Unlike yesterday, it was already close to noon, and there was no hint of fog at the edge of the forest.
Moreover, the plants and magical beasts' rage had long subsided—it lasted only a bit over an hour yesterday. Now, the forest was peaceful and quiet.
This undoubtedly provided Li Pu with great convenience for his next actions.
"But in this vast forest, how should I find the small tree person?"
The only problem was that he had no idea where to start.
The only thought he had was to wander deep and explore aimlessly.
[Grass!]
Caocao patted its chest, signaling Li Pu to rest assured.
With it around, they could smell the little buddy from afar.
After Guoguo the turtle, the little king Zen tree also became known as its buddy.
This made Li Pu suspect that his summoned beast wasn't just ordinary grass—it was social grass.
Thus, one man and one grass ventured into the forest.
Since there was no clear aim, they went straight into the depths.
Although there was fog blocking the view yesterday, Li Pu believed the little king Zen tree was found deeper inside.
[Thunk~Thunk~Thunk~]
After walking for a while, a strange sound echoed ahead of them.
Soon, a figure emerged amidst the dense forest.
It appeared to be a giant spring as tall as a person, bouncing along in the woods with a gray-green hue.
Li Pu had actually encountered this type of magical beast yesterday, so he knew it well.
Even though it looked like a spring, it wasn't.
This was a snake.
Its scientific name is Bounce Snake, non-toxic, with mixed metal and wood attributes.
Its primary attack method relies on its own elasticity to launch collisions at targets.
Despite its leisurely appearance now, when it fights, its bounce speed and strength are quite impressive.
[Grass?]
Caocao immediately looked at Li Pu, asking to engage.
It had just acquired a new skill and was eager to try it out.
"No rush, let's move on."
Li Pu shook his head, showing a lack of interest.
Yesterday's experience made him realize one fact.
That is, unless he encountered communal vines, solitary magical beasts were of little significance to him.
Because these weak creatures need to be collected in hundreds to be considered a single relevant material.
Relying solely on isolated magical beasts for materials might take ages to gather enough.
Bounce Snakes are relatively mild, neutral magical beasts with low intelligence and no territorial awareness.
Unless provoked into a berserk state, they are only interested in fruits or fruit-like magical beasts and won't randomly attack people.
Therefore, they almost passed by each other, without any conflict.
Li Pu and Caocao continued to explore deeper and deeper until they reached the central area of the southern forest and stopped.
Concerning this operation, Li Pu had somewhat of a direction.
The time spent on this path was similar to the time spent finding the little king Zen tree yesterday.
But the difference was that he undoubtedly took a detour yesterday, which he didn't today.
This means where they were now was certainly deeper into the forest than before.
Along the way, the magical beasts they encountered grew stronger.
There were even some aggressive magical beasts pursuing them, but Li Pu managed to avoid them.
Caocao's 10 wood sense had already given an alert.
If they continued further, the magical beast aura inside would be even stronger.
Li Pu had a rough idea of his abilities. If they ventured further, they might not be as composed or as safe.
The purpose of this trip was just to find the small tree person, not a suicide mission.
So they adjusted their route to move laterally.
If the small tree person's activity range was around this depth, they should have a good chance of finding it.
Thus, they moved eastward, and after about an hour, Caocao really caught the scent of the little king Zen tree.
[Grass~]
Caocao gleefully raised its arms to celebrate and then pointed Li Pu in a direction to continue east.
"Finally found it?"
Li Pu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
In that hour, they covered quite a distance.
His physical fitness was strong, so his speed was basically the upper limit of Caocao's.
However, as a summoned beast, Caocao had surprisingly good stamina, unmatched by ordinary humans.
Along the way, it rarely rested, opting instead to chug a bottle of cola, instantly refreshing.
Among the monster zones surrounding the school, the southern area was the weakest, with levels mostly ranging from L1 to 3.
The other zones started at a minimum of LV5, with some small areas rumored to have LV20+ and nearly first-turn monsters.
Li Pu proceeded east without fear of accidentally entering the brutal eastern zone.
Following yesterday's competition, he specifically checked the school's external map.
Between each monster zone, distinct natural environments existed to separate them.
The south and west region border was marked by a large river.
The south and east region border was an extended mountain wall.
If they encountered the mountain wall and didn't cross it, they wouldn't accidentally end up in the dangerous east zone.
Although Caocao smelled the scent of the little king Zen tree, they still had a bit of distance to cover before finding it.
As they moved forward, Li Pu began to smell the gradually clearer fragrance too.
After tracking for another five minutes, they finally spotted the silhouette of the small tree person.
Like before, it had its head buried in the dirt, trembling slightly.
It was only through Caocao's explanation yesterday that Li Pu learned this was the little king Zen tree's unique way of seeking refuge.
To put it bluntly, it was similar to an ostrich.
Clearly, their approach had alarmed it again.
[Caocao!]
Caocao: Xiangxiang's little buddy, wake up!
Caocao immediately dashed over, patting the tree trunk body.
[Swoosh?]
Upon hearing the familiar sound, the little king Zen tree promptly lifted its head from the soil.
Not knowing the visitors were them, it now showed a look of happiness.
[Swoosh Swoosh Swoosh!]
Little king Zen tree: The two beloved bashful brothers, you're here!
That morning, it pondered when the two would return to brawl with it again.
Never did it expect such an early surprise.
Being pummeled daily, it could grow stronger fast!
Caocao and the tree began an exchange of swooshes and grasses, yet Li Pu didn't join in.
His attention was now entirely engrossed elsewhere.
It turned out that where the little king Zen tree roamed today was a wide valley.
Looking toward the valley's entrance, one could see an array of wriggling things moving inside.
Communal magical beasts!
They finally appeared.
Seeing this scene, Li Pu laughed.
Could the little tree person possess prosperity magic, bringing whatever desires came his way?
...
...