Chapter 168: Journey to the Mutated Beast Battlefield, Half A Year (II)

On Sunday morning, at the entrance of the courtyard, Zhang Xiaolan and Chen Hu were both filled with emotions.

The last time they had bid farewell to Chen Chu had been on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. They had never expected that he would leave again so soon after returning.

Chen Chu smiled. "Mom, don't worry about me. I'll take care of myself over there."

Zhang Xiaolan gently said, "There's nothing I can do to help with your cultivation, but I won't hold you back. Just remember to be careful."

As Chen Chu had embarked on the path of true martial arts, gradually becoming one of the most outstanding geniuses at Nantian, Zhang Xiaolan felt a sense of pride, but also a little lost.

She was fully aware that there was nothing she could really do to help him on his journey other than support him. Despite that, the house was always livelier when her son was home.

Chen Chu looked at the tall and sturdy Chen Hu beside him. "Ah Hu, when I'm not around, you're the only man in the house. Take care of Mom. If there's anything you can't handle, go to the school's student affairs office. They'll find a way to reach me."

Chen Hu nodded earnestly. "Don't worry, Bro. I'll take care of the house."

"Alright, I'm off to school. When the mutated beasts have been cleared out, I'll bring back some more meat for you."

With that, Chen Chu waved to them and walked out of the courtyard empty-handed. The only thing he really needed was a few sets of spare clothes, which he could easily fit into the Sumeru Bracelet.

Currently, the bracelet was storing his battle armor, the Eight Desolations Purgatory Halberd, and some mineral water and dried mutated beast meat. Along with the clothes, the three-cubic-meter space was almost full to the brim.

The water and dried meat were preparations Chen Chu had made to deal with special circumstances. While cultivators could absorb transcendent energy to offset some of their body's needs, they couldn’t achieve total fasting and still needed to eat. With that in mind, the food could potentially play a crucial role one day.

Soon, Chen Chu arrived at the south gate of the school's cultivation area, where a bus was already waiting.

Although it wasn't yet time to depart, many of the students who had applied for the mutated beast battlefield had already gathered. Each person carried weapons and wore battle armor, along with their luggage. In such a scene, Chen Chu being empty-handed seemed somewhat unique.

Li Chen looked enviously at Chen Chu and said, "Chen Chu, I heard the school rewarded you with the Sumeru Bracelet for being the first to break through to the Fourth Heavenly Realm. Looks like it's true."

"It's not a breakthrough reward; it’s for my performance in Kyrola." Chen Chu corrected him.

Li Chen shrugged. "Same difference. Anyway, among the freshmen, you're the coolest now."

Chen Chu paused. "...The word 'cool' seems a bit inappropriate."

Zhang Zilong also approached, smiling. "Indeed, wrong choice of words. It should be 'super cool.'"

Chen Chu couldn't help but smile and shake his head. "You guys are exaggerating."

Someone had once said, “When you have money, you only meet good people.”

While the envy and jealousy around Chen Chu grew with his increasingly terrifying talent, so did the friendliness and warmth. Many classmates whom he hadn't seen or even heard of before would actively greet him when they met on the street.

As always, Chen Chu would politely respond, without any arrogant or disdainful behavior. It wasn’t as if he was a main character who looked down on everyone else because he was given story breaking powers on a silver platter without lifting a finger to earn them.

A young man wearing white casual clothes, with an elegant demeanor more akin to a scholar than a practitioner, walked over and smiled at Chen Chu.

"I wish I’d chosen the mission point near Baishan Town. I heard some draconic mutated beasts had shown up there."

Chen Chu chuckled. "It's a good thing you didn't come. Otherwise, I wouldn't have earned so many contribution points."

This young man was Hong Tianyi, ranked third among the freshmen, but he hadn't gone to the mutated beast battlefield until now.

Unlike first-ranked An Fuqing or second-ranked Li Hao, Chen Chu had had limited interaction with this third-ranked genius, merely exchanging greetings whenever they had met at school.

As the third-ranked freshman, Hong Tianyi naturally possessed strong talent. While Chen Chu couldn't sense his exact realm due to the suppression of his aura, he estimated that Hong Tianyi should have reached the late stage of the Third Heavenly Realm by now.

Just then, Luo Fei approached from afar. She was pulling two large suitcases and carrying a box containing a sniper rifle on her back. Her long hair was tied into a ponytail, swaying gracefully as she walked.

Chen Chu walked over to take one of the large suitcases and casually asked, "Why are you so late today?"

Luo Fei chuckled lightly. "I couldn't help it. My aunt packed some things for me before I left, so I was delayed."

