At Sea City Military Academy, in the First Company's classroom.

Watching Fang Zhou lie in wait, effortlessly slaying hundreds of Fierce Worker Ants, an observing student couldn't help but mutter, "It's only been three days. The number of demons killed directly or indirectly by Fang Zhou must be in the thousands by now, right? We're all in the Cave, so why is his experience so different from everyone else's?"

A female student next to him chimed in, "I know! Fang Zhou has been crossing mountains and valleys as if they were flat ground, casually racking up dozens upon dozens of points. The Cave Demons he fights look as fragile as paper! It's only when I watch the others' live streams, seeing them struggle just to survive, that I realize it's not that the demons are weak—it's that Fang Zhou is just too strong!"

Hearing this, another student shook his head and sighed with emotion. "Lurking in the Cave, claiming a Marvel from the Tomb, saving comrades on the Tundra, and displaying his heroism in the Ore Vein. Look at Fang Zhou's three days of hunting; it has been more exciting than all 179 other participants combined. Not to mention, after this Cave expedition is over, with the rewards from discovering the ore vein, he'll earn at least a thousand contribution points, won't he? The comparison is crushing; you might as well just give up!"

The other students fell silent, not even bothering to muster the energy for jealousy. There was nothing they could do; the gap was simply too vast.

Once the Cave Hunting concluded, Fang Zhou would be confirmed as the No.1 Seed. After that, he would exchange his contribution points for Cultivation Resources. Once he absorbed them, he would likely be able to challenge the senior students.

「Hill Ore Vein, within the Ant Nest.」

Ants are natural excavators, a Talent that remained even after their Demonization into Fierce Ants. Thanks to their diligent work, the passages within the nest were secure, stable, and interconnected, far more spacious than Fang Zhou had imagined.

Beyond the initial passage lay a wide, cavernous platform. It was covered in marks from excavation, and the ground bore a chaotic web of crisscrossing tracks, all carrying the unique scent of the Fierce Ants. Directly across from Fang Zhou and Instructor Wang Tao were three entrances, each leading to a different tunnel.

Which way should we go? Wang Tao turned to Fang Zhou.

Fang Zhou paused for only a moment before reacting. He took out the [Heroic Spirit Battle Banner] and used his [Soul Realm] to sense the path forward. Guided by the Heroic Spirit, his gaze settled on the middle passage.

The Skeleton Army advanced first. The tunnel was about two meters high and seemed to stretch on endlessly, twisting and turning.

CLACK. CLACK.

Inside the passage, the only sounds were Fang Zhou's faint breathing and the soft clacking of the skeletons' feet on the ground, creating an eerie silence. Perhaps it was because the vast number of Fierce Ants had been lured out of the nest, never to return. Since entering, Fang Zhou and the others had seen nothing but scattered tracks, with no other demons in sight.

But Fang Zhou didn't let his guard down for a second, remaining on high alert. By clearing his mind, his [Soul Realm] skill allowed his senses to bypass the rock, easily detecting movement from a great distance.

Finally, they emerged from the long, winding, and dim passageway. The oppressive atmosphere lessened, and they could breathe a sigh of relief. Here, they found another wide, cavernous platform, which appeared to be a central hub for the entire ant nest, large enough for many ants to pass one another.

However, three more passages now lay before Fang Zhou.

Without hesitation, Fang Zhou used the same tactic. Following the guidance of the [Heroic Spirit Battle Banner], he once again entered the middle tunnel and pressed onward.

After repeating this process several times, they arrived in another cavernous chamber. This time, they saw a Fierce Worker Ant emerging from a horizontal passage, carrying an oval, grayish-white object about the size of a football.

It was a Fierce Ant egg!

Fang Zhou's expression lit up. With ant eggs appearing, can the Ant Queen be far behind?

He commanded a few skeletons to rush forward. They swiftly killed the Fierce Worker Ant and shattered the egg, causing a viscous fluid to ooze onto the ground like a broken egg.

Fang Zhou walked toward a side cavern, using the faint glow of the Magic Energy Moss to get a clear view of what was inside. Countless grayish-white ant eggs were packed densely together, yet arranged in an orderly fashion, likely numbering over a hundred. The surface of each one was slimy and looked somewhat disgusting. Through the grayish-white shell, he could see that some had a hint of black inside, while others were pure white. The ones with black were likely about to hatch larvae, while the pure white ones were probably freshly laid.

This had to be the nest's incubation chamber, used specifically for hatching eggs.

Instructor Wang Tao's eyes widened in surprise. Even with all his experience, he had never seen so many demon eggs in one place.

Fang Zhou's eyes also gleamed with excitement. These ant eggs were valuable treasures. Whether used as demon feed or research material, they would be incredibly useful. Though a single egg wasn't worth much, the hundreds in this chamber alone would accumulate into a significant sum of contribution points.

Since it was impractical to carry them now, Fang Zhou decided to leave them for the time being. When they returned to the surface, he could have the skeletons carry these Fierce Ant eggs up.

Continuing deeper, Fang Zhou discovered several more incubation chambers. Each one contained hundreds of ant eggs; some had begun to hatch, while others had not.

They continued down the sloping passages, venturing ever deeper into the nest and drawing closer to the Ant Queen.

Fang Zhou was secretly relieved. He was glad for his foresight in luring the Fierce Ants out of the nest to kill them earlier. Now, only a few scattered worker ants remained, posing no threat to him. If hundreds of adult Fierce Ants had been allowed to remain in this complex terrain, Fang Zhou would have turned and fled without a moment's hesitation.

After descending through another passage, they arrived at another cavern. These caverns acted like nodes throughout the nest, connected by the passages that were like veins. This chamber was no different from the others, except for one thing: there was only a single, horizontal tunnel leading forward.

Fang Zhou unfurled the [Heroic Spirit Battle Banner], and the mystical perception grew more distinct.

The destination must be just ahead.

This thought made Fang Zhou even more vigilant. He immediately ordered the skeletons into the passage, following close behind.

The passage wasn't very long. Soon, Fang Zhou and his Skeleton Army emerged from the other side.

Before them was a peculiar, vast cavern with a deep pit in its center. At this moment, a strange creature was lying in the pit. It was five meters long, grayish-white all over, and fleshy like a giant, fat worm. Its head was minuscule, less than a twentieth of its total body size. Its massive body seemed to conceal its legs entirely, and food scraps were scattered all around it.

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