The path in the woods was obviously not as flat as the outside, covered with vines, tree roots, and gravel.
Chen Guan's speed had to slow down, stumbling forward. The coffin occasionally bumped into the nearby trees, making dull thuds and clangs, startling the resting birds and a few small mutant beasts in the forest.
"Thirty meters to the front left, there is a faint spiritual energy reaction. It is recommended to avoid it."
The system prompted at the right time; this little thing was actually quite useful.
Chen Guan was always one to take good advice, so he immediately changed direction.
Not long after, his footing suddenly gave way. A seemingly solid patch of moss collapsed, revealing a shallow pit where several colorful poisonous snakes were coiled, hissing and flicking their tongues.
Chen Guan was startled and quickly backed away, the edge of the coffin scraping off a large piece of tree bark.
"Host, be careful. An Ironclad Badger is approaching from the right rear. Although it cannot break the defense of the Black Iron Coffin, getting rammed by it will still hurt quite a bit."
Chen Guan scrambled behind a large tree. With a loud bang, a creature covered in grayish-black hard armor, resembling an enlarged badger, slammed viciously into the trunk, leaving deep claw marks. It then shook its head, looked in confusion at Chen Guan and the strange large iron block, and left in disappointment.
Stumbling and on edge the whole way, Chen Guan's stamina dropped rapidly, and sweat soaked his clothes.
Although the system had reduced the weight of the Black Iron Coffin to zero, its sheer bulk was a massive hindrance in this complex terrain.
Just as his legs felt like lead and his lungs burned, feeling even worse than after his past physical fitness tests, the path ahead finally opened up.
A spacious road paved with smooth bluestone slabs appeared before his eyes. Tall Spirit Maple trees were planted on both sides, their leaves shimmering with a faint halo in the sunlight.
Occasionally, students wearing Huaqing Academy uniforms walked by in twos and threes. Their unhurried steps formed a sharp contrast with Chen Guan's current miserable state.
"Host, we have arrived. This is the Lingyun Path. According to my calculations, An Changqing and Su Yuehe will reach your current position in about two minutes."
Sys's excited voice sounded like heavenly music to Chen Guan's ears, and he almost plopped down onto the ground.
He forced himself to walk to a Spirit Maple tree by the road, gently leaned the coffin against its roots, and slid down to the ground, exhausted. He leaned against the cold coffin, gasping for air.
Looking the way he did now, let alone leaving a good impression during a chance encounter with the protagonist, he would be lucky not to scare them away. He even felt like a lunatic himself.
Even if the protagonist did not treat him like a lunatic, what about the audience?
He had to find a way to turn the situation around... at least he needed a reasonable excuse to make contact.
His gaze swept around, and he saw a delicate signpost standing by the road. It displayed a map of the nearby areas, including the dormitory area, teaching area, training grounds, and so on.
Below the map was a small line of text.
Freshman Inquiry Desk: Fifty meters ahead, Spirit Maple Pavilion.
Got it!
Chen Guan struggled to his feet, straightened out his crumpled clothes that were covered in grass clippings and dust, and wiped the sweat from his face.
He hoisted the coffin onto his back, took a few steps toward the Spirit Maple Pavilion, and then stopped. A look of confusion and anxiety timely appeared on his face as he looked around, as if searching for something.
A qualified background character... no, a qualified plot inserter needed to fabricate a reasonable identity and behavioral logic for himself.
Soon, two figures walked side by side from the other end of the Lingyun Path.
On the left was a tall, handsome young man with gray hair, wearing simple white casual clothes. His azure eyes, as blue as the sky, revealed a clear purity, and a gentle smile hung on his lips as he turned his head to listen to the girl beside him.
This was none other than the Child of Destiny of this world, the future legend of the supernatural realm, An Changqing.
On the right was a cute and charming girl with her hair tied in a ponytail. Her cheeks were flushed, and her large purple eyes blinked rapidly as she looked around with excitement and curiosity. This was An Changqing's childhood friend, Su Yuehe.
"Changqing, Huaqing is so big! It feels even bigger than when we visited before. Look at the training ground over there, it looks like some senior students are practicing. That fireball is so cool!"
Su Yuehe chattered away. She was a very lively person, a stark contrast to An Changqing's more introverted style.
"Yeah, we'll have to work hard on our cultivation here too. The academy has some resources that even our families can't provide." An Changqing nodded. His father, An Changsong, was the current president of the Superhuman Association, and his portrait was still on the wall of outstanding alumni.
His identity was an open secret, so An Changqing had to be mindful of his every word and action, lest he negatively impact his father.
As the two approached, they naturally noticed the incredibly conspicuous black iron coffin and its owner, the rather disheveled-looking Chen Guan.
Su Yuehe subconsciously leaned closer to An Changqing and whispered, "Changqing, look at that guy... and that coffin. It's so weird."
An Changqing frowned slightly, his gaze sweeping between Chen Guan and the coffin with a hint of vigilance.
In this world, anything bizarre could be tied to danger.
Chen Guan felt their gazes and knew his audience was in place.
He took a deep breath and forced a harmless, slightly embarrassed smile onto his face. He waved uncertainly in the direction of An Changqing and Su Yuehe, then pointed at the sign for the Spirit Maple Pavilion in the distance. With a hesitant tone and at a volume just loud enough for the two of them to hear, he spoke up:
"Um... excuse me, classmates. I'm a newly registered freshman, and I'm not familiar with the school yet... Could you tell me if the freshman inquiry desk is up ahead? I want to ask about the dorm arrangements and... where to store this."
He pointed awkwardly at the coffin strapped to his back, pretending to be completely clueless.
His tone carried a hint of anxiety, perfectly masking his true purpose of crossing the campus and braving the Trial Forest. He played the role of a struggling freshman to perfection.
An Changqing and Su Yuehe exchanged a glance, their vigilance relaxing slightly.
So he was just a freshman too, and it seemed he had run into some trouble because of that bizarre coffin.
An Changqing had an upright personality and was always ready to help others. Seeing this, he took the initiative to say, "Yes, the Spirit Maple Pavilion up ahead is the temporary inquiry desk. Did you... come from the North Gate?"
He noticed the dirt and grass clippings on Chen Guan, as well as his obvious state of exhaustion.
Normally, no one would end up looking this disheveled inside the school, unless...
His gaze shifted toward the dense forest not far away.
"Yeah," Chen Guan nodded with a bitter smile, playing along. "There were fewer people at the North Gate. After I finished the paperwork, I heard the dorms were in the East District, so I tried to take a shortcut through the Trial Forest. But... I got lost and almost ran into an alien beast. I barely managed to find the main road."
"The Trial Forest?" Su Yuehe's eyes widened in surprise. "You carried this... um... iron block, and crossed through the Trial Forest? That's amazing."
Her gaze now held a bit more curiosity and a little less fear. She wasn't the type to be afraid of dead bodies, but she did find walking around with a coffin on one's back rather strange, fearing he might be some sort of campus weirdo.
An Changqing also looked surprised, taking another look at Chen Guan and that black iron coffin which appeared incredibly heavy.
To be able to carry such a thing alone through the Trial Forest, even if it was just along the outskirts, showed that his physical stamina was far from ordinary.