Packed some more things?

Chen Chu hesitated as he looked at the two suitcases, each big enough to fit a person. "Don't tell me that’s all ammunition inside?"

"Yes. Since I'm planning to stay there for half a year, I brought a lot of ammunition: one thousand Black Bone Armor-piercing Bullets, eight hundred incendiary bullets, three hundred penetrating energy bullets, and one hundred magnetic energy bullets for long-range sniping. I also brought five hundred anti-fragmentation bullets for close combat, and one hundred micro liquid bombs..."

By the time the girl finished speaking, Chen Chu's expression had become numb. He felt that Luo Fei's two boxes of ammunition were enough to wage a small war, akin to single-handedly suppressing an armored squad on the opposite side. It really showed that she had family working in a military research base.

Amid Chen Chu's contemplation, other classmates arrived one by one, followed by Pang Long and Lin Xiong.

"Is everyone here?"

"Yes, sir, we're all here."

"Alright, then stow your luggage, get on the bus one by one, and let's depart..."

As the bus drove out of the school gate, Chen Chu subconsciously turned to look at the school, which was growing farther and farther away. He couldn't shake the feeling that things might be different when he returned next time.

***

The train station for the mutated beast battlefield was different from civilian stations, located within a military base. After Chen Chu and the others got off the bus and followed Pang Long onto the platform, a sleek black express train slowly rolled into the station.

The black train exuded a heavy aura, as if it was a winding black dragon. When it stopped in front of Chen Chu, he even had the illusion that it was a living creature. Other students also wore solemn expressions.

Pang Long turned back and shouted, "Pay attention, we're in Carriage 05. Follow me and don't get lost."

"Yes, sir."

Fortunately, when Chen Chu boarded the train, he found that the interior of the carriage was normal, with no apparent difference from a regular express train.

After everyone had stowed their luggage, the train slowly started moving, gradually picking up speed. In no time, it had left the city behind.

Chen Chu thought that was it, but after three hours of travel, the tracks ahead suddenly became shrouded in mist. As the train plunged headlong into the thick fog, everyone felt as if the space around them was distorting. Despite the fog blocking any view outside, Chen Chu felt the speed of the train increase significantly.

So, this is the Endless Mist,

Chen Chu pondered silently. According to the information he had looked up, the Endless Mist was the seal that blocked off the mountain ranges that had become overrun by mutated beasts or held stable passages to the mythical world.

An hour later, the train suddenly slowed down, and the mist dissipated, revealing an open stretch of forested mountains, with an ordinary station on the side.

"Passengers, please note, Jiushan Station has arrived. Special forces bound for the Snowy Mountains, please disembark. This train will stop for ten minutes. Other passengers, please remain seated and wait."

As the announcements continued, students carrying weapons and luggage began to disembark from the middle section of the train.

Ten minutes later, the train started again and quickly plunged back into the mist. Throughout the day, more and more kept getting off.

"Passengers, please note, Tianqian Station has arrived. Special forces bound for the Tianqian Transit Station, please disembark. This train will stop for ten minutes..."

Pang Long's voice was deep. "Chen Chu, you're here. When you get off, follow the instructions and don't wander around."

Pang Long and Lin Xiong were heading to the deepest world passage, so they had to part ways with Chen Chu and the others now. None of them knew when they would meet again.

"Goodbye, Mr Pang, Mr Lin."

"Goodbye, Teachers."

Everyone bid farewell to Pang Long and Lin Xiong, then with excitement and nervousness, they picked up their luggage and got off the train one by one through the open doors. Chen Chu also helped Luo Fei with a large suitcase.

Just as Chen Chu was about to leave the carriage, Pang Long suddenly said, "Chen Chu, remember to train hard once you're inside, do everything to strengthen yourself. You still have half a year."

"Sir, half a year for what?" Chen Chu turned back in confusion.

At that moment, Lin Xiong's lips moved, and his voice sounded in Pang Long's ear, "Pang Long, stop. We only heard rumors about that matter, it's not confirmed yet."

Pang Long paused for a moment, then said, "Never mind, what I meant is, remember to train hard and strengthen yourself in the future. I'll be waiting for you on the frontlines."

"Alright, sir."

Chen Chu glanced at the two of them in puzzlement, then nodded. He pretended not to have heard Lin Xiong’s true power-wrapped message and got off the train. Suddenly, the vast scene he had seen before came rushing back.

The earth abruptly split, and endless primeval forests stretched out before his eyes.

Mutated beast battlefield, here I come.