Chen Shu let out a sigh. "Zhang-shu, don't sweat the small stuff!"
Everyone shook their heads and chuckled. They were all well acquainted with Chen Shu's personality by now.
Regardless, Chen Shu had already become the undisputed number one of his senior year -- the same as Fang Si back in her day, and arguably even more impressive.
Because he'd done it with an F-rank Slime...
"Dali got into the Capital's Spirit Chef University, Little Fang Si's a Dragon Guard now, and Chen Pi's guaranteed at least a top-tier university!"
Zhang Feng couldn't help but sigh. "The younger generation really is leagues beyond us."
Chen Shu's father, Chen Ping, had a smile brimming in his eyes. He spoke up.
"I always said the kids would find their own path. We just shouldn't meddle too much!"
After several rounds of drinks, everyone had eaten their fill. The parents settled into the sofas and chattered on about everyday life.
Fang Si picked up her bag. "Chen Pi, come with me for a sec!"
The three of them left the house and went for a stroll through the neighborhood.
The night breeze brushed against them gently, but it carried a vicious bite of cold.
The weather had already reached what was practically the coldest stretch of the entire year.
Chen Shu and Zhang Dali couldn't help shuddering.
"How is it even possible to be this cold?!" Chen Shu said.
Zhang Dali nodded frantically beside him, in complete and total agreement. His legs were shaking like he had the jitters.
"There's a kind of longing called 'gazing through autumn waters,' and there's a kind of cold called 'forgetting your thermal long underwear.' Could you two at least show winter some respect?" [1]
Fang Si said this while pulling a vial of serum from her bag.
She handed it to Chen Shu. "Here, take this! Consider it your big sis's New Year gift!"
Chen Shu blinked in surprise and took the vial for a look.
There was no branding on it whatsoever -- just a single line of text: Serial No. 003!
"Sis Fang Si, what kind of underground factory did you get this from?"
The corner of Chen Shu's mouth twitched. He eyed the black liquid inside, unable to shake his suspicion.
Fang Si smacked him on the head. "What underground factory! This was developed specifically by Huaxia Academy. Now drink up!"
"Oh!"
And with that, Chen Shu twisted open the vial and prepared to down it in one shot.
"Are you actually out of your mind?!"
Fang Si's eyes went wide, and she snatched it away just in time.
"It's for your Contract Spirit! Why the hell would you drink this thing?!"
This was the first time in her life she'd met someone this absurd. So you're treating this like a health supplement, huh?
"Uh... I thought it was for, like, boosting my body..."
The realization dawned on Chen Shu. He focused his mind, and the space beside him suddenly cracked open. A pair of adorably dopey eyes appeared.
He poured the serum straight into the Slime's mouth.
Moments later, the Slime fell into a deep sleep. The serum was clearly taking effect.
Chen Shu seemed to remember something. "Oh right, what does this serum actually do?"
Fang Si answered. "Roughly a 10% boost to all attributes. But it takes one full night to digest."
Chen Shu's spirit surged. All attributes?!
He'd assumed it was just some minor potion and hadn't thought much of it. He never expected it to boost all attributes -- that was basically a straight 10% increase in combat power.
No need to even think about it -- a serum like this would be priceless even within Huaxia Academy.
Chen Shu looked deeply moved. "Sis Fang Si, I..."
Fang Si waved him off. "Just do your best on the college entrance exam. Don't let anyone look down on you!"
"No, what I mean is -- can I buy these wholesale? I want to start a company! With a product this overpowered, wouldn't I dominate the entire potion market?"
Chen Shu's eyes were practically glowing. He was already fantasizing about the good life ahead.
"You are truly unhinged!"
Fang Si gave him a thumbs-up. The raw materials for this kind of thing were absurdly expensive. Ordinary people couldn't even afford it -- otherwise the government would've rolled it out nationwide ages ago.
And this bastard? His very first thought was to corner the market...
"Chen Pi, I've got something for you too!"
Zhang Dali spoke up from beside them and pulled out a big bag of buns.
"Uh... is this breakfast for tomorrow? I'll heat them up when I get home."
Chen Shu took the bag and fished one out.
"What filling?"
"Just try it and you'll find out."
Chen Shu bit into it. His eyes instantly flew wide open, and he spat the mouthful of bun straight out.
The degree of inedibility made Chen Shu momentarily question whether he was eating shit...
"What the fuck is this?! Dark cuisine?!"
"I thought you could eat anything."
Zhang Dali had a grin tugging at his lips as he explained. "These are also for your Slime. They're called Dali Buns! One a day for a month straight, and they'll boost its Strength by about 2%." [2]
"So one month per treatment cycle, huh?"
Chen Shu stuffed the bitten bun back into the bag and said:
"Not bad, Dali. You learned beast cuisine in just six months?"
Zhang Dali sighed. "I only learned this one dish."
Six months. He'd done nothing else. Every last minute had gone into making buns.
Under normal circumstances, beast cuisine couldn't show results in just a month -- it required long-term consumption.
But Spirit Chef University had been researching exactly this problem: how to make the food take effect more quickly.
Every professor at the university wanted to elevate the status of Spirit Chefs to be on equal footing with Potion Masters.
The two disciplines were really two sides of the same coin. Both used technique and expertise to blend various ingredients and create something that could enhance a Contract Spirit's power.
The only difference was that one used medicinal herbs and the other used fierce beast meat...
"I've got gifts for you guys too!"
Chen Shu said this with a perfectly serious expression.
He reached into his own bag and pulled out two... urea bags.
"..."
The two of them froze, then spoke in unison. "Thanks..."
Sure enough. No surprises there. Urea bags. Again.
"Hm?"
Fang Si's expression suddenly shifted. She'd noticed something was off.
She opened the urea bag. Inside were several large-capacity potion bottles.
They were the seven types of potions Chen Shu had brewed to Grandmaster-level proficiency -- potions that could push the absorption limit an additional 25%.
"My Contract Spirits have already been fed to their caps."
Fang Si said this matter-of-factly. As Huaxia Academy's top genius, both of her Contract Spirits had been cultivated to near perfection.
The basic potions in the urea bag had long since been fed to the limit.
Chen Shu flashed a wide grin. "You can still feed them more!"
Fang Si froze for a beat, then understood.
She nodded and carefully tucked the urea bag away.
So Chen Shu did have a secret after all!
"Dali, your bag's got a gift in it too!" Chen Shu said.
Zhang Dali paused, then opened his urea bag. Inside was... a butcher's cleaver.
"I've been sharpening it every single day," Chen Shu said. "My hands have got calluses from all the grinding! It's way better than a regular kitchen knife!"
"Every single day?!"
Zhang Dali's eyes filled with emotion. He didn't say much -- just clapped Chen Shu on the shoulder.
He hadn't expected Chen Shu to be this thoughtful.
In reality, it was the butcher's cleaver Xie Sunan had lost to Chen Shu in a bet...