The Strange Blizzard

"Big Brother, which university are you applying to after you get out of here?"

Since the three of them could not leave, and Li Hanyi was busy fusing with demons, Hong Jianjun had nothing much to do. He wandered over to Cao Xiaochun and casually asked.

Seeing how familiar the fat man acted, Cao Xiaochun realized that he seemed never to have gotten to know him over the past two years.

But it was not really his fault. Hong Jianjun was wealthy, and he was usually somewhat of an easy mark, so he was constantly surrounded by people looking to take advantage of him. The two of them had indeed had little contact.

"Imperial Capital University," Cao Xiaochun said lightly as he looked at the locator on his wrist.

He had always felt that this blizzard was unusual. Logically speaking, if the school was holding an exam, it would certainly have surveyed the environment in advance. After all, this was the first field trial for every high school student in H City. The school could not possibly be this careless.

After confirming that their location had not deviated from the area designated by the school, Cao Xiaochun became even more puzzled. What exactly was wrong?

"Imperial Capital University? It'll probably be hard for someone with my profession to get in. Sigh, looks like it's impossible for Big Brother to look after me."

Hearing Cao Xiaochun's answer, Hong Jianjun let out a heavy sigh. Imperial Capital University did accept lifestyle professions, but they were usually professions that could assist combat classes, such as alchemists, artificers, and tricksters. A logistics profession like his was beneath the university's notice.

"Damn, are you trying to latch onto me?" Cao Xiaochun did not know whether to laugh or cry at Hong Jianjun's melancholy expression. They were not that close yet.

"Seriously, I really do want to stick with you, Big Brother. Look, you awakened a hidden profession. Even though Gu Masters are universally considered weak, after what I saw today, I know you'll definitely make a name for yourself someday."

"Honestly, I don't believe there are inherently weak professions. Sometimes, we're just unlucky. Like you, Big Brother—you found the right way to use a Gu Master's abilities, didn't you?"

Hong Jianjun slowly leaned back, let out another heavy sigh, and spoke casually.

Cao Xiaochun looked at him, strangely moved. He had not expected that although Hong Jianjun had awakened a lifestyle profession, he had not given up on himself. Instead, he was still full of drive.

That sort of personality made him quite suitable as a friend. After all, that weak-at-first, strong-later disposition was damn similar to a protagonist blessed by the world.

"Actually, a chef's profession is all about cooking, and food is meant to be eaten. So why not consider developing toward a support role?"

"If the dishes you make could heal people, restore them, or even increase their combat strength, wouldn't that make you more sought-after than so-called alchemists?"

"You should know that once chefs reach Level 5, they can casually turn ingredients into food, while potions have to be prepared in advance."

After thinking for a moment, Cao Xiaochun offered Hong Jianjun some advice. He had gotten the idea from anime he had watched in his previous life. He did not know whether it would work in this world, but did he not have a guinea pig right here?

If it worked, Hong Jianjun would soar to great heights, and Cao Xiaochun would have a reliable option when forming teams in the future. If it failed, it did not matter. The fat man did not depend on this to make a living anyway.

So this bit of guidance could be considered a small investment on his part.

"Fuck, you're right! Aren't those idiots who make potions relying on the power of the ingredients themselves? So why can't I rely on the power of food ingredients?"

The moment Cao Xiaochun finished speaking, Hong Jianjun froze. Then he suddenly sprang up, his eyes shining as he spoke.

Those words had opened his mind to a path he had never considered before!

"Hahaha, thanks for the reminder, Big Brother! I'll think over whether this method is feasible once we get back!"

ROAR!

As the two chatted, a beastly roar echoed through the entire cave. Li Hanyi's tightly shut beautiful eyes suddenly flew open, and she quickly formed two hand seals toward the mass of black mist!

A black beast claw suddenly extended from the mist. Two monsters, completely black and two meters tall, with three tiger heads resting on their shoulders, slowly emerged!

[Three-Headed Demon Tiger Lv.12 (Bronze Grade)]

(Soul Body)

(Can Be Upgraded)

Strength: 113

Speed: 72

Spirit: 60

Description: Demons born from the resentment within the Abyss. They have tiger heads and human bodies, and the resentment surrounding them can even affect their enemies!

The two stood up. Cao Xiaochun first helped the somewhat exhausted Li Hanyi to her feet, then used the Eye of Truth to inspect the two Three-Headed Demon Tigers.

Seeing the "Can Be Upgraded" trait and their exceptionally high Strength, Cao Xiaochun could not help feeling a little envious. He had not expected Li Hanyi's first use of her innate skill to fuse such demons.

"Not bad. They're much better than that Succubus that got shaved of eighty pounds of libido and was left with only two pounds of rotten meat."

"Congratulations, deskmate."

Li Hanyi could not help rolling her eyes at Cao Xiaochun's words. Why did that sound so awkward?

Looking at the two demons she had newly cultivated, the shadow of slaughtering the Frost Tiger cubs still lingered in her mind, but now it seemed somewhat more acceptable.

These were Bronze-grade demons. With them, she could probably easily enroll in whichever school she wanted after the college entrance examination.

She recalled the Three-Headed Demon Tigers into her inner world, then, supported by Cao Xiaochun, slowly walked over to the fire and sat down with a heavy sigh.

Hong Jianjun, perceptive as ever, handed her a bottle of water.

"Once this blizzard passes, there should be plenty of Ice Hearts around here. Since they are born from wind and snow, the three of us should have no problem completing the exam by then."

Not wanting to think about what had just happened, Li Hanyi took a sip of water and spoke lightly.

"Our coordinate transmitters can hold at most three hundred essence souls. So I figure we can finish the requirement in this area alone. After that, we just need to stay for seven days, and we'll get out with an excellent rating."

Hong Jianjun chimed in from the side. Ever since their safety had been secured, that had been his plan.

It could be said that this blizzard had brought them danger, but it had also given them an opportunity to complete the exam quickly!

However, Cao Xiaochun did not see it that way. This blizzard gave him a vague sense of unease, and wasting seven days here merely to complete the exam did not seem worthwhile.

So he shared his earlier suspicions with the two of them.

Sure enough, after hearing Cao Xiaochun's words, Li Hanyi and Hong Jianjun came to the same realization. This blizzard had indeed arrived rather strangely.

"Going by what you're saying, there really is something odd about this place. At the very least, some people I know who took part in this trial before never encountered anything like this."

Li Hanyi thought for a moment before speaking blandly. She had no clue what was going on either.

"Uh... if we're thinking on a larger scale, I do know one possibility."

Hong Jianjun thought for a moment, then spoke uncertainly.

"My dad recently invested in a script about this snow mountain. My stepmother even played one of the roles in it."

"Legend says that there really is a monster in the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Mountain capable of causing blizzards."

"That is the sleeping ice dragon—Kassas!"