“That level of strength… barely passable,” Ye Lian said softly as she closed the panel.
Though her voice was quiet, the cave was so silent that Bai Xue couldn’t help but hear it clearly.
She blinked in disbelief, unsure if she’d heard correctly.
‘What did she mean by barely passable?’
‘Is this what a true powerhouse mindset looks like? I love it!’
“All done?” Ye Lian turned to look at her.
“Not yet—almost there!” Bai Xue snapped back to action, quickly dealing with the corpse.
“The materials from these flying ants are average. Just take the mental crystals,” Ye Lian added.
“Got it!” Bai Xue nodded, slicing open a flying ant’s head with a single sword strike and swiftly extracting the mental crystal.
Three minutes later, the two of them left the large cavern and headed straight into the largest tunnel.
The deeper they went, the drier it became, and the air started to carry a faint, unpleasant odor.
A little fishy.
A little rotten.
But Ye Lian purified the air completely as they walked.
Bai Xue was deeply grateful.
‘A human-shaped air purifier… She’s amazing!’
***
At the end of a long tunnel, they entered a smaller cavern where several bloated ants were leisurely strolling about.
Their aura was clearly different from the previous ones—probably the nobility among the ants.
At the very least, they didn’t look like the working type.
The ants noticed the intruders and immediately released a strange mental wave.
Moments later, over a dozen massive ants burst through the entrance of the small cavern.
Their mandibles were much larger and thicker than those of the first batch.
A single bite from those could easily cut someone in half.
“Those are some huge mandibles,” Bai Xue remarked in surprise.
She could sense that these ants were noticeably stronger than the previous ones.
They were likely the soldier caste of the ant colony.
“Soldier ants, huh? Interesting,” Ye Lian said, gripping her spear with one hand, a glint of excitement flashing in her eyes.
These powerful soldier ants were filled with valuable materials—perfect for crafting gear.
“Bai Xue, take care of the ones that break off from the group.”
As soon as she spoke, Ye Lian charged in like a wolf among sheep, her spear instantly skewering one soldier ant’s head.
The scene turned chaotic in an instant.
One of the soldier ants lunged at Bai Xue.
She quickly pulled back to gain some distance and prepared for battle.
Ye Lian continued her precise headhunting, occasionally blocking the bloated ants to prevent them from escaping.
In less than fifteen seconds, the aggressive soldier ants had been nearly wiped out by her alone.
The bloated ants showed expressions of almost human-like shock—and even despair.
They didn’t attempt to flee.
Perhaps they knew escape was hopeless, so they opened their jaws and charged forward in a suicidal rush.
Ye Lian didn’t hesitate.
Her spear danced through the air, cutting them down in one clean sweep.
The battle ended just like that.
On the other side, Bai Xue dodged the soldier ant’s flurry of attacks, then pushed off the stone wall with one foot, shooting forward like an arrow.
As she neared the top of the ant, she spun mid-air, her twin swords—one black, one white—drawing a sharp arc that cleanly decapitated the creature.
She landed lightly, holding her final strike position.
If this were the real world, there’s no way she could’ve pulled off that move.
But here, she had—and she’d done it perfectly.
“Nice move,” Ye Lian said, putting away her spear and giving an approving clap.
“Forgive me for embarrassing myself, Master,” Bai Xue replied, cheeks slightly flushed as she stood up.
In her opinion, her strength wasn’t even one-thousandth that of the White Knight.
She had no right to be complacent.
“Not bad. It looks pretty cool—and practical too.
As long as it guarantees a one-hit kill,” Ye Lian commented.
If that strike earlier had been blocked or failed to kill the enemy, Bai Xue would’ve been left in a vulnerable position while suspended in mid-air.
“I believed I could kill it. That’s why I acted,” Bai Xue replied seriously.
“Being able to assess an enemy’s strength and make the right decision means you’re already a qualified warrior,” Ye Lian said, offering her verbal encouragement.
“It’s all thanks to my master’s teaching,” Bai Xue said with a calm smile, beautiful and composed.
Being around Ye Lian made her feel like she was improving every second of every day.
“Enough with the rainbow-flavored flattery. Get to cleaning up the battlefield,” Ye Lian said, pretending to be stern.
Bai Xue stuck out her tongue playfully and got to work on dissecting the remains.
***
After spending time together, the two of them had grown less formal—like newly acquainted friends.
They now understood each other a little better.
It was a good start.
Once they gathered the materials, Ye Lian and Bai Xue entered the next passage through a small tunnel.
After several twists and turns, they arrived at an even deeper corridor.
Surprisingly, they didn’t encounter any more giant ants along the way.
The air was thick with a strong metallic scent—like blood—but also carried a faint fruity aroma.
“Bai Xue, this way. Smells like there’s something good ahead,” Ye Lian said.
This was a scent she couldn’t purify—strangely enticing.
Bai Xue quickly followed her lead.
The two of them slipped into a relatively narrow tunnel.
Before long, they arrived at what looked like a storage room.
It was filled with various types of fruit, easily four to five hundred jin’s worth.
There were pear-shaped fruits, but they were blue.
Some looked like bananas, but when squeezed, they were as hard as stone.
In any case, none of the fruits were familiar to them.
“Take everything. Who knows? It might come in handy later,” Ye Lian said cheerfully.
An unexpected treasure.
“Will it fit in the inventory?” Bai Xue asked, opening her panel.
“Same-type items can stack up to 999 per slot. We’re good.”
Ye Lian spoke as she crouched down and began packing up the fruit.
“Got it!” Bai Xue nodded and joined in the effort.
It took them ten full minutes to completely empty the storage room, which was about the size of a kiln chamber.
So clean that even a mouse would leave in tears.
***
After leaving the storage room, Ye Lian scanned the area, her gaze settling on a massive opening up ahead.
“You think the Queen is in there?”
“Very likely,” Bai Xue replied, staring at the entrance with a growing sense of unease.
Her strength had improved recently, and her ability to sense various auras had become much more refined.
“Ready for a big fight? I might not have time to protect you this time,” Ye Lian warned.
“Mm. I’ll do my best!”
Bai Xue’s expression was firm and resolute.
She felt it was finally her chance to truly shine.
“Then let’s go.”
“Yeah!”
Shoulder to shoulder, the two of them stepped toward the massive entrance.
Even before they entered, they heard a rustling—soft and continuous.
There were definitely ants inside.
Ye Lian took the lead and dashed in, with Bai Xue right behind her.
As soon as they stabilized their footing, they found themselves in a spacious white room.
The walls were lined with soldier ants.
Around fifty of them.
In the center of the room lay a massive, bloated white creature.
Chubby, yet anything but cute.
It was the Ant Queen.
Her grotesque body supported a tiny head with a pair of bright red compound eyes.
At that moment, she turned toward them, her mouth writhing as she emitted a wave of psychic energy.
Immediately, the soldier ants snapped their heads around, eyes glinting with bloodlust.
A green glow shimmered across the Queen’s body.
“Be careful. If it gets too much, we run,” Ye Lian warned.
“You be careful too, Master,” Bai Xue said, tightening her grip on her sword as her mind entered full focus.
As her words fell, nearly fifty soldier ants surged toward them!