Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

A continuous stream of holographic footage was brought up by Zhou Jun, fixed in front of him as an expanded display dozens of times larger.

The live broadcast vividly showcased Wang Chen's fierce battle against the Grey Armored Beetles.

With the holographic footage magnified, it resembled an action-packed movie. The video was thrilling and explosive, its combat scenes captivating and nerve-wracking, forming a stark contrast with other examinees.

The other examinees were all cautious, avoiding cluster fights or chaotic battles even if faced with mutated creatures.

No one displayed the same level of audacious bravery as Wang Chen.

The adjutant at Zhou Jun's side was also drawn in, his eyes sparkling as he remarked, "This examinee is quite impressive."

"More than impressive!"

Zhou Jun stroked his chin, speaking gravely, "His combat skills already rival those of a D-tier War Professional. I wonder which family nurtured this emerging prodigy."

As he spoke, the captain pulled up Wang Chen's profile, better referred to as Lu Yuan's dossier.

Lu Yuan's information was simple, easy to grasp at a glance.

Zhou Jun was stunned: "A war orphan?"

This doesn't follow science!

Lu Yuan, not yet eighteen this year, was just an ordinary war orphan with a straightforward growth trajectory. His past academic performance had only ever been average.

Yet this seemingly ordinary examinee had managed to hold an advantage while fending off dozens of F-grade mutated creatures!

The astonishment Zhou Jun felt was palpable: "A warrior selected by destiny!"

Some people appear completely ordinary in daily life, their performance unremarkable, yet once they enter genuine combat, they unleash unimaginable energy.

Such individuals are called warriors chosen by destiny—born to be War Professionals!

Destined warriors tend to challenge levels beyond their own, growing stronger when facing greater threats, their potential immeasurable.

As Zhou Jun marveled, he also developed a keen interest in Lu Yuan.

Coming from Azure Star, Zhou Jun and Lu Yuan shared a hometown, and Lu Yuan's status as a war orphan fostered a natural sense of kinship.

Most importantly, Lu Yuan had no ties to any aristocratic or scholar family factions, akin to a blank canvas with immense malleability!

Zhou Jun immediately used his authority to prioritize marking Lu Yuan.

Though he didn't oversee the exams and lacked the power to grade Lu Yuan, there were plenty of ways for him to bet on this candidate's future.

Meanwhile, Wang Chen on the ground had already slain nearly half of the Grey Armored Beetles.

All around him lay the carcasses of countless beetles. Their dark green ichor seeped into the sandy soil, releasing an unpleasant stench.

Yet Wang Chen felt no fatigue whatsoever. Instead, his fighting spirit surged, his Qi-Blood boiling. Through the intense carnage, he significantly deepened the integration of his Divine Soul with his physical body.

The higher the integration, the greater the combat skills he could display!

Ssss—

Suddenly, a low-frequency hiss reached Wang Chen's ears, jolting his Divine Soul.

The surrounding Grey Armored Beetles seemingly received a pardon, retreating en masse, no longer attacking Wang Chen.

In the next moment, a larger Grey Armored Beetle appeared within Wang Chen's line of sight.

This beetle was an entire circle larger than the normal ones, its shell brighter in color, its blade-like limbs exceptionally thick, glinting with chilling light under the radiance of the star.

Its two raised, protruding eyes were a dark red, resembling rubies embedded into its head carapace.

It evoked an eerie feeling!

BOSS?

Wang Chen raised an eyebrow, tightening his grip on the longsword, preparing to face the newly emerged giant.

The large Grey Armored Beetle stopped twenty meters away, its mantis-like head swiveling side to side, seemingly observing its opponent cautiously, refraining from launching a direct attack.

As Wang Chen locked eyes with it, he could sense hesitation and apprehension from the creature.

It appeared concerned about something, showing little desire for combat.

Even though Wang Chen had just slaughtered a large number of its kin!

After a brief standoff, just as Wang Chen was about to test the larger beetle's strength, the creature unexpectedly retreated.

Clearly unwilling to engage Wang Chen, it turned and strode away on its long limbs, heading toward the rolling hills.

Its speed was astonishing!

Wang Chen felt somewhat dissatisfied yet refrained from chasing out of prudence, determined not to pursue a desperate enemy.

Yet to his utter astonishment, as the large Grey Armored Beetle had barely run a hundred meters away, a crimson beam of light suddenly descended from the skies, striking the mutated creature's head with pinpoint precision.

The large Grey Armored Beetle disintegrated into dust instantly!

High-Energy Ion Cannon!

Wang Chen immediately recognized the weapon that obliterated the beetle.

His original persona was half a weapon enthusiast, frequently browsing galactic networks to learn about various imperial military equipment and even playing a stellar warfare simulation focused on armaments. Naturally, he was familiar with this piece of standard space battleship weaponry.

High-Energy Ion Cannons typically act as auxiliary weapons on space battleships, primarily tasked with intercepting combat mechs, space torpedoes, assault ships, and other small-scale targets.

They can also be employed in ground-strike operations!

Undoubtedly, this was a strike fired from an escort ship in near-orbit.

An escort-class vessel of the New Sea model had deployed its High-Energy Ion Cannon to neutralize a single mutated beetle—a truly mind-boggling act. Wang Chen hadn't requested support, and the large beetle had chosen to retreat, posing no direct threat.

Yet it had met an absolute calamity!

Wang Chen speculated the beetle was likely targeted for displaying a certain level of intelligence, sealing its tragic fate.

The empire is highly defensive against intelligent mutated creatures and strictly regulates the development and use of advanced artificial intelligence.

As for the reason behind this, his original persona's low status meant limited access to information, leaving him unclear.

Still, the High-Energy Ion Cannon strike from above left him genuinely shaken.

This is the sheer might of science—a single heaven-shattering, earth-destroying strike that could shatter stars!

However, this did not dampen Wang Chen's resolve to grow stronger within this world. Instead, it deepened his conviction.

He glanced up at the sky, then began cleaning the battlefield.

Wang Chen used a dagger to cut open the shells of each slain Grey Armored Beetle, extracting their white flesh.

He also severed their blade-like limbs.

Then, he carried the spoils back to the shelter.

The haul this time was rather substantial. Had he not successfully resumed cultivating the Heavenly Dragon Vajra Method, effectively enhancing his physique and strength, it would've been impossible to carry everything back in one go.

The insect meat was grilled piece by piece in an electric food heater, and Wang Chen feasted heartily.

Once satiated, he practiced the Heavenly Dragon Vajra Method to digest the high-energy food in his stomach, repeatedly tempering his body.

Two days later, Wang Chen advanced to the First Layer of the Heavenly Dragon Vajra Method.

This was the Copper Skin Realm of the Copper Skin, Jade Bone, and Golden Body tiers!

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Second chapter delivered.