Soul Severing, Suspicious (Please Follow)

"Let me see exactly what talent technique you awakened..."

Zhu Yu murmured softly, his gaze fixed on it.

[Target: Mantis Demon Insect]

[Species: Mutated Jade Blade Mantis]

[First-Order Lower Grade: 99%]

[Talent Technique: Soul Severing.]

[Status: Listless.]

Seeing the Mantis Demon Insect's species entry, Zhu Yu froze for a moment, then said in surprise, "It's actually a mutated Jade Blade Mantis..."

Treasures of the World contained records on the Jade Blade Mantis.

It was a First-Order Lower Grade demon insect. Its pair of blade arms were excellent spirit materials for auxiliary artifact refinement, capable of making magical artifacts even sharper.

Because it had many uses and decent value, quite a few people raised and bred them in Beast Pens.

Clearly.

This mutated Jade Blade Mantis had escaped from some Beast Pen.

Yet mutation did not necessarily mean becoming stronger. It was an unpredictable choice of transformation and adaptation; some became stronger, while others became weaker.

This mutated Jade Blade Mantis was clearly the former.

Zhu Yu looked expectantly at the talent technique it had awakened, "Soul Severing," and fixed his gaze upon it.

A piece of information surfaced.

[Soul Severing: Slay living beings to absorb their essence and nourish oneself in return, drawing upon their life traits to form special spiritual radiance.]

"Hm! It's actually a special-type talent technique..."

Zhu Yu's eyes immediately lit up.

Special-type talent techniques were not inherited through bloodlines. They were a kind of technique born from chance and coincidence, most possessing strange effects—a technique with an extremely low floor and an immensely high ceiling.

That floor and ceiling depended on the quality of its bloodline.

After all, demon beasts and demon insects alike were shackled by their bloodlines. Even if the special talent technique they awakened had heaven-defying effects, it would still be difficult for them to grow.

But once it did grow up.

Even Qi Refining Perfection cultivators who had already constructed advanced visualization diagrams and forged their foundations might not be its match!

At the same time.

Zhu Yu suddenly understood why there had been no insect plague in the Corpse Field, but instead so many insect carcasses.

He had previously thought the Corpse Field's toxicity was too great for insects to adapt to. Now, however, it was clear that they had all been killed by the Mantis Demon Insect.

"What a fine little insect..."

The delight in Zhu Yu's eyes deepened.

More than a hundred Spirit Stones in exchange for a demon insect possessing a special-type talent technique—there could hardly be a better bargain!

To others, the Mantis Demon Insect's First-Order Lower Grade bloodline was difficult to break through. Even if they paid the price to help it surpass the lower grade, there would still be middle grade and upper grade ahead. The gains hardly outweighed the losses.

But to Zhu Yu, who possessed the True Sight Eye, perhaps a few worthless little grasses would be important spirit materials capable of helping the Mantis Demon Insect break through.

With that thought, Zhu Yu could not help looking toward its cultivation entry and focusing his gaze.

[Required for advancement: One living First-Order Middle Grade demon beast, ten Starry Wood branches and leaves.]

"Starry Wood branches and leaves again..."

Zhu Yu was taken aback.

First, raising Little Black required Starry Wood branches and leaves. Then, cultivating the Fierce Tiger Corpse Seed required medicinal liquid to be buried in a place rich in Divine Radiance. Now, even the Mantis Demon Insect needed Starry Wood branches and leaves to advance.

How was that Starry Wood? It was plainly a treasure tree.

"But... haven't others discovered this?"

By all rights, such a spiritual treasure should not have remained unknown, yet he had never heard of anyone using Starry Wood branches and leaves to cultivate demon beasts or insects.

"Or do Starry Wood branches and leaves have some drawback I don't know about?"

Zhu Yu frowned, unable to stop himself from recalling what Mu Ruo had said before: if Divine Sense remained in contact with Divine Radiance for too long, it would become pure and devoid of thought.

"Could that be the reason?"

"But Little Black has clearly become smarter and smarter..."

After thinking for a while, he still could not figure out why. He simply cast the matter to the back of his mind, came back to himself, and examined the Mantis Demon Insect as it ate with relish, smiling.

