Preparing for Practice Class and the Information Broker

The news of the outdoor practical training class was officially announced, and it indeed caused quite a stir among the lower-grade students. The mission was to cooperate in small groups within a designated area on the outskirts of the Spirit Hunting Forest to collect several specified herbs and minerals, and to record the types of Spirit Beasts encountered. This tested not only strength but also knowledge reserves and teamwork.

Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong indeed formed a team. Tang San was the strongest and most knowledgeable (personally taught by the Grandmaster); Xiao Wu had strong combat abilities and an instinctive sense for Spirit Beasts; although Ning Rongrong was currently an auxiliary, the amplification effects of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda were undeniable, and she also seemed to have some good equipment and supplies. This combination could be considered luxurious.

Other students also formed teams, with the vocational students mostly sticking together, but their strength was generally weaker.

Lin Kun's eyes lit up slightly as he looked at the images and descriptions of the herbs and minerals on the mission list. He had coincidentally read about this knowledge in detail within a pile of books at the library! Especially one mineral called "Star Pattern Iron," which looked ordinary and often grew alongside another useless mineral, "Limonite," making it difficult to distinguish. However, the Book Spirit clearly recorded the subtle differences between the two – Star Pattern Iron would have extremely fine star-like glints at specific angles.

"This is an opportunity!" Lin Kun had a flash of inspiration. Teamwork had risks, but he could think of it from a different angle!

The day before the practical training class, Lin Kun took advantage of his lunch break to wander over to the academy's small market – a place where students often exchanged items or information. He found an inconspicuous corner, took out a few rough pieces of paper from his embrace (actually from his system space), which were written in neat handwriting:

[Essential for Outdoor Practical Training! Exclusive Accurate Intel!] — Dedicated by a Senior Theoretical Scholar (self-proclaimed)

1. [Glow Grass] Prefers shade, often grows in damp, shaded areas of ancient trees, its leaf veins emit a faint glow at night, easily confused with ordinary ferns. Includes precise identification sketches.

2. [Sunstone Ore] Mostly found in sun-facing cliff crevices, dark red to black in color, emits a slight echo when tapped, be careful to distinguish it from ordinary red sandstone areas.

3. [Star Pattern Iron] (Important!) Extremely similar to Limonite, identification secret: observe at a 45-degree angle under sunlight, and you can see extremely fine star-like reflections! Its location is most likely distributed in...

4. Habits and avoidance methods of common interfering Spirit Beasts (e.g., ten-year Nether Cat, Cave Spider)...

Then, he wrote a line of small text below: "Intel fee: 1 Silver Spirit Coin per item, 3 Silver Spirit Coins for the complete set, with a bonus hint about a hidden Spirit Beast sighting (limited to the first ten customers)."

He pressed the papers down with a stone, then squatted beside them, hiding his face with a thick book, pretending to read while secretly observing.

At first, no one paid attention. It wasn't until a team of vocational students was discussing the mission difficulties with worried faces, complaining about how hard Star Pattern Iron was to find, that they inadvertently glanced at Lin Kun's "advertisement."

"Star Pattern Iron identification secret? Is it real?" A boy picked up a paper curiously. "Glow Grass glows at night? I've never heard of that..." "Hey? These drawings are quite detailed!"

Soon, a few people gathered around Lin Kun's small stall. Some were skeptical, others were curious.

"Hey, Lin Kun, is this intel reliable? You didn't just make it up, did you?" a vocational student who knew him asked.

Lin Kun moved the book down, revealing his eyes, and said mysteriously, "Believe it, and it exists; disbelieve it, and it doesn't. One Silver Spirit Coin per piece of intel, you can't go wrong. If it's invalid, you can come back for a refund... of course, assuming you can come back."

His half-joking, half-serious attitude instead piqued some people's interest. One Silver Spirit Coin was not a small amount for vocational students, but it wasn't unaffordable. Compared to the penalties for mission failure or wasting time in the mountains, this small investment seemed worthwhile.

Soon, the first person to take the plunge appeared, buying the entire set of intel. With a leader, more people followed suit, mostly vocational student teams, but also a few curious regular students.

If you find this book good, remember to add it to your bookshelf to avoid losing it next time.

Lin Kun happily collected money and handed out the detailed intel he had copied, busy as could be. He was overjoyed in his heart: knowledge is power! Knowledge is money!

Just then, three figures walked over – Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong. They were clearly well-prepared and had come to casually look around.

"Huh? Lin Kun? What are you selling here?" Xiao Wu, with sharp eyes, squeezed her way in and picked up an advertisement, reading aloud, "Pfft—'Senior Theoretical Scholar'? You? Hahahaha!" She laughed without any pretense.

Tang San picked up a paper and looked at it, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. The information written on it, especially the identification method for Star Pattern Iron, was not even recorded in the Grandmaster's notes with such detail! How did he know this? Was it the ability of that Book Spirit?

Ning Rongrong also picked up a paper and examined it carefully, her beautiful eyes shining with novelty. Coming from the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, she had broad knowledge and immediately recognized that this intel was not fabricated but highly practical, with some details that even the sect's herb collectors might not know.

"Fellow student Lin Kun, is this intel... for sale?" Ning Rongrong asked with great interest, shaking her money pouch, which made a pleasant jingling sound.

Lin Kun looked at the little rich girl, then at Tang San, whose gaze was probing, and Xiao Wu, who was bent over with laughter. He braced himself and said, "Sell... of course, it's for sale. Clearly priced, no cheating."

Xiao Wu stopped laughing, put her hands on her hips, and said, "Hey, we're so familiar, and you still want money? Just give us one for free!" As she spoke, she reached out to take one.

Lin Kun instinctively pulled the intel back: "Sister Xiao Wu, even close brothers settle accounts clearly! This is intellectual property I worked hard to compile! One Silver Spirit Coin, thank you for your patronage!" He needed to save money to buy good things from the system store!

"Stingy!" Xiao Wu mumbled.

Tang San, however, stopped Xiao Wu and took out a Silver Spirit Coin from his embrace, handing it to Lin Kun: "Give me a full set." He wanted to see how detailed Lin Kun's intel actually was.

Ning Rongrong also smiled and paid to buy a set.

Lin Kun took the money, handed over the intel, and felt very pleased, earning two more Silver Spirit Coins from Tang San and Ning Rongrong.

Xiao Wu glared at Lin Kun, huffing, then her eyes suddenly rolled, and she leaned in with a grin, whispering, "Hey, Lin Kun, since we're so familiar, can you secretly tell me what that 'hidden Spirit Beast sighting hint' is? Is it a very powerful Spirit Beast?"

Lin Kun looked at her sly smile and sighed helplessly, lowering his voice as well: "The hint is... beware of dancing rabbits." He was purely teasing, hinting at Xiao Wu herself.

Xiao Wu was stunned at first, then realized, her cheeks flushing slightly. She punched Lin Kun: "You're the one who dances! Your whole family dances! If you don't tell me, fine!" With that, she grabbed Tang San and Ning Rongrong and left in a huff.

Tang San looked back at Lin Kun, his expression even more complex. This Lin Kun always seemed to get his hands on peculiar yet very useful things.

Lin Kun watched their retreating backs, chuckled, and continued his "intel merchant" business. In just one noon, he had earned over ten Silver Spirit Coins, equivalent to several months of his vocational student subsidy!

"Looks like this is also a path to riches in the future!" Lin Kun weighed his money pouch, in a great mood.