Chapter 39: Plans

After breakfast, Jian Chen and Tie Ta, each holding their weapons, continued their journey. However, a small figure closely followed behind them—it was Liang Xiaole. She had her hands empty, and her beautiful eyes were filled with vigilance as she scanned the surroundings. Her weapon had been lost during her escape the previous day.

Tie Ta carried a large axe, and he had changed into a new outfit. It was a simple garment made from a blue wolf's hide, sewn together with grass roots. His original school uniform had been torn to shreds during the battle with the blue wolves the previous night.

In no time, another day had passed. Although Jian Chen and Tie Ta's harvest was not as impressive as the first day, it was still quite good. They had hunted a total of over seventy magical beasts, making Liang Xiaole envious.

During this day, Liang Xiaole underwent a significant change. After experiencing the blue wolf attack the previous night, she had become much stronger. At least, she no longer screamed in terror at the sight of magical beasts. As the beasts fell to Jian Chen and Tie Ta's hands, Liang Xiaole gradually developed a certain immunity to the bloody scenes, eventually adapting to them.

Moreover, over the course of the day, she had learned a lot about surviving in the forest and predicting danger from Jian Chen and Tie Ta. Her high talent and strong learning ability left Jian Chen in awe. He had already guessed that if Liang Xiaole continued to maintain this state, her future achievements would certainly not be low. Of course, the most important factor would still be her talent in cultivation, as in the Tianyuan Continent, where the strong ruled, one's own strength was the ultimate ruler.

Liang Xiaole was very smart. Although she did not contribute much during the day, she did not cause any trouble for Jian Chen and Tie Ta, nor did she become a burden to them as they had initially feared. Whenever Jian Chen and Tie Ta were fighting the magical beasts, she always stood far away, watching.

By the end of the day, both Jian Chen and Tie Ta had a new respect for Liang Xiaole, no longer looking down on her as they had before.

In the evening, the three of them sat by the fire, roasting a large piece of magical beast meat.

"Senior students, have you really not yet condensed a holy weapon to become a saint?" Liang Xiaole asked curiously, her bright eyes fixed on Jian Chen and Tie Ta. After a day of travel, her clothes were torn in several places, and her face was covered in dirt, making her look like a little flower cat. In this forest where there was no water source and they had to quench their thirst with the blood of magical beasts, Liang Xiaole had no way to clean her face.

"If we had a holy weapon, why would we still use this broken axe?" Tie Ta looked at the axe with a curled blade and numerous notches, complaining bitterly.

After continuous use of Tie Ta's abnormal strength, even this large axe was struggling to withstand the constant abuse. The blade was no longer as sharp as it once was, and even the rusty iron rod that Jian Chen used, which originally had a sharp tip, was almost worn down.

Liang Xiaole looked at Tie Ta and Jian Chen with admiration. "You guys are really amazing. You can kill first-stage magical beasts so easily without becoming saints. I think that once you become saints, you could probably take on second-stage magical beasts."

Jian Chen disagreed. "It's not that easy. These magical beasts are raised by the academy and are not very aggressive, so we can kill them easily. If we encounter more aggressive magical beasts, it will be very difficult for us to kill them."

Hearing this, Liang Xiaole nodded seriously. "That's true. My father once told me that some powerful first-stage magical beasts can already cast low-level magic, which is very destructive. Even ordinary saints are not their match."

Jian Chen looked at Tie Ta, who was staring at the dancing flames. "Tie Ta, the second area is no longer challenging for us. I want to go to the third area tomorrow. What do you think?"

Tie Ta thought for a moment. "You're right. I can easily handle the magical beasts in the second area, so it's not challenging for us. Okay, Changyang Xiangtian, I'll follow you into the third area to see how powerful the second-stage magical beasts are."

Hearing this, Liang Xiaole's face changed slightly. "Are you serious? You two haven't even reached the strength of a saint, and you want to go to the third area to hunt second-stage magical beasts? Although you are strong, second-stage magical beasts are much more powerful than first-stage ones. Without a holy weapon, you might not be able to handle them. The skin of second-stage magical beasts is much thicker, providing strong defense. With your broken axe and rusty iron rod, it will be very difficult to even injure them, let alone kill them. I've also heard that the environment in the third area is much harsher, with venomous insects and snakes, and even swamps. It's very dangerous, and I don't recommend you going there."

