Chapter 38: Returning To An City
Editor: Atlas Studios
Real sprites aren't afraid of challenges—Budd the Elephant General.
Silkworm Baby bit a page of the book and flipped open the thick book.
In the table of contents, it saw the Battle section and skipped it.
Lifestyle section… To be determined.
Arts section… Silkworm Baby paused for a moment.
Financial Management section… Silkworm Baby's eyes lit up.
There were also the 300 Things To Take Note Of When Living In The Human World.
Silkworm Baby felt like it had found the right direction.
…
When Su Hao regained his senses, what he saw was a Silkworm Baby absorbed in learning and unable to extract itself.
He smiled lightly.
"As expected, like Sprite Trainer, like sprite. Everything stems from my excellence."
He pretended to be reading seriously while his consciousness sank into the interface.
As a soft "Ding-Dong" rang out…
"Interface upgrade complete."
The total amount of time needed was less than even a minute.
Su Hao cast a glance at it. There was no change in the Intelligence Points.
He found another book authored by a Master and read through it. The increment scale was more or less the same as before.
"In that case, where exactly is the change brought by the upgrade?"
Su Hao tapped and opened the Contracted Sprites section.
Among the list of cultivation plans was line after line of unlocked or locked cultivation plans.
(1) Basic Cultivation (Unlocked)
(2) Speed-Enhancement Cultivation (Unlock with 22 [30] Intelligence Points)
(3) Strength-Enhancement Cultivation (Unlock with 24 [30] Intelligence Points)
…
"The upgrade is a discount?"
Su Hao rubbed his chin as if he was contemplating something from the book authored by a Master.
"Since Intelligence Points are earned by gaining new knowledge, if there are things that I already know within the unlocked information, giving a discount is indeed very reasonable and logical.
"Just that the discount is a little low."
As though something had occurred to him, Su Hao looked for and found a sprite in the area nearby on the small map.
He tapped and opened it.
[Sprite: Ten-Thousand Vine Turtle]
[Basic Information: Wood-element, Adult Stage]
[Contract Target: An Yushan]
[Introduction: This is a 40-year-old Ten-Thousand Vine Turtle. There are a total of 333 green vines and 28 purple vines on its back. The purple vines were gained through special methods and possess a high level of toughness and destructive power…]
[Details:
Physique: 3,000–5,500
Spiritual Force: 10,000+
Characteristics: Thorns <click to view>
Unique Skills Learned: Bind, Ten-thousand Vine Forest… Unknown, Unknown, Unknown…]
[Evolutionary Pathway: Moss Turtle → Thorny Turtle → Ten-Thousand Vine Turtle]
[Cultivation Plan:
(1) Basic Cultivation (Unlock with 5 [15] Intelligence Points)
…]
Was this what a big boss' sprite was like?!
"It's probably an extraordinary-level sprite!"
Sprites of extraordinary-level were already the main force, or the one and only trump card of a master-level Sprite Trainer.
Exactly just how powerful it was was something that Su Hao didn't know.
In the battle videos found on TV and on the Internet, elite-level sprites were already top-class. Footage of sprites of an even higher level seemed to be under the control of the Union of Sprite Trainers. Thus, they were rarely shown.
"I didn't expect President An to be a Master Sprite Trainer."
What he expected even less was that he didn't need to unlock anything, yet the interface had already displayed detailed information about the Ten-Thousand Vine Turtle to him.
"Thinking about it carefully, even with my current knowledge pool, I'm able to analyze and deduce a sprite's condition. Thus, I do have 80… 70… 60… 50… 40… 30… 20% of the interface's ability.
"Doing away with the need for Intelligence Points to unlock stuff is also very reasonable and logical, isn't it?
"Moreover, probably because I've unlocked Silkworm Baby's basic cultivation plan before, the discount for unlocking other sprites' basic cultivation plans is obviously a lot bigger.
"Maybe… I'll be able to get things for free in the future after I've unlocked a lot of things?"
