After finishing his diary entry for the day, Su Ming didn't focus on cultivating his spirit power. Instead, he re-entered the learning space to continue his studies on making talismans.
Meanwhile, the other Shrek students felt a sense of urgency upon seeing Su Ming's breakthrough, so they couldn't sleep and stayed up to train.
At midnight:
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing today's diary entry. You have received the following reward: 10 Learning Acceleration Cards.]
[Learning Acceleration Card: Increases learning efficiency by ten times for one hour.]
Su Ming was thrilled when he saw this. It was perfect for accelerating his talisman training. With these cards, he believed he would soon be able to create second-level talismans.
Indeed, Su Ming had already mastered the creation of first-level talismans. First, because they were the simplest to make, and second, due to his high level of spiritual power, aided by his Sharingan. This allowed him to progress quickly.
Once he returned from the Star Dou Forest, Su Ming planned to dedicate more time to making talismans. He wanted to create a fourth-level talisman soon. His spirit power was already quite high for his age, so he could afford to focus on other areas for now.
On the other side, the female protagonists eagerly awaited their own rewards from the diary:
[Ding! The following female protagonists were mentioned today: Xiao Wu (once), Zhu Zhuqing (once), Ning Rongrong (twice).]
[The female protagonist mentioned the most is Ning Rongrong, who receives a Distraction Control Advancement Card from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.]
Ning Rongrong's face lit up with excitement. This advancement card could directly elevate her Distraction Control skill by one level! Seeing Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing's curious expressions, she excitedly explained, "I got a reward that's really useful for me."
"I received a Distraction Control Advancement Card. Distraction Control is a secret technique from our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, with five levels: Three Apertures Control, Four Apertures Constant Heart, Five Apertures Scattering Heart, Six Apertures Free Heart, and Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart."
"Because our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda needs to adjust its boosts based on the spirit masters' characteristics and the number of people it supports, it consumes a lot of energy. This secret technique helps reduce that consumption. I've already mastered the Three Apertures Control, which matches my current spirit level."
In the original story, Ning Rongrong only mastered the Three Apertures Control during the Spirit Master Competition, but now, she had matured early, entered the Spirit Elder realm sooner, and was far more diligent. The system's regular power boosts and the Lapis Lazuli Jade Pendant's assistance had allowed her to devote significant time to learning this secret technique.
Xiao Wu, hearing about such a secret technique for the first time, marveled, "Wow, big clans really are different!"
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had the Distraction Control technique, the Clear Sky Clan had skills like the Great Sumeru Hammer, Ring Explosion, and the Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique, while the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had Dragonification, though they weren't as notable in presence.
Curious, Xiao Wu asked, "Rongrong, when do you plan to use this advancement card? Now or later?"
Ning Rongrong thought for a moment and replied, "I'll save it for later. I know my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda can evolve into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. The Distraction Control secret technique only goes up to the Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart, supporting up to the Spirit Sage level. Beyond that, I'll have to figure things out on my own. This card will save me a lot of time later."
The others nodded in agreement, understanding her reasoning. Since Rongrong's current realm matched her level of the technique, there was no rush to advance just yet.
The next morning, the group set out toward the Star Dou Forest. Oscar busied himself by creating sausages with his incantation. Though the three girls were still somewhat disgusted, they had grown used to it and tried to ignore it.
As usual, the three girls opted to rely on Su Ming's support, while the others ate Oscar's sausages. Soon, they arrived at the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest.
Zhao Wuji gave the group a serious look and said, "Listen up, the Star Dou Forest isn't like the state-controlled soul beast habitats. The spirit beasts here are more vicious, and their levels are higher. You could run into thousand-year or even ten-thousand-year-old spirit beasts at any time. Once we enter the forest, none of you can stray more than twenty meters from me. Oscar and Ning Rongrong, especially, must stick close to me. Got it?"
Oscar and Ning Rongrong both nodded emphatically. As auxiliary spirit masters, they had no means of protecting themselves and were at high risk. Ning Rongrong also didn't want to reveal her spirit tool just yet.
Oscar then summoned eight big sausages and eight small sausages, handing them to everyone. "These sausages last for twelve hours. In case of emergency, I may not be able to assist immediately, so take them now."
Although the three girls didn't want to eat Oscar's sausages, they took them anyway, just in case. Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing's strengths were considerable, while Ning Rongrong trusted Su Ming's protection and felt she wouldn't need to use them. She would rather reveal her fifth-level spirit tool than eat the sausages. Oscar's image, though not as bad as Ma Hongjun's or Dai Mubai's, still left much to be desired.
Oscar's spirit power was significantly depleted after producing sixteen sausages, leaving him a little pale. His sausages were useful for others, but only one-third as effective for himself. This meant he had to eat three of his own big sausages to make one, preventing any shortcuts.
Su Ming's auxiliary skills, on the other hand, worked equally well for both himself and others.
After ensuring everyone was ready, Zhao Wuji gave the order, "Let's move. Stay close!"
This time, Zhu Zhuqing stepped back, allowing Su Ming and Zhao Wuji to lead the group.
For Su Ming, this was his first time entering the Star Dou Forest. He admired the scenery but knew the dangers lurking within. Extending his spiritual sense, he scanned the surroundings, avoiding the more hazardous areas as much as possible.
In this forest, most spirit beasts harbored hostility toward spirit masters. Even weak spirit beasts that gathered in groups could pose a significant threat unless a spirit master was exceptionally strong.