Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

Under the starry sky and above the desolate earth, a group of silver-gray alien insects was migrating.

These mutated creatures were nearly two meters long, over a meter tall, and resembled mantises in appearance. Each had a pair of blade-like limbs covered in razor-sharp teeth, relying on four long legs to scuttle rapidly across the sand.

Their heads, torsos, and even their segmented limbs were encased in angular exoskeletons, shimmering with a metallic luster that clearly indicated robust defense capabilities.

Grey Armored Beetles!

Wang Chen immediately recognized the origin of these alien insects.

Grey Armored Beetles are classified as F-grade mutated creatures and can be found on many Ecological Experimental Stars. They prefer living in groups and in burrows, excelling at digging tunnels and hunting small organisms.

The size of a colony of Grey Armored Beetles ranges from dozens to hundreds, and they possess a strong territorial instinct.

When prey within their territory is completely depleted, they will migrate to a new area.

If they accidentally intrude into the territory of another colony during migration, it often results in a ferocious conflict!

Memories of Grey Armored Beetles surfaced in Wang Chen's mind.

He was hiding amidst the chaotic rocks, using the infrared protective goggles in his helmet to observe the group of beetles on the move.

He did not act recklessly.

Because Grey Armored Beetles are entry-level mutated creatures, and this group—roughly estimated at fifty or sixty—was not prey Wang Chen could handle at his current level.

Wang Chen watched as the colony of Grey Armored Beetles crossed over a sand dune and disappeared from view.

Just as he was preparing to retreat to his shelter, another lone Grey Armored Beetle suddenly entered his line of sight.

Wang Chen's eyes lit up instantly.

This straggling Grey Armored Beetle staggered as it moved; one of its legs was half-missing, making it unable to maintain balance while crawling and greatly hindering its pace.

Though it had been left far behind by its colony, it was still stubbornly chasing after them.

Commendable determination!

Without a second thought, Wang Chen leapt into action, drawing his longsword and charging toward the lone Grey Armored Beetle.

The Grey Armored Beetle had poor vision but highly sensitive hearing. Upon detecting Wang Chen's approach, it immediately shrank back and raised its blade-like limbs high, adopting a defensive stance.

When upright, the Grey Armored Beetle stood over 1.8 meters tall, and combined with its gleaming, sharp forelimbs, it presented an overwhelming sense of visual threat.

But that wasn't all—when it realized its posture hadn't deterred Wang Chen, it began swinging its blade limbs in rapid succession, creating a spectacle of shimmering flashes and razor-sharp sounds slicing through the air!

Unfortunately, this foe was facing Wang Chen.

Charging straight toward the mutated creature, Wang Chen took on a head-on confrontation stance.

But when he closed the gap to less than two meters, he suddenly shifted directions, darting toward the creature's right flank.

The Grey Armored Beetle instinctively followed Wang Chen's movement, but it failed to account for its crippled leg. As it acted quickly, its body tipped drastically due to the imbalance.

In the next moment, a sharp flash of sword light pierced through the air, streaking mercilessly toward the joint connecting the beetle's head to its body. The blade sliced with precision and ferocity, splitting into the hardened shell through a narrow gap.

A head the size of a football soared high, and dark green liquid spewed from the severed area.

Moments later, the headless Grey Armored Beetle collapsed to the ground!

Having succeeded in one strike, Wang Chen sheathed his longsword.

Dealing with this lame Grey Armored Beetle had been simple; its weaknesses were glaringly obvious.

Unlike the nameless mutated creature he had previously slain, Grey Armored Beetles, as one of the common mutated species, were thoroughly studied, leaving no mystery about their characteristics.

Wang Chen drew the dagger from his belt, sliced open the beetle's spine, peeled away its tough exoskeleton, and dug out a pristine, white, crystalline piece of "loin meat."

This was the edible portion of the Grey Armored Beetle, reputedly delicious, and naturally not something to waste.

In addition to the insect's meaty core, Wang Chen also cut off its two blade limbs.

The limbs contained some meat as well, though in small quantity, but they were the most prized portions of the Grey Armored Beetle!

Carrying his spoils of war, Wang Chen returned to his shelter.

From his backpack, he retrieved an electric food heater, then chopped the insect meat into segments and placed them inside, sprinkling a bit of fine salt on top.

No settings were necessary—after shutting the lid and turning on the power, the meat automatically heated until fully cooked.

It was rumored that Grey Armored Beetle meat could be eaten raw, yielding an even fresher and more delicious flavor.

But without the means to clean and process it, sanitizing and cooking the meat using the electric heater was undoubtedly the safest choice.

When Wang Chen opened the cover, an unusual aroma immediately wafted out.

He couldn't help but swallow hard.

The roasted insect meat had shriveled considerably, its surface taking on a faint golden brown. Wang Chen picked up a piece and popped it into his mouth, the rich, oily flavor exploding in his taste buds.

The meat was practically melt-in-your-mouth, requiring almost no chewing, bursting with the savory and sweet taste of pure delicacy.

Absolutely delectable!

Wang Chen devoured three to four pounds of insect meat in one sitting, leaving nothing behind.

Still, he craved more.

To his surprise, only minutes after finishing, a warm stream surged in his stomach, stimulating the accelerated flow of Qi-blood throughout his body, even causing sweat to seep from the surface of his skin.

Wang Chen knew that mutated creatures weren't just raw materials for crafting genetic medication but also a vital energy source for War Professionals, capable of reinforcing and invigorating the body.

However, his previous self had never consumed such food, making this his first attempt—and he hadn't anticipated the impressive results!

Wang Chen's mind stirred.

After some contemplation, he disabled the surveillance camera on his armor.

Every examinee was equipped with a suit of armor containing a life support system, which included specialized monitoring cameras to ensure safety and record achievements. Images captured by these cameras were sent in real-time to spaceships orbiting in the sky.

The cameras could be shut off, but the consequences of doing so were the wearer's responsibility.

Wang Chen disabled his camera to test a theory of his, avoiding any risks of exposing his secrets.

Leaving his cramped shelter, he ventured into the rocky terrain outside to practice the Heavenly Dragon Vajra Method!

This world lacked any spiritual energy, rendering traditional spell techniques and Taoist methods pointless.

But the Heavenly Dragon Vajra Method was a body refinement technique and did not rely on nature's spiritual energy for cultivation.

What Wang Chen had just experienced from eating Grey Armored Beetle meat was strikingly similar to the effects of consuming Monster Beast meat in the Cultivation World, especially the feeling of surging Qi-blood.

That realization prompted him to attempt practicing the Heavenly Dragon Vajra Method.

And the outcome? An unexpected delight for Wang Chen.

Cultivating the Heavenly Dragon Vajra Method was actually feasible!

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The first update is delivered.