Su Hao secretly looked forward to the day this would happen.
He also discovered that part of Silkworm Baby's evolution pathway had already lit up.
It was something that the Union already had at the moment, but it needed to be unlocked nonetheless, just that the cost was slightly cheaper.
"The information to be unlocked here is likely a perfect evolution plan."
A sprite didn't poof and evolve just because it had accumulated enough experience. It needed resources as support, as well as a certain amount of time.
"The more perfect a plan is, the more it'll be able to maximize a sprite's potential and the higher the increase in power after evolution… In this aspect, I choose the interface."
…
Su Hao spent his Saturday afternoon, and daytime on Sunday cooped up in the Yunhua Association's library.
Before he left, he borrowed a few books, including The Accomplishment of Sprites.
After that, he returned to An City.
"Dad, Mom, I'm home… Eh? Where are they?"
"Gurgle?"
The house was quiet when he opened the door. There was a memo on the table.
Son, since you weren't home, I've gone traveling with your mother. Don't miss us. Oh right, there isn't any food left in the fridge. You've already grown up, so you should be able to settle your meals yourself, right? Just don't let Silky Baby go hungry.
Also, don't be discouraged if you didn't pass the assessment. It's to be expected. Boys should get back up bravely.
Su Hao was rendered speechless.
He noticed that the memo was dated Saturday morning.
"No wonder Dad and Mom agreed right away when I texted that I wasn't coming home to eat. So, they weren't even home at all!
"And what do they mean by 'didn't pass' and 'to be expected'? Your son is more or less a medium-level genius too."
To be honest, Su Hao knew.
The reason why his parents had left to go on a holiday with such peace of mind was that there was no longer anything that they needed to instruct him on. Whether or not he could get the Sprite Cultivator license, his written test results were right there.
In terms of school, he received a scholarship payout—money from selling the jade powder—every month. Also, enrolling in a Sprite University was more or less in the bag. What else did they have to worry about?
It was because they had peace of mind that they left for a holiday so quickly the moment they decided to go for one.
…
The next day, the moment he entered the classroom, dozens of pairs of eyes shot toward him simultaneously.
"Big Boss Su is here!"
"Did Big Boss Su pass the second round?"
"Big Boss Su, is the Sprite Cultivator assessment difficult?"
Liu Ren showed up next to him with a whoosh. With a look of bitterness and grudge all over his face, he said, "Su Hao, are we still buddies!?"
Su Hao nodded.
"Then why didn't you reply to any of my messages? I sent dozens of them!"
Su Hao glanced at his cell phone. The number of unread messages had already reached more than 99.
He recalled how he had switched his cell phone to silent mode so that he could concentrate on studying without any distractions.
And so, he kept quiet for a while before he said, "No, we aren't buddies."
Liu Ren, "???"
Liu Ren used Gaze Attack.
Su Hao used Thick Skin. Su Hao neutralized the attack.
Liu Ren fainted.
"Seriously, though, Su Hao, how did the second round go? I heard that the examination hall was an assembly of crazies?"
Su Hao nodded slightly.
They went as young as 14-year-old teenagers and as old as elderly men who had taken the examination for dozens of years. Weren't they crazies alright?
At the very least, he couldn't do it.
"So how badly were you trashed? Surely you didn't get eliminated right in the first round of questions?"
Liu Ren had asked around regarding the assessment's procedures before. His eyes gradually turned into a joking smirk.
Su Hao shook his head slightly.
"It wasn't that bad, just… Full marks, I guess."
"Full… Full what?! Why don't you just brag that your excellence has already shot through the roof and that even the examiners couldn't help but headhunt you?!"
Su Hao fell silent.
He thought for a moment.
Unwittingly, he moved his palm away from the book, revealing an exquisite card underneath.
Big Face Liu was stunned.
His eyes gradually shifted downward, and the expression on his face turned from dubious to stunned, then to absolute daze before finally letting out a sharp howl.
"Y-y-y-y-you really did get the Sprite Cultivator license!"
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone