After dinner, they set up their tents. By the time darkness had fully fallen, the Shrek group welcomed their first night in the Star Dou Forest.
They had not assigned anyone to keep watch. Or rather, the watchman was fixed as Le Bai—he could cultivate while remaining vigilant through his perception, so there was no need to assign anyone else.
This was also Le Bai's own request.
After all, the others' perception abilities were truly not that good. It would be impressive if they could detect a Soul Beast a few seconds before it attacked. That would make it impossible for Le Bai to rest or cultivate peacefully, so it was better for him to do it himself. It was good for everyone.
However, the others were not actually sleeping either. Everyone tacitly chose to cultivate instead of sleep.
Perhaps Le Bai had chosen a good location, or perhaps they were simply lucky. Nothing happened throughout the night.
At dawn, everyone woke up at roughly the same time.
After a night of rest, although it had not been as comfortable as being at the Academy, the mental exhaustion from the previous day had almost completely recovered.
"Starting today, we will advance through the Star Dou Forest in a spiral, gradually heading deeper toward the core area, until Le Bai finds suitable Soul Beasts for you."
After everyone had washed up, Flender announced, "There may not be any more places as suitable for camping as this one, so prepare yourselves mentally."
As he spoke, Flender kept looking at the four new students. Clearly, his words were meant for them.
Still, the older students conscientiously shouted along, "Understood!"
"Very good."
Flender nodded in satisfaction and instructed, "Le Bai, begin."
Le Bai nodded, though what he was actually thinking about was what to