Astral Gods

Chapter 42 Carving Watermelons

The flowering of the male mulberry seed did not cause any commotion. It was just a low-quality seed, not enough to alarm the Double-Forked Rhinoceros Beetle tribe. Only the few rhinoceros beetle warriors on Purple Ridge knew about it.

Moreover, the results won't be immediately apparent; it will take at least a year, or even two or three years, to see the outcome.

The little warriors didn't care about any of that. Their primal energy food and the flowering and fruiting of their life seeds were all arranged by their elders. All they had to do was eat.

Whether it's the yew that contributes its male flowers or the camphor tree that begins to bear fruit, they play carefree every day, and only when they have class do they get a headache.

On this day, contrary to his usual practice, Master Zehui took them to a spacious open area outside the classroom for class.

Below the main peak, on the plain, the grass has grown to half a meter high. The green grass blades are like a soft carpet, and when a gentle breeze blows, they can create wave after wave of green.

The Lord of Zehui Mountain stood on the grass that was not above the joints and began to teach: "I have been teaching you for more than a year, and you have basically learned the most basic knowledge."

"Next, in addition to teaching you cultural knowledge, I will also teach you combat skills."

"Combat techniques?"

A large group of Zerg warriors of all sizes stood in the grass, almost as tall as themselves, tilting their heads and looking at it with great confusion on their faces.

While these rhinoceros tortoise warriors may not excel in other areas, their combat prowess is top-notch. In terms of fighting ability, they are the true masters.

However, over the past year, the Lord of Zehui Mountain had established enough authority and prestige that the young warriors did not speak, but quietly watched his arrangements.

Lord Zehui continued, "I have been here for over a year and have witnessed many battles between your warriors."

Your Rhinoceros Beetle tribe is indeed powerful in combat. In the Astral Plane, there are very few Zerg warriors who can rival you in strength.

But combat power does not mean combat skills. If you only have brute force, you will only be toyed with by the small and agile Zerg warriors. Moreover, your future opponents will not be just Zerg warriors.

Many orc warriors have formed powerful tribes in the northern part of the Thousand Trees Continent, constantly threatening the safety of the Zerg warriors' territory.

At sea, there are also sea monster kingdoms that occasionally attack the Zerg warriors; these are the crises you will face in the future.

Therefore, honing your combat skills is absolutely essential!

A high-ranking rhinoceros beetle warrior who was watching nearby spoke up: "Lord Zehui, how does the training process work?"

Master Zehui: "I will not teach you strength, but mainly the techniques for using strength."

Upon hearing this, the insects released another wave of confused mental energy.

Lord Zehui didn't say much, but simply waved his forelegs, signaling several mid-level warriors to bring out a large pile of watermelons from a warehouse next to the classroom.

Seeing one large watermelon after another with green skin and black stripes, the Zerg warriors present all swallowed hard.

Although they have been promoted to Force Warriors, their nature remains unchanged; they still love to eat various fruits and tree sap.

The young soldiers stared wide-eyed, asking expectantly, "Lord Zehui, are you treating us to watermelon?"

The Lord of Zehui Mountain said irritably, "All you do is eat all day. These watermelons are for you to train your strength control."

"???"

"How do I train like this?"

Master Zehui: "One little soldier gets one watermelon."

The young soldiers each received a watermelon and then waited for the Lord of Zehui Mountain to make arrangements.

The Lord of Zehui Mountain manipulated spider silk to slice several sides of the watermelon, revealing the bright red flesh inside: "Everyone, follow my example. First, use your middle legs to hold the watermelon in place, then use your two front legs to carve six sides out of it. Whoever does it well will be rewarded with a divinely bestowed mulberry."

"A reward?" The little soldiers' eyes lit up. They knew that there were no rewards for studying in the past; if they didn't do well, they would be hung up and beaten.

Now that the Lord of Zehui Mountain is actually offering divinely bestowed food as a reward, that's wonderful!

The young soldier observed the shape of the watermelon that the Lord of Zehui Mountain had cut out; one end of the watermelon had been cut into a perfect hexagon.

Some of the little warriors wanted to obtain the divinely bestowed food, so they immediately began to manipulate it. They used their middle legs to hold the watermelon in place, and then swung their forelegs to slice it. However, they were too strong, and with just a slight swing of their forelegs, the entire watermelon burst open.

"Only the most skilled warriors, who can control their strength perfectly and cut the best pieces, will receive the divine Force food reward."

Encouraged by the Lord of Zehui Mountain, the young soldiers began to learn how to cut watermelons.

The high-ranking rhinoceros beetle warriors who were also watching were puzzled: "Lord Zehui, what's the point of cutting a watermelon?"

The Lord of Zehui Mountain did not respond. Instead, he moved a watermelon over and used spider silk to quickly cut and carve it.

Soon, the watermelon was sculpted into a lifelike rose, and even the watermelon rind was not wasted, as it was used to make the rose's green leaves.

The actions of the Lord of Zehui Mountain left all the rhinoceros beetle warriors, big and small, dumbfounded.

The mountain lord handed each of them a watermelon: "Can you do it?"

The advanced rhinoceros beetle warriors honestly replied, "No, but what use would that be?"

Lord Zehui explained, "Don't underestimate the seemingly useless carving of watermelons. It can increase your subtle control over your strength. As the saying goes, 'lifting heavy objects with ease.' Your Rhinoceros Golden Turtle tribe is unmatched in terms of strength, so you need to control the subtle details even more. This will greatly benefit your future combat and comprehension abilities."

"Oh." The warriors seemed to understand but not quite, but they could indeed sense that the Lord of Zehui Mountain had excellent control over his power.

Those rhinoceros beetle warriors are rough and careless, and they believe in pushing aside all obstacles. In this respect, they are definitely no match for the flame spiders.

Some advanced warriors found learning to manipulate subtle forces interesting, while others were indifferent. The Lord of Zehui Mountain didn't care whether they learned it or not; in any case, junior and intermediate warriors were required to learn it.

In the following days, the Zerg warriors flying around the main peak, going back and forth to do their business, would see a large group of junior and intermediate Rhinoceros Beetle warriors, each carrying a watermelon and frantically fiddling with it.

Whether they can learn the method of controlling subtle forces from the Lord of Zehui Mountain is another matter, but at least they've had their fill of watermelons every day.

Fortunately, the Nanyang Hercules Insect tribe has selected and cultivated watermelons, which are produced in large quantities every June and July. A single raw stone can buy hundreds of kilograms of them. Even if they waste hundreds of them every day, they don't feel bad because they can eat them anyway, and it saves the other warriors from having to prepare food for their little warriors.

With the divinely bestowed food as motivation, the young soldiers studied very hard, practicing peeling watermelons diligently every day.

As time went on, the Lord of Zehui Mountain gradually changed his original requirement to carve six sides, and then asked them to carve leaves, simpler flowers, and even lifelike insect warriors.