Chapter 758 – Three Thousand Mirror Ruins 25

Chapter 758 – Three Thousand Mirror Ruins 25

Mo Lan saw Lin Yue holding a thick illustrated guide and map, studying whether it would be more cost-effective to target a wind-stripe rabbit, known for its speed, or a hard-shell badger with slightly higher defense.

Wang Jingnan and his followers were huddled by the bookshelves on simple traps and weapon maintenance, researching how to use the environment to set up tripwires and pitfalls.

Even Su Yu, who usually kept to herself, was sitting in a corner clutching a copy of 《Analysis of Low-Rank Mirror Beast Weaknesses》, reading with utter focus, her fingers tracing faint attack angles in the air.

Mo Lan calmly made her way through the slightly crowded aisles. The shift in atmosphere here was well within her expectations.

The deeper significance of Instructor Yan Shuang’s assignment was not merely to test their self-study of theoretical knowledge—it was to force them to proactively dig up, filter, and synthesize information, ultimately forming their own reasoning and judgment. This was one of the core competencies essential to any Mirror Explorer.

She didn’t bother squeezing toward the popular bookshelves. She had already read all those books, and her practical plan was already written.

On Monday afternoon, what was originally the martial arts class became a plan review session. The atmosphere in the classroom was heavy.

Twelve plans of varying thickness were arranged neatly on the lectern. Yan Shuang picked one up expressionlessly and flipped through it rapidly.

Her reading speed was extremely fast—she could finish one plan in just a few minutes, underlining passages with a red pen or marking them with question marks as she went.

The students below grew increasingly nervous watching Instructor Yan Shuang’s face darken further and her pen strokes grow more agitated.

All twelve plans were graded in under ten minutes.

After the grading came the review session. Mo Lan was the first one called up.

Her plan was neither too thick nor too thin, but in Yan Shuang’s eyes, it was the most thorough—every aspect had been considered.

“Pass. Next!” Clean, decisive, not a single wasted word.

Mo Lan let out a breath of relief.

Honestly, she had been quite confident before submitting it, but watching the instructor’s demeanor during the grading had set her on edge.

Lin Yue took a deep breath, trying to maintain her composure as she walked up to the lectern, only to see her plan covered in red.

“The charm fox’s beguiling ability is extremely unfriendly to beginners. Do you have any experience countering charm abilities? Your supply list also lacks any corresponding defensive measures. In an emergency, what exactly does the ’emergency evacuation’ in your contingency plan rely on? Luck?”

“Go back and redo it. Focus on revising your defensive measures against charm effects and emergency response procedures. If you can’t find a good solution, switch to a different mirror beast to hunt!”

Lin Yue’s face turned white instantly. She bit her lip and took back her plan, now riddled with red lines.

“Next!”

Yan Shuang held up Chen Xingye’s thick plan and flipped to a particular section:

“Your plan does cite plenty of literature—I can tell your knowledge base is quite solid. However, the color-shifting iguana primarily operates within the burrows of the Kaleidoscope Wilderness. Those burrows are heavily affected by seasonal changes. Your hunting location and timeline have serious problems. If you followed this plan, once you went in, you wouldn’t come back out. Redo it!”

“Next!”

Su Yu walked up to the lectern somewhat nervously. Yan Shuang looked at her as if seeing a reflection of her past self. Still, what needed to be said had to be said. She flipped to the supply list:

“Your budget only accounts for the bare minimum of healing medicine? Are you planning to gamble your life for a higher success rate? Staying alive is the number one priority. No matter how tight the budget, basic safeguards must be fully covered. Add a backup plan and a more adequate medical budget.”

“If funds are truly tight and you’re unwilling to accept sponsorship, consider taking out a short-term loan to prepare your supplies. At the same time, research some of the more profitable materials in the Kaleidoscope Wilderness and incorporate gathering them into your plan. If you plan well, selling them when you return might not only cover the loan but also ease your funding shortage.”

“After all, we don’t have to pay an entrance fee for this trip to the Kaleidoscope Wilderness.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Su Yu had actually known all along where her plan fell short—she simply had no other options.

Now that Instructor Yan Shuang had pointed her toward another path, she suddenly had a clear direction.

“Zhao Wuchen, when a rot-moss swamp crocodile is on the verge of death, there is an extremely high probability it will spray out the accumulated corrosive toxic fluid stored in its body. Your plan makes absolutely no mention of this death-throes counterattack characteristic!”

“Zhou Ming! Your target selection itself is flawed. A thunder beetle might be killable using your approach, but it’s a two-star mirror beast. Are you certain your psychic power is sufficient to successfully extract its skill? Moreover, lightning-attribute skills require lightning-attribute beast cores to cast. Lightning-attribute mirror beasts are inherently scarce, so beast core prices remain stubbornly high. Even with your sponsorship, are you sure your follow-up resources are sufficient?”

“Wang Jingnan, you certainly seem to value teamwork! But in your teamwork plan, everyone else is an executor while you alone are the sole core decision-maker.”

“What happens if you encounter an unexpected situation? Do your teammates have the authority to make independent decisions on the spot? Your plan doesn’t address this at all.”

“Your command structure is rigid with a low margin for error. Revise your coordination plan and grant your team members the authority to react independently under certain circumstances.”

……

One by one, names were called to the front, and one by one, they walked back down carrying plans covered in red marks.

In the end, of the twelve plans reviewed, only Mo Lan’s had earned a passing grade.

Yan Shuang looked up, her gaze sweeping across the entire room as she said coldly, “Next week at this time, those who did not pass will resubmit their plans!”

She paused, then laid down a clear deadline and final ultimatum: “You have two more chances. After those two attempts, if your plans are still unsatisfactory, the field practice will be postponed—until I believe you are truly ready.”

The word “postponed” hit everyone’s hearts like a sledgehammer. It meant being completely left behind, and possibly even losing the right to remain in Mirror Explorer Class One.

Then her gaze turned to Mo Lan, the only one who had passed, her tone not softening in the slightest because of it: “Just because you passed doesn’t mean you can rest easy.”

“Plans are static. Mirror spaces are not.” Her words were ostensibly directed at Mo Lan alone, but in truth served as a warning to the entire class. “Every single word you wrote—I want it memorized in your mind, carved into your instincts. Because over there, any moment of carelessness could cost you your life—” her gaze swept over the others, “—or the life of your teammate.”

“From now on, you may begin preparing the supplies outlined in your plan.” This sentence was the one truly meant for Mo Lan alone.

Finally, she addressed the entire class and dropped a bombshell that utterly shattered any lingering sense of dependence anyone might have harbored:

“For this field practice, although I will accompany you the entire way, remember this: unless it is absolutely necessary—a matter of life and death—I will not intervene! Everything depends on you. Only when you are truly prepared will your chances of success be high!”