Shrimp and Bugs, a Change of Plans!

At night, stars glittered overhead, and through the trees, the moon could just barely be seen hanging high in the sky.

The forest was occasionally filled with the chirping of insects and birds.

A campfire crackled, its flames rising high.

Xu Tinglan took out a metal pot and hung it over the fire. Inside, he boiled river shrimp, crabs, and similar food, all caught from the nearby river.

The iron pot bubbled with red broth.

The shrimp curled into orange-red hooks, while the crabs raised their scorched claws. Golden roe and rich crab paste seeped from their cracked shells, their freshness wafting through the steam.

More than a dozen river shrimp were also roasting nearby.

Meng Hongchen looked at the shrimp meat, her expression somewhat unnatural.

"Are we really going to eat the bugs from that river?"

Xu Tinglan froze.

No wonder the girl had looked uncomfortable from the beginning. Did she really think these things were some kind of insects?

Xiao Hongchen did not care.

"What's wrong with bugs? Bugs are delicious. I think they're even more nutritious than ordinary meat."

He had caught all kinds of insects.

At another campfire some distance away, he skewered the insects on wooden sticks and roasted them over the flames.

"Meng, you really should try some. You'll love them."

Meng Hongchen looked at her own brother, then at the food Xu Tinglan was preparing, and felt her stomach churn.

She hugged her knees, looking utterly listless.

Xu Tinglan believed shrimp and crabs were very clean.

They also had high requirements for water quality.

Tossing away the shrimp heads and removing the veins left nothing but delicious meat.

He sprinkled on some spices.

Xu Tinglan could not wait to take a bite. The meat was flawless white, fresh and sweet, countless times better than green fish.

Ju Zi picked up a shrimp and ate it in small bites, delight appearing in her eyes.

"River shrimp are delicious. It would be even better if we could make shrimp fried rice."

Meng Hongchen looked skeptical.

"Is this thing really that good?"

Jiang Nannan picked up a red shrimp and nodded as if it were obvious. "Haven't you eaten shrimp before? Shrimp aren't bugs."

Meng Hongchen shook her head. "I just find them disgusting."

Watching the other three eat with gusto, she hesitated inwardly. Then she cautiously picked one up and took a small taste.

Her wine-red eyes instantly lit up.

"Delicious!"

"I think I've had this before, but I didn't know it was shrimp!"

Xiao Hongchen came running over with five skewers of roasted spiders and tree grubs in his hands, his face full of excitement.

"They're done! Try this master's cooking!"

The three girls jumped up.

Terrified and disgusted, they hurried in other directions.

Xu Tinglan looked at the black spider skewers right in front of him, along with the tree grubs dug from tree hollows.

He quickly waved his hands, telling Xiao Hongchen not to come any closer.

"Take those farther away. Don't ruin my appetite!"

Xiao Hongchen curled his lips and said indignantly.

"Your crabs aren't that different from my spiders, and river shrimp aren't any tastier than my meat grubs."

Meng Hongchen shrieked like a boiling kettle, her voice piercingly high.

"Brother, I'm eating! Can you stop disgusting me?!"

Xiao Hongchen looked helpless. "They really are delicious. Crispy and crunchy. Just try them."

Xu Tinglan's face darkened as he could not help complaining, "If they're really that delicious, why don't you stew your spiders and meat grubs into soup?"

The silver-haired boy's eyes lit up.

"Good idea!"

Meng Hongchen's eyes widened. "Go die."

They drew two boundary lines.

The girl warned her brother never to come over. Otherwise, she would release poison and make sure no one had dinner tonight, leaving everyone hungry together.

Ju Zi blinked, indicating that she did not mind. She had Ju Zi.

The Silver-Haired Girl gritted her teeth and said viciously, "Poison the Ju Zi too."

Ju Zi instinctively backed away several steps, looking at Meng Hongchen in terror.

After dinner.

