A single Evergreen Fruit was worth at least 20 contribution points at the military academy. They were always in short supply, and one had to get in a queue to exchange for them.

Has this Evergreen Ivy matured? How many fruits has it produced?

Fang Zhou grew cautious. According to the patterns of the Cave, Heavenly and Earthly Treasures like this were certain to have powerful guardians.

He activated his Soul Realm and carefully scanned the area. Sure enough, he found a nest of Fierce Bees not far from the Evergreen Ivy. After reconfirming several times, Fang Zhou smiled slightly, feeling relieved.

Before he obtained the Frog Drum, a swarm of small flying Demons like the Fierce Bees would have been very difficult for an Undead Mage like him, who lacked large-scale destructive magic, to handle. However, it was now a classic case of one thing conquering another. With the Frog Drum in his possession, Fang Zhou could disperse the swarm of Fierce Bees without shedding a single drop of blood.

Without further delay, he took the Frog Drum from his backpack and channeled his Spiritual Power into it, tapping it lightly. A low, droning hum arose. The insect-like Demons lurking in the surrounding jungle grew disoriented and fled into the distance. The nearby swarm of Fierce Bees was no exception.

BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ!

The massive beehive shook violently. Soon, fist-sized Fierce Bees began flying out of the hive, staggering as if they were drunk. They swarmed around a bloated queen bee, forming a dense black cloud. They seemed hesitant, unable to decide. These Fierce Bees could neither withstand the predator-like sound from the Frog Drum nor bear to abandon the hive they had painstakingly built and the Evergreen Ivy they had cultivated for so long.

Seeing this, Fang Zhou mobilized all his Spiritual Power and increased the output frequency of the Frog Drum.

CROAK! CROAK!

Amid the escalating croaks, the queen bee wobbled, no longer able to endure the sound. It let out a sharp screech and decisively turned, leading the swarm to abandon its home and flee for its life.

Fang Zhou didn't relax, continuing to beat the Frog Drum. A few minutes later, seeing that the swarm of Fierce Bees was gone for good, he finally stopped, reassured.

Commanding his Skeleton Army forward, Fang Zhou began to claim his spoils from the Evergreen Ivy.

Since the Era of Myth began, the advancement path for human Professionals, from Apprentice to Legendary, had become relatively mature over decades of development. Through the arduous trials of generations of Pioneers, many Heavenly and Earthly Treasures had been discovered that were extraordinarily effective at helping Professionals break through bottlenecks.

While many talented Professionals might not need such treasures to aid their breakthroughs, that didn't mean the materials were useless to them. Using the appropriate Heavenly and Earthly Treasure while advancing one's realm could not only solidify a Professional's foundation and enhance their Attributes but also specifically improve their Skill Effects. These precious benefits led to the materials being in constant high demand.

Moreover, the majority of Heavenly and Earthly Treasures required extremely harsh growing conditions, making large-scale cultivation difficult. The Evergreen Ivy before him was one such delicate plant.

Therefore, Fang Zhou had no intention of taking the entire Evergreen Ivy. He just wanted to pick the ripe Evergreen Fruits as his spoils of war. After leaving the Cave, they would be an excellent choice for his own use, for exchange at the military academy, or for trade with other students.

Fang Zhou raised his apprentice staff and gently lifted a few leaves on the Evergreen Ivy. A joyful expression appeared on his face. Sure enough, there was a single, verdant Evergreen Fruit.

A Skeleton leaped up, seized the Evergreen Fruit with its claws, and pulled hard. With a snap, its vigorous tugging tore the Evergreen Fruit free, and it was handed to Fang Zhou.

Fang Zhou held the Evergreen Fruit and examined it closely. It was about the size of a lychee and similarly shaped, but it had no shell. It was a vibrant green all over, its surface not smooth but rather rough. It was covered in tiny bumps, and it actually felt quite pleasant to hold. A faint, grassy fragrance wafted from the Evergreen Fruit.

Holding the Evergreen Fruit, Fang Zhou could feel the pure life force it contained. No wonder it could be eaten directly to replenish one's physical strength and Spiritual Power.

With the first Evergreen Fruit in hand, he had secured 20 contribution points.

Brimming with motivation, Fang Zhou began to carefully search the vines. After meticulously searching the vines from one end to the other, he found three more ripe Evergreen Fruits.

In truth, there were more Evergreen Fruits on the vine, but several were still in their immature stage and were very small. Fang Zhou estimated that they would be of little use even if he picked them now. After some thought, he decided to leave them. He could come back to pick them when they matured, should the opportunity arise. In any case, he had already logged the coordinates in his Hunting Recorder. According to the Cave Hunting rules, he would also be rewarded with contribution points for discovering and logging a renewable resource point like this.

Fang Zhou put away the four Evergreen Fruits, then fired a Skeleton Flying Spear that blew the beehive from its high perch in the branches. The honey and larvae of these Fierce Bees were highly nutritious and were also valuable resources. A good thief never leaves empty-handed, so Fang Zhou naturally wouldn't pass them up.

He felt fully justified. These resources could be considered the price the Fierce Bees paid for their lives.

After commanding his Skeleton Army to gather the spoils, he had easily earned over a hundred contribution points from this one encounter.

Demons hoard food, and I'll hoard my spoils. The demons are my personal warehouse! Thanks for the delivery, Cave.

Fang Zhou felt immensely satisfied.

With the Skeleton Army once again clearing the path, he continued deeper into the Thorn Jungle, though his pace was noticeably slower this time. As he advanced, Fang Zhou kept a close watch on the trees to his left and right, hoping he might encounter other Heavenly and Earthly Treasures like the Evergreen Fruit. However, such wonders were not so easily found.

「Two hours later.」

A somewhat disheveled Fang Zhou led dozens of blood-spattered Skeletons as they fought their way out of the jungle's depths. He glanced back at the jungle, which appeared peaceful but was in fact fraught with peril, and breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Finally made it out of this godforsaken place!

Fang Zhou took out his Hunting Recorder to check the map, confirming he had reached the northwestern border of the Thorn Jungle. It was 2:00 PM, giving him ample time for further exploration.

Instructor Wang Tao had mentioned a large number of Kobolds in this area. Fang Zhou decided to pick a direction at random, hoping to run into a few of the "lucky" creatures.

This area was located in the deepest part of Cave No. 1. Aside from Fang Zhou, no other first-year student had the ability to reach it. As a result, the density of Demons was extremely high. Fang Zhou found himself overwhelmed by their sheer numbers, which greatly slowed his progress.

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