Five days later, Jiang Xu found the other two types of Spirit Insects needed to advance the Spirit-Devouring Insect.

The reason he found them so quickly was all thanks to the help of the Spirit-Devouring Insect.

Jiang Xu had already released all of its two-hundred-plus Sub-Insects, letting them hunt for prey on their own to quickly restore the Mother Insect’s strength.

Given the Mother Insect’s appetite, Jiang Xu feared he would have to feed it everything he owned just to restore it to Tier Two.

And that was an optimistic estimate.

For all he knew, even everything he had wouldn’t be enough.

So, Jiang Xu followed the example of his predecessor and let them roam free.

In the vast Endless Forest, such a small number of insects wouldn’t attract anyone’s attention.

So, over the past few days, thanks to the tireless efforts of the Sub-Insects, the Mother Insect’s strength had increased slightly. It had produced more Sub-Insects, and their total number now reached three hundred.

It was through the hunting expeditions of these Sub-Insects that Jiang Xu had managed to gather information on the other Spirit Insects.

The other two Spirit Insects in the Endless Forest that Jiang Xu didn’t possess were the Fire Red Ant and the Heaven-Breaking Beetle.

The Heaven-Breaking Beetle was a type of beetle, specifically a species of long-horned beetle.

This creature was a rare species among Spirit Insects. Besides its formidable strength, it also had medicinal properties: invigorating blood circulation, dispersing stasis to relieve pain, and detoxifying to reduce swelling. It was primarily used to treat amenorrhea due to blood stasis, dysmenorrhea, bruises from falls, and venomous sores and boils.

However, for Jiang Xu, who possessed the Cangmu Skill, it wasn’t particularly useful.

Just as with the Fire Red Ants, Jiang Xu activated his Concealing Breath Spell and didn’t attract any attention from their colony. He snuck up to the edge of their nest, grabbed a few, and quickly departed without them noticing a thing.

After capturing them, to avoid getting caught in a potential swarm uprising, Jiang Xu ran a great distance away.

He only stopped once he was sure they wouldn’t be able to find him anytime soon.

Afterward, Jiang Xu took out all the other Spirit Insects.

"Bloodthirsty Mosquito, Jade Spirit Bee, Fire Red Ant, Heaven-Breaking Beetle, Ink Jade Insect, Poisonous King Scorpion, Centipede Spider."

Jiang Xu listed them off as if counting his family treasures.

Gazing at the seven types of Spirit Insects in the seven Glazed Bottles, Jiang Xu gently took the Golden Silkworm Gu from his Spirit Pet Bag.

The little creature was a brilliant gold, resembling a silkworm. If one didn’t know how venomous it was, they might even find it cute.

Jiang Xu had fed it many times since buying it.

This time, however, Jiang Xu decided to give it something potent.

He mixed seven or eight different poisons together and fed them to the Golden Silkworm Gu. After a while, its body suddenly stiffened. Then, with a forceful flick of its tail, a tiny, bright yellow object appeared in the Jade Box.

Jiang Xu levitated its excrement.

This piece of excrement was the potent toxin produced by the Golden Silkworm Gu.

Jiang Xu divided the excrement into seven portions and placed one in each of the Glazed Bottles containing the seven types of Spirit Insects.

Upon seeing the waste produced by the Golden Silkworm Gu, the seven types of Spirit Insects swarmed it as if they had seen the most exquisite delicacy, like hungry wolves pouncing on their prey, and devoured it.

Soon after, they all began to writhe and struggle inside the Glazed Bottles before gradually falling still.

Jiang Xu waited until they were all completely dead before taking out one of the Spirit Insect species and feeding it to the Golden Silkworm Gu.

Seeing a faint white ring appear on the Golden Silkworm Gu’s golden body near its head, Jiang Xu understood that it had begun its Mortal to Spirit evolution.

’Next step is to raise the Insect Control Technique to Mastery. The other Insect Control Technique still shows up as "False," and that also needs two Limit-Breaking Points.

The second Insect Control Technique is an advanced version of the first, allowing me to cast some Secret Techniques through the Spirit Insects. This is also of the utmost importance.

Without that advanced technique, I can only release the Spirit Insects to fight enemies directly, which doesn’t maximize their potential.’

...

Time trickled by as Jiang Xu continued to feed the Golden Silkworm Gu.

He had already started feeding the sixth type of Spirit Insect to the Golden Silkworm Gu.

This meant thirty-five days had passed.

In these thirty-five days, Jiang Xu had not only raised his Insect Control Technique to Mastery.

He had also removed the "False" status from the other Insect Control Technique and painstakingly ground its Skill Level all the way up to Mastery.

Along the way, he also brought his Golden Light Spell to Mastery.

Once his Insect Control Technique reached Mastery, Jiang Xu could finally feel at ease.

He could clearly feel that the control effect of the Master Level Insect Control Technique was incredibly strong. The mark he had placed was now firmly engraved within the Mother Insect’s Divine Soul, controlling it at a fundamental level.

Furthermore, Jiang Xu could feel that his control over the Sub-Insects had also strengthened significantly.

The Spirit-Devouring Insect’s Sub-Insects, which initially numbered over three hundred, had grown to a force of more than two thousand after a month of diligent hunting. The Mother Insect’s strength had now reached Tier One Middle Grade.

Jiang Xu could now simultaneously command all two-thousand-plus Sub-Insects without any sense of delay or difficulty.

This applied to Spirit Insects that were already marked.

As for other insects that hadn’t been marked, Jiang Xu could quickly establish temporary control over them, though not too many at once, as his Spiritual Power was still limited.

As for the advanced Insect Control Technique, it allowed the Spirit Insects under his control to unleash their full potential.

The technique had different effects depending on the species of Spirit Insect.

For example, with the Poisonous King Scorpion, the Insect Control Technique could make it eject its venom and greatly increase its corrosiveness.

With the Fire Red Ant, it could double its surface temperature.

With the Golden Silkworm Gu, this Insect Control Technique could change the form of the toxin it produced.

Its excrement was actually solid, quite hard, and didn’t dissolve easily.

If mixed with water, it would have to be ground into a powder, and it wouldn’t be colorless or odorless, making it relatively easy to detect.

But by using the Insect Control Technique, the toxin produced by the Golden Silkworm Gu could be turned into a liquid, or even a gas. It could also be made colorless and odorless, making it extremely difficult to detect.

However, there was one catch: when the Golden Silkworm Gu’s toxin was turned into a gas, it was indiscriminate. An antidote had to be prepared in advance, or everyone, friend or foe, would be poisoned.

As for the Spirit-Devouring Insect, using the Insect Control Technique allowed him to control the Sub-Insects and form them into different shapes.

For example, he could combine the Sub-Insects to form a shield.

Unlike simply massing them together with the basic Insect Control Technique, a shield formed with the advanced technique was far superior in both Defense and flexibility. It also wouldn’t be easily scattered by an attack.

Besides a shield, they could also form swords, armor, and the like.

But all of that was secondary. What shocked Jiang Xu the most was the Golden Light Spell.

BEEP BEEP—!

The Communication Pearl in Jiang Xu’s Storage Bag went off.

He took it out and clearly heard the voice from within:

"Brother Jiang, come quickly. My master has returned."