One Year Later

Since cultivators possess spiritual power within their bodies, they need not worry about hunger; their spiritual power automatically sustains their physical needs, rendering the sensation of starvation nonexistent. Given the current situation Luo Mu found himself in, it was not entirely impossible that he would be engaged in a war of attrition.

The Ten Thousand Snake Mountain Range teemed with demonic beasts, many of which possessed formidable strength. Although Luo Mu was positioned only on the periphery where high-level beasts were scarce, the possibility of their appearance could not be ruled out. By enhancing his strength early on, his chances of survival when encountering such beasts would be significantly higher.

Furthermore, only with increased strength would Luo Mu dare to venture deeper into the mountain range to acquire the treasures he desired.

Having shed the entanglements of the secular world, Luo Mu could finally cultivate in peace, his heart set solely on the path to immortality. After settling on the mountain peak, he finally experienced the dull and monotonous life of cultivation. However, for the sake of becoming stronger and traveling further along the immortal path, Luo Mu did not take this tedium to heart.

Thus, as spring turned to autumn and flowers bloomed and withered, Luo Mu had spent over a full year in the Ten Thousand Snake Mountain Range.

During this period, Luo Mu finally finished consuming all the Ink Crow Grass in his storage bag. The Ink Crow Grass was truly a top-grade first-tier poisonous herb; with Luo Mu's level at the third layer of the Qi Refining stage, it took several days to fully absorb the toxicity of a single stalk.

Though time-consuming, the results were remarkably significant. Each time he finished absorbing a stalk, Luo Mu could clearly feel the increase of Poison Spirit Power within his dantian, which delighted him immensely and further solidified his conviction in the path of a poison cultivator.

In one year, Luo Mu's cultivation base soared from the third layer of the Qi Refining stage to the sixth, a full two-fold increase!

Luo Mu's three types of spirit insects also underwent massive changes during this year. The most obvious, of course, were the thirteen Plum Blossom Snakes.

Since the mature form of a Plum Blossom Snake is only a top-grade first-tier demonic beast—not particularly high in the hierarchy of beasts—the juveniles matured quite rapidly. In one year, the thirteen Plum Blossom Snakes had grown to the same size as their mother, appearing cold and terrifying.

The five White Jade Ants had also advanced from mid-grade first-tier juveniles to top-grade first-tier, appearing as though they could enter the second-tier demonic beast level at any moment.

Ever since advancing to top-grade first-tier, the five White Jade Ants' appetites had grown even larger, and their speed had increased as well. Their speed when devouring food was simply beyond description; in the blink of an eye, a demonic beast would become a meal for the five little fellows.

Strangely, however, while the White Jade Ants' food intake increased after advancing, their bodies actually became smaller. They grew increasingly fair, with a faint, shimmering fluorescence pulsing within them, constantly exuding a mysterious aura.

As for the three Octagonal Spikes, their progress over the past year was not insignificant. They had successfully advanced from initial first-tier demonic beasts to initial second-tier. At the moment of advancement, one of the eight antennae on their foreheads slowly retracted into their heads; from then on, only seven remained.

Aside from the loss of an antenna, the Octagonal Spikes showed no other changes. However, over this year, Luo Mu had truly confirmed that they possessed the innate ability to seek out poisonous herbs on their own, a discovery that left him ecstatic.

The year of peace was due to the fact that Luo Mu was located on the edge of the Ten Thousand Snake Mountain Range, where no decent demonic beasts existed. Furthermore, Luo Mu had given his little group strict orders to remain only on the mountain peak where he resided and not to stray too far from the cave. This allowed them to look out for one another should they encounter a powerful beast, preventing any trouble from arising.

Moreover, because this area was on the edge of the range, cultivators who came to gather herbs or hunt beasts generally did not linger here. They knew that only by venturing deep into the mountains could they reap greater rewards; while the danger increased significantly, the harvest was equally staggering.

Since they dared to come to the Ten Thousand Snake Mountain Range, none of them were timid. To these "experts," lingering on the periphery was a waste of time.

Therefore, no cultivators had disturbed Luo Mu's cultivation throughout the year, which allowed him to breathe a secret sigh of relief.

Today, having completely absorbed the Ink Crow Grass and raised his realm to the sixth layer of Qi Refining, Luo Mu finally set aside the matter of increasing his cultivation level.

It was not that Luo Mu did not want to further improve his strength, but in just one year, he had more than doubled his power—a terrifying figure! It was even superior to the cultivation geniuses of the great external clans. If he continued to consume poisonous herbs, Luo Mu believed his strength would certainly see another qualitative leap.

