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[1] "Fire one signal arrow and a million soldiers arrive" (一支穿雲箭，千軍萬馬來相見) is a famous quote from Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle (2004). The joke is that Zhang Dali's dramatic call for backup only got Chen Shu.
Chen Shu summoned the Golden Slime right there in the shop.
The slime's height was now almost equal to Chen Shu's, and its body was absolutely massive—no longer the little toy he could once hold in his arms.
"Little Gold, eat it!"
Chen Shu opened the container, and the heart inside was instantly swallowed by the Golden Slime.
"You're feeding the heart to a slime? Isn't that a complete waste of precious treasure?!"
The shop owner's eyes went wide with disbelief.
A three-million-yuan heart fed to an F-rank slime? Were rich people really this extravagant nowadays?
Though the Golden Slime couldn't understand words, it could see the old man's look of disdain. Its mouth pouted, eyes glaring with fury—it was practically ready to launch a Charge attack.
"Alright, alright."
Chen Shu squeezed the slime, calming it down.
Soon, the heart was digested inside the slime's body.
"Burrrp~~~"
The slime let out a satisfied belch, and a gust of wind spread outward, rattling all the display cases around them.
"You—?!"
The shop owner's eyes bulged. He hadn't expected the slime to actually comprehend Wind's Breath.
Suddenly, he felt a chill on the top of his head and shrieked, "Holy crap, my hair!"
"No wonder your hair looked so thick, old man."
Chen Shu stared at the now-bald shop owner and burst into laughter.
He was professionally trained not to laugh... unless he couldn't help it.
"You little punk! Get out! Out!"
The old man frantically turned around to search for his wig.
"Oh, by the way, old man—don't bother researching that bone fragment. It's just a wild boar bone. Worthless."
Chen Shu hid his skills and made a clean exit.
"Wild boar bone?"
The shop owner froze. Ignoring his wig, he nervously pulled out his instruments and compared the data against wild boar bone samples.
Finally, he discovered something terrifying.
It really was just a wild boar bone!
He'd spent five hundred thousand on a wild boar bone?!
The Gale Hawk heart had cost him two hundred fifty thousand to acquire.
So he hadn't made a single yuan of profit. No wait—his wig had been ruined too...
The shop owner propped his chin on both hands, the top of his head feeling cold. His heart felt even colder.
Right now, all he wanted was to emo at the entire world...
...
Chen Shu left the shop with a grin. Though he'd spent three million, he'd helped the slime comprehend two skills.
Wind's Breath: Can release the power of fierce winds. Damage scales with the contract spirit's own wind-attribute power.
Rebound Force: When struck by close-range attacks, the slime's body generates a rebound force that transfers to the enemy. Damage scales with the slime's own defense.
Wind's Breath was an active skill, while Rebound Force was passive.
Rebound Force had crazy-high compatibility with the slime. System-made? Guaranteed quality!
Wind's Breath, on the other hand, wasn't much use for him. The slime was an attribute-less contract spirit—its wind-attribute power was practically nonexistent. The damage output probably wouldn't be impressive.
But every skill had its uses. There were no absolutely useless skills—only Beast Tamers who didn't know how to use them properly.
The day passed quickly.
Chen Shu was now completely broke, just wandering aimlessly and soaking in the atmosphere of the big city.
That evening, his phone suddenly rang.
"Hey, Dali—exam's over? How'd it go?"
"Chen Pi, SOS! I need backup! I'm cornered!"
Before Zhang Dali could say more, the sounds of a commotion came through, and the call abruptly cut off.
"?!"
Chen Shu's mind snapped to attention. He recalled the slime and flagged down a taxi.
"Driver! Spirit Chef University! Hurry up please—I'm rushing to reincarnate!"
"???" The taxi driver looked completely dumbfounded. Kid, that's a bit too direct, isn't it?
The driver floored the gas and took off.
Well, if it was reincarnation, then of course they'd better hurry.
Fortunately, Spirit Chef University was also in the Huaxia District.
In less than an hour, Chen Shu arrived at the university gates.
He spotted Zhang Dali immediately, surrounded by a group of people.
Using his sturdy build, Chen Shu forced his way through the crowd and reached Zhang Dali's side.
"Dali, what happened?"
Zhang Dali hadn't even spoken yet when the fatty across from them opened his mouth first: "So this is your 'fire one signal arrow and a million soldiers arrive'?"[1]
"Cut the crap. Who are you people?" Chen Shu sized up the group.
That fatty was clearly someone who'd been pampered his whole life. This kind of young master... Chen Shu could take on ten of them!
The key issue was the four muscular goons beside him—clearly trained fighters.
They might not be able to beat Black Iron rank Beast Tamers, but intimidating ordinary people? Piece of cake.
The fatty sneered, "Your buddy here was way too cocky. Trash-talked me during the exam, said he'd crush me."
At this moment, Zhu Dabai was seething inside. As a member of the Capital's Zhu family, when had he ever been provoked by some nobody from the provinces?
The most infuriating part was that he'd failed to get into Spirit Chef University while this guy had passed. That sense of failure made his rage burn even hotter.
Today, he was determined to teach this country bumpkin a lesson.
Chen Shu raised an eyebrow. "And? What happened?"
"Then I crushed him." Zhang Dali said from the side. "I got fifth place. He got fiftieth."
Zhang Dali looked thoroughly annoyed, refusing to back down an inch. "Who told you to mock me first? As a chef, is it really that weird to bring my own iron wok?"
Chen Shu nodded. "Well, there you go. He said he'd crush you, and he did. Isn't keeping your word a virtue?"
The fatty's face twisted with anger. "Enough bullshit! You've got two choices: fight my bodyguards, or fight my contract spirit."
Chen Shu suddenly lowered his head and muttered, "Why didn't you call Sister Fang Si for a situation like this?"
That group was clearly trouble—probably local Capital people. This kind of situation would be best handled by Fang Si.
Zhang Dali spread his hands helplessly. "I did. She didn't pick up. Probably busy with something."
"So what's your decision?" Zhu Dabai pressed.
Just then, options appeared before Chen Shu's eyes.
[Option 1: Accept Zhu Dabai's challenge and win]
- Reward: Golden Slime's All-Elemental Resistance +10%[Option 2: Run away directly, absolutely refuse to fight]
- Reward: Medium Beast Taming Power boost[Option 3: Capture the king first—while his bodyguards are off guard, give Zhu Dabai a slap]
- Reward: Golden Slime's Speed +5%