Longevity Martial Arts: I have a Mysterious Water Snake Avatar
Chapter 46 - 45: The Functions of Different Sting Bee Worms (Seeking Investment and Followers)

Chapter 46: Chapter 45: The Functions of Different Sting Bee Worms (Seeking Investment and Followers)

The cauldron was scorching hot and boiling, letting out wisps of white smoke. Fortunately, the cave was well-ventilated; otherwise, Hong Yuan would have found the smoke unbearable.

BOOM! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

The noise from the Worms in the cauldron grew louder and more intense. The heavy lid would even lift slightly at times, a testament to the ferocity within.

Hong Yuan found this interesting because this one was even more ferocious than the Sting Bee Worms he had refined before. Ferocity was good; a weapon of violence needed to be savage. The Sting Bee Worm, cultivated with a specific focus on its aggressive nature, possessed such ferocity it was nearly uncontrollable.

To express his respect for it, Hong Yuan promptly removed his right glove. A layer of Silver Flower True Essence flowed from his palm, covering the cauldron and nurturing the Worm inside that was undergoing transformation.

Since Hong Yuan’s current strength was at the second-tier intermediate level, far surpassing his previous Worm Refining sessions, it took less than ten minutes for the Sting Bee Worm inside to be nurtured and complete its transformation. Thanks to the Proficient Realm of the Myriad Silence Origin Skill, despite such a powerful output, Hong Yuan’s internal True Essence was reduced by only a small fraction.

SNAP.

The firewood burned out completely, and the three Energy Stones turned to powder, scattering with the wind. However, the Sting Bee Worm inside the cauldron remained fiercely violent, repeatedly striking the heavy lid and making the cauldron shake unsteadily. It almost seemed as if it wanted to escape with the heavy cauldron, which was somewhat comical.

Run? Heh heh. Hong Yuan’s lips curved up slightly as he chuckled.

He had been nurturing the Worm, so he consciously refrained from using True Essence to damage its Spiritual Wisdom. Now that everything was complete, he had no need for such caution.

My precious little heart, let me show you just how extraordinary your master’s strength is. Finishing his sentence, Hong Yuan removed his left glove, aiming both hands at the cauldron.

A layer of Silver Flower True Essence, even more majestic than before, surged from both of Hong Yuan’s palms to aid him in refining the Sting Bee Worm inside the cauldron.

Although I don’t have many Energy Stones, my True Essence is as profound as the ocean! Hong Yuan cackled, "KEKEKEKE!"

As more and more Silver Flower True Essence poured in, the cauldron emitted violent thuds and shrill screeches, like fingernails scraping a blackboard. SCREECH! SCREECH!

After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, a Worm appeared before Hong Yuan—half the size of a regular Sting Bee Worm but much quicker. The Speed Sting Bee Worm hovered motionlessly in mid-air, allowing Hong Yuan to manipulate and examine it at will.

RUSTLE.

After a brief assessment, Hong Yuan took out a black notebook, jotting down the strengths and weaknesses of the Speed-type Sting Bee Worm. The Speed Sting Bee Worm flickered in and out of sight above the cave, occasionally striking or nibbling at the carcass of the Red Flame Tiger.

SWISH! SWISH!

The charcoal pen swiftly glided across the paper as Hong Yuan noted down conclusions in the blank spaces of his black notebook.

The speed of the Speed-type Sting Bee Worm is obviously thirty percent higher than that of the regular Sting Bee Worm. It possesses strong maneuverability and flexibility in combat. A Bee Soldier unit could be formed around the Speed Sting Bee Worm, focusing on speed to act as light cavalry, undertaking tasks such as pursuit and stealth actions.

After noting down these conclusions in the black notebook, Hong Yuan finally turned to inspect his panel to see how much the Worm Refining session had increased his casting proficiency.

