Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

A set of the most basic drills completed, Wang Chen was already drenched in sweat.

When he was in the Haotian Realm, he had already practiced the Heavenly Dragon Vajra Method to the seventh-layer pinnacle, nearing the Breaking Threshold of the Immortal Realm.

Now starting over from the beginning, it naturally felt smooth and effortless, without any obstacles.

The energy from the three to four pounds of Grey Armored Beetle meat had been entirely consumed by Wang Chen, and he could clearly feel his Physique had been enhanced.

The results were immediate!

Unfortunately, his cheat ability was sealed, so he couldn't directly add points to break thresholds. In this world, practicing the Heavenly Dragon Vajra Method could only rely on his own effort, step by step, with no shortcuts.

Even so, Wang Chen still felt a great sense of excitement.

His previous self had consistently practiced Body Skills and Combat Skills, but these were widespread, commonly taught techniques. While effective, they couldn't compare to the Heavenly Dragon Vajra Method by any measure.

Wang Chen knew that many noble Rich Families of the Empire, along with the Imperial Army and certain special departments, had access to more advanced and powerful Body Skills and Combat Skill legacies.

Only by entering these elite systems and making significant contributions or sacrifices could one hope to gain access to such secrets.

The Empire had always placed great importance on individual prowess, as only the most powerful individuals could wield the most advanced mecha weaponry and dominate battlefields, mowing down enemies in droves.

Body Skills, Combat Skills, Genetic Enhancements, and Superpower Awakening all served this central purpose.

Wang Chen wanted to ascend to the pinnacle of the Star Sea, to return to Haotian. Following the conventional route of gradual advancement was simply too slow.

As a war orphan with no background or support, this path was undoubtedly long and arduous, fraught with endless risks.

Now, however, Wang Chen had found the path of a true powerhouse that suited him.

That path was Spiritual Energy fused with Body Refinement!

Returning to the shelter, Wang Chen reopened the surveillance cameras and fell into a deep sleep with his backpack as a pillow.

By midnight, the temperature outside had dropped to bitter extremes, the winds had picked up, and fine grains of sand seeped through the cracks in the rocks and into the tunnel.

But none of this affected Wang Chen's sleep at all.

It wasn't until the next morning that the storm outside began to subside.

Upon waking, Wang Chen ate some dry rations as breakfast, pushed aside the boulder serving as the door to the cave, and leapt out.

The sky over Planet FT1205 was still shrouded in gray, its dismal sandy-yellow hue grating on the eyes, while the barren expanse of desert and rocky plateaus stretched endlessly with no signs of life.

Yet last night's experience had taught Wang Chen that this planet was not only teeming with life but also unbelievably dangerous.

He climbed to the mountaintop and began a search along the jagged ridgelines.

The meager breakfast he'd consumed quickly burned away in his stomach, making him acutely miss yesterday's beetle meat.

How delicious it had been!

In fact, before last night, Wang Chen hadn't gotten hungry so quickly. The rations provided to candidates were, after all, high-calorie and nutrient-rich.

But since restarting the practice of the Heavenly Dragon Vajra Method, his appetite seemingly scaled up in tandem with his Physique!

Wang Chen now felt a strong craving for food again.

The dry military rations were dull and uninspiring—what he needed was truly flavorful food that could provide fresh energy.

His gaze, sharp as an eagle's, scanned meticulously through the rugged mountainous terrain using the lenses of his visor.

Every suspicious spot was carefully observed several times.

The advanced optics of the visor-equipped armor had numerous powerful features, with the capability to switch between different operational modes, which greatly aided Wang Chen in locating targets.

Over an hour later, Wang Chen finally discovered a concealed cave entrance tucked into the mountainside.

The cave was exceptionally hidden, with its entrance on a slant and its size modest—barely enough to accommodate the passage of creatures like the Grey Armored Beetles.

Wang Chen noticed some fresh claw marks near the cave entrance.

All signs suggested that this mountain cave was almost certainly a nest for alien creatures.

His instincts told him it was likely the lair of the Grey Armored Beetles.

Could it be the nesting ground for the swarm of beetles that migrated through last night?

Wang Chen refrained from recklessly venturing into the pitch-black cave.

He unhooked a smoke bomb from his belt, pulled out the safety pin, and tossed it inside.

Every candidate was equipped with two smoke bombs, two flash bombs, and two shock bombs—essentially the standard loadout for the most basic soldiers of the Imperial Army.

Except, of course, their primary weapon wasn't an assault rifle but a longsword!

Skillfully utilizing these special non-lethal throwable weapons was also a crucial part of the candidates' performance scores.

After throwing the smoke bomb, Wang Chen heard faint thuds and impacts echoing from the cave, indicating that the bomb had dropped down a significant depth—at least several dozen meters.

A moment later, a wisp of smoke began wafting out from the cave entrance.

Standing guard at the entrance, Wang Chen listened carefully and caught faint rustling noises from deep within the cave.

There was something inside this cave!

Wang Chen immediately threw in a second smoke bomb, followed by a shock bomb.

Though non-lethal, a shock bomb's explosion generated a powerful shockwave, useful for disorienting and disrupting enemies.

Wang Chen hoped the shock bomb would provoke the alien creatures lurking deep in the cave.

And to his satisfaction, his tactic worked.

Mere minutes later, a Grey Armored Beetle, trailing smoke, emerged from the cave entrance.

Before it could react, Wang Chen—laying in ambush—brought his sword down in a decisive slash, severing its head cleanly!

The Grey Armored Beetle collapsed dead on the spot.

Wang Chen flicked his sword, lifting the carcass of the alien creature out of the cave.

Then, with a precise kick, he sent the severed beetle head rolling back down into the depths of the cave.

Whether or not the beetles in the cave possessed intelligence, they were thoroughly enraged.

Amid a spine-chilling cacophony of chittering and clattering sounds, more Grey Armored Beetles clambered furiously out of the cave, pushing and jamming against one another in their mad scramble.

Wang Chen, stationed at the entrance, had no intention of missing such an easy opportunity. Swinging his longsword in rapid, precise, and savage arcs, he slaughtered the mindless alien creatures one after another.

The Grey Armored Beetles had a glaring weakness: the soft membrane-covered gaps between their shells. If his blade struck these weak points, he could swiftly decapitate or dismember the creatures.

Defending the entrance, Wang Chen struck swiftly and lethally. In just a few minutes, he had already killed fifteen Grey Armored Beetles!

However, after lopping off the head of the fifteenth beetle, no more of them emerged from the cave.

It seemed the beetles inside had grown wiser, ceasing their mindless charge of throwing bodies into certain death.

Soon thereafter, Wang Chen realized that he himself was now surrounded.

The Grey Armored Beetles' nest evidently had more than one exit!

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The second update delivered.