Chapter 60: First Tremors of Reality

This so-called practical training transcended a mere comprehensive assessment of the students’ wilderness survival capabilities.

Su Liyue’s fingers idly brushed the water bottle clasp secured to her magic broom, her gaze tracing the perimeter of the training grounds towards the shadowy depths of the trial forest.

The daunting five-day survival period demanded a systematic resolution of every necessity—shelter, sustenance, and travel—a challenge far more intricate than merely battling magical beasts or fending off surprise attacks.

Her eyes caught several cautionary notes on the map, unequivocally highlighting the paramount importance of team collaboration.

Wind mages, capable of conjuring razor-sharp air blades, served as invaluable cutting tools; earth-element students, meanwhile, could erect formidable defenses, with a proficient earth mage able to construct a trapped, semi-subterranean shelter within ten minutes.

Fire-element practitioners offered more than just nocturnal illumination and insect repulsion, crucially maintaining a stable temperature within caves—a vital function, considering a student had been forced to withdraw last year due to severe hypothermia during the night.

Yet, above all, the water element proved most critical.

Uncorking her water bottle, Su Liyue watched as a faint, cerulean wisp of magic gathered at her wand’s tip, causing a delicate mist of water droplets to coalesce in the air.

In the unforgiving wilderness, a reliable water source was nothing less than a lifeline.

Teams lacking a water mage were invariably compelled to encamp near streams, a decision that frequently invited a trio of inherent dangers.

These included magical beasts drawn to drink at night, venomous insects thriving in the damp environs, and, most perilously, the often-overlooked threat of rival teams launching ambushes by trailing the very water source.

Her mind drifted back to the instructor’s recent, stark warning.

Just last year, a team engaged in a fierce struggle against a swarm of magical frog-beasts by a river had all their precious supplies ruthlessly plundered by opportunistic competitors.

Su Liyue grasped the inherent brutality of this training; it wasn’t merely a test of magical prowess, but a demanding crucible for optimal decision-making amidst severely limited resources.

“It seems some students will have to reassess their team-up strategies…”

Her gaze swept across the students lingering by the sidelines, still unaligned with any team.

‘Perhaps a pairing of water and earth elementals should be prioritized?’ she mused. ‘With a stable water source and a secure shelter, other challenges would become far more manageable…’

“This practical training will directly impact your subsequent evaluations and resource allocation.

Remember, the price of losing vigilance here is far more severe than any classroom examination.”

Before the shimmering teleportation array, students meticulously checked their gear, their movements a mix of anticipation and apprehension.

Su Liyue observed some students repeatedly counting their potion vials, while others nervously fiddled with their armor straps, these minute details betraying the pervasive lack of wilderness survival experience among the majority.

As she, Mu Wanqing, and Ye Xingchen stepped into the teleportation array, the supervising instructor unexpectedly placed a firm hand on Ye Xingchen’s shoulder:

“Remember,” the instructor cautioned, “areas where signal flares are rendered ineffective are strictly forbidden.”

As the teleportation array’s luminescence slowly faded, Su Liyue, Mu Wanqing, and Ye Xingchen materialized at the tranquil fringe of a sprawling forest.

Beneath their feet, soft moss exhaled a damp, earthy scent, while dappled sunlight filtered through the dense canopy of ancient, towering trees.

“This must be the southeastern corner of the trial grounds,” Ye Xingchen murmured, closing his eyes for a moment of perception.

“For now, the chances of encountering other teams nearby are slim.”

His fingertip brushed the earth, and the Xun Palace Wind Listening Art (TL Note: A sensing technique that allows one to perceive ambient spiritual energy and vibrations) silently unfurled, revealing the spiritual energy flowing within the earth’s veins as clearly as an intricate spiderweb.

Su Liyue crouched, her fingertips shimmering with a faint aquamarine glow.

As she gently touched the ground, the water elements immediately relayed intricate details of the surrounding terrain back to her.

“There’s a stream to the northeast, and the magical fluctuations to the northwest are quite strong—likely a gathering area for magical beasts.”

Mu Wanqing clutched her wand with a nervous grip, her sky-blue hair gently stirred by the forest’s subtle breath.

“Should we prioritize hunting magical beasts?” she asked.

“No need to rush,” Ye Xingchen replied, calmly surveying their surroundings.

