Su Hao wasn't joking when he said he planned to leave. He was dead set on graduating early. Since he had already mastered the basics and advanced to the level of a master warrior, there was no reason for him to spend another year playing academy games with teenagers.
His most important task now was unraveling the mysteries of beast veins, and everything else could be set aside for the time being. However, the number of beast veins he currently had was far too few to support his research.
To acquire a large number of beast veins, he would need a tremendous amount of money. But even with funds, beast veins weren't always for sale. They were rare and invaluable, and no one would easily part with them.
Thus, Su Hao decided to venture into the wilderness himself, hunt fierce beasts, and obtain beast veins straight from the source.
This was a long-considered decision. The wilderness was an endless source of research materials—whatever he needed, he could find out there. So why focus solely on the limited number of beast veins that humanity possessed?
And besides, after killing Jin Datong, it was wise to lay low for a while.
However, staying in Lingyun Town, Su Hao wasn't sure if he could remain low-key. His research would attract attention, even if he tried to keep a low profile. If, by chance, someone discovered that he had already reached Master level, who knew if they might connect him to Jin Datong's death?
Therefore, venturing into the wilderness allowed him to pursue his goal of collecting beast veins while avoiding unnecessary risks. It was a perfect solution.
As for the threat of encountering powerful beasts?
His [Minimap] wasn't just for show. It could detect powerful beasts in advance, allowing him to avoid them or, alternatively, track down the perfect targets for hunting.
In fact, the ‹perception› rune was nothing short of a divine skill for him.
Su Hao went directly to find Bald Liu. "Teacher Liu, I'm here to apply for early graduation."
Bald Liu looked surprised. "Early graduation? Why the rush? Even though you've become a high-level elite warrior, in the second year, there's a course on fighting fierce beasts that can improve your combat abilities. It's still valuable."
Su Hao didn't want to reveal that he had already advanced to Master level, but he also didn't want to lie to Bald Liu. He said, "The second-year courses won't help me much. I don't want to waste time—I feel there are more important things I can do."
Bald Liu scratched his bald head, thinking for a moment before saying, "Alright! I'll allow it. But remember, you'll always be a student of Lingyun Warrior Academy. Keep that academy badge safe."
After thinking for a bit, he added, "If you have any questions, feel free to come to me. I'll answer anything I can."
Su Hao smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Teacher Liu. I definitely will."
Bald Liu then said, "Three years from now, your class will hold a graduation ceremony. Be sure to come back for that, and I'll have your identity card ready for you."
….
After saying goodbye to Teacher Liu, Su Hao went to find Fatty and He Qingqing.
"Fatty, I'm going to be away for a while. During this time, you must take good care of Qingqing, okay?" Su Hao said solemnly to Fatty.
Fatty immediately straightened up and shouted, "Don't worry, Xiangwu! I've got it. Anyone who dares bully us will face my wrath. Besides, I've got a lot of sworn brothers now. No one in the academy messes with me anymore."
Su Hao nodded. Fatty was a talented guy—he knew how to leverage his connection with "The Violent Sky, Wu Xiangwu" to build his own influence.
He Qingqing, however, was puzzled. "Where are you going, Xiangwu?"
At the mention of Su Hao leaving, an overwhelming sense of insecurity welled up inside her.
Su Hao replied, "Just wandering around, nothing specific."
He Qingqing then asked, "How long will you be gone?"
Su Hao shook his head. "I'm not sure how long. Don't worry, Qingqing, Fatty will protect you."
Fatty immediately puffed out his chest and thumped it with his fists.
In any case, everyone must grow up. Everyone has to face their own life. Su Hao couldn't protect them forever.
They weren't people who belonged to the same world, and as they walked their paths, one day they would inevitably drift apart.
With a heavy sigh, Su Hao genuinely hoped that this little girl he had watched grow up, and Fatty too, would find their true companions in the future.
After packing his belongings, Su Hao went to the market to buy some essentials.
The most important things were various tools and blades—pliers, tweezers, flasks, jars of all sizes, special liquids, desiccants, and more.
....
Two months later...
Once he had everything ready, he left the Lingyun Town, picked a direction, and activated his one-kilometer detection [Minimap] as he walked.
No matter where he went, [Cosmic Light] was always recording his position, so he didn't need to worry about losing his way.
Running the [Radar] with a one-kilometer range was something Su Hao had calculated to be the most efficient. It covered a large area, allowing him plenty of time to react to any situation.
Moreover, the one-kilometer[Radar] had a minimal blood qi cost, so he could keep it on continuously.
At first, while near Lingyun Town, Su Hao occasionally encountered other people, but he avoided them all using his [Minimap].
Two days into his journey, he rarely saw any more people—most of his encounters were with wild beasts.
Suddenly, Su Hao stopped, his eyes narrowing as he looked into the distance. His [Minimap] had picked up a peculiar blood qi signature at the edge of its range. It was chaotic and violent, but not very strong, only at the level of a mid-tier elite.
"Could it be a fierce beast?" Su Hao's curiosity was piqued.
Approaching cautiously, he hid behind a tree trunk and peered toward the source of the blood qi.
It was a giant centipede.
The creature was about thirteen meters long, with a body as thick as a barrel. Its red and black exoskeleton gleamed with a strange luster, and its massive pincers were currently clamped tightly around a black-furred wild boar. The centipede's countless legs squirmed rhythmically, coiling around its prey, and the wild boar soon stopped moving.
The sight made Su Hao's scalp tingle.
His first fierce beast encounter was with such a grotesque creature, and he hesitated about whether to draw his blade.
Killing it wasn't the issue. It was the thought of dissecting the thing afterward to find the beast veins…
The very idea made him uncomfortable.
"Forget it. What's important is getting started. It doesn't matter if it's ugly, as long as it has a beast vein," Su Hao muttered. He dropped his large pack, drew his long blade, and in a flash, appeared beside the centipede, decapitating it with a single stroke.
The centipede's head tumbled to the ground, but its pincers remained tightly clamped on the wild boar.
Su Hao had read that centipedes could grow into Master-level beasts, but this one was still in its juvenile stage. Unfortunately, the books didn't mention where the beast vein on a centipede might be located.
With no other choice, Su Hao gritted his teeth and began dissecting the creature, peeling off its exoskeleton piece by piece. Finally, under the fifth section of its shell, he found a complex, beautiful pattern.
This was the beast vein.
"Whoa! What's this?"
Besides the vein, Su Hao also noticed a thin, long golden thread wriggling in its flesh.
A parasite?
Hastily recording the vein in his Marbel Space, Su Hao quickly left the area.
The whole experience had been a sensory nightmare.
The stench alone was unbearable, and if he couldn't find more beast veins soon, he was considering giving up.
Just one glance at the vein told him it wasn't a complete beast vein, rendering it almost useless for now. Its attributes were unknown. He could only log it and hope that by hunting more centipedes in the future, he could compare them and eventually piece together a complete vein.
Five days later, Su Hao began encountering more and more fierce beasts. All of them were elite-level creatures, and none escaped his blade. Each one was dissected, and its beast vein shards recorded.
Su Hao ventured deeper into the wilderness as he traveled.
Powerful Master-level fierce beasts occasionally appeared, and elite-level ones were everywhere. Su Hao's [Minimap] detected several beasts with every short stretch he walked.
....
Half a month later im the depth of the wilderness.
Su Hao found a cave and, after slaying a giant Ghost-Spider that was residing inside, cleaned it out and claimed it for himself.
"From now on, this will be my base. Time to start collecting beast vein shards in large quantities."