A Mortal's Start in the Spirit Beast Mountain

Chapter 382 Mutant Snow Silkworm

He patted Luo Ming on the shoulder, his tone implying "good luck to you": "This place is now in your hands! I, your senior brother, have finished handing over the reins today, and I'm finally free! Junior Brother Li, you... take care!"

After saying that, before Luo Ming could ask anything else, Xiang Feng fled as if his life depended on it. A flash of azure light appeared on his body, and he summoned a low-level flying magic artifact. Without looking back, he flew swiftly out of the valley and disappeared into the white mist in the blink of an eye, as if Frost Valley were some kind of dragon's den, tiger's lair, or a raging flood.

Luo Ming stood there, holding the still-warm jade slip in his hand. He looked in the direction where the wind had disappeared, then at the silent, cold valley before him, where only the faint chirping of insects could be heard. The wooden expression on his face relaxed slightly, revealing a thoughtful look, which then turned into a faint sense of amusement.

"Judging from Senior Brother Xiang Feng's appearance, this place... doesn't seem as simple and easy as he said, or as the records suggest," Luo Ming muttered to himself, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"It seems... I've been 'tricked' by that Deacon Guo, or by this task with the Frost Breath Insect?"

However, there was no trace of annoyance or fear in his eyes; instead, a hint of curiosity and inquiry arose.

"Very well. Let's see what kind of tricks this little 'feed valley' of the Insect Peak of the Spirit Control Sect has that could force a Qi Refining Level 12 disciple to flee as if he were escaping for his life."

Luo Ming weighed the jade slip in his hand, then looked at the Frost Valley restriction token. His smile widened. "Moreover, the more 'troublesome' a place is, the quieter it is, and the less likely anyone is to disturb it. That suits me perfectly."

What kind of "trap" is hidden here that could stump a cultivator like me who is at the Nascent Soul stage of Body Refinement?

Having said that, he no longer hesitated. With a thought, his powerful divine sense silently probed into the jade slip left by Xiang Feng in his hand. He wanted to see what kind of "valuable experience" and "tearful lessons" this former "Valley Master" had left behind.

A moment later, Luo Ming withdrew his consciousness from the slightly worn jade slip, a look of realization appearing on his face, which then turned into a faint sense of helplessness and amusement.

"So that's how it is... No wonder Senior Brother Xiang Feng looked like he had finally escaped from a sea of ​​suffering and a miraculous escape. This job is indeed a torturous 'pit' for ordinary Qi Refining cultivators." Luo Ming muttered to himself, shaking his head and chuckling.

From the jade slip left by Xiang Feng, he learned the true situation of the "Frost Valley" and the "Frost Breath Insect".

The cold-breathing insect, a first-class spiritual insect, has an extremely high reproductive capacity and an astonishing appetite, but its requirements for its living environment are also incredibly demanding. It can only maintain its vitality and feed, grow, and reproduce normally in a continuous and stable low-temperature environment.

Once the ambient temperature exceeds a certain threshold, they will quickly become lethargic, lose their appetite, become sluggish, and even stop mating and laying eggs. In severe cases, they may die in large numbers.

Therefore, the sect set up an auxiliary formation called the "Frost Formation" here, which, combined with the energy of spirit stones, forcibly suppressed the temperature of the entire valley to an extremely low level. However, maintaining the operation of this formation requires a lot of spirit stones, and the formation itself also continuously emits coldness.

For a Nascent Soul cultivator like Luo Ming, whose physical body is strong and impervious to heat and cold, this bit of coldness is naturally imperceptible; in fact, it feels cool and comfortable.

However, for an ordinary Qi Refining stage cultivator, being in such a low-temperature environment, maintained by an array and comparable to the dead of winter, for a long time would be quite uncomfortable.

They must constantly allocate a portion of their magical power to their body surface to resist the invasion of cold air; otherwise, they risk frostbite or even damage to their meridians.

This will undoubtedly greatly affect the efficiency of daily cultivation, making the already difficult Qi Refining stage cultivation even slower.

In the jade slip, Xiang Feng complained that in order to complete the sect's mission over the past two years, he had to stay in the valley for long periods of time to maintain the formation and take care of the Frost Breath Insects. As a result, his cultivation had almost stagnated, and he had also lost a lot of vital energy due to the long-term struggle against the cold.

Seeing no hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage and unable to find a replacement, he eagerly passed on this hot potato when he learned that a newcomer had passed the assessment and could directly manage the insect nest. He then applied for a transfer to a relatively leisurely but unprofitable miscellaneous position.

"Hehe, this kind of desolate and cold place that no one wants to set foot in is indeed a waste of resources for ordinary disciples." Luo Ming looked around the valley shrouded in a light white mist and cold, and instead of being troubled, he showed a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

"Let's keep a low profile here for a while, using the special environment as cover, and quickly 'raise' Li Feiyu's cultivation to the Foundation Establishment stage," Luo Ming decided.

Within a major sect like the Spirit Control Sect, the Qi Refining stage cultivation level is too low a status, restricting access to many places and matters. He must "break through" to the Foundation Establishment stage as soon as possible to gain more freedom and authority, facilitating his clandestine investigations and activities.

