Chapter 007: Water Control Art

“You want to take me for shopping? There’s no need to rush, right? At least…” Chen Xiao stopped again, pointing at Jiang Xianxiang and himself.
At that moment, having just played basketball, both of them were wearing the uniforms of the professional basketball team. Chen Xiao was fine—his clothes were just a bit dirty—but Jiang Xianxiang was drenched in sweat, his white uniform almost turning black.
“Xianxiang, why are you more anxious than me?” Chen Xiao looked at him in exasperation.
“I’m just worried about my future sister-in-law, haha.” Jiang Xianxiang scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
“Let’s go back to the dorm first. As for shopping, I think we can skip it.” Chen Xiao smiled nonchalantly. “If she doesn’t have any feelings for me, no matter how well I dress, she won’t even glance at me.”
“Boss, I… I have nothing more to say.” Jiang Xianxiang nodded helplessly.
Soon, the two returned to the dorm.
“Wow, boss, you were amazing today!” As soon as they arrived, Liu Xu and Qiu Cheng started cheering.
“Yes, those three three-pointers, those blocks—so awesome!”
“Huh? I thought you weren’t there just now. How do you know how I performed?” Chen Xiao teased them. That afternoon, Liu Xu had been reading in the school library while Qiu Cheng had been playing games in the dorm; neither of them had watched the game.
“Heh, I heard it from other classmates,” Qiu Chen said sheepishly. Clearly, they had also learned about it later.
“Boss, I heard Qin Da Meiniu is taking you out for dinner tonight?” Liu Xu raised an eyebrow at Chen Xiao. “What a great opportunity!”
“Tch, don’t even mention it.” Chen Xiao sighed. “With all these ‘wolves’ around, it’s become a race to see who can treat everyone to a meal.”
“Then tonight…” Qiu Cheng’s eyes lit up.
“I’ll kill you,” Jiang Xianxiang said. “Alright, let’s discuss how to help the boss win over his sister-in-law tonight.”
So, the three mischievous guys left Chen Xiao aside and started discussing things among themselves.
“Should I be the one to pursue girls, or should you guys do it?” Chen Xiao was utterly speechless about his roommates.
“Whatever, you guys discuss it. I’m going to take a shower.” Grumbling, Chen Xiao headed to the dorm bathroom.
……
After closing the door, taking off his clothes, and turning on the faucet, Chen Xiao focused his mind. The slightly cool water turned into a thin stream that flowed around his body, washing him.
“It’s a bit cold. Make it warmer.” Feeling the water was too cold, he used his mental power to raise the temperature slightly.
“Hmm, this is better. Hey, I still don’t know what use this water control ability really is. At least I don’t have to spend money on showers, brushing my teeth, or drinking water.”
Chen Xiao kept thinking about ways to save money.
If anyone had entered at that moment, they would have seen a bizarre scene: Chen Xiao, completely naked and barefoot, standing on the floor, with streams of water, as if alive, constantly flowing around his body, washing him.

“Alright.” Chen Xiao raised his hand, and the flowing water gathered into a water ball the size of a football, condensing above his palm. By now, the originally transparent water had become somewhat turbid.
“It seems that even with the Heart of Water, it can’t keep me spotless; I still have to get dirty when necessary.” Chen Xiao stared at the water ball floating above his palm and muttered to himself.
“Separate!”
With a soft command from Chen Xiao, whoosh! The turbid substances in the water were instantly separated.
“Isn’t this about conserving water?” Chen Xiao flicked his palm slightly, and the now crystal-clear water ball disappeared. He had performed this sequence countless times, becoming highly skilled at it.
Moreover, Chen Xiao realized that the more he interacted with water, the stronger his control over it became, and the larger the amount of water he could control at once.
“If I can ever control all the water in the ocean, won’t I be invincible on Earth?” Once again, Chen Xiao fell into endless daydreams.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the entire bathroom was filled with light blue water, every inch of space submerged. Yet the water seemed lifeless, completely still, as if every molecule and atom were at rest.
Chen Xiao immersed himself in the light blue water, his mental strength rapidly improving. This kind of cultivation had become an essential part of his daily routine.
Ever since he accidentally awakened the Heart of Water and unleashed its primal water energy, his progress had accelerated by several times compared to when he merely communicated with the Heart of Water using those minimal streams of warmth.
“Huh…” With a mental command, Chen Xiao drew back the blue water, sending it all back into the Heart of Water in his chest.
“So comfortable!” Chen Xiao took a deep breath, put on some clothes, and stepped out of the bathroom.
“Boss, you’re done so fast?” Liu Xu greeted him as he came out of the bathroom. “How about our plan? Tonight, Xiangzi will find some troublemakers from the streets to create a fight, so you can show off your skills, fight the villains, and win the heart of the beauty!”
Hearing Liu Xu’s words, Chen Xiao rolled his eyes. “Forget it, that’s such a clichéd plot. Our class leader, Zhu Guangzhen, is part of the martial arts association. It won’t be my turn to shine.”
“Then how about this plan…” Qiu Cheng rushed to speak up.
“Stop!” Chen Xiao quickly interrupted him. “Enough, stop coming up with bad ideas. I have my own plans.”
“Huh, boss, really? Did you think of it while taking a bath?” Jiang Xianxiang widened his eyes and asked.
“Tell us, what’s your plan?” Liu Xu also asked.
“Secret!” Chen Xiao smiled mysteriously before adding, “Alright, you guys go and bore yourselves here. I’m going to eat.”
With that, Chen Xiao left the dorm room.
“That’s strange. Isn’t Qin Mengyao treating us tonight? Why is he going to eat now?” Qiu Cheng was puzzled.
“You idiot,” Jiang Xianxiang tapped Qiu Cheng’s head. “We’ve been playing basketball all afternoon; I’m hungry too. The boss is going to prepare first. He’s the main character tonight—he can’t afford to make a fool of himself.”

“Oh, I see. It seems our boss has quite a lot on his mind these days.” Liu Xu nodded seriously.
Chen Xiao walked alone across the campus of the University of Science and Technology, feeling somewhat restless. In fact, he had already agreed to Jiang Xianxiang’s idea—to take advantage of tonight to confess his feelings to Qin Mengyao.
At this moment, Chen Xiao was filled with excitement; even the Heart of Water couldn’t calm his restless mind.
“Chen Xiao, right?”
Suddenly, a voice came from behind him. He turned around and saw five tall, burly youths approaching him.
“What do you want?” Chen Xiao asked, unfazed.
“Hehe, you’re quite bold, kid,” said the leader, a blond youth, with a smile. “Our boss wants to see you. Come with us.”
“I’m busy,” Chen Xiao replied coldly, lowering his head and continuing to walk.
“Hmph, you don’t get to decide that,” the blond youth said, reaching out to grab Chen Xiao’s shoulder.
Chen Xiao frowned and shifted slightly to dodge him.
“I said I’m busy. Leave me alone,” he said, his expression darkening.
“Nonsense!” The blond youth waved his hand, and the five of them quickly surrounded Chen Xiao.