Funding

"Great!"

Fang Shu suddenly exclaimed, unable to help but clap his hands, his eyes gleaming.

"It seems the ability test back then wasn't accurate enough."

Looking at the number on the Force Tester, he didn't overthink it.

At this stage, everything related to Supernaturalists was still in its infancy, so deviations in testing were unavoidable.

It was normal for some people to break through to E-rank in their teens and experience a comprehensive boost in physique.

However, for a newcomer who had only started cultivating for a week to reach the E-rank standard in strength was something else.

Although a Supernaturalist's strength was never solely about raw power, there was still half a month left until the assessment. He didn't even dare to imagine how much progress would be made by then.

The other Night Owl members in the same assessment batch, and perhaps even that kid named He Ying, would likely be dealt a heavy blow.

"Forget it..."

Fang Shu's lips had just curled up before he slowly pulled them back, shaking his head. He was being a bit too optimistic, thinking too much.

After all, Shen Qing had joined the Hummingbird App for too short a time; even compared to members of his own batch, he was nearly half a month behind.

That was why he hadn't caught up to the group training and had been left at the branch for individual training.

Not to mention that kid was in the same batch as Xie Chong, trailing by nearly two months in cultivation time, yet still progressing faster.

Catching up on two months of progress in just one week... that was still too difficult.

"Captain?"

Seeing Fang Shu alternating between joy and sighing, his expression shifting back and forth, Shen Qing finally couldn't help but speak up.

"Hm? I'm fine," Fang Shu snapped back to reality and patted his shoulder. "Keep training hard. I have high hopes for you in the assessment."

Solving those troublemakers certainly wouldn't be easy, but at the very least, dampening their arrogance for a while would be good.

"Consider this my personal sponsorship."

As he spoke, Fang Shu opened the Hummingbird App's contribution point exchange interface and swiped his finger rapidly, but the next moment, he paused, as if remembering something.

"Wait, I shouldn't be the only one paying."

He muttered to himself, and then, amidst Shen Qing's bewildered gaze, he suddenly ran out of the training room.

When he returned, the Night Owl team leader had been dragged along as well. After seeing the number on the Force Tester, he also widened his eyes in shock.

But then, he began to hesitate.

"This strength is fine for dealing with other newcomers, but He Ying and the others..."

Physical-type talents were generally at a disadvantage, and with the significant gap in cultivation time, the Night Owl team leader really couldn't see a path to victory.

"That's why we need your sponsorship," Fang Shu said righteously. "You're a D-rank; your contribution points are higher than mine, right?"

"Heh."

The Night Owl team leader's mouth twitched, but he didn't refuse. After all, this had almost become a thorn in their side.

In the end, the two of them pooled together four dark red, soybean-sized pills.

"These are Blood Qi Pills used to assist F-rank cultivation. But as you know, everything is just starting, and that goes for the pills too."

Fang Shu explained, "It's best to take only one of these a week. Taking more might be too much for your body to handle, and the refining process is painful, which can easily lead to cultivation errors."

The Night Owl team leader nodded as well. "Take it step by step. Don't be greedy; there's no need to rush."

After Fang Shu and the Night Owl team leader left, the training room fell silent once more.

Looking at the four pills in his hand, Shen Qing was stunned. How did he suddenly get sponsored?

A single Blood Qi Pill was worth ten contribution points, making the four worth forty. He would have to solve at least eight supernatural incidents to earn that, and he might not even be able to scrape together forty points in a month.

Still, he was definitely interested in taking the Night Owl's arrogance down a peg.

Shen Qing's lips curled slightly. Who wasn't a young man once?

Wait, did he forget something?

The next day, because of the dinner gathering that evening, Shen Qing didn't go on patrol and trained until five in the afternoon.

Finally, he took a shower, changed into casual clothes, and prepared to head out.

The dinner was set at a hot pot restaurant on the University City Commercial Street. As it neared dinnertime, the street was bustling with people.

Since the area was surrounded by students, the cost of living wasn't too high, and with it being the weekend, crowds of office workers and tourists were also flocking there.

If they hadn't made a reservation in advance, they likely wouldn't have found a place to eat.

Amidst the crowd, Shen Qing was looking down at his phone's GPS. "Yu Family Hot Pot Restaurant, this must be it."

He looked up to confirm the sign and then began searching around; Chen Chen and the others had said they were already nearby.

Almost instantly, a particularly conspicuous figure in the crowd caught his eye.

That waist-length red hair swayed slightly with its owner's stride, looking like a cluster of flowing fire under the setting sun.

The vibrant hair color didn't look tacky at all; instead, contrasted against her fair skin, it gave her an intense and flamboyant aura.

Shen Qing stopped in his tracks.

The owner of the red hair seemed to sense something, turning around to reveal an exquisite face.

Their eyes met.

"Long time no see."

Her voice wasn't loud, yet it cut clearly through the noisy crowd and landed in Shen Qing's ears.

"Long time no see," Shen Qing nodded.

The two stood there staring at each other from a few paces away, people bustling around them, until a hand suddenly reached out from the side.

"Hey, hey, hey!"

Su Xiaoxiao, the dorm leader's girlfriend, popped up from nowhere and waved her hands indignantly to break their eye contact. "There are other people here, you know!"

"Oh, Xiaoxiao."

Shen Qing finally snapped back to reality. He shifted his gaze downward, only then noticing this high school classmate who barely reached his chest.

"What do you mean by that!"

Feeling the odd look, Su Xiaoxiao instantly bristled. "Are you saying I'm short!"

"How could I?" Shen Qing hurriedly denied, looking around for the others. "Where are the dorm leader and the rest?"

"Right here~"

A chilly voice drifted over from the side.

Chen Chen, along with two other boys, appeared carrying several cups of lemonade. The three of them wore expressions of surprising uniformity, their eyes filled with disdain.

"Is there no one else in your eyes?"

Chen Chen walked over and shoved a cup of lemonade into Shen Qing's hand.

"You looked like you'd lost your soul," a roommate added, twisting the knife. "Those who know better know we're here for hotpot, but those who don't would think you two were filming a movie, complete with slow-motion effects."

His voice sounded a bit sour.

This was Chen Ming, the other single guy in the dorm besides Chen Chen. For him, the scene he just witnessed had double the impact.

The other boy was the dorm leader, Chen Xu. He pushed up his glasses and didn't say a word, though he looked just as unimpressed.

It was quite a coincidence that the three of them were known as the "Three Chens" in their college—same surname, and in the same dorm to boot.

Su Xiaoxiao burst into laughter.

Gu Jingshi, however, didn't seem to mind. She casually swept her loose red hair behind her shoulder and looked at Shen Qing. "What's wrong? Haven't seen each other in half a year, and you've forgotten how to talk?"

"It's not that bad."

Shen Qing shook his head. "I just haven't had the chance yet."

"Then let's go." Gu Jingshi nodded, the corners of her mouth curling up involuntarily. "Aren't you tired of standing at the door talking?"

After saying this, she turned around gracefully and headed into the hotpot restaurant first. Su Xiaoxiao quickly followed, linking her arm with hers.

"Right, let's go inside to talk."

The dorm leader, Chen Xu, agreed, patting Shen Qing on the shoulder. Chen Chen and Chen Ming exchanged a look, then flanked Shen Qing like they were escorting a prisoner.

The four of them entered the hotpot restaurant as well.