My profession is too unique.

Chapter 14 [Scholar] Takes Office! Blood-Activating Potion
Su Chen struck a peculiar pose in the room, studying according to the methods in the book.

Gradually, he felt his heart pounding faster and faster, and he could hear a sound like waves crashing in his ears.

Blood flow accelerated, body temperature rose, skin gradually turned reddish-brown, and large beads of sweat slid down the skin.

On his first run, Su Chen only lasted half an hour before feeling a burning pain in his throat. He had to guzzle water from the tap for more than three minutes before he felt any relief.

"call…"

He gasped for breath, feeling the changes in his body, and couldn't help but be secretly amazed, "The efficiency of this half hour of exercise is higher than my previous four or five hours..."

If this training method had existed earlier, we wouldn't have had to huff and puff for hours every day to reach our physical limits.

At the same time, a panel pops up.

[Stone Forging Method - Beginner Level: 1%]

[The scholar discovers new secret knowledge, experiences pleasure, and his lifespan is reduced by one year.]

Huh? Su Chen was slightly shaken. A year was directly reduced?
It seems like all the job requirements have been met.

Looking down, sure enough, two large, gleaming words appeared after "Scholar": "Taking Office".

Su Chen couldn't help but feel a bit of anticipation. He took a deep breath and decisively accepted the job.

In an instant, Su Chen's pupils contracted sharply, and his mental state became more active than ever before.

Fireworks seemed to explode deep in my mind, bringing back memories long forgotten and making my thinking seem more agile.

[The scholar has already taken up the post]

[Acquiring Professional Skills - The Scholar's Perspective]

[Scholar's Approach: Increases efficiency by 50% due to increased proficiency]

Su Chen's heart pounded, and he silently clenched his fists.

Good, very good. The scholar truly deserves the title.

He liked it because it directly increased the efficiency of proficiency accumulation.

Of course, this is only the ability shown on the panel. He can feel that his mental activity and observation skills have improved to varying degrees.

As his physical strength slowly recovered, he began mental training, and the results were remarkable. He felt that he could draw the candle flame much faster.

It wasn't until late at night, when I was completely exhausted, that I finally managed to stop, reluctant to do so.

[Candlelight Spirit Training Method - Mastery: 40%]

"It has indeed improved a lot. Normally, when I'm mentally exhausted from exercising, I can only improve by 5%-7% at most..." Su Chen thought to himself, and then drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, he was awakened by a constant knocking on the door. It seemed that the knocking would not stop unless he opened the door.

After hastily throwing on some clothes, Su Chen opened the door. Three people stood outside, all dressed in matching blue and white uniforms. The one in the lead was expressionless. "Southern Academy Inspection Department room check..."

"Room check?" Su Chen narrowed his eyes, one arm propped against the door frame. "I seem to remember that the school rules say that private dormitories are not subject to inspection?"

The other person's expression changed slightly, somewhat surprised. Before he could speak, someone next to him said, "Enough with the nonsense. It's a random inspection, and independent dormitories are included."

As he spoke, he tried to push Su Chen's arm away, but it felt as if his palm had hit an iron rod.

“You…” The other party’s expression changed slightly, and he silently exerted his strength, but Su Chen remained unmoved.

"Are you sure you want to get involved?" Su Chen asked pointedly.

The leader's cheeks twitched. He saw his companion's face turn bright red, and he was using both hands. But Su Chen remained calm, breathing evenly, and his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.

Isn't this guy a freshman?

My friend is almost a blacksmith; his strength is astonishing.

"Uh... I suddenly remembered, there seems to be such a rule. Sorry to bother you." He pulled his companion aside and forced a smile to explain.

"It's alright, just remember next time." Su Chen was very forgiving, watching the other person walk to the end of the corridor, then suddenly shouted, "Tell Zhou Zong not to play such childish tricks."

The three of them froze, and quickened their pace.

"It really is him..." Su Chen muttered to himself. There weren't many people with whom he had grudges or entanglements. Qi Chuan probably wouldn't use such low-level methods. Jiang He was still a partner.

