CH 82

Chapter 82: The Plan for Training

Of course, they naturally carried nutrition supplements with them, but occasionally they wanted to improve the taste, so they would go hunting and roast some prey to eat.

However, not everyone had the skill for it. Most people would end up burning the meat to a crisp, rendering it inedible. But the wild chicken was different. Its preparation method differed from roasting meat, but it was much simpler. Even a novice shouldn't make it inedible.

Moreover, the finished product was so fragrant and delicious that it became an essential skill for them when traveling.

Xiao Qingyang had saved their stomachs while they were away, and they were grateful!

Therefore, during the following month of training, almost every day, everyone had to eat a wild chicken, and each person had one.

Apart from completing missions and earning points by hunting mutant beasts, their primary activity was hunting and killing wild chickens. Eventually, the wild chickens would flee upon hearing the footsteps of humans, making it much more difficult for them to find them.

Of course, these are stories for later.

After eating their fill and resting enough, they continued on their journey to hunt the Flame Bird. They still needed four Flame Feathers to complete their mission, which meant they had to battle at least four Flame Birds.

However, with their previous experience in fighting the Flame Bird, their efficiency greatly improved when facing them again.

Before nightfall, they not only completed the task of acquiring the Flame Feathers but also captured many additional Flame Birds. Each of these would be calculated as two points. Besides, they also hunted many first-level mutant beasts and gained points from them.

Since they had already ventured into the interior of the forest to hunt Flame Birds, going back to camp by the river would only waste time. Moreover, the next day they had to find the gathering place of the Snowflake Rabbits, which was even farther from the river.

Therefore, in the end, they decided to spend the night in the forest. However, they had to remain highly vigilant throughout the night because the danger level was much higher compared to the riverside.

Even though they decided to stay in the forest for the night, they still tried to find a relatively large open space, making it easier to keep watch.

"Let's join the night watch team tonight," Xiao Qingyang suggested proactively. "You've all fought hard during the day, so rest more."

"Yeah, we're counting on you to continue fighting tomorrow, so you need to get enough rest. It won't do if you're not well-rested," Zheng Kainan added.

Although Gu Xiaotian didn't speak, he always followed Xiao Qingyang's lead.

Everyone agreed that Xiao Qingyang's suggestion made sense, and considering the unsafe environment they were in, having an extra person provided more security. So, no one objected.

"Let me arrange the night watch list later, and now let's discuss tomorrow's plan," Lin Weiran gathered everyone together and said.

"Tomorrow, we will definitely hunt Snowflake Rabbits. They are first-level mutant beasts. I suggest we hunt more of them to earn more points," Liu Jialiang proposed.

Shen Yu chimed in, "After completing the Snowflake Rabbit mission, we'll only have the Rhinoceros Horn mission left. Rhinoceros Beasts are third-level mutant beasts, and they are the most challenging for us. Whether we can complete that mission is still unknown, so we won't force it. It's best to go with the flow. If we happen to encounter them, we won't let the opportunity slip by. If not, it's just our luck. Apart from that, we have two ways to earn points: hunting mutant beasts and snatching points from others."

Shen Yu spoke at length, and no one interrupted him. After a brief pause, he continued, "Let's set aside snatching points for now and focus on hunting mutant beasts for points. One first-level mutant beast is worth one point, and one second-level mutant beast is worth two points. We won't consider third-level and higher beasts for now. Hunting one first-level mutant beast takes ten minutes, and hunting one second-level mutant beast takes half an hour. This means that within half an hour, we can hunt three first-level mutant beasts and earn three points, or we can hunt one second-level mutant beast and earn two points. From a points perspective, we should prioritize hunting first-level mutant beasts."

"I agree. Besides, it's easier to hunt first-level mutant beasts, so we should focus on that. Let's hunt more Snowflake Rabbits tomorrow," Gao Lingqi was the first to raise their hand in agreement.

Most people hadn't thought about the strategy for earning points in the future. They simply thought that once the mission was completed, they would hunt mutant beasts of whatever level they encountered. They hadn't consciously considered searching for the specific level of mutant beast they wanted to hunt.

After Shen Yu's reminder and analysis, everyone felt that hunting first-level mutant beasts was more cost-effective.

"Well, Shen Yu is right. However, this strategy only applies to the early stages of training. At this time, other teams are busy with their missions. When their missions are over, they will undoubtedly have the same idea as us. By then, the number of teams hunting first-level mutant beasts will increase, and we might have difficulty finding them," Lin Weiran added.

