The Demon Slayer Martial Saint Begins with Insect Refining

Chapter 2 A wisp of insect element

The Evil Insect Cauldron returned to calm, quietly staying deep in the sea of consciousness.

As the Yinshui Centipede was refined and subdued, a close connection was formed between him and the Yinshui Centipede. A warm current flowed into his body, driving out the coldness soaked by the mountain rain.

"After several months of hard work and consuming hundreds of kilograms of beast blood essence, a strange insect was finally created."

The moment the Yinshui Centipede was refined and subdued, Su Yan's heart finally settled down.

The Evil Insect Cauldron was an object from his previous life. It looked strange, as if it was an ornament he had just made last week.

When I see something new, I buy it and use it as a plate.

But I didn't expect that after a stroke of luck, I would end up in this world.

He knew the magic of the Fierce Insect Cauldron, so he placed all his treasures on it.

After several months of mountain climbing, he had almost no income left. He even used up the money he had earned from the high-interest loan at home and spent it all on buying animal blood.

Although it is animal blood, it still costs money, more than ten cents per pound.

Hundreds of kilograms of beast blood were refined into essence by the Fierce Insect Cauldron, and it just barely reached the standard a month ago, and then we were waiting for this strange insect.

As soon as Su Yan thought about it, the Yinshui centipede came out from the insect world.

The Yinshui centipede lost its ferocious nature and moved according to his thoughts, as easily as moving his arm and fingers without any sense of sluggishness.

"With the Yinshui Centipede, I'm at least a little safer. Furthermore, after opening the Fierce Insect Cauldron, I've been able to materialize what I've learned. This is truly a pleasant surprise."

"A Yinshui centipede this size doesn't look like a juvenile. Could this so-called 'newborn' be the result of the Fierce Insect Cauldron returning to its origins, allowing it to grow a little more to break through its upper limit?"

The Yinshui centipede kept crawling and rustling around Su Yan.

Even though it was caught by Su Yan with a fishing net, it was an unintentional act.

If he let it break free and bite him, Su Yan would not be able to leave the forest.

He suppressed his joy, took a few deep breaths, and calmed himself down: "I still have to be careful. Having a familiar insect doesn't mean I'm stronger. I have to be strong myself. I must find a way to practice martial arts. Before that, I have to be cautious."

Thinking of this, Su Yan threw all the fishing nets and backpacks into the insect world.

Although the insect world is a world exclusively for insects, and insects can recover from injuries when entering it, other things can also be placed there.

It took me half an hour to clean up and destroy the footprints and traces of the Yinshui Centipede.

Su Yan then quickly took another route back, his steps light and brisk, as if he had unloaded a burden, and he was completely different from when he entered the mountain.

When we came out of the mountains, the rain had completely stopped and it was almost night.

Yunqian Village was pitch black and unusually quiet.

He returned to the room, closed the fence door of the loess courtyard, and did not hang his straw raincoat and hat out to dry in the yard. Instead, he took them all off inside the house, for fear that others would know his whereabouts.

After changing into linen clothes and hanging up his straw sandals to dry, Su Yan sat on the edge of the wooden bed, released the Yinshui Centipede, looked at it carefully, and thought about his future plans.

"The Fierce Insect Cauldron has been opened, and the Insect World is raising insects. This allows the insects to produce a strand of Insect Essence every day to nourish the Insect Master. I think this is the warm current when the energy was first refined."

On the way back, Su Yan noticed something different. His steps were much lighter and he felt less weak than before.

Although the mountain herders have handled a lot of mountain products such as herbs and small animals, they are reluctant to eat or drink them. They save money not only to support their families.

There is also the money paid to Lin Jiashan and the tax to Dali. After all the money is gone, the money left is not enough to buy meat.

There is not much fat in his stomach, and he is still a teenager, so his physical fitness is naturally not good.

However, the nourishment from the insect essence, although only a strand, was like a spring breeze and rain, moistening everything silently, and made up for some of his weak body.

He twirled the large dark purple centipede in his hands, feeling only intimacy, and thought to himself: 'After refining a strange insect, the Fierce Insect Cauldron can be considered to have truly awakened. No wonder the information obtained before was unclear.'

A first-level insect master can control no more than one-level insect servants.

At this time, you only need 100 kilograms of beast blood essence and a first-level insect or a non-level insect with magical powers to refine a new messenger insect.

However, this is not an easy matter for Su Yan.

Don’t say that alien insects are rare. Su Yan waited for a long time before he found any trace of them.

Just a hundred kilograms of beast blood essence would cost several taels or even more than ten taels of silver.

This amount of money is enough for a poor family to spend for a year.

He worked hard to search for goods in the mountains, and occasionally hunted small wild animals such as rabbits in the mountains, so that he could accumulate enough animal blood.

"It's impossible to use the second insect in a short time, but the Yinshui Centipede is not weak to begin with and can continue to grow stronger. It is my greatest help at the moment."

"What we need to do now is, first, make the Yinshui Centipede stronger as soon as possible, and second, practice martial arts. Relying solely on one strand of insect essence per day is still too slow to make it stronger."

After inquiring for half a year, Su Yan had heard something about it.

The poor are good at literature and the rich are good at martial arts, especially in this world where physical and martial prowess are extraordinary.

