The first night on Hong-ai Star was very calm, and Luo Xingzhou stayed awake until dawn.
Before going to sleep, he left Jiutang outside the cave entrance, extending several tendrils to cover the area. If any creature stepped into Jiutang’s range, Luo Xingzhou would immediately be alerted.
At dawn, the livestream started again. However, the number of viewers was down to less than one percent of the peak from the previous day. Some night owls were still sleeping, others needed to clock in for work, etc. Still, there were a few who stayed in the livestream to watch Luo Xingzhou wash his face, brush his teeth by the river, and start a fire to cook breakfast early in the morning.
All participants in the survival livestream only had basic survival tools like sleeping bags and pots when they landed on Hong-ai Star, along with a defensive dagger and five nutrition liquids. Each nutrition liquid could replace one meal. However, each contestant arriving on Hong-ai Star would save these five nutrition liquids for when they were most needed, rather than consuming them immediately.
Therefore, if they could cook their own food, they would. Moreover, Hong-ai Star, which had not yet been developed by the Empire, was rich in vegetation and teeming with countless wild beasts and star beasts. As long as one had a certain level of knowledge and survival skills, there was no need to worry about starving to death on this planet.
After a simple breakfast, Luo Xingzhou packed up his belongings and prepared to set out again. Although staying on this B-level star beast’s territory for another day or two was possible, remaining here would not attract any star beasts to come willingly. He needed to find star beasts for both Jiutang and himself to eat, so that they could continue to improve.
Thus, from the moment Jiutang started accompanying him, he had transitioned from passive survival to proactive hunting on this planet.
While Luo Xingzhou was packing, Jiutang also helped out, causing viewers in the livestream to exclaim about Jiutang’s intelligence. They remarked that it seemed to be awakened only recently and was not just useful for theft but also helped with tasks, making it the best partner.
[You guys notice that Jiutang’s color is a bit lighter today?]
[It’s probably digesting the energy from the B-level star beast it consumed yesterday. A B-level star beast contains a huge amount of energy. Jiutang has just awakened, and not bursting from the energy indicates its great potential. Judging by its current color, it probably hasn’t fully absorbed the energy yet. I bet it will end up looking like the green tendril from yesterday.]
[I still think the blood-red color looks better.]
[Have you also noticed that Luo Xingzhou’s complexion looks much better than yesterday?]
[This is certain. Before Luo Xingzhou awakened, he was an ordinary person. After awakening, he became a supernatural being, and his physical condition would improve. As his ability level increases, his physical condition will further enhance. So I dare say that his current physical quality is definitely not E-level anymore. We’ll need to wait until the end of the show to test and find out the exact level.]
[Exactly. Otherwise, why would so many people envy awakened supernatural beings? Besides becoming stronger, their physical quality and lifespan also improve. Unfortunately, it’s rare for ordinary people like Luo Xingzhou to awaken midway. Most supernatural beings have their abilities from birth, and cases like Luo Xingzhou, who awaken at the brink of death, are extremely rare. There’s a high chance of death if things don’t go well. If Luo Xingzhou’s awakening ability hadn’t been so special, he wouldn’t have survived yesterday’s situation even if he had awakened.]
In this interstellar world, not everyone is born equal. There are two types of people in the upper echelons of the Empire: one is the Beastmen, who can transform between human and beast forms, like the contestant named Neil, who is a bear-shaped Beastman. As a B-level Beastman, his combat power significantly increases when he transforms into beast form.
The second type is the supernatural beings. Of course, supernatural abilities vary in strength, just like Beastmen. However, there are also individuals who are exceptionally gifted from birth, being both Beastmen and possessing supernatural abilities. These supernatural Beastmen are invincible within their level and can even engage in super combat.
Luo Xingzhou actually couldn’t clearly categorize himself. Born in the Interstellar Empire, he was accustomed to everything in the Empire. It wasn’t until he crossed over that he realized other worlds were different from the Interstellar Empire, where there were no distinctions between Beastmen and ordinary people. However, in the cultivation world, there was a distinction between cultivators and demon cultivators. He belonged to the demon cultivator category there. Now back in the Interstellar Empire, he still felt like a demon cultivator rather than a wood-type supernatural being.
As Luo Xingzhou left the B-level star beast’s territory, he began actively hunting. However, he encountered a situation that left him both amused and exasperated. When he captured a wild beast instead of a star beast, Jiutang refused to consume it, clearly reluctant from its unwilling emotional signals. Luo Xingzhou realized that Jiutang found the blood meal too low-level.
It seemed that the B-level star beast from yesterday had spoiled Jiutang’s appetite. It no longer deemed ordinary blood meals acceptable. Since it wasn’t lunchtime yet, Luo Xingzhou had no choice but to leave the wild beast’s carcass behind.
Viewers in the livestream understood the situation when they saw Luo Xingzhou helplessly tap Jiutang’s tender branches, commenting “picky eater.” The chat exploded with laughter.
