Su Hao held a thick "Spirit Master Pre-Exam Study Guide" in his hands, previewing the material. His eyes were glazing over.
"So hard!"
"Why isn't my intelligence value going up at all!"
"This study guide is terrible!"
Not far away,
the silkworm was training on its own.
"First, release your spiritual power externally and maintain it for a while."
The silkworm understood this stage.
"Second, shape the released spiritual power."
The silkworm spat out a stream of spiritual light particles as long as an arm.
The particles gathered together, as if trapped inside a transparent glass tube, keeping the mischievous specks contained.
It tried to compress further, turning the scattered particles into a solid state.
Suddenly,
the over-compressed spiritual particles burst with a *puff*, sending fallen leaves flying everywhere and plastering the silkworm's face.
It stood there dazed, its slightly open mouth holding a few leaves.
A breeze blew, and a leaf fluttered up, covering its eye.
Su Hao let out a *pfft* laugh, then quickly stifled it.
But he couldn't hold it in.
"Pfft, hahaha—"
He usually didn't laugh, but the sight of the silkworm with a cluster of leaves stuck to its face, still pretending to seriously analyze and think,
was beyond Su Hao's training tolerance.
"Gu-noh!"
"Bam!"
Five minutes later,
Su Hao had to put down his book, roll up his sleeves... and personally step in to guide the silkworm's training.
"Rice Grain Machine Gun is the easiest to learn. You should start with the simplest."
"Gu-noh."
The frustrated silkworm reluctantly agreed.
This move was somewhat similar to spitting spiritual power.
The silkworm had already practiced it plenty and jumped right in.
After just three hours,
"Gu-noh!"
Its mouth formed an O shape.
Rice-sized spiritual particles shot out, converging into a green stream of light that blasted a nearby large tree.
Countless grains rained down like a violent storm, *crackling* as they ravaged the poor tree.
Bark was torn off with loud *slaps*, leaving it riddled with holes. Two seconds later, the entire tree snapped and fell with a *thud*.
"Cough, cough, cough."
Dust filled the air, and Su Hao covered his mouth and nose.
"Looks like that was a bit over the top."
Ever since the silkworm started training, the trees on the back hill of East Lake had been taking a beating.
It used to be fine, when the silkworm's destructive power was limited.
But now? One move, one tree. At this rate, wouldn't the place be bald soon?
Sinful, sinful.
"Silkworm, it seems we can't use trees as targets anymore. Hmm... use that big rock over there instead. Practice Rice Grain Machine Gun on it until you've mastered it."
(Big rock: ???)
The silkworm, having just learned a new ultimate move, was in high spirits.
Now it could truly "convince people with its mouth."
It adjusted its angle, gathered spiritual power, and shot out a green stream of light. *Pfft, pfft, pfft*, countless grains pelted the big rock, sending stone chips flying everywhere.
But the rock stubbornly survived.
It was just a bit pitted on the surface.
Su Hao was satisfied.
This target would last a long time.
He picked up his study guide again, not forgetting to remind it, "Keep practicing. Only this move this afternoon. When your spiritual power runs out, do physical training. Your master here is studying this hard, so as my spirit, you need to be just as diligent."
Silkworm: "???"
We're not the same, gu-noh~!
...
Wake at sunrise, rest not at sunset.
After crossing over, Su Hao was much more diligent than before.
Not only did he have to study academic subjects and prepare for the Spirit Master exam, but he also had to push the silkworm to train.
"I'm really something amazing.
"I haven't touched my favorite novels, anime, games... for a whole week!"
October 22nd, Tuesday.
Su Hao: Apprentice Spirit Master.
Intelligence Value: 73
Soul Power: 7.69 (6.55)
Contract Spirit: Silkworm (Uninitiated, Spiritual Power 80)
Unlocked Training: Silkworm Basic Training, Silkworm Spiritual Power Enhancement Training
Unlocked Techniques: Charge, Roar, Rice Grain Machine Gun, Energy Ball (Silkworm learning progress 80%), Silk Spinning (Silkworm learning progress 50%)
Rice Grain Machine Gun was the easiest; the silkworm had already done similar training and learned it in half a day.
But Energy Ball and Silk Spinning—the little one still couldn't pull them off after half a month.
Perfectly normal.
Both techniques were relatively advanced.
Rice Grain Machine Gun just filled in some combat options; its power was still less than Charge.
But once it learned Energy Ball, the silkworm's destructive power would jump two levels.
And with Silk Spinning, its combat system would be complete.
"Silkworm, stay home by yourself today. Don't forget to train with the spiritual ball."
"Gu-noh, gu-noh."
The silkworm trotted over with a schoolbag in its mouth.
"You're even carrying my bag for me now. Not bad, not bad."
Su Hao was pleased.
He rubbed the silkworm's soft head, slung the bag over his shoulder, and left the house.
Only when the door clicked shut did the silkworm hop-hop-hop toward the bedroom—that Spirit Master was finally gone.
...
Su Hao didn't go to school.
He had taken leave, claiming the silkworm was overtraining and needed a vet visit. (Silkworm: ???)
The real reason was that the written exam for the Spirit Master qualification was today.
The exam had two rounds. The first written round mainly weeded out those just muddling through or trying their luck.
The second round was where the real difficulty lay.
It had to be combined with the actual situation of the spirit, and the test site wasn't in Ancheng—it had to be in the neighboring Yunhua City.
"What am I thinking? I might not even pass the written exam."
Su Hao felt especially insecure.
He was just an ordinary high school student, with limited study time, and hadn't even gotten around to doing past years' exam papers.
He'd heard of many people who'd taken the exam for years, even over a decade, without getting the Spirit Master certificate.
With such a tough exam, he'd probably... be one of those weeded-out luck-triers.
Su Hao left the house and headed straight for Ancheng No. 2 High School.
That's right, the biannual exam was held at No. 2 High, not some fancy Spirit Master Association.
The association had commandeered the school for the entire morning.
Su Hao thought there wouldn't be many people, but he was surprised to see an unusual number of cars.
Cars, motorcycles, and bicycles filled the school grounds, with candidates—some young, some not so young—heading toward the exam rooms.
"Why are there so many people?"
Su Hao even spotted an elderly man with a full head of white hair.
But, sir, couldn't you just stay home and look after your grandkids? Grandkids grown up? Didn't they just open up the two-child policy two years ago?
"Young man, how do I get to classroom 203?"
"Huh? Sir, are you asking me?" Su Hao pointed at himself.
"Young man, besides you, who else here is a student of No. 2 High?"
Su Hao saw students in volunteer vests from No. 2 High ahead, but they were a bit far, and the old man might not see them well.
"Uh, sir, I'm not a No. 2 High student."
"The classroom is in the middle? Which middle?"
"Sir, I said I'm from No. 1 High."
"First floor? No, that can't be right, it's clearly 203."
Su Hao rubbed his forehead.
He had no choice but to lead the old man to classroom 203, since it was easy enough to find anyway.
His own exam room wasn't far, right next door in 202.
Soon, it was time for the exam to start.
The proctor opened the classroom door, and candidates lined up for inspection before entering.
"This student, we don't need volunteers here anymore. You can... you're a candidate?"
The proctor finally noticed he wasn't wearing a red vest and didn't ask why he'd taken it off.
Su Hao said nothing.
Silently, he pulled out a printed admission ticket.
After inspection, he sat down in the classroom, second-to-last row, by the window.
A breeze blew in, carrying the fragrance of osmanthus flowers from outside.
Su Hao took a black ballpoint pen from his pencil case, held his breath, and focused on the written exam questions.
He froze.
"Huh?"