Yuan Hanshuang was straightforward as always, completely unaware of Young Master Gu’s hidden intentions. Instead, she understood his desire to have another fight before leaving, saying, “Let’s compete when we’re farther away.”

After sniffing the fragrance of the crystal core earlier, her stomach was now growling from hunger.

Since reaching the second rank two months ago, Yuan Hanshuang had hardly ever eaten a satisfying meal. The feeling of fullness provided by the nutrient solution had diminished significantly, even with the most expensive ones.

She had experienced even greater hunger before and could endure it to some extent.

But now, with delicious food right in front of her, who could resist?

While walking, Yuan Hanshuang quietly took out a crystal core from her bag.

The crystal core of the burrowing insect was about the size of a finger joint and appeared as a light green color under the sunlight. This was the color of the worm’s poison, and the more concentrated the poison, the deeper the green color of the crystal core.

Over the past two years, Yuan Hanshuang had diligently studied various interstellar knowledge and knew that insect poison was the most toxic substance in the entire galaxy.

Insect poison not only had the ability to kill people but also had a strong corrosive effect. Advanced Insect species could even inject Insect poison into a planet’s core, completely polluting and transforming the environment, creating a territory suitable for the survival and development of the Insect species, surpassing even biochemical weapons. 

Could this thing really be eaten?

Hesitating in her heart, Yuan Hanshuang pinched the crystal core and weighed the pros and cons for three seconds before quietly throwing it into her mouth.

Who cares? Can her own hunger be fake? It shouldn’t kill her.

“Crunch.”

The hard exterior of the crystal core was bitten open, and cold liquid flowed out from within.

The Insect poison, which could corrode from the mouth to the abdomen, was directly decomposed and obediently turned into streams of hot energy flowing into her stomach, providing sustenance for its owner.

Power supply.

Smells so good!

Feeling the familiar sense of fullness, Yuan Hanshuang was moved to tears. She knew that not being able to eat enough meant slower cultivation speed, and as the “Cultivation Queen,” she couldn’t afford to be slow.

Finally, she had found the reason.

Turns out, the nutritional value provided by the nutrient solution was not enough; she needed something more advanced!

Great. After saving some money over the past two years, she finally had a way to splurge.

From then on, Yuan Hanshuang silently stuffed crystal cores into her mouth along the way.

Although eating these things had no psychological burden for her, she still chose to do it discreetly to ensure that  Young Master Gu won’t notice.

After finding the next open area, Yuan Hanshuang successfully filled her stomach with half a bag of crystal cores.

Knowing that her satiety value was related to her maximum fighting strength, Yuan Hanshuang asked with great concern before the competition started. She successfully received a scowl from the young master.

“Are you looking down on me?”

“Fine.”

Since he said so, Yuan Hanshuang decided to be a good person and finish the battle quickly.

She hoped not to leave any psychological shadow on the child.

She quickly synchronized with the Koi Fish,  her pupils turned into a shimmering red.

At the same time, a red Tiger character faintly ignited on Young Master Gu’s forehead.

To be honest, if there were talents much higher-ranked than Yuan Hanshuang, she might not have found any effective countermeasures. But Young Master Gu was at the same rank as her, and he was a genuine child. In the eyes of a martial master, he had flaws all over his body.

While Yuan Hanshuang was pondering how to subtly let him win, her brows suddenly furrowed.

Inconspicuously, the hand hanging by her side moved to her back, and the steel bracelet wrapped around her wrist flickered faintly. The cold blade handle silently fell into her palm.

The next moment, she suddenly rolled on the ground, narrowly avoiding the shadow pouncing towards her. Without hesitation, she threw the Tang Dao forward!

Yuan Hanshuang had spent a large portion of the money she earned over the past few years on this blade.

Since she had paid a high price to have it crafted by a black market artisan, it couldn’t be an ordinary cold weapon; otherwise, it wouldn’t justify the money spent.

The Tang Dao traced a beautiful and fierce arc in the air, accurately nailing the shadow that had pounced out into a tree branch. The strap on her wrist flashed, and the steel wire on the blade handle automatically shot back, landing in the scabbard, perfectly ready for reuse.

