Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten-Chapter 166: The Fleeting Passage of Time

“Zhengran, you're back? Come, let me introduce you. This is Uncle Fang, and that’s Aunt Huihui. And this is Fang Meng—you should know her, right? She mentioned that you two are in the same class?”

Lin Xiaoli got up and walked over to Lin Zhengran, gesturing for him to sit down.

Lin Zhengran, still a bit confused, responded with a polite greeting. He hadn’t expected that his family actually knew Fang Meng’s family. What a coincidence.

"Hello, Uncle Fang. Hello, Auntie."

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

After all, he looked even better in person than in photos. Plus, everyone had just been discussing his academic achievements—top scorer in town, first place in various competitions. A nearly flawless young man like him was naturally well-liked by elders.

Fang Meng’s mother greeted him warmly. “So we finally get to meet Zhengran! You’re even more handsome in person! And you have such a great presence!”

Fang Meng’s father, though a man of few words, also praised him. “A fine young man, indeed.”

Lin Xiaoli urged her son to sit down on the sofa.

Zhengran turned to his parents. “Uncle Fang’s family has known us for a long time?”

Lin Yingjun hesitated slightly, feeling like he might have just made things more complicated for his son. But life was unfair like that—some people didn’t even have a single childhood sweetheart, while his son... four or five was considered on the lower end.

He explained, “Yes, your mom and I were actually college classmates with Uncle Fang. We were really close back in the day, but as life got busy and we all started our families and careers, we lost touch. Now that the kids have grown up, we’re reconnecting again.”

“Oh, I see.”

Zhengran turned his gaze to Fang Meng, who had been staring at him the whole time. She sat properly, looking well-behaved, but she wasn’t as shy and timid as He Qing.

After a brief moment of eye contact, Fang Meng spoke slowly, “Lin Zhengran, did you know? We have a childhood engagement.”

Silence filled the room. Even the adults didn’t interrupt.

Zhengran’s eyes widened in disbelief, thinking he had misheard. “What did you say?”

“I said, we have a childhood engagement,” she repeated.

This time, he heard it loud and clear.

Fang Meng couldn’t help but smile and elaborated, “It was arranged when our parents were younger. They agreed that if we got along, we could get married after we graduate from university.”

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

Both of them gave awkward, sheepish smiles.

Their expressions seemed to say: Zhengran, this is just one of those lingering issues from the past. We didn’t have much say in it either. Fate works in mysterious ways.

Meanwhile, Fang Meng’s parents exchanged glances.

Fang Meng’s mother whispered, “Did we ever tell Mengmeng about the part where they get married after university? Wasn’t it just a childhood engagement?”

Her father, who had already taken a strong liking to Lin Zhengran after hearing about his achievements, lowered his voice and said, “They’re classmates. I think she might’ve said that on purpose. No need to correct her.”

Still a bit puzzled, Fang Meng’s mother nodded.

On the sofa, Fang Meng and Zhengran continued looking at each other.

Then, out of nowhere, she spoke again. “Starting today, I’ll be talking to you a lot more, my childhood fiancé, Lin Zhengran.”

Zhengran blinked, wondering what she was up to.

—

【This month, after you and the Empress of the Imperial City established the Zhengshi Sect, the two of you, as the founding ancestors, expanded the sect, recruited disciples, and set up sect rules and rankings.】

【The sect grew quickly, even branching into three smaller sub-sects. Jiang, who had been traveling with you, joined immediately and stayed by your side every day.】

【Despite her usual carefree attitude, Jiang proved to be incredibly diligent. She actively contributed to the sect’s development and decided to join one of the three sub-sects, Little Bamboo Peak.】

【Little Bamboo Peak, with its mountaintop clouds and steep cliffs, was an area filled with harmonious spiritual energy, perfect for female disciples to cultivate. Upon joining, Jiang quickly became the first senior disciple, using her lively personality to lead and mentor the younger disciples.】

【One night, while traveling down the mountain, you and Jiang encountered an unexpected situation and had no choice but to share a guest room. Despite the commotion, the Demon Cult Maiden even tried to "catch you in the act," but in the end, it was just another moonlit night.】

【Not long after, you received a secret letter from your family, summoning you home to meet an old acquaintance. Curious, you returned, only to discover that your family had arranged yet another engagement for you years ago!】

【And the fiancée this time? A deadly assassin under the Grand Princess, Miss Fang! Even the heavens seemed to marvel at your ridiculous romantic luck—it was as if every beautiful woman was destined to marry you at birth.】

Zhengran: “???”

【Due to these events, you gained: +3 cultivation levels, +5 stamina, +10 strength, and +5 endurance.】

【You successfully broke through the bottleneck at Level 60 of the Qi Refinement Stage, advancing from Level 59 to Level 62.】

【Your current stats are as follows:】

Spirit Level: 61 (Core Formation Stage)

Strength: Maxed Out

Endurance: 88 (Unlocked: Lifespan Extension, Enhanced Body Strength, Double Training Efficiency)

Stamina: 89 (Unlocked: Enhanced Offspring Potential, Seven Times a Night Ability)

Affinity with All Things: Level 2 (All disciples you teach receive significant boosts. Those who form contracts with you gain triple the benefits.）

New Talent Unlocked: Spiritual Power—Like Affinity with All Things, this ability has five levels. At Level 1, you can now use Spiritual Energy Manipulation, meaning you are no longer limited to physical combat.

This breakthrough was something Zhengran hadn’t anticipated. Spiritual Energy Manipulation was a much more noticeable improvement compared to his previous boosts.

After the childhood engagement reveal, time passed quickly.

Before he knew it, a year and a half had gone by.

During this time, Lin Zhengran had been incredibly busy.

In the music industry, he worked with Jiang Xueli to shoot her first MV and later helped her appear on a few entertainment programs. Thanks to this, she officially debuted on screen. She also created her own personal music account, rapidly growing into a rising star. Even her parents, Uncle Jiang and Aunt Jiang, were surprised by how far she had come.

Meanwhile, Zhengshi Company was handling far more than he had initially expected. Managing all the foundational work took a great deal of effort, but after a year and a half, the company had finally stabilized.

New novel chapters are published on freewёbn૦νeɭ.com.

On the sports side, Zhengran dedicated time to training members of Zhengshi Sports, and under his guidance, they progressed rapidly.

However, no one could compare to He Qing and Jiang Xueli. Jiang had become Zhengshi Music’s top artist, while He Qing, after rigorous training, entered the city’s championship tournament and easily won first place, securing a spot at the provincial level.

In just a year and a half, they had moved from junior year to senior year, now only one semester away from graduation.