The Influx of Tourists

Jiang City, No. 2 Middle School.

As Friday's final school bell rang, many students clutched their schoolbags and charged toward the gates.

In groups of three or five, they slung their arms over one another's shoulders, noisily discussing their weekend plans. Laughter filled the street.

Many of those toward the back of the crowd were third-year high school students.

There was little weekend joy to be seen on their faces.

Whether they were in the academic classes or the martial arts classes, their major exams were less than a month away.

Jiang Chao from the martial arts class, however, was an exception.

He had an arm slung around Lin Hao's shoulders and was walking so fast that Lin Hao had to quicken his pace.

"Haozi, hurry up! Keep dawdling and Xia Zhi and the others will get tired of waiting! It's wrong to make girls wait for boys!"

Lin Hao shrugged off his arm and laughed. "We're already walking fast enough. They need time to get there after class too. The food street is only two streets from our school. We'll definitely get there first."

"Not necessarily." Jiang Chao shook his head, looking utterly serious. "Xia Zhi isn't in school anymore. She always arrives early for our dates. She might already be sitting in the Spirit Charm Restaurant."

Lin Hao's steps faltered. He looked somewhat surprised. "Xia Zhi has already left school? Isn't she a year younger than you?"

Apart from the martial arts classes, the Dragon Nation provided twelve years of free education. Unless someone did so badly that they could not even retain their enrollment, very few people dropped out.

At Lin Hao's question, Jiang Chao hurried to explain on Xia Zhi's behalf. "Th-there's definitely a reason. Studying isn't for everyone, right? Like you... no, like me. I'm at the bottom of the class. Studying is a complete waste of time for me. I'd be better off getting a job and earning money."

"No, that's not what I meant." Seeing how nervous Jiang Chao looked, Lin Hao did not know whether to laugh or cry. "I was just a little surprised, so I asked."

At that, Jiang Chao's expression relaxed. "Exactly. Good grades don't say everything about a person, do they? Look at Bai Cheng. He comes first in class every time, but his heart is smaller than the tip of a needle."

Seeing how fiercely Jiang Chao defended Xia Zhi, Lin Hao refrained from pouring more cold water on him, though he still felt something was off.

Going along with him, Lin Hao smiled. "Right. Any girlfriend you find must be a good girl."

"Of course she is! She's a good girl, and her feelings for me are real!" Jiang Chao replied immediately.

Then, remembering something, he scratched his head sheepishly, leaned closer, and lowered his voice. "I'm telling you, but don't tell anyone else. She... she even said she wanted to give me her first time."

Lin Hao was startled again. He stared at Jiang Chao, his eyes full of disbelief.

He was no old fuddy-duddy, but for a girl that age to say something like that when they had barely known each other...

No matter how he looked at it, something was off.

Could she really be a good girl?

And could this... really be her first time?

But seeing how serious Jiang Chao looked, he did not say any of that outright. He merely lowered his voice and asked, "Then did you two... actually do anything?"

"Of course not! I turned her down right away!"

Jiang Chao shook his head repeatedly, his expression solemn. "I, Jiang Chao, may have had a few girlfriends, but I'm a true gentleman! That sort of thing definitely has to wait until after marriage."

Lin Hao raised his eyebrows and looked him up and down, disbelief written all over his face. "You? You have that much moral awareness?"

Jiang Chao's face reddened despite himself, and he awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Hehe, you saw right through me after all. Actually... I thought she was testing me. I was afraid agreeing would make me seem frivolous, so that's what I said.

"It only hit me afterward that it wasn't a test at all... Thinking about it now, I really do regret it a little."

Seeing him like that, Lin Hao could not help laughing.

Chatting and laughing, Lin Hao and Jiang Chao arrived at Linjiang Food Street.

The moment they reached the entrance, lively voices swept toward them, wrapped in the aroma of food.

Colorful signs hung outside the shops on either side of the flagstone street. Stalls had been set up everywhere, making for a dazzling sight.

Groups of three or five filled the street, crowding it so tightly that even walking was difficult.

Looking at the sea of bobbing heads, Lin Hao asked in puzzlement, "Why are there so many people today? I've never seen this many people here on a normal Friday.

"You don't even know that? It's Jiang City's turn to host this year's Six-City Young Pharmacists Competition."

Jiang Chao looked at Lin Hao with some surprise. "Tomorrow is the last day to check in. The competition officially starts the day after tomorrow, Sunday, at the Martial Arts Association Central Square. People from the six surrounding cities have been pouring into Jiang City these past few days."

Lin Hao nodded in understanding.

He had seen the Six-City Young Pharmacists Competition on the news.

It was jointly held by the six surrounding cities, specifically for young pharmacists under twenty.

Every time, one or two geniuses emerged whom the major pharmacy universities and pharmaceutical companies scrambled to recruit.

"Traveling between cities isn't easy. Demonic beasts roam everywhere outside the cities. To travel between them, you have to hire a specialized martial artist convoy to escort you. The fare and security fees alone are more than an ordinary family can afford."

Looking at the people on the street, Lin Hao sighed. "Is it worth it just to watch a pharmacists competition?"

Jiang Chao laughed. "Rich people may only make up a small percentage, but across six cities, that's still quite a lot. Besides, what kind of people are genius pharmacists? They're mighty figures who can earn tens or hundreds of thousands just by moving their fingers and mixing a potion!

"What's a little travel money when you get to see the genius pharmacists of the future? Xia Zhi and I have already agreed to go to the square the day after tomorrow and join the fun."

As Jiang Chao finished speaking, something suddenly flashed through Lin Hao's mind.

Pharmacists!

The system!

If... if he could enter this pharmacists competition.

If that triggered a pharmacist quest from the system, wouldn't he... be able to...

Master pharmacist skills with a single click?

When that happened, never mind anything else.

As long as he could learn to mix basic qi and blood potions, he could save more than half the money he would otherwise spend on supplements for his cultivation.

Lin Hao stopped in his tracks and stood there, his mind racing, without saying anything for a long while.

Seeing this, Jiang Chao waved a hand in front of his eyes and asked in confusion, "Haozi? What are you thinking about?"

Lin Hao came back to his senses and suppressed his excitement, trying to keep his voice calm. "I'm just a little curious. What are the entry requirements for this Six-City Young Pharmacists Competition? Can ordinary people sign up?"

"Of course ordinary people can't sign up." Jiang Chao shook his head without a second thought. "To enter, you have to be under twenty and hold an officially recognized pharmacy apprentice certificate.

"This is a nonprofit competition. The entry fee is only a hundred yuan. If there were no entry requirements, wouldn't everyone in Jiang City sign up?"

A pharmacy apprentice certificate.

Half the excitement in Lin Hao's heart cooled.

He could not even identify all the most basic medicinal ingredients, let alone obtain a pharmacy apprentice certificate.

Was he really going to miss this chance to trigger a system quest?

No, he still had to go take a look in person. He couldn't just let such a great opportunity slip away.

"Come on, come on. Don't keep Xia Zhi and the others waiting." Jiang Chao tugged at him and pulled him deeper into the food street.