A Mortal's Start in the Spirit Beast Mountain

Chapter 384 Unknown Insect Eggs

About an hour later, Steward Guo led Luo Ming to a beautiful mountain peak shrouded in a light white mist, with gentle mountain lines and the faint sound of phoenixes singing. They then used their escape light to descend.

At the foot of the mountain stands a several-foot-tall, ice-blue stone tablet with three large characters engraved on it—Ice Phoenix Peak!

"This is where Uncle Liu's cave is located, Ice Phoenix Peak," Deacon Guo said to Luo Ming in a low voice, his tone filled with reverence.

In the Yuling Sect, every Core Formation cultivator is entitled to occupy a peak as their own fundamental cave dwelling and Daoist temple, which is a symbol of status.

Deacon Guo straightened his robes, respectfully took out a communication talisman, whispered a few words towards the direction of the mountain peak, and then with a flick of his hand, the communication talisman transformed into a streak of fire and disappeared into the barrier light screen in front of him.

A moment later, the void ahead rippled slightly like water, and the thick white mist parted to reveal a straight, clean stone staircase leading to the mountainside. At the end of the staircase, an elegant pavilion nestled among the pines and cypresses could be vaguely seen.

At the same time, a clear, melodious female voice, yet carrying an undeniable air of authority, clearly reached their ears from within the mountain peak:

"Thank you for your trouble, Steward Guo. Please let that person in."

Upon hearing this, Steward Guo immediately bowed deeply towards the mountain peak and said respectfully, "Yes! If Uncle-Master has no other instructions, this junior will take his leave now, as there are still some miscellaneous matters to attend to in the Steward Hall."

"Yes, go ahead," came the indifferent reply.

Deacon Guo straightened up, turned to look at Luo Ming, a hint of envy flashing in his eyes, and said quickly in a low voice, "Junior Brother Li, hurry up and go in, don't keep Uncle waiting."

After saying that, he gave Luo Ming an encouraging look, then once again mounted his escape light and hurriedly left.

"Liu Yu is a very capable woman, and she will definitely be valued by the higher-ups of the Yu Ling Sect. If I take this opportunity to get in touch with her, I might be able to accomplish a lot through her."

Thinking of this, Luo Ming put on a complex expression that mixed respect, trepidation, and an effort to remain calm. He took a step and slowly walked up the stone steps toward the pavilion halfway up the mountain.

As he passed through that invisible barrier, he could feel a faint yet pure divine sense quickly sweeping over him, seemingly confirming his identity and cultivation level, without lingering or probing further.

Not long after, Luo Ming arrived at the cave dwelling of this Core Formation female cultivator.

"Li Feiyu, disciple of Frost Valley, pays respects to Martial Uncle Liu. Congratulations on your great success in achieving the Golden Core stage! May your path to immortality be everlasting!"

Liu Yu sat upright in the main seat, toying with a pure white teacup that seemed to be carved from some kind of cold jade. Her gaze fell on Luo Ming, with a hint of scrutiny.

Seeing that Luo Ming behaved properly, was respectful but not obsequious, and had a calm demeanor, a hint of satisfaction flashed in her eyes.

She nodded slightly, put down her teacup, and spoke in a cool voice, but seemed more casual than when she spoke to Steward Guo: "No need for formalities. Get up."

"Thank you, Uncle-Master." Luo Ming straightened up, stood respectfully at his sides, his eyes lowered, avoiding direct eye contact with Liu Yu, showing great courtesy.

Liu Yu's gaze lingered on Luo Ming for a moment before she slowly spoke, her voice carrying a hint of approval:

"Not bad. You've only been a beginner for three years, yet you've already broken through from the Qi Refining stage to the Foundation Establishment stage. Moreover, your foundation is solid, and your magical power is refined. It seems that you haven't wasted your time in Frost Valley these past few years, and your temperament is quite calm."

She paused for a moment, then got to the point: "Some time ago, I was reviewing the recent administrative records of the Deacon Hall and found that since you took over Frost Valley, the quality and activity of the Frost Breath Insects submitted by the valley have significantly improved compared to previous years."

Especially in the last year, it has been exceptionally good. It seems that Junior Nephew Li does indeed possess some unique experience and methods in cultivating ice-attribute spirit insects.

It really was for the Frost Breath Insects! It seems that the cold air exhaled by the mutated snow silkworm during its cultivation affected the surrounding cold air environment, thus improving the quality of the Frost Breath Insects.

Luo Ming understood, but his face showed a flattered expression. He quickly bowed and said, "Uncle-Master, you flatter me. I am just doing my duty and taking good care of the insects according to the basic insect-raising methods passed down by the sect. I dare not slack off in the slightest."

Perhaps it's due to the pure, cold air here, coupled with the natural cycle of insect populations, that there has been some improvement; it's truly not the disciple's doing.

He attributed the credit to circumstances and luck, which was both humble and reasonable.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yu smiled noncommittally, a smile that appeared particularly captivating on her alluring face.

"The environment is important, but the methods of the cultivator are equally crucial." Liu Yu's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable air of authority.

After Liu Yu finished speaking, without making any move, she simply waved her fair and slender hand casually in front of her.

The cold air suddenly condensed, and specks of ice crystals appeared, quickly coalescing into a beautiful jade box about a foot square, carved entirely from translucent cold jade, with naturally formed snowflake patterns on its surface.

