One Year Later

Cultivators had spiritual power within them, so they needn't worry about going hungry. Their spiritual power automatically supplied their body's needs, leaving them unaware of hunger. Given Luo Mu's current situation, it wouldn't be impossible for this to turn into a drawn-out battle.

The Ten Thousand Snake Mountain Range teemed with demonic beasts, and powerful ones were hardly rare. Though Luo Mu was only at the outskirts, where there were no high-level demonic beasts, that didn't rule out the possibility of one appearing. The sooner he increased his strength, the better his chances of staying alive if he encountered a high-level demonic beast.

At the same time, only by growing stronger would Luo Mu dare to venture deeper into the mountain range, where he could find more of the things he wanted!

Freed from the entanglements of the mundane world, Luo Mu could finally cultivate in peace and devote himself wholly to the path of immortality. After settling on the mountain, he finally experienced the dull, tedious life of cultivation. Still, to grow stronger and travel farther along the immortal path, he paid the tedium no mind.

And so spring passed into autumn, flowers bloomed and withered, and Luo Mu had spent more than a full year in the Ten Thousand Snake Mountain Range.

During that time, Luo Mu had finally used up all the Ink Crow Grass in his Storage Bag. Ink Crow Grass truly lived up to its reputation as a top-grade first-rank poisonous herb. At Luo Mu's third level of the Qi Refining Stage, it took several days just to absorb all the poison from a single stalk.

The process took a long time, but the results were striking. Every time he finished absorbing a stalk of Ink Crow Grass, Luo Mu could clearly feel the Poison Spirit Power in his dantian growing. He was overjoyed, and his faith in the path of the Poison Cultivator grew firmer still.

In one year, Luo Mu's cultivation had soared from the third to the sixth level of the Qi Refining Stage, more than doubling!

His three kinds of spirit insects had also changed greatly over the year. The most noticeable change, of course, was in the thirteen Plum Blossom Snakes.

Since adult Plum Blossom Snakes were only top-grade first-rank demonic beasts, they weren't particularly high-ranking among demonic beasts, and their young matured quite quickly. In just one year, the thirteen Plum Blossom Snakes had grown as large as their mother had been, their appearance grim and terrifying.

The five White Jade Ants had advanced from mid-grade first-rank young to top-grade first-rank. They looked ready to reach the level of second-rank demonic beasts at any moment.

After advancing to top-grade first-rank, the five White Jade Ants had become even hungrier than before, and much faster. Their speed when devouring food was beyond description. In the blink of an eye, a demonic beast would become a meal for the five little creatures.

Strangely, though the White Jade Ants' appetites had grown after their advancement, their bodies had actually shrunk. Their bodies had also grown whiter, and a faint glow shimmered within them, giving off an air of mystery.

As for the three Octagonal Spikes, they had made good progress over the past year as well. They had advanced from low-grade first-rank demonic beasts to low-grade second-rank ones. The moment they advanced, one of the eight feelers on each of their foreheads slowly withdrew into its head. From then on, each of the three Octagonal Spikes had only seven feelers atop its head.

Aside from losing one feeler, the Octagonal Spikes hadn't changed at all. However, over the past year, Luo Mu had confirmed that they possessed an innate ability to seek out poisonous herbs. He was ecstatic when he discovered this.

The year had passed peacefully because Luo Mu was at the outskirts of the Ten Thousand Snake Mountain Range, where there were no noteworthy demonic beasts. On top of that, he had given his little followers strict orders: they could only roam this mountain, and they couldn't stray too far from the cave. If they ran into a powerful demonic beast, they could at least look out for one another. That was why nothing had gone wrong.

Besides, though this place lay on the outskirts of the Ten Thousand Snake Mountain Range, cultivators who came to gather herbs or hunt demonic beasts generally didn't linger there. They knew that only by venturing deeper into the mountain range could they gain more, even if the danger increased considerably. The rewards were just as astonishing, though.

Anyone who dared to come to the Ten Thousand Snake Mountain Range was bold by nature. To those "experts," lingering at the outskirts was a waste of time.

So, not once during the year had a cultivator interrupted Luo Mu's cultivation. In secret, Luo Mu let out a great sigh of relief.

Today, having finally absorbed all the Ink Crow Grass and reached the sixth level of the Qi Refining Stage, Luo Mu had at last set aside the matter of raising his cultivation.

It wasn't that Luo Mu didn't want to improve his strength further. Over the past year, he had already more than doubled it. What a terrifying rate! He was even a cut above the cultivation geniuses from the great families outside. If he kept taking poisonous herbs, Luo Mu believed his strength would make another qualitative leap.

