There were countless places selling food here.
Dry rations, smoked meat, coarse grain cakes, and drinking water—everything was available.
Some vendors also sold low-grade healing herbs, bandages, camping tents, soul beast-hunting ropes, trapping tools, and cheap basic soul tool components.
They specifically catered to those heading into the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt soul beasts.
Several old wooden boards stood in the open space nearby.
They were covered with handwritten notices seeking groups for soul beast hunting, slips asking for companions to enter Star Dou together, and occasionally forest warning notices issued by the Academic Affairs Office.
There were many people here, presumably all heading for the Star Dou Great Forest.
Quite a few mercenary squads and lone Spirit Masters were scattered around the edge of the open space.
They leaned against rocks to organize their packs, inspect their equipment, and wait to form teams before entering the forest.
During enrollment season, thousands of young examinees from the three great empires would crowd this place, lining up for the new student entrance tests until the entire main road was completely jammed.
But on ordinary days, most people passing through were academy students and Spirit Masters hunting soul beasts.
Xuan Zi and Yue Ling walked along the bluestone road.
This bluestone road ran straight southeast from the center of the city gates, all the way to the boundary marker at the northwestern outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. It was a route Shrek students had to take when hunting soul beasts.
A station had been set up along the road two or three li from the city gates.
Carriages could be rented there, luggage could be stored, and supplies could be replenished.
Most students rented carriages there to travel, conserving their Soul Power.
That was also where Xuan Zi