Little Bug, Just You Wait...

A quarter hour later.

Zhu Yu felt a stabbing pain surge through his mind.

The ten Corpse Beetles that had been cleaved into several pieces flashed for an instant. Rather than turning into Spiritual Power and gathering together as before, they exploded with a bang, scattering into specks of spiritual light.

A lingering shadow swept past, snuffing out more than a dozen motes of spiritual light before landing atop a Corpse Taro branch. It revealed itself as a black-and-red mantis, as though painstakingly carved from jade.

It tilted its head at the specks of spiritual light vanishing into the air, rubbing its sickle-like forelimbs together. The faint red spiritual radiance flowing along their blades was clearly brighter than before.

The Mantis Demon Insect turned its head. Its sesame-seed-sized pupils fixed on Zhu Yu as its sickle-like forelimbs lifted slightly. Its wings trembled, and its body vanished in a flash.

The next moment.

Bang...

Zhu Yu looked at the ripples spreading across his Spiritual Power shield and jumped in fright. Enduring the stabbing pain in his head, he circulated his Spiritual Power into the shield.

Immediately after, heavy impacts rang out continuously from every direction. The Spiritual Power shield rippled violently like a reef battered beneath the water's surface. It looked ready to shatter at any moment, yet fortunately, it never broke.

More than a dozen breaths later.

Seeing that it could not break through the shield no matter what, and perhaps finding it boring, the Mantis Demon Insect paused before turning into a pale streak of light and fleeing into the distant darkness.

"Phew..."

Zhu Yu looked around. When he saw no trace of the demon insect, he could not help but let out a breath of relief, then cursed inwardly.

"Where did such an absurd demon insect come from?!"

His Divine Sense had detected that the Mantis Demon Insect was merely a first-rank low-grade creature, equivalent to Early Qi Refining. By rights, cultivators of the same realm should certainly be stronger than demon insects—after all, there was such a difference in size.

Yet this demon insect was clearly beyond the pale!

He had no idea what innate spell it had awakened, but it had actually hacked apart the Divine Sense he had hidden inside the Corpse Beetles, forcibly breaking this technique!

To manifest them again would take at least a day.

"Just you wait..."

Zhu Yu gritted his teeth inwardly. This was the first time he had suffered a loss since beginning cultivation. Amid his annoyance, his mind, which had grown somewhat lax, tightened once more.

"The Sect's spiritual grounds aren't absolutely safe either. I can't let down my guard..."

Zhu Yu frowned and sank into thought.

The appearance of the Mantis Demon Insect had served as a warning. He currently lacked effective means to fight enemies. If he had possessed combat techniques, even if he could not defeat the demon insect, he would not have been reduced to defending himself in such a sorry state and waiting for it to leave on its own.

Before this, he had been determined to develop steadily, wait until he reached Late Qi Refining, then replace the Demon-Rearing Record with an advanced cultivation technique suited to himself and cultivate with favorable winds and smooth waters.

Now, it seemed he had been thinking too beautifully!

No one knew whether an accident might occur. Even without today's demon insect, who could say whether a demon beast—or a cultivator harboring ill intent—might appear in the future?

Being prepared for danger was the proper way.

Otherwise, once disaster descended, it would already be too late for regret.

"I'll go tomorrow!"

Zhu Yu raised his head and glanced at the eleven waning moons emerging from the dim clouds. He turned and returned to the wooden hut. As he reached the door, he crouched down.

Little Black had naturally joined the fight just now as well.

But the outcome had not been good.

Little Black's carapace had been carved with vicious blade marks by the demon insect's sickle-like forelimbs. Green blood seeped from some places. One chunk of its originally gleaming large front teeth had broken off. Fortunately, those large teeth had blocked a strike; otherwise, it would not have been its teeth that shattered, but its head.

Sensing Little Black's listlessness and fear, Zhu Yu gently stroked its head and used his mind to soothe its churning emotions. He sighed. "Fighting doesn't suit you. From now on, just be an honest mount..."

Once its emotions had calmed somewhat, he stepped into the room.

The next day.

If Insect Beasts had one enviable advantage, it was their powerful recovery and self-healing abilities.

After only one night, Little Black's injuries had healed seven or eight parts out of ten. The blade scars remaining on its carapace, along with its broken, jagged front teeth, added a touch more ferocity to it.

