Chapter 69: Roasted Fish, Moonlight Plums, and Strategic Calculations

Su Liyue carefully removed the golden-crisp crucian carp from the bonfire.

With a light tap of her fingertips, several plump kumquats floated into the air.

A gentle flick of her wrist saw the kumquats squeezed by an unseen force, their clear, glistening juice showering evenly over the roasted fish, eliciting a soft sizzle.

“Yueyue, why are you drizzling these sour fruits over the roasted fish?”

Mu Wanqing asked, her curiosity piqued as she took the fish, skewered on a slender branch.

The fresh aroma of kumquats mingled with the savory scent of roasted fish, wafting towards her.

“This is a secret recipe from my hometown~”

A hint of nostalgia flickered in Su Liyue’s eyes.

She recalled her previous life in a fishing village on Hainan Island, where an old man with sun-darkened skin would casually squeeze a few green kumquats over the roasted fish after it was served.

Back then, she had been full of doubts, but the first bite of fish revealed how the tangy juice perfectly cut through the richness of the roast, the fresh fruit aroma enhancing the fish’s inherent sweetness.

Though spices like cumin and chili were absent now, the sheer quality of the fish still made it far superior to the academy’s dry, stale black bread.

Mu Wanqing took a cautious bite, and her eyes immediately widened with delight.

“This taste… it’s incredible! The sourness doesn’t spoil the fish’s aroma at all; instead, it makes the fish even more delicious!”

Unable to resist, she took another large bite.

“Yueyue, if you and Xingchen ever opened a restaurant, it would surely become the talk of the capital!”

“Oh really? In that case, how about you become the proprietress?”

Su Liyue teased playfully.

“Pr-Proprietress?!”

Mu Wanqing’s face flushed crimson instantly.

She secretly glanced at Ye Xingchen, who was eating fish nearby.

“That position is definitely yours! I… I could, at most, help serve dishes…”

Ye Xingchen chuckled softly as he tore off a piece of fish.

“Wanqing is far too modest. Cooking is actually quite simple, as long as you grasp a few key principles…”

The night was peaceful, filled with the aroma of roasted fish and cheerful laughter.

Su Liyue took a delicate bite of the Moonlight Plum she held, its sweet, refreshing juice bursting in her mouth.

Using the glow of the bonfire, she traced several luminous lines on the ground, forming a rudimentary strategic map.

“Today marks the first day of practical training. Having hunted a Gold-tier magical beast, we should be comfortably within the top three.”

Ye Xingchen seamlessly picked up the conversation.

“However, Chixiao’s team is not to be underestimated. Given their strength, it wouldn’t be surprising if they hunted a Silver-tier magical beast on the very first day.”

Mu Wanqing gazed at the glowing map, her expression thoughtful.

“There are also a few powerful teams in the third year. If they were to form a temporary alliance… it wouldn’t be impossible for them to besiege a Gold-tier magical beast.

But a Gold-tier magical beast would require at least four teams working together to take down. Yet there’s only one magic core, and its distribution…”

Ye Xingchen nodded knowingly.

“Therefore, the likelihood of early alliances is quite low. Silver-tier magical beasts are the preferred target for most teams.

Once the Silver-tier and Bronze-tier magical beasts have been largely cleared out,”

Su Liyue said, her finger sweeping across the entire map, “only then will people set their sights on the Gold-tier ones.

After all, the allure of 150 points… even if they can’t claim it themselves, they won’t easily yield it to others.”

Mu Wanqing: “Then what about us…”

“We’ll go straight for the championship.”

Su Liyue declared decisively, flicking the pit of her Moonlight Plum into the bonfire, where it sent up a shower of sparks.

“Before the other teams can react, we’ll do the opposite and continue hunting Gold-tier magical beasts.”

A sharp glint flashed in her eyes.

“By the time they realize what’s happening…”

Ye Xingchen completed her thought.

“The score gap will already be insurmountable.”

He took a Moonlight Plum from Su Liyue’s hand and popped it into his mouth.

“However, tomorrow we’ll need to pay close attention to the movements of other teams. Especially…”

“Chixiao’s team.”

The three spoke in unison, exchanging a knowing smile.

“For now, Chixiao’s team is indeed our biggest threat.”

Ye Xingchen tapped a finger, and a crimson mark lit up on the glowing map.

“As for intelligence on other students…”

“Insufficient.”

Su Liyue naturally took over.

She reached out and sketched the outline of a Blazing Winged Lion in the air.

“Yesterday’s summoning ritual already proved that Chixiao’s fire attribute affinity is undoubtedly very high.”

Ye Xingchen seamlessly completed the analysis.

“If his teammates are wind and earth elementalists… fire fueled by wind, earth constructing fireballs, that combination…”

“Could boost fire damage by more than threefold.”

Su Liyue and Ye Xingchen frowned in unison.

While they weren’t afraid of a direct confrontation, if the opposing side were to combine with multiple other teams to encircle them… Su Liyue’s gaze flickered to Mu Wanqing, who was currently playing with a sphere of water.

With Ye Xingchen needing to conceal his true strength, the limitations of a water-elemental support were indeed a headache.

After all, Mu Wanqing didn’t know how to decompose water into hydrogen and oxygen, and her individual magical power was ultimately limited.

Moreover, two fists could hardly contend with four hands (TL Note: A Chinese idiom meaning it’s hard for one person to fight many.).

“The Armored Dragon Turtle should be the most defensively robust among the three Gold-tier beasts,” Ye Xingchen stated.

He had, of course, already discerned all the information using his Wind-Listening Art, but at this moment, he feigned contemplation.

“As for the remaining two…”

“They must be an attack-specialized type and an agility-specialized type.”

Su Liyue played along, since Mu Wanqing was unaware that they were, in fact, a single entity.

Immediately, the ethereal outlines of sharp claws and feathered wings appeared on the map.

“My guess is a Lightning-attribute Saber-toothed Thunder Tiger and a Wind-attribute Phantom Cloud Leopard.”

Mu Wanqing didn’t notice the identical glint that flashed in both of their eyes, merely exclaiming in awe, “You can even deduce something like this?”

“After all…” Su Liyue said with a smile, linking her arm through Ye Xingchen’s.

“…the ecological characteristics of Gold-tier magical beasts are quite distinct.”

Ye Xingchen smoothly finished her sentence, their voices perfectly overlapping in the night breeze.