Golden Particles

The sun came out, but Wang Wu still couldn't find a suitable spot.

He resigned himself to it.

Watching the golden sunlight descend with Heaven and Earth's blessings upon the cliff top and the highest branches of the trees, he could only wait quietly and observe the details.

Then he really did notice something different: golden particles floated within the sunlight. Every Sprite bathed in the sun quickly formed a layer of golden halo around its body.

"Three minutes! A full three minutes!"

As the sunlight slowly moved downward, Wang Wu roughly timed it in his mind.

He named it Violet Gold Three Minutes, because the golden particles were most plentiful during this period, but only the cliff tops, hilltops, and treetops could enjoy it.

Next, the sunlight moved to the middle of the cliff, and there was still no share for Wang Wu.

Other than silently keeping time in his head, there was nothing he could do.

At last, the sunlight reached the foot of the mountain—the spot where Wang Wu had basked yesterday. Another three minutes or so had passed, so this should count as Golden Three Minutes.

"Well then, when it's my turn, it can only count as Silver Three Minutes."

Just as Wang Wu was thinking this, rustling came from the grass in the forest, making his scalp tingle. He thought something had happened, only to see rats after rats, mantises after mantises, spiders after spiders, grasshoppers after grasshoppers, giant ants, dung beetles, Cabbage Worms, scarabs, longhorn beetles, mole crickets... all kinds of animals and insects, familiar and unfamiliar alike, charging forward like mad and swiftly occupying every advantageous spot at the foot of the mountain.

Good grief, are you people serious?

Wang Wu panicked. Yesterday, he had emerged from the crack in the rocks too late to see this scene; he had only seen the insects retreating. At the time, he had merely felt that the forest was brimming with life, but seeing it again today, it was so bloody and brutal that his hair stood on end.

This competition could reach the eighteenth circle of hell.

A mantis as large as a rat suddenly brandished its two mantis blades and issued Wang Wu a deadly threat. Wang Wu's shadow was blocking its way.

Oh, so even you want to bully me?

Not wanting to provoke public outrage at this moment, Wang Wu shifted slightly. Keeping watch on his surroundings, he let the sunlight shine upon him. His Level 1 Spiritual Essence stood out among the swarm like a crane among chickens. Even during Silver Three Minutes, he could absorb around ten Golden Particles every second, and roughly ten Golden Particles could be converted into one point of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy.

At that rate, ten insects together still wouldn't be his match.

There was just one problem. Before long, a great deal of hostility gathered around Wang Wu. The density of Golden Particles was limited; the more he absorbed, the less the other insects could absorb.

Finally, the Mantis Swordsman from before was the first to strike. With one leap, its twin blades came slashing down, swift and clean. A rookie like Wang Wu had no way of dodging.

Mm, he hadn't planned to dodge anyway.

Then, the very next second, his defense was broken.

"Wandering Mantis Swordsman has launched an attack against you. Based on your defense attributes, you suffered 4 points of Slashing Damage."

Th-this works too?

Wang Wu backhanded the brave Mantis Swordsman to death with a single slap. Even if he was only a little bigger than a toy poodle, he was still no match for such a tiny mantis...

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Smack! Smack! Smack!

Wang Wu was mobbed. Although the highest damage did not exceed 4 points, and the lowest did not even reach 1 point, it still scared him badly. Forgetting everything else, he wildly swatted with both paws and charged about in every direction, wiping out more than thirty Wandering Mantis Swordsmen in one breath and successfully having the last laugh.

But his Health Points had fallen to only 54.

More than half of that damage had been dealt by the Mantis Swordsmen.

No more words were needed. Covered in wounds, Wang Wu began to gorge himself. What did it matter if he was eating insects? Crunchy and crisp, chicken flavor!

And it really was true. These insects that knew to come and compete for Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy were all outstanding members of their respective races, so they were extremely nutritious. Though the taste left much to be desired, Wang Wu's Satiety truly shot up at breakneck speed.

When he was lucky, they even gave him 0.1 points of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy.

Damn it, Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy even has decimal points. I can't even be bothered to complain.

Silver Three Minutes soon ended. Wang Wu had raised his Satiety to 231 points and gained a total of 0.9 points of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy. Meanwhile, he had not delayed his own absorption at all, gaining 18 points of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy in total. Adding the 6 points from yesterday, he now had 24.9 points altogether.

"Hehe, now that's more like it."

Wang Wu secretly reveled in delight, but followed the other insects into the forest as well.

Yesterday, he might have been able to hide in the crack between the rocks, but if he tried the same trick today, he would truly be courting death. He had clearly felt the Black Snake Clan's cold, sharp gazes earlier.

So first, he would become a Wandering Bear Warrior.

But the cruelty of life quickly dealt Wang Wu a blow to the head.

He had only just found a dense patch of bushes and wanted to settle there temporarily when more than a dozen Gray Rats charged out from within. Their bodies were covered in fleshy tumors, they looked exceptionally ferocious, and each was nearly half Wang Wu's size. Like heavily armored cavalry charging across a battlefield, they caught the unprepared Wang Wu off guard and flipped him onto the ground, then swarmed him, nearly tearing him alive.

Wang Wu fought back desperately and managed to slap two vicious Gray Rats to death, but even more Gray Rats rushed from the bushes, frightening him into turning tail and running.

Behind him, smug squeaks filled the air.

"You attempted to invade the Gray Rat Tribe's territory. Regrettably, you have been repelled."

"Your Self-Healing Talent has activated. You must consume 200 points of Satiety to restore your Health Points. This process requires five hours."

Cursing under his breath, Wang Wu looked at his remaining 20 Health Points. He could only lean against a lonely tree and hide in the thick grass, warily watching his surroundings. What he truly feared were not those insects, but larger animals. Yet strangely enough, there seemed to be no medium or large beasts in this forest—not even grass-eating rabbits.

Had they all been eliminated?

Wang Wu thought of the bucket-thick Great Serpent, the Flame Scorpions over a meter long, the giant centipedes more than two meters long, and the immortal-looking White-Haired Rats. Ordinary beasts, even tigers and lions, might not be their match.

But then again, opportunities were equal.

If even these insects could occupy a patch of territory, then those medium and large predators might be doing even better.

Especially considering that they could absorb Golden Particles every morning and convert them into Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy.

The answer was practically ready to leap off the page.

Those fiercer beasts must have gone to higher peaks and broader lands.

Or perhaps this forest was part of the territory of some Lion King or Tiger King.

But they could no longer be called Sprites. They had to be called Great Demons!