Another plan was to thoroughly test the new ground-based primary combat unit, the Jumping Worms, to see how they would perform in actual combat. The result, however, was quite clear—they hadn’t even entered the battlefield, and the fight was already over.

  William couldn’t quite explain how he felt about it, so he decided to shift his focus and study the new issues revealed by this battle.

  “In this battle, the enemy's fatal flaws were obvious. I must avoid making the same mistakes and learn from their painful experience. I need to address all the weaknesses and ensure a balanced development.” Glancing at his post-battle summary, William solidified the direction for his next steps.

  Applying the Law of the Wooden Bucket to his enemies, the amount of water a bucket can hold doesn’t depend on the longest plank but on the shortest one.

  “Right now, the ground-based combat units of the swarm should be the strongest. With breathing and circulation systems, the insect swarm performs decently in underwater combat as well. But in the air, relying on just the Blade-Cutting Cockroaches and Poison Stinger Dragonflies can’t guarantee absolute air superiority. I need a new unit to make up for the air combat weakness.” After analyzing the current swarm units, William decided to quickly reinforce the aerial combat strength of the swarm.

  However, creating a new unit wasn’t something that could be done in a short time. For the moment, he would focus on increasing the numbers of Blade-Cutting Cockroaches to bolster the swarm’s air power.

  With this priority set in his mind, William immediately turned his attention to the analysis of new genes.

  Two years passed quietly in William’s colorful invasion career. During this time, he was like an endlessly spinning top, constantly rotating between invading divine realms, tallying victories, analyzing genes, and finding new targets.

  In these two years, William’s divine realm expanded at an incredible rate, and his progress was immense. His divine realm now spanned nearly 300,000 square kilometers and had invaded nearly twenty other semi-divine realms.

  He had gone from a beginner to a seasoned invader in this area, accumulating a wealth of experience.

  William's average invasions, which happened every two months, were only sustainable thanks to the insect swarm's rapid reproduction. As long as he carefully controlled the battle losses, he could manage.

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  Facing new semi-divines with anywhere from 1 to 3 million subordinates, his official army generally numbered no more than 300,000. Yet, due to the high reproductive rate of his insect swarm, he could often increase the swarm's numbers rather than seeing them decrease, provided the losses were controlled.

  In the early stages of his invasions, when the queen ant had only three reproductive ovaries, William felt some pressure. After each battle, he could only replenish 360,000 combat units within two months. However, when the fourth reproductive ovary matured and began production, the swarm's reproduction speed surpassed its battle losses. Every two months, he could now replenish nearly 500,000 combat units.

  Years of invasion had helped William clearly define his position. With his strength, he could certainly rank among the top hunters in this region.

  But as the saying goes, "If you walk by the river often, you will inevitably get your feet wet." Over time, the number of new semi-divines in the region gradually decreased, and the number of divine realms dwindled.

  The remaining semi-divines in the region, having grown more confident in their abilities, were not easy opponents. As William would put it, "Anyone still active in this area must have some real skills."

  In the past six months, he had encountered two powerful opponents, which had left him seriously injured.

  The first of these was an elf. The elf subordinates, known for their exceptional looks—pointed ears, large eyes, high noses, and tall, slender bodies—were everything humans might find attractive. William initially thought he had a sure victory in hand when he saw the elf’s 10,000-odd subordinates. He even began mentally calculating how much divine power he could sell if he captured a few high-value elven subordinates.

  But things quickly went south. The elves, armed with bow and arrow, set up a thin defense line in a semi-circle around the portal, at the edge of a forest. As soon as William’s Jumping Worms emerged from the portal, they were met with a hail of arrows.

  To William’s surprise, these arrows weren’t ordinary. Upon impact, they exploded, covering a 1000-meter radius in a barrage of fiery explosions. Within minutes, his Jumping Worms were decimated, unable to break through the fire coverage zone.

  Seeing the elves’ finely crafted swords, William realized these were no mere decorations. He immediately halted the offensive and began calculating the cost of continuing the attack versus the potential gains.

  After considering the situation, he chose to retreat, abandoning a barren stretch of land at the edge of the divine realm to the enemy. The opposing semi-divine watched as William retreated through the portal, choosing not to pursue.

  This brief but costly battle, lasting less than a few minutes, had cost William nearly 200,000 Jumping Worms and given him a clear understanding of the strength of extraordinary races.

  The second time William faced a semi-divine, his opponent's subordinates were also extraordinary, though in contrast to the elves, they represented the other extreme. This time, the subordinates were undead—skeletons.

  When William invaded the enemy’s divine realm, he immediately turned around upon seeing the barren, desolate landscape. The blackened, fungus-covered land reeked of rot, and there was no sign of life anywhere.