Chapter 158: Chapter 148: Capturing the Electric Fire Cannon Insect

Dean Wu sighed.

"We’re short on personnel. The search for the mother insect doesn’t require a large team. You two are the strongest in our academy, so sending you is already the best possible arrangement."

Lena added,

"Oh, by the way, Han Ning, near the habitat of the Electric Fire Cannon Insect, there’s a place where Soul Nourishing Grass grows. It’s one of the key ingredients for making Concentration Liquid. According to records, Soul Nourishing Grass also contains a certain amount of Spiritual Energy."

"Lord Taman discovered this place; it’s a relatively secluded area. According to his records, no other Insect Masters have found it yet. If you’re heading that way, you might want to check it out."

Spiritual Power...

Han Ning nodded. "Alright, I understand."

Previously, he had thought that Spiritual Power was, at most, a way to use a Spiritual Power Talent to help a Soul Beast temporarily boost its combat strength.

But after his initial lesson on Spirit Fusion yesterday, he learned the true importance of Spiritual Power. In the absence of Energy and Crystal Stones, it could help a Soul Beast absorb more Spiritual Energy and enhance its Elemental Affinity.

This made cultivating his Spiritual Power a top priority.

With the important matters discussed, Dean Wu noticed the dark circles under Lena’s eyes and frowned slightly.

"Lady Lena, your workload is simply too heavy. Aren’t the two assistants I assigned to you sharing the burden?"

Lena waved her hand dismissively, defending them.

"No, no, they’re working very hard. It’s just that they have no prior linguistic experience, so learning a completely new language is a bit more strenuous. I estimate that in another five or six days, they’ll have a basic grasp of the Insect Language’s fundamental grammar and will be able to handle some simple translation work."

"That’s good to hear... Lady Lena, if there is anything you need help with, please don’t hesitate to ask. We will do everything in our power to fulfill your requests," Dean Wu said with a faint smile.

...

As they left the meeting room, Han Ning and Lü Xiuning received a detailed map of the Insect Continent, created by the Yinsaike Race, from Lena.

Not only had the Insect Language on the map been translated into the Xia Country Language, but it also clearly marked what kind of Soul Beasts inhabited each region, which areas were the territories of Insect Master Families, and their respective danger levels.

It was far more detailed than the map left behind by the Insect-man before.

Countless dense black lines formed a complex topographical map, and a single red line cut across it.

’657 kilometers,’ Han Ning thought to himself, looking at a small dot in the bottom-left corner of the map that represented the academy. ’The destination is a mountain range northwest of the academy. We’ll have to pass through one Insect Master Tribe and the territories of three Extraordinary Level clans.’

There was also a Soul Beast Atlas for the Insect Continent, which documented over 300 types of dangerous Soul Beasts. However, Lena had translated it in a hurry, so it only contained their names and Attributes; the detailed introductions were just a sentence or two at most.

Still, for Han Ning and the others, it was an invaluable treasure.

"Teacher Lü, let’s hurry. We should try to get back to the academy before nightfall."

Han Ning and Lü Xiuning walked out of the dormitory building side by side.

"Before nightfall? It’s already almost 10 AM. That’s a 1200-kilometer round trip. Are you sure we can make it back before dark?" Lü Xiuning asked doubtfully, standing at the dormitory entrance while taking stock of his pack.

"Heh, you’ll see. Just follow me." Han Ning gave a mysterious wave, signaling for Lü Xiuning to get on Egg Pancake’s back.

Egg Pancake galloped away, quickly leaving the academy grounds.

Suddenly, two giant Blood Bees, each over three meters long, emerged from behind two clumps of water reeds and flew straight toward them.

"Th-This is...? You’ve already mastered the Insect Masters’ Insect Control Technique?"

The moment Lü Xiuning saw the two giant bees, his expression turned wary, but then he saw Han Ning’s calm face and quickly understood.

"It’s not an Insect Master’s technique. It’s the ability of my All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm. It can mimic the form of insects." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Han Ning patted Egg Pancake’s head and said gently,

"Egg Pancake, head back to the Soul Beast Space and rest for a bit. I’ll let you out when we get there."

"CHIRP!" Egg Pancake obediently replied, nuzzling its head against its master’s palm.

After recalling Egg Pancake to the Soul Beast Space, Han Ning pointed at the two hovering bees. "We’ll each take one. I’ve tested their speed; they’re fast, able to fly up to 250 km/h. They’re the fastest flying insects I’ve ever seen."

As he spoke, the two bees obediently landed and prostrated themselves on the ground before them.

He had specially stayed behind in the Blood-colored Grassland for a while after leaving the ruins yesterday to find these bees. It hadn’t been easy to locate a species suitable as aerial transport.

Their three-meter-long bodies were actually slightly smaller than the original, a result of the All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm’s mimicry. An adult could lie flat on their backs.

Their wings grew from the sides of their bodies, and their backs were covered in dense, red fuzz, making them very comfortable to sit on.

Han Ning guessed they were likely a superior breed of insect raised by an Insect Tribe, which he had ended up intercepting.

"No wonder the Taman Insect Master considered it a supreme treasure. It really is something else."

Lü Xiuning exclaimed in admiration and sat on one of the bee’s spacious backs with his Wood Demon.

At the same time, Han Ning and Yin Yi sat down on the other bee.

At his command, the two bees beat their wings and took to the air, flying northwest.