“Ah!”

Gu Dezhe was startled for a moment when she threw the blade, but quickly, the training from his family over the years allowed him to calm down. At the same time, he noticed what was behind him and was immediately covered in cold sweat.

It was a person. Or rather, using the word “person” was no longer appropriate because several sticky spider legs, dripping with blood and flesh, pierced out from behind his spine. His face had already corroded to the point where the original features were indistinguishable, replaced by protruding mouthparts and compound eyes resembling countless insect eggs.

“It’s a parasite.”

Parasites were creatures that specifically parasitized humans, growing and developing inside their bodies. Once they reached adulthood, they would break out of the human body and devour it completely.

Yuan Hanshuang could tell that this parasite was at least at the third rank and immediately focused her mind: “

“Run!”

As Gifteds progress in their cultivation, it becomes increasingly difficult, and their speed slows down. Initially, it only took her a little over a month to advance from zero to the first level. However, it took her a whole year to advance from the first level to the second level, even with the assistance of cheats.

Because of this, the gap between each level becomes harder to bridge, let alone surpassing a whole major level. Even with powerful ancient martial arts techniques, it would be impossible to make up for the difference.

Without hesitation, she raised her hand and removed all the weights from her body, then threw them away.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Yuan Hanshuang pulled Young Master Gu  along and ran forward without looking back.

As they ran, Young Master Gu contacted the person in the black suit who had been left behind earlier, using the communicator.

“Why are there third-level insect creatures appearing repeatedly in this low-level polluted star?”

Even Young Master Gu, who was usually carefree, noticed that something was not right.

If the burrowing worms were just a coincidence caused by earthquakes, the parasitic creatures were definitely not a coincidence.

The Junior Academy brought students here every year for training, so they were very familiar with this low-level polluted star. Otherwise, Xiao Yunmeng would not have been so confident in letting Yuan Hanshuang engage in actual combat training alone, knowing her current strength would be unmatched here.

“I don’t know. Something must have happened.”

Yuan Hanshuang shook her head. “Otherwise, the Luminous Temple wouldn’t be here.”

The golden-haired girl ran and leaped agilely through the mountains and forests. Having survived in the wilderness in her previous life, she quickly found a cave covered by fallen leaves and signaled for Young Master Gu to stop.

“It’s fine. The parasitic creature hasn’t completely devoured its host yet. It can’t catch up.”

“Okay.” Young Master Gu  nodded, his expression a little awkward. “Thank you just now.”

Having their competition interrupted several times and discovering the unusual situation on the polluted star, the two of them had no intention of continuing their competition. After confirming their temporary safety, silence filled the air.

After a while, Young Master Gu suddenly spoke up, “What are your plans for the future?”

“What plans?” Yuan Hanshuang was observing the cave they were temporarily staying in, remaining alert.

The young master didn’t notice her distraction and stammered, “Now that you’re already at the second level, you can graduate and go to the Intermediate Academy anytime.”

After speaking, he quickly added, fearing she might misunderstand, “I just want to keep track of the opponent’s information. Don’t think too much about it!”

In fact, Yuan Hanshuang didn’t think much at all.

As she tapped on the inside of the cave and looked outside, she casually replied, “Why are you asking this? Go back and be a proper young master. We’ll see each other at the Advanced Academy.”

Young Master Gu didn’t say anything more.

After a moment of silence, it was Yuan Hanshuang who spoke up this time, “Something seems off about this cave.”

She carefully examined the surroundings of the cave and noticed many signs of artificial excavation.

Although this polluted star was considered low-level, it had been contaminated by the insect toxin for at least several hundred years. There shouldn’t be such traces here.

As she spoke, the ground, which had been quiet for a while, began to shake again.

This time, it was different from the previous slight tremors. It felt as if it was coming from deep beneath their feet, with a rumbling earthquake-like sound.

Yuan Hanshuang lamented in her heart about her jinx, “Get out quickly!”

But before she could finish speaking, the cave suddenly collapsed.

Author’s Message

ShuangShuang:I’ve always been a straightforward and strong woman!

Thank you very much for everyone’s support. I will continue to work hard