Without further delay, he first secretly set up a complex array around the Frost Valley, which combined concealment, early warning, and interference detection functions. This array did not conflict with the original "Frost Array" inside the valley and was even more concealed, ensuring that his true cave deep underground would not be accidentally discovered.

Then, in the deepest part of the valley, in a shady spot on a rock wall where the cold air was strongest and there was a natural crack leading underground, he quietly carved out a simple yet fully functional hidden cave.

The entrance to the cave was disguised with illusion arrays and rocks, while the interior was expanded into several quiet rooms using earth-based magic. After doing all this, from the outside, Frost Valley still appeared to be a silent and cold valley for raising insects, but the core area inside had become Luo Ming's private cultivation place.

Looking at the Frost Valley, which appeared unchanged on the outside but was transformed within, Luo Ming nodded in satisfaction. With a thought, the spirit beast bracelet on his wrist flashed slightly.

A silvery phantom leaped out and landed in front of Luo Ming, quickly solidifying into an elegant, bright-eyed silver wolf cub—it was Silver Moon.

"Silver Moon, for the time being, the daily affairs of Frost Valley will be entrusted to you."

Luo Mingchao instructed Yin Yue: "Your task is to maintain the basic operation of the 'Frost Array' in the valley, allocate and release the feed for the Frost Breath Insects on time, check the condition of the insect swarm regularly, and ensure that a sufficient number of mature Frost Breath Insects can be produced and handed over each year."

Furthermore, if members of the Hall of Affairs come to patrol, or if cultivators come annually to collect spirit insects, you will be responsible for handling them. At other times, keep a low profile and avoid attracting attention. Presumably, this remote and harsh place is not a place that many people would want to come to except for official business.”

Upon hearing this, Yin Yue's small ears twitched, and she said in a sweet voice, "Brother Luo, don't worry. Unless a Nascent Soul cultivator comes in person and carefully examines the essence of my soul with their divine sense, they will not be able to find any flaws based on my appearance and aura alone. It's more than enough to deal with some Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment disciples and stewards."

As she spoke, a silver light swirled around her, and her figure began to subtly change. In just a breath or two, standing before Luo Ming was another "Li Feiyu"!

Whether it's his appearance, height, build, or the ordinary black Taoist robe he's wearing, or even the slightly dull and cautious demeanor between his brows, he's exactly the same as the "Li Feiyu" that Luo Ming is impersonating!

Even the fluctuations of the peak twelfth level of Qi Refining emanating from his body were simulated so perfectly that it would be almost impossible to tell the difference if Luo Ming hadn't witnessed the changes firsthand.

"Excellent, excellent! Truly miraculous!" Luo Ming examined it carefully, his eyes showing approval.

Having arranged the "stand-in" on the ground, Luo Ming prepared to enter the underground cave to begin his secluded cultivation. However, just as he turned around, his gaze swept over the surrounding environment, which was covered in silver and filled with a chilling atmosphere, and a thought suddenly struck him.

He raised his left hand, and the inconspicuous spirit beast bracelet on his wrist glowed faintly once again.

This time, the light carried a hint of icy blue. Immediately afterward, a strange little beast, only three feet long, crystal clear, as if carved from the purest blue ice crystals, and surrounded by a faint white chill, appeared at Luo Ming's feet.

It was the "Snow Silkworm" that was accidentally burned by the "Dry Blue Ice Flame" in the Void Heaven Palace back then, but which turned out to be a blessing in disguise and underwent a mutation.

Not long after leaving the Void Heaven Palace and returning to Silver Shark Island, this silkworm successfully broke through to level five. Now, decades later, with Luo Ming providing it with a large amount of spirit stones and cold-natured spiritual items at any cost, its strength has steadily increased, and it has now reached the peak of level five.

What's most peculiar is that while other monsters tend to grow larger and more imposing as their level increases, this mutated snow silkworm does the opposite.

It has shrunk from its original length of about ten feet to only about three feet now. Its entire body is a clear, deep blue, like an ice sculpture. However, the cold aura emanating from it has become more refined and chilling, faintly carrying a burning sensation that can freeze one's soul, making people tremble with fear.

"You little rascal, you're quite something."

Luo Ming looked down at the snow silkworm at his feet, a smile spreading across his face.

When it was injured by the Azure Ice Flame, everyone thought it was doomed, but it miraculously survived and even absorbed a trace of the ice flame's properties, resulting in an incredible mutation. Luo Ming was very much looking forward to seeing what kind of innate abilities it would awaken in the future.

The snow silkworm, which had been sleeping and cultivating inside the spirit beast bracelet, was somewhat unhappy about being suddenly released. It raised its small, icy head and glared at Luo Ming with its sapphire-like compound eyes, seemingly dissatisfied. But soon, it sensed the rich, pure icy aura in the surrounding environment, and its compound eyes immediately lit up!

"call--!"

It opened its small, crystal-clear mouth, which was completely disproportionate to its petite size, and inhaled sharply! Instantly, the white, chilling air that filled the valley seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, frantically converging towards its mouth, forming a miniature vortex of chilling air, which it continuously absorbed into its body.

Its azure surface, with its icy luster, seemed even brighter, radiating a comfortable and pleasant emotional fluctuation.

Clearly, the icy aura emanating from this "Frost Array" is a great tonic for this mutated snow silkworm.