[Jiutang did well! Refusing to eat such a lowly ordinary beast is quite a statement.]
[Ha ha, Jiutang is indeed smart, not willing to deign to consume ordinary beasts.]
[I have a feeling that the star beasts on Hong-ai Star are in for some bad luck. Ha ha…]
[You all keep focusing on Jiutang, but didn’t you notice how agile Luo Xingzhou’s movements are? His skills have advanced leaps and bounds compared to yesterday.]
[That’s the difference between a supernatural being and an E-level ordinary person.]
…
After wandering aimlessly for nearly an hour, Luo Xingzhou finally encountered the first star beast of the day. It was a D-level star beast, perfect for Luo Xingzhou to use as practice to hone his combat skills.
The difference between a star beast and an ordinary wild beast lies in their strength, but the most crucial distinction is that star beasts possess a beast core within them. This beast core, which serves as the energy nucleus of the star beast, is different from the inner cores found in another world, revealing that star beasts are not quite the same as the demon beasts Luo Xingzhou had encountered in his past life.
This star beast took the form of a lynx, with fierce and vigilant eyes. As soon as Luo Xingzhou stepped into its alert range, the star beast instantly shifted from a relaxed state to combat mode, glaring menacingly in his direction.
With the experience of his past life, Luo Xingzhou was unafraid of the star beast’s appearance. He had faced far more perilous situations before, and instead, he eagerly anticipated the battle.
A fight was about to break out, so someone in the livestream called out, and immediately, a flood of viewers poured into Luo Xingzhou’s stream, all eager to see how much he had improved compared to yesterday.
[Wow, it’s a lynx star beast! Though not very large, this kind of star beast is hard to deal with. It’s incredibly fast, and its claws are razor-sharp.]
[Wow, it’s coming! It’s pouncing!]
The camera sphere captured the lynx star beast perfectly, recording its lunge towards Luo Xingzhou and displaying it to the viewers, making it seem like it was pouncing directly at them. The more timid viewers nearly screamed in fright.
Luo Xingzhou held back the eager Jiutang, gripping his dagger. As the lynx’s claws were about to reach him, he twisted his body to avoid the attack, thrusting the dagger forward, aiming to slice the beast’s front paw. The lynx’s eyes flashed with fierceness as it twisted its body mid-air, skillfully dodging Luo Xingzhou’s strike.
Thus, the two exchanged blows for dozens of rounds, each leaving marks on the other. Luo Xingzhou panted heavily, and the lynx wasn’t in much better shape, its eyes even more ferocious as it crouched back, preparing to lunge at him again.
Luo Xingzhou patted Jiutang, which was coiling around his wrist, and said, “Your turn, Jiutang. This is your first blood meal of the day.”
With permission to feast, Jiutang excitedly leaped down, quickly spreading out upon landing. Several vines swiftly wrapped around one of the lynx beast’s paws. The lynx let out a terrified screech, but as its movements stalled, Luo Xingzhou seized the opportunity to inflict another wound. The other vines took advantage of the new wound and burrowed inside. The lynx beast thrashed violently, but once in Jiutang’s grasp, it couldn’t escape, its struggles growing weaker by the moment.
[Brutal! Damn, that’s just too brutal! But I freaking love it!]
[Exactly, Jiutang is brutally adorable! Luo Xingzhou’s no slouch either. I’m convinced now that his physical abilities have reached D-level. His combat skills are impressive too. The powers he awakened are truly exceptional—only the second day, and he’s already this agile, holding his own against the lynx beast.]
Before long, only a drained husk remained on the ground. Luo Xingzhou collected it along with the important beast core. Taking them out would convert them into star coins. Though he no longer had a spatial button—he had sold his previous one to get star coins—it wasn’t a problem. Once Jiutang grew a bit more, it would be able to create an internal space of its own. Otherwise, it would be a shame not to bring everything out of here.
Before resting at midday, Luo Xingzhou hunted another D-level star beast. This one was much larger than the previous one, so before letting Jiutang feast, Luo Xingzhou hacked off a large leg for himself—it would be his lunch. Star beast meat was rich in energy, beneficial for both superhumans and beastmen. Even ordinary people, though unable to consume large quantities, could benefit greatly from eating a few pieces.
Before his grandfather had his accident, even though Luo Xingzhou was just an ordinary person, he often had D-level star beast meat. But after leaving the Wu family with his mother, Luo Xingzhou mostly relied on nutrient solutions to survive. After his experience in another world, star beast meat had become a long-lost memory.
Along the way, he also gathered edible wild plants and fruits, including some that could be used as seasoning. Finding a spot near a water source, Luo Xingzhou and Jiutang cleaned and set up a grill, and soon began barbecuing. It wasn’t long before the enticing aroma of roasting meat filled the air, so strong that even those watching through the screen in the livestream started impulsively placing orders for barbecue delivery, especially grilled meat.