The day of the outdoor practical class finally arrived. The lower-year students gathered at the school gate, led by several teachers as they marched in a grand procession toward the Spirit Hunting Forest.
The atmosphere was both lively and tense. Most of the students were brimming with excitement, eager to get started and make a big showing.
Tang San's team was naturally the center of attention. Tang San was steady, Xiao Wu lively, and Ning Rongrong elegant; the three of them were especially eye-catching together. The other teams had their own distinct traits as well. Some consisted entirely of Assault System Spirit Masters and looked imposing, while others were more balanced and seemed thoroughly prepared.
Lin Kun remained a lone wolf. He declined every invitation to form a temporary team—mainly because he was afraid of holding others back, and equally afraid of being held back himself—and planned to act alone. With the Book Spirit's perception and Mental Thread, as long as he did not venture too deep, keeping himself safe and completing the mission should not be a problem. Besides, when he had sold information yesterday, he had quietly noted down the best collection spots and precautions for all the mission items, practically giving himself a mini-map.
After the teachers reiterated the safety rules and assembly time, the teams dispersed into the forest's outskirts according to the areas assigned by drawing lots.
Lin Kun chose a relatively secluded direction. As soon as he entered the forest, he focused his mind and activated Insight Skill. The Book Spirit trembled faintly within his sea of consciousness, sensing the surrounding environment.
"Fifty meters to the front left, a cluster of Glow Grass, old enough." "A crack in the rock wall to the right, there's a Sunstone Ore reaction. Not much of it." "Hm? There's a rare Dew-Condensing Flower under that tree. It isn't a mission item, but it calms the mind and is worth some money. I'll take it."
Like an experienced herbalist, he located one target after another with remarkable precision and efficiency. Mental Thread proved even more useful, easily reaching into rock crevices and deep grass to check the condition of items and whether there was any danger.
In less than half a day, he had already completed most of his task list, and his backpack held several additional herbs.
"Looks like acting alone isn't bad either. Quiet and efficient." In high spirits, Lin Kun found a clean rock to sit on and took a sip of water.
However, he had clearly celebrated too soon.
Perhaps his solitary presence was not very noticeable, or perhaps his luck was simply "too good." He had barely rested for a moment when Insight Skill sent out an urgent warning!
Warning! One hundred meters ahead, a century-old spirit beast detected: Lightning Badger! Status: Hungry! Irritable! Approaching at high speed! Extremely fast! Sharp claws and fangs! Trait: Holds grudges! Difficult to deal with!
"A century-old spirit beast?!" Lin Kun jumped in fright and sprang to his feet. A century-old spirit beast was nothing like a ten-year spirit beast, especially one known for its speed. He absolutely could not handle it!
Without hesitation, he turned and sprinted in the other direction, pushing Basic Movement Technique to its limit!
But the Lightning Badger was far too fast! A tawny shadow flashed through the trees like lightning, closing the distance in just a few leaps. Its tiny eyes gleamed with vicious light as it let out a piercing shriek!
"Damn it! Why did I run into something like this?!" Lin Kun groaned miserably. He tried using Mental Thread to interfere with it, but it was moving too fast for him to lock onto accurately!
Just as he was about to be caught, Lin Kun gritted his teeth, pulled out the low-grade Spirit Beast Core from the system space—a ten-year one—and hurled it forcefully to the side!
The core struck a tree, releasing a faint pulse of energy.
The Lightning Badger's attention was indeed drawn away for a moment, and its speed faltered slightly.
Seizing the opportunity, Lin Kun ran forward with all his might. When he spotted a narrow rock crevice, he dived inside without hesitation!
The crevice was narrow, just wide enough for him to squeeze through sideways. But the Lightning Badger was larger and got stuck outside, able only to furiously claw at the rocks and make an ear-piercing racket.
"Phew... I'm safe for now." Still shaken, Lin Kun panted heavily. This was truly a disaster out of nowhere!
He had just breathed a sigh of relief when he suddenly felt something hard beneath his foot. Looking down, he saw, by the light filtering through the crevice, several ores scattered across the ground, each glittering with faint starlight!
Star Pattern Iron! And high-quality Star Pattern Iron at that! There was enough to complete the mission with plenty left over!
"This..." Lin Kun froze. He had been chased around in panic by a century-old spirit beast, only to stumble into a rich Star Pattern Iron deposit by accident? What was this? Surviving a great disaster only to receive a blessing afterward?
Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, he kept watch on the Lightning Badger still clawing at the rocks outside while hurriedly bending down to gather the ore.
"Am I blessed with a European Emperor constitution or cursed with an unlucky one? Call me unlucky, and I got chased by a century-old spirit beast. Call me lucky, and I directly found a rich deposit of a mission target..." Lin Kun complained as he collected the ore.
After he had gathered enough, the Lightning Badger outside was still tirelessly clawing at the rocks, as if it had stubbornly fixated on him.
"I need to find a way to slip away..." Lin Kun examined the other end of the crevice, which seemed to lead in another direction. He cautiously edged farther inside.
After moving about a dozen meters, the crevice widened. The exit was concealed by dense vines. He pushed them aside and found what appeared to be a small valley outside.
However, the instant he poked his head out, both Insight Skill and the Book Spirit sent out an unprecedentedly violent warning at the same time!!
Warning! Warning! Extremely high energy reaction detected! Extreme danger! Unknown spirit beast! Age: Far beyond a hundred years! Level: Unable to assess! Status: Sleeping (about to awaken)! Attribute: ??? Trait: ???
Lin Kun's scalp went numb in an instant, and every hair on his body stood on end!
He froze in place, not daring to move or even breathe. Through the gaps in the vines, he vaguely saw a massive, indistinct figure lying deep within the valley, radiating a terrifying aura!
That was definitely not a century-old spirit beast! A thousand years? Perhaps even higher?
Had he accidentally wandered into some big shot's lair?!
He was finished! He had just escaped the badger's jaws, only to walk into a tiger's den!
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