You're Walking Right Into the Cannon's Mouth

The catchy shouting echoed through the black market.

Passersby stopped in their tracks, turning to look at the Strength Potion shop.

Outside the shop stood a wooden sign that read: "Top-Grade Strength Potion! Only 28,888 per bottle! Limited to 10 bottles per day!"

In no time, a number of people gathered.

Someone asked, "Is this really top-grade Strength Potion?"

Chen Shu shouted, "Guaranteed authentic! Ten times compensation for fakes! Ten times compensation!"

"You're not just going to hand me eleven fake ones, are you?"

"Come on! Guaranteed authentic—personally endorsed by Wang Qian of the Spirit Control Bureau!"

Chen Shu once again made Wang Qian his free spokesperson. If it was fake, customers could go straight to the Bureau and report him.

Besides, it was a shop—not a street stall—which made it more trustworthy!

...

...

However, to Chen Shu's surprise, even though people believed him, not many actually made a purchase.

There was only one reason—no money!

To fully maximize the benefits of the potion, one needed forty bottles, which cost over a million. Ordinary people simply couldn't afford it.

And those who could afford it wouldn't care about saving a mere thousand bucks.

They preferred to buy from reputable stores in the city, where the authenticity was guaranteed!

By the end of the night, Chen Shu had only sold one bottle...

"Damn, miscalculated…"

Chen Shu had thought it would sell out easily. Clearly, he'd been too naïve.

"Tomorrow drop the price—25,000 a bottle! Limit it to five bottles!"

He pulled out a new wooden sign and scribbled two lines on it. Though messy, the writing was barely legible.

"Today, I've decided to do something my ancestors would disapprove of. Top-Grade Strength Potion, 25,000 per bottle, only five bottles a day!"

"You ask me why it's limited? I'm scared my ancestors will come for me at night!"

Chen Shu nodded in satisfaction. This should attract some attention.

He was just a small shop, no match for century-old brands—so his only strategy was to win on price.

Five bottles a day entering the market shouldn't cause much disruption.

"This will do for now. Once the shop gains a solid reputation, I'll increase the supply and raise the price!"

Lure them in with low prices first, then raise them—classic business tactic...

Nanjiang No. 2 High, Dorm 102.

Xie Su'nan asked, "Naughty Chen, what have you been doing these nights? You always come back so exhausted. Don't tell me you're..."

"Of course, I've been hustling…" Chen Shu paused, then added, "...for money!"

"..." Xu Xingxing advised, "We're in senior year now. Beast Mastery scores are the most important."

Chen Shu curled his lip. "Don't talk to me about that Beast Mastery crap. I just want to make money right now!"

With that, he washed up and flopped into bed.

Xie Su'nan said, "Sigh, what a waste of talent Naughty Chen is."

Xu Xingxing let out a breath. "Yeah… at this rate, I think most of the class will surpass him in a month."

"Seems like we're the only ones with talent and work ethic."

The two exchanged smiles and began their Beast Mastery training.

Just then, a strange energy suddenly radiated from Chen Shu's sleeping body, making him seem… different.

"Huh?"

Their eyes widened in disbelief.

Xu Xingxing gulped. "Old Xie, am I seeing things or did he just break through?"

Xie Su'nan looked like he'd seen a ghost. "I think he did…"

Chen Shu was already a Level 7 Beast Master—breaking through meant reaching Level 8, becoming the undisputed top of the special training class.

"But… but he's asleep?!"

Their shock gradually turned into despair. The drive to train was completely gone.

It's painful when someone better than you works harder.

What's worse? When someone who doesn't work is still better than you!

"Old Xie, should we still train?"

"Train my ass—sleep! I'm gonna break through too!"

Xie Su'nan flopped into bed, heart thoroughly broken by Chen Shu.

Xu Xingxing stared wistfully out at the moonlight on the balcony, filled with melancholy.

He even considered asking his family to spend a few million to help him force a breakthrough…

The next morning.

"Ah, that felt great!"

Chen Shu felt refreshed and full of energy.

"What's with you two?"

He immediately noticed Xie Su'nan and Xu Xingxing, both sporting panda eyes and clearly sleep-deprived.

Though the two had flopped into bed, they didn't sleep a wink all night.

Some things are like that—the more you think, the harder it is to let go…

With a blank expression, Xie Sunan said, "Do you know what happened last night?"

Chen Shu looked around the dorm, replying, "What? That giant python showed up again?!"

Xu Xingxing sighed and shook his head. "Did you… break through?"

Chen Shu checked himself and instantly realized he had successfully advanced to an eighth-level Beast Master.

He answered matter-of-factly, "Yeah, I broke through. What about it?"

"You're not surprised?"

The two of them stared wide-eyed, feeling yet another emotional blow.

Chen Shu curled his lips. "What's the big deal? Eighth-level Beast Master—it's just basic stuff if you've got hands."

The two cried out in despair. Their daily training couldn't compare to this guy taking a nap.

Chen Shu said seriously, "I told you—sleeping and squatting are forms of training. Believe me now?"

…

The three headed to the Beastmaster Hall.

Xie Sunan and Xu Xingxing looked completely exhausted, casting resentful glances at Chen Shu, drawing strange looks from the other students.

Shen Wushuang stepped forward, about to speak, when a student suddenly raised his hand.

"Hm? Du Long, what is it?"

"Teacher! I want to challenge Chen Shu today!"

Du Long's eyes gleamed with confidence as he stared provocatively at Chen Shu.

"Since you said the strongest deserves to be class monitor, I believe that person is me!"

Du Long immediately summoned his Earth Dragon—it looked imposing and powerful.

"What do you say, Chen Shu?"

Shen Wushuang looked at Chen Shu with a faint smile.

The special training class was meant to foster competition—only that way could students truly realize their potential.

Chen Shu raised an eyebrow. Just broke through, and someone's already volunteering to be cannon fodder?

"I'll accept, but there should at least be some sort of threshold. I can't just be challenged by every random stray dog, can I?"

He threw his hands up with a sigh. "I still have to study too, Teacher!"

"Fair point," Shen Wushuang nodded. "Then let's have a high-grade Beast Taming Pearl as the wager, how's that?"

Every special class student received one high-grade Beast Taming Pearl per month to help boost their cultivation speed.

"No objections from me," Du Long nodded slightly, full of confidence.

Though only a week had passed, he'd gained a deep new understanding of his skills.

At that moment, a choice screen appeared before Chen Shu:

Option 1: Refuse the challenge and ask with a serious face, "Are you even worthy?"

Reward: Moderate Beastmastery Power

Option 2: Accept the challenge and give the Earth Dragon a brutal beatdown!

Reward: Five Strength Flowers

Option 3: Pretend to refuse, then launch a sneak attack, striking first to show your ruthless flair!

Reward: Skill "Counterattack" +1