They took tents and insect-repelling powder from their storage Soul Tools and scattered the powder around them.

The surroundings were filled with warning Soul Tools. Once a Soul Beast approached, they would sound an alarm, making them very convenient to use.

No one needed to stand watch at night.

Meng Hongchen, Jiang Nannan, and Ju Zi slept in one large tent.

Xu Tinglan had originally planned to sit cross-legged and meditate in a tent with his roommate, Xiao Hongchen.

But when he thought of the insects that guy had eaten for dinner, he decisively took out a spare tent.

After daybreak, they continued deeper into Mingyue Forest.

The closer they got to the forest's core, the more likely they were to encounter high-level Soul Beasts.

They also came across some older students, but according to Xiao Hongchen, they were generally only around the level of fourth-grade Soul Engineers.

They were not worth mentioning.

Since they did not know them, they had no intention of approaching them.

After all, students snatching one another's Points Plates was also within the rules.

More accurately, the greatest threat in the wilderness assessment was actually competition between students.

"Roar!"

A thousand-year Jungle Tiger stood atop a massive boulder, looking down at the four of them. Its head-sized eyes watched them with predatory intent.

"A four-thousand-year Jungle Tiger!"

It would be more than suitable as a Fourth Soul Ring.

Tiger-type Soul Beasts were kings among beasts, exceptionally powerful. If a Soul Ancestor fought a Jungle Tiger alone, their only option would be to look for a chance to escape.

Xu Tinglan took out a set of Soul Tool Armor from his storage Soul Tool.

The Soul Tool Armor had a deep gold base, with ink-wash patterns winding across it like rivers.

Water patterns covered the shoulder armor, while a golden-yellow gemstone was embedded in the breastplate, its glow deep and restrained.

The scales on the Arm Armor overlapped layer upon layer. Gold edges flowed between them like earth and water blending together, giving off an air of solemn weight amid the killing intent.

This was the Soul Tool Armor his adoptive father had given him, called Mountain and Sea Heaven-Bearing.

It was a sixth-grade Soul Tool, though with his current Soul Power, he could at most bring out fifth-grade effects.

This was the perfect chance to test it.

Meng Hongchen stared unblinkingly at the armored boy, her eyes burning with desire.

"I want Grandpa to make me a set of Soul Tool Armor too."

The boy stood amid the dense forest in his black-and-gold Soul Tool Armor.

The Jungle Tiger pounced down from above, its roar shaking leaves from the branches.

Xu Tinglan sidestepped, and the tiger's claw scraped across his shoulder armor, sending sparks flying.

He countered with a punch to the tiger's abdomen. The golden patterns on the armor suddenly blazed as his fist struck with meteor-like force.

The Jungle Tiger was driven back several steps, its four claws plowing deep furrows into the ground. Fierce light filled its amber vertical pupils.

Its tail swept out like an iron whip, and the boy raised an arm to block it.

Seizing the chance, he charged forward, grabbed the tiger's tail, spun, and hurled the massive creature into a giant tree, snapping the trunk on impact.

The Jungle Tiger rolled twice, furious beyond measure as golden-yellow light gathered in its mouth.

"Roar!"

It erupted forth at astonishing speed.

Rather than retreat, the boy advanced and punched apart the golden-yellow blast.

This set of Soul Tool Armor could raise his strength to the level of a Soul King, greatly enhancing both his defense and power.

The armor's durability alone was enough to rival another person's Fourth Soul Skill.

The longer he fought, the more exhilarated he became.

After fighting for the time it took to burn an incense stick, the points on his Points Plate increased by another four thousand.

Xu Tinglan exhaled a breath of foul air and wiped the mud spots from his faceplate.

But he soon sensed a burst of killing intent suddenly appear!

There was no attempt to conceal it.

Xu Tinglan's spiritual power spread out like the Tide, probing toward the northwest.

His expression darkened as he shouted to the other four.

"Run!"