Star Gu

Huo Hai did not know what kind of Gu Insects he should refine, but making some would at least ensure he was prepared for any eventuality. With his current strength, he could not subdue powerful insects yet and could only use these ordinary ones as substitutes.

He remembered reading an introduction to Star Gu. It said they could be refined from a tiny insect called Three Paths; the process was simple, yet their power was formidable. He had not seen it in the books his grandmother left him—he had read it online in the past. Even Huo Hai himself had nearly forgotten it. Yet he understood very well just how powerful these Star Gu could be.

"Hehe, even ants can bite an elephant to death. If the ants' quality improved, they would be even more formidable. What if they were turned into Gu Insects? Anyway, this world doesn't have little bugs like Three Paths, so I'll just use something else instead." That was Huo Hai's idea.

At their core, Star Gu needed only hard bodies, sharp teeth, and perhaps hearty appetites. In great numbers, Star Gu were like a locust plague; wherever they passed, saying they devoured everything in their path would not be an exaggeration. When gathered together, they could also be used for defense. With proper control, they could even serve as a kind of spell. Huo Hai had long been envious of them.

Just imagine it: with a wave of his hand, he could block any attack. A swarm of Star Gu charged forth and gnawed everything clean. How exhilarating would that be? If he could gather a huge mass of them, then even someone in the Spirit Bone Realm would be utterly crushed by him.

"Insects need to be tough, so beetles would be best. As for teeth, insects all have decent teeth. Still, I need to choose ones with relatively stronger teeth. Mm, this kind will do. Now, what herbs should I use?"

Huo Hai muttered as he considered what he needed to do. His previous observations of insects had not been for nothing, nor had his experiments with the properties of common herbs. Indeed, that knowledge of herbs had caused Huo Hai no small amount of suffering. Fortunately, he had spiritual energy to support him, so he had not ended up like Shennong, tormented half to death by poison.

Now that he had reached the Spirit Blood Realm, it was much easier for him to withstand medicinal effects. He could even try some lower-grade spiritual medicines.

After so many years of inheritance, insect-rearing arts had been reduced to so little. Fortunately, what remained was the true essence. If Huo Hai wanted to continue researching, he could only rely on his own efforts and proceed bit by bit. There was no one else he could depend on.

The little insects were easy to find. Huo Hai quickly found a species of beetle that suited his needs perfectly. He even found another kind of insect to serve as an ingredient for the Star Gu. This insect possessed no other abilities; it was simply highly adaptable. It had a huge appetite and extraordinarily strong recovery abilities. Like a gecko, even severed limbs could regenerate. It was ideal material for withstanding blows.

The two kinds of insects were caught in large quantities, and Huo Hai's courtyard gained quite a few more bugs. Just as before, he first fed them large amounts of herbs. These herbs had all been carefully tested by Huo Hai according to old formulas.

They could stimulate the insects' desire to devour one another, awaken their bloodlines, and make them evolve. Spiritual energy was even more indispensable. After his breakthrough, Huo Hai could provide more spiritual energy, so feeding so many insects at once posed no problem at all.

Large quantities of spiritual energy were fed to the little insects, and their strength increased at a rate visible to the naked eye.

"Almost time. I can refine them now. It's a pity I don't have the blood of high-level spirit beasts, or the results would definitely be better." Huo Hai shook his head and placed the insects into separate jars according to the proper ratios.

He added some ordinary beast blood, along with some of his own blood that had been specially refined through a unique method. There was not much of it, but it was enough to make the insects recognize him as their master. After that, Huo Hai placed the materials separately into the jars. Then he sealed their mouths and set them aside, no longer bothering with them. It did not matter whether the insects were strong or weak; success was all that mattered.

This world had an excellent environment, abundant spiritual energy, and herbs with potent medicinal effects. Huo Hai had long discovered that refining Gu Insects in this world would greatly increase the success rate. At this stage, Gu Insects were merely consumables, and Huo Hai did not value them too highly.

Over the next few days, Huo Hai lived as usual, cultivating and researching every day. His life was full and fulfilling. The effect of Perfect Body Tempering was that it allowed him to cultivate Spirit Arts faster and with better results.

To keep his cultivation from rising too quickly, Huo Hai even spent a great deal of time practicing various combat techniques. After several days, aside from lacking actual combat experience, his fighting power had already surpassed that of most experts in the Spirit Blood Realm.

One day, Huo Hai was catching insects outside when the sky suddenly darkened. Was it going to rain? But the moisture in the air did not feel particularly heavy. With a puzzled expression, Huo Hai put away the insects he had caught for the moment, raised his head, and looked into the sky. The instant he did, his eyes widened. "Heavens, what is going on? What is that?"

A gigantic ship had appeared in the sky. That was right—a ship, and a huge one with three masts. All kinds of decorations covered its exterior, along with words and drawings whose meaning was impossible to discern.

