Having been chased by the mushroom heads for so long, everyone was seething with anger.

Now, riding the momentum of the ant swarm, they could finally vent their frustrations!

"Egg Pancake, be careful! Stick close to us and just pick off the weaker mushroom heads."

Seeing the little guy getting carried away by the chaos, Han Ning quickly called out to it.

"CHIRP CHIRP!"

Yin Yi fought on the front lines while Han Ning, Lin Tianhe, and their Silver Lotus Woods gathered together, following the ant army in a slow advance.

The Ant Soldier Leader and Yin Yi took on the three ten-meter-tall mushroom heads leading the enemy charge.

Meanwhile, the remaining Soldier Ants engaged the other mushroom heads.

RUMBLE!

The clash of Energy erupted in deafening roars, making the very ground tremble.

The powerhouses were clashing up ahead, making it impossible for the others to interfere.

But the battle among the "weaker" combatants on the periphery was just as fiercely contested.

During the battle, Luo Chen’s Silver Lotus Wood was the most ferocious of all.

Its two deep-green vines, thicker than a human arm and covered in bronze patterns, whistled through the air with every strike. They smashed weaker mushroom heads directly into pulp, a testament to their ferocious power.

Lin Tianhe’s Silver Lotus Wood was more well-rounded. It was fast, had decent Physical Strength and Power, and weaved nimbly between the mushroom heads. Alternating between its Vine Whip and Silver Thorns, it took down a fair number of them.

Teacher Xiuning’s Silver Lotus Wood moved in a bizarre fashion. It could dart up to a mushroom head as swiftly as Yin Yi once had, its flower emitting a thick, white mist.

Any mushroom head that touched the mist was instantly paralyzed, allowing the Silver Lotus Wood to finish it off.

Han Ning stayed near Luo Chen’s Silver Lotus Wood, directing Egg Pancake to find suitable opponents and train its skills.

"Egg Pancake, that mushroom head’s strength is probably on par with yours! Go get it!"

He aimed his Silver Scale at a mushroom head and pulled the trigger.

BANG! The Silver Scale’s pellets sent the mushroom head flying over a meter away. It staggered to its feet, its cap damaged, shaking its head groggily.

[ㅤ

Race: Swamp Guardian

Gender: Male

Talent: F

Level: Entry Level I (99/100)

Talents: None

Acquired Soul Techniques: Wandering Tongue Entanglement I (97/100), Mud Missile II (95/100)

Power: 5 (Maxed Out)

Physical Strength: 7 (Maxed Out)

Agility: 5 (Maxed Out)

Spiritual Energy: 0.75 (Maxed Out)

Elemental Affinity (Earth): 0.53

]

This mushroom head was likely at Entry Level II, given that it survived a shot from the Silver Scale.

But now that it was injured, it made for the perfect sparring partner for Egg Pancake.

Kicking up dust, Egg Pancake charged nimbly toward the purple-capped mushroom head.

"CHIRP!"

Egg Pancake dropped low and, with a WHOOSH, appeared at the mushroom head’s side. It spun violently, whipping its long, narrow tail toward the creature’s pale stalk.

"GURGLE!"

The mushroom head was utterly fearless. Facing the whistling tail, it suddenly opened its mouth. Its tiny, four-centimeter-long mouth split open into a massive maw over sixty centimeters wide and chomped down hard on Egg Pancake’s tail.

"SQUEAL!"

Blood sprayed everywhere!

Egg Pancake cried out in pain. The mud coating its tail immediately surged up the creature’s sharp teeth.

In a single second, the mushroom head’s mouth was completely encased in mud.

"GURGLE, GURGLE!"

It struggled to break free, but the mud held it fast like glue.

Seeing its chance, Egg Pancake opened its mouth, wrapping its elastic tongue around the mushroom head’s body to reinforce its hold. A glob of thick mud formed between its claws. It raised its forelimbs high, power surging through its bulging muscles, and brought them crashing down.

THUD!

The mushroom head took a heavy blow. The yellowish-brown mud splattered across its purple cap, forming a heavy, crusty shell.

Realizing it couldn’t break free from Egg Pancake’s tail, it simply bit down with all its might!

Blood gushed forth.

Egg Pancake gritted its teeth and relentlessly hammered its fists down on the mushroom head’s cap.

THUD THUD THUD THUD!!

Unlike Yin Yi’s elegant fighting style, this was a pure, savage brawl—a primal contest of flesh and blood!

"CHIRP CHIRP!"

Egg Pancake’s gaze grew even more savage. With teeth gritted, it brought its fists down again and again in a furious barrage.

After countless blows, the mushroom head’s movements slowed, its head weighed down, until it finally collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

SPLAT!

Egg Pancake brought its foot down hard on the creature’s head.

The dried mud shattered, revealing the flattened mushroom head beneath.

"CHIRP CHIRP!!"

Egg Pancake held its bleeding tail high and let out a triumphant cry.

The moment it killed the mushroom head, a bright, ochre light enveloped its body.

The Earth Element in the air surged toward it.

The massive wound on its tail healed at a rate visible to the naked eye.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Han Ning used his Energy Points to max out Egg Pancake’s Power, Physical Strength, Agility, and Spiritual Energy the instant it broke through.

"CHIRP CHIRP!"

Enveloped in light, Egg Pancake’s body slowly began to grow.

One-point-one meters, one-point-two... It grew to a full one-point-five meters long before the light finally faded.

[ㅤ

Race: Swamp Guardian

Gender: Male

Talent: F

Level: Entry Level II (199/200)

Talents: None

Acquired Soul Techniques: Wandering Tongue Entanglement II (16/200), Mud Missile III (23/200)

Power: 10 (Maxed Out)

Physical Strength: 13 (Maxed Out)

Agility: 10 (Maxed Out)

Spiritual Energy: 1.75 (Maxed Out)

Elemental Affinity (Earth): 0.93

]

"Excellent! Full of spirit! Keep fighting!"

This was a rare training opportunity, and Han Ning had no intention of letting it go to waste.

Before Egg Pancake could even savor the feeling of its breakthrough, Han Ning raised his Silver Scale Spear, aimed at five mushroom heads currently fighting the Soldier Ants, and pulled the trigger.

BANG!

The shot hit a slightly larger mushroom head.

The mushroom head immediately turned its "fierce" gaze on Han Ning, abandoned the Soldier Ant before it, and charged straight toward him.

"Egg Pancake, it’s all yours! Ah Chen, don’t let your Silver Lotus Wood kill it! I’ll call you if anything happens."

"Got it! I’ll find other opponents. Kill!" Luo Chen was finally back to his usual lively self, directing his Silver Lotus Wood to take down one mushroom head after another.

This mushroom head could hold its own against a Soldier Ant for a round or two, meaning it might even have the strength of an Entry Level III creature.

’Fighting a higher-level opponent with Egg Pancake’s current Entry Level II combat power will be a struggle,’ Han Ning thought, ’but it will be an excellent way to temper its body!’

POOF! POOF!

The moment they engaged, the mushroom head spat a massive cloud of toxic spores right in Egg Pancake’s face.

Egg Pancake shook its head and instinctively shot out its tongue, attempting to ensnare the mushroom head.

But in the next instant, the mushroom head opened its meter-wide maw with a WHOOSH and bit clean through half of Egg Pancake’s extended tongue.

SPURT!

A torrent of blood sprayed out.

"SQUEALROAR!!"

In that instant, Egg Pancake’s furious roar echoed through the forest.

It stuck out the stump of its tongue. The flesh at the tip wriggled, and then, incredibly, the severed tongue began to rapidly regenerate.

’No wonder... no wonder its Physical Strength is so high...’