Age of Evolution

“Fighting with people? Fighting with whom?” Lin Zhen asked.

“Come on, idol, obviously with the veteran students. There are a lot of people at the Ant Nest, I saw about a hundred when I was there.”

“So many people? Are they all gathered around the Ant Nest?”

“Yes, they’re all there around the Ant Nest, and they’ve established a rule that only the top-ranked ones are entitled to pick the Star Crystals when they are mature. If they fail, then it’s the next person’s turn.”

Lin Zhen and Su Mingyue both nodded. It sounded like a feasible plan, but actually implementing it would undoubtedly present difficulties. For example, the order of attempting to pick the Star Crystals is hard to determine.

“The order is simple too. Whoever’s group is stronger and more powerful can be in front. So we need more people, especially masters. We might have to compete with others. I’m not exactly sure how the competition will work, but we’ll find out when we get there.”

Lin Zhen did not ask more. Among this group, there was Jiang Huai, a master, their competitiveness should be pretty good.

There were eight of them including Jiang Huai, plus Lin Zhen and Su Mingyue making a team of ten. They made rapid progress, delving deep into the western dense forest area that day.

When they encountered mutant insects on the way, Jiang Huai would actively kill them. Lin Zhen and Su Mingyue also cooperated well with the group. With the strength in numbers, they did not meet with much resistance on their way.

By dusk, Ma Mingxing told them they were about halfway there, and it was too late to continue for that day.

The group stopped in a wind-sheltered area, preparing to rest.

Before resting, everyone, including Jiang Huai, sneakily peeked at Lin Zhen and Su Mingyue.

They weren’t stupid. Su Mingyue’s deliberate actions had raised some suspicion. Everyone is naturally curious, they wanted to see if there was something going on between Su Mingyue and Lin Zhen.

It was hard for them to believe that a girl like Su Mingyue could so easily fall in love with someone.

If the two of them were really a couple, then it would be normal for them to be together tonight. But if it was a pretense, they’d be exposed.

The sleeping arrangements were carefully made. The chosen location was a long tree pit. After laying out their bedding, it seemed like a long bed. It was big enough for about ten people, and these martial artists laid down one after another, leaving the space at the end for Su Mingyue and Lin Zhen.

As a girl, Su Mingyue could suggest sleeping elsewhere at this time, but that would raise suspicions and might be seen as not being a team player.

Just as Lin Zhen was hesitating, Su Mingyue lay down at the edge of the tree pit and said to Lin Zhen, “Let’s rest quickly. We have to hit the road soon.”

Lin Zhen nodded and lay down next to Su Mingyue. He could clearly sense that everyone else was watching, their ears pricked up like rabbits’.

If the two of them simply lay there, then their relationship was likely a sham. No real couple would be so formal with each other.

Of the eight people, at least five of them were attracted to Su Mingyue or had some thoughts about her. Now they had the opportunity to travel with Su Mingyue. If Lin Zhen and she were not a couple, someone might begin chasing after Su Mingyue tomorrow.

Just when Lin Zhen had finally settled down, Su Mingyue spoke again. “Hold me in your arms like you usually do.”

It was a quiet night, and when her words reached the others, they were like a bolt out of the blue!

Immediately, there were four or five coughs from around them, including Jiang Huai. Ma Mingxing was so taken aback, he nearly coughed his lungs up.

With a lingering fragrance, Su Mingyue’s soft body leaned into Lin Zhen’s arms, her head resting on his shoulder. She closed her eyes slightly and murmured, “Hold me.”

Lin Zhen reached out his arm, holding Su Mingyue in his embrace.

Their arms were entwined, their faces side by side, their hair mingling. Su Mingyue’s sweet scent, mixed with her warm breath, sprayed Lin Zhen’s face. Su Mingyue’s smooth cheek was hot against his.

Lin Zhen closed his eyes slightly. He tightened his embrace, holding this beautiful girl close to him.

“I’m doing the right thing. I’m helping her solve a problem. I’m doing the right thing…” Lin Zhen found an excuse for his behavior.

The night deepened. On one side Lin Zhen had Su Mingyue, on the other, were the sounds of heartbreak.

The next morning, everyone got up and, after having a simple meal, continued on their journey.

Su Mingyue was still following Lin Zhen. She didn’t look out of the ordinary. It seemed she had made up her mind to play the role of Lin Zhen’s girlfriend to the end.

Last night’s play-acting had proved effective. No other martial artists harassed Su Mingyue. After all, they were known as a couple, and forcing themselves in would not yield any good results. No one was willing to do that.

By noon, they had reached a large branch blocking their path. Ma Mingxing informed everyone that they were almost there.

Once they climbed over the branch, the landscape before their eyes was not only vast but also truly awe-inspiring.

Within a range of several kilometers, there was a vast area of dead branches, where fallen leaves and debris piled high like mountains.

