Perhaps Xidu University's efficiency is rapid, or maybe Li Pu is the only freshman left who hasn't completed the procedures.
In any case, the time spent was less than expected, and including travel, it only took an hour for him to complete all the processes.
Although he has just become a Summoner and his storage space is still very small, about just one cubic meter, it is already enough for Li Pu to carry his luggage.
So he arrived at the allocated official dormitory empty-handed.
There's no denying that being the last has its perks; the dormitory originally meant for four has turned into a single room just in time for him.
Temporarily without roommates, he enjoys the tranquility.
After a simple tidy-up, Li Pu went out for a casual dinner.
He returned, freshened up, and went to bed early.
As for the straw man, it lay in front of the desk, staring longingly at the pile of cola.
It seemed worried that once it started drinking, there would be no more, so it was reluctant to touch them.
After a day of running around, Li Pu finally had the chance to relax.
Now comfortably lying in bed, he began to think about tomorrow's plan.
Tomorrow, there are two places he wants to go.
One is the library because he needs to look up some information.
Although he had been exposed to some summoner-related knowledge early on through his grandfather, it's ultimately not very formal or systematic.
It's said that Xidu University's library has a vast reserve of information, and Li Pu plans to research thoroughly to better understand the straw man.
The other place he wants to go is the Wind Listening Hall.
His reason for going to the Wind Listening Hall is to find other freshmen for practice.
After all, practical battle is still very important.
With the official start of school only a few days away, he feels it's necessary to quickly enhance his rapport with the straw man, especially in combat aspects.
Thus, amidst such thoughts, Li Pu gradually fell asleep.
The night passed uneventfully.
...
Early the next morning, Li Pu arrived at the library just in time for its opening hours.
Because his current storage space is still too small and worried about disturbing others, he instructed the straw man not to cause any trouble before leaving it outside.
Upon entering the library and finding a computer connected to the internal network, Li Pu quickly located the Summoned Beast Encyclopedia.
The Summoned Beast Encyclopedia can be regarded as a remarkable project over the past century.
All summoners within the Federation can participate in it.
They contribute what they know about the relevant information, which gets entered into the encyclopedia after multiple reviews.
Li Pu inputted several traits of the straw man and used the search engine to find the information he wanted.
He opened the page and confirmed its accuracy.
Because the photos of the summoned beasts inside were nearly identical to his straw man, at least he couldn't discern much difference.
So he started reading line by line.
[Straw Man, a very weak summoned beast, initial rank must be F]
This first sentence of introduction was already somewhat disheartening.
[Most straw man attributes range between 9 Wood 1 Water to 7 Wood 3 Water]
Attributes can determine restraint relationships in battle, and they are sometimes a prerequisite for learning certain skills.
However, with the Friend of Magical Beasts, Li Pu doesn't have to worry about the straw man's attribute constraints too much.
He himself, conversely, would need to face this issue in the future.
[Fatherly Love] is evidently a skill without attribute constraints because the random skill orb is assigned according to the user's condition.
From the encyclopedia information, it can be known that even for the same summoned beast, differences exist between each individual.
As for his straw man being 10 Wood with no Water, Li Pu didn't know whether it was good or bad.
[Straw Man's Diet: Water]
This part is rather easy to care for.
It can survive just by drinking water, unlike other summoned beasts that require special food or feed.
With the tap in the dormitory turned on, the straw man can drink to its fill.
There's only the concern of the straw man getting a taste for cola and only drinking that later.
There's uncertainty whether drinking it long-term would turn the straw man into a sugar figure.
[Straw Man's Independent Growth Method: Absorb Sun and Moon Essence]
[Straw Man's Active Cultivation Method: Provide suitable water or light-oriented materials]
Seeing the growth method here, Li Pu felt quite relieved.
The meaning is that as long as the straw man is left outdoors 24 hours a day, it can grow on its own.
Regarding the active cultivation method, it's relatively logical.
Grass, after all, likes water and light.
