“A real student, huh!”
Chen Shu shrugged, stating the obvious.
“Students are bringing these things?! Have I fallen behind?”
Xu Shan’s brows were almost twisted together, his mind utterly bewildered.
“Xu Shan, what’s wrong?”
A middle-aged man with a stern expression approached, taking Chen Shu in with a sweep of his gaze.
“Oh?”
Chen Shu raised an eyebrow slightly, instantly recognizing the man.
It was Wang Zhenlong, the commander of the Zhenling Legion at the【Living Wood Swamp】.
He was the one who had helped Fang Si and the others hold back the pursuing fierce beasts back then.
He had originally been the commander guarding the【Living Wood Swamp】,
but due to his two contracted spirits suffering severe injuries during the hunt for the Black Tree King,
his strength had halved, making him unable to continue guarding the【Living Wood Swamp】. He had to return to Blue Star to recuperate temporarily.
It just so happened that the Hua Xia University had military training going on, so he took on the role of chief instructor.
With a Gold-tier Beast Tamer in charge, there was no need to worry about casualties among the university’s prodigies.
“You know me?”
Wang Zhenlong raised an eyebrow. Chen Shu had been wearing a gas mask back then, and with Fang Si and the others absent, he naturally didn’t have a strong impression of him.
Chen Shu shook his head and denied, “No… I don’t know…”
“Why do I feel you look familiar?”
Wang Zhenlong’s brows furrowed slightly as he continued to scrutinize Chen Shu, having an uneasy feeling that he wasn't a good person.
“Commander Wang, this student’s belongings…”
As Xu Shan was about to hand the backpack to Wang Zhenlong, Wang Jue, who was on the bus, stepped down.
“Chen Shu, the instructor said not to bring it, why are you still carrying it?”
Wang Jue directly took the backpack and handed it to their homeroom teacher, Qiao Yue.
“Teacher Qiao, please keep this for Chen Shu for now!”
“No, wait…”
Before Chen Shu could even speak, Wang Jue had already dragged him onto the bus.
“Alright! We’re officially departing!”
Seeing this, Wang Zhenlong didn’t press further. It was just a backpack, after all.
The vehicles started, taking the freshmen to the【Barren Stone Forest】.
“Wang Jue, what I lost wasn’t a backpack, it was my life!”
Chen Shu slumped onto the rear seat, as if he had lost the meaning of life.
“Little Chen, Grandpa is here for you!”
A noisy voice sounded in his ear.
A small grey bird flew in from outside the car window; it was Wang Jue’s contracted spirit.
Wang Jue said, “It’s all in its belly!”
Chen Shu was slightly stunned, instantly recalling that Wang Jue’s contracted spirit was of the space element and could store things.
“Damn, I almost forgot you were a Beast Tamer!”
“…”
The【Barren Stone Forest】is located in Dayuan City, next to the capital. It appeared two hundred years ago.
The fierce beasts within are mainly of wood and earth attributes, posing little danger, making it suitable for the students’ military training.
“Old Wang, you really have no combat power?”
Chen Shu grabbed the spatial little bird and kept stroking its belly.
His eyes were filled with curiosity, unable to understand how such a small thing could store so much.
“Little Chen, please stop your humiliation, or the consequences will be severe!”
The grey bird looked unyielding, struggling back and forth.
Wang Jue said, “Not for now. Maybe when I reach Black Iron tier.”
“Then why did you want to duel me back then?”
Chen Shu found it hard to believe, as Wang Jue had wanted to compete with him to sign the contract.
“Uh… didn’t I have to put on a show…”
Wang Jue scratched his head and said, “If I brought up my identity as being from Hua Xia University, most students wouldn’t dare to fight me.”
“…”
In the afternoon, the group successfully arrived at Barren Stone Town in Dayuan City.
Although the town was not large, it appeared incredibly prosperous, with countless Beast Tamers heading out for adventures.
Dayuan City was a first-tier city in the country, and the dimensional rifts within the city were naturally crowded.
The vehicles stopped at the entrance of the town, and passersby immediately turned their heads to look.
Generally, it was sedans that arrived; those traveling by bus were considered special groups.
“Students, everyone disembark!”
Chief Instructor Wang Zhenlong arrived at the town entrance. The soldiers in front all saluted, their eyes filled with respect.
The twenty instructors also disembarked together, wearing Zhenling Legion uniforms, their expressions solemn.
Following them, five hundred freshmen arrived at the town entrance. Although their faces were young, their eyes were filled with powerful confidence.
Apart from a few individuals with distinctive auras, most of them could be considered exceptional talents!
“It’s the Zhenling Army!”
“Looks like students are here for military training? Could they be from a top university?”
“Are you blind? It’s people from Hua Xia University!”
Someone in the crowd was wearing the uniform of Hua Xia University, which stood out remarkably.
As the nation’s top institution, the design of its uniform was deeply ingrained in people’s minds.
“Damn, it really is people from Hua Xia University! I can’t believe they’re here to train in the【Barren Stone Forest】!”
“If my son could get into that university, our ancestors’ graves would be emitting green smoke!”
“Old Li, give it a rest. Your son’s total score on the last final exam was less than a hundred. To get into Hua Xia University, his ancestors’ graves would have to be on fire!”
Ignoring the discussions of the passersby, the instructors led the students directly into the depths of the town.
Along the way, pedestrians stopped to watch, filled with envy.
These young freshmen before them were the future prominent figures, their status far beyond what these ordinary people could compare to.
Within a quarter of an hour, everyone directly entered the town’s fog, with the spatial passage ahead.
“Everyone, collect your respective supplies!”
Hundreds of standard-issue backpacks were laid out on the ground in front, containing Zhenling Legion uniforms and various daily necessities.
The five hundred freshmen collected their backpacks and entered the spatial passage in order.
Chen Shu’s vision flickered, and a refreshing breeze swept over him, invigorating his spirit.
He opened his eyes and saw that everyone was on a mountaintop, with simple stone houses erected around them, and Zhenling Army soldiers patrolling constantly.
“Hmm? Is this the Barren Stone Forest?”
Chen Shu was slightly startled. His eyesight was astonishing, allowing him to easily see the nearby peaks.
Although it was a forest, the trees appeared sparse, the ground was bare and covered with various rocks, and occasional beast roars could be heard.
“Everyone, fall in! Assemble!”
Xu Shan stood in front of Beast Taming Class Three, his face extremely serious.
The students of Beast Taming Class Three panicked slightly and immediately formed ranks. Although it was a bit chaotic, they had at least completed the task.
Students from other classes also received the order, forming ranks and awaiting commands, as if they had already embraced their roles.
The Beast Tamers who came for adventures watched with interest, observing the prodigies of Hua Xia University from afar.
A middle-aged man stepped to the front of the formation and said,
“From this moment on, your military training life begins!”
“You are no longer the prodigies of Hua Xia University, but the Zhenling Army of the Barren Stone Forest! You must obey orders!”
The middle-aged man’s expression was stern as he scanned the crowd and said, “Remember, unconditional obedience!”
“If anyone disagrees, you can challenge me at any time!”
With that, a giant black bear appeared, its terrifying Black Iron Three aura erupting suddenly, causing hearts to tremble involuntarily.
“Roar~~ Ah!”
The giant bear was about to roar when its voice cracked…
A massive, enormous yellow figure descended from the sky, directly pinning the black bear down.