Hearing Oscar's words, Tang San showed a hint of surprise and couldn't help saying:
"But we're still nearly fifty miles from the Star Dou Great Forest. Isn't that a bit far?"
Zhao Wuji raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, glancing at Tang San with a tone of impatience—why was this kid asking such a common-sense question?
"The Star Dou Great Forest isn't comparable to those Soul Beast Forests confined and bred by nations."
"All the Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest are wild, extremely ferocious, highly aggressive, and each possesses a strong territorial awareness."
"Not to mention inside the forest, it's not uncommon for particularly fierce Soul Beasts to venture out and attack humans."
Zhao Wuji pointed toward the faintly visible defensive structures at the edge of the town.
"You might think this place seems far from the forest, but this safety line was established through the sacrifices of countless Soul Masters."
"If we moved any closer, ordinary people wouldn't be able to escape a sudden Soul Beast attack, sometimes without even time to react."
"Besides, most who come to the Star Dou Great Forest are Soul Masters. Fifty miles is just a short distance for them, hardly a burden."
Tang San finally understood, nodding without further comment, but his awareness of the dangers of the Star Dou Great Forest deepened.
So this seemingly ordinary distance concealed so much peril and sacrifice.
As they walked further, Zhao Wuji pointed to a rather ordinary-looking hotel ahead and said:
"Let's stay here. Rest for the night, and we'll set off for the Star Dou Great Forest at dawn tomorrow. You'll cover your own accommodation and meal expenses."
Zhao Wuji paid for one room and went straight upstairs.
After discussing, Dai Mubai and the others decided to share rooms in pairs to save money.
Ning Rongrong and the girls also shared rooms in pairs, while Su Yu booked a single room for himself.
Once the rooms were arranged, Su Yu took Ning Rongrong, Xue Na, Zhu Zhuqing, and Xiao Wu to the inn's restaurant.
The restaurant was already about sixty to seventy percent full, mostly with hurried Soul Masters. The air was filled with the aroma of food and the low hum of conversations.
Just as they settled at a table, a group of people entered from outside, immediately drawing many glances.
Leading them was a middle-aged man in his fifties, his hair slicked back meticulously, with a hint of arrogance on his face.
He wore a moon-white Soul Master Robe made of fine material, embroidered with intricate silver patterns that shimmered as he moved, clearly expensive.
Behind him followed seven youths, six boys and one girl, all around the same age as the Shrek group.
They wore matching uniforms of wine-red and gray, neat in style, with the two prominent characters "Azure Radiance" embroidered in gold thread on their chests.
As they entered the restaurant, their steps were synchronized, exuding a disciplined aura that contrasted sharply with the casually seated Soul Masters around.
The middle-aged man scanned the room with a scrutinizing gaze, finally settling on an empty table near Su Yu's group, and said indifferently:
"Let's sit there."
The Azure Radiance Academy students promptly stepped forward, efficiently clearing the table, and the group took their seats in turn.
As soon as the Azure Radiance Academy group took their seats, the male students couldn't help but glance toward Su Yu's table.
It was hardly surprising - although their own team included female students, none could compare to Ning Rongrong and the others in terms of appearance and temperament.
Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai happened to be sitting at the table opposite Su Yu's group.
Ma Hongjun's small eyes were fixed intently on the female student from Azure Radiance Academy.
Not only that, he kept muttering to Dai Mubai beside him, his voice completely unrestrained and growing increasingly louder.
"Boss Dai!" What do you think of that girl?"
Dai Mubai followed his gaze and glanced over, curling his lips disdainfully:
"Just passable, barely worth looking at. She's nowhere near as good as my twin sisters."Ma Hongjun chuckled, rubbing his stomach: 'You've tasted the good stuff, Dai boss.' Not like me, always stuck with rough fare."
"But seriously, she's not bad looking. Judging by the characters on her uniform, she seems to be from Azure Radiance Academy?"
"Azure Radiance Academy?" Dai Mubai raised an eyebrow, his tone full of contempt.
"What third-rate garbage academy is that? Never even heard of it."
As these words left his mouth, the Azure Radiance Academy group fell silent for a moment.
The middle-aged man leading them visibly darkened his expression, a flash of anger in his eyes as he sharply scanned Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun with unconcealed displeasure.
The male students behind him also frowned, some already unable to restrain themselves from wanting to stand up and argue, but were stopped by the middle-aged man's warning glance.
The atmosphere in the restaurant instantly grew tense. Nearby customers sensed something amiss and stopped their conversations to look over.
Su Yu paused with his teacup in hand, giving Dai Mubai a calm glance without speaking.
Dai Mubai acted as if he hadn't seen the middle-aged man's glare, tilting his chin provocatively toward the Azure Radiance Academy group.
Ma Hongjun was even more delighted by the brewing conflict, shrinking his neck and snickering.
The middle-aged man from Azure Radiance Academy took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his anger, and said coldly:
"Young man, it's better to speak more politely, lest your words bring trouble."
Tang San, seeing the tense situation, couldn't help feeling concerned. He leaned closer to Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, lowering his voice to advise:
"Boss Dai, Fatty, say less. We need to enter Star Dou Great Forest tomorrow - let's not create complications."
As he finished speaking, Oscar beside him pulled him over and whispered in his ear:
"Tang San, don't worry. This is also part of our training."
"Dean Flender said that a Soul Master who doesn't dare cause trouble isn't a good Soul Master."
Oscar raised an eyebrow, a youthful sharpness in his eyes.
"Besides, 'Those who don't dare cause trouble are mediocrities' - that's the dean's favorite saying."
"And the dean said that provoking people from Soul Master Academies is the safest!"
"We're all from academies - at worst we'll just fight to determine victory, no one will go for the kill. It's much better than provoking those unknown Soul Masters out there."
Tang San was taken aback, looking at Oscar.
Oscar winked at him, then gestured with his chin toward Dai Mubai:
"Look at Dai, the boss - he's been itching for action."
"Our Shrek Academy can't let people look down on us. Besides, if it really comes to a fight, we might not lose!"
Tang San thought for a moment. Although Oscar's words made some sense, he still felt it was inappropriate. He furrowed his brows:
"But there's no need to make enemies for no reason, right?"
"You just don't get it." Oscar patted him on the shoulder.
"The Soul Master World has always valued strength above all else. Sometimes showing your capabilities can actually save you from trouble. Just wait and see!"
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