As soon as the jade box appeared, it emitted a pure and chilling cold, making the temperature in the entire hall seem to drop a few degrees, and even the ground was faintly covered with a thin layer of frost.

"Clatter".

With a soft click, the lid of the jade box slid open on its own, revealing the scene inside.

At the bottom of the box lay a dozen or so oval-shaped insect eggs, each about the size of a walnut.

The surface of the insect eggs has extremely fine, seemingly naturally formed frost patterns, emitting a faint life fluctuation. However, its surface does not look as warm and moist as that of ordinary insect eggs, but rather somewhat pale, which is obviously the result of the loss of life.

Just as Luo Ming's gaze fell upon the snow-white insect eggs, his face showing a deliberate attempt to identify them, while a certain guess was forming in his mind, Liu Yu's clear, cool voice, tinged with anticipation, rang out once more:

"These insect eggs were obtained by chance ten years ago in an abandoned ancient cultivator's cave on the edge of the Tianlan Grassland."

At that time, they were sealed in the core of a piece of extremely high-quality 'Millennial Mystic Ice'. The freezing power was extremely strong, and it took me a lot of effort to break the ice and take out the insect eggs.

Unfortunately, too much time has passed, and the insect eggs have lost most of their original vitality. Moreover, the freezing power seems to have combined with the eggs' inherent properties, forming a peculiar state of 'frozen slumber'.

She paused, her gaze falling on the snow-white insect eggs, a hint of helplessness flashing in her eyes:

"Over the past decade, I have tried various methods to awaken and hatch them. Whether it was placing them near the earth's fire and yang veins to slowly thaw them, or continuously nourishing them with gentle ice-attribute spiritual power, or even using some secret techniques recorded in the sect's records... the results were either no reaction at all, or the life force of the insect eggs was actually lost more quickly."

Her gaze shifted to Luo Ming, and she smiled, "I've heard that long before you joined the Spirit Control Sect, you were already proficient in the art of insect control and had successfully cultivated spirit insects. Presumably... you possess some unique, perhaps unrecorded, folk remedies, or an understanding of the nature of spirit insects that differs from ordinary people. Therefore, I wish to temporarily entrust these insect eggs to you for your attempt to hatch and cultivate them. Perhaps your different approach will bring about a turning point."

She looked at Luo Ming, her tone softening, but her eyes held an undeniable seriousness: "Junior Nephew Li, please try with confidence. If you can successfully hatch these insect eggs, I can grant you one request, within my capabilities. What do you say?"

A request within the capabilities of a Core Formation cultivator! This is an irresistible temptation for any Foundation Establishment cultivator!

Luo Ming's mind raced. The moment he saw these snow-white jade eggs, especially when he felt the unique chill emanating from them and saw the vaguely centipede-like shape, he was already seventy or eighty percent certain that these were the eggs of the "Six-Winged Frost Centipede"!

The six-winged frost centipedes that Liu Yu later acquired must have hatched from here. However, according to the original timeline, she might have needed several more years, or even longer, to find the correct method, and would likely have only successfully hatched a few. Now, she has intervened ahead of time…

"This is a godsend, saving me the trouble of planning this later," Luo Ming thought to himself with delight.

Not only will he have the opportunity to get to know and study this ancient and wondrous insect in advance, but he can also use this opportunity to establish a closer relationship with Liu Yu, the newly promoted Core Formation Elder, and even obtain a valuable "promise." This could provide unexpected assistance to his subsequent activities in the Spirit Control Sect and his plans afterward.

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart, stepped forward, and carefully and cautiously enveloped an insect egg with his divine sense for a more detailed examination.

A moment later, Luo Ming withdrew his divine sense and bowed to Liu Yu, saying, "Uncle Liu trusts me so much by entrusting me with such a precious ancient insect egg. I am deeply grateful and will do my utmost without the slightest slackness."

He changed the subject, his tone becoming more cautious: "However... I just used my divine sense to investigate, and the life force of this insect egg is indeed as my uncle said, extremely weak and obscure, and deeply entangled with that freezing power, so that moving one part affects the whole thing."

Although this disciple has some rudimentary experience in cultivating spirit insects, I have no absolute certainty in the face of such ancient and wondrous insects. I can only promise to try every possible method with utmost care and patience, but... I truly cannot guarantee that they will hatch successfully. I hope my senior uncle will understand.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yu was not displeased at all; instead, a hint of admiration flashed in her eyes. She was afraid of encountering a fool who was blindly confident and acted recklessly, needlessly destroying these insect eggs that might contain great opportunities.

Luo Ming's cautious, pragmatic, and courageous attitude in acknowledging difficulties only gave her more confidence.

She waved her hand, her tone casual yet carrying an undeniable resolve: "Go ahead and do as you please, without too many worries. Since I entrusted the eggs to you, it means I trust you. If you need any resources, environment, or encounter any problems, you can come to me anytime. Even if they ultimately fail to hatch, I will never blame you."

"Yes! This disciple will follow your teachings, Uncle! I will do my utmost!" Luo Ming bowed again, solemnly accepting the jade box that emanated a chill with both hands. He carefully closed it and put it into his storage bag. The jade box was cold to the touch, but the chill had no effect on him.