Chapter 13: Devouring the "Master

"You’re my Spirit Insect! My great opportunity! Why won’t you obey my commands?!"

Qin Mo’s face twisted savagely. He used the Insect Control Technique to once again form a control mark, intending to implant it into the Mother Insect before him.

But the countless patterns on the Mother Insect’s silver carapace suddenly transformed. The markings lifted off its body, materializing in mid-air as countless, entirely silver Sub-Insects.

The moment the thousands of Sub-Insects took form, they transformed into streaks of light and shot toward Qin Mo.

Alarmed, Qin Mo shot backward and slapped a small, dark-green bag at his waist.

With a mental command, swarms of Bloodthirsty Mosquitoes—Tier One Lower Grade Spirit Insects also under his control—flew out of the Spirit Pet Bag.

These dozens of Bloodthirsty Mosquitoes, each the size of an infant’s fist, were his trump card—the very key to his reaching the Qi Cultivation Middle Stage.

But against the thousands of Sub-Insects, they were like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. They didn’t last more than a few seconds before being utterly devoured.

Growing more frantic, Qin Mo used the few seconds he had bought to chant the Golden Light Spell. He pulled a stack of Fireball Talismans from his Storage Bag with his left hand, infused them with a sliver of Magical Power, and hurled them at the Sub-Insects.

BOOM—!

A deafening roar echoed as the cave trembled violently. To his horror, Qin Mo saw that only a few dozen of the thousands of Sub-Insects had fallen.

The rest burst through the inferno and were already upon him.

"No, no, no—!!!"

Qin Mo tried to pull more Talismans from his Storage Bag, but the Sub-Insects were already on him, gnawing relentlessly at his protective shield.

The Golden Light Spell was useless. It didn’t even last a second before the unceasing swarm of Sub-Insects broke through its Defense. They poured in, devouring Qin Mo’s entire body until not a single trace remained.

The remaining Sub-Insects didn’t linger. They flew out of the cave and vanished.

As for the Mother Insect, it glanced one last time at the spot where Qin Mo had been before disappearing into the depths of the cave.

...

「As evening approached.」

Jiang Xu’s mood had improved considerably.

After two days of constant practice, his Small Cotton Needle Technique was only two or three skill points away from reaching the next stage.

’I wonder if the Small Cotton Needle Technique will be able to pierce the Sub-Insects’ carapaces after I level it up.’

’If not, I’ll just have to steer clear of them and not pick a fight.’

’Unless the losses to the Spirit Rice become unacceptable.’

He couldn’t afford to lose too much of the Spirit Rice.

The Outer Disciples from the Sect’s General Affairs Hall would periodically come to the servant area to collect the Spirit Rice.

Even if a large-scale disaster might prompt the General Affairs Hall to adjust the quota for the servants, Jiang Xu didn’t want to risk betting on the Hall making a reasonable change.

SWISH SWISH SWISH—

As he mulled this over, his Skill Level for the Small Cotton Needle Technique increased by another three points.

Jiang Xu opened his panel, his eyes full of anticipation.

"Hm?"

But when he opened it and looked at the Magic section, Jiang Xu saw something completely different.

[Small Cotton Needle Technique (Skilled) (Limit): 200/200]

’What’s going on? How can it already be at its limit when it’s only at the Skilled Level?’

Jiang Xu was dumbfounded.

He couldn’t believe that the magic he had painstakingly grinded for over ten days had come to such an abrupt end.

’What a ripoff!’

’Wait, why is there a plus sign here?’

Just as Jiang Xu was feeling frustrated, he noticed a small "+" sign after the word "Limit".

In fact, it looked like this:

[Small Cotton Needle Technique (Skilled) (Limit)+: 200/200]

’This "+"...’

Jiang Xu’s eyes widened. He stared intently at the panel and tried to "click" the plus sign with his mind. The display on the panel changed instantly.

[Small Cotton Needle Technique (Mastery): 0/400]

One of his Limit-Breaking Points vanished.

At the same time, all the information he had on the Small Cotton Needle Technique flashed through his mind like a whirlwind.

He immediately felt his understanding of the Small Cotton Needle Technique deepen, and the path his Magical Power took through his meridians shifted slightly.

Jiang Xu couldn’t help but cast the Master Level Small Cotton Needle Technique.

It formed almost instantly.

An almost invisible Spirit Needle bobbed up and down in his palm.

If not for the faint connection he felt to it, he wouldn’t even be able to tell if the Spirit Needle was there at all.

’Incredible Concealment!’

The Concealment of the Master Level Small Cotton Needle Technique was on a whole other level.

Before, Jiang Xu could see it clearly with the naked eye. Now, he might not be able to spot it even if he enhanced his vision with Magical Power.

Furthermore, the technique’s casting speed was now nearly instantaneous.

The Skilled Level version was fast, but it still took nearly a second.

In real combat, gaining even a one-second advantage could be the difference between life and death.

Jiang Xu aimed his palm at a large rock and unleashed the Small Cotton Needle Technique.

An almost imperceptible whistle cut through the air, followed by the sound of rock being pierced.

Jiang Xu stepped forward and saw a small hole, about a centimeter in diameter, in the rock. The half-meter-thick boulder had been pierced straight through.

’Such powerful piercing strength, and so fast! It’s more than just a single step up from the Skilled Level version!’

And that wasn’t all. Jiang Xu checked his own status and discovered that the Master Level Small Cotton Needle Technique didn’t consume any more Magical Power.

After all, when his magic had advanced from Beginner Level to Skilled Level, its power had increased significantly, but so had its Magical Power consumption.

This time, despite the skill increase, the Magical Power consumption hadn’t gone up. Jiang Xu attributed this to the change in the path the Magical Power took through his meridians.

Moreover, the change in Magical Power flow had other benefits as well.

Previously, after casting the Small Cotton Needle Technique, Jiang Xu had to pause for several seconds to relieve the pressure on his meridians before he could cast it again.

But this new change had reduced the casting interval to less than a second.

’Doesn’t that mean a magical machine gun is within reach?’

Jiang Xu thought this had a lot of potential.

’I’ve only done some rough tests on the Small Cotton Needle Technique so far, but that’s obviously not enough.’

’I need to create a detailed list of all its stats and capabilities.’

Jiang Xu always insisted on mastering every single detail about his Skills.

This included its effective range.

Its respective power at one hundred, fifty, twenty, ten, and three meters from a target.

The severity of the injuries it could inflict on a human body, and whether it could kill in a single hit.

How many hits it would take to break through a Cultivator’s defensive measures.

How many times he could cast it with his full reserve of Magical Power, and so on.

Whenever one of his Skills improved, Jiang Xu would analyze the changes from various angles like this.

He believed this was the only way to accurately gauge his own strength, which in turn would reduce his mistakes and keep him out of danger.

He was still mentally planning how to conduct his tests more comprehensively and accurately when he suddenly noticed something flashing in the distance.

Jiang Xu focused Magical Power into his eyes, and his expression instantly soured.

’Crap! They’re back! And there’s more than one!’