Although Little Gold controlled its strength well, one slap still carried monstrous intimidation. Xiao Yan's head was swimming; his body felt like it'd been beaten apart, waves of pain rolling through him.
He clearly saw the Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear across from him show a very human sneer.
Too weak…
Xiao Yan: "…"
He wanted to fire back with a quip or two, but then realized he was already outside the assessment area—out of bounds.
He swallowed his grievance, walked back to the rest area, and left it to the proctors to decide whether he passed.
Several girls gathered around, asking after him with concern, which made him feel a little better.
"Old Gong, so… does this count as a pass?"
Many of the proctors looked troubled. Old Gong had said if Xiao Yan could last a minute, he'd pass, but he hadn't even lasted five seconds.
But if they didn't pass him, they'd be the ones breaking the rules first. Letting in a soul beast comparable to a ten-thousand-year one didn't fit the testing standards to begin with.
"Let him pass. Those fourth-year brats—facing Little Gold, even that bunch of Soul Ancestors didn't do much better than him," Old Gong waved indifferently.
He just wanted to teach the kid a lesson, not block his assessment.
"Foundation score, one hundred. Combat technique… twenty-five."
Old Gong smacked his lips and gave his numbers.
"I'll give one hundred twenty-five."
"One hundred thirty."
"One hundred thirty-four."
"…"
After the teachers spoke one by one, the final score came out—one hundred thirty-one. (Dai Huabin scored one hundred forty-five: full marks in foundation, forty-five in combat technique.)
The kid's battle aura wasn't weak; he dared to face a Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear head-on. He just got beaten so hard he forgot his own grandpa.
As the score was announced—
Xiao Yan exhaled in relief, but he was still sulking. He'd wanted to prove himself by slaying beasts—that hand-tearing-soul-beasts, blood-boiling thrill is just too good—and maybe gain some popularity. Had someone seen through his plan?
Nasty capital set me up. This sucks…
"You want to go up and give it a try?" Old Gong chuckled.
"It's not my test," Su Wen shrugged.
"Don't forget, half a month's feed for three pets."
The subsequent matches weren't very interesting.
Most were against soul beasts of three to four hundred years, and the fighting was even more boring—war-of-attrition types. Someone like Xiao Yan who dared to charge head-on was quite rare among nearly a hundred people.
Su Wen waved a hand and turned to leave.
"Relax. My Great Spirit Arena isn't short of your bit of feed money," Old Gong snorted.
"Since you're in such a generous mood, why not cover a whole year?" Su Wen teased.
"Hmph~" Old Gong fell silent and focused on the assessments.
…
Sea God Island.
Inside the golden treehouse.
Su Wen sat cross-legged on the bed, fiddling with the black-gold card Yan Shaozhe had given him earlier, a pensive look on his face.
Reason? He was broke.
There were just over thirty thousand gold soul coins left on the card. Enough for an ordinary family of three to live comfortably for a lifetime—but for his three money-guzzling beasts, that was only a few mouthfuls.
He could ask the academy for money. Given that he could live on Sea God Island, that already said a lot. Old Lin from the Treasure Pavilion, for example—if he asked, a steady stream of funds would flow his way. But that would also mean a heavy burden and pressure.
His three pets ate a lot. Just one year of costs ran in the tens of millions—that's scary. And he was only a Soul Elder. As his strength grew, he'd have more soul beasts too. Even a wealthy place like the Treasure Pavilion would struggle to carry that. He had already decided that once these guys got stronger, he'd toss them into the Star Dou Forest or the neighboring Sunset Forest. But at least for now, he had to keep them by his side.
"Make some money?"
Su Wen mused.
The most popular moneymakers for transmigrators in another world tend to be things like soap and paper. But that won't fly on the Douluo Continent. With soul tools so widespread, aside from a slightly Western-fantasy style, this world isn't that different from his previous one.
So that leaves food…
Su Wen's eyes lit up.
Milk tea, ice cream—things that swept the globe in his previous life. If you're used to them, sure, they're no big deal. But transplanted into another world… they might make a splash.
Douluo's cuisine mixes Eastern and Western but is quite traditional. Drinks are rare. People don't seem to care much about indulgent flavors.
He'd never come across anything like ice cream here.
"How about… giving it a try?"
Egg yolks mixed with sugar—there's some technique to it, but not much. He could always experiment. As for various flavors of ice cream (and milk tea), it's just about adding mixed fruit bases.
Do it first, think later. At worst, it'd be a bit of fun.
Su Wen smacked his lips.
…
"A distinguished guest. What brings you to my Treasure Pavilion? Short on funds?"
Treasure Pavilion, top floor.
Su Wen sat across from an elderly lady in white. Her robe was a sumptuous garment of pale cyan patterns, showing off the Treasure Pavilion's grandeur. She had a kindly face and smiled lightly at Su Wen.
"Granny Lin, please don't tease me. I am short on money."
Su Wen took a sip of tea—bitter and astringent—and set the cup down without changing expression.
The pretty maid behind the old lady covered her mouth and laughed.
Su Wen sighed broadly.
"But I'm not here to borrow."
"Oh?" Surprise flashed through the old lady's eyes. She had always kept an eye on Su Wen. The kid knew the Treasure Pavilion was Shrek Academy's financial patron; most of the academy's funds flowed through it. It controlled seventy to eighty percent of the academy's cash flow. Forget a few hundred thousand—even a few million could be fronted to him in a pinch.
And his soul beasts were veritable money-eaters. Even Old Gong's Great Spirit Arena couldn't afford to feed them. If the kid wasn't here to borrow, what was he up to?
"I want to ask you for a patch of land in Shrek City—somewhere with the heaviest foot traffic possible," Su Wen continued.
"You want to earn money yourself?" The old lady smiled in realization.
Letting the kid bump into reality wouldn't be a bad thing.
"Shrek City has over ten million people. Merchants come from all over, and the top powers all have a presence here. The city's daily cashflow reaches tens of millions of gold soul coins. But whether you can scoop that money into your pocket… that's not easy," the old lady said with a squinting smile.
"Wenlu, it so happens a shop contract on East City Third Street is about to expire. Don't renew it. Notify them to move out within three days, or bear the consequences."
"Yes…"
The girl behind her bowed slightly and left.
A smile appeared on Su Wen's face.
Shrek's East City is where the Treasure Pavilion is located. The surrounding streets host branches of famous businesses from across the continent. Foot traffic there is terrifying.
"Alright, the turf is yours. May I ask what business you plan to run?" Old Lin asked with a chuckle.
"Beverages!"
Su Wen reflexively took another sip of tea, then winced at the bitterness.
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