Chapter 432: The Core of Earth’s Lava, Black Gale Crystal (II)

An Fuqing was carefully slicing pieces of mutated beast meat, preparing to start grilling dinner once Chen Chu returned, when the ground suddenly trembled.

In the darkness, a massive mech approached with large strides, whipping up winds and crushing the earth beneath its feet, rumbling as it came to a stop halfway up the slope.

An Fuqing recognized the mech immediately. "Gabriella from West Meng."

She then looked up at Chen Chu, her eyes filled with surprise and questions.

"A level 8 contaminated mutated beast was chasing her earlier. I happened to be passing by, so I lent a hand. Afterward, we went to explore a ruin together..."

As Chen Chu explained the situation to An Fuqing, the cockpit at the back of the mech opened, and a blonde girl wearing a red skintight combat suit climbed out.

Leaping down from the mech’s shoulder and landing on the slope, Gabriella smiled. "I remember you. You’re An Fuqing from Nantian Martial Arts High School, right?"

An Fuqing nodded. "Good evening."

Gabriella was a second-year student, which technically made her their senior.

After exchanging greetings, Gabriella looked at the slices of mutated beast meat on the stone slab, her sapphire-like eyes filled with curiosity. "Do you eat this every night?"

An Fuqing nodded calmly. "Would you like to try some?"

"Sure!"

Showing no reserve, Gabriella eagerly approached An Fuqing. The closeness made An Fuqing a bit uncomfortable.

The blonde girl observed as An Fuqing got to work, skillfully handling the spatula in one hand and the chopsticks in the other.

Soon, the rich aroma of spicy grilled meat filled the air, causing Gabriella’s eyes to sparkle. "It smells amazing! You’re really skilled, An! I had no idea you could do this."

"It's nothing, really. It's just a simple stone slab grill," An Fuqing replied modestly.

"No, you’re truly impressive. I definitely can’t do what you do, at least. This looks like a lot of fun." Gabriella’s eyes shone with excitement. "Can I give it a try?"

An Fuqing hesitated for a moment but ultimately nodded. "Sure."

"Oh, I also brought some treats along for the trip. Please, have some."

Gabriella rolled up her sleeve to reveal her Sumeru Bracelet. She pulled out a small table, stools, over a dozen plates of intricately crafted pastries, and some freshly brewed tea.

The pastries had been freshly prepared and stored in the Sumeru Bracelet, keeping them warm. Hence, when they were laid out, the warmth released a fragrant sweetness into the air.

The delicate pastries on the table and the two stunning girls eagerly working together on the stone slab grill dumbfounded Chen Chu.

Wait. Isn’t this supposed to be a perilous, apocalyptic relic? Are they really having a picnic here?

"

Mhmm

! This is delicious! You’re amazing, An. Oh, it’s time to brush the oil, right?"

"Yes, brush the oil to prevent it from burning, then apply the sauce to add flavor..."

While the two girls were busy grilling by the campfire, Chen Chu casually took a portion of the grilled meat, sat down at the table, and opened his attribute page.

Ability: Double Void Pupils +5487

Due to the delays earlier, Chen Chu barely managed to meet his daily goal of slaying two thousand void monsters. Still, the amplification of his Double Void Pupils had now reached fivefold.

Deep in Chen Chu's black-gold vertical pupils, five chains of light composed of black runes swirled around, exuding a terrifying invisible pressure.

Just then, his wristwatch's sub-eye flashed, indicating that the group chat channel had been activated.

"100,000. As expected, that monster broke 100,000 today." Ji Wuji sighed. Dressed in white, he stood at the edge of a hundred-meter stone peak with his hands behind his back. He felt somewhat melancholic.

He had realized that in the presence of this monster, he could no longer show off.

Today, Chen Chu’s Purple Spirit value reached 103,460 points, increasing by more than 45,000. The gap between him and the second-place Ji Wuji, who only had around 19,000 points, was now over 80,000.

The top ten on the leaderboard had all surpassed 10,000 points, and the top thirty had exceeded 5,000.

Damn it, hold it in. I can't let that guy show off again.

Li Daoyi sat cross-legged on the ground, his eyes twitching as he stared at Chen Chu’s score.

What a monster.

It wasn’t just Li Daoyi. At this moment, many other geniuses were also resisting the urge to complain. Allowing Chen Chu to show off would simply be too demoralizing.

"Looks like Ah Chu has dealt a serious blow on those guys." Xia Youhui laughed. He was sitting on a giant Dragon Turtle statue, covered in dirt and chewing on dried meat.

After a moment of silence, the chat channel finally saw its first message.

East Xia. Li Hao: Thanks, Chen Chu.

Having somewhat recovered from his injuries, Li Hao noticed several headless monster corpses along the way.

Coupled with the booming sonic blasts from earlier, he could only guess that it was Chen Chu’s doing. After all, only that man dared rampage through the ruins at supersonic speed.

East Xia. Chen Chu: We're classmates; no need to thank me.

With these two breaking the ice, the chat channel quickly became lively again.

Everyone began showing a great sense of camaraderie; they started sharing what they had seen in the ruins today, especially their encounters with monsters, exchanging information and analyzing intel.

However, the geniuses deliberately avoided mentioning a certain individual during their conversations.

Chen Chu merely smiled at the sight.

Tonight, the small hill had become a bit more lively due to Gabriella’s presence. The two girls seemed to be getting along better the more they chatted.

"I don't get it."

Chen Chu shook his head as he watched the two girls across from him, their mouths greasy from all the food. Feeling full and satisfied, he moved aside and sat cross-legged, pulling out a Tianyuan Stone.

Refining another Tianyuan Stone tonight would bring the condensation of the runic phantoms for his battle phantom to around thirty percent, allowing him to break through to the middle stage of the Seventh Heavenly Realm.

At that point, his strength would take another leap forward.

He had no time to think about the Profound Yellow Stone and the Black Gale Crystal right now. After all, he planned to perfect the four light wheels once he left the relic.