A New Ability

“…can only craft magic tools.” Huiwen was somewhat disappointed upon hearing this, but did not let it show. “For Sister Ran Luo to speak so highly of you, you are surely extraordinary. Daoist friend, there is no need to be so modest. I am merely an ordinary guest elder, far below your standing. Once we reach Douyan Island, I hope Daoist friend will look out for me.” The journey was long. After chatting for a while longer, their conversational interest waned, and the three of them sat cross-legged in their respective corners of the carriage, settling into quiet meditation. After traveling for more than ten days, Qin Sang noticed that the caravan's speed had visibly increased. Asking around, he learned that the caravan was selling off its goods to the Witch Clan factions along the way as they traveled. It seemed these merchant guilds understood the urgency of the situation after all, and were not the sort to prize money over their own lives. As they traveled, facts proved they had worried too much. Although they encountered Witch Clan cultivators scouting the caravan, there was never any sign of the situation turning tense. By the second half of the journey, many beast carriages had been emptied, allowing Qin Sang to claim one for himself and finally enjoy some peace and quiet. According to Ran Luo, they would reach Witch God Mountain by noon the next day. Qin Sang grew filled with anticipation, wondering what the legendary Demon Sea was truly like. That night, while Qin Sang was meditating, his heart suddenly stirred. Opening his eyes, he looked down at the insect basket at his waist. Rustle, rustle… A rustling sound came from inside the insect basket—a sound Qin Sang knew all too well. It was the call of the fat silkworm. More than half a year had passed since the fat silkworm swallowed the Thousand Hands Spider Fruit and formed a cocoon. All this time, it had remained asleep with no sign of breaking out. In that same span, his natal insect gu, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, had already transitioned into the mid-stage of its first metamorphosis. The fat silkworm was only going through its second metamorphosis, yet it took this long. Among all spirit insects, such an extended duration was exceedingly rare. At times, Qin Sang had even wondered whether the fat silkworm had been unable to endure the medicinal potency of the Thousand Hands Spider Fruit, failed its metamorphosis, and died inside the silver cocoon. “Grown another round fatter?” Qin Sang opened the insect basket and pinched the fat silkworm out, an expression of distaste on his face. The anticipated scene of the fat silkworm transforming into a butterfly had not occurred. It remained plump and chubby with a multicolored, iridescent exterior. Aside from its body being a size larger than before cocooning, there seemed to be no change at all. Its tiny eyes were also slightly larger than before, at least visible to the naked eye. Likewise, the sly, lazy gleam in its gaze had become easier to spot. The fat silkworm wriggled between Qin Sang's fingertips, rubbing against his hand in ingratiation. It was hungry and wanted food. Qin Sang noticed that the silkworm's gaze was becoming increasingly expressive, indicating that its intelligence had advanced by a large margin during this metamorphosis. Glancing into the insect basket, he saw that the silver cocoon had vanished. Qin Sang tossed out several spirit fruits. The fat silkworm did not dare be picky any longer and began wolfing them down. Perhaps the creature had been bought off by the Thousand Hands Spider Fruit, or perhaps it had realized that escape was impossible and resigned itself to its fate. Seeing it eating with such relish, Qin Sang produced a purplish-red spirit fruit in his other hand as if performing a magic trick, waving it before its eyes. This was a poisonous fruit similar to the Thousand Hands Spider Fruit, though its potency was far inferior. Inspired by seeing the fat silkworm metamorphose after devouring the Thousand Hands Spider Fruit, Qin Sang had purchased a good number of similar toxic fruits in Pingbo Port. He had no idea how to rear the fat silkworm and could find no information on it, so he could only feel his way forward step by step. To his surprise, the fat silkworm merely raised its head lazily, gave the toxic fruit a glance, and went right back to eating with dedication, as though the toxic fruit were no different from the food already in its mouth. Unwilling to give up, Qin Sang took out every poisonous fruit from his Qianjun Ring and tested them all. Among them was a highly valuable poisonous flower that Qin Sang had planned to save until it reached the late stage of its second metamorphosis. Unexpectedly, none