13: Chapter 13: A wealth of useful information from Teacher Li Zhen.

The bell for the first class of the afternoon rang, and a tall, rugged-looking middle-aged man walked into the classroom.

He was wearing a grey training uniform, and a leather canteen that looked quite old hung from his waist. He exuded an aura of toughness and weariness, looking less like a teacher and more like an adventurer who had spent years wandering in the wilderness.

"I am Li Zhen. You may call me Teacher Li."

As soon as the man spoke, his voice rang out like a bell, making the windows in the classroom buzz.

"Teacher Chen should have already told you about the basic theories of Divine Kingdom development. That stuff is important; it is the cornerstone of the Divine Kingdom's development."

"However, my course won't cover those things. My course focuses primarily on combat!"

Li Zhen's gaze swept across the class like a hawk, lingering on Fang Chuan for two extra seconds at the end.

"From today on, I am responsible for teaching you how to survive, and... how to kill your way out."

His words were simple and direct, filled with the scent of blood and fire, sending a chill rising from the soles of the feet of the newly adult students in the classroom.

"For this afternoon's class, I will be lecturing on the 'Divine Kingdom World Beast Compendium and Primary Exploration Protocols'."

As soon as Li Zhen finished speaking, a vast, boundless dark starry sky appeared on the smart blackboard behind him, along with images of various strange and grotesque beasts.

"Beyond the Divine Kingdom lies the endless Astral Realm. That is your future battlefield, and also your hunting ground. Knowing your prey is the first lesson every hunter must learn."

Li Zhen casually clicked on an image. It showed a small rat covered in long grey fur with a pair of huge front teeth.

"Gold-Eater Rat, a Level 1 beast, a gregarious creature. A single colony usually numbers between five hundred and three thousand. Its comprehensive combat power is between 10 and 30."

Li Zhen's voice was steady and powerful as he began to explain in detail.

"This creature is one of the most common low-level beasts in the Astral Realm and the Divine Kingdom world, and it is also the enemy you are most likely to encounter in the early stages. Their characteristics are that they are numerous, reproduce quickly, and their teeth can gnaw on low-grade metal ores, so you can usually find some basic mineral resources in their nests."

"Their weaknesses are also very obvious: low intelligence, weak individual strength, and cowardice. As long as your believer legion numbers over one hundred and is equipped with the most basic stone spears and wooden shields, you can easily crush them. Remember, when dealing with Gold-Eater Rats, you must find their Rat King, usually the largest one in the colony with the darkest fur. Kill the Rat King, and the rest will scatter."

Fang Chuan listened with extra focus.

Gold-Eater Rats?

He recalled Fara's report. The first enemy they encountered after setting out was this very creature. At the time, Fara said they had wiped out about three thousand Gold-Eater Rats. It seemed that what Fara and the others had encountered was likely a large Gold-Eater Rat colony.

Li Zhen clicked on several more images of beasts in succession.

"Wind-Blade Wolf, a Level 2 beast. Comprehensive combat power between 80 and 150. Gregarious, cunning, and good at teamwork. Their claws can tear through inferior leather armor, and they can spit weak wind blades to harass from a distance. To deal with them, heavy armored shield-bearers are the best choice. As long as you can withstand their first charge, these beasts have poor stamina and will quickly exhaust themselves."

"Doom Raven, also a Level 2 beast. A flying unit, very troublesome. Their feathers can be shot out like arrows, and their cries impose a negative status that lowers luck. If you don't have enough ranged units or troops that can counter flying units, I suggest you turn and run the moment you see them. Do not hesitate."

Hearing "Doom Raven," Fang Chuan's eyelid twitched.

Fara seemed to have mentioned this creature too, and even said they found a "Vermilion Fruit" in their nest. It seems that while these Doom Ravens are troublesome, there are indeed good things in their nests.

Li Zhen's class had no wasted words; it was all valuable experience summarized from life-and-death battles.

He explained in detail the habits, weaknesses, and potential loot of over a dozen low-level beasts commonly found in the areas surrounding the Divine Kingdom. Although this knowledge was mentioned in textbooks, it was nowhere near as vivid, concrete, and detailed as Li Zhen's lecture.

