Chapter 55: I Didn’t Mean to Get First Place

After leaving the Rainbow Deer King, Wang Che continued on his way toward the Floating Forest.

He walked and rested along the way, and by evening, he was only a few kilometers away from his destination.

“Ahead should be the Floating Forest.”

Wang Che looked into the distance.

At the edge of his vision was an area covered in shadow.

He couldn’t clearly see what was inside.

“With the delays along the way, the other three probably already went in.”

After leaving the Rainbow Deer King, Wang Che had been very cautious the whole way.

He felt that there must be a Soul Pact Master behind that Forest Viper.

However, in the wild areas, Vigilance Eagles occasionally flew past, so the other party wouldn’t directly expose themselves.

To be safe, Wang Che naturally traveled very carefully.

Along the way, he also tested the Green Caterpillar’s strength.

He found that after receiving the Life Feedback from the Rainbow Deer King, and with the support of Plant Life Energy, this child’s physique had improved a lot.

Its health bar became thicker.

Especially the light green patterns on its body.

They glowed when it used the Soul Skill Energy Detonation.

Unfortunately, after the whole journey, the Green Caterpillar still hadn’t fully mastered this move.

At this time, Wang Che and the Green Caterpillar continued forward, walking another few miles.

Suddenly, he noticed several Small Wooden Houses not far ahead.

Around the wooden houses were fences, and inside the fences, many Soul Pets were eating.

“Young man, it’s getting dark. Are you heading to the Floating Forest? Would you like to rest here and go tomorrow?”

The door of the front wooden house opened, and an old woman with a kind face came out. “This is a rest center for Soul Pets in the wild, specifically for Soul Pact Masters who come to explore.”

Wang Che walked over, looked around, and refused, “Thank you, but I’m almost there. There’s no need to rest.”

“Then be careful. At night in the wild, many troublesome Soul Pets appear. And the Floating Forest is pitch black. Most exploring Soul Pact Masters choose to camp in the wild overnight and enter the Floating Forest during the day.”

The old woman kindly reminded him, “Ahead of you, about three kids around your age rested here for a while. You must be this year’s Dawn Cup champions, together, right? Be extra careful when you enter the Floating Forest. It’s best to go as a group.”

The old woman gave well-meaning advice.

Wang Che thanked her and then walked forward with the Green Caterpillar.

“Sii suu sii suu!”

The Green Caterpillar looked back at the old woman, who was waving at them, and called out to Wang Che twice.

It seemed to be asking why they didn’t stop and rest.

“We’ve rested enough on the way.”

Wang Che looked back and said, “There should be someone to receive us at the Floating Forest. No need to delay on the road.”

The man and the insect gradually disappeared from sight.

The old woman watched for a while, then turned and went back inside.

There were also many Soul Pets inside.

She walked to the window, raised her hand, and a small cooing bird flew onto her shoulder.

The old woman’s fingers moved slightly, stroking the bird’s wings a few times, and soon it flew into the sky, following the Sky Element Soul Pets in the clouds toward the distance.

“Go on.”

The old woman said.

“Coo coo!”

The cooing bird flapped its wings lightly and flew away.

Then, she stood by the window and looked out again, shaking her head gently…

——

The closer he got to the Floating Forest, the fewer Soul Pets Wang Che saw.

But, the Floating Forest was indeed getting nearer.

Interestingly, Wang Che roughly understood why it was called the Floating Forest.

From a distance, it looked like a floating island.

Thick, ink-like smoke enveloped it, and he could faintly see many plants, soil, stone piles, and such floating within.

It covered a huge area, hard to grasp.

“Soul Power is becoming more unstable…”

Wang Che thought, “But, the concentration of Soul Power is increasing exponentially. However, no matter how concentrated the Soul Power is, if it’s unstable, it’s hard to absorb. Besides… there are several complex energy auras… very chaotic.”

Approaching the Floating Forest, Wang Che saw tents set up by the Military Department’s armed Soul Pact Masters.

They were stationed about a kilometer away from the Floating Forest, watching over it constantly.

Compared to the previous wild grasslands, the Floating Forest, called the Soul Land, was clearly more mysterious and special.

“Wang Che, you’re finally here! Why are you so slow?”

Chen Fei, Bai Youyou, and Cheng Cheng had arrived a while earlier.

“I told you, if you had a companion, supporting each other along the way would definitely be faster than going alone.”

Bai Youyou giggled, “But you insisted on being by yourself. Now look, you’re probably last in the competition, arriving only after dark.”

“According to the records so far, the fastest is Feng Xiao from Rongdu, the Dawn Cup champion. He took the shortest time, less than three hours, to get here.”

The records for the first competition were naturally all recorded.

“Wang Che, your time from the border to here is six hours and twenty-five minutes.”

A soldier came over, holding a device, and said, “Currently ranked… well, last. No reward.”

Because of that Yōuyōu Deer, Wang Che was delayed a few hours; otherwise, at a normal pace, he wouldn’t have been last.

But, Wang Che naturally didn’t care about that. The rewards he got from the Rainbow Deer King were already enough.

“Chen Fei was the fastest among us.” Bai Youyou was a little chatterbox, talking nonstop. “That Swift Thunder War Eagle can scout the wild situation. He directly calculated the best route, avoiding most troublesome Soul Beast groups, and got here in less than four hours. Currently ranked fifth for now.”

Chen Fei adjusted his glasses and said, “As expected.”

This guy knew what he was doing.

“Being alone isn’t so bad,” Cheng Cheng said from the side.

“Ha, you were slower than me,” Bai Youyou retorted. “And you have the nerve to say that. I asked you to come with me, but you insisted on going alone. You were half an hour slower than me.”

“Just unlucky, ran into a few Trickster Bees,” Cheng Cheng said calmly.

Wang Che had encountered a few Trickster Bees on the way too.

They looked a bit like hornets, about the size of a head normally, and as big as half a person if they had high cultivation.

They were called Trickster Bees because their stingers changed depending on the time.

Sometimes they produced deadly poison, sometimes they produced mucus.

The poison was naturally fatal, but the mucus had miraculous effects on the human body, enhancing the physique of both humans and Soul Pets.

So far, no one had figured out the pattern of these Trickster Bees’ stinger changes.

So, once stung, you either got deadly poison or a slight boost.

Of course, most people avoided them.

No one wanted to gamble with their life or their Soul Pet’s life.

At that moment.

A soldier nearby suddenly walked over, looking strange, and said:

“Wait, Wang Che, your result has changed. Because you helped the Military Department resolve a special wild incident, this competition’s reward includes a time reduction of half.”

“So, your current time is three hours and twelve minutes. Temporarily ranked first.”

“???”

The three of them were directly dumbfounded.

Wang Che was also stunned.

There was such a thing?

Wang Che frowned slightly and said, “This… isn’t really good, is it? I didn’t mean to get first place.”

He hadn’t cared about it, never even considered this competition…

The three of them: “…”