"Can I learn potion-making?" Chen Shu asked with a serious expression. He was genuinely interested because potions for Beast Tamers were incredibly expensive. Even these low-grade versions for Level 1 to 3 contract spirits cost a fortune, so he could only imagine the value of potions needed by King-level Beast Tamers. It was a road paved with gold!

"Give me a break."

The sales associate rolled her eyes and turned away immediately.

What the hell!

Chen Shu hadn't expected to be looked down on like this.

Was his question really that stupid?

Chen Shu ended up wandering around the department store for a bit, filing a complaint about the sales associate along the way, before quietly leaving.

Although he couldn't afford potions, at least he'd increased Little Yellow's defense a bit.

"Looks like I need to look into potion knowledge."

After hundreds of years of development, humanity's pharmaceutical industry has become incredibly mature.

As Chen Shu was biking home, a woman's cries for Help suddenly echoed from a dark alley. Peering into the gloom, he could just make out two men with gleaming cleavers robbing a woman under a dim streetlight.

At the same time, three options appeared before his eyes.

[Option 1: Turn a blind eye and leave quickly.]

Completion reward: Small amount of Beast Taming Power

[Option 2: Fearlessly confront evil, bravely charge forward and take down the two criminals.]

Completion reward: Large amount of Beast Taming Power.

Note: Life-threatening danger

[Option 3: Stop the criminals' actions.]

Completion reward: Skill book: Gigantification!

Chen Shu's mind raced as he immediately chose the third option.

Taking a deep breath, Chen Shu gripped the handlebars with his right hand, pointed dramatically at the alley with his left, and roared, "Stop! In broad daylight... *cough cough*, under the dark moon and high winds, you dare commit crimes! I, Zhang Dali, will never let you off!!"

For a brief moment, bathed in the sacred glow of the streetlight, he seemed a true messenger of justice. But the very next instant, his left hand snapped back to the handlebars and his legs pumped like pistons, launching him into the night as if on wheels of wind and fire².

All that remained were two dumbfounded criminals staring at his retreating figure.

The smooth sequence left them completely stunned.

Meanwhile, a heroic singing voice drifted back on the wind.

"When you see injustice on the road, let out a roar¹! After roaring, continue moving forward!"

...

"That guy seemed to have... serious mental issues?"

One criminal said, completely unprepared for this turn of events.

He and his buddy stood there, utterly bewildered.

Just then, the woman in the alley suddenly pushed past the two men and ran off while calling the police.

"Boss, should we chase her?"

"Chase my ass! Can't you see she's calling the cops? What rotten luck, running into all kinds of weirdos these days."

...

Chen Shu hummed his roaring song all the way home.

Obviously, the system's third option seemed the most profitable.

The first was too simple, and the reward too small.

The second had good rewards but came with life-threatening danger, so Chen Shu immediately passed.

Although the third looked extremely difficult, the system only said to stop them, not successfully stop them.

As long as he shouted, it counted as stopping them.

Sure enough, just as he expected, he got the reward.

A golden skill book appeared in his hand, though he couldn't flip through it - only choose whether to use it.

The skill book vanished instantly.

The golden slime's skill list gained Gigantification.

Gigantification: Temporarily doubles body size, slightly reduces speed.

Combined with the slime's Charge skill, it could now knock down twenty-pound enemies.

Although it didn't seem very useful, in reality... it really wasn't useful at all.

"Little Yellow, when will you grow to several thousand pounds?"

Chen Shu rubbed the slime and shook his head. A Level 1 contract spirit had basically zero combat power.

The next day, Chen Shu came to class with dark circles under his eyes.

After searching online most of the night, he finally understood that potion-making was actually a profession with extremely high social status called Potion Master. However, the first requirement was a diploma from a key university's pharmaceutical program, which explained the sales associate's disdainful look.

"Looks like the potion route won't work."

Chen Shu was just about to catch up on sleep when homeroom teacher Fang Ke appeared at the door.

"Chen Shu, come to my office."

Chen Shu instantly perked up and headed to the office.

"This is your test score from yesterday!" Fang Ke's usually kind face had become incredibly serious, even more intimidating than Black Whirlwind, as he waved his hand and tossed the test paper at Chen Shu. Caught off guard, Chen Shu failed to catch it but glanced down at the score and felt relieved.

"Teacher, I admit I've been a bit distracted lately, only scoring ninety-one points. I'll work harder next time."

Chen Shu put on an obedient expression and spoke earnestly.

"That's fucking 16 points!"

Chen Shu bent down to pick up the paper and realized he'd been looking at it upside down...

"Care to explain? Did you spend two years of high school playing with mud?"

Fang Ke looked serious. This score had crossed his bottom line.

Chen Shu was dead last, while second-to-last had scored over sixty points - the gap was simply too large.

Chen Shu's expression went blank as options appeared before his eyes again.

[Option 1: Honestly admit your mistake and promise to do better next time.]

Completion reward: Triple cultivation speed for three days

[Option 2: Tell Fang Ke solemnly: "There's no mud at school."]

Completion reward: Master Low-Grade Strength Potion crafting, unlock Basic Pharmaceutical Studies

[Option 3: Apply to retake the test to demonstrate your stable academic performance.]

Completion reward: Medium amount of Beast Taming Power

He hadn't expected Fang Ke's question to trigger system options.

The first option was too simple and not worth considering, especially since he had no cultivation talent anyway, making triple cultivation speed useless. As for the second and third options, both rewards were extremely tempting—Medium Beast Taming Power could push him to peak Level 1 Beast Tamer, though he'd still be at the bottom of the Beast Taming class, while the second option would directly let him master Low-Grade Strength Potion crafting.

Chen Shu made his decision and said seriously, "There's no mud at school."

"Huh?" Fang Ke was momentarily stunned, then quickly recovered.

"Get out! Go copy that test ten times!"

He'd never seen such a smart-mouthed student, showing complete disrespect for teachers.

Chen Shu left the office with light steps and a smile on his lips.

Although Fang Ke had scolded him, he'd learned how to craft Low-Grade Strength Potion and unlocked the system's Pharmaceutical Studies.

"I'm rich, I'm rich..."

Chen Shu walked on, snickering foolishly. He was, by any measure, not a normal student.

Just then, a staggering figure came rushing over and collided head-on with the distracted Chen Shu.

Footnotes

¹ "When you see injustice on the road, let out a roar" (路見不平一聲吼) - A line from the classic Chinese novel Water Margin's (水滸傳) theme song "Hero Song" (好漢歌) about standing up to injustice, traditionally followed by taking action. The complete line is "路見不平一聲吼哇，該出手時就出手哇，風風火火闖九州哇", which roughly translates to "When you see injustice, roar with anger; when it's time to act, act boldly and fiercely roam the nine provinces." Chen Shu's version adds the humorous twist of running away after roaring.

² "Wheels of wind and fire" (風火輪) - References the magical wheels used by Nezha, a deity in Chinese mythology, which allowed him to travel at incredible speeds.