After thinking it over, it seems that only Zhou Zong would use such methods within the academy.

"Tsk..." Su Chen turned and went back to his room, pulled the Shadow Cloak from the bed, put it on under his clothes, and followed the three downstairs at a distance. After many twists and turns in the academy, they arrived at a secluded grove of trees at the back.

From a distance, the three had already made contact with Zhou Zong, and it was unclear what they were exchanging. Zhou Zong was shouting loudly, seemingly very angry.

The three people opposite could only listen helplessly. After a long time, they hurriedly left, leaving Zhou Zong alone.

"...Amazing strength?" Zhou Zong murmured to himself. "Could it be that he has exceptional physical talent? No wonder Jiang He arranged for him to enter the academy; there's a secret behind this..."

His eyes gleamed with excitement. "But this is even better. If we subdue him, it will probably be..."

boom!
A sharp pain shot through the back of Zhou Zong's head. Before he could react, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground.

Su Chen withdrew his hand under his Shadow Cloak, making it inconspicuous in the shadows of the woods.

He glanced around and quickly ripped the guy's clothes off.

Killing him wouldn't be necessary, but attracting the city lord's attention would be troublesome; it would just be a lesson.

A short while later, a piercing scream rang out in the woods.

Su Chen had already returned to his dormitory, carrying two small red glass tubes filled with a viscous red liquid. He examined them closely, "This stuff...it looks like..."

This is something Zhou Zong always carries with him; this guy is clearly no ordinary person.

He pondered carefully, a sudden realization flashing in his eyes, "A blood-activating potion!"

He remembered seeing related information in the library when he was skimming through the material.

I had completely forgotten about it, but after becoming a [Scholar], my thinking and memory improved significantly, and that's when I remembered it.

"A Grade F potion that promotes physical recovery and enhances the efficiency of physical training..." Su Chen pondered, "Did Zhou Zong also choose a physical-based profession?"

"Good stuff..." Su Chen grinned and gulped it down in one go, then activated the Molten Stone Refining Technique.

Whether it was due to increased skill or the effects of the drug, he entered the state more quickly, with a thin straw in his mouth, inserted into the large bucket of water next to him.

The training efficiency has indeed improved a lot. Su Chen trained for a full twelve hours, until he was exhausted.

He drank both doses of blood-activating medicine, and even the remaining nutrient solution was almost used up.

With the loan finally paid off and the black countdown timer behind his job posting disappearing, Su Chen finally felt a sense of relief.

[Lux: 15%]

[Stone Forging Method - Beginner Level: 55%]

Su Chen could feel a significant increase in the strength within his body.

"The development efficiency is indeed incomparable..." Su Chen couldn't help but say. The training method and the combination of blood-activating medicine were nearly ten times faster than the previous arduous training.

"The importance of resources..." Su Chen sighed. He couldn't find anywhere to buy things like blood-activating potions, unlike Zhou Zong, who could carry two bottles with him at all times.

"I'm so envious..." Su Chen glanced at the nutrient solution. He had used up too much today and only had one tube left. He would have to buy more tomorrow.

……

"I didn't see anything... I just felt a sharp pain in my head, and then I knew nothing more..."

In the academic affairs office, Zhou Zong's face was ashen. He couldn't help but say, "Teacher... this isn't a prank, it's a robbery! Both of my blood-activating potions have been stolen!"

"I brought that to prepare for my job application!"

"Teacher!" Zhou Zong shouted angrily, "You must seek justice for me!"

"Do you have any suspicions about the target?" Several teachers in the academic affairs office looked at each other, knowing that Zhou Zong's father held a high position and they couldn't afford to be negligent.

But that grove of trees happens to be one of the few places in Nanfeng Academy that is not under surveillance.

“I…” Various figures flashed through Zhou Zong’s mind; there were quite a few suspects.

Zhou Zong said with near certainty, "Anyone who could knock me unconscious in one hit must be a professional. I suspect it's... Zhang Hengyu!"

"He must be afraid that I'll become a professional and take his spot!"

　Seeing many familiar IDs voting and commenting, I'm adding an extra chapter. Thank you all for your support!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)