"In the later stages, hunting mutant beasts won't be our main focus anymore. By that time, every team will have accumulated a lot of points, and the training teams will become everyone's target," Shen Yu continued.

"It's quite thrilling to think about it. I can't wait to confront them," Xu Kaiyang rubbed his fists together, looking eager and ready to move.

"Chaotic battles are inevitable, so in the early stages, we must prepare as much as possible. This way, we won't be eliminated later due to a lack of supplies," Liu Jiaming expressed his opinion.

After a lengthy discussion, they had planned and strategized for the entire training period, making their daily activities and goals very clear.

After the discussion, everyone except those on night watch duty entered their tents to rest and sleep. They would switch with their teammates when it was their turn for night watch.

Xiao Qingyang didn't practice that night, which was rare for him. Once he entered a state of deep meditation, it was difficult to wake him up. In order to be able to keep watch on time, he decided to temporarily forgo his cultivation. Besides, he had already consumed most of the Strengthening Pills, and his physical strength had significantly increased.

Meanwhile, in a certain part of the forest, Xiao Qinglan was infuriated.

Before the training started, she had discussed with her mother how to deal with Xiao Qingyang. The conclusion they reached was to use this training opportunity to make him stay here forever, unable to interfere with their lives any longer.

So, when Xiao Qingyang's team landed, she took note of his landing location and planned to go there later to find him. She intended to make him disappear without a trace, taking advantage of the fact that there was always a certain number of casualties during the annual training. It would be a cheap way to get rid of him.

Furthermore, in the early stages of the training, everyone was more dispersed, making it easier to take action.

However, she waited and waited, but their team's name was not called by the instructor. As she saw the distance between her and Xiao Qingyang's landing spot growing farther, her temper became increasingly volatile, and she almost lost control.

Finally, just as Xiao Qinglan was on the verge of exploding, the instructor called their team's name. However, by that time, they were already far away from Xiao Qingyang's landing spot.

Upon landing, Xiao Qinglan hardly paid any attention to the missions. Her only task this time was to make Xiao Qingyang disappear permanently; otherwise, she would never be satisfied.

The people who teamed up with Xiao Qinglan were either not arranged by Qian Yuqi or were individuals who admired her.

Therefore, with just a few simple words, Xiao Qinglan incited the dissatisfaction of these admirers towards Xiao Qingyang. She threatened to teach him a lesson and vent her anger.

While maintaining her image as a goddess, Xiao Qinglan secretly delighted in the situation. Even if Xiao Qingyang came here, so what? She would make him realize that he couldn't just come anywhere he pleased. This place would be his eternal resting place!

Thus, Xiao Qinglan and her group began to move towards the location where Xiao Qingyang and his team were supposed to be.

However, they had already been walking for three full days, even receiving the tasks assigned by the school, yet they still hadn't caught sight of Xiao Qingyang's shadow.

" I don't think searching like this is the solution. The forest is so vast, who knows where they might be, and they're definitely moving every day. The chances of us finding them are very slim. Why don't we focus on completing our tasks first? Once we return to the school, I promise I'll help you give him a good lesson," said one of Xiao Qinglan's admirers cautiously.

For the past three days, they had been searching for Xiao Qingyang without doing anything else, not even completing their assigned tasks. If they continued like this, whether or not they found Xiao Qingyang, their progress would certainly be far behind, affecting their overall performance.

Every student who participated in the freshman training wanted to achieve good results. Even if they admired Xiao Qinglan, they didn't want to give up on a good performance.

Xiao Qinglan was already irritated. She wanted to get rid of Xiao Qingyang as soon as possible so she could feel at ease. But he seemed to have vanished into thin air, and her teammates were not helping the situation. It was infuriating.

If she didn't have to maintain her ladylike image, Xiao Qinglan might have burst into angry curses.

Another observant male student noticed Xiao Qinglan's distress and quickly tried to console her, saying, "Actually, doing our tasks and searching for Xiao Qingyang are not mutually exclusive. Our task objectives are in the same direction anyway. We can search for him while completing our tasks. Even if we can't find him now, as we approach the later stages and everyone is almost done with their tasks, we're bound to head towards the finish line. The chances of encountering Xiao Qingyang's team will be higher by then."