Chapter 179 - 168: Sights and Sounds of the Forest

Chapter 179: Chapter 168: Sights and Sounds of the Forest

’Asking this now... Are you trying to get me killed? Dude, are you just trying to mess with me?’

When Bao Yaoyao and the flat-chested loli had approached him, Li Heng already felt like he was in the middle of a Chaotic Scene. And now, he was being asked what kind of girl he liked.

If this wasn’t a setup, what was?

Then again, Li Heng thought both Bao Yaoyao and Bai Shasha were good girls. They were both beautiful, each with a great figure in her own way, and they had completely different personalities.

If he really had to choose between the two, Li Heng honestly couldn’t decide on the spot. In any case, both girls were great.

Besides, taking everything into account, Li Heng wasn’t thinking about finding a partner right now.

"As long as she’s a good person. But let’s drop it. How about we plan our next move?"

Hearing Li Heng’s "as long as she’s a good person," the two girls had mixed expressions, but they still picked up the roasted Soul Beast legs and began to take a few bites.

Jiang Hongtao also realized his question had been inappropriate. Taking the cue from Li Heng, he quickly changed the subject, and they began discussing their next steps while eating.

According to the map from Li Liang City, this forest stretched for about two hundred li. Four days should be enough time to explore it, even including time for rest and recovery.

It was unclear what the rest of the journey held, but if things went smoothly, two days should be more than enough time to cross it.

So the four of them discussed it and figured that a round trip would take about eight or nine days, which shouldn’t be a problem.

The school had given them fifteen days for the trip. After some discussion, none of the four believed this part of the journey would be completely uneventful.

But since they couldn’t guess what lay ahead, they all decided to take it one step at a time and focus on exploring for now.

Li Heng didn’t let the Ice Simurgh Bird out to run wild. He just fed it a little Soul Beast Meat before putting it away. After all, the soul qi points he was collecting weren’t that numerous to begin with, and he only received half from any kills the bird made.

Jiang Hongtao had previously gathered some information about Li Heng owning an Ice Simurgh Bird, but he had remained skeptical. For a Soul Warrior to possess a Tier Two High-Grade Soul Beast as a soul pet and still maintain such a low profile was, well, a little hard to believe.

But when the Ice Simurgh Bird actually appeared before his eyes, Jiang Hongtao was completely won over. While admiring Li Heng, he also became even more certain that this expedition would be a guaranteed success. His decision to tag along and ride Li Heng’s coattails couldn’t have been more brilliant!

After resting, the group of four extinguished the bonfire and continued their exploration of the forest. Whenever they encountered scattered Tier One or Tier Two Soul Beasts, they simply bulldozed their way through.

The other three noticed that Jiang Hongtao’s demeanor had changed completely after their break. He had been relatively "conservative" before, but now he was on the offensive, firing his arrows nonstop.

As for Jiang Hongtao, he had seen the light. With a powerhouse like Li Heng on the team, he figured they had nothing to worry about for at least two hundred li. It was time to go all out!

No one else on the team commented on it. After all, having a proactive teammate was a good thing.

And so, while the group of four advanced through the forest teeming with Tier One and Tier Two Soul Beasts as if it were a walk in the park, the other students trailing behind them were proceeding with extreme caution.

—

The other freshmen, who had been hunting ordinary Secret Realm Creatures in the thicket, eventually finished their exploration there and slowly made their way to the forest.

"This forest up ahead is huge. According to some of the upperclassmen, there are Tier Two Soul Beasts in here, so everyone needs to be careful."

"We need to come up with a team strategy. If we run into a Tier Two Soul Beast, our tactics and positioning will be crucial."

"We’re a bit short on offensive power, so let’s stick to fighting Tier One Soul Beasts. To be safe, we should avoid Tier Two Soul Beasts at all costs!"

...

When the freshmen reached the edge of the forest, they didn’t rush in. Instead, the teams first held "tactical discussions" to ensure they wouldn’t panic once inside and could maintain a steady pace.

After most of the freshmen had formulated what they felt were reasonably thorough plans, they slowly entered the forest.

Their four-person formations were tight and disciplined, balanced between offense and defense. Every student’s face was either grave with concentration or vigilant, a stark contrast to the carefree abandon with which they had hunted in the thicket.

The forest was vast. Although many of the freshmen entered together, they naturally spread out as they advanced. Some groups hadn’t gone far before they encountered Tier One Soul Beasts and were immediately thrown into combat.

However, for one group of freshmen who entered the forest, their expressions slowly shifted from initial solemn caution to confusion, then to shock, and finally, to questioning their very existence.

They had to cross three hundred li regardless, so there was no avoiding the forest. They had entered with the mindset of tempering themselves, ready for battle at a moment’s notice.

But ten minutes passed, then half an hour, and then an hour or two went by. Forget Tier One or Tier Two Soul Beasts, they hadn’t seen so much as a whisker from an ordinary Secret Realm Creature.

Not encountering any Soul Beasts was a good thing for their safety, of course, but to walk for so long without seeing any sign of life at all... that was just eerie.

It was after about two hours that this group of freshmen caught the scent of blood in the air. They were instantly on high alert, slowly advancing toward the source of the smell.

The freshmen, who had been fully armed and braced for a major battle, were instead met with a gruesome sight: the corpses of Soul Beasts, one after another, all missing limbs or even... certain key parts.

There were both Tier One and Tier Two beasts!

They even saw piles of mutilated Tier Two Soul Beast corpses.

At first, some worried that a Tier Three Soul Beast might have rampaged through the area, but that idea was quickly shot down by their teammates. After all, the corpses all showed clear signs of being carved up by sharp weapons.

Besides, it was unlikely that a Soul Beast would specifically target... a certain key part so ruthlessly. After careful observation and consideration, they came to a new guess: could it be that other students had come through here already? And that they were incredibly vicious.

After a bit more deliberation, the freshmen reached a conclusion.

The only ones with the speed and strength to kill even Tier Two Soul Beasts so decisively had to be Li Heng and his team, who were heading in the same direction and whom they’d encountered earlier.

"Li Heng’s group... are they really that incredible? From the looks of it, all these Tier Two Soul Beasts appeared at once—and were killed all at once!"

"It has to be! I heard Li Heng scored over 4,000 points and even has a Tier Two soul pet!"

"The freshman representative is as amazing as they say! But... if Li Heng and his team killed all the Soul Beasts, what’s left for us to hunt?!"

"Never mind that! What’s our plan now? Do we stick to the original route since it’s safer... or do we head somewhere else to find our own opportunities? And get some drops from Soul Beasts?"

...

Faced with this situation in the forest, this group of freshmen had to rethink their strategy. But more importantly, they now had a new impression of Li Heng: the freshman representative who was not only incredibly powerful, but also had some very... peculiar methods!