Inside the cosmic beast's stomach.
The ferocious dark-colored insects were, compared to the cosmic beast, insignificant—barely even the size of mosquitoes. No wonder their slumber within its blood had no effect on such a massive creature.
After all, humans also carry countless bacteria and viruses, yet the energy they consume is negligible to the body.
Once these insects were separated from the nutrient-rich blood, they inevitably awoke from their dormant state.
The moment they stirred, they detected Nolan's unfamiliar aura. Wings buzzing, they swarmed toward him.
Nolan first used Yae Miko's Affection Skill to scan their information:
[Lesser Stinger Bug: Larval form of the True Stinger Bug. Possesses a sharp tail needle; a sting can throw a creature's hormones into disarray, forcing it into a "Raging Frenzy" state, prone to reckless mistakes. The Lesser Stinger Bug can also self-detonate, dealing heavy damage.]
Tch. Reading this, Nolan raised an eyebrow.
That was just the larva—how terrifying must the fully grown True Stinger be? Truly worthy of being called lifeforms of the cosmos.
In a blink, the Lesser Stingers rushed at him, tail needles flashing.
But his invisible psychic power locked onto them. A light squeeze—cracks split across their shells.
Next second—
Bang!
They burst like tomatoes, spraying blood into the void.
[Defeated 113 Powerful Enemies. Obtained 589,295 Adventure EXP.]
In an instant, more than a hundred Lesser Stingers were gone, his status panel flashing with over half a million EXP.
Clearly, they weren't special leaders like Hilichurl Chieftains—otherwise, a single level 80 insect would have yielded forty or fifty thousand EXP.
Normal enemies around level 80 usually gave five thousand or more.
So on average, the payout was about right.
Still, earning that much in one shot thrilled him.
And this was just from a bit of blood leaking out. The stomach was far larger than this!
Nolan couldn't help but grow excited. If the insect density in the beast's blood was high enough, he might level up again today!
He focused psychic energy on another asteroid, about fifty meters in diameter.
Judging by Teyvat's meteor records, something that size had to weigh at least several thousand tons.
In a normal gravity environment, moving it without divine power would be impossible for mere flesh.
Even in zero gravity, it would be difficult.
But with Yoimiya's Affection Skill, Nolan easily seized it in a gravity field and flung it the same way as before.
Space had no gravity and no resistance—once set in motion, velocity could build infinitely until near lightspeed.
His gravitational manipulation acted like rocket thrusters strapped to the asteroid.
Within seconds, it reached a terrifying speed, carrying immense kinetic energy.
It slammed into the stomach wall—tearing the membrane apart, blood spraying everywhere.
With the blood came a cloud of black specks.
Soon, they too awoke, wings humming. Nolan scanned them—also Lesser Stingers, but weaker, averaging level 60.
Even among the same species, strength varied. Nolan wasn't surprised—he crushed them just as easily:
[Defeated 214 Powerful Enemies. Obtained 535,142 Adventure EXP.]
Another half million points! His total EXP now reached over 3.6 million.
Combined with forty thousand-plus cultivation progress he had recently built up, he was edging closer to the 12 million needed for his next level.
Once again, Nolan launched an even larger asteroid.
The stomach wall burst, more blood—and more insects. But this time, one was clearly different: larger, stronger.
He locked onto it and triggered Yae Miko's Affection Skill:
[True Stinger Bug: Possesses greater power than Lesser Stingers and wields the ability of "Breeding." As long as food is sufficient to supply energy, it can endlessly reproduce the youngest True Stinger larvae, "Infant Stingers."]
So this is the True Stinger…?
Nolan felt dumbfounded. If they could endlessly reproduce given enough food, wouldn't they eventually fill the entire universe?
Even more shocking—the insect's level was 92, rivaling the great adeptis!
They seemed mindless, driven only by instinct: eat, breed, repeat.
That kind of survival model was disastrous for other species. If their reproduction rate was fast enough, it could mean calamity on a cosmic scale.
As Nolan's thoughts raced, the True Stinger noticed him. Unlike its larvae, it didn't rush to attack.
Instead, it beat its wings, spawning swarms of even smaller insects.
These freshly spawned creatures were influenced by their parent—barely seconds old, and already in an overheated frenzy.
They shot straight toward him.
Sensing their volatile energy, he realized immediately—they were suicide bombers.
Without hesitation, Nolan unfolded his Unobservable Barrier, silently enclosing them. Then, with a thought, he shifted the incoming swarm right beside the True Stinger itself.
BOOM!
A chain of explosions erupted at point-blank range. The blast made the True Stinger shriek in fury.
Finally, it lost patience and charged him.
But Nolan controlled the barrier with ease, reversing its flight path—and at that moment, a massive asteroid appeared before it.
Before it could react, it slammed into the rock at full speed. Its skull shattered.
[Defeated A Powerful Enemy. Obtained 94,355 Adventure EXP.]
Apparently, because the True Stinger was a leader-class entity, its defeat alone yielded such a massive amount of EXP.
Had it been just an ordinary level-92 creature, it would have given only around fifteen thousand.
Having taken down the strongest of the True Stingers, the rest of the swarm was no longer a problem. Nolan summoned the power of Anemo, shaping it into a massive spherical vortex.
He hurled it into their midst. The helpless insects were dragged in without resistance, and the moment they touched the swirling winds, they were shredded like meat in a grinder. His panel kept flashing messages:
Adventure EXP +5124
Adventure EXP +5331
Adventure EXP +5195
Nolan had found a perfect way to farm EXP quickly. He lingered in the cosmic beast's stomach, unwilling to leave.
It wasn't until evening, when Noelle had prepared dinner and called him back, that he reluctantly stopped.
