Tuesday.
Su Hao had nothing to do, so he joined Die Xiaodie in attending the Phantom Ability Application course.
On the way back to the dormitory.
Suddenly,
a figure appeared before him.
It was a puppet controller.
It looked at the Dream Butterfly.
The Dream Butterfly then looked at him, "Gu nuo~"
He pointed at himself, "Senior Wu is looking for me?"
The puppet controller tugged at its strings and nodded.
"Alright, I'll head over."
The puppet controller vanished with a whoosh.
He changed direction and walked toward Senior Wu's estate.
Die Xiaodie fluttered her wings and flew in front of him, tentatively asking, "Gu nuo?"
She was asking if she could leave first.
"No." Su Hao refused instantly. "If you leave, who'll translate for me when I run into other spirits?"
"Gu nuo?"
Since when did I become a tool spirit, gu nuo~!
I have so much to do, gu nuo~!
I've even started a new business recently, gu nuo~!
Die Xiaodie's big eyes showed reluctance, but she still let Su Hao grab her and place her on his head.
...
Wanmu Estate.
When Su Hao arrived, besides King Wu, he also saw a middle-aged man with thinning hair and a somewhat disheveled appearance.
He looked vaguely familiar.
He must have seen him somewhere before.
"Yao Jingxue, the professor in charge of our school's No. 1 Laboratory," King Wu said.
"Master Yao, I've long admired you," Su Hao quickly responded.
Master Yao saw the newcomer, his eyes lighting up as he fixed his gaze on the Dream Butterfly on Su Hao's head. He stared for a long time, making the little creature tense up, fluttering its wings once before hiding behind Su Hao's back.
Master Yao gave an awkward laugh, "Seeing the first evolved Dream Butterfly, I got a bit excited, a bit excited.
"Its development is perfect. I've seen other Dream Butterflies, but whether it's the wing patterns or the liveliness in its eyes, none compare to it... You've raised it well."
After some mutual flattery, Su Hao finally learned why Senior Wu had called him over.
"College Spirit Cultivation Cup?"
Su Hao quickly searched his vast knowledge-filled mind.
But after a moment, he confirmed he had never heard of it.
"The College Spirit Cultivation Cup and the College League are known as the two major tournaments of spirit universities."
Master Yao said, "But the College Spirit Cultivation Cup involves a lot of technical and experimental results, so it hasn't been made public... You're from the Spirit Control College, so it's normal not to know."
He couldn't help adding, "With your talent, you should have chosen the Spirit Cultivation College instead. Pursuing academics is the real path."
"Nonsense!" King Wu couldn't hold back. "I asked you to bring Xiao Su here, not to poach him, alright!
"The teacher thinks highly of Xiao Su, which means the teacher believes Xiao Su has more talent in spirit control combat!"
"The principal's students aren't limited to becoming spirit masters. If Student Su gets into experiments and research, and makes a breakthrough one day, its value would surpass dozens of king-level masters."
"Where would such an exaggerated result come from..."
"Master Ba, who researched the 'Giant Evolution,' didn't he single-handedly boost the combat power of countless monarch-level spirits?"
"If Xiao Su could become a grandmaster spirit master, he could be a pillar of the nation!"
The two argued back and forth.
It wasn't that they thought Su Hao could become a grandmaster or a master.
It was mainly about not losing face.
Su Hao: "..."
Even though he was quite outstanding, being praised so directly like this still made him a little embarrassed.
...
After a while, Master Yao, who was glaring, and King Wu, whose hair was nearly frazzled from anger, finally sat down.
Master Yao spoke up, "I came to ask you to join the team for this year's College Spirit Cultivation Cup."
King Wu added, "He said there will be many cultivation masters there, and you might find a path for the Dream Butterfly's evolution."
"Exactly," Master Yao said. "The College Spirit Cultivation Cup isn't just a competition; it's also an opportunity for the younger generation of cultivation masters in Dragon Country to exchange ideas with the older generation.
"It's also a platform for showcasing. If you have any ideas or experiments, you can use the cup to complete them... There are plenty of materials available for direct use."
Unfortunately, the Dream Butterfly's evolution held no appeal for Su Hao.
He already had all the evolution conditions stored in his mind.
He couldn't refuse too bluntly, but as he was thinking this, he heard Master Yao say.
"Besides that, based on the judges' final evaluations, the cup offers bonuses and interest-free loans for experimental research... A few exceptional students have even built personal labs with national funding.
"Those aren't important. What matters is exchanging ideas with peers, verifying your thoughts, and sparking new inspiration."
Su Hao: ¥_¥
Die Xiaodie: $o$
Su Hao figured that this so-called College Spirit Cultivation Cup was worth attending after all.
He had always been a cultured person with a pursuit and yearning for knowledge.
He asked NPC Master Yao about the 'personal lab.'
A moment later,
Su Hao understood.
"A personal lab is different from what Professor Meng from Molong University promised before."
Back then, Professor Meng said that if he stayed at the school, the school could help him build his own lab.
But essentially, the lab still belonged to the school, just under his direction.
He would inevitably have to take on students and help the school complete some research tasks.
"But a personal lab is entirely one's own..."
Of course, building a lab costs a fortune. Dragon Country only provides interest-free or low-interest loans to a very few exceptional cultivation masters, along with a series of fast-track approvals.
For example, the qualifications to build a lab.
For example, some advanced instruments and equipment... you can't just buy them; they need approval.
Su Hao had always had the idea of building a lab.
With a lab, he could more directly present many of his 'experimental results' and apply for patents.
Su Hao was also thinking about starting a company around his 'core products.'
"I have plenty of jade powder meal formulas. Using them only on my own spirits would be such a waste.
"If I turn them into products for sale, the profits would be substantial... and it would benefit others too!"
The jade powder meal was considered the 'most cost-effective' spirit food.
But it wasn't a high-end product.
Given his current strength and status, even if the jade powder meal affected some people's interests, it wouldn't be a big problem.
He was fully capable of holding his ground.
"Thinking further ahead, if I can develop some high-end, rare products, I could trade rare resources directly with major clients or use them to curry favor."
For example, the Green Shade Group had several flagship products known worldwide.
You couldn't buy them without some status.
"I'm getting ahead of myself. The personal lab is still a pipe dream.
"Let's get the bonus first."
Su Hao thought.
But there was still one thing he didn't understand.
He asked directly, "Master Yao, the spots for the College Spirit Cultivation Cup must be limited, right? So why...?"
Why pick him, an ordinary freshman?
There should be plenty of senior students from the Spirit Cultivation College who had obtained intermediate certifications.
"Because..."
Master Yao paused for a moment before finally revealing the reason.
"Our Jingdao University has plenty of talented students in the combat department, but in the cultivation department, there aren't many promising ones..."