Versatile Mage

Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

As they moved deeper into the mountains, they noticed the plants had strange shapes, most likely because of the condition of the soil. They mainly consisted of trees smaller than ten meters and various bushes. The differences between the height of trees at the canopy layer were not huge, as if their king had told its residents not to build their houses more than four stories high.

The vast mountain looked a little flat. It was difficult to tell which direction would lead them to a higher altitude, and it was easy to lose their way in the woods.

Not every mountain had plants that gradually increased in height. Going to the higher layers in the Andes Mountains and reaching a higher altitude were two different things. There were taller mountains within the lower layers. One could only climb up and down the peaks. They were like isolated islands surrounded by trails instead of water, leading further inland.

Great knowledge was essential to avoid the peaks that were like isolated islands. Mo Fan might be a Seven Star Hunter Master, but he would also lose his way in the woods like a retard without Lingling’s guidance.

“Look for sources of water, it’s a simple and effective way of learning directions. You might think you are going down the mountain, but the terrain is actually heading up. It will cause us to misjudge where we are going, but the flow of streams or rivers will never trick you. They are your best guide when it’s not the rainy season,” Mu Bai explained. He was a few hundred meters away from Mo Fan.

The group had discovered a meandering stream. The clear stream was quite new, as it was not polluted. It was not wise to refer to it for directions, as there might be a basin nearby. The streams within a few kilometers might flow into the basin, resulting in a lake.

However, Mu Bai did not misguide the students. Mo Fan already checked the vicinity. There was no sign of a basin or a lake in the area.

Mo Fan took a huge bite of a fruit he had just plucked. It was sweet and refreshing.

“That’s right, you should eat more fruit. If you keep eating meat, how are you going to keep fit? Besides, hunting meat is pretty dangerous. You might be able to enjoy a meal if you stumble into those inexperienced students, but it’s someone like me, you will only lose your cultivation over a few dozen years and turn into roasted meat!” Mo Fan took another bite of the fruit he had stolen from a Commander-level creature while lecturing.

Another voice came from the distance.

“Lecturer Mu Han, it is very dangerous to follow a stream in the woods, since some creatures might be drinking from it. Some powerful creatures might even wait for their prey to show up close to it!”

“You’re right, so you must be very cautious when you are using a stream to find out the direction!”

“But we have yet to see any creatures. We didn’t stumble into a powerful creature even after we started following the stream.”

Mu Bai and Zhao Manyan smiled and led the students deeper into the woods.

—

Meanwhile, Mo Fan had finished eating the fruit. He lifted his foot from the Silver-Horned Mountain Beast’s head.

 Mo Fan patted the Silver-Horned Mountain Beast on the head and said, “Remember to eat more vegetables and fruits, do you understand?”

The Silver-Horned Mountain Beast fell to the ground like a worn-out bull.

It had never felt so humiliated in its own territory before!

It could not help it, since its life was in the human’s hands. It did not dare show its anger in front of the human. As for its pride as a demon creature not allowing other creatures to set foot in its territory, that was no longer its concern after its life was in danger.

Eat fruits and vegetables!

It had worked hard to grow from a little creature to an honorable Silver-Horned Mountain Beast, a Great Commander-level creature. However, it was wondering if it should start eating more fruits and drinking morning dew on leaves instead. It was not like it was planning to be a well-behaved beast, but it did not want to stumble into another human like this man again!

The Silver-Horned Mountain Beast slowly lifted its gaze to see if the man had left.

The man had eaten its fruit and drank its water. He had also beaten the crap out of it and taught it a lesson. He should be gone by now, right?

As it thought, the man had already left. He was catching up to the group of students.

The Silver-Horned Mountain Beast was relieved after escaping death.

It slowly gathered its thoughts. There was no way it would start eating just fruits and vegetables. It would just avoid the stream next time if it saw humans again!

——

“Why do I feel like it isn’t as dangerous as the seniors have mentioned? They always said we would never make it to the Earthworm Gully, let alone cross it,” Boleyn spoke up.

“Maybe they are just trying to scare us,” one of Boleyn’s pursuers said.

“Speaking of which, where’s the lecturer you were talking to? Where did he go after someone heard a strange noise? Is he hiding?” another pursuer wondered.

“Shh, he’s coming.”

Mo Fan was carrying a bag of fruit. He tossed one he had already washed to Boleyn.

“Thank you,” Boleyn took a quick bite at the fruit. She smiled after tasting it.

“You wild ducks should have some too!” Mo Fan gave everyone a fruit too.

Boleyn was like a colorful little peacock. She stood out among the students the most, apart from Sharjah. The boys who kept sticking to Boleyn were like wild ducks in Mo Fan’s eyes. Not only were their feathers rough and ugly, their tempers were bad too. Did they really think they could earn a girl’s affection like that?

“We are almost at the Earthworm Gully. Be careful of your surroundings,” Miyamoto Shin warned them.

Not a single student decided to go back to the school. Miyamoto Shin had no choice but to keep following the group.

Miyamoto Shin looked at the bag of fruits Mo Fan had plucked and frowned, “Lecturer Mo Yifan, it’s dangerous for you to go around alone. These fruits are called Silver-Horned Fruits. They are normally found close to the caves of a Silver-Horned Mountain Beast. Its horn grows longer every day, so it grinds its horn at the same place. The residue of its horn will then grow into a tree which bears these fruits. These Silver-Horned Mountain Beasts see these fruits as their precious treasures. They aren’t willing to eat the fruits themselves… it’s a miracle that you’ve returned in one piece!”

“Oh, no wonder it looked so down when I took the fruits. I didn’t realize I took all of its valuables. I’ll take note next time. Thanks for the reminder!” Mo Fan replied airily.

“There are many strange species and plants in the Andes Mountains. It’s not the same as other places, so you have to be more careful!” Miyamoto Shin said, totally missing the implications of the reply.

Miyamoto Shin let out a weary sigh. Not only did he have to worry about the students’ safety, he had to keep an eye on the lecturers too!