On the Arid Stone Plateau, Uchiha Xing looked at the dirt hole on the ground beside him with a helpless expression.
"You're quite the stoic one. Can't you watch where you're going! Get out quickly!"
"I won't."
"Did you hit your head? If you want to be a mole now, I won't stop you."
"Xing, it's a bit strange down here. You should come down and see."
Go down?
A bit strange?
Uchiha Xing hesitated, then jumped into the hole.
The dirt hole was five to six meters deep, leading to a peculiar tunnel. Sunlight filtered in through many places, unlike a typical dark cave.
Looking around, the tunnels branched out in all directions, resembling a spiderweb and a labyrinth.
"Beneath the Arid Stone Plateau, there's a world within a world!"
"Could this be the trace left by some kind of sandworm or earthworm? Judging by the size, its capture level shouldn't be less than 25."
Uchiha Xing stroked the walls, carefully observing the markings.
"No spiral mineral teeth propulsion marks. It's not a sandworm."
"It's a bit like a karst cave, except this was formed by a natural collapse."
The two walked through the cave, stopping intermittently.
They discovered that the cave system branched out extensively. The closer they got to the surface, the thinner and more numerous the tunnels became.
As they went deeper, many holes merged.
It was like inverted tree roots.
"Xing, how deep have we gone down?"
"About 700 meters..."
Hai Mian looked up, unable to see the top of the cave. It had also become extremely dark around them.
Humans always fear the unknown and the dark.
Hai Mian swallowed, chuckled, and said, "How about we go back? Caves aren't fun at all."
"Haven't you noticed yet?"
"Huh? Don't beat around the bush, just say what you mean!"
Uchiha Xing smiled slightly, a small arc of electricity jumping across his pink palm.
"Our stamina is being consumed faster than usual... about 5-10% extra consumption."
Hai Mian's eyes widened. "Could it be that..."
"Alright, let's go!"
Uchiha Xing's body flashed with electricity, and he darted through the cave like a meteor!
The lightning illuminated the path ahead.
Hai Mian followed closely, not falling behind in speed at all.
In a minute, they could cover thousands of meters in the cave...
"There's light ahead..."
"We've arrived!"
"Stamina consumption is still increasing..."
The two of them rushed into the light!
A rock dome, glowing moss, and tall fern plants.
The center of the Earth!
A scene completely different from the Arid Stone Plateau, teeming with life!
Dispelling the arcs of electricity around him, Uchiha Xing warned, "Be mindful of your stamina. The consumption rate has reached 220%."
Double the consumption.
Hai Mian, with his rougher nature, didn't care about these things.
He was already on an awe-inspiring tour of the surroundings.
His mind was completely immersed in all the never-before-seen ingredients.
"Come look at this! This dried branch smells like cinnamon... And this grass, it can be made into chive paste... Strange beetles, a bit like cochineal, could we extract red dye!"
Hai Mian was completely immersed in the new world, laughing foolishly in his excitement. "I never thought it would be so easy to find a paradise. Those people before were really idiots!"
Uchiha Xing's brow furrowed.
He still couldn't quite believe it.
The legendary deadly land, the Hunger Road that claimed the lives of countless high-level gourmet hunters, was only this?
A simple pit, plus double the consumption?
And although there were many types of ingredients around, none of them exceeded level 5. For the reputation of the Hunger Road, it seemed rather pathetic.
"Could it be that..."
"Hai Mian, come with me!"
Uchiha Xing didn't activate his electrical speed boost. He ran frantically into the depths of the cave on foot!
"Why are you suddenly running... I haven't recorded so many ingredients yet..."
The further they went... the larger the underground world became!
Ten minutes later, the rock ceiling above them was indistinguishable from the sky.
In damp areas, white clouds even floated...
Although it was only ten minutes, they had traveled at least 30 kilometers!
Hai Xing's forehead was beaded with sweat... he said with a hint of fear, "Indeed... this is only the beginning of the Hunger Road! How big is this place!"
"You're saying this is just the beginning?" Hai Mian finally reacted.
Uchiha Xing clenched his fist and sensed carefully, "Consumption rate 240%. It should increase if we continue deeper."
Double isn't terrifying.
What about five times?
Ten times?
Even more!
Who knows how far this Hunger Road really is!
No wonder some of the senior explorers spent decades here.
Uzumaki Hai Mian gave a thumbs-up!
"Isn't that even better!"
"Only then will the food we gather be more delicious! Xing, let's work hard!"
Uchiha Xing sighed, "You really are carefree."
Looking around, the ingredients had also increased to level 5.
Clearly, as the danger level increased, the quality of the ingredients also rose.
The two of them opened their backpacks. They had 70 kilograms of food left, all of it high-energy delicacies.
But this was only enough to last four days, roughly enough to restore 15% of their stamina.
This was the limit for carrying light equipment; any more would be a burden.
"Let's replenish some food first. It will definitely be more dangerous inside."
"I really envy those with spatial equipment. We wouldn't be in such a predicament."
Compared to the Arid Stone Plateau, the variety of food here was still quite rich.
They gathered dry branches and fallen leaves, chipped stones to make cooking pots, cut tree trunks for stakes, hollowed out inner cores to make water containers, and used the oil under pine bark to start fires...
The two were indeed professional wandering chefs, with extensive survival experience.
Hai Mian took out a small pouch with great care, filled with various seasonings. In the harsh wilderness, they relied on these to enhance the flavor.
About twenty minutes later, they both returned.
"The rabbits here are very cunning and they bite. I set traps and caught three. I found some moss and mushrooms under tree roots, they should be non-toxic. How about you?"
Uchiha Xing said, "Three large catfish, fifteen river frogs, two water snakes, and over twenty small fish..."
"Huh? How did you do that?"
"There's a river over there."
Saying that, Uchiha Xing revealed Chidori Flow on his left hand.
Hai Mian was speechless. "Electrocuting fish, huh... Amazing, amazing."
Not only were the two of them at a high level of 55, but their strength also ranked them as seven-star chefs, a rarity in the world.
Their culinary skills were superb.
To survive in the wild, their knowledge was also vast.
The simple catch was perfectly combined by the two of them.
"These large catfish are so fat, perfect for extracting their swim bladders to make oil."
"With oil, we'll stir-fry the moss, wild vegetables, and fish slices, adding some chili, salt, and broth."
"We'll dig out the marrow from the remaining bones and stew them with the rest of the meat. We'll add those mushrooms too..."
The aroma wafted from the stone pot, and the two inhaled it with delight.
"Indeed, nothing is more comfortable than a good meal after hard work."
Although the ingredients were not high-class, with the boost from their culinary skills.
The energy acquisition ratio was astonishing.
Ordinary ingredients of around level five, with about 75 kilograms of edible portions, could provide them with about 10% of their energy.
At their level, it was very difficult to fill their bodies' needs with a single meal in the wild.
"Alright, let's eat!"
"Wait a minute... did you hear something..."
Hai Xing put his ear to the ground.
He said sternly, "Something is heading straight for us. Its target is clear, its speed is fast, and... there's more than one!"