Professor Ye's Efficiency, Swift and Decisive

Professor Ye's efficiency and swift, decisive manner were truly breathtaking.

That very afternoon, before the university administration office had even closed, a single phone call completed every step of the process. The so-called leaders whom Ji Jue normally had to run back and forth to eight or nine dozen times just to get a license plate for an electric scooter now didn't dare utter a single fart. They completed every procedure with lowered brows and deferential expressions, then respectfully asked Student Ji Jue to drop by and sign whenever he had the time.

Although Ji Jue already knew that Professor Ye's true status was absolutely far more than that of an ordinary teacher on the surface, actually experiencing it still made him sigh over the convenience of power.

Professor Ye, who had sat on the sofa and coldly watched the entire process, merely lifted his teacup and said indifferently, "The Present World's largest alchemy research institution and the industry association for all Artisans—the Taiyi Ring—is a shareholder of Tianmen University.

"If you obtain your Artisan License before graduation, that fellow's smile when he sees you will be brighter than if he were looking at his own father."

"For real?"

Ji Jue was stunned.

He wasn't shocked by the Taiyi Ring's immense influence, nor curious whether the university leaders would be so humble before him then. He was expressing doubt about the prerequisite itself.

Before graduation? An Artisan License?

Professor, are you serious?

He had only just begun his third year this semester, with his fourth year next year. Even if Professor Ye waved a pen and exempted him from every problem in his specialized courses, even if he stopped eating, drinking, and sleeping, two years would still only be two years!

After gaining an initial understanding of alchemy, Ji Jue had already been intimidated by its complicated classifications and all kinds of inconceivable techniques. Not to mention whether he could one day reach Professor Ye's level, attain the rank of Reddening, and become a big shot whom people welcomed with smiles and fawning wherever he went—the difficulty of merely entering the field already made his scalp prickle.

Good positions were like certain diseases: they could only be obtained through bodily-fluid exchange and inheritance. In a certain sense, the Taiyi Ring's standard certification was far more sought-after and precious than those positions.

There were plenty of people who had struggled desperately from the age of twelve until forty, and apprentices who spent more than half their lives doing odd jobs for others were also common. The reason was simple: good teachers were certainly rare, but the standards—strict to the point of being outrageous and growing tighter every year—were also an abyss that swallowed countless people attempting to cross the bridge.

Spirit Essence manipulation that met the standard rating, an understanding of the emblems of the Twelve Supreme Goodnesses, the engraving of several hundred basic Runes, the identification of several thousand Spirit Essence Circuits, and the independent creation of one complete B-grade alchemical item...

Just thinking about it made Ji Jue go bald.

In particular, there were Runes and Supreme Goodness Emblems. Runes were containers and vessels for Superior Virtue Blessings, requiring Artisans to possess an in-depth understanding of Blessings. Each one was an independent experience bar, to say nothing of that. The Supreme Goodness Emblems drawn by each Artisan directly represented their understanding of the Way of Superior Goodness. That was hard power accumulated day by day, and there was absolutely no way to fake it.

"Me?"

Ji Jue pointed at himself, his face blank with confusion.

He felt as though he had suddenly been shoved to a fork in the road.

To the left was a monkey leading a horse, with a bald man riding it and a fat man and a bearded man following behind. To the right sat some damn thing with four arms and twenty fingers on a throne of white bones...

"Don't worry. I have faith in you."

Professor Ye covered his teacup and looked up. A trace of a smile seemed to appear on his stern face. "You won't disappoint me, will you?"

Ji Jue nodded furiously.

He didn't dare make a sound.

It wasn't until they were almost home that he finally couldn't help letting out a long, anguished sigh toward the heavens amid his headache. This stood in stark contrast to the excited, cheerful little sister sitting in the back seat.

"Did you have fun at school?" Ji Jue asked curiously.

"Mm! The counselor and teachers are all easy to talk to. And a lot of senior students heard that I had good physical fitness and had won awards at the high-school sports meet, so they fought to recruit me into their clubs."

Lu Ling was radiant with excitement. "Everyone's so rich. The jewelry and bags they carry are all brands I've never heard of, but they don't mind that I'm poor."

