The atmosphere inside the vehicle was somewhat stifling.
The class was buzzing with noise.
Su Li turned his head to look out the window.
A light rain was falling.
Pedestrians on both sides of the street hurried along under umbrellas, walking past those exquisite, ornate buildings.
Raindrops blurred the scenery in his view.
The light from the shop windows slowly spread through the rain curtain, as if the blur caused by the rain made everything more beautiful.
Su Li felt the quietly standing buildings gradually receding.
They were setting off.
“Brother Su, what do you think magical beasts are really like?”
Cheng Yehai’s tone, like most people on the bus, carried a hint of nervousness, but even more excitement.
“I’ve seen them, but I don’t remember very clearly.”
Su Li didn’t tell the truth.
The nightmare of the destroyed village was still so vivid in his mind.
He couldn’t forget it, but he didn’t want to recall it either.
Children growing up in the city center lived in such a stable and beautiful environment.
The word “magical beast” was so far away from them.
They had grown up in this city, accustomed to clean streets, orderly lives, and the ubiquitous protection of Superpowered Individuals.
But the people who lived outside the city, those without protection, could only survive like wild grass in a world ravaged by magical beasts.
The only thing they could rely on was luck.
The fact that that village had existed for so long was a miracle in itself.
Perhaps it was too remote, perhaps too barren.
For many years, neither humans nor magical beasts had paid any attention to that village nestled in the folds of the mountains.
But in the end, that village was destroyed in an instant.
After a great fire, nothing was left.
No…
Something should have remained.
For example, him and You Xue.
And those fading memories.
Su Li suddenly felt a pang of melancholy.
Subconsciously, he reached his hand into his pocket, and a cold sensation came from his fingertips.
Now he only had You Xue.
But she had left, so suddenly that Su Li couldn’t keep her no matter how hard he tried.
What should he do?
He had been agonizing over it, always trying to sort it out and cut it off.
But every time he was about to make up his mind, he would inexplicably run into her by chance, and then his heart would soften involuntarily.
“I’ve seen pictures in books.”
Cheng Yehai got excited and started talking on his own.
“There are those things covered in tentacles that look like fluffy balls, and fish with long legs. Just looking at the pictures made me sick.”
“Pictures and the real thing are two different things.”
Alice’s voice came from the front row.
She turned her head back, and her green eyes were full of seriousness.
“When you actually stand in front of one, the first thing you feel won’t be disgust.”
“Then what do you feel?”
Cheng Yehai scratched his head and asked curiously.
“Fear.”
Alice’s words were very solemn.
“Most ordinary people will run away without hesitation the first time they see a magical beast. I can’t describe the feeling, but you’ll know in a little while.”
Su Li quite agreed with Alice’s words.
The moment he first saw that magical beast, an image of himself being torn apart had flashed into his mind.
Cheng Yehai’s expression changed slightly.
He asked cautiously, “Alice, have you seen a magical beast?”
“Yes.”
Alice nodded and lifted her chin slightly.
“In our family, we start facing magical beasts from a young age, cultivating the courage to fight them.”
“Team Leader, you have to protect me well during the combat drill. After all… after all, I’m a combat support personnel.”
Cheng Yehai’s face instantly fell, and his tone carried obvious flattery.
Alice raised an eyebrow.
“You, a combat support? I just hope you don’t hold us back.”
Cheng Yehai could only give an awkward laugh and let out a few consecutive sighs.
“Sigh, sigh, who told me to awaken a late-stage supernatural ability? Once I develop, I’ll carry you all later.”
Su Li watched them bicker, and his heavy mood, brought on by thoughts of magical beasts, lightened a little.
“Su Li, how has your training been lately?”
Unexpectedly, Alice suddenly turned the topic to him.
“Pretty good. Using my supernatural ability is getting smoother and smoother. As for swordsmanship, Teacher Anbian also said I’m almost there.”
Su Li thought for a moment and added, “But compared to you, I’m probably still far behind.”
Alice gave a light snort without denying it.
She just said, “Thank goodness at least the whole team doesn’t only have me as a combatant.”
Her tone relaxed a little.
“Keep it up. I’ve been watching your efforts.”
Cheng Yehai interjected, “What about me? What about me? I’ve also been training so hard that I collapse on the ground every day.”
“Yeah, right. Talk to me when you’re actually useful.”
Alice rolled her eyes, then turned back around.
Su Li looked out the window.
They were getting farther and farther from the city center.
Even the buildings were becoming lower and lower.
It even seemed like the air had turned dusty.
Light Blessing…
Su Li chewed on the name in his mind.
The moment he awakened his supernatural ability, he had immediately known its name.
But even now, as he grew more and more proficient in the ability to guide light, he always subconsciously felt that it shouldn’t be like this.
His ability couldn’t be this simple.
It wasn’t that he thought too highly of himself, but an indescribable intuition.
However, just like the matter with You Xue, he couldn’t find a clue.
But Su Li also understood that he couldn’t keep spending his time agonizing over these things.
So it was better to just train the abilities he could currently master.
Time passed slowly.
The buildings were no longer low, but rather more dilapidated.
Finally, the car drove past the tall city walls and passed through the energy barrier protecting Moonview City.
This was the dividing line between Moonview City and the outside world.
The architectural style outside the city no longer had the elegant, beautiful feel of the inside.
It was hard, angular, and carried a forbidding air.
At first glance, one would immediately think, ‘Ah, this is an easily defensible fortress.’
Finally, the convoy drove into that forbidding fortress and stopped in an empty hall.
Anbian Du was already waiting in the hall.
He still looked scruffy, but today he happened not to be smoking.
“Everyone here?”
He swept his gaze over the students getting off the bus and clapped his hands lazily.
“Alright, since everyone’s here, I’ll make it short. This place is our academy’s training base on the northeastern edge of the city. A few more kilometers out is the area where magical beasts are active. But they’re mostly low-level beasts, so don’t worry too much.”
Anbian Du raised his head and looked across all the students’ faces.
“In the next few days, we’ll be staying at the training base. We won’t go back to the city unless it’s an emergency. Next, the teachers will introduce you to some common low-level magical beasts, help you get familiar with their weaknesses and habits.”
His tone became serious for the first time in a while.
“Then we’ll gradually get in contact with magical beasts that have had their aggression removed. You will attempt to kill a magical beast for the first time. And finally, we will organize a magical beast hunt.”
Anbian Du continued.
“I must warn you all, this is not a game. Everything you learn here might save your lives in the future. So you must listen carefully and stay vigilant against magical beasts. If any accident occurs, you can contact me or any other teacher at any time. Your own life is the priority.”
The students were silent for a moment, then burst into buzzing discussion.
Anbian Du raised his hand to stop the noisy chatter.
“Classes will officially begin tomorrow. You can go to your assigned dormitories to rest and settle in.”
The gathered students then dispersed.
Following the line, Su Li and Cheng Yehai walked together.
Even here, they still shared the same dormitory.
But Su Li didn’t notice that behind him, around a corner, someone was hiding in the shadows, half of their face exposed, quietly watching his retreating figure with light blue eyes.