Twenty bottles of physique potions increased the Golden Slime's physique by 15%, with a maximum of 30%. It still needed to consume another twenty bottles of physique potions.
Simply increasing a contracted spirit's physique by 30% required a full million Huaxia coins. Only a select few could afford it.
Chen Shu gently touched the Golden Slime.
Gooey! Gooey!
Its large eyes fluttered open, filled with affection, and it continuously nudged Chen Shu's hand with its head.
The slime was now one meter tall. If it used its enlargement ability, it would exceed four meters, making it an absolute behemoth among low-level beast tamers.
"I hope the final exam will give me a good score," Chen Shu thought.
Chen Shu put away the Golden Slime. Seeing that it was already noon, he decided to go out for lunch before heading to school in the afternoon.
"Boss, one serving of stir-fried shredded pork with peppers, and a cola, please."
As Chen Shu was engrossed in his meal, he suddenly spotted a figure outside the restaurant.
"Yo, isn't that Wang Teng?" he called out loudly.
A tall, refined-looking young man was startled and looked towards the restaurant.
Suddenly, he seemed to recognize Chen Shu and walked into the shop.
"I remember you, you're Xiao Yu's classmate, right?" Wang Teng said. "I've already heard about Xiao Yu encountering a wanted criminal in the black market."
He sighed, "Thank you for saving her."
"It was nothing, it was nothing," Chen Shu waved his hand, then directly asked, "Are you feeling so guilty because you arranged it?"
"Cough, cough."
In an instant, Wang Teng felt as if he had choked. The words he was about to say got stuck in his throat.
"What kind of thinking is this? Can it be any more erratic?"
"Of course not," Wang Teng replied. "However, there's something I need your help with."
Although Wang Teng was somewhat annoyed with Chen Shu, he concealed it extremely well at the moment.
"Hmm? What is it? Let me state this upfront: I don't have any money to lend you," Chen Shu said instinctively.
Wang Teng took a deep breath, finding Chen Shu's way of conversing difficult to accept.
"My esteemed Wang family is, after all, a top aristocratic family in Nanjiang City. Why would I need to borrow money from you?"
"I want you to help persuade Xiao Yu. If she forms a team with me, we can definitely secure a ranking in next year's Beast Taming Competition."
Just as Chen Shu was about to reply, new options suddenly appeared before his eyes.
[Option 1: Agree to Wang Teng's request. Reward: 100,000 Huaxia coins]
[Option 2: Shake your head and refuse, then say: "Are you worthy?" Reward: Strength Flower]
[Option 3: Say with utmost seriousness: "Whoever goes is going, we can achieve a ranking by teaming up!" Reward: Golden Slime +5% to all attributes]
Chen Shu was surprised to see Huaxia coin rewards again, but unfortunately, they were useless to him.
As for the second reward, it was even more useless, not even as good as 100,000 Huaxia coins.
Chen Shu shook his head and said, "I can't persuade Xiao Yu either. How about we team up?"
"Are you kidding me?" Wang Teng wore a constipated expression.
"How can you have the nerve to say that?"
"What do you think of my proposal? If your strength can meet my expectations, I don't mind," Chen Shu said cautiously after a moment of thought.
"My strength? Meet your expectations?"
Wang Teng rubbed his temples, feeling a slight headache.
"Heh, you're quite humorous," Wang Teng finally managed to say with difficulty. "In any case, I hope you can help me with this."
With that said, Wang Teng swayed and left the restaurant. He feared that if he stayed any longer, he might lose his sanity.
Chen Shu smiled, a simple choice had further improved his slime's strength.
"Boss, the bill!" Chen Shu had finished his rice bowl.
"That will be thirty yuan."
"Wasn't the rice bowl twelve yuan?" Chen Shu had recently felt like he was encountering shady businesses. What was going on?
"The rice bowl is twelve yuan, but the cola is eighteen yuan."
"What kind of cola is so expensive?" Chen Shu felt he had been swindled.
"Even though I have money, I can't just splurge it all."
"It's the same cola you get outside for three yuan," the boss explained with a serious expression.
"You... you are really direct." Chen Shu looked at the menu. It was indeed clearly priced.
However, the font for the cola was at least twice smaller than that for the dishes. Most people wouldn't even notice it.
He shook his head, paid, and left the restaurant, adding it to his blacklist in his mind.
Having eaten his fill, Chen Shu returned to school.
"Chen Shu, the exam is coming up soon. You shouldn't be wandering around anymore."
As soon as he returned to school, Xia Bing walked over and kindly advised him.
"Not wander? How can I get stronger if I don't wander?" Chen Shu thought to himself, but outwardly he nodded, promising to stay put obediently.
A few days passed quickly, and the final exam arrived as scheduled.
"Classmates, today is the day of the final exam. I don't need to elaborate on its importance. Everything depends on your performance!" Fang Ke said with a serious expression.
*Ring, ring!*
With the sound of a bell, the written portion of the exam officially began.
Besides Fang Ke, three other invigilators were present in the classroom.
With a total of four teachers invigilating twenty-five students, cheating was basically impossible.
The written portion of the exam was divided into four subjects: History, Materials, Geography, and Biology. Each subject was worth 100 points. Unlike previous monthly tests, this exam followed the college entrance examination standards.
Each subject being 100 points naturally meant more extensive testing, primarily assessing students' mastery of the second-year curriculum.
Chen Shu's expression was confident. With almost no need for consideration, he quickly finished the entire exam paper.
"A genius, truly a genius!"
Looking at his filled exam paper, Chen Shu couldn't help but exclaim. He could guarantee that his scores in the written subjects would be error-free.
As he was idly waiting, new options suddenly appeared before him.
[Option 1: Submit the exam early and showcase your strength. Reward: Moderate Beast Taming Power]
[Option 2: Lie down and sleep honestly, waiting for the exam to end. Reward: Confusion Potion]
[Option 3: Sabotage the mental state of other candidates. Reward: Charge Skill +1]
Chen Shu pondered for a moment and chose the third option.
Based on his knowledge, skills and talent were the most important.
The next second, Chen Shu suddenly flipped through his exam paper.
*Swish!*
Everyone, engrossed in their exams, heard the rustling of paper and felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
The exam questions this time were harder than they had imagined, as it was meant to screen students for the senior year special training class.
*Swish, swish!*
The sound of flipping pages became more frequent, as if a large portion of students had already moved on to the second side of their papers.
In reality, only a small number of top students in the class had reached the second page.
*Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish!*
Chen Shu, with a mischievous smile, propped his head with one hand and flipped his papers with the other, his eyes observing the expressions of the others.
[Received Reward: Charge Skill +1]
"Huh? That was fast?" Chen Shu was surprised. "It seems this batch of candidates has weak mental fortitude."