txolops Chapter 381 Frost Valley
Chapter 381 Frost Valley
This posed no threat to Luo Ming. His mind was as firm as a rock, and his divine sense was extremely powerful. He easily guided and shielded the faint probing power, and walked through the formation with a normal expression, without causing any abnormality.
After the tests were completed, all the new disciples were deemed "innocent." Subsequently, these thirty people were divided into three groups and taken away by the deacons from the three peaks.
Luo Ming's group of ten was led by a middle-aged steward surnamed Guo, who was dressed in the standard blue robe of Insect Peak, had an ordinary face but sharp eyes, and whose cultivation was at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, to a side hall called "Staff Hall" on the mountainside of Insect Peak.
Deacon Guo stood on the steps in front of the hall, his gaze sweeping over the ten slightly nervous new disciples below, and said in a calm and even voice:
"From this day forward, the ten of you will officially join the Insect Peak lineage of my Spirit Control Sect. The sect will bestow upon you the first four levels of the basic cultivation technique 'Spirit Control Technique: Insect Chapter,' as well as the corresponding identity tokens, storage bags, entry instruction jade slips, and monthly basic expenses, which will be distributed to you later."
After returning, you must diligently cultivate and not slack off. If you encounter any difficulties or questions during your cultivation, you may come to this Hall of Affairs on the first and fifteenth of each month to seek answers from me or other duty officers.
He paused, his gaze slowly sweeping across the ten faces. His tone remained calm, yet carried a subtle scrutiny: "Furthermore, according to sect custom, newly initiated disciples must follow experienced senior brothers for a year to learn basic insect control, insect breeding, and insect identification, and assist in handling miscellaneous tasks to familiarize themselves with the various affairs of Insect Peak. After a year, specific duties will be assigned based on performance and willingness."
Upon hearing this, most of the new disciples, including Luo Ming, wore expressions of "it should be this way." It was perfectly normal for newcomers to learn and do odd jobs first.
However, Deacon Guo changed the subject and continued, "However, rules are rigid, but people are flexible. If any of you have already been exposed to the art of insect control before entering the sect, and have a certain foundation and practical experience in the habits, cultivation, and manipulation of spirit insects, and can pass my simple test... then you can be exempted from this year-long apprenticeship period and directly obtain the management position of an independent 'insect nest' or 'insect valley,' responsible for your own profits and losses, and only need to complete the spirit insect cultivation or submission tasks assigned by the sect on schedule."
Upon hearing this, several of the ten new disciples below immediately lit up! Directly managing an insect nest? Although it meant completing a mission, it also meant greater autonomy, fewer constraints, and... perhaps more personal gain? It was better than following his senior brother around doing chores and being bossed around.
Luo Ming's heart stirred slightly. Independently managing an insect nest? This suited him perfectly! It meant he would have a relatively independent territory, free from too much disturbance, allowing him to arrange his time more freely for clandestine investigations and cultivation.
Moreover, with his experience managing the Insect Valley in Spirit Beast Mountain and his knowledge far exceeding that of cultivators in this realm, managing the insect nests of the Spirit Control Sect should not be a problem for him.
While the other disciples were still hesitating and weighing whether their limited "experience" was sufficient, Luo Ming stepped forward, cupped his hands towards Deacon Guo on the steps, and said in a steady voice:
"Reporting to Steward Guo, this disciple, Li Feiyu, did indeed come into contact with and study some insect-controlling techniques before entering the sect, and has some rudimentary experience in the taming and breeding of spirit insects. I am willing to accept your examination, Steward."
Upon hearing this, Deacon Guo's gaze fell on Luo Ming, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He remembered this new disciple, who had been described as having "excellent aptitude" and a strong spiritual sense during yesterday's test. He hadn't expected him to also be versed in insect control techniques.
"Oh? You've been exposed to insect control techniques?" Deacon Guo's tone softened slightly as he asked, "Then tell me, what kind of spirit insects are you familiar with? What do you know about them?"
Luo Ming had already prepared his answer and replied calmly, "Reporting to the steward, many years ago I had the opportunity to obtain the eggs of a first-level spirit insect called 'Fire-eating Ant,' and successfully hatched and raised a small swarm. I have some knowledge of the insect's habits, food preferences, attack and defense methods, and simple swarm control. In addition, I also know a little about several low-level spirit insects commonly found in the cultivation world, such as 'Corpse Beetle,' 'Firefly Beetle,' and 'Poisonous Miasma Bee.'"
The "fire-eating ants" he mentioned are a real, low-level spiritual insect with decent attack power. They feed on metal and fire-attribute ores and are occasionally kept as pets by low-level cultivators.
The other types are also common insects. This statement shows that he does have practical experience and that he has a broad but not overly prominent theoretical knowledge, which fits the persona of a "slightly experienced rogue cultivator".
After listening, Deacon Guo nodded slightly. To successfully cultivate even a single spirit insect, even a level one fire-eating ant, and to have some understanding of more than a dozen other common spirit insects, was already quite impressive for a rogue cultivator in the Qi Refining stage. He pondered for a moment, then asked a few more questions about the spirit insect's breeding environment, common diseases, and simple control techniques.
Luo Ming answered fluently, and even offered some of his own seemingly rudimentary but insightful opinions on certain details.
Deacon Guo's eyes showed increasing satisfaction. He had only been asking routinely, but he hadn't expected to actually encounter someone with some talent. In recent years, the disciples of Insect Peak had generally been less gifted than those of Beast Peak and Bird Peak, and even fewer were willing to diligently study the Dao of Insects.
