17: Chapter 17 Learning and Camp Entry

For the next month, Qin Ce's life was regular and fulfilling.

He was like a dry sponge, frantically absorbing the knowledge of this world.

The library at the Battle Academy had a rich collection of books, far exceeding the pitiful bookstore in Yuntai Town.

From "Encyclopedia of Magical Beasts (Basic Edition)" to "Introduction to Beast Tamer Energy Guidance," and from "Identification of Common Dangerous Plants in the Wilderness" to "Outline of Team Cooperative Combat," he systematically made up for his lack of theoretical knowledge as a "transmigrator" and a "commoner."

With his body constantly nourished by the pure wind-element energy fed back from the Azure Bird, which had been tripled by his "Breath Condensation" talent, Qin Ce discovered that his learning ability, memory, and mental agility had all significantly improved.

Theories that were originally difficult to understand could now often have their core concepts grasped quickly; complex information about magical beasts could also be memorized and associated faster.

This was a sense of overall evolution brought about by the subtle improvement of his life level, making him cherish this opportunity even more and study even harder.

Besides his academic courses, he did not relax his own physical training.

Every morning and evening, he would practice guiding the energy within his body in a quiet corner of the academy, familiarizing himself with the changes in his body and attempting some basic combat movements.

The Azure Bird was kept in his tattoo to be nurtured, occasionally released in specific training grounds for simple skill practice and speed training, but to avoid attracting too much attention, he did not conduct high-intensity combat sparring.

One month passed by quickly in focused study.

The day of the written examination arrived.

The examination hall was solemn.

The content of the test paper was extremely broad, covering both basic theoretical knowledge and practical cases that required analysis and judgment.

Qin Ce received the test paper and quickly scanned the questions:

[Short Answer Question: Please briefly describe the habits, weaknesses, and response strategies for the Demonized Flying Eagle. (15 points)]

[Case Analysis: Assume you encounter a pack of Black Iron High-grade Blood Wolves (3-5) in the wild; please formulate three escape plans. (9 points)]

[Essay Question: Please combine examples to discuss the importance of cooperative combat between a Beast Tamer and their pet beast. (15 points)]

...

Qin Ce picked up his pen, almost without needing to think.

The habits of the Demonized Flying Eagle were predation; its neck and abdomen had low defense, which had already been verified during that actual combat with the Wind Blade.

Encountering a pack of Blood Wolves in the wild—among the corresponding plans for low-rank ferocious beasts in the library, there were eight methods; he just needed to pick three.

As for cooperative combat—this was all basic knowledge from textbooks; for any student who had experienced the college entrance examination on Earth, the difficulty of this question was equivalent to the after-class exercises in a textbook.

The only things that were somewhat challenging were some questions involving high-rank magical beast habits, rare material properties, and other content beyond the syllabus, but by combining logical reasoning with the information patterns potentially obtained from the system's identification function, he answered them quite accurately.

Three days later, the results were announced.

With an excellent score close to perfect, Qin Ce passed the written examination without any suspense and obtained the qualification to participate in field combat training.

Only a very small number of wealthy students who were usually too lazy failed to pass, including one of Wang Yu's lackeys, who could only stay behind for remedial classes, looking dejected.

"Students who passed the written exam, gather at the school gate at eight o'clock tomorrow morning to head to the freshman training base in the western suburbs of Fengling City," Teacher Sun announced at the class meeting. "A word of warning—the conditions at the base are tough, so be mentally prepared."

The next morning, under the unified organization of the academy, the freshmen rode in dozens of military trucks and drove out of Fengling City in a grand procession.

The trucks traveled on the bumpy dirt road for about two hours, and the scenery outside the window gradually changed from neat farmland and watchtowers to a more desolate hilly area with sparse vegetation.

The air was filled with the scent of soil and weeds, and occasionally one could hear sounds from the distance that were indistinguishable between the wind and the howling of beasts, reminding people that this was already the edge of civilized territory.

The training base was located in a relatively flat valley, surrounded by rough but sturdy wooden fences and barbed wire.

Inside was an abandoned small town, with several rows of simple barracks, a larger canteen and activity room, a medical station, and a training ground that had been trampled solid. Beyond that, there was a vast wasteland and rolling hills, and at the edge of the view, one could vaguely see a few watchtowers on the high points of the hills.

The environment of the camp could be described as harsh.

The barracks were communal sleeping quarters, with dozens of people in one room, crowded and noisy, filled with the smell of sweat and dust.

The toilets were simple dry latrines, some distance away from the barracks, with an impressive stench.

What made many pampered wealthy students break down was—there were no bathrooms! Want to take a shower? There was a hand pump well and several large wooden barrels in the center of the base; you had to manage with cold water yourself.

All the freshmen were assembled on the training ground.

In charge of the base was a middle-aged military officer with dark skin, eyes as sharp as an eagle's, and a scar on his face. His surname was Lei, and everyone called him Instructor Lei.

The opening ceremony was simple and brutal. Instructor Lei stood on a wooden box, his voice booming like a bell, without any nonsense:

"Welcome to the 'comfortable' resort, rookies!"

The students below looked at each other; this joke was not funny at all.

"Here, you are no longer young masters and misses from the city; you are rookies, you are soldiers, you are hunters who need to survive in the wilderness!"

"See that exchange place over there?" He pointed to a small wooden house in the corner of the base with a sign hanging that said "Resource Exchange." "Your living supplies for the next two weeks—food, drinking water, medicine, and even if you want to improve your accommodation conditions... everything must be exchanged with points!"

"How do you get points? Simple!" Instructor Lei grinned, revealing white teeth. "Go outside, hunt magical beasts! Use the materials and crystal cores from the magical beasts to exchange for points!"

"Hunt a lot, eat and drink well, and live in a single room! Hunt little, or didn't hunt anything?" His smile vanished, and he said coldly, "Then you go hungry, drink cold water, and squeeze into the communal barracks! The base only provides the most basic safety guarantees and limited first aid; it is not responsible for feeding you flock of fledglings!"

"Classes and practical combat time will be arranged interchangeably, but remember, here, survival itself is part of the training!"

"One last warning," Instructor Lei grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, looking somewhat sinister. "We have cleared the training area; most of the ferocious beasts are Black Iron Low-Grade to mid-grade, suitable for you to practice on. But the wilderness is not absolutely safe; it is not impossible for the occasional Black Iron High-grade or even Bronze Rank fish to slip through the net. For injuries or even death, the academy has a disclaimer agreement. Now, if you want to quit, you can take the truck back and be treated as having dropped out directly. Anyone?"

The audience was silent; although many people were pale, no one raised their hand.

"Very good!" Instructor Lei nodded with satisfaction. "Now, dismissed! Find a place to settle down yourselves! Classes officially start tomorrow morning!"

Instructor Lei's words were like a bucket of cold water, waking up many students who were still holding an "excursion" mindset. Looking at the simple environment and the vast, desolate wilderness outside, many people's faces showed anxiety and confusion.

Qin Ce silently carried his luggage and, according to the assignment, found the location of his barracks.

The communal sleeping quarters were already piled with some other people's luggage, and the smells were mixed.

He chose a spot by the window, which was relatively well-ventilated, put down his things, and began to tidy up.

The environment was harsh, but he had long been mentally prepared.

Compared to the dangers of the wilderness he had heard about while in Yuntai Town, this place was already much safer.

This was the perfect place to hone himself and let the Azure Bird gain experience quickly.

He looked out at the boundless wasteland outside the window, his eyes calm and firm.