of them managed to pique the fat silkworm's interest. “What in the world does this fellow like to eat?” Qin Sang felt thoroughly exasperated, his head throbbing. Although the fat silkworm recognized Yagu as its master, waking Yagu was not something that could be done overnight. Now that the silkworm had become obedient, nurturing it would also provide him with assistance. Yet its finicky appetite left Qin Sang at his wits' end. Before long, several spirit fruits went down its belly and the fat silkworm was full. However, they clearly served only to fill its stomach and provided no help to its cultivation. “Now that it has metamorphosed, I wonder if this fellow gained any new abilities?” Qin Sang thought to himself. After the Heavenly Eye Butterfly hatched, Qin Sang had discovered the secret of its camouflage. Upon its wings was a dust resembling pollen. When encountering an enemy, it could use this dust to disguise itself as an ordinary butterfly. Only upon its second metamorphosis would it gain the ability of concealment. Because it was only at the first metamorphosis, Qin Sang could easily see through its camouflage, though a Foundation Establishment cultivator might not be able to. This went to show how potent the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's camouflage was, and how thoroughly versed it was in life-preserving arts. No wonder that after its second metamorphosis, even Qin Sang would be unable to see through it. The fat silkworm was not even on par with the Heavenly Eye Butterfly. Before its metamorphosis, Qin Sang had threatened the fat silkworm with the Nine Nether Demonic Fire and found that the creature could do nothing but eat, possessing zero abilities. After metamorphosing, there ought to be some change. Seeming to sense the ill intent in Qin Sang's gaze, the fat silkworm shivered, yet did not dare run. Next, using the insect-controlling arts of the Yuling Sect, Qin Sang communicated with the fat silkworm, commanding it to display its new ability. He backed it up with the threat of the Nine Nether Demonic Fire, saying that if it proved useless, he would roast and eat it. The fat silkworm's intelligence had indeed risen considerably; it quickly grasped Qin Sang's meaning. Its chubby body arched upward and its eyes shut tight, the expression on its head looking as though it were straining with all its might. Pop! A multicolored light suddenly burst forth from the fat silkworm's body and spread outward at high speed. The sheer scale of its range took Qin Sang completely by surprise. Qin Sang was caught off guard, but fortunately, he had already laid down restriction wards on the carriage to block probing. The halo of light released by the fat silkworm was just like its body—multicolored and rainbow-like, strikingly beautiful. The iridescent halo expanded rapidly until it enveloped both Qin Sang and the fat silkworm, at which point it seemed to reach its limit. Qin Sang extended a hand and waved it within the multicolored halo, feeling nothing out of the ordinary. Releasing his spiritual sense to examine it closely, he still found nothing peculiar about it. “An ability that took until now to develop can't just be for show, can it?” Qin Sang pondered for a moment, then suddenly remembered something. He took out a purple jade bottle from his Qianjun Ring, held his breath, and carefully removed the stopper. A wisp of blue mist drifted out, quickly turning colorless and odorless. This was a poisonous smoke Qin Sang had obtained during his Foundation Establishment stage. Harvested from the venom glands of a poisonous toad, it could kill without a trace, and a careless Foundation Establishment cultivator could easily fall victim to it. The moment the poisonous smoke drifted from the bottle's mouth, Qin Sang noticed a ripple run through the multicolored halo. Immediately afterward, the poisonous smoke was repelled directly outward, unable to penetrate the halo in the slightest. “It has the ability to ward off poison. Not bad at all.” Qin Sang nodded; at least it had not disappointed him. Poisons of every description were countless in the cultivation world. In certain terrifying, venomous lands, even a Nascent Soul Patriarch would not dare trespass recklessly. Moreover, many demon beasts in the Demon Sea specialized in using poison, and cultivators, terrified of being tainted by lethal toxins, had no choice but to steer clear of them. For now, he did not know how many kinds of poison the multicolored halo could resist or where its limit lay; that would require gradual exploration. The fat silkworm's cultivation was still low, but it would surely prove of great use in the future. Qin Sang pondered silently; he had to find a way to rear it as soon as possible.