Wilderness

Su Hao wasn't joking; he was serious about graduating early. Since he had already mastered the basics and advanced to the rank of grandmaster, there was no need for him to spend another year playing academy games with other young students.

His most important task now was to analyze the mysteries of beast runes, and other matters could be put aside for now. However, he currently possessed too few beast runes to support his research.

To obtain a large number of beast runes, he needed a massive amount of funds, and even then, they might not be available for purchase, as beast runes were rare and not easily sold.

So, he decided to venture into the wilderness himself to hunt fierce beasts and collect beast runes.

This was a well-thought-out decision. The wilderness was filled with endless research resources, providing everything he needed. Why focus solely on the beast runes controlled by humans?

Additionally, he had just killed Jin Datong, so it was wise to keep a low profile for the time being.

However, being in Rising Clouds Town, he wasn't sure if he could stay low-key. He was used to handling trouble swiftly. If he accidentally exposed his strength as a grandmaster martial artist, who knew if anyone would connect him to Jin Datong's demise?

Thus, achieving his goal of collecting beast runes while avoiding risks was a good choice.

As for concerns about powerful beasts in the wild?

His 'radar' wasn't for show; it could detect powerful beasts in advance, allowing him to avoid them or target suitable ones for hunting.

In this way, the 'perception' rune was a godsend for him.

Su Hao approached Old Liu directly, saying, "Teacher Liu, I'm here to apply for early graduation."

Old Liu was surprised and asked, "Early graduation? Why do you want to graduate early? Although you're already a high-rank elite martial artist, in the second year, there's a fierce beast combat course that can improve your practical skills. It's still useful."

Su Hao didn't want to reveal that he was already a grandmaster, but he didn't want to lie either, so he said, "The second-year courses offer limited help to me, and I don't want to waste time. I have more important things to do."

Old Liu stroked his bald head, pondered for a moment, and said, "Alright! I agree to your graduation, but remember, you'll always be a student of Rising Clouds Martial Arts Academy. Keep your academy badge safe."

After thinking for a moment, he added, "If you have any questions, you can always come to me. I'll answer whatever I can."

Su Hao nodded with a smile, "Thank you, Teacher Liu. I will."

Old Liu said, "In three years, your cohort will have a graduation ceremony. Come back to participate, and I'll make you an identity badge."

...

After saying goodbye to Old Liu, Su Hao found Xiaopang and He Qingqing.

"Xiaopang, I'm leaving for a while. During this time, make sure you take good care of Qingqing, understood?" Su Hao said solemnly to Xiaopang.

Xiaopang immediately straightened up and said loudly, "Don't worry, Xiangwu. I know. If anyone dares to bully us, I'll deal with them swiftly. Besides, I have many sworn brothers now. Who in the academy doesn't show me respect? No one would dare bully me."

Su Hao nodded. This Xiaopang was talented in leveraging 'Wu Xiangwu's' reputation to build his own.

He Qingqing asked curiously, "Xiangwu, where are you going?"

When she heard Su Hao was leaving the academy temporarily, she felt a deep sense of insecurity.

Su Hao replied, "Just wandering around, no specific destination."

He Qingqing asked again, "How long will you be gone?"

Su Hao shook his head, "Not sure yet. Qingqing, don't worry. Xiaopang will protect you."

Xiaopang immediately patted his chest loudly.

Everyone needs to grow and face their own lives; Su Hao couldn't protect them forever. They weren't from the same world, and as they walked their paths, they would eventually part ways.

Su Hao sighed. He sincerely hoped that this girl he had watched grow up and Xiaopang would find their true partners in the future.

After packing his essentials, Su Hao went to the market to buy some necessities.

The most important items were various knives and tools: pliers, tweezers, flasks, bottles of various sizes, special solutions, and desiccants.

Once he was ready, he left the city, chose a direction, and turned on his 1000-meter detection radar, moving forward continuously.

Wherever he went, Xiao Guang would record the location, so he didn't worry about getting lost.

The 1000-meter radar range was the most cost-effective distance according to Su Hao's calculations. It was far enough for him to react to any situation.

Moreover, the 1000-meter radar put minimal strain on his blood energy, allowing it to run continuously.

While still near Rising Clouds Town, Su Hao occasionally encountered people but avoided them with his radar.

After two days of walking, he rarely saw other people and mostly encountered wild beasts.

Su Hao suddenly stopped, looking into the distance, sensing a peculiar blood energy at the edge of his radar. It was violent and chaotic, but not very strong, around the middle-rank elite level.

"Could it be a fierce beast?" This piqued Su Hao's curiosity.

He slowly approached, hiding behind a tree trunk, and looked towards the source of the blood energy.

A large centipede.

It was about 13 meters long, with a body as thick as a barrel. Its red and black shell reflected a peculiar sheen. The creature's two giant pincers were gripping a black-haired wild boar tightly, while its numerous legs writhed rhythmically, entwining the boar until it stopped moving.

The sight made Su Hao's scalp tingle.

His first encounter with a fierce beast turned out to be such a creature, making him hesitant to draw his blade.

Killing this thing and dissecting it for beast runes seemed daunting...

"Forget it, the first hunt is important. Looks don't matter as long as it has a beast rune." Su Hao dropped his huge backpack, drew his long sword, and instantly appeared beside the centipede, decapitating it with a single slash.

The centipede's head rolled off, its pincers still clamped onto the black boar.

Su Hao had read that centipedes could grow to the grandmaster level. This one was still in its juvenile stage. However, the book didn't mention where the centipede's beast rune was located.

With no other choice, Su Hao endured the disgust and used tools to peel back the centipede's shell piece by piece, finally discovering a complex, beautiful pattern under the fifth segment.

This was the beast rune.

"What the heck is this?"

Besides the pattern, Su Hao saw a thin, long golden thread wriggling in the flesh.

A parasite!

He quickly recorded the pattern in his Marble Space and left in a hurry.

The sight and smell were unbearable. If he couldn't find more beast runes, he might give up.

The pattern was incomplete, essentially useless. He could only record it and hope to hunt more centipedes in the future to compare and understand the complete beast rune.

After five more days, Su Hao encountered more fierce beasts, all elite level, and none escaped his grasp. He dissected them to record their beast runes.

Su Hao's attitude towards fierce beasts was the same as any human in this world: blood feud, mortal enemy, a fight to the death.

Not to mention his birth mother, who was killed by fierce beasts while protecting him. From his perspective as a human, he had a duty to kill any fierce beast he encountered.

Fierce beasts were the greatest enemy of the human race in this world. Only by exterminating them could humans truly become the world's dominant species. Otherwise, human cities would always face the threat of destruction.

Su Hao ventured deeper into the wilderness.

Powerful grandmaster-level fierce beasts occasionally appeared, and elite fierce beasts were numerous. His radar frequently detected several within a short distance.

Half a month later.

Su Hao found a rock cave, killed the giant ghost-patterned spider inside, cleaned it up, and made it his base.

"From now on, I'll use this as my base to collect beast runes."