Chapter 173 - 163: Spring Outing

Chapter 173: Chapter 163: Spring Outing

"Wait! Teacher! I’m sorry, can I interrupt? I remember during orientation, a teacher told us... two hundred li out, there are Tier Three Soul Beasts! Right now, we’re... at most Soul Apprentices! A three-hundred-li round trip..."

One of the more impatient freshmen couldn’t hold back and blurted out the question.

After hearing the question, a soft chuckle came from above, followed by a calm male voice. "Otherwise, why would we give you students fifteen days? It’s only a six-hundred-li round trip. A week is normally plenty of time—even an ordinary person in decent shape could manage it!"

...

Silence.

After the two teachers above gave their answer, the freshmen fell into a stunned silence. For a moment, every one of them wore a complicated expression, their thoughts a tangled mess.

Bao Yaoyao, who had been stealing glances at Li Heng, froze when she heard this. Suddenly, she began to understand.

She understood why her father had so vehemently opposed her attending this university.

’A round-trip journey on a path where I might run into a Tier Three Soul Beast... and I have to carry my own food and water?’ Just the thought of it made her feel like she couldn’t possibly handle it.

’Besides, the food at Meteor University... is so expensive, and more importantly, I don’t have many credits right now!’

As Bao Yaoyao’s thoughts ran in circles, her mind a complete blank, her gaze unconsciously drifted back to Li Heng. She wanted to see how this big shot was handling the news.

Bao Yaoyao saw that Li Heng’s expression was completely indifferent, as if nothing in the world could faze him. She thought to herself, ’Of course! Is any situation ever a real challenge for you?’

Bai Shasha felt the same way as Bao Yaoyao. When she’d first heard they had to travel two hundred li away from Meteor University, her heart had been in turmoil as well.

But then she glanced at the perfectly calm Li Heng, and her hand instinctively went to the Wolf Claw Curved Saber at her waist. The flat-chested loli’s heart suddenly quieted.

She simply stared at Li Heng, not saying another word.

’You’ve got to be kidding me! I should’ve brought more throwing knives!’

Li Heng, at this moment, had no idea two girls were focused on him. He was too busy feeling his scalp tingle at the thought of having to travel three hundred li from Meteor University.

It suddenly occurred to him that he hadn’t brought enough throwing knives. In a critical moment, he wouldn’t have time to retrieve them, meaning every single one he threw would be gone for good!

’Just like that student said, there are Tier Three Soul Beasts two hundred li out!’

Li Heng wasn’t afraid of Tier Two Soul Beasts, which meant the first two hundred li would be like a walk in the park for him. But the next hundred li on the way there, plus the hundred li on the way back—a total of two hundred li—was the "danger zone"!

Even though he might only *possibly* encounter a Tier Three Soul Beast, he didn’t have a Teleportation Talisman, and they were currently in a secret realm!

Li Heng clearly remembered his first time in the Wild Wolf Valley secret realm. He had stubbornly charged in to fight the heavily wounded Blood Wolf King, and ended up with a fractured bone. There was no reset button; the pain had been very real, and it took him days to recover!

And to top it off, he had no Teleportation Talisman!

Li Heng didn’t want to gamble on that possibility. What if his luck was just that bad and he actually ran into a Tier Three Soul Beast? What then?

’Charge in and fight to the death?’

’Not worth it!’

He had his Dungeons; killing a Tier Three Soul Beast was just a matter of time. He just needed to grind and level up slowly.

But if he ran into one now, even if he could fight it, he might get injured. It was too risky!

Having reached this conclusion, Li Heng began to recall the map he had obtained of the area around Li Liang City. It covered a radius of two thousand li!

Yesterday, he had specifically memorized the details within a five-hundred-li radius in preparation. Now, his mind raced, picturing the maps for the areas outside the three city gates.

Since Meteor University was situated near the West City Gate, Li Heng temporarily set aside his memories of the five-hundred-li area outside it.

Li Liang City’s South City Gate: A forest between one hundred and two hundred li out, inhabited by Tier Two Soul Beasts. Beyond two hundred li, there was a village called Xiaoshi Village.

Li Liang City’s East City Gate: A small road crossed a plain of farmland for the first hundred li. After that was the continuous Qinghe Mountain Range, which extended beyond five hundred li.

Li Liang City’s North City Gate: Four hundred li of forest, with a town somewhere beyond that.

After reviewing the map information from yesterday in his mind, Li Heng decided on the South City Gate.

After all, the first two hundred li were safe, with only Tier Two Soul Beasts at most, but things became uncertain beyond that point.

So, compared to the East City Gate’s Qinghe Mountain Range and the North City Gate’s vast forest, Li Heng figured the South City Gate route was the safest bet.

Li Heng reasoned that the Li Liang City map showed a village about three hundred li outside the South City Gate. As outrageous as this assignment was, it couldn’t be *that* bad. Maybe Meteor University had even set up an activity point there or something!

With his train of thought concluded, Li Heng had a plan. He would leave through the South City Gate soon and deal with whatever came his way.

"Fifteen days! Even though we’re calling it a ’spring outing,’ I expect all of you to take this seriously and familiarize yourselves with the world outside the university. There will be absolutely no slacking off."

The voice from above continued its instructions, but the words were hard for the freshmen to swallow.

’What the hell kind of "spring outing" is this?’

’Do you go risk your life on your family outings?’

’And they’re worried about us slacking off!’

But the freshmen only complained silently in their hearts. After what happened earlier, none of them dared to voice their true thoughts.

"Also, there will be teachers on patrol. If any of you turn back before reaching three hundred li, there’s no real punishment. You’ll just have to rest for a month and then go on another ’outing.’ Or you can wait until next year and do it with the incoming class! We... rather hope to see our students making lots of new friends during their time here."

As the voice droned on, the students below lost the will to even complain internally. Those who had been entertaining thoughts of finding a loophole now put them aside and began to seriously consider their "outing strategy."

"You have half an hour to prepare! After that, the outing officially begins. Anyone who isn’t ready, we’ll personally escort out of a city gate—via a random route."

"Oh, and one more thing. For all you second and third years here to watch the show—wouldn’t it be more exciting to participate? If you’re not gone in one minute, you can join them for a four-hundred-li round-trip ’out...’"

After announcing the time limit, the two figures above seemed to notice something, turning their attention to the upperclassmen who were watching from the sidelines.

But before the teacher could even finish the threat, the upperclassmen who had been enjoying the show all vanished.

They disappeared in a flash, without a moment’s hesitation.

The scene left the freshmen with a mix of feelings. But after that brief moment of reflection, the open space erupted with a cacophony of voices.

Most of them were invitations to team up, along with shouts of self-promotion from people looking for partners.

"Li Heng, can I team up with you?" came a chorus of voices.

The moment the discussions began, Li Heng was instantly flooded with invitations to team up from the students around him.

There were boys and girls alike—at least twenty people by his estimation!

"Thanks for the invitations, everyone! But I’m very sorry, I already have a team. We formed it earlier! More importantly, you should all hurry, we only have half an hour. I wish you all the best of luck!"

Faced with so many invitations, Li Heng naturally refused them all. Even though there were one or two pretty girls in the crowd, he didn’t give it a second thought and turned them down.

After hearing that Li Heng already had a team, most people gave up and went to find other partners. One or two persistent students tried to pitch themselves again, but Li Heng politely declined them as well.

The crowd around Li Heng thinned out, until finally, of the twenty-odd people who had gathered, only two remained.

Just like on their very first day here, the gazes of the three of them met once again.