Checking his panel, he saw:
[Adventure EXP: 13,675,436]
In half a day he'd lost count of how many insects he had slain—just repeating the process of blasting open the stomach wall with meteors, then slaughtering the creatures that spilled out with the blood.
Even True Stingers had appeared several times, each one above level 90. One had even reached level 99, but he'd crushed it just as easily. In the blink of an eye, his Adventure EXP had risen past thirteen million.
With more than enough points gathered, Nolan didn't hesitate to invest them in leveling. After all, what was the point of grinding this hard if not to grow stronger?
Adventure EXP – 11,574,768
Lv.102 (425,232 / 12,000,000) → Lv.103 (0 / 13,000,000)
A powerful heat surged through his body, strengthening every cell. Even his soul swelled with newfound energy.
Leveling up meant his foundations had grown sturdier, and all his other skills would now strike with even greater force.
Feeling the immense power coursing within, Nolan was overjoyed.
In just half a day he had gained over ten million EXP. At this rate, a few more days here and he would be catching up to Ei and the Shogun—the apex of archons!
But perhaps because he had inflicted too much damage to the beast's stomach in such a short time, he sensed faint stirrings from the cosmic giant.
If it became aware of what was happening inside, he could lose this perfect farming ground.
He decided to ease off for now.
He would wait until the stomach wall had healed, until the pain was gone—then he'd return to farm more.
If he recklessly overdid it, the beast might attack him directly. And considering how terrifying the parasites in its blood already were, the beast itself must be unimaginably powerful.
Earlier, he had thought about taming it—but now he realized it wouldn't be so simple.
Still, as long as he kept the damage moderate each time, the beast probably wouldn't notice. That way, he could grind here indefinitely.
This was long-term thinking—sustainable profit instead of one reckless burst. Over time, the gains would be far greater.
He glanced at the ruptured stomach wall, estimating that at the beast's regeneration speed, it would take about a day to heal fully. Perfect—it meant he could return every other day to farm.
At present, he still had more than two million Adventure EXP left. One more session, and he could level up again!
[Status]
Name: Nolan Walker
Level: Lv.103 (0 / 13,000,000)
Race: Human
Titles: Honorary Knight, Distinguished Citizen of Liyue, Legendary Adventurer, Honorary General of Watatsumi Island, Sumeru Sage
Innate Talent: Entangling Affection
Skills:
- Lumine's Authority: Divine Level Lv.10 (Starsea Manifestation, Boundless)
- Musou no Hitotachi: Divine Level Lv.10 (Musou State)
- Abysswalker: Arcane Level Lv.10 (Deep Space Warp)
- Flowing Sky Shot: Arcane Level Lv.10 (Frostglow Arrow)
- Element Manipulation Lv.10 (Max Level)
- Martial Arts Lv.10 (Subtle Mastery)
- Shin-ryu Sword Style Arcane Level Lv.10 (Exorcising Blade)
- Oni Heritage Swordsmanship Arcane Level Lv.10 (Strength of Gods and Demons)
Specialties:
- Beloved by Maidens (Exclusive)
- Unmoving Gospel of the World Tree (Exclusive)
- Threads of the Northern Wind (Exclusive)
- Spiritual Core (Exclusive)
Adventure EXP: 2,100,668
---
The two Arcane Level sword arts he had been practicing these days had both reached max level, each with powerful traits.
If he collected more sword techniques and refined them, a new Divine skill was within reach.
Perhaps he could ask around—Captain Jean also used a one-handed sword and should know many techniques.
Even if he had already learned the ones she used, the Knights of Favonius must have other sword techniques stored away.
He recalled finding plenty of basic manuals in the library. Surely the advanced Arcane Level arts were kept elsewhere in the Order.
With his status as Honorary Knight, he could easily apply to study them—even without Jean's personal help.
Thinking this through, Nolan left the beast's stomach and returned to the Wonderland space to discuss it with her.
Wonderland Space.
After dinner with everyone, he relaxed on the sofa for a while, then leaned over to Jean, her golden ponytail tied high.
Slipping an arm around her slender waist, he said softly:
"Jean, there's something I want to discuss with you."
"What is it?" Jean brushed back the hair falling over her face and looked at him with mild confusion.
"It's nothing big—I just want to look at some of the Knights' sword techniques."
At the same time, he slid his hand into her white tight trousers, kneading the curve of her hip.
Jean caught his wrist, pulling his hand free, and nodded lightly.
"That's simple. Just come to the Knights and write me an application—I'll approve it."
With his honorary title, many privileges came easily. Studying sword manuals was no problem.
"Alright." Nolan nodded, then cleared his throat as if recalling something.
"There's… one more thing."
"Go ahead." Jean sighed, pulling his wandering hand away from her blouse.
Honestly—always so handsy when he could just speak.
"It's not a big deal either. Let's talk about it while we bathe."
With a grin, Nolan swept her into his arms and carried her upstairs.
"You're so incorrigible!" Jean wrapped her arms around his neck, rolling her eyes. But she was used to his antics now, and didn't resist.
Soon, the two arrived at the second-floor hot spring baths. In the changing room, Nolan set her down.
"Help me undress, would you? It's a pain to do it myself."
Jean lifted her hands to untie her ribbon, revealing the smooth pale skin beneath her arms—unguarded and delicate.
"No problem!" Nolan said eagerly, moving behind her. He slipped her cape off first and hung it neatly.
His eyes lingered on the snowy smoothness of her back, her shoulder blades etched in graceful lines. Instead of rushing to remove her sleeveless top, his hands wandered gently across her back, tracing the elegant contours of her skin.
(End of Chapter)
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