After activating his Spirit-Appraising Pupil, Chen Shuangbai felt as though everything he could see was veiled in a faint, clear radiance. Within that radiance, wisps of blue spiritual light shimmered above the many spirit medicines, including the Jade Marrow Orchids.
But amid that ocean of blue spiritual light, a mass of red light stood out.
Chen Shuangbai's cold gaze flashed like lightning as he looked toward it.
Within the red light, he saw an insect beast that looked rather like a centipede, with a golden protrusion on its head resembling a crown.
The insect beast opened its mouth and gulped down the Jade Marrow Orchid's juices. Without stopping afterward, it scurried swiftly across the ground to escape.
"A Crown Gold Insect!"
He recognized the medicine pest because the Book of Tending Medicines had described this kind of pest.
"How dare you!"
Chen Shuangbai formed a Method Formula, and three streams of frost-white cold Qi, condensed almost to solidity, burst from his fingertips!
Faster than lightning, they shot straight at the fleeing Crown Gold Insect!
As the cold Qi passed, three white trails condensed in the air, tiny ice crystals appearing as they rushed straight at the Crown Gold Insect!
The Crown Gold Insect was extremely nimble as well.
It abruptly changed its straight escape route, slithering like a snake and slipping out of reach to evade all three attacks.
Rather than anger, Chen Shuangbai felt delight.
In all his cultivation up to now, he had never fought his fellow disciples with spells. The only time he had ever taken action was against a low-rank Demon Beast outside the Rime Forest.
Seeing how fast the Crown Gold Insect was, he knew he had found a suitable practice target.
He pressed his palms together and formed another Method Formula. Two thin layers of ice immediately formed beneath his feet. He pushed off hard, picking up speed as he flew in the direction the Crown Gold Insect had gone.
This was another application he had developed for Cold Spring Guidance.
"Ice Net!"
Chen Shuangbai cast the spell in a low voice.
Three more streams of snow-white frost Qi shot out and spread through the air. In moments, they formed a net brimming with cold Qi, which snapped down from above onto the Crown Gold Insect, firmly trapping it in place.
Finding itself trapped, the Crown Gold Insect erupted in a vicious shriek. Its many legs attacked the Ice Net that held it with renewed frenzy as it tried to break free.
But Chen Shuangbai had infused the Ice Net with his Law Power. How could an ordinary insect beast break free of it?
Under the constant cold Qi, the insect beast's struggles grew weaker and weaker, until its movements finally became stiff and sluggish.
The commotion he had caused naturally drew the attention of a fellow disciple tending the neighboring medicine garden.
The fellow disciple came riding the wind. He stepped forward, glanced at the insect, and said in a low voice, "It's actually a Crown Gold Insect!"
He seemed a little doubtful and started to take a few more steps forward for a closer look, only to hear Chen Shuangbai shout.
"Watch out!"
Through his Spirit-Appraising Pupil, Chen Shuangbai could see that a layer of frost had formed on the insect's body. Even the faintly glowing golden crown on its head had dimmed, yet its beating heart showed no sign of weakening.
He immediately realized that the insect was playing dead!
Inside the Ice Net, the Crown Gold Insect, which had supposedly frozen completely stiff, suddenly opened its compound eyes. Dazzling golden light burst from the crown on its head, and a scorching presence exploded outward. It broke through the Ice Net and lunged at the fellow disciple's face, mouthparts open and sharp legs extended.
The fellow disciple seemed not to have expected this. Completely unprepared, he was about to have the insect strike his face.
And at that critical moment.
Chen Shuangbai formed another Method Formula. Several rustling sounds immediately came from among the surrounding Jade Marrow Orchids, and three streaks of silvery-white light shot out. Moving even faster than the Crown Gold Insect, they wrapped around it before it could reach him.
They were three thin chains, cold Qi pouring from them, like water and ice at once. With a few clanks, they bound the insect into a snow-white cocoon!
The instant it was trapped, the Crown Gold Insect let out a vicious insect shriek, and an even more scorching presence poured from it.
Chen Shuangbai had a faint feeling that something was wrong.
He made his decision.
He pointed a finger, drawing water vapor to its tip. With a surge of Law Power, it instantly condensed into an even purer, more concentrated flash of cold light. Carrying bone-chilling killing intent, it struck the insect in an instant!
The insect's flame of life was extinguished at once, leaving it dead.
All of this had happened in just a few breaths.
Only after it was over did the fellow disciple seem to wake from a dream. Looking at the Crown Gold Insect, which Chen Shuangbai had already placed in a wooden box, he belatedly stepped forward and bowed in thanks.
"I, Yan Chu, thank you for your help, Senior Brother."
He had evidently taken Chen Shuangbai for one of those powerful senior brothers in the inner sect who had cultivated for several years, or even over a decade.
But Chen Shuangbai waved a hand and said, "Senior Brother, I'm a newly admitted disciple."
Yan Chu froze, then the tips of his ears reddened, and his face seemed about to burn. Evidently, he felt deeply ashamed that a junior brother had saved him.
Even so, he thanked Chen Shuangbai again for his help.
Chen Shuangbai said, "You make too much of it, Senior Brother. We're fellow disciples, so of course we should help one another."
A little while later, the person who had received the message arrived.
It was the same medicine boy who had checked the quality of Chen Shuangbai's spirit medicines last time.
The medicine boy looked over the medicine field Chen Shuangbai tended, nodding from time to time. By the look of him, he seemed to have found a medicine garden that satisfied him, a rare occurrence.
Then.
He looked at the medicine pest sealed in ice.
After examining it, the medicine boy broke into a smile. "A Crown Gold Insect. It really is a serious pest."
"Junior Brother Chen, did you kill it?"
Chen Shuangbai nodded slightly.
"Junior Brother, that Spirit Power of yours is truly pure. I believe it won't be long before you advance to the Middle Qi Refining Stage, will it?"
Chen Shuangbai said modestly, "I hope your words come true, Senior Brother."
After the two exchanged some mutually flattering pleasantries, the medicine boy left.
Before leaving, however, he said this.
"Junior Brother Chen, you've rendered our Jade Garden a great service. I'll report it to Senior Sister Huang right away and ask her to reward you."
With that, the medicine boy hurried away.
Only Chen Shuangbai remained, keeping watch over the vast medicine garden.
Chen Shuangbai did not remain idle, either.
He placed the insect's corpse on the stone table. Looking at the lifelike red insect in the ice, he could not help recalling something-
"Come to think of it... Uncle-Master Lingxiu once said."
"Among cultivators, there's a type called insect cultivators."
Insect cultivators entrusted all they had to the spirit insects they raised: the strong were exceedingly strong, and the weak exceedingly weak.
The Jade Spring Sect also had a practice of raising spirit insects.
The Jade Dew Hall especially.
The Jade Dew Hall occupied a considerable area. Ordinary bees and butterflies alone really could not keep up with gathering nectar and pollinating.
Chen Shuangbai had once seen a kind of bee much larger than ordinary bees, with a large blue abdomen and a considerable flying speed.
Those must have been spirit bees raised by the Jade Dew Hall.
Chen Shuangbai turned his gaze back to the insect corpse in the ice and examined it closely. He seemed to discover something a little different about it.