Donning their electronic wristbands, Zheng Dong and the others disembarked from the bus, arriving at the Lingfeng Valley wilderness training base.
Within the base stood a white, circular building resembling a giant donut. This was the administrative office for the training base, known as the Lingfeng Valley Training Center.
Directly in front of the Training Center lay a long, narrow canyon that stretched as far as the eye could see. Towering mountains formed a continuous range around the canyon, and the peculiar calls of various creatures could be heard intermittently from the surroundings.
This was the place where Zheng Dong and the others would undergo their training.
"Holy cow, we're finally here!" Ning Wei exclaimed excitedly.
Beside him, Bei Wen and Yu Qian also raised their heads, surveying the environment.
"Quiet down, everyone. First, open your electronic maps, locate your current positions, and then find your respective starting points. In about fifteen minutes, the wilderness survival training will commence!" Teacher Wang Guixiang instructed.
Zheng Dong opened his electronic map via his wristband.
A red arrow on the map indicated his current location, while his starting point was marked by a red five-pointed star.
After bidding farewell to Ning Wei and the others, Zheng Dong headed towards his starting point.
Bushes and weeds covered the surroundings, with no discernible path. A light rain had begun to fall, making the ground damp and difficult to traverse; a single misstep could lead to a fall.
After taking a few steps, Zheng Dong attempted to use his Earth Evasion skill to speed up his journey.
The effect was quite good. His body merged with the earth, preventing his clothes from getting dirty and allowing him to bypass the bushes and weeds, reaching his starting point directly.
Each use of his Earth Evasion skill consumed some stamina.
However, overall, it was much more convenient than walking directly.
Of course, in addition to stamina, it also consumed corresponding Earth elemental natural energy.
This required the assistance of the skill imprints within his Beast Taming Space.
The skill imprint symbolizing Earth Evasion would store Earth elemental natural energy into the Beast Taming Space when Zheng Dong meditated.
This made the skill imprint appear more like a real star within the Beast Taming Space.
The stored Earth elemental natural energy was enough for Zheng Dong to use Earth Evasion dozens of times consecutively. If it were depleted, Zheng Dong would be unable to use Earth Evasion again and would need to meditate.
Following this, Zheng Dong summoned his Treasure Hunting Rat, Xiao Zi.
Xiao Zi seemed quite accustomed to the environment, squeaking excitedly.
"Treasure, treasure, treasure... Master, I sense many special metals near the river in the canyon ahead are beckoning me!"
Xiao Zi tilted its head back, sniffing vigorously.
Zheng Dong's eyes lit up. Finding resources for Xiao Zi's evolution was also one of his goals. Even if Xiao Zi couldn't use them, they could be sold for money.
"We'll head there shortly!"
Not long after, the training officially began, and Zheng Dong and Xiao Zi made their way towards the river in the canyon.
The river flowed from west to east, out of the canyon. The water was somewhat rapid, making crossing it a bit difficult. The river was currently four to five meters wide, and with the rain, the water level was gradually rising, reaching a depth of over three meters at its deepest point.
Zheng Dong used his Earth Evasion skill throughout the journey, avoiding difficult sections and reaching the riverbank.
Xiao Zi immediately perked up, sniffing around for resources.
Before long, Xiao Zi dug through the sand on the ground and found a black stone, which it brought to Zheng Dong.
This was Black Zinc Stone, a Tier 1 resource. Although only the size of a thumb, it was worth several thousand yuan.
It could also be used for Xiao Zi's daily cultivation.
"Heh heh, not bad!" Zheng Dong praised.
Xiao Zi was also pleased and turned to search again.
Soon, it returned with another Black Zinc Stone, this one the size of a fist, worth tens of thousands.
Then, Xiao Zi continued its search.
Zheng Dong felt that Xiao Zi was even more sensitive than a metal detector, finding targets with perfect accuracy. It dug numerous pits along the riverbank, discovering four or five types of special metals, with a total value reaching a million yuan.
At this point, Zheng Dong's mission also appeared on his electronic wristband.
Zheng Dong checked the mission details. It required him to capture a juvenile Flame Porcupine and hunt three Purple Cloud Sparrows that had awakened to Level 10.
The Flame Porcupine was a High-Tier Extraordinary creature, possessing both Gold and Fire attributes. It had a volatile temper and was highly aggressive, attacking anything that ventured too close to its territory, let alone attempting to capture its young.
Furthermore, Flame Porcupines were pack creatures, and one could easily be surrounded and attacked, making them quite dangerous.
