Bab 6: Chapter 6: You Want My Secret Recipe? I Want You!
Faced with Oscar's creepy chant, Zhuge Lan didn't seem disgusted at all. Instead, he nodded thoughtfully.
"Generally, food created by food-type soul masters has a decent effect. What does your sausage do?"
[Emotion Points +999]
Oscar's face lit up with joy!
Finally, someone wasn't disgusted by him!
"Junior, you know your stuff!"
"My recovery sausage offers full recovery!"
"It promotes healing, restores physical strength, soul power, relieves fatigue and pain, and even makes you feel full!"
"It's definitely top-tier for food-type soul masters!"
Zhuge Lan nodded in realization.
"So, you're a student of Shrek too?"
"And you'll be teaming up with us for this year's Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament?"
"In that case, I'll be eating this sausage sooner or later."
After saying that, Zhuge Lan, without any change in expression, ate the entire sausage in one bite.
The taste was fine.
Compared to starch sausages made of ground chicken bones or pork belly with fermented vegetables, a creepy chant was no big deal.
Beside him, teacher Li Yusong's face wrinkled with laughter.
Which teacher wouldn't like a student who's both talented and smart?
Zhu Zhuqing quietly picked up a grilled sausage and quickly ate it in small bites. Then, she and Zhuge Lan looked over at Dai Mubai and the others.
"Aren't you guys eating?" Zhuge Lan tilted his head and said, "You'll have to eventually, so better to do it willingly than be forced later."
"Dai, aren't you the oldest here? Shouldn't you set an example?"
[Emotion Points +233]
[Emotion Points +666]
"Don't call me 'Dai' anymore!" Dai Mubai forced a smile, "Just call me Boss Dai or Mubai, either works."
He then grabbed a grilled sausage and swallowed it whole.
He had eaten these many times before anyway.
Now, the pressure was on Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong.
[Emotion Points +999]
[Emotion Points +999]
The three stared at Zhuge Lan as if to say, "You think you're smart, huh?"
But at this point, refusing to eat would make them seem like outsiders.
Tang San moved first, grabbing a sausage and swallowing it whole. Xiao Wu followed suit, closing her eyes as she ate one.
Then, all eyes turned to Ning Rongrong.
She was the last one. What would she do?
The usually obedient Ning Rongrong furrowed her brows into a tight line, took a step back, and firmly shook her head.
There was no way she was eating that!
If she weren't still a prospective student, she might have lost her temper right there.
Seeing this, no one pushed her further.
However, subtly, everyone began keeping a certain distance from Ning Rongrong.
—This was the cost of not fitting in.
Ning Rongrong, a clever little demon, immediately noticed this detail.
Her gaze at Zhuge Lan became as disgusted as Zhu Zhuqing's toward Dai Mubai.
[Emotion Points +999]
[Emotion Points +999]
Zhuge Lan was delighted by the flood of emotion points.
He turned and walked away, leaving Oscar standing there, hesitating.
—Those grilled sausages cost five copper soul coins each, you know!
But...
Zhuge Lan had elevated it to "team camaraderie," so if Oscar asked for money now, wouldn't that make him seem antisocial?
Torn!
[Emotion Points +666]
Zhuge Lan, feeling quite pleased, followed Dai Mubai to the second test.
Without breaking stride, Dai Mubai walked directly toward the next checkpoint.
Li Yusong added, "You don't need to take the second or third tests. Come with me to the final one."
As his words fell:
[Emotion Points +9]
[Emotion Points +9]
A series of minor emotion points, courtesy of the random extras, made Zhuge Lan chuckle.
These small fry weren't even enough to fill the gaps between his teeth.
He crossed his arms and watched the show.
Dai Mubai explained that if your soul power exceeded level 25, you could skip straight to the fourth test.
Tang San and the others took turns testing their soul power using the crystal, stunning the surrounding onlookers.
Finally, Zhu Zhuqing handed the soul power crystal to Zhuge Lan.
But Zhuge Lan waved it off, rejecting the test.
Instead, he summoned his Thorn Armor, revealing three purple thousand-year soul rings, plunging the crowd into silence.
[Emotion Points +999]
[Emotion Points +666]
[Emotion Points +222]
[Emotion Points +9]
[Emotion Points +9]
Zhuge Lan quickly scanned the breakdown.
The top-tier 999 points came from Ning Rongrong, who was seeing him for the first time.
Second was Zhu Zhuqing's 666 points.
Dai Mubai and the other familiar faces only contributed a few hundred.
As for the extras?
Not even worth mentioning.
'The same thing only triggers big emotional waves the first time.'
'Can't rely on the same tricks anymore.'
'I'll need to come up with new ways to stir things up.'
After a few seconds, once the emotion points stopped rolling in, Zhuge Lan retracted his martial soul and walked into the academy.
The others snapped out of their daze and hurried to follow.
Zhu Zhuqing approached Zhuge Lan again.
"How did you manage to have a thousand-year soul ring as your first ring?"
Straight to the point.
But given Zhu Zhuqing's obsession with growing stronger, the fact that she waited this long to ask showed some restraint.
Seeing everyone's ears perk up, Zhuge Lan smiled mysteriously.
"Of course, there's a secret method."
"And that is..."
Everyone slowed their pace, afraid to miss a word.
But Zhuge Lan suddenly shifted his tone: "Did you really think I'd just tell you such a secret?"
Everyone: (●—●)_●)_●)
[Emotion Points +999]
[Emotion Points +999]
If you're not going to tell, fine!
But why tease us like that?
They quickened their pace, putting distance between themselves and Zhuge Lan.
Only Zhu Zhuqing wasn't willing to give up.
She pressed on, "What would it take to get that secret method?"
"No!"
"I don't need the secret method. I just want to increase the years of my soul rings!"
As the saying goes, a step ahead means every step ahead.
Even adding 1,000 years to the earlier soul rings would provide a significant advantage at the same rank.
This could compound into a considerable increase in power later on.
That's why Zhu Zhuqing was so persistent.
As it happened...
Zhuge Lan was also interested in Zhu Zhuqing.
He pretended to ponder, but was actually consulting his system.
'System, is there anything I can give Zhu Zhuqing to increase her soul ring years?'
[Immortal herbs, soul bones, martial soul evolution.]
There were plenty of options.
But the price...
Starting at a million emotion points, far beyond his budget.
Scrolling all the way down...
Oh?
This option was still a bit pricey, but if he gave it to Zhu Zhuqing, he might be able to earn the cost back?
Zhuge Lan glanced at Zhu Zhuqing, meeting her determined gaze.
"It's not impossible, but..." Zhuge Lan dragged out his words.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone