Three days later, Lin Chen and Bai Ling were all set and ready to go.

This time, the mission was considered a simple one, with no real danger, and all the freshmen could participate.

In fact, it wouldn't matter if they ended up clearing the insects or not, as these instructors would eventually go in and clear them out personally anyway.

The main reason for letting them in was for cultivation; it was a benefit.

The one hosting this Secret Realm was still Daoist Zhang, but whether it's because he got embarrassed last time saying there was no danger, this time he directly said:

"The individual Insect Race members are very weak, not much for you to worry about."

"However, their numbers are enormous, so you must not underestimate them."

"These insects are called Earth Beetles, and they are naturally afraid of fire, so if you don't have a Fire Attribute Spirit Beast, it's best to find a partner just in case."

After speaking, Daoist Zhang waved his hand. As students began entering, Daoist Zhang swept his gaze across Bai Ling's figure and said: "This time, hopefully, there won't be any trouble, right?"

....

As the dazzling white light gradually faded, Lin Chen could smell the scent of a primordial forest.

Then came a rustling sound, prompting Lin Chen to quickly open his eyes, seeing a dense swarm of Earth Beetles not far ahead.

Their levels were very low, mostly Level 1 and Level 2.

The higher ones were at Level 5 or 6, and not just Xiaobai, even Lin Chen could easily bully them.

But the most excited one was Bai Ling, in this arena full of weaklings, she and her three fellow weaklings all had their moment to shine.

So, after testing the waters, she charged in and fought a fierce battle.

When the battle ended, she was so excited she almost shouted that she wanted to fight ten more.

"Oh no, now she's gained too much confidence…"

Lin Chen wiped his brow, thinking that if she encountered a stronger Demon Beast later, would she just dash in and start fighting?

In the evening, the Little Fox was in charge of cooking, and Bai Ling had the Fire Feather Chicken assist with the fire. Though she wasn't good at cooking, she excelled at making desserts.

This was because she had been around medicine since she was young and had a love for sweets.

As a result, the desserts she made were exceptionally good.

When it was time to eat, Lin Chen recounted the day's events, and Bai Ling scratched her head and said: "Don't worry, I know I'm the weakest."

Lin Chen went to eat with relief, although the Red Feather Chicken beside him was rather dissatisfied.

Even though it knew it wasn't being called weak, it was still very upset.

What did the chicken ever do to you, why associate it with weakness?

Bai Ling, being observant, quickly noticed its displeasure and went to comfort it.

Soon after Lin Chen and the others had finished eating, unexpectedly, the Earth Beetles came again.

Bai Ling charged in for another fight, this time battling for an hour before finally saying: "They're endless, absolutely endless..."

"..."

Lin Chen also felt that their numbers were overwhelming.

These Insect Race creatures were indeed terrifying.

Lin Chen finally understood one of the reasons why the Insect Race couldn't be bonded with…

Food.

Where would one find enough food to support so many insects?

Unless a Beastmaster naturally had a huge Beast Taming Space filled with ample food.

The Little Fox was the main force in this battle, a single Super Fireball could directly blast away a bunch.

However, after a fierce battle, apart from Xiaobai and the Iron Palm Bear, the others couldn't hold on.

The laziest was the Unicorn, aware of Xiaobai's strength, it simply stuck close to Xiaobai's side.

In the end, Lin Chen had to let the Little Fox start a fire, and everyone rested surrounded by a ring of fire.

These Earth Beetles were indeed afraid of fire; they dared not come close to the fire.

At night, the area was filled with the sounds of insects, making it hard to sleep. Lin Chen typically had average sleep, so this made it even harder to fall asleep.

Bai Ling was the opposite, telling Lin Chen to wake her for night watch before lying down and falling asleep, leaving Lin Chen envious.

Lin Chen preferred to plan ahead, often thinking several steps further. This was an analyst's strength, but it also had its downsides, namely overthinking.

Once he started overthinking, his mind would worsen, making sleep difficult to come by.

Lin Chen let Xiaobai and the Little Fox sleep first, leaving the Big White Bear to accompany him.

Spirit-wise, none could match the Big White Bear; under Lee Zaiqing's training, it was truly full of energy.

The night passed without much to say. When Lin Chen finally felt tired, he woke Bai Ling.

Bai Ling rubbed her eyes drowsily, clearly not having slept enough, but she knew her responsibility for the night watch. Once she cleared her head, she said confidently, "Don't worry, if any enemies come, I'll wake you immediately."

"...."

Lin Chen nodded, appreciating her confidence.

In fact, he was somewhat concerned about Bai Ling's combat abilities; if they were caught off guard while sleeping, it would be disastrous.

So it was best for her to wake him.

He also woke Xiaobai, then leaned against the Big White Bear's belly and dozed off.

By the time morning came, Lin Chen woke and saw Bai Ling busy with chores, glancing at the sun and estimating it was already noon.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Lin Chen asked.

"You were sleeping soundly..." Bai Ling replied with a smile, handing him some dessert.

Lin Chen took it, ate a bite, then looked around and asked, "Were there any insect attacks in the second half of the night?"

Bai Ling shook her head.

"Strange." Lin Chen pondered, finding it a bit unscientific.

Because the Insect Race was notoriously terrifying. Based on what Liu Gu told him, every year the Spirit Academy had a designated day for cleaning, starting yesterday, and the Insect King was aware of this, so it restrained higher-level insects, sending out only low-level weaklings.

It was somewhat cruel, but necessary.

If the insects continued to grow and swarm without control, it would eventually lead to disaster, wiping out everything.

Lin Chen didn't dwell on it too much and told Bai Ling to focus on cultivation.

The Spiritual Qi here was indeed dense, even more so than the space Qin Shaoshao created.

This was, after all, a true Spiritual Qi sanctuary, established by the powerful beings of the Taichu Era.

Lin Chen entered a meditative state, feeling his power soaring.

The Three-Headed Spirit Beast guarded by his side, with the Big White Bear being the most enthusiastic...

Since the Little Fox successfully bonded, it inherited the Little Fox's will, hoping Lin Chen would level up quickly.

It also wanted to regain its strength!

After about five days of cultivation, Lin Chen broke through to Level 13, and Bai Ling had good news too, reaching the Level 9 bottleneck.

However, her constitution was weak, hindering her cultivation speed.

This even made the Red Feather Chicken cluck with excitement.

Unlike the Big White Bear, it didn't harbor profound thoughts; as Bai Ling's only combat-capable Spirit Beast, it eagerly wanted to prove itself by supporting Bai Ling in the battle realm.

"Have there been any more attacks from the Insect Race these days?" Lin Chen asked.

Xiaobai shook its head.

Lin Chen found this peculiar.

The Insect Race's numbers were incredibly fearsome, in the millions or even billions.

How many had they actually killed?

Bai Ling, waving her fists, said, "Could it be we scared them away with our fighting?"

Lin Chen wiped his brow awkwardly; these insects lacked intelligence, and without the Insect King's control, they would likely attack upon seeing intruders.

"Forget it; there's no point honing against this level." Lin Chen thought about the low level of these insects and looked at Bai Ling, having a mischievous idea in mind.

Clearing his throat, he said in a serious tone, "Bai Ling, why don't we take a stroll around?"

Bai Ling agreed without hesitation, and Lin Chen was immediately pleased.

Lin Chen knew he didn't have Bai Ling's luck, but with Bai Ling by his side, it was as if he shared her good fortune?!

This is what they mean by leveraging the emperor's prestige!

"What's an Advanced Elixir compared to what we're about to gain this time for sure."

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