The thunderous downpour accompanied by lightning raged throughout the night, gradually subsiding by morning. The capricious weather transitioned from relentless rain to blazing sunshine after the storm, leaving behind a stifling humidity akin to a sauna without wind.

The unpleasant temperature persisted until the evening, only easing slightly as the sun began its descent. Next door, the large ants hastily salvaged their waterlogged seeds, taking advantage of the lingering twilight to air them out.

Meanwhile, Speckle remained stationed at the entrance of the burrow, silently awaiting nightfall, determined to venture out and widen the search radius. With the torrential rain, it was highly probable that some insects couldn't endure and succumbed to the deluge, offering the possibility of finding one or two corpses.

This speculation coincided with the plans of the neighboring ants, who had already sprung into action. A plethora of worker ants mobilized, forming a systematic search party, branching out in a grid pattern, dividing and multiplying their forces, utilizing their numerical advantage for an efficient, carpet-like search.

At dusk, the ant colony suddenly grew restless as more workers emerged from the nest, marching in a straight line—a sign of a successful harvest, prompting the mobilization of additional workers to transport the bounty.

True to expectations, they soon formed orderly queues, carrying food in their mandibles, marching back to their nest. Simultaneously, more workers set out towards the food source, creating a bustling traffic of ants shuttling to and fro, forming a spectacular procession.

Speckle had contemplated intercepting the procession to pilfer, but the ants were small, and the meat they carried was meager. It wasn't worth antagonizing a large colony for such paltry gains.

"Looks like scraps from some animal's body. Have they found a larger prey?" Speckle wondered.

Taking a risk, Speckle ventured out before nightfall, following the ant trail deeper into the jungle. Its antennae caught the scent of blood, confirming the presence of a large slain animal.

Cautiously, Speckle proceeded and soon encountered a massive carcass resembling a mountain, with only a small portion consumed. Sharp fangs and black, steel-like bristles adorned the creature's remains, indicating it was likely an adult wild boar. Though Speckle vaguely recalled a specific name from inherited memories, the details remained hazy.

Numerous black birds, known as scavenger crows, perched atop the carcass, squawking joyously as they feasted. These birds scavenged for remnants of corpses, thriving on the leftovers of powerful creatures, indicative of lurking predators such as jackals, wolves, or even tigers and leopards nearby.

Unfazed, the industrious ants climbed the picked-over bones, searching for residual flesh to harvest, while the scavenger crows paid no mind to the bulky-headed ants or their scanty haul.

Speckle couldn't be certain if its size would attract the crows' appetite, so it refrained from approaching, torn between temptation and caution. Ultimately, it retreated to its burrow, concealing itself until deep into the night.

Only when the coast was clear did Speckle emerge, first observing the neighboring ants' activities. The diligent creatures continued their bustling routine, their nest resembling an endless pit, with ants constantly entering and exiting.

Following the ant trail led Speckle back to the carcass. The scavenger crows had long dispersed. What remained of the mostly intact corpse had turned into a pile of bones, with only scraps of meat clinging to the ground, perhaps overlooked by the beaks of the crows or simply remaining after their feast.

Stolen novel; please report.

Circumnavigating the corpse from a distance, Speckle selected a secluded spot unlikely to attract attention and rushed forward, indulging in the feast.

As the meat filled its belly, a warm sensation spread through Speckle's body, akin to a revitalizing stream, dispelling the emptiness beneath its carapace and replacing it with vigor and strength.

All cockroach species on this planet possessed an inherent resilience. Speckle's soul had undergone a mutation under the radiation of the core of life, indirectly triggering a transformation in its cockroach genes, enhancing its vitality. With ample nutrients, its body cells rapidly grew and divided, filling the atrophied muscles and organs beneath its carapace.

The 19th failed molting evolution, under the influence of this robust vitality, finally succeeded.

Speckle keenly felt an unprecedented clarity in its mind, with thought processes rivaling that of humans, devoid of the cognitive overload of its previous state.

Its environmental perception heightened, antennae discerning the mingled scents in the air with clarity, while its body hairs detected even the faintest rustle of wind.

Viewing the world through compound eyes revealed vivid colors and crisp imagery.

With the nourishment replenishing its depleted body, the entire world seemed anew.

Speckle realized it wasn't the world that had changed, but rather, it was undergoing transformation. At this moment, it truly embodied the essence of a primal creature.

A warrior of the Blattodea tribe!

After a brief surge of excitement and exhilaration, Speckle found itself troubled. Sensing the universal essence, it also discovered the drawbacks of its cockroach body—surprisingly dire, lacking the specialized meridians to contain the essence.

Absorbing the essence into its carapace resulted in immediate dissolution into the bloodstream, dispersing throughout its body and disappearing without a trace. Most of it was wasted, with only a fraction utilized to promote genetic evolution.

This growth pattern fell under the category of "lowest-level" essence utilization, classifying such creatures as "low-level essence beings" among the diverse species of the universe.

Human practitioners belonged to the category of "super essence beings." Essentially, humans possessed meridians capable of absorbing and containing the essence, manipulating it with their will, refining their cells in an orderly fashion, triggering their genes' evolution towards the most scientific direction, and efficiently utilizing it for rapid growth and strength.

Speckle had previously been a prodigy among humans, mastering the most advanced cultivation knowledge. Confident in overcoming all obstacles, it devised a cultivation method suitable for the cockroach body, gradually rising in a world abundant with essence, with minimal competition.

However, reality proved worse than expected. The cockroach body fundamentally lacked meridians.

Without the means, one could not cook a meal. Understanding the situation, Speckle couldn't help but feel a wave of discouragement.

"I've been misled by human thinking. Are the cockroaches on this planet truly weak? It's too early to conclude."

"Moreover, theoretically, possessing the ability to utilize the universal essence to modify genes grants limitless evolutionary potential. The so-called weakness stems from not finding the right path for evolution."

"But for now, the starting point for cockroaches is indeed too low, relegated to the bottom of the jungle food chain. Putting aside the future, my primary task now is to grow. I can't live in constant fear, tiptoeing around, afraid of being preyed upon by larger creatures."

Speckle reassured itself, feeling somewhat relieved.

Starving, it continued eating until dawn—a rare occurrence in the jungle. In the end, it even carved out a large chunk to bring back to its burrow for later consumption.

After evolution, its forelimbs became more developed,

with each of the three toe tips elongating, resembling bird claws, suited for grasping, and razor-sharp.

The shape of its wings underwent slight changes, resembling those of bees from the order Hymenoptera, scientifically altered to better fit aerodynamics. Its back muscles developed, enhancing its flying capabilities.

Upon careful examination, Speckle noticed that this evolution seemed significantly influenced by its own will. The envisioned form of the cockroach body before evolution appeared to guide the transformation.

Inexplicable as it was, Speckle couldn't confirm it yet. However, comparing it with the next evolution would provide a definite answer.