In the Martial Arts World, strength reigns supreme!
’If my own strength isn’t enough, wouldn’t it be a senseless death to be ambushed and killed by a Demon Fiend?’
SWISH!
Qin Yu drew his saber, its cold blade glinting as he began to practice his Sword Skill.
His saber howled like a gale, his body a frantic dance in the wind.
Although the Qin Family of Cyan Peak County resided in a remote backwater, their origins were anything but ordinary. They were a branch of the "Celestial Wind" Qin Family from the County City.
When his grandfather, Qin Hong, first came to Cyan Peak County, he had brought a complete heritage with him.
The Core Technique, Celestial Wind Formula; the Body Technique, Wind-Stepping Technique; the Sword Skill, Wind-Splitting Seven Slashes; and the Archery Skill, Wind Chasing Arrow, all stemmed from the same origin. When cultivated to an advanced level, their power was astounding.
Although the Celestial Wind Formula was incomplete, it was still enough for him to cultivate to Qi and Blood Perfection.
Fast!
His impossibly fast Sword Skill whipped up fierce gusts of wind under the scorching sun.
Qin Yu laughed with exhilaration. The long saber in his hand moved faster and faster, and strangely, gusts of wind seemed to swirl around his body, snapping nearby flowers and grass.
Martial Artists in the Body Forging Realm lacked the Qi and Blood to project it externally. Yet, with his peerless Body Technique, it was as if Qin Yu were truly treading on air, his saber strikes as swift as the wind.
After a long moment, Qin Yu stood still, carefully reflecting on his experience.
Having broken through to the Muscle Refining Realm, his strength, speed, and explosive power had all increased dramatically. Moreover, the computational support from the Insect Nest had elevated his Sword Skill and Body Technique to a new plane.
His power was now more than ten times what it had been.
He could use his Archery Skill to kill enemies without any practice, but the same wasn’t true for his Body Technique and Sword Skill. The danger of close-quarters combat was on a completely different level than fighting with a bow and arrow.
With the Rapid Insects to tie down his opponents, it wouldn’t matter if an attack missed.
But in close combat with a Demon Fiend, the slightest misstep would mean utter annihilation. There was no room for carelessness.
’As I thought, both my Sword Skill and Body Technique have reached the Micro Realm.’
Qin Yu could clearly feel it. Backed by the Nest’s terrifying computational power, his control was perfect—over how his body exerted force, over his entire environment, even over the flow of the wind itself.
’Again!’
’Martial Arts requires diligent and bitter training, a steady, grounded approach.’
’Relying on external power leads to an unstable foundation, and ultimately, it all comes to nothing.’
Of course, for Qin Yu, the Insect Nest was part of his own body.
’So it wasn’t an external power. It was his Talent.’
As he continued to practice, Qin Yu discovered a new application for the Insect Nest’s computational power: it was like a supercomputer constantly monitoring his body, making automatic corrections in real time.
The more he practiced, the more exhilarating it felt.
This feeling of tangibly growing stronger was simply intoxicating.
This continued for two hours, until a message arrived from the Insect Nest.
"Red-bellied Eagle analysis complete. Added to the Insect Nest. Can be hatched. Requires 10 Energy."
Drenched in sweat, Qin Yu finally stopped.
’It’s finished already?’
A flicker of excitement in his eyes, Qin Yu immediately returned to the Mine Cave. Inside, six Worker Insects were already busy, some cutting up beast carcasses, others digging deeper for ore.
’Immediately produce five Red-bellied Eagles!’
Around the Insect Nest, five larvae began to metamorphose. Half an hour later, five eggs, each about half a meter tall, cracked open. Five adult Red-bellied Eagles, their wingspans approaching one and a half meters, flapped their wings, shaking off the viscous fluid that coated them.
SCREEE—
To the sound of an ear-splitting cry, the five Red-bellied Eagles flapped their wings, flew out of the Mine Cave, and soared into the heavens.
In an instant, five new aerial viewpoints, looking down upon the land, appeared in the Insect Swarm’s Mind Network.
As the Red-bellied Eagles soared higher, a vast panorama of mountains and valleys unfolded below.
’Excellent!’
As his consciousness connected to one of the Red-bellied Eagles, allowing him to control it, Qin Yu let out a low, excited growl.
The Red-bellied Eagles produced by the Insect Nest were sturdier than their ordinary counterparts, their bodies developed to the very peak of the species’ potential.
With their sharp eyes, they could easily spot prey from a great distance.