Li Feiyu has good aptitude, strong spiritual sense, and interest and foundation in insect cultivation; he is a promising talent.
"Hmm, not bad. It seems you've indeed put in some effort." Deacon Guo nodded, took out a jade token and a scroll from his robes, and handed them to Luo Ming.
"Since that's the case, you no longer need to study with your senior brother for a year. This is the restriction token and related documents for 'Frost Valley.' From today onwards, Frost Valley will be under your management. The specific situation of the valley, the sect tasks that need to be completed, and precautions are all recorded in detail in the documents. You must study them carefully, be diligent and responsible, and avoid making any mistakes."
"Yes! Thank you, Deacon Guo! This disciple will do his utmost and live up to your expectations!" Luo Ming accepted the token and scroll with both hands and replied "solemnly".
The other new disciples around him looked at Luo Ming with envy. He'd already become the master of a valley? Even though it was just a small valley for raising insects, it was still far better than theirs.
Deacon Guo gave Luo Ming a few more brief instructions before letting him leave to familiarize himself with Frost Valley. The other nine were assigned to collect their introductory supplies and to be followed by their senior brothers.
……
Half a day later, Luo Ming, holding the jade token engraved with the words "Frost," followed the route map marked on the scroll and arrived at a relatively remote valley behind Insect Peak, shrouded in a light white mist.
At the entrance to the valley stands a waist-high blue stone tablet with three large characters written in cinnabar on it—Frost Valley. Beside the stone tablet is a simple wooden sign, which seems to have originally had writing on it, but it has been blurred by wind and rain.
As soon as Luo Ming arrived at the valley entrance, before he could even take out the restriction token, he saw a surge of white mist inside the valley, and a figure hurriedly ran out.
He was a young cultivator who looked to be in his early twenties, with an ordinary face and a cultivation level at the peak of the twelfth level of the Qi Refining stage. He was dressed in the gray-blue clothing of an ordinary disciple of the Insect Peak, and his face carried a mixture of eagerness, relief, and a hint of barely perceptible "fortunateness".
"This... is this Junior Brother Li, who has just taken over?" The young cultivator's eyes lit up when he saw the token in Luo Ming's hand, and he hurriedly stepped forward, his tone being a little too enthusiastic.
"I am Li Feiyu. Greetings, senior brother. May I ask your name?" Luo Ming said, bowing.
"Oh, Junior Brother Li, you're too kind! My name is Xiang Feng, and I'm the manager of this Frost Valley!" Xiang Feng grabbed Luo Ming's arm, as if afraid he would run away, and pulled him into the valley without saying a word, while rapidly introducing himself:
"Come, come, Junior Brother Li, let me show you around Frost Valley. This place has a special environment. A Frost Array has been set up in the valley, so the temperature inside is low all year round, which is suitable for cultivating some cold-loving spirit insects. The main spirit insect we raise in the valley is a kind of first-level spirit insect called 'Frost Breath Insect'."
He led Luo Ming to the depths of the valley, to a rock wall enclosed by a simple fence and riddled with large and small ice-blue holes. Pointing to the holes, he said, "Look, these are the little guys."
Luo Ming stared intently and saw that within those ice-blue holes, he could vaguely see tiny insects, no bigger than a fingernail, crystal clear, as if carved from ice crystals, with snowflake-like patterns on their backs, slowly crawling. These insects had a weak aura, indeed only at the first level, and they looked lazy and lacked vitality.
"These Frost Breath Insects," Xiang Feng continued quickly, "don't let their small size and pretty appearance fool you. To be honest, they're practically useless in combat! They're slow, weak in attack, and have poor defense. Their biggest characteristic is—they can eat like crazy! And they reproduce like crazy!"
A wry smile appeared on his face: "They feed on low-grade spiritual herbs with icy attributes, mineral powder, and dew containing icy spiritual energy. Their appetite is several times that of other spiritual insects of the same size! Moreover, they reproduce extremely quickly. If there is enough food and the environment is suitable, one nest can quickly turn into a large population."
"Then what is the purpose of raising this insect?" Luo Ming asked, already having a vague idea in his mind.
"Use?" Xiang Feng shrugged. "Just one thing—as feed. On our Insect Peak, including the Bird Peak and Beast Peak, many domesticated ice-attribute spirit beasts and birds, or those that prefer cold-natured food, especially love to eat these Frost Breath Insects. These insects contain pure icy spiritual energy, and their meat is tender and easy to digest, making them excellent 'live bait.' Your task is to deliver a certain number of mature Frost Breath Insects to the Hall of Affairs every year on time and in the required quantity, for each peak to collect and use to feed their spirit beasts."
"I see." Luo Ming suddenly understood. These Frost Breath Insects, to put it simply, are a type of specially bred "feed insect." The job is indeed simple—fatten them up and hand them in. But judging from Xiang Feng's tone, it doesn't seem so easy?
Xiang Feng seemed to sense Luo Ming's confusion, and the look of "relief" on his face deepened. He quickly pulled out a slightly worn jade slip from his pocket, shoved it into Luo Ming's hand without a word, and lowered his voice, speaking even faster:
"Junior Brother Li, these are some experiences and insights I've summarized over the past two years managing this place. They include how to adjust feed to accelerate the growth of the Frost Breath Insects, how to quickly sort mature specimens, and... how to deal with those ice-attribute beasts that occasionally come to 'beg for food' and some tricks from certain 'fellow disciples.' Take a good look; they'll be very useful!"