However, the mission itself did not require Zheng Dong to confront the Flame Porcupines directly.
He could also stealthily approach the Flame Porcupine pack and look for opportunities when a juvenile was separated from the group.
As for the Purple Cloud Sparrows, they were Mid-Tier Extraordinary creatures with Wind attributes and timid natures. They possessed high flight speed, and the mission primarily tested Zheng Dong's ability to guide a non-flying Treasure Hunting Rat to attack flying Purple Cloud Sparrows.
This mission would have been quite challenging before Xiao Zi's breakthrough.
But now, it was merely a matter of course.
Zheng Dong decided to head directly towards the Flame Porcupine pack.
Opening his electronic map, he saw that several Flame Porcupine packs were located in yellow zones, some even in orange zones, all quite a distance from Zheng Dong.
The closest Flame Porcupine pack was in the dense jungle on the southern mountainside.
Zheng Dong prepared to take Xiao Zi there.
He and Xiao Zi each left a clone at their current location, continuing to search for and collect special metals.
This was a rare opportunity, and Zheng Dong didn't want to miss it.
Moreover, leaving a clone had little impact on their combat effectiveness.
It also helped to boost Xiao Zi's enthusiasm for treasure hunting.
Subsequently, Zheng Dong led Xiao Zi south. After more than an hour, they finally saw signs of the Flame Porcupine pack activity in the jungle.
They observed numerous footprints and droppings left by the Flame Porcupine pack on the ground.
Not far away, the calls of Flame Porcupines could be heard intermittently.
Zheng Dong and Xiao Zi quietly followed.
At the same time, Teacher Wang Guixiang and others at the Training Center noticed this.
On the large screen in the Training Center, the locations of each student were displayed densely.
As Zheng Dong entered the yellow zone, the territory of the Flame Porcupine pack, he was immediately identified, and the screen then focused solely on Zheng Dong's location.
The camera zoomed in, showing Zheng Dong and Xiao Zi gradually approaching the Flame Porcupine pack.
Teacher Wang Guixiang frowned. She was well aware of Zheng Dong's mission objective.
She was concerned that Zheng Dong might rashly attempt to capture a juvenile Flame Porcupine.
This kid certainly didn't make things easy!
Teacher Wang Guixiang also became anxious.
Other teachers and the principal also noticed this scene.
"Which class is this? They're so bold!" asked a middle-aged man with black-rimmed glasses, nearly bald.
Teacher Wang Guixiang had no choice but to brace herself and reply, "Principal Liu, it's Zheng Dong from our class!"
"Oh, how's his talent?"
"His talent is excellent! He awakened the special talent of Skill Sharing, and in less than a month, he has already raised his pet, the Treasure Hunting Rat, to Awakening Level 10!"
Teacher Wang Guixiang was not yet aware that Xiao Zi had already reached the Extraordinary level, but this was enough to pique Principal Liu's interest.
Principal Liu immediately became energetic.
This was a promising young talent!
Perhaps he could achieve good results in the Rongcheng Newcomer King Competition.
Principal Liu stared at the large screen.
Zheng Dong and Xiao Zi had already found the Flame Porcupine pack.
Within this pack, there were five Flame Porcupines exceeding three meters in size, all at the Extraordinary level. The remaining seven or eight Flame Porcupines, slightly smaller, were all at the Awakening level. In addition to these, there were about ten young Flame Porcupines.
With such a lineup, in the eyes of Principal Liu and the others, Zheng Dong stood no chance.
It wasn't just Zheng Dong; any other student would be in the same predicament.
In a head-on confrontation, their only option would be to flee.
However, Zheng Dong then proceeded to do something that stunned Principal Liu, Teacher Wang Guixiang, and the others.
Zheng Dong and Xiao Zi proactively launched an attack.
They first attempted to use the Booby Trap skill to test the effectiveness of the strange bombs.
The entire process was simple: anything their bodies touched – the ground, rock walls, and all non-living objects – could condense strange bombs within them.
They could also control the detonation of these strange bombs, making them impossible to guard against.
After quickly setting up the booby traps, Zheng Dong and Xiao Zi, together, used the Clay skill to transform the ground in front of them, where the strange bombs were hidden, into a patch of mud.
Finally, Zheng Dong picked up a stone and hurled it at one of the largest Flame Porcupines.
"Hey, Second Brother, dinner's ready!"
"Hmph hmph..."
