Chapter 38: The Nobel Prize Winner Is Me, Lu Li!

Chapter 38: The Nobel Prize Winner Is Me, Lu Li!

*Pen Spirit scratching its head.jpg*

Although Lu Li could not see the Pen Spirit, in his imagination, it was surely scratching its head right now.

With a snap of his fingers, Lu Li beckoned. "It seems the Pen Spirit can't answer for a while. Let’s not just sit around; let’s get the Dish Spirit, the Chopstick Spirit, and the rest of them involved, shall we?"

Although he said this to Pan Shuai, what about Xing Tian? He had only glanced at him briefly. Lu Li didn't want to kill Xing Tian; he actually needed his help. Lu Li felt that the talismans and weapons inside that ring were the most useful items, but he didn't know how to use the talismans, and he couldn't wield the weapons. He needed to find Xing Tian to help him solve these issues. After all, even these days, one expects decent after-sales service when buying things. Even if he hadn't actually paid for them.

Xing Tian’s face turned even paler. He knew in his heart that this hurdle was impossible to overcome. As expected, this monster, Lu Li, was coming for him. When Lu Li’s gaze flicked over him earlier, he had understood. It was Lu Li giving him an order: send his companions to play the game! He must have discovered the utility of the Jade Spirit Gold!

*It’s over!*

Xing Tian fell into a difficult dilemma. Should he defy Lu Li’s order, or sell out his teammates? It took less than a second for Xing Tian to make his choice. Sell out his teammates, decisively! Teammates could be replaced, but if he defied Lu Li... Xing Tian shivered. The image of his five companions who had died inexplicably flashed through his mind again.

So, he spoke in a heavy tone, "The three of you, go play too."

The other three teammates were stunned, but then they stepped up, feeling carefree. They understood their captain's intention. What could they say? As expected of an Xiantian-level powerhouse who had survived a "Triple-A" world! While they would only passively wait, the Xiantian expert would take the initiative! They felt that following Xing Tian was definitely the right choice! *Learned something new today—the key to conquering an instance world is to turn passivity into initiative!*

As long as they participated in the game, they could take the initiative regardless of whether Lu Li lived or died. If Lu Li lived, they could immediately forge a relationship with the important NPC, Pan Shuai. If Lu Li died, they would be uniquely important as the next targets of the urban legend! They might even gain some leverage within the Lu City branch of the Supernatural Bureau! This would be a massive help in clearing the instance. They sighed again: *Truly worthy of being an Xiantian powerhouse who returned alive from a Triple-A world!*

Unfortunately, they didn't see the look of sympathy on Xing Tian’s face after they sat down.

Lu Li smiled slightly, had Pan Shuai bring the prepared tools for the Dish Spirit and Chopstick Spirit games, and then they began. Truth be told, Lu Li felt that games like the Pen Spirit, Dish Spirit, and Chopstick Spirit were all much the same. The Pen Spirit was just holding a pen and waiting for your hand to shake. The Dish Spirit involved placing a sheet of paper with answers written on it underneath, having everyone press their fingers on an inverted dish, and waiting for the shaking to begin. As for the Chopstick Spirit, it involved a bowl of water, standing the chopsticks upright in it, and asking questions to make them point in different directions. Of course, plenty of answers were prepared around the bowl. Well, the difficulty here was mainly about getting the chopsticks to stand up and accounting for the wind.

And so, soon enough, the Dish Spirit and Chopstick Spirit were summoned as well. Although they couldn't be seen, everyone felt that familiar sense of oppression and coldness in their hearts. Clearly, they had arrived.

Lu Li lifted his chin, gestured to the paper filled with math and physics problems, and asked the same question: "Great spirits, can you solve all the problems on this paper?"

The coldness seemed to vanish. The atmosphere turned slightly stagnant. Ten minutes passed in silence. Apart from the intentionally stifled breathing of the group and the ticking of the clock on the wall, there was no sound at all.

Another five minutes passed. Under the horrified gazes of Pan Shuai and the others, Lu Li let go with both hands. Then, he scratched his itchy face. The Pen Spirit’s pen remained standing stiffly. The Chopstick Spirit and Dish Spirit also remained motionless.

Lu Li rested his chin on one hand and even yawned. "You’ve got to be kidding me! You claim to be this spirit and that spirit, yet you can't even answer a few math and physics problems? Seriously?"

Simple verbal abuse often brings the ultimate satisfaction. The Pen Spirit clearly couldn't hold back; it began to tremble violently. Just as Lu Li was relaxing on the surface but tensed up inside to prepare for a counterattack, it moved! The pen actually began to write formulas on the paper!

The Pan Shuai trio and the Xing Tian quintet, who had been guarding cautiously, were all stunned. *Huh? This Pen Spirit is actually answering?*

Lu Li’s eyes lit up, and he turned to the Dish Spirit and Chopstick Spirit to stir the pot. "It seems the Pen Spirit is the strongest after all. Are you two just knock-offs? No wonder your rituals and functions are so similar."

Then he realized with a sudden epiphany, "I get it. Because it’s an urban legend and you two are just ordinary spirits, your levels aren't even in the same dimension. Never mind, you can go back; it’s no shame not to be able to answer. Besides, the Pen Spirit is the most famous among you, so losing to it is nothing to be ashamed of."

The dish and the chopsticks standing in the water bowl began to tremble violently. The pen, on the other hand, began writing faster and faster. The group even felt a sense of pride coming from a single pen! Then, the Dish Spirit and Chopstick Spirit seemed to be provoked. The dish began to spin at high speed—it started drawing geometric shapes on the paper. The chopsticks flew out of the water bowl, writing formulas in a wild, cursive script on the paper, occasionally darting back into the bowl to dip in water.

Seeing this, the pen wrote its formulas even faster. Seeing it accelerate, the dish and chopsticks sped up as well. Then the pen accelerated again. Eventually, it even began to leave afterimages. Even experts like the Xiantian-level Xing Tian and supernaturals like Pan Shuai couldn't track the speed of those afterimages. If these three were to attack, none of them would be able to dodge. And yet, here they were, using that power to compete over who could calculate and prove things faster.

Lu Li couldn't help but sigh, "Even urban legends are caught in the rat race these days..."

The expressions of Pan Shuai, Xing Tian, and the rest had shifted from shock to numbness. *What the hell is this!* Despite the intensely terrifying moment, they only felt it was absurd and hilarious.

After about forty minutes, the pen, the dish, and the chopsticks collapsed on the coffee table as if exhausted, motionless. Then, three sheets of paper filled with various formulas and geometric diagrams drifted to Lu Li’s side.

Lu Li picked up the three sheets and looked at them. The more he read, the more joy appeared on his face, until he was beaming. "Great! The Nobel Prize in Physics and the Fields Medal next year are definitely mine, Lu Li!"

Pan Shuai was even more shocked than when he learned the spirits could solve unsolvable problems. "Old Lu! Can you actually understand that?"

"Not a word," Lu Li said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "As an undergraduate, I can't understand it at all. That just goes to show how profound these solutions are." He then looked at the three "great spirits" who were playing dead. "And I believe in them."

The three "great spirits" were too exhausted to move, but Lu Li didn't intend to let them off the hook.

"Now, for the second question." Lu Li smiled slightly, and the three "great spirits" gave a little shudder. "Between the three of you... who is stronger?"