"Keep a normal heart, keep a normal heart. Everyone's got one nose and two eyes; it's nothing special. If you get along, then play together. If anyone bullies you, tell me, got it?"

Ji Jue wasn't worried about Lu Ling being bullied. The little girl had always been full of tricks, smiling at everyone, with a mouth as sweet as if it had been smeared with honey. Half the good reviews for Continent Auto Repair Shop had been coaxed out of customers by her... while the other half had been scraped together by Ji Jue relying on his face. Selling his looks was a long story full of tears.

As for that fellow Lu Feng, he was always sprawled on the mat with an attitude that said, "The price is what it is. Fix it if you want, get lost if you don't." Just looking at him made Ji Jue angry. He could only hold everyone back.

Ji Jue shook his head and sighed. Then he heard the voice behind him: "Second Brother, you seem pretty happy."

"Huh? Where? Did you see me smile?" Ji Jue looked confused. He leaned toward the rearview mirror and checked himself. His expression shifted, and the corners of his tightly pressed lips moved slightly, but there was still no trace of a smile.

"How can you tell that I'm happy?"

"It's different."

Lu Ling shook her head, resting her small chin on his shoulder as she giggled. "You look like this every time you take an exam or run into some trouble.

"You look very serious and frightening, but the corners of your eyes curve upward, and your eyes shine too, as if you're not afraid of anything."

"Do they?"

Ji Jue leaned toward the rearview mirror, examining himself from side to side. He really couldn't see the curve his little sister described. As for his eyes, they weren't lightbulbs—how could they shine? If anything, the wind had blown them a little dry, so there was no brightness to speak of.

By contrast, Lu Ling behind his shoulder had eyes shaped like crescent moons, her smile clear and bright.

"I already asked today."

She said earnestly, "Some senior students paid off their loans four or five years after graduation. My interest rate is even lower. As long as I work hard and pass a few more certifications while I'm at school, Mom and the others will have an easier time in the future too. In a few years, after I build up some experience and pass the examination to become a senior accountant, I can find a job at a big company and support the family!

"By then, I can help you repay the loan, and Mom can retire. Old Third and Youngest can transfer to better schools too. Maybe their studies will improve."

"What about Feng Ge?" Ji Jue asked curiously.

Lu Ling rolled her eyes. "Eldest Brother won't care about him. Let him go open an auto repair shop!"

"Haha, good." Ji Jue couldn't help laughing heartily. "When the time comes, I'll buy a genuine Mustang and have him repair it. If he can't fix it, I'll leave a bad review. If there's no under-the-table deal, I'll leave a bad review too!"

"Okay! Together, together!"

Amid their cheers, the Little Lamb's throttle twisted, and it chugged forward, carrying them away into a sunset that seemed more beautiful than usual.

Amid the laughter trailing behind them, traffic continued to stream along the streets, and Yacheng remained as prosperous and bustling as ever.

Click!

Amid the crisp sound of the shutter, everything seemed to freeze in that instant.

.

.

Late at night, in the shabby living room, the television—half-chewed—still maintained its original miserable state.

Meanwhile, the "culprit," covered in mud, was lying on the living-room floor, rolling around and flinging its two tires as it constantly twisted its body.

At the front, the plastic casing between the two turn signals had opened, revealing an indescribable gaping mouth and a plastic tongue dripping with saliva.

"Sit properly, sit properly!"

Ji Jue repeatedly scolded and ordered it around, so the Little Lamb rose onto its hind wheel and "sat" on the floor before him. Its two wheels obediently spun back and forth as it opened its mouth and panted.

It looked exactly like a dog, yet somehow made no sense at all.

"Good. Open your mouth. Slowly, slowly—eat slower! It's not like I'm going to fight you for it!"

Ji Jue picked up a fresh chicken leg packed from Lu Ma's home and tossed it into the Little Lamb's mouth. Its tongue took the opportunity to lick him, coating half his hand in engine oil.

The chicken leg he had snatched from Youngest's mouth was swallowed whole by the Little Lamb in one gulp. It didn't even spit out the bone, chewing it with loud, crunchy cracks.

Ji Jue couldn't help sighing.

For the sake of this family, Youngest had sacrificed too much.

