Chapter 16: The New Use of the Mysterious Small Island

In the morning, Lin Li went to the Exotic Beast Hunter Guild to take the qualification exam.

Although he passed the exam smoothly, he had sustained some minor injuries.

At this moment, his right arm, which was currently holding a phone, was covered in bruises—the direct result of that exam.

Even though Lin Li had rubbed it with red flower oil, these bruises wouldn't fade so quickly.

If he went to Su Yue's house to eat dumplings now, she would inevitably see the bruises on his arm. If she asked about them, he would have no way to explain.

He couldn't exactly tell her that he had suddenly taken off, that he was now a practitioner with peak First-Tier cultivation, and that he had passed the Exotic Beast Hunter qualification exam this morning.

After all, Su Yue knew that his cultivation aptitude was extremely poor; she believed there was no hope of him becoming a practitioner in this lifetime, let alone passing the hunter exam.

To go from being a "noob" a few days ago to an expert now... it was simply too illogical.

"Thanks! It's raining outside right now and I'm too lazy to go out, so just eat by yourself!"

"The rain isn't even that heavy. It would only take ten minutes to walk over with an umbrella, and you're still too lazy to come out... Fine! I'll eat by myself then!"

Hanging up the phone, Lin Li's face instantly slumped into a look of gloom as he realized he would be eating egg and shredded pork noodles again tonight.

"I'll go take a shower first!"

Having lost his appetite due to missing out on Su Yue's handmade dumplings, Lin Li turned back to his bedroom to grab some change of clothes for a shower.

…………

The next morning, the rain that had fallen all night finally stopped.

As the morning sun rose on the horizon, the golden sunlight hit the dew clinging to the flowers, plants, and trees, causing the droplets to refract a brilliant radiance.

After waking up early, brushing his teeth, washing his face, and eating breakfast, Lin Li changed into a set of camouflage clothing.

He shouldered his backpack and set off, carrying a wooden box containing his spiritual tool longsword in his hand.

At Ping'an Garden Residential Area, Building Six, Lin Li walked out of the stairwell and encountered an auntie walking toward him who was out for her morning exercise.

The auntie recognized Lin Li. Seeing his attire, she asked curiously, "Xiao Lin, where are you heading?"

"Good morning, Auntie Wang! I'm preparing to go camping with some friends," Lin Li said casually.

"Camping? Xiao Lin, you aren't planning to go camping in the wild, are you? There are many exotic beasts out there now; it's very dangerous..." Auntie Wang said with a face full of worry.

"Auntie Wang, the wild is so dangerous now, we wouldn't dare to camp out there. The place my friend found is in a safe zone in the suburbs..."

Lin Li chatted with Auntie Wang for a few moments before heading toward the entrance of the residential complex.

...

Having only fifty-five yuan left to his name, Lin Li hailed a taxi by the roadside. Once inside, he gave the address: "Driver, to Chenghua Avenue."

Hearing Lin Li say he was going to Chenghua Avenue, the driver was momentarily stunned, but then he started the car and drove toward the eastern suburbs.

After the taxi set off, Lin Li closed his eyes to calm his nervous emotions.

After all, in a little while, he would be fighting terrifying exotic beasts in the wilderness. For Lin Li, who had never fought an exotic beast before, the psychological pressure was immense.

The taxi driver was about forty-five or forty-six years old. Through the rearview mirror, he observed the young man in the back seat, who looked to be about the same age as his own son.

"Young man, are you heading to the wilderness outside the suburbs to hunt exotic beasts?" the driver asked curiously.

Calming his nerves, Lin Li opened his eyes upon hearing the driver's inquiry. "Yes."

"Judging by your age, you should be about the same age as my son. To dare to hunt exotic beasts in the wild at such an age, you are truly impressive!" the driver marveled.

Hearing a compliment that didn't sound insincere, Lin Li's nervousness actually began to subside.

…………

"That will be twenty-five yuan in total."

Upon arriving at Chenghua Avenue, Lin Li paid the fare and stepped out of the taxi.

Chenghua Avenue was still some distance from the wilderness. For safety reasons, taxi drivers generally only brought customers this far; the rest of the journey had to be completed on foot.

"Once I make big money in the future, I must buy a car," Lin Li muttered to himself while standing under the shade of a tree, dressed in camouflage with his backpack on and the wooden box in hand, before he began advancing toward the wilderness.

Although it had rained all night, there wasn't much water left on the road surface.

This indicated that even though they were very close to the wilderness, the local underground drainage system was very well-constructed.

The weather in July had already begun to get hot; under normal circumstances, temperatures would exceed thirty degrees.

However, due to yesterday's rain, today's temperature would be slightly lower.

As Lin Li walked toward the wilderness along the roadside shade, he felt a refreshing coolness whenever a light breeze blew past.

As he traveled on foot from Chenghua Avenue, the surrounding buildings became increasingly sparse.

Half an hour later, the vast, boundless wilderness appeared before Lin Li.

Behind him was the bustling, prosperous, and peaceful urban area; before him was the endless, danger-filled wilderness. This contrast caused Lin Li's mind to drift for a moment.

"Whew..."

Taking a deep breath, he clenched and then released his fists, his expression turning determined.

*Click.*

He opened the wooden box and took out the spiritual tool longsword that had cost him half of his savings.

"What should I do with this wooden box? Throw it away?" Holding the spiritual sword in his right hand and the wooden box in his left, Lin Li felt a bit conflicted.

He looked around; there wasn't a soul in sight.

"If I throw it away, I won't have a box to store my spiritual sword in later. I might as well put the wooden box onto the Mysterious Island!" As soon as the thought occurred to him, the wooden box in his hand vanished instantly.

"It can do that?!!!"

Lin Li, who had originally intended to bring the wooden box with him when he entered the Mysterious Island, hadn't expected that his physical body wouldn't need to carry it; he could simply place items from his hands onto the island.

"Come out." With a single thought, the vanished wooden box instantly reappeared in Lin Li's hand.

Feeling the changes in the spiritual energy within his body, he discovered that the spiritual energy consumed to place an object onto the Mysterious Island was far less than the energy required for his physical body to enter the island once.

"Haha! It really works! Does this mean I can use that Mysterious Island as my storage space from now on?"

Having inadvertently discovered a new use for the Mysterious Island, Lin Li began to laugh foolishly in the deserted area.

Subsequently, he also placed his heavy backpack, which weighed over ten pounds, into the Mysterious Island.

Then, gripping his spiritual tool longsword tightly, he stepped cautiously into the wilderness ahead.

…………

(End of Chapter)