A massive emblem protruded from the ship's hull. From afar, it looked like a sword plunged into some sort of monster. The emblem was extremely peculiar and was likely the mark of some faction. But how had such a huge ship flown into the sky? Huo Hai was stunned. "Heavens, this world's technology is even more advanced than Earth's."

It was no wonder Huo Hai was shocked. This thing was simply too terrifying. How could such an enormous ship possibly fly? If Earth could achieve such a feat, it would certainly be trumpeted far and wide. Huo Hai was not the only one staring at it; everyone who saw it was watching.

Some people had set aside what they were doing and injured themselves in the process, yet they still did not react. "What exactly is that? How can a ship fly in the sky? Are those spirit beasts in front? Are they pulling the ship?"

At that moment, a voice sounded nearby. Huo Hai turned and saw that the newcomer was He Ya, the second young master of the He Family. Several days had passed since the He Family's great upheaval, and many people had been implicated. Yet He Ya could still come out and stir up trouble. From the look of it, he was even more pleased with himself than before and did not care in the slightest about what had happened to his Lineage.

What Huo Hai did not know was that He Ya's father had used this incident to eliminate more than half of those within the family who opposed him. Those who remained had identities too sensitive to deal with casually, but their authority had essentially been hollowed out.

The family head's power had increased, and as the second son of the family head, He Ya naturally rose with the tide. More people were currying favor with him, so it was no wonder he behaved this way. Hearing that Chu Yuntian had come out again, He Ya had brought people over to bully him.

If not for the sudden arrival of this enormous ship in the sky, the two would probably have already come face-to-face.

He Ya also noticed Huo Hai's gaze and burst into laughter. "Hahahaha! You ignorant fools, let me tell you. That emblem belongs to the cloud ship of the Imperial City Academy of the Southern Cloud Kingdom. Those spirit beasts pulling the cloud ship were specially bred by the academy. Even among the great Lineages of our Western Frontier, we might not be able to afford to raise them."

Huo Hai nodded. That was true. Though he could not see clearly from so far away, he could sense that the spirit beasts pulling the flying ship had at least reached the Spirit Bone Realm. Among those at the Foundation Establishment level, spirit beasts were far stronger than humans.

Being able to raise so many Spirit Bone Realm spirit beasts, and even use them to pull a vessel, was indeed beyond what ordinary factions could accomplish. What truly astonished Huo Hai was that the Southern Cloud Kingdom had such a powerful force. It seemed he had been like a frog at the bottom of a well, staring at the sky.

"Second Young Master, then why has the Imperial City Academy's cloud ship come here? Could someone have offended them, and they've come for revenge? This is troublesome. Just those spirit beasts alone are more than our Western Frontier has people capable of dealing with."

He Ya rolled his eyes. "Nonsense. The Imperial City Academy was established by the Southern Cloud Kingdom's royal family. Why would it attack its own Western Frontier? Don't speak nonsense if you don't understand. If you offend those above, you'll bear the consequences yourselves."

Everyone immediately shut their mouths. How many were truly afraid, and how many were merely pretending, was beyond Huo Hai's ability to tell. Still, it was clear that quite a few people were deliberately playing along with He Ya.

Sure enough, after having his vanity satisfied, He Ya slowly said, "Every ten years, the Imperial City Academy comes to our Western Frontier to recruit a batch of students. They must be under thirty and possess good talent. Those who enter the Imperial City Academy are all geniuses. The ancestors of several Lineages in our Western Frontier graduated from the Imperial City Academy in the past."

"So that's how it is. Then, Second Young Master, you will certainly succeed. Don't you all agree?" The servants immediately began clamoring.

Just as He Ya's face filled with excitement, a voice suddenly rang out from afar. "Him? That trash wants to join the Imperial City Academy? Then again, if he uses the family quota, he really can get in. Every Lineage has to pay an enormous price to obtain one of those quotas." The moment Huo Hai heard this, he knew someone was displeased with He Ya.

He had already learned enough today. Great Lineages could spend vast resources to obtain quotas—was that not just like the money-grubbing methods of universities in his previous life? Pay money and gain admission. Of course, in this world, money alone was not enough; one's Lineage also needed a certain standing.

Huo Hai did not react upon hearing this, but He Ya flew into a rage. "Who? Which bastard said that?" He Ya glared and swept his gaze around the area, as though he would immediately go over and strike whoever he found.

"I said it. What of it? Does the young master of the He Family intend to make a move?" A refined young man slowly stepped forward, waving a fan in his hand. The moment He Ya saw him, his arrogant swagger immediately withered.

"So it's you. Don't think I'm afraid of you. Aren't you just relying on your Lineage? What's so great about that?" His last words were much quieter.