Hundreds of meters upwards, green leaves shielded everything like the Sky Dome. Within this space, numerous flying ants, each about two meters in length, swarmed more densely than a locust swarm, covering everything.

On the pile of dead branches, a myriad of ants scurried up and down.

These ants were yellow, with the majority of ants around two to three meters long, quick in their movements. Occasionally, gigantic Soldier Ants would appear, waving their antennae, their massive pincers possessing a terrifying destructive power, warning distant invaders to gauge their own strength.

Surprisingly, atop this ant hill-like mound, numerous flashes of light shimmered.

In the pile of branches, there were occasional green stems. Each living branch, having absorbed too much energy, essentially bore Star Crystals.

From the perspective of Lin Zhen and his group, they could only see a corner of the mound but they could spot over a dozen flashing lights.

“Wow! Look there, is that a Comet Crystal?”

“Yes, it is a Comet Crystal, it’s my first time seeing one.”

“Snort, you guys look over there, that object formed into a sphere, that’s a Satellite Crystal, that’s the real gem.”

“And over there, the one with a brown aura, that might be a Planet Crystal. It’s also my first time seeing it.

Lin Zhen was also surprised, looking around. The number of Star Crystals on this mound was abundantly high. However, the path that Lin Zhen and the others took seemed to be the wrong one. To reach the other side of the mound, they would not only have to cross an area of dead branches but also cross an open field. They likely wouldn’t even get close to the Star Crystals without being devoured by the ants.

Furthermore, many branches and leaves blocked their way. Even if Lin Zhen used gravity, he may not be able to absorb the Star Crystals from this distance.

Therefore, using gravity here was absolutely not an option. The gravity was not precise enough to accurately absorb a tiny Star Crystal amidst the clutter of fallen branches and leaves.

“How are we going to get there? We can see the Star Crystals but can’t reach them.”

Ma Mingxing pointed to the distance, “There is a way. Only those protruding branches near the Ant Nest provide the access. There’s a peculiar flower there that the ants are unwilling to approach. The quickest and easiest way to get the Star Crystals is by descending from there. ”

Jiang Huai glanced over, holding his hand against his forehead to shield his eyes from the sun, “It must also be a gathering place for Martial Artists.” “Of course, that’s why we’re here.”

“Alright, ‘when in Rome, do as the Romans do’, let’s take a look over there.”

Jiang Huai walked at the front, with Lin Zhen and Su Mingyue and others following, heading towards the location Ma Mingxing mentioned.

It took a full half an hour to finally reach the place.

It was a massive, slanted tree trunk. Like mountaineers, they climbed about a kilometer until they finally reached their exhausting journey’s destination.

There was a relatively open space with a small pond, and around the pond, there were nearly a hundred people.

In front of the pond, there were three branches extending forward. The tips of these three branches were the closest to the Ant Nest. Only by descending from there could one reach the Ant Nest in the most effective and safest way, thus increasing the odds of obtaining Star Crystals.

Seeing Lin Zhen and his group approach, a man chewing on a grass stalk stood up.

“Whoa, quite a group came in all at once. You all seem to be rookies.”

Ma Mingxing hurried over, “Brother Guang, don’t tell me you don’t recognize me. I was here just a few days ago.”

“Oh! So it’s you, kid. So you’ve found some mates to compete for territory, huh?”

At this point, Jiang Huai stepped forward, “We are here to compete, of course. Otherwise, we might as well go to another Wilderness Area and take our time.”

“Well said, very spirited.”

Brother Guang nodded in approval, scanning the group, “The newbies this year seem pretty good, appear to be strong, oh my! This girl is too pretty and this young lad is quite handsome…but you, with that ridiculous hair, seem unreliable.”

After making his round of comments, Brother Guang addressed the group, “Since you’ve come to the Ant Nest, we won’t exclude you. We’re all from the God Generals Training Camp, it doesn’t matter if you’re one year earlier or later. Unlike those bastards from Sky Dome who occupy the best spot and refuse to let anyone else in. But we have rules here, see those three branches?”

Earnest nods met Brother Guang’s question, those three branches were crucial. Whoever could occupy a branch would have the priority to obtain the Star Crystals.

“We uphold a fair competition, a competition of strength among Martial Artists. Currently, we have about a hundred people here, plus you all, it would be over a hundred. The three branches, each have three teams lined up, with each week as the term limit. The top-ranked team occupies the branch for four days, from Monday to Thursday. The Star Crystals that appear during this period are for them to pick. The second-ranked team has two days, Friday and Saturday. The third-ranked team only has Sunday to pick. Do you understand?”

Seeing Lin Zhen and the others nod, Brother Guang continued, “If you want to place a queue number, you can challenge the teams ahead. Whether it be a team or individual battle, it’s up to negotiation. Win and you can move ahead, lose and stay back. You cannot challenge again within a week. If you’re brave enough, then come on!”

With that, Brother Guang stepped aside, laughing as he watched the

newcomers..