Rags to Riches: The Rise of a Dual-Talent Prodigy
Chapter 22, and money 7 is especially outrageous.

Chapter 22: Chapter 22, and money 7 is especially outrageous.

The principal exclaimed, "Qian Qi is a girl?"

"Isn’t she?" Su Ang said, somewhat surprised.

Principal: ...

He didn’t know either! He didn’t look at the student records back then, he just assumed Qian Qi was a boy when he first saw her?

"Why do you think she is a girl?" The principal asked curiously. Qian Qi’s aura didn’t resemble that of a girl at all, not to mention her shabby and worn-out attire.

Furthermore, which girl would fight every day, carrying a hoe around to chop at those aggressive Magic Plants?

"She doesn’t have an Adam’s apple," Su Ang stated plainly, "The protruding bone at her neck is a cricoid cartilage, not an Adam’s apple."

The principal couldn’t help but admire Su Ang’s observation skills, "That should be it then, I never expected the hedgehog-headed one from the Magic Plant Department to be a girl."

Hmm? Wait a minute?

The principal suspiciously glanced at Su Ang, "Why are you staring at people’s necks?"

Su Ang: ... "I saw it accidentally."

"Oh~" The principal believed Su Ang wasn’t some pervert, after all, if Su Ang was a pervert, then probably everyone in the world would be one too.

And Qian Qi was particularly perverted.

The principal glanced at the dried bloodstains on his arm and snorted.

After arriving at the principal’s office, the principal locked the door and led Su Ang into an internal meeting room.

Inside the meeting room, there was a table about three meters long in the center, with eight human figure projection devices neatly placed on it, and each position had a reserved chair.

The principal sat in the foremost chair, operated the projection device in front of him a few times, and simultaneously sent out seven video call invitations.

A few seconds later, the video calls were answered.

Three different human figures were simultaneously projected onto their respective chairs.

"Principal."

The first to speak with the principal was a silver-haired middle-aged man, dressed in a black commander’s uniform, who looked dignified and indifferent, his hawk-like eyes under his sword-like eyebrows exuding sharpness and killing intent, commanding authority without anger, clearly someone who had spent a lot of time on the battlefield.

He glanced at Su Ang standing behind the principal, nodded slightly as a greeting, and judging by their appearance and unique hair color, it was easy to guess their relationship.

"Su Ang, discuss the situation of this homecoming instance." Su Xingchen tapped the table, speaking rather coldly.

Su Ang displayed the data report from the new Light Brain on his wrist, enlarging it to show it more clearly while his cool and detached voice echoed through the meeting room:

"The monitored rift oscillations of the Longquan Mist instance have been stable; in the past three days there were no abnormal fluctuations, seven D-level Awakened Warriors have been sent into the instance, and it’s still unclear if the demons have any special reason for homecoming, we can only hypothesize it’s regular demon departure activity."

"Have there been any Awakeners entering Longquan Mist in the past three days?" Su Xingchen asked with a frown.

Su Ang paused, then shook his head, "No."

Su Xingchen said nothing, his eyes downcast as he seemed lost in thought. Meanwhile, the projected figure opposite him, a robust man wearing custom Defense Armor, couldn’t help but sneer, "A bunch of wimps, not daring to enter a D-level instance, yet they claim to be Awakeners?"

If they weren’t busy attacking advanced instances and dealing with A-level War Zone demons, it wouldn’t be these weaklings’s turn to tackle low-level instances.

"Enough, Gong Qiang, you don’t have to complain every time, aren’t you aware how difficult instances have become now?"

In another position, a woman in a red cheongsam, appearing quite charming, tapped her pipe with her finger and chuckled softly, "For so many years, many of the demons in E-level instances have grown into D-level, and D-level has grown into C-level, nobody knows how the D-level instances have evolved now." _{f(r)eew(e)bnovel.(c)o(m)}

Once the demons in the instances are killed, new same-level demons periodically refresh to replace the dead ones, including the demon boss in the instances.

But if left alone, the demons inside either proliferate into numerous species, or develop stronger demons through self-cultivation, causing Awakeners to be increasingly hesitant to challenge advanced instances over time.

"Time no longer permits us to hesitate." Su Xingchen interlaced his fingers together, a deep and chilling light flickering in his eyes, "Instances are becoming increasingly unstable, and the rifts are gradually expanding, soon, Central State will be completely overrun by demons pouring out."

By then, it will undoubtedly be a huge catastrophe for humanity.

"I still support Commander Su’s proposal to change the situation." The woman in Scarlet Cheongsam, Tang Yan, also dropped the smile from her face, "Principal, forcing Awakeners to raid new instances will only cause internal chaos; if Awakeners are stagnant, then new blood must be injected forcibly."

Like introducing a lively catfish into a lazy group of sardines, with passionate young students setting an example, Awakeners might be embarrassed to stand still.

"But..." The principal sighed, "They’re still kids."

"Almost twenty years old, and still kids?" Tang Yan scoffed, "I was already on the battlefield at sixteen without uttering a word of complaint."

"Exactly, what can they learn by hiding in school?" Gong Qiang emphatically agreed, "Young people should go out and experience, knowing what crisis is about to hit the world, and set an example for those old Awakeners, instead of constantly leeching from raided instances."

Killing the boss in an instance equates to clearing the instance, granting attribute bonuses of different strengths, and allowing the unstable instance to self-repair rifts, completely isolating demon departures.

But because the strength rewards only go to the person dealing the final blow to the boss, Awakeners enter the same instance daily, hoping to become the one to kill the boss and enhance their power.

Hence, Gong Qiang ridiculed their leeching behavior.

"I’ll consider this matter further." The principal didn’t immediately agree, as the principal, he ought to prioritize student safety, at least...

During school years, he didn’t want his students to face public opinion.

After all, the Awakeners are lively examples, for instance, people’s complaints and grievances toward Awakeners’ inaction have long borne.

After the meeting, as the principal was about to end the call, Su Ang suddenly spoke, "Father..."

Seeming to know what Su Ang wanted to say, the principal suddenly touched Su Ang.

Su Ang paused.

"What’s up?" Su Xingchen was about to turn off the Light Brain but halted his action upon hearing Su Ang’s voice.

"Nothing." Su Ang’s expression remained unchanged, "Take care."

Su Xingchen nodded and ended the call. Once the meeting room was silent again, the principal spoke, "Were you about to mention Blood Stopping Magic Potion?"

Su Ang silently nodded.

"Keep it under wraps." The principal said flatly, his eyes flickering fiercely, "The bearer of a treasure attracts envy; confronting big figures too early would expose her to danger prematurely."

Su Ang contemplated for a while, finally saying, "Alright."

"Of course," the principal chuckled again, "Mainly, I don’t believe that brat, cough, I don’t trust that lass to make Blood Stopping Magic Potion from Magic Plants!"

He opened the door and left, "Let’s drag this out while I investigate in secret; if she wins big credit, who knows how brazen she’ll become in the Magic Plant Department!"

Once they left, the meeting room lapsed into a long silence, nobody knew the talks among the higher-ups that had just occurred, nor realized how many dangerous whirlpools lurked within that calm and leisurely conversation.

Meanwhile, Qian Qi, who was about to be swept into the whirlpool, was carefully preparing her honey pot-like retirement.