But carrying on like that could easily leave his foundation unstable, severely affecting his future cultivation. These were lessons Luo Mu had learned well back at school. Now that he could cultivate, he wasn't about to violate such taboos.

Coming out of his cultivation state, Luo Mu opened his eyes. Green light shot from them for more than two feet, like a blade of emerald light.

A moment later, the green radiance faded, and Luo Mu's eyes returned to normal. A look of satisfaction appeared on his face.

"How come the little fellows still haven't come back?" Luo Mu swept his spiritual sense through the Stone Chamber and found none of the little creatures in any of the three rooms. He couldn't help feeling puzzled.

Usually, by this time, the little creatures would all be fast asleep in the Stone Chamber, digesting the food in their bellies. Their unusual behavior today was enough to make Luo Mu wonder.

His puzzlement lasted only an instant before he let it go. As far as Luo Mu was concerned, the little creatures had probably found another troublesome demonic beast and needed time to deal with it. That was why they hadn't returned yet.

Thinking about the mountain, there were hardly any demonic beasts left on it. When he'd first arrived, he could still spot quite a few, but now there were only a handful. Most had become meals for the little creatures under his command. As he thought about it, a smile tugged at the corner of Luo Mu's mouth.

People said spirit insects were hard to raise, but Luo Mu didn't feel that way anymore. He could simply release them into the remote mountains and let them forage on their own. He didn't have to lift a finger, and his spirit insects still grew plump and healthy. What could be better?

If it were really that easy, then there wouldn't be so few cultivators in the cultivation world who raised spirit insects. Hatching spirit insects successfully was difficult to begin with. And if someone was lucky enough to hatch them, who would fail to cherish them like Luo Mu did? They'd have treated the insects like treasures, not let them go out and forage on their own.

If an accident cost them their lives, their masters would be heartbroken and regret it for the rest of their lives. That was precisely why cultivators thought spirit insects were so difficult to raise, and why so few dared to take them on.

But then again, spirit insects really were hard to raise. Luo Mu had stumbled into success purely by chance; these three kinds of spirit insects just happened to be exceptionally easy to care for.

With a different kind, leaving it in these mountains might mean it couldn't find food and a few of the little creatures could even lose their lives. After all, young spirit insects were terribly fragile. If they encountered a powerful demonic beast, they'd become its next meal.

Luo Mu smiled and stopped thinking about the little creatures. Instead, he took out the Jade Slip he'd obtained from Bai Shu's Storage Bag that day. It recorded the Bai Family's Phantom Movement Technique.

Over the past year, Luo Mu had spent plenty of time studying the Phantom Movement Technique, and he had even practiced it himself. Whenever he had a spare moment, he would take out the manual and pore over it endlessly, while his feet and body twisted and shifted according to its instructions, performing all sorts of incredible movements.

And it had to be said: after a year of practice, Luo Mu had made real progress in the Phantom Movement Technique. The technique had nine levels, and he had already reached the fifth, putting him slightly ahead of Bai Shu at the time.

Now, whenever Luo Mu used the Phantom Movement Technique, an afterimage would remain where he stood, while his true body became almost impossible to locate. It was incredibly wondrous. Luo Mu was delighted to have gained this ability. Combined with the dagger he used, the movement technique fit like a glove!

Luo Mu had also dabbled in alchemy over the past year, but the results had been unimpressive. Compared with the Phantom Movement Technique, it was hardly worth mentioning.

Just as Luo Mu was repeatedly practicing the footwork, a loud crash came from outside the cave. Startled out of his deep concentration, he shifted his body and used the Phantom Movement Technique, disappearing from where he stood. When he appeared again, he was already at the stone doorway.

He released his spiritual sense, and the situation outside flashed into his mind in an instant. When he learned what was happening, Luo Mu was shocked, and a cold expression spread across his face.

"Senior, you're a real lucky star! We just came out, and we've already run into thirteen Plum Blossom Snakes! These are all top-grade first-rank demonic beasts. As long as we're careful, we can kill all thirteen right here! Their fangs and skins are both prized materials for refining magical artifacts!"

In an open area not far from Luo Mu's cave stood seven young cultivators dressed in matching outfits. There were men and women among them, each holding a different magical artifact. They had formed a loose circle and were staring excitedly at what was inside it.

Though the seven cultivators were all young, around twenty years old, their cultivation was no weak thing. Three were at the fourth level of the Qi Refining Stage, two at the fifth, and one was at the sixth, just like Luo Mu. One of them was even a level above Luo Mu, already at the seventh level of the Qi Refining Stage!

What had them so excited were the thirteen Plum Blossom Snakes loosely surrounded by the seven cultivators. There was no mistake: they were the very thirteen Plum Blossom Snakes Luo Mu had raised. But now, they had become prey for other cultivators.