Recruit black physique to start practice in wasteland

Chapter 2365 A Disappointing Performance
Qu Jianlei wanted to observe the Golden Elixir Locust, but he didn't get too close; a distance of 100,000 to 200,000 kilometers would be enough.

He observed for a day and a night, and many small teams appeared in the surrounding area, including insectoids and tapirs.

Later, he basically determined that the Nascent Soul rhinoceros beetle of this insectoid squad did not seem to be able to completely control the incense channel of the locusts.

In other words, locusts are not, at least not entirely, relatives of rhinoceros beetles.

Perhaps the locust was worshipping another Nascent Soul God, and was temporarily transferred here, or perhaps the locust was favored by a Deity who had left the body.

So, continuing to look around seemed pointless, and he decided to leave.

However, when he subtly scanned the area with his divine sense, he was stunned. "This is... there's a second one?"

Millions of kilometers away, in another group of insects, there was also a Golden Locust.

However, this locust is a bit strange. It doesn't look like a purebred species; it's more like a hybrid of a locust and an insect-like locust.

"Love that transcends races?" Qu Jianlei sensed it again, and sure enough, it was the aura of the Tree Clan Locust.

If it weren't for the immense pressure he faced in recent years, relentlessly striving to improve himself, he probably wouldn't have been able to detect it from such a distant perspective.

It was necessary to observe further, so he quietly approached to sense it.

His perception proved correct, and the locust's aura was even purer than he had imagined.

Not only does it have a strong incense smell, but it should also be a true and legitimate tree locust.

At most, its color is a bit lighter, and at first glance, it looks a bit like a mixed-race animal.

This is... kind of interesting! Qu Jianlei genuinely wanted to investigate what had happened.

However, his biggest demand right now is stability. With the four Grand Venerables not back, he has to keep things under control.

After thinking it over, he returned to the warship and informed his men that at least two locusts carrying the scent of incense had appeared.

Duo Gan was responsible for contacting other cultivator teams, so she spread the message—nothing more than a piece of information.

This is also one of the purposes of everyone's trial: to gather as much information as possible so as to guide other cultivators in their future endeavors.

As for how other teams interpret the news, that's their business.

Qu Jianlei's team's reaction was quite representative. Jing Yuexin suggested, "Let's look for any more locusts."

The two golden locusts are not a big problem; what they might represent is more important.

There are many possibilities, but there's no need to speculate. The atmosphere on the battlefield is already tense, so why scare yourself unnecessarily?

Han Li's team reacted differently, actually approaching the group of Nascent Soul rhinoceros beetles and launching an attack.

However, upon discovering that its opponent was a cultivator, the Nascent Soul Rhinoceros Beetle decisively led its team to retreat while simultaneously launching a counterattack.

It clearly gravitated towards another squad, obviously aiming to combine its forces.

After several years of confrontation between cultivators and the Zerg, the Zerg have basically figured out that they can provoke the Tapir Clan, but should try to avoid provoking the Human Clan.

However, if cultivators act too extremely, the Zerg will lure them into an ambush.

Understanding the Zerg's various luring and ambush tactics is also one of the goals of the cultivator team.

Otherwise, how could there be deaths in a cultivation team? And how could they have killed three cultivators who had left the Nascent Soul stage in the past five years?

Han Li's team was indeed quite formidable; they were unaware that the protector had been replaced, let alone that the four Immortal Venerables had already left.

For them, this is just standard practice now—if they don't really understand it, they might as well fight.

Before long, they were facing two elite squads of Zerg.

The two squads were still retreating, clearly trying to get closer to the third squad—which seemed to be of average strength.

However, Han Li's team stopped after a while and did not continue to provoke him.

They knew they had protectors behind them, but that was a safety net. Since it was a trial, they still had to rely on their own strength most of the time.

If you go too far, not only will you face risks, but the immortal lord behind you may also be ridiculed by other big shots!
Qu Jianlei watched them stop and breathed a sigh of relief: Han Li's people are still quite sensible in their actions.

Not long after, Han Li's team sent word that the locust's original magic was still intact, but it did indeed have the scent of incense.

They even extended invitations to see which teams were interested in collaborating and testing the waters once again.

This is the trial for cultivators. Previously, when Wenxian's team discovered a locust, they merely informed each other.

However, Qu Jianlei's team discovered a second locust, and something seemed amiss.

That's why Han Li's team launched the attack. Although they managed to find out some details, they still felt somewhat unsatisfied.

They didn't try to be stubborn, but instead discussed it with other teams.

However, Wenxian's team quickly replied that they should focus on observation and wait for the right opportunity to strike hard.

Such a reaction is not wrong. After all, the battlefield is not a game, and no one can afford the consequences of being reckless.

However, the Wenxian team knew that they dared not take the risk, mainly because they were worried that the rotating protector might be that Nascent Soul cultivator!