’Quickly search the surrounding area for any possible Demon Fiends. Coordinate with the Rapid Insects and hunt them down!’
Over six hours had passed. The Rapid Insects had already swept the surrounding area clean and had produced another batch of their kind in the process.
Excluding the ten in the backyard of the Qin Family manor in Cyan Peak County, the number of Rapid Insects in this mountain forest had surged to twenty-nine.
However, the Rapid Insects’ hunting efficiency had begun to decline noticeably.
Twenty-nine Rapid Insects might seem like a large number, but in the vast, sprawling mountains, searching for prey was not easy. If they spread out too far, providing support became difficult.
But with the Red-bellied Eagles soaring high above, the situation was instantly reversed.
He could have the Red-bellied Eagles scout from high above, only dispatching the swarm to hunt after prey was located. This would naturally boost their efficiency enormously.
Sure enough, just a few minutes later, a Red-bellied Eagle spotted a target on a different mountain peak.
It was a sounder of wild boars, foraging for food in the woods.
A squad of Rapid Insects immediately shot toward the target.
Soon after, a second and then a third target were spotted by the eagles. The entire Insect Swarm kicked into high gear.
They were all just ordinary beasts, however, not Demon Fiends.
’The number of Demon Fiends isn’t as great as one might think. The occasional one or two that do appear aren’t particularly strong—otherwise, how could ordinary people possibly survive?’
Those Demon Fiends had come from deep within the mountains, specifically to hunt.
’Analyzing the Demon Fiend is, as expected, much slower. The Energy consumption is also absurd.’
Snapping out of his reverie, Qin Yu’s attention returned to the Insect Nest. As soon as the Red-bellied Eagle analysis had finished, he had immediately started on the Demon Fiend.
Specifically, the Wolf King at the Bone Forging Realm.
’It’s so slow!’
’To complete the analysis, it would take at least a day or two.’
The Insect Nest’s feedback indicated that it had discovered an "unknown energy." Because the Nest had never encountered Demon Power before, this first analysis was exceptionally slow.
A full analysis would likely consume nearly a thousand points of Energy, forcing Qin Yu to abandon the idea for now.
The other creatures, like the Bear Demon and the Fox Demon, were much the same.
’It’s outrageous.’
’That much Energy is enough to produce forty Rapid Insects. With a fighting force that large, what Demon Fiend would I need to fear?’
Even if a Great Demon from the Qi and Blood Realm were to attack, he was fairly confident he could wear it down and kill it.
So, he had no choice but to abandon the analysis for now and prioritize expanding the Insect Swarm’s combat strength. At the very least, he had to survive the current crisis.
FWEET! FWEET! FWEET!
Suddenly, the sound of whistling arrows echoed from the distant Qin Family Manor.
"Hm?"
Qin Yu turned to look. It was the prearranged signal he had with his father; they were to use whistling arrows to communicate if anything important happened.
Through the eyes of the Red-bellied Eagles, he could see that the Qin Family Manor was not in danger, but Qin Yu didn’t dare to delay and set out at once.
The Mine Cave wasn’t far from the Qin Family Manor. With five Rapid Insects clearing a path, Qin Yu hurried back.
Inside the manor’s main hall.
"Father, what’s happened?"
Qin Yu strode into the main hall.
"Experts from the Demon Suppression Bureau have arrived. They got here this morning. After what happened at Chen Family Village, they immediately started tracking the fiends and, just as expected, found a Demon’s Nest in the mountains!
They’ve already clashed with the Demon Fiends, but there are simply too many of them in the mountains.
Now they’re back in Cyan Peak County, gathering forces to wipe out the Demon’s Nest!
The Qin Family has to contribute as well. I need to head back to Cyan Peak County right away."
A hint of joy touched Qin Hu’s face. Why would he have been willing to abandon Cyan Peak County if there was any other choice?
"What?"
At first, Qin Yu felt a surge of joy, but it was immediately followed by a pang of alarm.
’Just in case, I never dealt with the Insect Nest in the Qin Family’s backyard!’
Instantly, a command formed in his mind.
Dozens of miles away, the Insect Nest first hatched one final Worker Insect before self-destructing. The ten Rapid Insects left on guard and the newly hatched Worker Insect quickly devoured the flesh and blood left behind by the Nest’s disintegration.
’Destroy all the evidence!’
’I’m not strong enough yet. It’s one thing for my parents to know about the Insect Nest, but it would be a huge problem if the Demon Suppression Bureau found out.’
"I’m going back with you!"