Whoosh—
Countless figures rushed toward them.
In no time, dozens of students had gathered at the farm entrance.
Once the last group returned, Principal Zhang rubbed his gleaming bald head.
"Students, you all performed very well during today's field exercise..."
A long-winded half-hour speech followed.
Su Ye could not help yawning.
He had not felt tired after fighting all night, yet now he was getting sleepy.
Fortunately, Principal Zhang's speech had reached its final part.
"One group performed exceptionally well during this exercise. They killed 512 field mice, taking first place on the Rat-Killing Rankings!"
Whoosh—
Everyone in the Elite Class turned to look in the same direction.
"They are... Su Ye, Xiao Qiyue, Mu Wanrou, Zhang Xuan, and Xia Zhiqiu's team!"
That was right.
At the very last moment,
Su Ye and the others had lured more than a dozen field mice into Shangguan Lin's group's area and killed them all.
Just as the twenty-four hours ran out, they had overtaken Meng Li's team by two kills.
Under the admiring gazes of the crowd, Su Ye and his four teammates stepped forward to receive their rewards.
As they passed another team, Meng Li hefted a thick Iron Pillar on his shoulder and fixed his bell-sized eyes on Su Ye.
"Su Ye, I look forward to a real fight with you!"
"You'll get your chance."
Su Ye's team had killed 512 field mice in total.
Of those, Su Ye had accounted for 312.
At 300 yuan apiece, that came to nearly 100,000 yuan.
The school had also awarded them 50,000 yuan in credits, which they could exchange for anything in its Resource Vault.
But...
Su Ye looked at the money in his hand. After a moment's thought, he gave it to Zhang Xuan.
"Su Ye, what are you doing?"
"We couldn't have taken first place without the Luoluo Beast Meat you got us, Zhang Xuan. That meat might not be a big deal to you, but we can't let you bear the cost alone."
Warmth spread through Zhang Xuan's chest.
He truly did not care about spending a hundred or two hundred thousand yuan.
But Su Ye's gesture made it clear that he did not see Zhang Xuan as someone to take advantage of.
It raised Zhang Xuan's opinion of him.
After all, Zhang Xuan had looked into Su Ye's background. He knew Su Ye's family was not well-off, and over a hundred thousand yuan was no small sum to him.
"This money..."
"Just take it."
Xia Zhiqiu slapped the cash he had received into Zhang Xuan's hand as well.
"Luoluo Beast Meat costs thirty or forty thousand yuan a kilo, and we used almost two and a half kilos this time. Damn... We killed over five hundred mice and barely made enough to pay for the meat. It's like we worked all day for nothing!"
Xiao Qiyue and Mu Wanrou gave Zhang Xuan their cash too.
"But we still got the cash reward from the school, so we didn't lose out."
"All right, I'll take the money. Dinner at the Golden Moon Seafood Restaurant is on me tonight!"
Zhang Xuan burst out laughing.
Xia Zhiqiu's eyes lit up.
"The Golden Moon Seafood Restaurant? That's the best seafood restaurant in Fangyuan City! Don't mind if we do! We're going to make you treat us to a feast tonight, you rich guy!"
They had to pay Zhang Xuan back for the Luoluo Beast Meat, but they were not about to turn down a rich guy's invitation to dinner!
Many Elite Class students had stayed up all night pushing themselves, so after handing out the rewards, Principal Zhang gave everyone the rest of the day off.
Zhang Xuan immediately called the Butler to bring the car around.
"Su Ye, I'll give you a ride back."
They were still some distance from Fangyuan City, and public transportation was inconvenient.
Zhang Xuan invited Su Ye to ride with him.
Su Ye: ...
Su Ye was still aching over the money.
He had handed it over without hesitation.
But the moment it left his hands, the pain hit—and it had not gone away.
With that 110,000-plus yuan, he could have covered more than half of the 200,000 yuan he still needed for Supernatural Ability Evolution. He would only have had to earn another eighty or ninety thousand.
But now...
Just as Su Ye maintained a calm exterior while dying inside...
His phone rang.
Zhang Baichuan said, "Su Ye, come to the Patrol Bureau, quick! I've got good news!"
Half an hour later,
Zhang Xuan's luxurious Blood-Sweating Sedan pulled up outside the Patrol Bureau.
"Su Ye, see you at the Golden Moon Seafood Restaurant tonight!"
"Sure."
Su Ye waved and strode into the Patrol Bureau.
People came and went through the first-floor lobby. Su Ye spotted several anxious-looking patrol officers, along with a crying middle-aged woman and a grief-stricken man.
From the little he overheard, another young woman had been killed on her way home from work last night.
It was probably the Murderous Fiend who had committed the earlier string of killings, striking again.
Su Ye shook his head.
He would have to remind Liu Ruxin not to go out at night unless she had to.
And if he wanted to protect his family better... he had to keep growing stronger!
Ding.
The elevator doors opened.
An eighteen- or nineteen-year-old young man stepped out.
As they passed each other, Su Ye's eyes flickered.
He felt a pressure coming from the young man.
It was even stronger than what he had felt from Meng Li.
He's skilled.
After Su Ye entered the elevator and the doors closed,
the young man slowly came to a stop.
That person just now... He was strong.
I've never seen him before. Could he be Meng Li, Second High School's top Martial Arts student?
"Su Ye, you're finally here! Hahaha!"
Zhang Baichuan looked at Su Ye as though he were a priceless treasure.
"Perfection in one day! Perfection in one day! Su Ye, you brought the Basic Blade Technique to Perfection in just one day! No, less than a day! You're a genius!"
Su Ye smiled modestly.
"Just luck."
"No, you don't understand!"
Zhang Baichuan waved a hand.
"Talent matters for Low-tier Martial Artists, but comprehension matters for High-tier Martial Artists. Reaching Perfection in the Basic Blade Technique in a single day proves how extraordinary your comprehension is, Su Ye."
"It's the same reason Dong Huang and even the entire Federation give Supernatural Ability Awakeners special treatment. It's because... Ahem, I'm getting off track."
"In short, the comprehension you've shown makes you worth a greater investment of resources from the Patrol Bureau!"
"I'd already applied for a Cultivation Resources package for you. But when they heard yesterday that you'd reached Perfection in a day, they not only approved it immediately—they added even more resources. I've sent the list to your phone."
Delight surged through Su Ye.
It really was good news.
He had not expected joining the Patrol Bureau to come with a Cultivation Resources package.
But...
Thinking back to what Zhang Baichuan had almost said, Su Ye wondered whether Ability Users had some connection to comprehension... and whether it involved cultivation at higher levels.
Su Ye had never understood why the Federation gave Supernatural Ability Awakeners special treatment. Now it seemed there was more to it than he had realized.
But that was clearly beyond what Su Ye could learn about right now.
He filed the thought away and opened the list on his phone.
The moment he saw it, his eyes lit up.
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