Moreover, he still has the Friend of Magical Beasts that can use sacrificial skills to cultivate the straw man; he just doesn't know the extent of this cash-burner's effectiveness, which needs to be experienced to be understood.
[Straw Man Type, Mostly Wind Listening or Furious]
About the common knowledge of summoned beast types, Li Pu is somewhat familiar.
Summoned beast types are generally divided based on the method of acquiring skill power.
Skill power has many names: energy, stamina, mana, divine power, etc. Although the terms are not unified, what they actually express is the same meaning.
It's what summoned beasts need to consume when releasing skills.
All summoned beasts possess a basic skill power recovery speed, although this basic recovery is typically slow.
Depending on the characteristics of each system, most will have unique recovery methods.
Balanced system has no special recovery method, but its basic recovery speed is the fastest among the seven systems.
Furious system can restore skill power by consuming its blood qi, considered a major consumer of revival talismans.
Sagacious system has no special recovery method, its basic recovery speed is slightly fast, yet its skill power capacity is usually more substantial than other systems, and its approach has the strongest functionality of the seven.
Steadfast system accelerates skill power recovery when receiving attacks or damage; this type of summoned beast often takes the frontline task in a team.
Momentum system accelerates skill power recovery when its attacks hit the target; its offensive capability is the strongest among the seven systems.
Pursuit system recovers skill power faster by moving faster; such summoned beasts are often extraordinarily nimble.
Wind Listening system recovers skill power faster the more stationary it becomes, with a fighting style inclined towards stationary combat.
However, not every skill requires skill power consumption; for example, Li Pu's own [Fatherly Love] is passive without any consumption, requiring only a voluntary choice to toggle on or off.
The next several pieces of information aren't Li Pu's primary focus, once glanced at and stored in memory is enough.
Until seeing the last item, he finally slowed down his reading again.
[Due to the Straw Man's simple rebirth conditions, chaotic and excessive directions]
[Detailed introductions will not be conducted here]
[Currently known Straw Man rebirth cap: 2nd rebirth]
[Note: Theoretically, all summoned beasts have the potential for nine rebirths; summoners owning straw men should not be disheartened]
Rebirth, also known as evolution, is the essential path for summoned beasts to become stronger.
Upon reaching their current max level state, such as 0 rebirth max level LV30, 1 rebirth max level LV40, and so on.
Coupled with certain cultivation materials and specific conditions, rebirth can be accomplished.
Every rebirth resets a summoned beast back to LV1, but they gain higher base combat power than they did at LV1 previously.
Levels, skill caps, etc., will be increased as well.
There's even the possibility of changing ranks, attributes, form, or species.
It's been heard that some naturally powerful summoned beasts are born 1st or even 2nd reborn.
Li Pu wanted to check whether the Summoned Beast Encyclopedia had any decent straw man evolution plans.
In the end, one sentence "no detailed introductions conducted here" dismissed him.
Moreover, the known rebirth cap is merely a trivial 2nd rebirth, truly following suit from the introduction at the beginning, causing another wave of disheartenment.
Yet upon consideration, he could only accept reality.
From common sense, no one would particularly focus on cultivating a straw man.
As summoned beasts grow stronger, summoners receive partial physical and spiritual feedback enhancements.
Typically, summoners need a 1st reborn summoned beast to gain sufficiently strong spiritual power, allowing the contract with a second summoned beast.
Once owning a 2nd reborn summoned beast, they can contract a third, and so on sequentially.
If someone else had a straw man, the most rational approach would be fostering it quickly and affordably to 1st rebirth, then forming a contract with a second new summoned beast and focus cultivation on it.
However, Li Pu doesn't have such plans.
It's been said that some magical beasts possess peculiar skills enabling them to undergo rebirth under favorable conditions.
He believes that with the right kind of appropriate skill detected, the straw man may indeed break through the racial cap.
Furthermore, with him, the straw man surely will not be weak. He has confidence in cultivating the straw man into an interesting—oh no, a powerful summoned beast.
Imagine, if a 10 Wood straw man suddenly conjured up a huge Fireball during battle; wouldn't that scene be intriguing?
...
...