Encountering Stranded Ones

Lin Zhen took out the Star Crystal Star Crystal from the Tree Hole and placed it on his lower abdomen Dantian, following the instructions in the Survival Manual.

As he circulated his Dantian Qi as usual, wisps of light from the Star Crystal began to automatically seep into Lin Zhen's body, entering his Dantian abdomen.

Lin Zhen groaned comfortably; this feeling was wonderful!

A warm and comfortable feeling filled his Dantian, and the infusion of energy Lin Zhen strengthened Dantian.

The strength of one's Dantian Qi is determined by the capacity of the Dantian. For example, Lin Zhen's current Dantian Qi capacity is at most nine hundred. He may have consumed several dozen more during the battle, but this energy injection not only immediately replenished Lin Zhen's Dantian, but also caused his Dantian capacity to begin to expand!

Assuming that Lin Zhen's Dantian Qi capacity reaches 1,000, he will enter the Intermediate War General. After absorbing this Star Core Crystal, his Dantian Qi capacity will reach 980!

Lin Zhen only opened his eyes after all the power of these Star Crystal had been injected and finally turned into nothingness.

"Phew! What an amazing cultivation speed! This tiny Star Core Crystal that was just born has already given me a huge boost at the Level Three Peak, saving me a full half month of cultivation time. If I have just one more, I can enter the Intermediate War General."

"This is just a newly formed Star Core Crystal. If it were a Meteor Crystal, it would probably allow me to directly enter the early stage of level four."

After absorbing the Star Core Crystal, Lin Zhen left the Tree Hole satisfied and returned to the Stamen where Zhang Yue was, following the same path he had come from.

After resting for a while, Lin Zhen also took a nap, and the sky gradually brightened.

Early in the morning, when the morning dew was thick, Lin Zhen, who had been up all night, managed to get some sleep in the morning. Just as she was sleeping soundly, she suddenly felt a chill.

He suddenly opened his eyes, and this time he didn't have time to dodge. A huge stream of water hit him, and he and Zhang Yue were instantly submerged in waist-deep water.

"Cough cough!" Lin Zhen coughed violently, choking on several mouthfuls of water before struggling to get up.

Zhang Yue was even worse off, thrashing about in the water, occasionally popping his head up and yelling, "Help! I can't swim! Ah... glug glug!"

His head would sink into the water one moment and then rise up the next, looking like he was about to drown.

Lin Zhen got up, wiped the water off her face, and the water dripped down through the gaps in the petals, becoming less and less.

In less than ten seconds, the water was only ankle-deep, and Zhang Yue was still floundering. "Whoa! There's Mutated Beast in the water, it's dragging me in! Someone save me! My idol?"

Zhang Yue stood there dumbfounded, staring at Lin Zhen, his eyes filled with utter bewilderment.

"Have you thrashed around enough?" Lin Zhen asked.

Zhang Yue paused for a moment, then said, "That's enough."

"Get up now, it's dawn. I've never seen a martial artist sleep as long as you. No wonder you're so fat."

Zhang Yue stood up like a drowned rat, still confused, and asked Lin Zhen, "Idol, who ambushed us? Why would they use so much water? It doesn't seem to do any harm. Did my enemies know I can't swim?"

Lin Zhen rolled her eyes at him. "Save your breath, where did you get so many enemies? This is morning dew, it fell from the Leaf above. We were just unlucky and inexperienced, we didn't even notice if there were leaves drooping on the Stamen."

"Ah! Dew?!" Zhang Yue stared wide-eyed up at the sky, then looked down again after a moment. "This place is terrifying. Dew can drown people. I feel like an ant."

Lin Zhen tugged at her sleeve. "Stop complaining, get up and get something to eat, I'm starving."

Martial artists cannot live without food. When Lin Zhen arrived, he had some food in his Space Ring, but it was all fast food that he would only eat when there was absolutely no other food, such as Compressed Biscuit, beef jerky, and vitamin Sugar Pill. Although they could solve hunger, they were really unpalatable, and no one would eat these things unless absolutely necessary.

"I have food. I brought two pig legs and the seasoning packets; they're in my bag."

As Zhang Yue spoke, he rummaged through the Stamen stamens for his belongings; he didn't have Space Ring.

The package was found in a puddle in a corner. When it was opened, the pig leg was wet and the seasoning packet had turned into a paste.

"Idol, I told you you wouldn't agree to our barbecue last night. Now look what's happened, we're out of seasonings." Zhang Yue said with a miserable face, showing Lin Zhen the empty salt bag.

"I don't have any seasonings." Lin Zhen was also a little embarrassed. He had prepared a lot of things, but he really hadn't prepared any seasonings.

Zhang Yue threw away the seasoning packet and looked at the pig's leg again. "Idol, this pig's leg seems to have a bad smell. It's too hot in here, the pig's leg has gone bad."

"Oh no! Spoiled food should never be eaten. If a martial artist gets an upset stomach, it will affect their combat effectiveness. Throw it away."

Zhang Yue reluctantly threw away the pig's leg, while Lin Zhen took out several packets of Compressed Biscuit and Sugar Pill. The two of them chewed on them for a while.

"Idol, is it true that you can't leave this tree until you reach the level of War God?"

"That's right." Lin Zhen swallowed a mouthful of Compressed Biscuit with difficulty. He didn't have any water in his Space Ring, so he could only scoop up some dew and drink it.