Yet its little eyes, rolling constantly and warily glancing to the side from time to time, along with the unease it radiated, gave it away!

"When we come back, if we run into that demon insect again, your master will avenge you..."

Zhu Yu patted Little Black's head and softly comforted it a few times. Then he stepped onto its carapace, sat down cross-legged, and instructed it.

"Let's go, Little Black."

Screech, screech...

Little Black cried out. As though a demon insect were chasing it from behind, it shot forward even faster than usual, racing down the dirt hill in a cloud of dust.

On the road, Zhu Yu saw Little Black cast the Lightness spell upon itself and run all the way, completely forgetting its master. He was jolted up and down by the bumps and said helplessly.

"No rush. Slow down, slow down..."

Screech, screech...

Only then did Little Black remember him. With a cry, a gentle force supported him. At last, he was no longer being jolted about, but Little Black's speed did not decrease in the slightest.

Seeing this, Zhu Yu simply let it do as it pleased. He closed his eyes and condensed his spirit, restoring the Divine Sense he had expended overnight.

After an unknown amount of time.

A burst of clamor startled Zhu Yu awake. Opening his eyes, he saw a massive archway before him. He rubbed his brow, flipped down to the ground, and headed toward the Market.

Five full moons hung from the dome of the sky.

There were not many stalls along the streets, nor many pedestrians coming and going.

Zhu Yu had deliberately arrived early. He did not hurry to the classroom, nor did he wander around. Instead, he headed purposefully toward the middle street.

Not long after.

He arrived before a two-story shop bearing the words "Mi Family Talisman Pavilion." After giving it a glance, he stepped inside.

The shop was not large. Apart from a counter, there were two shelves displaying talismans brimming with spiritual charm. Some were made from paper of different colors, while others were made from beast hide, jade, or silk cloth—there was every variety imaginable...

Perhaps because it was too early, there were only two or three people inside.

While Zhu Yu was looking around, an attendant came over with a beaming smile. He bowed deeply and asked respectfully, "This lowly one greets Immortal Master. Are you looking to purchase talismans or sell talismans?"

"To buy talismans."

Zhu Yu nodded slightly. Without wasting words, he said, "I want to buy talismans for attack—" The words reached his lips, then suddenly changed. "For defense and trapping enemies. The grade... middle-grade will do."

"Yes, sir. Please follow this lowly one."

Seeing that his purpose was clear, the attendant's smile widened. He stepped forward to lead him to a shelf and took down three talismans.

One gold, one green, and one blue.

Two were made of paper, and one was made of beast hide.

"Please have a look, sir..."

The attendant handed the talismans to Zhu Yu, then introduced them from the side. "This talisman is a first-rank middle-grade Diamond Talisman. Once activated, it can withstand a strike from a Qi Refining Perfection cultivator."

"This one is a first-rank middle-grade Thousand Vine Talisman. Once activated, it can summon a thousand vines as hard as gold and iron. Middle Qi Refining cultivators cannot easily break free from it. This one is a first-rank middle-grade Ice Arrow Talisman. Once activated, it condenses an arrow of ice. It can both wound enemies and trap them..."

After finishing the introduction, he lowered his head slightly and said nothing more.

Feeling the formidable energy contained within the talismans, Zhu Yu nodded in satisfaction and asked directly, "How many Spirit Stones?"

The attendant hurriedly replied, "One Diamond Talisman costs forty-five Low-grade Spirit Stones. The Thousand Vine Talisman and Ice Arrow Talisman cost forty Low-grade Spirit Stones and thirty-five Low-grade Spirit Stones respectively."

"Hiss..."

Though he had some idea already, when he learned their prices, Zhu Yu's eyelids twitched. The price of those three talismans nearly matched the Spirit Stones he earned from a full day of teaching.

In one word: expensive!

But when he thought of that demon insect, he still decided to buy them.

"I'll take all three!"

"Yes, Immortal Master. The total comes to one hundred and twenty Low-grade Spirit Stones," the attendant said respectfully.

Zhu Yu took out the Spirit Stones and handed them to the attendant, then carefully put away the talismans. Without lingering, he stepped out of the shop, turned toward the Underworld Grounds, and sneered.

"Just you wait, little bug..."