"Looking at you, as if you were carved from jade... hmm... from now on, I'll call you Little Jade!"

Buzz, buzz...

The Mantis Demon Insect—now Little Jade—tilted its head to glance at him, let out a buzz, and continued sipping the medicinal liquid with unhurried elegance.

After feeding Little Jade, Zhu Yu rose and headed for the kitchen.

Chop, chop...

Amid the crisp sound of vegetables being cut, wisps of cooking smoke curled upward.

After feeding Little Black and finishing his meal, Zhu Yu spent some time bonding with Little Jade. Once it impatiently flew off toward the Corpse Field, he picked up the Stone Bottle containing Spirit Spring water from the table and went upstairs.

He entered the study.

The Qingping Sect's Corpse Seed lay quietly on the table.

Zhu Yu stepped forward, stretched out his arm, and touched the palm containing the Dharma Vein Diagram of the "Grass Spirit Art." His Divine Sense spread over it.

A palm formed from densely packed, multicolored lines immediately appeared in his mind. At its center was an emerald-green Clover pattern.

The next instant.

A wisp of pale gray Spiritual Power appeared, condensing into a sharp blade that lightly traced along the edge of the Clover pattern.

"Now..."

Zhu Yu's thoughts stirred. He controlled spiritual energy to envelop the Clover pattern, then yanked hard outward. It broke through an invisible barrier and vanished in a flash.

Outside.

Bang...

A burst of blood exploded from the Corpse Seed's palm. An emerald, misty object flew out from within and landed directly in the Stone Bottle containing Spirit Spring water beside it.

"Whew..."

Zhu Yu hurriedly sealed the cap, confirmed that no spiritual energy was leaking out, then let out a soft breath and looked at the Corpse Seed. After hesitating briefly, he waved his hand across it.

He swept away the filthy blood, carried the Corpse Seed with him, and went downstairs.

A short while later.

Zhu Yu returned to the second floor, carefully put away the Stone Bottle holding the "Grass Spirit Art," sat cross-legged on the soft couch, took out a Soul Dispersing Pill and swallowed it, then closed his eyes in Spirit Condensing and immersed himself in meditation.

The full moon and crescent moon revolved overhead.

In the blink of an eye, seven days passed.

On the bed.

"Whew..."

Zhu Yu slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath. Feeling the four additional Soul Particles in his Divine Sea, he sighed helplessly.

"Why can't Senior Brother Xiang ever finish refining these pills..."

He had said it would only take three days, but nine days had already passed, and Xiang Sui still had not emerged from seclusion. If Liang Kuan had not said that he was still refining Meditation Fluid in the Pill Chamber, Zhu Yu would have thought he had failed at pill refinement and was too embarrassed to come out.

Shaking his head slightly, he got out of bed.

Whoosh...

A black-red spiritual radiance flew down from the ceiling beam and landed on his shoulder, taking the form of a fist-sized mantis that looked as if it had been carved from dark-red jade. Its sickle-like forelimbs rubbed against him as it buzzed.

"Hungry again? I think you're just craving food..."

Feeling the intent Little Jade sent him, Zhu Yu amusedly tapped its little head, immediately drawing a burst of disgruntlement.

Little Jade raised its sickle-like forelimbs as if in protest.

"Ha..."

Seeing its proud little manner, Zhu Yu found it incredibly amusing.

It was just like raising a small pet. At first, it would bristle at every touch, but after being fed for a while and becoming familiar with its owner, it would turn obedient and adorable.

Little Jade was not quite so obedient, but it no longer resisted intimate gestures such as having its head touched or its back stroked.

"I've saved up enough Spirit Stones. Once I finish teaching the lessons, I'll go ask the Beast Pen about the price of middle-grade demon beasts..."

Zhu Yu sensed Little Jade's intent and nodded slightly.

With the strength of its current intent, even if it broke through to middle grade, it would not be able to shatter the Divine Sense Mark. Besides, being raised through the methods of the True Sight Eye, it would naturally develop a sense of closeness toward him.

That was also one reason why Little Jade had become so close to him after only a few short days.