Among these cultivators, no one felt that Qu Jianlei was not strong enough, but everyone was also well aware that his regular combat strength was somewhat lacking.

The probability of Qu Ling taking over is 20%, but with his own Great Venerable leaving, the probability of that protector increasing to 25%!

So it's better for everyone to be more composed, isn't it?
Min Ning's team was initially hesitant, but after hearing their answer, they agreed, "Strengthen communication and wait for the right opportunity!"

"We still need to wait for the right opportunity..." Qu Jianlei pursed his lips, pondered for a moment, and then raised his hand to calculate.

He is currently on a warship and is not afraid of the other party sensing his divination—he is originally only at the Nascent Soul level.

With a little care, it's unlikely to arouse suspicion of astral projection.

As for the potential backlash, it's not worth mentioning—we're used to it by now, and we just try to avoid it as much as possible.

His only concern was Jing Yuexin's nagging, but the situation was a bit delicate now, so he couldn't worry about that anymore.

As expected, when Boss Jing saw him calculating, he could only purse his lips helplessly: Boss is under a lot of pressure right now.

After Qu Jianlei finished his calculations, he frowned and released the Black Steed Tower, which then went inside.

"This is..." Dorgon sighed softly, "Boss, you're protecting the Dharma right now!"
However, she understood the implication of this action, so she cautiously asked, "It doesn't seem too serious?"

“Tsk,” Jing Yuexin frowned and said quietly, “I think he’ll start divination again as soon as he comes out.”

No one spoke on the entire warship; it was deathly silent.

Everyone can imagine that a small Nascent Soul cultivator who wants to gain a foothold in the Out-of-Body realm must be ruthless to himself.

A day later, Qu Jianlei left the Black Steed Tower, performed the calculations again, and then his expression changed slightly.

"Don't mention the locusts to other teams anymore," he said, then turned and went back into the Black Horse Tower.

No one spoke, but they exchanged glances: Sure enough, there was something wrong with these locusts!

This time, Qu Jianlei stayed in the Black Horse Tower for three days. After he came out, he instructed, "Tell them to be careful in the near future."

Jing Yuexin was taken aback. "You're leaving?"

The identities of the rotating guardians are usually kept secret, in the hope that the four teams can undergo the trials with a calm mindset.

This was the case with Wenxian Zhenzun before; his team didn't even know it was his turn to be on duty before he left.

At this moment, Qu Jianlei asked his teammates to inform others, which meant something else entirely: the cultivator team would be temporarily without anyone to protect them.

Of course, the absence of a protector does not affect the actions of a cultivator; it's just that one should not act recklessly and should run away as soon as possible if danger arises.

“The risk should be minimal,” Qu Jianlei replied in a deep voice. “I’m just going to investigate.”

“Count me in,” Bentley volunteered again. “Boss, you don’t have any help!”

"Take good care of everyone!" Qu Jianlei said expressionlessly. "I'm not going to fight; it's more discreet to go alone."

The next moment, his figure flashed and disappeared completely.

"The pressure on our leader is immense," Mu Guang sighed with deep feeling. "In the end, cultivation is all about strength."

Jing Yuexin spoke expressionlessly, "Being too concerned about saving face isn't a good thing!"

Qu Jianlei's departure this time was headed straight for the insectoid territory. He had already calculated that there were quite a few locusts with the scent of incense.

His trip was solely to find out how these locusts migrated.

If the Zerg control locusts like puppets, using incense to control them, then it's not a big deal; it's not much different from beast taming techniques.

That's incredible, it's like the Zerg have gained a new subspecies.

Qu Jianlei's biggest worry was that the insectoid race and the tree race would make peace, and the two races would join forces to deal with the tapir race, and incidentally deal with the cultivators as well.

Then he would have to consider whether or not to go and help those four great masters!
However, he felt that the possibility was too small, as the two major groups came from different worlds and their conflicts were simply irreconcilable!

Moreover, given Han Li and the others' strength, even if they were tricked, they should still be able to send out some information, right?

In any case, if he doesn't figure this out, the four of them will definitely investigate when they return.

But Qu has a sense of shame. If he only seeks stability and dares not take risks, how can he have the nerve to share the opportunities?
He traveled alone to that insectoid planet, and even with the sunset and a few teleportation arrays, his speed was still quite slow.

It took him a full twelve days to finally reach that star system, even though the other side was also on the front lines of the battle against the Tapir race.

In any case, the mentality of "If the Great Venerable can do it, so can I" is really unacceptable. Without the companionship of a Celestial Venerable, he can only move at this snail's pace!
In this star system, the Zerg mainly occupy two habitable planets, one slightly warmer and the other colder.

The warmer planets are the primary planets, while the colder planets have only about 20% of the Zerg population.

Qu Jianlei sensed that the threat on the cold planet was less, and there were a considerable number of locusts.

Locusts are very cold-resistant; otherwise, they could not survive and fight in space for a long time.

There are even more locusts on the main star, probably in the four-figure range.

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