013. The Supreme King of Insects, Lu Wu

Muyuanlou said, “Oh? Sixth-grade Phoenix Song, not bad.”

“But compared to Ziyu’s Lingjian embryo, Phoenix Dragon, it falls far short.”

“Why did you think she had chosen a first or second-grade sword embryo?”

“Well, you’re not wrong that it’s first or second-grade, but it’s not an ordinary quality—it’s a spiritual grade.”

Hearing Muyuanlou’s words, Zhao Yi was stunned, frozen in place. “Ph—Phoenix Dragon? How is that possible? How?”

Ziyu smiled warmly. “Junior niece, cultivate well. Though Phoenix Song is of ordinary grade, it can still help you walk further on the path of cultivation.”

With a wave of Muyuanlou’s hand, a cloud appeared out of thin air, carrying Ziyu away.

Upon the cloud, Muyuanlou inquired, “What happened?”

Ziyu hesitated before bowing slightly. “Master, Zhao Yi deceived me, saying that heading west from the teleportation point would yield higher-quality sword embryos. But I knew those were the worst ones placed.”

“Then, as if summoned by fate, I found my way to the Phoenix Dragon.”

Muyuanlou’s eyes narrowed. “That Zhao Yi—so young, yet already so cunning.”

“But you need not pay her any mind.”

“With the sword she obtained, she may not reach the Qi Gathering Realm even in half a year.”

“But with your sword, and by cultivating the Taixu Sword—Phoenix Method—you’ll reach Qi Gathering in less than a month.”

“You two are not destined for the same path.”

Amidst the wilds, Lu Wu watched as Ziyu was taken away by Muyuanlou. He had wanted to follow and see what would happen.

But after some thought, Lu Wu decided not to go.

Now that Ziyu was recognized as a genius, the place she would go would certainly not be where the mass of ordinary outer disciples lived.

There, though experts and highly talented cultivators gathered, it was not a place he, with his current strength, could afford to provoke.

Staying here and quietly biding his time for growth was the true way.

Now, he thought, he should be able to develop very quickly!

Because, after assimilating the mimicry of the leech, he had gained a new skill!

Last time, the bee had brought him a skill called Sacrifice.

This time, the leech’s skill was Greed!

Greed allowed his stomach to hold food up to twenty times his own body volume!

Moreover, when using the Greed skill to feed on blood, it would paralyze the prey, rendering them completely unaware of being fed upon—unless they accidentally saw it, they would not sense a thing.

This was, in effect, a supercharged blood-sucking ability!

“There are thousands upon thousands of insects, each with different abilities.”

“I must, within a month, master mimicry of all insects; then it should be time for reptiles, birds, and mammals.”

“And by then, my soul should have reached the second realm—the Qi Gathering Realm.”

Right now, I am still so weak!

…

A month passed. In the forest.

A figure darted through the air with astonishing speed—ordinary people would never be able to spot something so small and so swift.

“How strange, still no evolution?”

A month ago, Lu Wu had already gathered eight totems and fused the Demon-Slaying Coffin Nail. He had thought his journey of super-evolution was about to begin.

But!

The following month stunned him.

Ever since he’d gained the supercharged blood-sucking from the leech, Lu Wu had undergone more than three hundred super-evolutions!

He had completed more than three hundred mimicries.

But!

The “Atlas of Myriad Beasts” did not generate a new totem!

He was stuck at the ninth totem.

He had thought he would soon complete the first stage of the Atlas and advance his realm to Qi Gathering.

Never did he expect to be stuck.

“What is happening?”

Flying through the air, Lu Wu’s body emitted a low buzzing. Several enormous dragonflies flew over.

They transmitted a very basic message to Lu Wu: “Boss!”

“We’ve found it!”

Lu Wu was excited. “Take me there!”

The dragonflies sped ahead, and Lu Wu easily matched their pace.

These creatures lived in the main range of the Taixu Mountains and possessed a certain spiritual intelligence, traveling at over eighty kilometers per hour.

They were a third faster than the fastest dragonflies of Lu Wu’s previous life.

