Chinese Superman

"I grant your request," Xia Xinghan nodded.

"What did you wish for? Tell me quickly!" Liu Mengyan immediately asked curiously.

Su Xiao gently tugged at her: "You can't tell her, or it won't work."

Just then, an increasingly burly figure rushed over; it was Xiang Xiaohu.

He was sweating profusely from playing, his head and shoulders steaming. Seeing the cake in front of Xia Xinghan, a longing look appeared on his honest face: "Boss! Are you eating cake? I want a slice too!"

Xia Xinghan glanced at him and shook his head: "No, you can't eat it."

"Why?" Xiang Xiaohu asked, puzzled, pointing to Su Xiao and Liu Mengyan. "Aren't Sister Su Xiao and Sister Liu eating?"

Xia Xinghan put down his small fork and said seriously, "You are currently at the half-step innate realm, in the crucial stage of 'nurturing your innate nature,' and you need to abstain from grains and give up your appetite. They can do it, but you can't."

Xiang Xiaohu scratched his head and said nonchalantly, "Boss, isn't today your birthday? Compared to celebrating your birthday, what's cultivating your innate power? At worst, we can just break our cultivation and start over!"

He reached out to take it.

Xia Xinghan waved his small hand, his movements slow but precise, slapping away Xiang Xiaohu's palm and leaving him empty-handed.

"It's not that simple."

Xia Xinghan's face hardened, and his tone became serious.

"Nourishing one's innate constitution takes anywhere from 49 days to 81 days. It may sound like just not eating, but in reality, it's a struggle against the body's most primal instincts."

"For humans, eating and sustaining life are the most basic instincts. Only by truly overcoming and even controlling this most primal desire, and achieving unity of mind and body, can one truly cross that threshold and enter the realm of innate nature."

"Indulging in momentary pleasure may seem like a small matter, but it can shake your pure mind and cause all your previous efforts to go to waste."

"Immaculate" refers to the body, while "dustless" refers to the state of mind.

The practice of fasting for a period of only a few dozen days, free from dust and grime, can hold a person with a weak mind captive for a lifetime.

In fact, not only should one abstain from grains, but one should also refrain from depleting one's vital energy. One must abstain from food and sex, and abstain from smoking and alcohol, in order to achieve true purity and cleanliness.

This step is not about upholding heavenly principles and suppressing human desires, but rather about giving you complete control over yourself.

Xiang Xiaohu listened in a daze. Although he didn't fully understand some of the reasons, he always believed in Xia Xinghan's words.

Seeing the boss's serious look, he reluctantly withdrew his hand and said dejectedly, "Okay, boss... I won't eat it."

"Then let's find another way to celebrate the boss's birthday."

Immediately afterward, a sly glint flashed in his tiger-like eyes. He suddenly took a deep breath and shouted in a loud voice to all the students playing on the tarmac:

"Feed! Everyone, listen to me!"

The noise subsided, and everyone turned to look.

Xiang Xiaohu pointed at Xia Xinghan and grinned, "Today is our boss's birthday!!"

After a brief silence—

Happy birthday, boss!!!

Happy birthday!

The students from the Opening Heaven Class and the Pidi Class first congratulated each other in unison, their voices so loud that the snow on the treetops fell in a flurry.

Immediately afterwards, someone started it, and they all bent down and quickly made snowballs.

"To celebrate the boss's birthday—"

"Brothers and sisters—"

"Fire at the boss!!!"

In an instant, dozens of snowballs of varying sizes, carrying the pure enthusiasm of the boys, roared toward Xia Xinghan's location from all directions!

Xia Xinghan was taken aback at first, then a warm smile spread across his large, azure eyes.

He didn't use any extraordinary speed or strength to dodge; he simply instinctively raised his arm to shield his face.

"Snap," "Plop," "Splash!"

Snowballs rained down on him, his hat, and his down jacket, leaving him covered in icy, crumbly snow.

While laughing and dodging stray bullets, Su Xiao and Liu Mengyan also secretly rolled up small snowballs and joined the "attack".

Xiang Xiaohu laughed heartily, picked up a large chunk of snow, and rolled it into a ball the size of a washbasin.

Xia Xinghan's face immediately darkened.

Fortunately, Xiang Xiaohu knew his limits and didn't pack the snow into a solid mass. He threw it at the snow in its fluffy state, and it started to fall apart halfway through.

Xia Xinghan was scrambling to avoid being hit by snowballs, but his little face was beaming with a smile.

He simply jumped off the stool, squatted down, made a snowball, and threw it at Xiang Xiaohu and the others.

"Counterattack! Boss is counterattacking!"

"Quickly, cover Xiang Xiaohu!"

"Charge!"

On the tarmac, laughter, screams, and the sound of snowballs breaking mingled together.

Xia Xinghan ran, dodged, and fought back in the snow, feeling the coldness of the snowflakes falling on his face and listening to the laughter of his companions.

This scene was so beautiful and so heartwarming.

A lively and intense snowball fight finally came to an end as dusk settled over the mountains.

The young people displayed their talents in various ways, some with sword dances, others with flute music, and still others with the sound of bells.

Several students also performed special abilities, each displaying their unique skills to celebrate the eldest student's birthday.

Liu Mengyan lowered her head and shook the snowflakes off her long hair, her smile bright as the spring sun.

She walked up to Xia Xinghan, spread her hands, and said mysteriously, "Little birthday boy, watch your big sister perform a magic trick for you!"

"It couldn't be some kind of prop or technique, could it?"

Xia Xinghan looked over curiously and saw a few inconspicuous brown seeds lying in her palm.

The next instant, a faint green light, full of vitality, flowed from her palm, and several seeds broke through their shells, sprouted, and grew at a speed visible to the naked eye!

The tender green stems and leaves unfurl, and in the blink of an eye, several flowers of different colors and delicate beauty bloom, swaying gracefully in the winter wind and exuding a delicate fragrance.

"This is for you, happy birthday!"

Liu Mengyan handed the bouquet of flowers to Xia Xinghan, a hint of pride in her eyes. Her special ability was "controlling plant growth," which became increasingly refined under the nourishment of spiritual energy.

Su Xiao watched from the sidelines, not wanting to be outdone.

She put her index finger and thumb to her lips, took a deep breath, and whistled a clear and melodious tune.

"Tch~~~~"

The whistle echoed through the valley.

Before long, rustling sounds came from the distant mountains and forests.

A few furry wild rabbits were the first to hop and leap out of the bushes, their ears perked up curiously.

Immediately afterwards, several brightly colored pheasants fluttered down and tilted their heads to examine the crowd.

Two bold fawns even peeked out from the woods and approached docilely.

These little creatures in the mountains and forests all obediently gathered around Xia Xinghan, some rubbing against his trouser legs, and others curiously sniffing the flowers in his hands.

Su Xiao's special ability, "communicating with animals," allows her to have simple conversations with and even control animals.

This gift was equally ingenious.

Zhou Yuanyi, having tidied his clothes at some point, stood elegantly in the middle of the snow. He cleared his throat and recited aloud: "Just like young students, full of vigor and vitality; scholarly spirit, bold and unrestrained..."

"Great words!"

"Hahaha!"

Amid applause and laughter, this simple yet heartfelt birthday celebration came to a perfect end.

As dusk deepened, the snow-covered mountains turned orange, vibrant and beautiful.

The students returned to the base in twos and threes, chatting and laughing. The tarmac returned to its winter tranquility, leaving only a mess of footprints and lingering laughter.

After saying goodbye to his friends, Xia Xinghan went to Qian Lao's office alone.