Fang Chuan even took out his notebook and recorded some key points.

Although he now had Fara, a bug-level existence, who could ignore the threat of most low-level beasts, Fara could not stay with the main force forever. In the future, when his believer legion expanded, it would inevitably have to be divided into multiple teams to explore in different directions. By then, this knowledge about beasts would be very useful and could effectively reduce unnecessary casualties.

"Teacher, I have a question!" A rather bold male student raised his hand.

"Speak." Li Zhen was concise.

"Teacher, the beasts you mentioned all sound very powerful. Those of us who have just awakened have low-level believers and small numbers. If we really encounter them, wouldn't we just be throwing our lives away? Doesn't the school advise us to stay in our Divine Kingdoms in the early stages and wait until we've developed before doing anything?"

This question voiced the inner thoughts of the vast majority of the students present.

Upon hearing this, Li Zhen pulled his mouth into a rugged smile, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

"Good question. The school's official advice is indeed for you to honestly stay in your Divine Kingdom and farm until you have ascended to Demigod status. Because for the vast majority of people, this is indeed the most stable and safest path."

His tone shifted, and his gaze became sharp.

"But! What I want to tell you is that no true powerhouse was ever created by farming! They were all forged by killing their way through!"

"In the Divine Kingdom world, danger and opportunity coexist! You only see the fangs of the beasts, but you fail to see the glittering resource cards, skill books, and even ownerless miracle buildings in their nests!"

"Here is a simple example. If you wipe out a colony of one thousand Gold-Eater Rats, besides obtaining a large amount of meat, you can at least scavenge low-grade ores worth over five hundred Faith Points from their nest. And what you might need to pay is only the loss of a few dozen Level 1 believers."

"Using a few dozen cannon fodder that can be regenerated at any time to exchange for five hundred Faith Points and a large amount of food—is this deal worth it?"

Li Zhen's voice was full of incitement. The students in the classroom began to breathe a little heavily.

Was it worth it?

It was absolutely worth it!

Five hundred Faith Points, to these penniless students, was simply a huge fortune! It could buy ten of the lowest-grade water veins!

"But... Teacher, what if we can't beat them? Wouldn't that mean the entire army would be wiped out?" Liu Ruyan frowned and raised a very realistic question.

"That is why I am teaching you these things." Li Zhen pointed to the beast compendium on the blackboard. "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. Before setting out, conduct thorough reconnaissance, assess the gap in strength between you and the enemy, choose troops that counter them, and prepare appropriate tactics. These are the essence of Divine Kingdom warfare."

"War is not a brainless charge; it is a precise calculation. Calculate your military strength, your resources, your logistics, and the upper limit of battle damage you can sustain."

"Of course, the prerequisite for all of this is that you must have troops. Without enough cannon fodder, you don't even have the qualifications to sit at the table."

"Alright, that's all for today's class." Li Zhen checked the time.

"After you go back, take a good look at your own Divine Kingdoms and weigh your own assets. Those who want to farm steadily, continue to farm. Those who want to go out and take a gamble, be prepared to lose everything."

"Remember, the path of the Divine Kingdom is your own path. How you walk it is your own choice. But, once you have chosen, do not regret it."

After speaking, Li Zhen picked up the canteen at his waist, unscrewed the cap, took a large gulp, and then turned and strode out of the classroom, leaving behind a room full of excited and contemplative students.

Fang Chuan silently packed his schoolbag.

He had already made his choice.

No, it should be said that the system had already made the choice for him.

All of his abilities seemed to point to one path—war! Plunder!

Farming steadily?

That was not his style.

What he wanted to do was to roll the largest snowball in the shortest amount of time, and then use absolute strength to crush everything!

Walking out of the teaching building, Fang Chuan did not return to his apartment but went straight to the Divine Domain meditation room on the back hill.

He was already impatient to see what new changes had occurred in his Divine Kingdom during the one hundred days he had been away.

Especially whether Fara's exploration team had discovered any new, valuable targets.

Pushing open the door of meditation room No. 09, Fang Chuan sat cross-legged and skillfully sank his consciousness into that world that belonged to him.