill practice with me?"

Duan Shigang rubbed his hands eagerly: "I’m in!"

Cao Kun, unable to shake thoughts of Meng Zi Yun, sought diversion in play: "I’m in too!"

"Any more for the game? Need just one more!" Liu Chuandao hollered.

Wu Xiaoqi poked his head from the front classroom door, basketball in hand: "I heard playing going on?"

Liu Chuandao: "Nah, badminton here."

Wu Xiaoqi looked let down.

"No takers? Fine, let's head out, boys!" Duan Shigang announced.

The group dashed downstairs, buzzing with excitement.

Chai Wei hovered on the crowd's edge, posture like a toady. He typically sat behind Wu Xiaoqi and Duan Shigang, so they should recognize each other at minimum.

Yet, even short one player, Duan Shigang utterly ignored him.

’And to think I once explained a math problem to you!’ Chai Wei balled his fists hard, nails digging nearly through his skin!

Prior ordeals had branded him a 8th-grade outcast, shunned and jeered at every appearance.

Owing to some outside circumstances, Chai Wei felt compelled to abandon his isolated ways.

Two meters distant, Gong Jin stood with hands clasped behind his back.

Below, Tang Fu tensed her calves, vaulted high, body launching skyward for a thunderous smash.

"Great shot! Excellent!" Students cheered wildly, heaping endless admiration on her.

Gong Jin applauded leisurely with the masses, motions graceful and lordly, reminiscent of a tribal chief at the World Cup.

Sadly, Tang Fu faced away from the building, lost in the match, utterly unaware of him.

Gong Jin kept his smile steady, utterly unbothered by going unnoticed. His inherent charisma foretold he'd inevitably draw all eyes someday.

Lu Qiqi felt profoundly inspired, ’Now that’s true aristocrat poise!’

Meanwhile, peeved by her rival's acclaim, Yun Tingting downstairs set hands on hips, waist swaying softly, and glanced upward: "Am I playing poorly?"

Gong Jin paused briefly, scheming a sharp retort to snag her notice and display his flair.

Cui Yu yelled, "Tingting, your game's on fire!"

Gong Jin hushed up; his elegance and skill outmatched by a random shout.

Yun Tingting chuckled rather than fuming: "Wanna take me on?"

Cui Yu: "You bet I do!"

Yun Tingting shot back, "Dream on—you won't even get a shot!"

Lu Qiqi, shadowing Gong Jin faithfully, at last snapped at Yun Tingting’s flashy display!

The girls’ rivalry ignited!

Lu Qiqi murmured softly with sarcasm, "Yun Tingting acts so superior, skipping badminton with boys just to boost her worth, pretending pure while selling out!"

Gong Jin, no stranger to spectacular displays, still experienced a faint unease from the seductive Yun Tingting overlooking him. He inquired steadily:

"Oh? How do you know her intentions, unless you were once like that?"

Lu Qiqi paused briefly, choosing to wound the opponent even if it cost her.

Bitterness laced her words: "Because I used to be a sellout too."

Guo Kunnan and the others nearby froze in shock, no way, Qiqi, you...

Gong Jin lost his composure, inhaling deeply, "I was just asking, had you done those kinds of things in the past too?"

Lu Qiqi teetered on the edge of angry tears.

Her features twisted rapidly as she abruptly shifted topics: "I played badminton tons back then, trained daily, and my physique rivaled Yun Tingting’s."

She caressed her cheek, "I’m hovering around 95 pounds these days, feel bloated and uneasy about it."

Chai Wei, the 8th-grade loner, seized the moment to offer: "No reason to feel lesser; shed just ten or twenty more pounds max."

Guo Kunnan showed mild astonishment, rarely witnessing the sullen Chai Wei chime into their talk.

Lu Qiqi erupted in fury, her voice crackling with ire: "You joking? I’m already super slim, and you say lose more weight—want me to become a pole?"

Chai Wei, after his one bold step, shrank back into permanent reticence.

With a gloomy expression, he departed from the group.

Guo Kunnan mused: "Strange, why is Chai Wei behaving so differently today?"