...He just happened to be doing poorly in mathematics lately. Let him sacrifice a little more. At such a young age, he needed to learn that naughty kids with bad grades had to suffer!

At least he wouldn't get any chicken legs!

But...

Ji Jue pinched his chin and examined the Little Lamb, which had finished its chicken leg and was excitedly spinning in circles on the spot. He was still completely baffled. "Tell me, what exactly are you?"

The Little Lamb switched on its bewildered high beams and flashed them twice, having no idea what he meant.

In theory, this thing should have been a product of Ji Jue's ability. Yet after his ability ended, all the other things had turned into scrap metal. Only this dog-like Little Lamb had somehow become alive because of the Dragon Blood.

Even when he went "hafuhafu" at it, it didn't react, and it didn't seem like a real dog either.

But it was truly too dog-like!

Especially after discovering that Lu Ma was the ancient Greek god in charge of white-cut chicken, it couldn't help flinging sparks from its mudguards even while sitting beneath Ji Jue's buttocks.

Luckily, Lu Ma hadn't noticed!

He should have shown it to the professor, but this thing also involved Dragon Blood... He had promised Wen Wen to keep her ability to undergo Dragonification a secret. Although he still didn't really understand what dragons were, since he had promised, it was best not to let anything related to dragons connect with her.

Besides, judging from the situation, there didn't seem to be any major problems for the time being.

So, he might as well raise it.

After all, who wouldn't want to own a Little Lamb that could travel more than three hundred kilometers per hour on the highway without needing fuel or a charge?

"Come here, come here~ Who's the most obedient little lamb in the whole world~ Of course it's our Little Lamb. You're the most obedient, aren't you?"

Ji Jue stroked its "dog head" and praised it. "Good children need names. Doesn't our Little Lamb need a name too?"

The Little Lamb immediately grew even more excited, its "dog head" bobbing wildly.

"Hmm, let me think..."

Ji Jue pinched his chin and pondered for a moment. Finally, his gaze fell on the battered logo on its casing. He could vaguely make out the gilded words beneath it—Niuma Motorcycle, your choice.

Ji Jue's eyes lit up. "Why not call you Little Cow and Horse?"

[???]

In that instant of stiffness, it seemed as though a hundred thousand question marks—upside down, at that—had come through his perception of the ability.

The moment it heard that it was going to be called Little Cow and Horse, the Little Lamb seemed to refuse outright. It twisted its body furiously, its handlebars spinning wildly, its high beams shining straight into Ji Jue's eyes as it demanded a different name!

It refused.

Then what should he call it?

He couldn't call it Palu, could he?

"What's wrong with Little Cow and Horse? What's bad about it?!"

Ji Jue felt that his astonishing wisdom had been insulted. He said earnestly, "Something called Little Lamb isn't necessarily a real lamb, but something called Little Cow and Horse is definitely a real cow and horse.

"Look, which one isn't stronger than a sheep—the cow or the horse? They're bigger too! Why are you still refusing?"

"Beep beep beep!"

The Little Cow and Horse, which had been the Little Lamb just moments ago, frantically honked in protest. Unfortunately, its resistance was useless.

That settled it.

At least, Ji Jue had decided unilaterally.

"Enough fooling around. You have to work hard tomorrow. I'll reward you with a chicken leg tonight."

Ji Jue waved and went upstairs. After washing up, he lay down on the bed and, as usual, glanced at the watch he had removed from his wrist.

Cousin was as steady as ever. Aside from carrying the whole team during necessary moments, he never caused the slightest trouble and didn't even need to eat white-cut chicken!

He was easily the most worry-free employee in the entire family.

Unfortunately, the Watch Dial was still completely motionless.

After he became a Chosen One, the golden 0 had finally been filled, and 1 had gotten off to a good start. But aside from that beginning, it was like a flop novel that had finally managed to write a little something after being stuck for more than a year—the rest was about to disappear.

For more than half a month, no matter how Ji Jue used his ability, accumulated Spiritual Substance, or studied it inside and out, the [1] that had only just begun remained completely motionless from start to finish!

Being a 0 was hard. Being a 1 was even harder.

Ji Jue's ability had not grown in the slightest to this day.