But now, having mimicked hundreds of insects, Lu Wu could easily break the speed of a hundred kilometers per hour by adjusting his wingbeat frequency and amplitude.

Soon, the trio of dragonflies arrived at a tree. One pointed down with its forelegs. “Boss, look!”

Lu Wu glanced below. “Excellent! Beautiful!”

He casually tossed three pollen grains from beneath himself.

The dragonflies darted forward, catching the pollen. “Thank you, Boss!”

This pollen was sourced from the Taixu Palace’s medicine fields; these dragonflies were just a bit of spiritual energy away from becoming spiritual beasts.

Each time they received Lu Wu’s reward, they came a step closer.

Lu Wu swooped downward.

Below was a spider with intelligence, its body exceeding ten centimeters.

“You’re the one.”

Lu Wu, having not yet reached the Qi Gathering Realm, could not seek new blood-feeding targets in Taixu Palace.

Those who could provide him with evolution were all beyond his current ability to provoke.

Thus, he summoned his underlings in the forest, scouring everywhere for newly intelligent species that had not yet evolved into demon or spiritual beasts, to feed on.

The spider, noticing an approaching insect, feigned ignorance, preparing for a sudden strike.

Lu Wu flew close and spoke directly through his soul, “Kneel and acknowledge me as your boss, or die.”

The red-legged spider froze. In the forest, it was rare to encounter another insect with intelligence, so it was bewildered.

It could only transmit the most basic thoughts, while the bug before it spoke fluently.

After a third of a second’s daze, the red-legged spider curled itself up. “Does… this count as kneeling?”

Lu Wu landed atop the spider’s head and bit into its belly for a drink.

“The path of evolution opens.”

“One: evolve into a fly.”

“Two: mimic the rhinoceros beetle.”

“Three: accumulate spiritual energy and prepare to break through to the Qi Gathering Realm.”

Lu Wu unhesitatingly chose the second.

A golden radiance burst from his soul, ripples washing out in all directions.

At that moment, Lu Wu understood—the Atlas of Myriad Beasts had completed its first stage!

There were three advancement routes: Quality, Quantity, and Mythic.

The Quality route required forging a super-beast soul totem at each stage.

The Quantity route demanded accumulating nine ordinary soul totems in the first stage.

The Mythic route was special—requiring the mimicry of certain mythic beast soul totems.

The Quantity route was the only one Lu Wu could follow.

He had been stuck at the ninth soul totem for so long.

Today, at last, it was finished!

So, the ninth was the rhinoceros beetle?

But in the next moment, Lu Wu was stunned.

In the realm of the soul, his mind, the first eight soul totems vanished.

Nine golden magic arrays rose into the air.

At that instant, Lu Wu understood.

A re-selection?!

A complete re-selection of the nine soul totems?

The Book of Knowledge updated rapidly:

“The host has now mimicked a vast array of insect species, pioneering a new cultivation method for the Atlas of Myriad Beasts—an all-mimicry advancement route.”

“Please select eight insects as your fixed soul totems. The ninth soul totem may be switched at will to any insect.”

Lu Wu immediately began calculating.

The soul totems were incredibly powerful, especially in using the Way of the Beast.

They could be combined with the body for myriad combinations: the strength multiplier of an ant, the physique of a rhinoceros beetle.

The wingbeat frequency of a mosquito, the wing arc of a butterfly.

Once combined, they could completely transcend the limits of flesh, allowing a mortal body to reach the power of cultivators, demon beasts, and spirit beasts.

“I choose: mosquito, butterfly, ant, rhinoceros beetle, leech, fly, spider, mantis!”

After a month, Lu Wu understood well the way of insect survival and knew precisely which combinations were strongest.

His soul was transforming.

The essence from Foundation Establishment to Qi Gathering came with such force.

A brand new soul aura grew ever more restrained.

Evil, cunning, bloodthirsty, fierce, peaceful, tenacious, frenzied… all manner of insect soul auras fused into one.

Lu Wu had become the king of insects!