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[1] Face-changing (變臉) is a famous Sichuan opera technique where performers rapidly switch between colorful masks. Chen Shu is mocking the shop owner's instant attitude change from hostile to friendly after the sale.
'Reward obtained: Slime Defense +5%'
"Sir, don't do anything rash!"
Chen Shu chose a strategic retreat, pulling Zhang Dali along as they silently waited.
Before long, Fang Si strode out, looking sharp as ever.
"Sister Fang Si!" Zhang Dali shouted loudly.
In an instant, students passing through the gate all looked over, watching Fang Si with awe and respect.
"Little Fang, these are your younger brothers?"
The security guard's attitude instantly flipped. "You should've said so earlier! From now on, they can come into Huaxia Academy whenever they want."
"Sister Fang Si, you're amazing."
Zhang Dali was riding high. If he really stayed in the Capital, the good days were just beginning.
"Come on, I'll show you around."
Fang Si led the two on a tour.
Chen Shu and Zhang Dali were like country bumpkins visiting a grand estate, their faces full of curiosity.
Just the Beast Arena alone took three full hours to tour. Inside, many students were dueling, and the various powerful contract spirits opened Chen Shu's eyes.
Xu Xiaoyu's A-rank contract spirit had been unrivaled at Nanjiang Second High.
But at Huaxia Academy, A-rank contract spirits were a dime a dozen.
Though Huaxia Academy's admission standards valued total college exam scores, the average potential rating of students' contract spirits was A-rank.
Only when your first contract spirit was A-rank and you became a Black Iron rank Beast Tamer could it evolve into S-rank. You could say that having an S-rank contract spirit was the foundation for establishing yourself at Huaxia Academy.
And Fang Si's Scarlet Flame Dragon was even beyond S-rank, enough to dominate the vast majority of students. However, that alone wasn't enough to make Huaxia Academy students this fearful.
Chen Shu guessed that Fang Si's second contract spirit wouldn't be simple either.
At noon, the three ate in the school cafeteria. Not only was the food free, but it even used rare fierce beast meat.
Just this alone made Chen Shu's desire to apply intensify.
Since Huaxia Academy was truly massive, it took a full three days just to get a general overview.
Whether it was the library, Beast Arena, academic buildings, and so on—everything left Chen Shu deeply shocked.
Inside, there were even Beast Training Dojos, Beast Tamer Centers, and other institutions you'd normally find in society, all at the nation's top tier.
Three days later, "Chen Pi, I'm off to take the exam!"
Zhang Dali, carrying his pots and pans, headed to the Capital's Spirit Chef University.
The usually carefree Zhang Dali had a completely serious expression. This exam would decide his entire future.
If he took the regular college entrance exam, he definitely wouldn't be able to get in—after all, his academic subjects were a complete trainwreck.
But Spirit Chef University's independent exam was different. It only tested culinary skills. As long as you could cook perfect fierce beast food and preserve the maximum nutritional content, you could become a Spirit Chef University student.
Chen Shu cheered him on. "Waiting for good news!"
After Zhang Dali left, Chen Shu stayed alone in the hotel.
Fang Si also had some matters to handle today, and Chen Shu felt a bit bored.
"Guess I'll explore the Capital."
Chen Shu left the hotel and headed to the Beast Taming Commercial Street in the Capital's Huaxia District.
Most of the shops sold basic potions. There were no Black Iron-tier materials or potions, since those were all traded on the Beast Tamer Association website.
However, a small number of shops still specialized in premium goods, with astronomically high prices.
Chen Shu walked into a shop called "Old Ghost General Store." The first thing he saw was Beast Taming Pearls displayed on the counter.
"Boss, how much for a Basic-tier Beast Taming Pearl?"
These came from the cores of Variant-tier fierce beasts. If consumed, they directly increased Beast Taming Power and were suitable for Beast Tamers below Black Iron rank.
"One hundred thousand!"
The owner was a wiry old man, currently using a magnifying glass to study some unknown bone fragment in his hand.
"Holy crap! That expensive!"
Chen Shu hadn't expected even a Basic-tier one to cost this much.
"What about this Black Iron-tier Beast Taming Pearl?"
The old man barely glanced up, saying calmly, "Four holy craps."
"Uh..."
Chen Shu hadn't expected the boss to be this humorous. Four holy craps meant four hundred thousand.
He started looking at the other materials. Not only were there Beast Taming Pearls, but in a glass container sat a beating heart.
There was no price tag, but it had a label: 'Lord-tier Gale Hawk Heart, Talent Skill: Wind's Breath'
Chen Shu didn't need to think—the price was definitely astronomical. After all, even the Ice Hare Lord's Azure Eyes were worth at least two million.
Besides these, there were also some Black Iron-tier rare medicinal materials, priced considerably higher than the Beast Tamer Association website.
"Look, kid, if you're not buying, stop wandering around in front of me, okay?"
The owner was getting irritated. He'd been researching this for three days without reaching a conclusion.
Chen Shu was about to speak when options suddenly appeared before his eyes.
[Option 1: Leave the shop]
- Reward: High-Grade Flame Potion[Option 2: Buy the Gale Hawk Heart]
- Reward: Skill Book: Rebound Force[Option 3: Tell the owner the bone fragment he's researching is just a wild boar bone]
- Reward: Medium Beast Taming Power boostChen Shu froze. He hadn't expected to trigger options here.
But for a moment, he felt conflicted. The second option was definitely the best, but the problem was it was too freaking expensive.
His total assets were only around three million Huaxia currency. He didn't even know if he could afford it.
And the rewards for the first and third options were too mediocre.
"Are you buying or not?" The boss frowned, looking extremely impatient.
"Buying! Why wouldn't I buy? Don't I need to look things over first?"
Chen Shu pointed at the goods on the counter with a magnanimous air. "This one, this one, and this one..."
"Hm?"
A trace of surprise appeared in the old man's eyes as he sized up Chen Shu. Had he actually run into some rich kid?
"And this whole row of materials, plus that whole row of Beast Taming Pearls..."
The boss looked excited. Was this kid planning to buy out his entire shop?
Chen Shu pointed at various goods, paused for a moment, then said, "I don't want any of what I just pointed at..."
The old man shot to his feet, saying through gritted teeth, "Would you mind rolling yourself into a ball and getting the hell out? So you're not buying a single thing?"
"Who said that? Didn't I not point at the heart?"
Chen Shu calmly asked, "How much is this heart?"
"Three million. No haggling!" The old man's attitude was no longer friendly.
"!!" Chen Shu's eyes went wide.
Did you freaking check my bank account balance or something?
"Really no haggling?"
"No!"
Chen Shu rubbed his chin, falling into thought. Three million for a guaranteed skill wasn't actually a bad deal.
Even if he didn't comprehend the Gale Hawk's talent skill, it didn't matter—at least he'd have Rebound Force as a guarantee.
"I'll take it!"
Chen Shu waved his hand decisively without any hesitation.
Wasn't the whole point of making money to nurture contract spirits?
For three million to guarantee a contract spirit would comprehend a skill—people worldwide would be falling over themselves to buy it.
"You're... buying it?" The old man's eyes went wide. Was this kid messing with him again?
It wasn't until the bank transfer went through that the old man finally reacted.
He immediately put on a warm smile. "Not bad, youngster—you've got an eye for quality! This old man didn't misjudge you. The moment I saw you, I knew you were one in a million!"
"Are you doing a face-change act or something?"[1] Chen Shu's mouth twitched.
At the same time, looking at the heart in his hand, he felt a bit of anticipation.