“Our immediate priority is to locate a suitable campsite.”

His gaze flickered to the athletic shoes adorning Su Liyue’s feet.

“After all, we have some… unique equipment that requires testing.”

Su Liyue offered a knowing nod, her pink athletic shoe tapping lightly against the ground as the wind-element array embedded in its sole began to faintly shimmer.

“Hush,” she suddenly whispered.

“Something is drawing near from the three o’clock direction.”

“Xun Palace – Six Harmonies Diffusion,” Ye Xingchen declared, unfurling his Qimen plate (TL Note: A divination and strategy tool used in Chinese metaphysics).

Invisible waves of perception emanated from him, steadily expanding through the air, illuminating the life fluctuations within a kilometer radius in his mind, like constellations on a star map.

“Twenty teams, forty-three magical beasts.”

Opening his eyes, he added, “A team is currently engaged in combat with subterranean spiders eight hundred meters to our northeast.”

Su Liyue promptly unfurled her topographic map, her fingertip gliding along the contour lines as she spoke:

“Based on the estimated density of magical beast distribution, at least half the teams will need to be eliminated within the first three days to achieve any semblance of resource balance.”

Her finger suddenly shot towards a cluster of ominous red markings at the map’s edge.

“Wait… what are these?”

“Could these be the restricted zones the academy instructor just warned us about?” Mu Wanqing’s water bottle suddenly shimmered, a delicate layer of frost blooming across its surface.

A distant, muffled explosion reverberated through the air, startling a flock of Iron-Winged Crows into a chaotic ascent.

The trio exchanged a swift glance, their eyes turning in unison towards the source of the distant commotion.

What ascended from that direction was not the green signal smoke signifying elimination, but a perilous orange-red plume, indicating a team had already activated their emergency rescue beacon.

“It has begun,” Ye Xingchen declared, retracting his hand seals as the talismans within his sleeves fluttered without a breeze.

Just as he had anticipated, with the descent of night, the overt and covert struggles for magical beast cores would inevitably escalate into a far more brutal scramble for resources.

This, perhaps, was the profound intention behind the academy’s decision to set the training duration at five days: to immerse these “hothouse flowers” in the harsh reality of the magical world’s law of the jungle.

After all, as the nation’s prospective mages, these students were destined to confront both societal realities and the daunting challenges of the natural world.

Such was the inherent nature of this world, and the academy’s role was to ensure they grasped and adapted to its brutal laws of survival well in advance.

Only by doing so would they possess the knowledge and resilience to navigate similar predicaments in the future—the very essence of practical training.

“Yueyue!” Mu Wanqing’s voice emerged with a subtle tremor, her fingers unconsciously digging into Su Liyue’s sleeve.

The intricate frost patterns spreading across her water bottle visibly climbed its surface, refracting dangerous, iridescent halos in the sunlight.

Su Liyue could distinctly feel Mu Wanqing’s fingers trembling within her own palm.

This water-element prodigy, widely acknowledged as a genius within the academy, was now confronted with a harsh reality far removed from the pages of any textbook.

In a true wilderness encounter, no professor would intervene to halt the conflict, nor would any protective barrier offer a safety net.

“Calm yourself,” Su Liyue said, her voice reassuring as she gently pried open Mu Wanqing’s tightly clenched palm.

“Do you recall the principle of magical energy resonance?”

She deliberately adopted an academic tone, simultaneously shielding the rapidly freezing water bottle with her body.

“The perception range of a Gold-tier magical beast is…”

“A radius of three hundred meters, lasting fifteen seconds,” Mu Wanqing interjected, almost reflexively, her voice gradually regaining its composure.

This was a fundamental point they had rigorously memorized from their “Advanced Magical Creatures” curriculum, and the sheer muscle memory of the answer served to momentarily quell the encroaching panic.

A rhythmic tremor suddenly vibrated through the ground, and in the distance, a flock of Iron-Winged Crows, startled from the treetops, surged into the sky like a swirling black cloud.

Ye Xingchen sensed the potent magical fluctuations emanating from nearby, yet a dangerous, knowing curve played upon his lips.

“This merely saves us the effort of searching,” he remarked.

“Are you insane?” Mu Wanqing exclaimed, her eyes wide with disbelief.

“The instructor just said that would require at least four fully-staffed teams to even…”