IWM, ch.101 p.3

 

Since there was still some time until the beginning of the school year, Murong Qingyan wasn’t in hurry to report in. She decided to take her time and picked a longer route, which would take her through the Dark Forest¹.

The Dark Forest teemed with magical beasts² and medicinal herbs, hence it was like a trove of a good stuff. But this good stuff went hand in hand with not a small danger, so not many set foot into this forest. The reason why Murong Qingyan chose to go through it on her way to the Academy was precisely due to this: it represented an ample opportunity with a rich experience.

After walking for a day they had finally reached the forest.

The moment Murong Qingyan stepped into the forest, her whole person became alert. The forest laid tranquil and silent. So tranquil and silent that there wasn’t even a birdcall in the distance. Such unusual serenity not only didn’t let people relax, it, in turn, made a person’s heart rise up in vigilance.

Unlike Murong Qingyan’s wariness, Huangfu Jue strode ahead leisurely and carefree as if this forest where danger lurked at every corner wasn’t enough to make him pay heed to it.

Huangfu Jue’s reaction, or better yet a lack of thereof, didn’t come as a surprise to Murong Qingyan. She had already ascertained that Huangfu Jue’s power was deep and unmeasurable. He might not even put the whole Dark Forest in his eyes.

Murong Qingyan had constantly remained on high alert. This Dark Forest seemed peaceful, but in truth, it was danger-ridden. Although Huangfu Jue was always by her side, she could never fully put her own safety in the hands of someone she had met only a couple of time.

Even though Huangfu Jue saved her twice, she didn’t think of herself as someone special. No one could guarantee that Huangfu Jue would save her for the third time. One’s own fate was best to be held in one’s own hands.

They hadn’t yet walked far when Murong Qingyan encountered the first danger: she faced a third-level magical beast – an Earth Bear.

Huangfu Jue didn’t make a move, he just stood aside and seemed to watch the fun with no intention of lending a hand.

It was a good opportunity for her to get a fighting experience. As long as her life wasn’t in danger, he didn’t plan on interfering. He could tell that the stubborn girl wasn’t a type to hide behind others. However, she was still pathetically weak. This trip through the Dark Forest would be a good exercise for her.

Moreover, he was sure that this was the reason behind her choice of the road.

Murong Qingyan wasn’t privy to his thoughts at the time, she fully focused on the earth bear in front of her.

The earth bear was a third-level magical beast, which was on par with a cultivator of the Harmonization period. In other words, it was equally matched with her in terms of cultivation level. However, one of the major characteristics of the earth bear was its very thick skin, which granted it a particularly strong defensive ability. Furthermore, earth bears were known for their strength, a human would be hard pressed to contend against one of them.

Moreover, it looked like the earth bear must have sensed that Huangfu Jue wasn’t someone it could mess with, so it glared fiercely at its prey, Murong Qingyan.

Soon, the earth bear launched its first attack. It rushed at Murong Qingyan, aiming to slam her with its paw.

Faced with the oncoming attack, Murong Qingyan narrowed her eyes and condensed xuanli in both hands, planning to receive its assault head-on. However, she quickly learned that she seriously underestimated the earth bear. She could barely resist such a powerful blow. Moreover, it possessed such a great strength that after the impact, both of her arms hurt so much as if her bones were crushed into pieces.

Realizing that her idea of fighting it was highly unrealistic, she withdrew her hands, quickly dodging and moving out of its way. In but a moment she jumped behind the earth bear, swiftly turning around, and took out her small sword.

On the surface of the small sword, a white xuanli with traces of gold rapidly condensed.

Although the earth bear’s strength was great, its body was also big, making it somewhat inflexible. As it turned around, it rushed to attack Murong Qingyan once more.

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I was in another of my morbid moods and since we are going to stay in that forest a couple of chapters (methinks), so I seriously considered ‘Gloom forest’ (depends on how you read it), but then I thought of you my sweet and fluffy souls, and set it as less creep-provoking and unassuming mass-produced ‘Dark Forest’.Magical beast (魔兽, móshòu) – beasts that can cultivate.