Chapter 130: Chapter 126: A Greater Variety of Creatures

A lake...

From a distance, an endless expanse of water vapor rose from the lake’s surface, forming clouds and mist that drifted in every direction.

"This is the first big lake I’ve seen since I transmigrated, tsk..."

Han Ning recalled the great lake from the Insect Master’s memories, wondering if this was the same one.

"There’s a lake. I wonder if the water is drinkable," Lin Tianhe said, curious.

As everyone’s Soul Beasts gradually grew stronger, the Beast Masters’ own constitutions improved as well, and their immunity to the surrounding white mist had become quite high.

Even without the Purification from the Silver Lotus Wood, they could stand in the white mist for a long time relying on their physical bodies alone.

Han Ning felt he could even ignore the white mist’s existence, relying on his powerful heart and lungs to filter out the toxins it carried.

"We can take some back to test later. Although we’re not too afraid of the white mist anymore, there are still some weaker students at the academy who need relatively pure water. Rainwater and the Purification from the Silver Lotus Wood aren’t enough for daily use," Teacher Zheng said, tightening the headband on her head.

"Teacher Zheng, you’re not with Nia today?" Han Ning was a little surprised to see Teacher Zheng had come along.

"She only fell asleep this morning. I had Lena stay with her." Teacher Zheng sighed, thinking of Nia’s sorrowful expression. "Her father’s passing was a huge blow to her. She’s completely withdrawn right now. It’s best to let her rest for the day."

As they spoke, the muddy swamp underfoot gradually gave way to a grassy field overgrown with green.

"Teacher Lü, what kind of Soul Beast are you looking for?" Lin Tianhe asked casually, watching as the mountain forest rapidly approached.

"Preferably one that can fly—a bird type would be best. We’re sorely lacking Soul Beasts that can scout our surroundings. We have to post people on 24-hour watch. It would be ideal to have a group of Soul Beasts that can fly freely and survey the terrain," Lü Xiuning replied.

Lin Tianhe turned to look at Han Ning.

"What about you, Han Ning? Don’t you already have two Soul Beasts, you punk? Looking for a third?"

"Same as Teacher Lü, a bird type would be good. I’m not in a hurry. What about you, Tianhe?"

Han Ning wasn’t in a rush to choose his third Soul Beast, so he asked a question in return.

"I’ve noticed everyone’s Soul Beasts are more offense-oriented. I want to find a defense-oriented one that can stand in front and protect everyone," Lin Tianhe shared his thoughts.

"That’s a good idea. For defense... Earth Type Soul Beasts should have strong defenses. We can keep an eye out for them later," Han Ning said with a smile.

Right now, both Yin Yi and Egg Pancake were huge Energy consumers. With the two of them, his needs for daily combat were basically met. He had come on this trip just to tag along and see if he could find a Soul Beast that caught his eye.

As he spoke, he began to survey his surroundings.

There was no tall vegetation on either side of the path, only patches of low-lying shrubs.

The shrubs were dotted with blood-red berries. They grew in large, messy patches, and a few scattered blue birds stood atop them, gently pecking at the red berries.

"Are those little blue birds Soul Beasts?" Han Ning asked, turning his head toward Zhao Jingjing.

She and her group had explored this area before, so she should know something.

"No, they’re just some relatively strong little birds, not very intelligent." Zhao Jingjing shook her head, casually picking a few of the red fruits and handing them to the people nearby. "However, this Red Fruit is edible. I’ve tried it. It tastes a lot like a berry, sweet and sour, and it’s quite filling."

"Oh? We can eat them?" Han Ning took the fruit. He held it in his hand and observed it for a moment. The panel didn’t show any notification for Energy absorption, which meant the Energy inside wasn’t up to the standard for him to absorb.

He tossed one of the fruits into his mouth and chewed.

Slightly sour, it tasted a bit like a cross between a pomegranate and a blackberry.

"Not bad. Let’s take some samples back and see if we can cultivate them," Teacher Zheng said, nodding in satisfaction after eating a few of the Red Fruits.

It might just be a small fruit, but having fresh fruit like this to eat in their daily lives would improve their quality of life.

After picking a few pounds of fresh fruit and putting them in his waist pouch, Han Ning felt like he had arrived at some suburban farm—if he ignored the bizarre weather.

Ten minutes later, the shrubs began to thin out. Scattered, protruding rocks appeared, along with a messy jumble of small pebbles, puddles, and fallen leaves. The terrain ahead gradually started to rise.

The low-lying shrubs disappeared, replaced by increasingly tall, verdant trees.

The dirt path underfoot grew narrower.

WHOOOO~!

CHIRP CHIRP~

The calls of all sorts of creatures frequently reached their ears.

A bright green light emanated from the Tree Spirits and Tree Demons, dispelling the mist and illuminating the surrounding few meters in perfect detail.

They were now weaving through a verdant forest. It sounded like many creatures were moving quickly through the branches above, making rustling noises.

Intimidated by the aura emanating from Yin Yi and the other Soul Beasts below, they didn’t dare approach, and could only watch secretly from on high.

Han Ning followed the light and looked up.

He saw pairs of eyes reflecting green light, and below them, ugly-faced creatures staring intently down at them.

"Is that a troop of monkeys?" everyone voiced their surprise in unison.

Zhao Jingjing said with some apprehension, "These monkeys are a type of Soul Beast. They’re very strong and have a tendency to bully the weak and fear the strong. When we came here before, a dozen or so of them attacked us. Teacher Li’s leg was scratched by their leader."

"What are their Attributes, roughly?" Lü Xiuning asked.

"Water? They can create a layer of white mist around their bodies to hide their tracks, and they can also spit out fast-moving water jets."

"Sounds a bit stronger than the Iron-toothed Snakes. Anyone interested?" Lü Xiuning asked the group, looking at the monkeys hiding furtively among the leaves and branches.

"Uhh... they’re a bit ugly. Let’s keep looking."

"Water Type... that sounds pretty good. But Teacher Lü, how are we supposed to form a contract with them?" a student in the group raised their hand.

"I thought about this before we set out. There are two ways."

"One, if the target Soul Beast species isn’t highly aggressive, we find a lone, relatively weak individual and use methods like luring it with food to form a contract."

"Two, if they’re extremely aggressive, then we don’t need to overthink it. We kill them, find their nest, and take the young."

"Let’s just keep moving and see. If there’s really no other way, we’ll help you figure out how to steal one," Lü Xiuning said with a rare, helpless smile.

When their very survival was threatened, they could only resort to some morally questionable actions.

"Ah, this... alright, then," the student said, scratching their head.

After making a quick note of the ugly little monkeys’ location in a notebook, the group continued forward.

Passing by one tall green tree after another, Zhao Jingjing pointed to an arrow symbol (→) on one of them and said:

"This is it. About one to two kilometers further ahead, there’s an exposed rock face. That’s where Teacher Li discovered natural saltpeter. We only retreated because a flock of falcons with brass-colored wings attacked us."