The Second Host Body

Accompanied by Black Feather, the Crow Spirit, Zhang Yuan began searching the area around the small mountain valley.

The mountains here were high, the forests dense, and not a soul could be seen. The natural environment was extremely complex; who knew how many kinds of creatures dwelled within it?

Finding a second host body here was clearly no easy task.

It would not be an exaggeration to call it looking for a needle in the sea!

Fortunately, the Divine Nest could sense containable genetic organisms at close range and alert its host.

That greatly reduced the difficulty.

Even so, Zhang Yuan swung his Firewood Knife to hack through brambles and thorns, searching painstakingly for nearly two shichen and startling countless snakes, insects, rats, and ants hiding amid the grass and undergrowth.

The Divine Nest had shown no reaction at all.

He was not discouraged by this and still wanted to keep searching.

However, Black Feather, the Crow Spirit hovering in the air, began to tremble repeatedly, emitting a low hum.

It seemed to be reminding Zhang Yuan—the time was almost up!

Zhang Yuan understood what it meant and could only turn back toward the small mountain valley in resignation.

If he could not find one today, he would come again tomorrow.

Where there was one, there would be two. He believed that as long as he persevered, he would certainly find a second and third host body!

Containable genetic organism discovered!

To Zhang Yuan's utter surprise, a notification suddenly appeared in his vision after he had taken barely a dozen steps.

Zhang Yuan nearly jumped into the air.

Surprises always came so suddenly, catching people completely off guard!

He immediately widened his eyes and scanned the area, searching for the lifeform sensed by the Divine Nest.

It felt intensely thrilling, like opening a mystery box.

The next moment, Zhang Yuan's gaze locked onto a cluster of shrubs barely three chi away.

Among the dense branches and leaves, an entirely emerald-green mantis was confronting a black-and-white Silver Ring Snake.

Zhang Yuan could not help holding his breath.

This mantis looked as though it had been carved from jade. Its armored body gleamed beautifully as it waved its pair of scythe-like forelegs, testing the little snake before it with tentative attacks.

Though the Silver Ring Snake was very small, its overall size still exceeded that of the mantis.

Yet faced with the latter's attacks, it acted as though confronting a great enemy. It curled up its body, raised its head, and repeatedly dodged the forelegs striking at it.

It actually seemed to be at a disadvantage!

Zhang Yuan did not immediately interfere with their battle, instead watching patiently.

But the emerald-green mantis was clearly extremely fierce-tempered. After several fruitless probes, it brazenly launched a true surprise attack.

A flash of "blade light" streaked forth as one thorn-covered foreleg slashed viciously into the Silver Ring Snake's left eye with lightning speed.

A deep wound was instantly cut open.

Writhing in pain, the Silver Ring Snake instinctively opened its mouth wide and bit at the emerald-green mantis.

The attack was deftly evaded by the emerald-green mantis.

And even as it dodged the Silver Ring Snake's counterattack, the ferocious mantis unleashed another torrential assault.

Every strike targeted the Silver Ring Snake's head!

Although a battle at this level was nothing in the ecosystem, Zhang Yuan, as a spectator, watched with pounding heart.

He could not even clearly see the emerald-green mantis's movements. He only felt that this little creature fought with extreme flair.

After suffering repeated heavy blows, the Silver Ring Snake's head was split open and bleeding, and one of its eyes had been ruined.

It hurriedly turned and darted into the shrubs, trying to flee without a trace.

It could not win. It was completely outmatched!

Seeing its prey about to escape, the emerald-green mantis immediately raised its blade-like forelegs high.

It was ready to give chase.

But at that very moment, a "giant palm" suddenly descended from above.

It grabbed the mantis firmly in its grasp!

The emerald-green mantis had never expected a "great yellow finch" to be lying in wait beside it. Caught off guard, it instinctively swung its forelegs and struggled desperately.

It successfully cut several shallow wounds across Zhang Yuan's palm.

Zhang Yuan acted as though he did not feel them.

The Divine Nest Emblem on the back of his hand emitted a faint glow, and an ancient incantation bloomed soundlessly upon his tongue.

The emerald-green mantis in his palm abruptly vanished.

A new host body instantly appeared in the Divine Nest's second nest chamber!

Host: Zhang Yuan

Divine Nest: Level 1 (30%)

Host Body: Level 2 Black Giant Ant (9%)/4x Strength

Host Body: Level 1 Jade Mantis (2%)/Beginner Blade Technique Mastery

Vitality: 68/75

Source Essence: 0

Beginner Blade Technique Mastery!

The data displayed for the second host body on the Divine Nest Panel brought Zhang Yuan another enormous surprise.

This Extraordinary Lifeform, the Jade Mantis, actually possessed the power of "Mastery."

Mastery—proficiency and complete understanding!

This was a rare and precious extraordinary ability, even if it was limited to "blade techniques."

Zhang Yuan took a deep breath and quietly activated the Jade Mantis he had just acquired, bestowing Blade Technique Mastery upon himself.

A strange power surged from his left hand and instantly swept through his entire body.

It made Zhang Yuan tremble.

He could not help tightening his grip around the wood-splitting knife in his hand.

At that moment, Zhang Yuan felt as if this ordinary-looking Firewood Knife had accompanied him for decades, becoming a part of his body.

It was connected to his flesh and blood!

Zhang Yuan casually swung it once.

A sharp streak of blade light suddenly flashed before him, and a section of branch and leaves fell to the ground.

The cut was incomparably smooth!

Though he had never learned any true blade arts.

At this moment, with a blade in hand, Zhang Yuan faintly possessed the bearing of a master of the blade!

He believed that if he encountered that large Wild Boar from before again in this state, he could settle the matter with a single strike.

Just as Zhang Yuan wanted to further test the power of Blade Technique Mastery, Black Feather, the Crow Spirit beside him, rang out with another tremor.

There was no helping it; he could only bring things to a hasty end.

Zhang Yuan checked the Divine Nest Panel again and noticed that his Vitality had only dropped by 10 points.

Unlike the Black Giant Ant Power, which consumed a great deal of Vitality, the Jade Mantis's Blade Technique Mastery required far less Vitality to activate and bestow.

This meant that simply using the extraordinary ability of Blade Technique Mastery would last considerably longer!

Zhang Yuan was immensely satisfied with the result.

The joy in his heart was beyond words.

But pleased as he was, Zhang Yuan did not lose his head over it.

He followed Black Feather back to the small mountain valley.

There, Zhang Yuan discovered that the pile of Wild Boar entrails he had dug out earlier had already disappeared.

The Crow Spirit was nowhere to be seen either.

Only the sow with its empty belly still lay on the ground.

Without hesitation, Zhang Yuan immediately swung his blade and cut the Wild Boar into two halves.

He sacrificed one half in exchange for Source Essence, slung the other over his shoulder, and hurried toward the mountains' edge.

If he did not leave now, he might not make it back to the village before nightfall.

And at night, the wilderness beyond the protection of a village was extremely dangerous!

Sparing no effort, Zhang Yuan strode as swiftly as flying under Black Feather's guidance. Hurrying all the way, he finally returned to the road leading in and out of the mountains as the sky gradually darkened.

Only when he saw the mountain village ahead, its cooking smoke curling upward, did his heart truly settle.

Zhang Yuan turned his head to look, only to find that Black Feather, the Crow Spirit, had vanished without a trace!