Chapter 55: The One Who Tied the Bell Must Be the One to Untie It

In order not to let this senseless dispute escalate further.

Zhou Chu decided to step forward and resolve it.

As the saying goes, the one who tied the bell must be the one to untie it.

The situation before him indeed had everything to do with him.

Besides, isn't it a bit too early to talk about marriage now?

Zhou Chu was currently single-mindedly focused on his First Turn and exchanging experience; how could he waste time on this?

Zhou Chu took a deep breath, stepped forward, and said loudly, "City Lord Xing, Director Liu, Principal He, elders, please listen to me."

Only then did both sides gradually stop their arguing.

Xing Mochuan then nodded and said, "Fine, then let us all hear the opinion of the person involved."

Liu Lanzhi even walked a few steps up to Zhou Chu and whispered, "Little Zhou, we are almost family. You mustn't change your mind just because he is the City Lord. We cannot learn to be snobbish or curry favor with the powerful."

Zhou Chu smiled helplessly, cleared his throat, and continued, "Our Shenxia has clear standards for marriage: 22 years old for men, 20 years old for women."

"The key is that I haven't reached the legal marriage age yet; isn't it too early to talk about marriage now?"

"Furthermore, there are less than five days left until the College Entrance Exam, and as students, we should be wholeheartedly preparing for it."

"Not to mention the current crisis of the Calamity Invasion; this is the major event we should be focusing our energy on right now."

"We cannot let these trivial personal matters delay the important affairs of the nation."

"Don't you all agree that this is the right logic?"

Upon hearing this, Xing Mochuan couldn't help but pat his own head, then patted Zhou Chu's shoulder appreciatively and said with relief, "To have such awareness at such a young age, you are truly worthy of being the person I, Xing Mochuan, have taken a liking to."

"This makes us elders feel deeply ashamed. To actually argue back and forth like a bunch of children—how embarrassing!"

Having said that, Xing Mochuan's old face couldn't help but flush red, feeling as if he wanted to burrow into a crack in the ground.

He Laijin and Liu Lanzhi were also filled with shame at this moment, constantly reflecting in their hearts.

They were parents themselves; how could they still be so impulsive?

And not only did they fail to set an example for the younger generation, but they were instead lectured by a junior like Zhou Chu.

It was truly both shameful and embarrassing.

At this moment, they shared the exact same thought as Xing Mochuan: to quickly find a crack in the ground to hide in.

Seeing the argument quelled, Zhou Chu went straight to the point with Liu Lanzhi: "Auntie Liu, it seems the Climbing Tower Points activity cannot continue today. I would like to go perform my First Turn first, and exchange my points while I'm at it."

Hearing Zhou Chu say he wanted to perform his First Turn, Liu Lanzhi thought she had misheard and said with surprise, "Aren't you only level 6?"

However, Liu Lanzhi soon realized how terrifying the amount of Climbing Tower Points Zhou Chu currently possessed was.

Over 500,000 points—it was almost enough experience for a Second Transfer.

"However, I suggest you don't exchange all your points for experience. It would be best to exchange some for Skill Scrolls and skill proficiency potions; that way, you can lay a foundation for your future Second Transfer in advance."

Liu Lanzhi did not forget to give him some careful advice.

"I understand, Auntie Liu, thank you!"

After expressing his gratitude to Liu Lanzhi, Zhou Chu turned and left the Secret Realm Plaza under the gaze of the crowd, heading straight for the Soul Profession Office.

Zhou Chu arrived at the Soul Profession Office and headed straight for the job transfer area in the back hall.

"Hello, how can I help you?"

At the job transfer payment window, a young lady wearing the Soul Profession Office work uniform said to Zhou Chu with a pleasant smile.

"I want to perform my First Turn!"

"Alright, a First Turn costs 100,000; will that be cash or a QR code scan?"

Zhou Chu did not have enough cash on him, and the savings on his phone had all been spent earlier while grinding skill proficiency.

So, he took 6 Soul Fragments from his Life Soul Artifact and handed them in.

When the cashier saw the Soul Fragments, she couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, but she quickly returned to her service-style smile.

"Alright, please wait a moment!"

Compared to the cashier at the previous Training Center, this cashier seemed more knowledgeable and experienced.

Although Soul Fragments were not common currency, they were things even more precious than gold.

The only thing that surprised her was that it was her first time seeing someone use Soul Fragments to pay for a job transfer fee.

In the end, the 6 Soul Fragments successfully covered the job transfer fee, and he also received 8,000 in change on his phone.

"2nd Job Transfer Room." The cashier pointed the direction to Zhou Chu with a smile and said, "Go straight from here and then turn left, and you'll be there. There will be a guide inside to assist you with the job transfer process. I wish you a smooth job transfer."

Zhou Chu nodded, thanked her, and followed the instructions toward the 2nd Job Transfer Room.

The layout inside the job transfer room was quite simple.

In the center of the room stood a huge circular stone platform, and on the platform sat an oval-shaped Soul Stone used for job transfers.

Only, unlike the white binding Soul Stones, this job transfer Soul Stone was entirely black.

The staff member responsible for guiding the job transfer was a woman in her thirties.

Seeing Zhou Chu enter, she immediately walked up with a smile: "Hello, you're here for the First Turn, right? Please stand in front of the job transfer Soul Stone first and place one palm on it."

Zhou Chu walked up and placed his right hand on the job transfer Soul Stone.

Immediately after, the guide took a crystal out of her Spatial Storage Ring and placed it on the back of Zhou Chu's hand.

It turned out that the driving material used for the First Turn was actually a Soul Fragment.

The only prerequisite was that the guide needed to perform a specific Driving Spell.

The guide took out a stick the size of a baton, drove the Soul Power within her body, and pointed it at the Soul Fragment on the back of Zhou Chu's hand.

A beam of light shot onto the Soul Fragment.

Under the drive of the guide's Soul Power, the Soul Fragment turned into a ball of light and merged into Zhou Chu's palm.

At the same time, the Job Transfer Soul Stone below seemed to sense the energy within the Soul Fragment, and subsequently emitted a faint radiance.

"Next, please focus your mind and feel the changes in your Soul Power," the guide said immediately after.

Zhou Chu followed the method the guide had described, concentrating all his attention on feeling the Soul Power surging within his body.

He could clearly feel that his Soul Power at this moment seemed to be blocked by an invisible barrier.

At the same time, this barrier was being constantly struck by the Soul Power, becoming increasingly fragile.

But just then, the radiance on the Job Transfer Soul Stone grew more and more intense, even turning into a projector that cast an image onto the ceiling of the Soul Profession room.

The guide stared blankly at the image above, an expression of shock and fear involuntarily appearing on their face.

In that image, black clouds rolled and surged like a violent tide of demons, constantly shifting into the hideous forms of various Calamity monsters.

Some were shaped like giant skulls, with ghostly green flames burning in their eye sockets and gaping, blood-red maws, as if they were about to choose someone to devour.

Others were undead behemoths covered in sharp spikes, each twist of their bodies bringing forth a chilling whistling sound.

Still others were like humanoid ghosts, their bodies wreathed in wisps of black mist, their forms flickering and indistinct, exuding an eerie aura.

Zhou Chu was also startled by this sudden image; he shifted his gaze from his own palm to the terrifying scene on the ceiling, a strong sense of unease welling up in his heart.

"What... what the hell is going on?" he couldn't help but exclaim.