Tie Ta looked at his and Jian Chen's weapons, frowning. "You're right, Changyang Xiangtian. After these two days of fighting, my axe is no longer as sharp, and your weapon is also quite dull. It will be very difficult to kill second-stage magical beasts."

Jian Chen smiled. "Don't worry. I think there are still many students in the second area. We haven't met them because we've left them far behind. Tomorrow, we'll head back and trade the magic cores we have for better weapons. I'm sure they'll be happy to do so."

"Right, that's a good idea," Tie Ta agreed.

Jian Chen continued, "Liang Xiaole, we'll part ways tomorrow. Stay with the other students. You'll be safe for the last day. After all, those who can survive for two days here must have some real skills."

Liang Xiaole nodded, not saying anything. Her expression was a bit downcast. She knew the dangers of the third area, and it was uncertain whether Jian Chen and Tie Ta could handle the magical beasts. If she insisted on following them, it would only be a burden.

The night passed without incident. When the sky began to turn gray, Jian Chen and Tie Ta ended their night's training and started preparing breakfast.

After the three of them finished breakfast, the sun slowly rose from the horizon. Then, the three of them continued their journey, but this time they headed back.

After two days of fighting, their awareness of danger had increased, so their return speed was very fast.

Under a large tree, nine students, their clothes tattered, sat panting. They were a mix of commoner students and noble children. However, all nine were now in tattered clothes, with dried blood on them and injuries on their bodies. Not far from them lay the corpse of a magical beast.

"Everyone, hold on. This is the last day. After today, we can leave," a commoner student said, slightly out of breath.

"Unfortunately, we don't have enough magic cores. We need five more. It looks like we have to hunt five more magical beasts," a young man from a noble family said. Originally, these noble children were unwilling to stay with the commoner students, but after witnessing the ferocity of the magical beasts, they were all terrified. In this life-or-death situation, no one cared about their status. Preserving their lives was the top priority, so the noble children gradually joined the commoner students. Many understood that there was strength in numbers, and the commoner students, who had grown up in harsh environments, did not retreat in the face of the ferocious magical beasts. This made the noble children look at them with new respect, and they gradually became friends.

As they continued to fight the magical beasts, their cooperation became more and more proficient, and they eventually formed a strong bond.

At this moment, a rustling sound came from the nearby bushes.

"Everyone, be careful. A magical beast is attacking," a quick-witted student shouted. Immediately, the nine students stood up, their eyes alert, staring at the source of the sound.

As the rustling grew louder, a man in a beast skin outfit appeared, swinging a heavy axe to clear the way. Behind him, two more figures emerged, their clothes tattered but still wearing the uniform of the Kagas Academy.

Perhaps due to the long time spent in the forest, all three were covered in dirt, with broken grass on their heads, making it difficult to recognize their faces.

Seeing that it was people and not magical beasts, the nine students breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. At this moment, having more people join them would significantly boost their overall strength and make hunting magical beasts easier. They were not stupid and understood that anyone who could survive to the third day must be strong.

These three were Jian Chen, Tie Ta, and Liang Xiaole. After half a day of returning, they finally found a group of people.

Since it was the last day of the three-day period, there were not many people left in the forest. Most had already given up and left, so the number of students still in the forest was very small.

At this moment, when Liang Xiaole's gaze fell on a beautiful girl among the nine, her face lit up with surprise.

"Ah, Lisa!" Liang Xiaole's face was full of excitement. With a cry of surprise, she ran towards the beautiful girl.

Hearing the familiar voice, the girl blinked her bright eyes, looking at Liang Xiaole with confusion. Liang Xiaole's face was covered in dirt, making her look like a little flower cat. Even if the girl, known as Lisa, was very familiar with her, it was difficult to recognize Liang Xiaole by her appearance.

Liang Xiaole ran up to the girl, opened her arms, and hugged her tightly, her voice filled with joy. "Lisa, I didn't expect to see you here. I thought you had already left."

Hearing the familiar voice, the girl finally recognized Liang Xiaole, her eyes widening in surprise. "You... you're Xiaole."