Hundred Insects Blood-Refining Body-Nourishing Secret Art

After Fang Shu answered, Li Hou'er shot him an encouraging look from the side, then left him behind and departed first.

Suppressing his excitement, Fang Shu hurried forward and stood before the offering table in the main hall.

With a glance, he discovered that the hall master was not merely teaching him alone. A young girl who looked younger than him was also standing nearby.

She looked nervous, about thirteen or fourteen, with a ponytail and a somewhat rustic air, as though she had just arrived from the mortal world.

Noticing Fang Shu's sidelong glance, the girl lowered her head and did not dare look at him, though she still forced out a faint smile.

Hall Master Du paid no heed to their behavior and casually instructed, "Fang Shu, Qin Min, step forward and burn incense. Pay respects to the Five Poisons."

"Yes."

Fang Shu had spent over half a month in the Daoist hall. Even if he had never eaten pork, he had seen pigs run; he had long watched the Daoist boys burn incense and offer tea.

He slapped both sleeves with a smack, then bowed to take the incense from the offering table, holding it in both hands.

At that moment, Fang Shu noticed the girl beside him hesitate as she stared fixedly at his movements. So he slowed his deft motions and signaled for her to pick up the incense.

The girl hurried forward and copied him in taking the incense.

Then, following Fang Shu's lead, she lit the incense and bowed. Facing the Five Poisons painting, she prostrated herself and knocked her head against the ground three times.

Hall Master Du took in the scene. Once the two had risen, she stepped forward and had them stand straight, their hands hanging naturally at their sides.

Then her chicken-claw-like fingers clamped onto Fang Shu's bones like iron pincers, probing inch by inch.

After briefly examining the bones throughout Fang Shu's body, she shook her head slightly and commented in an even tone, "Bone age: sixteen. Your family circumstances were decent when you were young, but there were also times when you went without enough food. That delayed your physical development—below-average innate bones.

"If you wish to enter the Dao within a year, mere diligent study and bitter training have a ninety-nine percent chance of failing. You must build up your qi and blood."

Hearing the words "below-average," Fang Shu's expression changed slightly.

Yet when Hall Master Du saw his appearance, a teasing smile immediately surfaced on her face. "Do not overthink it. Even if you had been born into a wealthy mortal family, nurtured by famous masters since childhood and nourished with ginseng, blessed with top-tier innate bones, as long as you lack spiritual roots, then to us immortals, you are still merely mortal bones. There is no qualitative difference."

Hall Master Du continued, "What you should care about is that fortunately, you came up the mountain and entered the Daoist hall before turning eighteen. This hall has immortal methods that can help alter your innate bones. But you only have these two years. Remember to seize them."

Fang Shu quickly nodded.

After hesitating, he spoke again. "May I ask, Master, can spiritual roots also be altered?"

He had heard the term "spiritual roots" back in the mortal world, where people had always said, "Without spiritual roots, one cannot cultivate immortality."

Fortunately, the immortal Dao in this world seemed to have developed to the point where one could cultivate even without spiritual roots.

Yet after coming up the mountain, Fang Shu still occasionally heard the words "spiritual roots." Clearly, even if spiritual roots were not necessary for immortal cultivation, they were still extremely important.

Hearing Fang Shu's words, Hall Master Du smiled. She cast him a glance as though looking at a child, but did not answer.

Afterward, the hall master examined the bones of the girl beside him, Qin Min, and gave her the assessment, "Bone age: fourteen. Inferior innate bones."

Once that assessment was made, Qin Min visibly grew even more constrained, lowering her head further.

Strangely, Hall Master Du did not take the girl's inferior innate bones to heart. As she examined Qin Min's frame, she spent even more time than she had on Fang Shu and was more meticulous, as though intentionally searching for something.

Once the bone examination was over, Hall Master Du ordered Fang Shu to remove his robes, leaving only a pair of underpants.

She took a candle and flicked her fingers with sharp snaps, sending drops of wax through the air onto Fang Shu's body, causing a burst of burning pain.

"Qin Min, come look. Fang Shu, remember these locations as well."

Hall Master Du spoke. "What I am teaching you today is the Hundred Insects Blood-Refining Body-Nourishing Secret Art. This hall carefully raises many kinds of medicinal insects and venomous insects. When cultivating this art, remember that these locations must never suffer insect bites.

"Otherwise, even if the insect is medicinal rather than venomous, its medicinal properties are fierce and will only ravage your bodies, bringing harm without benefit."

As she explained, Hall Master Du gestured across Fang Shu's body and began detailing the other key points.