Most of those who master martial arts are from wealthy families in the city and are upper-class people.

The martial arts of the great families were never passed on to outsiders. The government was very strict in selecting candidates, requiring connections and patronage. Simply bribing someone would not get you in, so these two paths were definitely not feasible. For poor families who wanted to learn martial arts, there were only two ways.

One is to sell oneself to forces such as Tianfeng Weapon Shop, Baicaotang, Xiaoshan Society, and Fishing Gang, and work as an apprentice and handyman. After three to five years, there may be a chance to learn martial arts.

Another way is to join a martial arts school.

Yuncang Town is not big, but there are three martial arts schools: Golden Ape, Seven Swords, and Black Stone.

Once you have saved up fifty taels, you can join a martial arts school and become a registered disciple. Although it is only a nominal one, you can still learn some real things.

"An apprentice is like a slave. I don't need to endure three to five years. In other words, I have to go the martial arts school route."

"Learning martial arts costs money, and the head tax and mountain fees only last for a month or two. We still need money, so we have to go into the mountains quickly."
-
On the morning of the second day, the Yinshui centipede had already produced a wisp of insect essence, and Su Yan absorbed it into his body early.

The warm current was more obvious than yesterday's, as if my whole body was immersed in a hot spring.

He immediately felt his body gradually becoming fuller, and his pale complexion faded a little. Although still fair, he looked healthier.

"My strength seems to have increased a bit. My body's deficiencies are gradually being replenished, and I can move around a bit more."

Stretching, push-ups, crunches, and stone lifts.
Su Yan did not exercise in the yard, but practiced the general movements in the house. It was not standard, but he could feel the obvious difference in his body.

In the past, I couldn’t get enough oil, and the more I exercised, the worse my health would become. Now, with the insect essence to supplement it, the more I exercise, the stronger my body will be, which is a great help.

After about two hours, Su Yan was sweating profusely and his face was slightly red. He had a general idea of his situation.

"My body has become stronger. Not only am I no longer weak, I'm now as strong and healthy as a grown man."

With a body of fifteen or sixteen years old and suffering from years of malnutrition, he was often the one who held back the team going up the mountain.

If it weren't for Uncle Xie's care and support, I would have starved to death long ago.

"I've practiced three sets of military boxing, but nothing has materialized. Uncle Xie also taught me a lot about identifying and distinguishing medicinal herbs in my life, but nothing has materialized either. It seems this skill can't be easily developed."

Su Yan was somewhat disappointed. On his spirit panel, there was still only one skill, Ganshan, and one insect, Yinshui Centipede.

"Nothing in the world can be perfect, but having the Fierce Insect Cauldron and the ability to control the insects is enough."

He calmed down, picked up the bamboo backpack, put most of the wheat cakes into the insect world, and put a small half into the backpack.

He put the bamboo bow and arrows into the insect world, took the hatchet in his hand, and then went out to hunt in the Yunling Mountains.

As soon as I walked out of the hospital, I met an acquaintance.

"Ayan, wait a minute."

Su Yan looked at those people and saw a man in his forties, wearing a straw hat and coarse linen clothes, striding towards him.

He also carried a backpack on his back and a hatchet on his waist, and it seemed that he was about to go to the mountains.

"Second uncle."

Su Yan greeted him very politely.

Xie Yuzhu was his neighbor. When his predecessor Laozi was still alive, the two of them often went into the mountains together.

"Come with us into the mountains. The roads are slippery after the rain, and there are insects and beasts everywhere. We'll have someone to take care of you if anything dangerous happens."

Going into the mountains after rain is actually risky. Not only will the familiar mountain roads become more slippery, but there may also be broken trees, new streams, and swamps.

Poisonous insects and wild animals may also temporarily change their activity habits and be forced out by the rain.

As unstable factors increase, there will be more natural dangers.

After Xie Yuzhu finished saying this, several fellow villagers who were working in the mountains behind him all frowned.

"No, I'm slow and can't recognize everything, which will delay everyone's harvest."

Xie Yuzhu's expression changed slightly, and the mountain herders looked embarrassed.

"Ayan, what are you saying? How can we..."

Su Yan just shook his head and said, "Second Uncle, you guys should go into the mountains earlier. There will always be some new mountain products after the rain. Don't let people from other villages get them first."

After saying that, he carried his backpack and headed towards Yunling Mountain, leaving Xie Yuzhu and a few others looking at each other in embarrassment.

Xie Yuzhu wanted to help Su Yan, but since they were working together in the mountains, there were rules for working together, and some of the harvest had to be shared.

An experienced mountain hunter can find many things wherever he passes, quickly and efficiently.

But if it is a newcomer, then not only will the speed of travel be slowed down, but there is also a greater possibility of missing out on mountain products.

After three or four months of working, and without an adult to share the profits with everyone, they were naturally unhappy.

"Uncle Xie is kind-hearted, but every household has its own difficulties, so why would he be willing to share some of the benefits for free? Besides, I'm not suitable to live with him."

Su Yan quickened his pace and soon entered Yunling Mountain from another path. The trees were tall, and the shrubs and weeds were half a person's height, and soon they covered his figure.

After about three or four miles into the mountains, he released the Yinshui centipede and it disappeared into the bushes.

(End of this chapter)