"Grrr! (╬￣皿￣)=○"
The silkworm was very dissatisfied.
Why? Why did it have to be like this?
It had clearly spent the prize money on itself, so how did it end up increasing its training volume instead!
"Silkworm, think about it. The jade powder is for you to eat, right?"
The silkworm nodded.
"The wood spirit liquid is for you to drink, right?"
The silkworm nodded again.
"And in the end, aren't all the recovery items used on you?"
The silkworm thought it over, but could only nod.
Su Hao thought he had managed to fool it.
The silkworm kept chirping.
"Grrr! Grrr grrr!"
"What? You say you want to decide how to spend it yourself?"
"Grrr grrr."
"Don't even think about it. Have you ever seen an elf spend its own money?"
"Grrr grrr grrr!"
Su Hao fell silent.
In movies and TV shows, elves did indeed spend their own money.
Quite a bit, too.
But that was because the protagonists were always elves.
How did the silkworm even get hooked on movies and TV?
And who taught it to read?
Su Hao thought about it.
Seems like... it was him again.
He couldn't shake the blame.
Thinking carefully,
Defeating the wood mantis was mostly thanks to his two key commands, but the silkworm had made a small contribution too.
He'd give it ten... no, twenty bucks as pocket money.
"Grrr!"
"You want red bills? And two of them?! No way, only twenty."
The silkworm was still unhappy.
The two sides couldn't reach an agreement.
The silkworm used a headbutt.
Thump!
A few minutes later,
Su Hao crouched on the ground, "You're saying you don't need pocket money, but you want a laptop? Can an elf even use a computer?"
"Do you know the price difference between two red bills and a laptop?!"
The silkworm stubbornly insisted it was one or the other.
Su Hao had a change of heart.
How could a silkworm use a computer? Definitely not.
So, buying a laptop would be just right.
Wasn't the silkworm's stuff his own?
If it couldn't use it, he'd use it for it—perfectly reasonable!
The desktop at home was old and laggy, and a laptop could be taken to school.
"Alright, fine."
Su Hao agreed.
The human and the elf reached a consensus.
The silkworm let out a victorious cheer, "Grrrr ヾ(??▽?)ノ."
The feeder was looking more and more agreeable.
It pounced on him.
Su Hao rubbed it vigorously, and the happy silkworm didn't resist.
He didn't forget to warn it, "Since I'm buying you a computer, you need to train harder every day, got it?"
The silkworm nodded firmly.
"And you have to learn to figure out moves on your own, got it?"
The silkworm thought it over and nodded.
"No playing on the computer until you finish your tasks, got it?"
The silkworm tried to play cute, but it didn't work this time.
It could only nod weakly.
Su Hao was very satisfied.
He had finally regained his authority as a spirit master.
The human and the elf happily headed toward the computer flagship store.
...
The National Day holiday flew by, and it was back to the mundane school days.
During the morning class, homeroom teacher Old Chen strode quickly into the classroom, her puppet floating behind her as usual.
Old Chen slammed her thick lesson plan onto the podium with a thud, scanned the room, and said directly, "Starting this week, the school is adding two major classes: Spirit Battle and Wilderness Survival, on Tuesday and Friday mornings respectively.
"The original Tuesday and Friday classes will be rescheduled to other times."
The classroom was... silent.
But the students didn't look too happy.
—Who wants extra classes!
"Do you have any questions?" Old Chen asked.
"Tea, teacher, why the sudden extra classes?"
"Oh, I forgot to tell you. This year's college entrance exam, barring any surprises, will undergo reforms and adopt a new format."
Old Chen shifted gears, "In recent years, adding spirit battle modes to the exam has shown some results, and schools everywhere have been emphasizing combat training for spirits.
"But focusing too much on arena battles has produced a bunch of 'academic types.' Not long ago, a top student from Canglan Spirit University, an advanced spirit master, was cleanly killed while chasing a criminal who was only a beginner spirit master."
Old Chen shook her head.
This was an extreme case, but it showed that 'academic' spirit masters were too rigid.
They lacked the ability to handle unexpected situations.
And...
Such spirit masters were hard to rely on in critical moments.
"Rumors suggest the exam will include a practical survival assessment.
"What is practical survival? It means you'll enter a dangerous area, possibly facing hidden enemies or spirits that attack without warning. It tests not only your spirit's combat ability but also your judgment and reaction as a spirit master.
"So, the school is adding these two major classes and has hired an elite spirit master from Ancheng years ago as an instructor at great expense.
"You should consider yourselves lucky. That instructor is not only strong in spirit combat and practical skills but also an excellent teacher, having trained several master-level spirit masters."
Beginner, intermediate, advanced, then elite, and then master.
A master-level spirit master was already a significant figure.
The head of Ancheng's Spirit Master Guild was only a master-level spirit master and was often away from Ancheng.
Hearing Old Chen's words, many students gasped.
If they trained under such an instructor,
The hardship and effort might just be worth it.
Maybe they'd be the next master-level spirit master?
Old Chen saw right through what the students were thinking, but she didn't dampen their spirits. Instead, she dropped another bombshell.
"Not only that, at the end of this semester, the school will team up with four others, including Yunhua Affiliated No. 1, for a five-school joint practical drill, mimicking the reformed exam format.
"If you don't want to embarrass yourselves in that drill, you'd better start training with a thousand percent effort right now!"
She glanced at her watch, "Now, follow me to the playground."
And she walked out of the classroom.
As soon as she left, the classroom erupted.
Hearing about the practical assessment, especially that they'd have to go into the wild themselves,
Many faces twisted with bitterness.
Why,
Why did the reforms have to happen in their year!
And turn into such a devilish exam!
It was a killer!
Su Hao patted Liu Ren's shoulder, "Big Face Liu, you really need to train hard now. At least lose that belly fat, or else..."
Liu Ren grimaced, deep in thought, then suddenly had an idea:
"No, as long as my Charcoal Tortoise evolves into a Lava Tortoise before the exam, I can ride on its back and get through without a hitch."
Su Hao imagined the Lava Tortoise's size.
Yeah, it could handle Liu Ren's weight.
But,
Does your Charcoal Tortoise even want to carry you? Do you have any idea?
Su Hao patted his shoulder and walked out of the classroom.
...
On the playground, four classes had gathered.
Su Hao saw in the distance, Class 1's homeroom teacher Old Gu was accompanying a tall, burly man, built like a bear, walking over.
The bear-like man approached them, his oppressive gaze sweeping over:
"Kids, my surname is Xiong. You can call me Instructor Xiong.
"Since No. 1 High has hired me as your instructor, I'll train you with the strictest attitude. Understood?!"