The Flame Porcupine let out an angry roar. It led the Flame Porcupine pack, charging towards Zheng Dong and Xiao Zi.
Any obstacles in their path were knocked down and crushed.
They charged like speeding heavy-duty trucks.
This was the low-tier skill, Savage Charge.
The effect of multiple creatures using Savage Charge was not inferior to a high-tier skill.
Just as these Flame Porcupines were about to knock Zheng Dong and Xiao Zi to the ground and trample them into a pulp,
In the next second, several of the leading Flame Porcupines became stuck in the mud, unable to move. They collided with the Flame Porcupines following closely behind, who couldn't slow down in time, resulting in a pile-up and pained squeals.
But that wasn't the end.
Immediately after, nine strange bombs hidden beneath the ground detonated.
Boom...
The explosions tore the skin and flesh of the Flame Porcupines, leaving them bloody.
The Flame Porcupines below the Extraordinary level were all incapacitated.
Since Xiao Zi's Booby Trap skill was only at the beginner stage, the power of each strange bomb was not very significant, equivalent to a hand grenade.
Teacher Wang Guixiang and Principal Liu at the Training Center watched this scene in astonishment.
This... this... is this really a Treasure Hunting Rat? It feels fiercer than a Gold Devouring Rat after evolution!
"What skill is this?" Principal Liu asked.
The surrounding teachers could not identify it. Teacher Wang Guixiang remained silent for a moment before explaining,
"This should be a new skill awakened by Zheng Dong's Treasure Hunting Rat after reaching the Extraordinary level. Since it's a mutant Treasure Hunting Rat, it might have awakened a rather unique skill!"
"A very good skill. I think this Zheng Dong can rank in the top three in the entire school!" Principal Liu said with a smile.
At this moment, the five Extraordinary-level Flame Porcupines that had not lost their combat effectiveness used the high-tier skill, Lava Burst.
The ground suddenly cracked open, and streams of scorching lava erupted, covering and engulfing the mud.
The searing lava also surged towards Zheng Dong and Xiao Zi.
Following this, the five Extraordinary-level Flame Porcupines charged again, simultaneously using Flame Spikes. Sharp spikes, burning with intense flames, shot out from their bodies like a torrential rain towards Zheng Dong and Xiao Zi.
Instantly, Zheng Dong found himself in a very perilous situation.
Teacher Wang Guixiang and the others also became tense.
They wondered how Zheng Dong would respond.
Zheng Dong did not choose to retreat and flee.
Instead, he used his Earth Evasion skill, and together with Xiao Zi, they moved to the rear of the Flame Porcupine pack, causing the five Extraordinary-level Flame Porcupines to miss their target.
Subsequently, he and Xiao Zi each conjured numerous clones.
By the time the five Extraordinary-level Flame Porcupines turned around and charged again, the number of clones they had created had reached a total of thirty-six.
Following this, the numerous clones, without any fear, surrounded these Flame Porcupines.
But the enraged Flame Porcupines still charged recklessly, and once again used Lava Burst.
However, before the Lava Burst could fully erupt, the ground began to explode violently.
Boom boom boom...
In an instant, the five Extraordinary-level Flame Porcupines were engulfed in a sea of explosions, the sounds of detonation continuing one after another.
Each of Zheng Dong and Xiao Zi's clones had used the Booby Trap skill, condensing three to five strange bombs each.
The sheer number of strange bombs blasted a large pit where the Flame Porcupines were located, tearing and flinging the very earth.
Seeing the Flame Porcupines blown away, Zheng Dong became excited.
Indeed, explosions were the true art!
Xiao Zi also squeaked in response.
Its future as the King of Treasure Hunting would begin with releasing strange bombs.
At the Training Center, Teacher Wang Guixiang and the others were dumbfounded.
They stared blankly at the large screen.
This... this... how is this possible?
Is this still the weak Treasure Hunting Rat?
Principal Liu took a deep breath, pondered for a moment, and quickly analyzed the reason.
The Proficient-level Earth Evasion skill was the key that allowed Zheng Dong to evade the Flame Porcupines' charge.
Then, there was the Perfect-level Shadow Clone skill, which created a large number of clones, maximizing the explosive power of the Booby Trap skill.
In other words, skill proficiency was the key.
But how did Zheng Dong help the Treasure Hunting Rat rapidly improve its skill proficiency?
Principal Liu couldn't figure it out, nor could the other teachers.
Everyone tacitly looked towards Teacher Wang Guixiang.