Newcomers Arrive, Old Hands Depart

When Zhu Yu returned to the street where he had lived before, two pieces of information flooded into his mind in quick succession.

[Starry Wood Leaf Blade: Produced by the degeneration of a certain special spirit plant. Contains Divine Radiance Spirit Qi. Warning: Not edible...]

[Fertile fresh soil...]

After digesting the information, a thought suddenly arose in Zhu Yu's mind.

Could the Moon Sprite Mu Ruo spoke of be the special spirit plant identified by the True Sight Eye?

Or rather, was its original body the Starry Wood, which had then been divided into thousands of plants by some Foundation Establishment True Person from the Yin-Underworld Grotto...

"No, no..."

Zhu Yu frowned. He suddenly recalled what the mustached stall owner had said at the Market: every glowing plant in the Yin-Underworld Grotto was a Spirit Seed nurtured by some Insect Cultivator's Life Sac, which had later degenerated.

"Could the Moon Sprite be the Insect Cultivator of legend?"

Zhu Yu thought for a while but could not make sense of it, so he cast it aside. He was only at Early Qi Refining now; such an existence was beyond his ability to fathom for the time being.

Coming back to himself, he slowly walked toward the stone house where he had lived before.

Before long.

A familiar stone house came into view not far away. At the same time, a faint connection gradually became clear.

A smile appeared on Zhu Yu's face. "It's been five days. I wonder if Little Black has gotten skinny from hunger..."

He quickened his pace. When he reached the neighboring stone house, its door slowly opened, and seven or eight men and women emerged amid laughter and chatter.

"Hm? Isn't this Tong Xuan's house? Did she fail her breakthrough?"

Zhu Yu paused slightly, then looked them over. Their clothing was exquisite and luxurious, but all of it was mundane goods. Understanding flashed in his eyes.

"A year has already passed. They're disciples newly admitted to the sect..."

Naturally, they noticed Zhu Yu standing by the roadside in the distance as well. They gave him curious looks, then seemed to think of something. Their expressions turned excited as they huddled together and whispered.

After breaking through to Qi Refining, Zhu Yu's five senses were exceptionally sharp. Though they spoke quietly, every word still fell clearly into his ears.

"Looking at his black robe, he must be a senior who entered the sect earlier, right? Should we ask him?"

"Wouldn't that be bad? We don't know his temperament. What if..."

"What senior? I heard from the children of cultivation families that everyone in the newly admitted disciples' area hasn't drawn spirit into their bodies yet."

"Wow, you actually know children from cultivation families!"

"Quick, tell us what they're like! Can they swallow fire and spit wind?..."

"That's street performance. Let me tell you..."

"Cough, cough..."

Just as the group was chatting animatedly, the youth with the finest clothes and most handsome appearance coughed twice. When everyone looked over, he shook his head and said, "We can talk about that later. First, let's ask that man whether we can find the previous owner of Liu Qing's stone house..."

At the edge of the crowd.

A scar-faced youth cast him a grateful look.

The others nodded at those words. This was also the first problem their little group faced. If they could solve it together, they would surely be able to stand united in the future and climb the Great Dao together.

Seeing Zhu Yu draw closer and closer, the leading youth composed himself and led the others out of the courtyard. When they came within roughly twenty feet, an appropriate smile appeared on his face. He clasped his hands and said:

"My name is Mu..."

Before he could finish, however, the instant Zhu Yu entered within twenty feet of him, he suddenly felt a suffocating oppression in his chest, as though a massive boulder were pressing down on it. His voice came to an abrupt halt.

Then threads of icy aura seemed to bore into his pores like insects, and stinging frostbite-like pain rushed into his mind.

"This is..."

The youth surnamed Mu stared in horror at Zhu Yu, who was strolling toward them. Feeling the pain across his body grow stronger and stronger, he hurriedly retreated again and again. Only after backing into his own stone house's small courtyard did the icy aura silently dissipate, leaving behind only a faint prickling pain.

The others also fled back in a flurry, fear hidden in their eyes. Like quails, they lowered their heads and hid behind the youth surnamed Mu. None dared speak, much less look at Zhu Yu.

A quarter of an hour later.

The youth surnamed Mu watched the figure gradually recede into the distance with a complicated expression. Turning around and seeing everyone standing there with their heads lowered like quails, he suddenly regretted forming this little group. Suppressing the thought, he forced a smile onto his face and said:

"Alright, he's gone..."

Hearing this, they secretly raised their heads. Seeing that the figure was truly gone, they all let out sighs of relief, rubbing their arms incessantly in an attempt to wipe away the prickling pain on their skin.

For a moment, only the rustling sound of clothes rubbing together remained.

After a short while.

A freckle-faced youth said in a low voice, fearful yet excited, "Was he a cultivator?"

As soon as the words fell.

Like a stone dropped into still water, they stirred ring after ring of ripples, drowning the fear in everyone's hearts and leaving only excitement and fervor.

"He definitely was! He was probably no ordinary cultivator either!"

"Hiss, was that immortal power? It really was powerful and terrifying..."

"One day, I'll be just like him."

"Too strong. I've practiced martial arts for years, and I didn't even see how he made his move..."

"..."

They began discussing excitedly, one after another, and no one mentioned why they had gone over in the first place.

The youth surnamed Mu glanced at them, utterly disappointed. He walked to the scar-faced youth at the edge of the crowd, patted his shoulder, and said with a light smile, "Go back. The strange beast guarding your stone house has already left."

With that, he ignored the others and returned directly to his room.

"Hm?"

Liu Qing was somewhat dazed. Then excitement appeared on his face, and he hurried toward the neighboring stone house. As he neared the courtyard, however, he slowed his steps again.

He cautiously placed his left foot inside the courtyard. When that savage strange beast did not appear, delight immediately spread across his face. After testing several more times, he finally confirmed that the strange beast had truly left.

"It's finally gone..."

Heaven knew how he had survived these past few days. Liu Qing excitedly pushed open the door and looked around. His gaze landed on a piece of warm jade atop the wooden table. He stepped forward and picked it up. It felt smooth and cool, and confusion filled his eyes.

"What is this..."

[Target: Little Black]

[Race: Bucktooth Insect]

[Unranked: 63%]

[Talent: Hard Shell, Sharp Teeth.]

[Status: Joyful.]

Several days had passed. Little Black, which fed on insects in the grass, had indeed not starved to death, but its cultivation had increased by less than three points.

Zhu Yu dismissed the information and glanced at Little Black trailing some distance behind him. It was clearly more lively than before, with a faint hint of fierceness about it.

"Looks like I can't just feed it. I need to let it hunt from time to time as well..."

After some thought, Zhu Yu decided to settle Little Black in the Corpse Field.

Once the Corpse Taro grew a little larger, it would definitely attract insects. Little Black could train its hunting skills while guarding the Corpse Field and clearing out pests—killing two birds with one stone.

Little Black, still brimming with joy, had no idea that it would have plenty to keep it busy in the future. It would no longer be able to lie around lazily. Of course, with its tiny little brain, it could not think of such troubling matters.

He traveled without pause.

After turning through several winding streets.

Before long, Zhu Yu entered the street Xiang Sui had told him about. He had not gone far when a stream of cursing reached his ears.

"Fuck, that dog bastard who plays with shit has started again!"

"Fuck your mother's servant girl, today I'm going to chop you to death—blegh..."

"In a few more days, I'll break through to Qi Refining. I'm not staying in this filthy place anymore."

"..."