Chapter 38: The Temptation of Egg-Stuffed Pancakes

There was a full minute of silence in the headmaster's office.

The department head tremblingly picked up the teapot, barely managing to pour half a cup of tea for himself. The other half was poured onto the desk, the floor, and his own trousers.

As a B-tier anomaly, even if only at the lowest B-minus level, he understood exactly what the "Zenith of Myriad Arts" meant. As the name implied, it represented the transcendence of a skill into the realm of the divine—a state that surpassed the mundane and reached the level only gods could touch. Even among the peak S-plus tier powerhouses, not everyone was qualified to cultivate a skill to such an extent. Talent, effort, and luck were all indispensable.

Even the item known as the "Random Skill Grade Advancement Card" possessed by the human side, which could help a human player advance a skill, required the user to have the corresponding talent to begin with. Without that inherent talent, even a hundred cards would be wasted. And as for a human or an anomaly at the D-plus level managing to cultivate a skill to the "Zenith of Myriad Arts" level, the middle-aged department head had never heard of such a thing.

What kind of monstrous genius was this?

The department head gulped down several mouthfuls of cold tea, finally managing to calm himself. "This 'Invincible Tyrannosaurus War God'... could he be some kind of 'Saint Son' from a major human faction?" he speculated weakly. "He looks a bit like those from the Immortal Sects of the Divine Land. But he doesn't seem to have mastered any spells; his physical body and vitality are simply extreme, and his naming style doesn't fit either."

"I don't know, and there's no need to know. Does it matter? Or rather... do you dare to gamble?" the old headmaster asked in return, unhurriedly.

"When have we ever had a D-plus level human here? The weakest ones are always C-grade!"

"Furthermore, selling a pancake for one hundred spirit coins, and not just a small amount, but with a daily limit—these four factors combined are enough to prove that this individual has heaven-defying talent, lacks no resources, and doesn't place much value on his craft. Selling them is likely just a whim."

"In human terms, he's just doing it for fun."

"Guess what kind of status a human must have to satisfy all these conditions at once? And what kind of status allows a human to waste precious cultivation time honing a skill that is useless until the final stage?"

"Since he is here to gain experience, as long as he doesn't go too far, it doesn't matter what he does. That is not a problem for you and me to worry about."

"Don't forget, this is a school, not a battlefield. Besides, we have no direct conflict with the humans, do we?"

***

Without even realizing it, Lu Wenwu had inadvertently draped himself in the skin of a tiger. He had been "Dihua-ed" (misunderstood/over-interpreted) by others.

To Lu Wenwu, even an egg-stuffed pancake at the "Zenith of Myriad Arts" level was just an egg-stuffed pancake—it was meant to be eaten. It wasn't some high-end item, so what was there to be noble about? If not for the sake of earning a few more spirit coins, he would have only charged five yuan symbolically. That was how he did it back on Blue Star.

Hearing this, the middle-aged department head hurriedly nodded. "You are right to teach me."

Just then, the department head's expression shifted drastically, and he slapped his thigh. "Oh no, that girl Saint Bamboo seems to have been harboring some thoughts about the Invincible Tyr... about the... about Brother Five. Should we..."

"Leave it alone." The old headmaster interrupted before the department head could finish.

"First, Saint Bamboo is no match for Brother Five. Second, even if it's only the identity and strength Brother Five has shown on the surface, if they really could get something going, we would be taking a massive advantage."

"Hea... Headmaster, you called him Brother Five?" The department head was stunned, almost thinking he had misheard.

The old headmaster chuckled. "A chef at the 'Zenith of Myriad Arts' level—let alone calling him Brother Five, if he were willing to sell me a few more pancakes, I wouldn't mind calling him Grandpa."

"..." The middle-aged department head was speechless.

Outside the school, who among those capable of cultivating a skill to the "Zenith of Myriad Arts" wasn't a big shot? He wasn't even fit to carry their shoes! The gap between "Mastery" and the "Zenith of Myriad Arts" was even greater than the gap between humans and anomalies! If a big shot with such ability were here, would they be happily selling pancakes for one hundred each? Thousands, even tens of thousands, would have anomalies fighting over them!

***

"Ding-a-ling~"

The pleasant sound of the bell rang, and the anomalies in Class One of the third year let out a collective sigh of relief. Over the past few hours, they had put their lives on the line to finish all their homework before the end of the evening self-study session and submit it to Lu Wenwu.

It was a joyous occasion; this was the first time in two and a half years that students in Class One had submitted their assignments, and the entire class had completed them. Although Lu Wenwu's pancakes were delicious, the pressure he exerted was truly too intense! Every time they caught their breath, they felt as if their heads were about to be crushed the next second and stuffed into dough to be made into a pancake.

Having collected the assignments, Lu Wenwu rubbed his chin. Seeing that none of the anomalies had left yet, he announced with interest:

"New rule: From now on, the top five who finish their homework fastest every day, and the one anomaly who performs the best and is most diligent in each class, will get a free pancake the next day."

"Those who win the free qualification three times in a row can get an extra one."

"Apart from me, the top scorer in each subject for the monthly exam will also receive a free pancake."

"If any anomaly's total score ranks in the top ten of the grade, they get to eat as many pancakes as they want for free. I'll cover it. It won't count toward the two-hundred-purchase limit."

Before Lu Wenwu could even finish his sentence, the otherwise deathly silent Class One exploded. More than forty anomalies let out a cacophony of wails and howls. After the dinner period, every anomaly in the school knew the charm of Brother Five's egg-stuffed pancakes. With thousands of anomalies in the school fighting for those mere one hundred spots, this was practically killing them! Now that Brother Five had spoken and they had a chance to get them for free, the anomalies in the class went wild.

This way, Lu Wenwu didn't need to threaten them with their lives; they would study until they dropped. Everyone started from the same point as academic failures, and everyone had a chance!

Amidst the howling, Fang Zi suddenly asked loudly, "Brother Five, if someone other than you gets first in the grade, or even first in the joint exam, is there a reward?"

Lu Wenwu waved his hand. "Whoever gets first in the grade gets to eat for free for a whole day! Whoever gets first in the joint exam, the whole class eats for free for three days! It's not that I'm stingy, it's just that I have to leave four days after the joint exam results come out, so there isn't enough time."

Once these words of encouragement were out, the eyes of all the anomalies turned red with excitement. If they couldn't win the reward themselves, they would at least help their classmates who had a shot! That was three days of unlimited eating for the whole class!

The entire class of anomalies, like a pack of starving wolves, ran back to their dorms while the other students looked on as if they were fools, vowing to pull an all-nighter to study!

"I wonder if this 'whole class eats for free' includes me?"

A voice full of charm echoed in Lu Wenwu's ear.