"Why can't you leave? You're Mind Power Master who can fly. If you go to the base of the treetops, can't you just fly out and buy something?"

Lin Zhen shook his head. "Guan Shanyue said when we came that the Survival Manual also says that the outermost layer of Leaf on the Star Fruit Tree has a protective function. The Leaf are extremely corrosive. Not to mention people, even Leaf will be rolled up and corroded if they get close. Anyone who dares to get close to the outermost layer of Leaf is courting death. So we can only pass through the Heavenly Ladder. Otherwise, would Liang Feng be in that inhuman and ghostly state?"

Zhang Yue's face grew even more bitter. "What are we going to do? We're only Beginner War General. It'll take at least one or two years to reach the War God. No! One or two years is not enough. It could take three, five, ten, or even eight years. If we live like this for three or five years, I'll definitely starve to death."

Lin Zhen glanced at Zhang Yue with some helplessness. He hadn't expected that this kid would treat his fat body like a treasure. No wonder he couldn't lose weight.

But what he said makes sense. Not to mention him, even Lin Zhen, who has lived a second life, couldn't stand such a life.

"There's no good solution for now, so let's just hang in there and see if we can borrow some food from other people, or buy some ourselves."

Lin Zhen ate a Sugar Pill and stood up. "Don't worry, it's not a bad thing that you're a little thinner. Let's go find Star Crystal. I found a Star Core Crystal that had just bloomed last night."

"Wow! Idol, you found the Star Crystal! That's amazing! Let's go!"

Zhang Yue patted his butt and stood up. Hearing Star Crystal finally gave him some motivation, but he wasn't jealous that Lin Zhen had found Star Crystal. She was indeed a good teammate.

There was absolutely no sense of direction in the thicket; branches and Leaf were everywhere. They had walked for who knows how long and were both quite disoriented.

Everywhere was the same scene, and it was even hard to tell which way was which. In the end, Lin Zhen took out Compass, which he had prepared before he came.

"Let's go this way. We'll try to take some paths that ordinary people don't want to take. Those wide tree branches have definitely been used by people, so there are probably very few Star Crystal left."

The two began climbing the small tree branches, trying to reach places with dense foliage that were difficult to access.

After walking for a while, Zhang Yue suddenly twitched his nose. "Idol, I think I smell flowers."

"Oh! Your nose is so sensitive?" Lin Zhen exclaimed in surprise.

"Hehe, I've loved all kinds of food since I was a child, and I'm very sensitive to tastes, especially aromas. There must be flowers around here."

The presence of flowers meant the presence of Star Crystal, because once the Star Crystal were picked, the flowers would wither. Lin Zhen was also motivated. Following Zhang Yue's guidance, the two passed through layers of branches and then lifted many Leaf to finally find their target.

"Wow! This is Star Crystal, it's so beautiful!"

In the dim jungle, a flower blooms in full glory, and a beautiful and dazzling Star Core Crystal floats above its Stamen, emitting a soft starlight.

The two ran over, and Lin Zhen carefully looked around to make sure there were no Mutated Insect or enemies. Then he said to Zhang Yue, "You pick them and absorb them. The more strength you gain, the more secure we will be."

Unexpectedly, Zhang Yue shook his head. "Idol, you should take it. I think you're about to break through to the Level Four War General. If you absorb it and increase your strength, we can collect more Star Crystal without fear of battle."

"No!" Lin Zhen waved his hand. This was something Zhang Yue had discovered, and he didn't want to argue about it. Since the two of them were together, the best way was for each of them to have one. Setting the rules early would reduce the trouble.

Seeing Lin Zhen's insistence, Zhang Yue happily accepted the Star Crystal. After absorbing it for twenty minutes, Zhang Yue's strength greatly improved, and he actually advanced directly to the early stage of the Level Four War General!

Zhang Yue was already at the Level Three Peak, and this Star Crystal was almost entering the Meteor Stage, so it was naturally better than the one Lin Zhen found, and contained more energy. It was normal for him to advance to level four.

After Zhang Yue advanced, he felt that his sense of smell had become more acute, and the two of them continued to explore the jungle.

However, this time their luck wasn't so good. For three whole days, they traveled an unknown distance, but they didn't find a second Star Crystal.

They didn't find any Star Crystal, but encountered quite a few insects. Fortunately, Lin Zhen was strong enough and had a good ability to escape, so they escaped unharmed time and time again.

On the morning of the third day, the two of them managed to eat a little bit of dried meat before continuing their exploration.

We hadn't gone far when we heard voices coming from the tree branch ahead.

Lin Zhen and Zhang Yue quickly hid under a Leaf and peered through the gap.

I initially thought I might have met some fellow students from the same cohort, but it turned out I hadn't.

Four martial artists were running swiftly on the broad branches of a tree. Their clothes were tattered and torn, and some of them were even wearing unknown furs, clearly indicating that they were not newcomers.

"Quick! Someone has discovered several Star Crystal, and there's a standoff. Whoever grabs them first gets them, and we, the Class 496, must get a share!"

These are Stranded Ones!

This is the third bonus chapter for today. It's a bonus chapter for the 60 monthly votes. Dear readers, I've paid off my debt of monthly votes. Next up is a bonus chapter for donations, so don't go away.