For example, a person's spine was like a dragon and could be aided by snake and lizard insects, but toads and bats were taboo. A person's leg bones resembled trees and could be aided by insects of the earth, but insects of the wood were taboo.

Yet having her use his body as instruction made Fang Shu feel that although the process was exceedingly thorough and beneficial, he was faintly like a teaching dummy—something used to instruct others.

At this point, Hall Master Du summarized, "The human body has the Five Elements and five sense organs; insects too have the Five Elements and Five Poisons. Though this hall's arts are intricate and numerous, there is no single medicinal formula that cannot be changed. You must adapt according to the time and according to the body."

Her expression turned stern. "Only the principles of generation, restraint, and reversal among the Five Elements cannot be defied. They are the essential key to cultivating the Hundred Insects Secret Art, as well as other cultivation arts and spells.

"Remember it, practice it, and do not pass it on!"

"Yes, Master!" Fang Shu and Qin Min hurriedly answered.

"Good." Hall Master Du's expression softened again.

She then smiled at the two of them and suddenly said, "But if I merely tell you, you will never understand the sensation of the secret art's operation."

Fang Shu and Qin Min looked up. In their eyes, Hall Master Du's smile suddenly took on a touch of horror.

Before the two could react, Hall Master Du opened her mouth. From the black hollow of her throat flew a gust of black wind.

Buzzzzz!

The gust of black wind resembled flies and bees, producing wave after wave of insect hums. But when it descended before Fang Shu and Qin Min, it was as fine as millet grains.

As Fang Shu and Qin Min revealed looks of fear, Hall Master Du said flatly, "These are this hall's Ant Masters. When they land on your bodies, they will make an ant-crawling sensation rise across you. Their ant venom will enter your bodies and stimulate your flesh, qi, and blood, so that you may understand how to control your qi and blood."

The words fell into Fang Shu's ears, sending a chill through his heart.

This damned ant-crawling sensation for cultivation was literally achieved by letting venomous ants bite them. As expected of the Solitary Gu Hall!

But there was no use complaining inwardly now, nor would trying to run help, because Fang Shu and Qin Min had already been surrounded by the black wind of flying ants.

The flying ants burrowed into their clothes and trousers, everywhere over their bodies, swiftly forming one mysterious pattern after another.

Suppressing his alarm, Fang Shu looked down and discovered that they were all secret script characters!

Secret script was the core of every cultivation art in modern immortal learning. The art taught by Hall Master Du possessed such secret script, proving that it was a genuine immortal art, and not some crude, inferior kind.

Thus Fang Shu cleared away his distractions and began carefully experiencing the ant-crawling sensation she had described.

At once, a wondrous feeling surged through his body.

As the flying ants' venom entered him, stinging pain indeed arose in waves. The pain was like ants crawling endlessly across his entire body.

Yet Fang Shu's body was also numb. It was not as horrifying as it appeared, perhaps because the ant venom also numbed the body and reduced the pain.

Sure enough, Hall Master Du's voice rang through the hall. "For your first cultivation, the Ant Masters' bites will be much gentler. But when you use insects to cultivate on your own in the future, remember to be cautious when taking medicines like mafeisan. Otherwise, you will merely be deceiving yourselves."

She paused. "Of course, this hall also sells Ant Spirit Paste produced by the Ant Masters.

"This paste is made by grinding spirit stones and using demon blood as a base. Apply it, and you will only feel your entire body burning hot, as though beside a furnace. Your qi and blood will surge greatly, yet you will feel hardly any pain.

"Its only drawback is that it is expensive.

"One tael of spirit stones for one tael of paste."

As Fang Shu experienced the secret art taking hold of his body, he listened to Hall Master Du's instruction in a slight daze and thought, So this is the so-called 'the poor rely on suffering, while the rich have divine means.'

In the main hall, the youth and girl continued cultivating in silence.

But as time passed,

that ant-crawling sensation branded itself upon Fang Shu and Qin Min like a red-hot iron, deeply searing both their bodies and hearts, while their consciousnesses grew increasingly hazy.

Yet both of them felt as if a fireball were leaping within their chests. Their qi and blood surged through them, and their bones burned hot.

Moreover, Fang Shu sensed thread after thread of coolness slowly being drawn into his body from the surrounding heaven and earth with each breath.

This is spiritual qi?! Joy immediately surged through his heart.

After nearly a month, he had finally experienced again the wondrous sensation of swallowing moonlight into his body.

At that moment, two lines of text quietly appeared under the cultivation arts section of the Dao Register in his mind:

[Learned the Hundred Insects Blood-Refining Body-Nourishing Secret Art]

[This art uses insect blood to advance cultivation and draws spiritual energy into the body. It can cross the immortals' first tribulation.]