However, continuing like this could easily lead to an unstable foundation, which would have a massive impact on his future cultivation path. These were principles Luo Mu had known well back in school; now that he could cultivate, he would not touch such taboos.

Withdrawing from his meditative state, Luo Mu opened his eyes. A green light shot out from them, extending over two feet, like a pair of sharp green blades.

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

"The little ones haven't returned yet?" Scanning the stone chamber with his divine sense, Luo Mu found no sign of the group in any of the three rooms and could not help but feel a bit puzzled.

Usually, at this time, the group would already be fast asleep in the stone chamber, digesting their food. Their uncharacteristic absence today was why Luo Mu felt confused.

But after only a moment of doubt, Luo Mu stopped dwelling on it. In his view, the group must have discovered some troublesome demonic beast that required time to handle, which was why they were late returning.

Thinking about the entire mountain peak, there were very few demonic beasts left. When he first arrived, he could find many, but now they were few and far between, as most had become meals for his little group. As he thought about this, a smile tugged at the corners of Luo Mu's mouth.

They say spirit insects are hard to raise, but Luo Mu no longer felt that way. Throwing them into the deep mountains and forests to forage for themselves meant he didn't have to worry at all, and he could still keep his spirit insects plump and healthy—why wouldn't he do it?

If it were truly that easy, then cultivators in the cultivation world who raised spirit insects would not be so rare. Hatching them was difficult enough, and if one were lucky enough to succeed, who would be as careless as Luo Mu? Most would treat them like treasures, never letting them out to forage.

If they were to accidentally lose their lives, their masters would be heartbroken and regret it for a lifetime. It was precisely because of this that cultivators felt spirit insects were difficult to raise, and few dared to venture into it.

But then again, spirit insects are indeed hard to raise. That Luo Mu could stumble into this success was entirely because these three types of insects were the type that were quite easy to keep.

If it were a different type, throwing them into these mountains might not only result in them failing to find food, but also in the loss of a few little lives. After all, when spirit insects are young, they are quite fragile and would only become meals for powerful beasts if they encountered them.

With a chuckle, Luo Mu stopped thinking about the little ones and took out the jade slip he had obtained from Bai Shu's storage bag. Recorded upon it was the Phantom Movement Technique of the Bai Family.

Throughout the year, Luo Mu had spent no small amount of time studying this Phantom Movement Technique. He had even begun practicing it; whenever he had spare time, he would take out the manual to study it endlessly, while his feet and body would twist and turn according to the instructions, performing all sorts of inconceivable movements.

It must be said, after a year of practice, Luo Mu's Phantom Movement Technique had achieved a minor success. Of the nine layers of the technique, he had already reached the fifth, slightly surpassing the Bai Shu of that day.

Now, whenever Luo Mu utilized the Phantom Movement Technique, an afterimage would appear in his original spot, making his true body difficult to track—it was exceptionally miraculous. Possessing such an ability made Luo Mu extremely happy; when combined with the dagger he used, it was a seamless match!

As for alchemy, Luo Mu had also dabbled in it over the past year, but the results were not significant and were hardly worth mentioning compared to the Phantom Movement Technique.

Just as Luo Mu was practicing his phantom footwork, a loud crash erupted outside the cave, startling the deeply focused Luo Mu. With a flicker of his body, he utilized the Phantom Movement Technique and vanished from his spot. When he reappeared, he was already at the stone entrance.

He released his divine sense, and the situation outside appeared in his mind in the blink of an eye. Upon learning what was happening, Luo Mu was shocked, and a cold, sinister expression appeared on his face.

"Senior, you really are our lucky star! We just came out and encountered thirteen Plum Blossom Snakes in one go! These are top-grade first-tier demonic beasts. As long as we are careful, we can definitely slaughter all thirteen of them here! The teeth and skin of the Plum Blossom Snake are excellent treasures for refining magical artifacts!"

In an open space not far from Luo Mu's cave stood seven young cultivators wearing identical uniforms. Among them were both men and women, holding various magical artifacts and vaguely forming a large circle, staring at the center with faces full of excitement.

Although the seven cultivators were young, around twenty years of age, their cultivation levels were truly not weak: three at the fourth layer of Qi Refining, two at the fifth, and one who, like Luo Mu, was at the sixth layer. There was even one whose strength was a grade higher than Luo Mu's—already at the seventh layer of Qi Refining!

And what made them so excited were the thirteen Plum Blossom Snakes vaguely surrounded by the seven! There was no mistake; these thirteen Plum Blossom Snakes were the very ones Luo Mu had been raising. Yet, at this moment, they had become the prey of other cultivators.