Su Hao scribbled down his improved plan for Charge on the draft paper.
First, he drew an oval to represent the silkworm, then an arrow to indicate Charge.
The improved plan flooded his mind, and inspiration flowed like a spring, his pen moving with divine ease.
In just a few minutes, he had sketched a diagram of the silkworm charging.
When to build up power, when to accelerate, when to shed momentum, when to accelerate again...
Over a dozen lines intertwined, looking a bit... complicated.
Su Hao called over the silkworm.
The silkworm stared at the diagram and slowly typed out a "?".
Su Hao understood.
It must be that the silkworm's education level was too low to comprehend his drawing.
It seemed that teaching the silkworm language, math, and science should be put on the agenda.
Make it a cultured spirit.
"???"
The silkworm glared at him, let out two dissatisfied chirps, and then scurried back to the living room.
Hmph! Wasting its TV time!
"Haohao, Haohao..."
Su Hao's mother's voice came from the living room.
Had the silkworm tattled on him?
Su Hao's hand, still holding the pen, froze.
But then he thought again, that couldn't be right.
Mom probably couldn't understand what the silkworm was saying.
He went to the living room.
Su Hao's father and mother were sitting on the sofa watching TV, with the silkworm crouched between them.
Su Hao's mother said, "Don't go to Donghu Mountain recently."
"What's wrong?"
Su Hao's mother pointed at the TV.
What was playing was the evening live broadcast on Ancheng Channel.
"...Recently, two wanted spirit masters who have been committing crimes on the run have appeared in the Ancheng area.
"One of them is about 1.8 meters tall, with a burn scar on the right side of his face, accompanied by a wooden mantis spirit.
"The other wanted criminal is around 1.6 meters tall, short and stout, with a small coyote spirit.
"Both wanted criminals are spirit masters who have contracted spirits, posing a high level of danger. Citizens are advised to be extra cautious when going out. If you have any leads, please call XXX-XXXX..."
The screen displayed photos of the wanted criminals, Chen So-and-so and Wang So-and-so.
Su Hao glanced at them. "So they're spirit master criminals."
Ordinary criminals were common, but spirit master criminals were rare.
Spirit masters were already a rare breed.
Compared to ordinary people, having a spirit by their side made them more conspicuous and harder to hide.
Su Hao figured those two wanted criminals were unlikely to enter the city.
Since they were both spirit masters and posed a greater threat to society, the Ancheng Spirit Master Association would surely invest resources in hunting them down. It wouldn't take long to catch them.
So he didn't pay it much mind.
Of course,
He had no intention of going to the remote area behind Donghu Mountain.
With a thousand spirit paths, safety comes first.
Staying alive was the priority!
The silkworm had already learned the Charge move. Next came mastering it and learning the improved version.
Whether he went to Donghu Mountain or not didn't make much difference.
"Got it. I'll stick to two places—home and school—for now."
"You two don't need to worry. Society is stable now, not like the early days when spirits first appeared. Those two wanted spirit masters won't last long."
Su Hao had read history textbooks.
He'd also looked up some information.
Back when spirit masters first emerged, because individuals had gained power that could rival guns and cannons, society had been in turmoil for quite a while.
Every country frantically poured resources into cultivating top-tier spirit masters who could tip the scales in war.
Especially the two superpowers at the time, constantly competing over their nations' spirit master strength.
One day you discovered a new spirit, the next day I had to find two.
You trained a天王-level spirit master, and I wouldn't fall behind.
Openly and covertly, they clashed.
The air was thick with tension.
It even nearly sparked a third world war.
But later,
The tension between the two superpowers eased significantly.
They suddenly established the "Spirit Alliance," a pan-international organization that governed all certified spirit masters worldwide.
Of course,
Each country still managed its own affairs, holding a certain number of seats in the alliance based on national strength and spirit master power.
The three countries with the most seats were the Golden Eagle Federation, the White Bear Nation... and, in recent decades, the increasingly revitalized Dragon Nation.
...
Time flew by, and soon it was nearing October and the National Day holiday.
This year's National Day, Su Hao surprisingly didn't look forward to it much.
Isn't it just a break?
Just a week, right?
He didn't care.
Oh, the neighboring liberal arts and science classes seemed to only have three days off. The group chat for Class 8 was already going wild like unleashed huskies, while the senior class group was eerily calm.
Would they dare not train during the break?
No way!
Those who slacked off would face the homeroom teacher's death glare when they returned.
Suddenly,
The phone on the table vibrated again.
Su Hao swiped to unlock the screen and saw someone tagging him.
Liu Ren: "@Su Hao Are you going to the barbecue gathering on Shazhou Island for National Day?"
Classmate A: "Definitely going!"
Classmate B: "Definitely going +1."
Classmate♂: "Definitely going +2."
Classmate So-and-so: "Definitely going +."
Since when had he become so popular?
Su Hao rubbed his chin, a hint of a smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"If Old Su doesn't come, we won't get to see the silkworm."
"Right, right. Old Su doesn't have to come, just the silkworm is fine."
Su Hao: "???"
Was that even appropriate?
Friendship over!
He furiously typed on his phone, ready to refuse.
He was a good youth of the new era striving to become a spirit master—how could he waste precious training time on a gathering!
Gatherings... weren't worth it!
"Gunuo!"
"Gunuo gunuo gunuo!!"
The silkworm bit his hand, stopping him from hitting send.
Su Hao tugged, but couldn't pull free.
"What's up?"
"Gunuo gunuo~"
"What? You want to eat barbecue? You actually know the word 'barbecue'?"
"Mm..."
"I'll think about it."
"Fine, fine. As a reward for learning Charge and Roar, I'll bring you along."
The silkworm nodded contentedly.
Though it felt like something was off.
Su Hao deleted what he'd typed earlier and slowly typed out "Going."
Then he added, "Since you guys are so insistent, of course I'll go, definitely... Hey, hey, got it, the silkworm will come too!"
...
October 1st, overcast with clouds.
Su Hao rode a shared bike he'd scanned to Qingfeng Mountain Park.
That was the agreed meeting spot, though it was quite far—three times the distance to Donghu Mountain.
He'd wanted to take a taxi, but after checking his balance—only three digits left—he silently opened the bike-sharing app.
"Old Chen said to always remember my identity as a spirit master and not slack off. Riding a bike is a form of exercise, so it's fine."
The silkworm?
Of course, it would follow on its little short legs.
Unfortunately,
Even as Su Hao pedaled like a whirlwind, the silkworm still kept up effortlessly.
The days when the silkworm was adorably clueless, going "gunuo gunuo" and unable to catch up, were long gone.