Xu Lai nodded.

A place where the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth converges is called a Spirit Vein. Living in a Spirit Vein for an extended period or breathing in its Spiritual Energy every day can improve a living being's constitution.

So why doesn't Earth have any true Cultivators?

Aside from a mess of other reasons, one is likely the scarcity of Spirit Veins, which leads to an impoverishment of Spiritual Energy.

"But my husband also said that Spirit Veins aren't natural. He said they're condensed by some kind of formation... I just don't get it at all," Liu Nanwei said in frustration. "Ugh, the things you Martial Artists talk about are impossible to follow!"

Ever since Xu Lai had revealed a fraction of his ability at the Martial Dao club, Liu Nanwei had been convinced he was a true Martial Artist, countless times more powerful than her husband.

Using a formation to condense a Spirit Vein? Xu Lai was startled, suddenly recalling the discussion at the East Sea Wushu Association building. So, Li Sanbai had come to East Sea. Wasn't that the master of that swindler, Dongfang Xun?

Xu Lai didn't dwell on it. These matters had little to do with him. The most important thing today was his daughter Yiyi's birthday party! Everything else was an utterly insignificant trifle.

The job of a school doctor was actually quite boring. Especially at Dongli University, there was hardly any room to utilize one's medical skills. Throughout the entire day, only two students had come for medical attention, and both had minor ailments like colds and coughs that would likely heal on their own in a couple of days.

After Liu Nanwei prescribed some medicine and sent the students away, Xu Lai stood up and said, "It's five o'clock. Time to get off work."

"Bye—" Liu Nanwei waved. Before she could even get the second "bye" out, Xu Lai vanished right before her eyes.

Her eyes widened and she gasped. "Zhou Feng, I think I just saw a ghost! Director Xu just evaporated into thin air!"

Zhou Feng didn't respond. He was just as shocked, staring at the spot where Xu Lai had vanished.

「Galaxy Kindergarten」

Xu Yiyi stood by the kindergarten gate with eight other children. Qian Xiao and Mao Dou were there, and the rest were girls.

"Daddy!" Yiyi waved, then introduced her friends one by one. "This is Diandian, this is Yi Le, this is Mi Le..."

Xu Lai had actually met these children during the last field trip. He smiled and greeted them, "Hello, everyone."

Although their parents weren't around, the children were very polite. "Hello, Uncle Xu."

"Time to go," Xu Lai said.

"Where's the car...?" The children looked around. They came from affluent families and were used to being driven everywhere, but it seemed Uncle Xu had arrived on foot.

"Hmph. A bunch of scrubs. Don't you dare wet your pants in a minute," Qian Xiao muttered under his breath, suddenly guessing what was about to happen.

And just as he thought, the children suddenly disappeared from where they stood, reappearing a moment later on top of a massive cloud.

They stared at the setting sun sinking below the horizon, at the birds flying at their same altitude, and at the vibrant clouds so close they could almost touch them. They were all completely stunned.

Are we... flying?!

A few of the children's faces went pale with fear, and they looked like they were about to cry.

Xu Lai gave his daughter a meaningful glance.

Nine sticks of cloud candy appeared in Yiyi's hand. She knew just what to do, handing them out to her friends and constantly reassuring them.

Soon, the little ones' panic turned into excitement. They looked around in awe, and their gazes toward Xu Yiyi were filled with admiration.

"Big Sis, Uncle Xu is so awesome!"

"Sister Yiyi, what is this candy? It's delicious! It's a million times better than anything from Candy Studio!"

Hearing her friends' chatter, Xu Yiyi proudly lifted her chin. "My daddy is the most amazing person in the whole world!"

"Uncle Xu is the best!" the group of five- and six-year-olds nodded in unison.

Xu Lai's expression was strange. Am I the kindergarten's top dog now?

The cloud flew at a leisurely pace, but it still took less than five minutes to arrive back at Haitang Court.

"We're here. Come on down." With a wave of Xu Lai's hand, they all descended to the main entrance of Haitang Court.

Gazing at the distant skyscrapers of East Sea City and the hills blanketed in Haitang flowers, a stunned Mao Dou exclaimed from his round little face, "Is this... Haitang Court?"

Haitang Court. The moment those words were spoken, the expressions on the children's faces changed to ones of pure shock and envy. Their families were all either wealthy or influential, so they had naturally heard their parents speak of the five-hundred-million-yuan Tower King of East Sea City.

"Wow, Yiyi, your family is so rich! You must be so happy living in such a luxurious house," Mao Dou said.

"We're just an ordinary family," Yiyi replied with a serious face. "Our house is just a little bigger, that's all."

Xu Lai's expression was indescribable.

The other children were completely baffled. A five-hundred-million-yuan mansion is an 'ordinary family'? Then what does that make our families? Are we struggling below the poverty line?!

Bringing the children inside, Xu Lai told them to go play wherever they liked.

He went to the kitchen to wash some fruit. If any Cultivators from the Immortal Domain were present, they would surely be clutching their chests in agony, crying out at the sacrilegious waste of priceless treasures. Every single type of fruit Xu Lai was washing required at least a thousand years to grow. Not only were they precious, they were impossibly rare.

Take the Holy Moon Fruit, for example. A single one could extend a person's life by a hundred years, and it was coveted by countless beings in the Immortal Domain. This was all because its taste was so divine it was known as the number one fruit in the entire domain. However, the Holy Moon Fruit required an extremely harsh environment to grow. Only ten such trees existed in the entire Western Immortal Domain, and all of them were under the strict control of the Angel Clan.

Half of their harvest was presented as tribute to the Heavenly Court. The fruit from the remaining five trees was shared among allied Tao Lineages, races, and Holy Lands. The one or two scarce fruits that trickled down to the black market were always auctioned off for an astronomical price.

And yet, two platters of these incalculably valuable holy fruits were sitting right here in the living room. That wasn't even mentioning the other, even more precious fruits on display, each one a treasure that grew rarer the moment it was consumed.

But this was his daughter's birthday party. I can't just serve inferior fruits to fill up the table, can I? After all, this is our standard. We eat these on any given day, so of course we'll serve them when guests are over.

A furry paw stealthily reached over the edge of the table, trying to snatch a Holy Moon Fruit, but it was caught in the act.

Yiyi giggled. "This is the Xiao Hei I told you all about!"

"It really is a giant panda..."

"Aww, can I pet it? It's so cute!"

Watching the happy children, Xu Lai smiled and went back to cooking in the kitchen.

Around six in the evening, the sisters Ruan Lan and Ruan Tang arrived home. Once everyone was there, the feast began.

Three adults and nine children sat down to a spread of sixteen dishes prepared by Xu Lai. There was Roasted Kunpeng, Black Dragon Soup, Fried Starfish, and other delicacies that had Qian Xiao, Mao Dou, and the other children practically drooling.

There was also a giant cake as tall as a person. It was dotted with tiny stars that shimmered with various colors in the light, making it exceptionally beautiful.

"Make a wish," Ruan Tang said with a smile.

Yiyi's little face was flushed with excitement. She closed her eyes and made a wish as the others began to sing a sweet, sincere rendition of "Happy Birthday."

About ten seconds later, the little girl opened her eyes. She had Xu Lai hold her up so she could blow out the candles, and then it was time to cut the cake.

Yiyi's birthday party had officially begun.

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