[Casting +51]

[Skills and Arts: Casting Tier One (573/1000) → Casting Tier One (624/1000)]

This time, the casting proficiency has only increased by 51 points. I am currently 376 points away from reaching Casting Tier Two, and I have materials for eight more Tier One Sting Bee Worms and two Tier Two Sting Bee Worms. As long as I maintain my composure, I can definitely level up to a Tier Two Caster.

Realization dawned on Hong Yuan. With a thought, he withdrew the "Speed" Sting Bee Worm and, full of fighting spirit, began refining the second Sting Bee Worm.

In his eyes, what he was refining was not just a Worm, but also Energy Stones, Cultivation Techniques, and even the Way of Longevity!

The second "Poisonous" Tiger Head Bee Worm was taken out of the iron bucket by Hong Yuan and placed into a cauldron, again filled with materials. He smashed an Energy Stone, took out a Fire Starter, lit a match, and stimulated his True Essence...

An hour later, the second Sting Bee Worm was successfully refined. This Sting Bee Worm had a lower body so dark purple it was almost black, indicating its profound toxicity.

DRIP... DRIP...

The black venom dripping from the Poisonous Sting Bee Beast’s stinger corroded a small hole, about ten centimeters deep, in the bluestone surface.

Goodness, it seems that specializing Sting Bee Worms offers a much brighter future than creating jack-of-all-trades types, Hong Yuan mused.

After a brief inspection of the other uses of the Poisonous Sting Bee Beast, Hong Yuan wrote his conclusions in the notebook.

The Poisonous Sting Bee Beast has profound toxicity and is suitable for insidious attacks, such as poisoning water sources. A Bee Soldier unit specializing in poisons could be formed around the Poisonous Sting Bee Beast. They would be tasked with cultivating various toxins for covert assassinations and disabling enemies. Respiratory diseases, colds, chronic bronchitis, asthma, emphysema, bronchiectasis, pneumonia, whooping cough, plagues, zombification...

KEKEKEKE! The more Hong Yuan pondered, the wilder his imagination became. A chilling cackle escaped his lips, thoroughly unsettling.

[Casting +61]

[Skills and Arts: Casting Tier One (634/1000) → Casting Tier One (695/1000)]

The third, the fourth... the eighth, the ninth.

Hong Yuan used up the remaining seven sets of materials in succession and ended up with five more Worms. Seven out of nine—an incredibly high success rate!

At this moment, ten different-looking Sting Bee Worms hovered in front of Hong Yuan: three regular Sting Bee Worms, two slim Speed-type Sting Bee Worms, three purple Poisonous-type Sting Bee Beasts, and two Pointed-Stinger Sting Bee Worms.

There were no Mandible-type Sting Bee Worms; Mandible-type Sting Bee Worms simply could not be refined. Perhaps because they were already half-crippled in their Tiger Head Bee Worm form, they couldn’t absorb the essence of the herbs as fully as the other three types of Sting Bee Worms.

[Casting +255]

[Skills and Arts: Culinary Tier Two (121/2000), Painting Tier One (25/1000), Casting Tier One (879/1000)]

Gazing at the Skills and Arts section of his status panel, Hong Yuan fell into deep thought. He wasn’t frustrated about not reaching Casting Tier Two. He had been prepared for the possibility of using up all the Tier One Sting Bee Worm materials without leveling up his Casting skill. Even if all the Tier One Sting Bee Worms were successfully refined, his Casting Tier One experience would only reach 982 points, not enough for Tier Two.

Instead, the conspicuous [Painting Tier One (25/1000)] caught his attention. Previously, Hong Yuan had planned to use his Transcendent Painting Skills to create special papers for initial capital accumulation. However, once Energy Stones became the primary currency, he had neglected this skill.

What use is the Painting skill, after all? Hong Yuan pondered this. He vaguely sensed a potential use, but it was like trying to see flowers through a thick fog—hazy and indistinct. The answer eluded him for now.

Shaking his head, Hong Yuan temporarily shelved the question and began to rest where he was. He ate, rested to rejuvenate his spirit, and replenished his mental energy...

Refining a Tier Two Rapid Bee Worm was a major undertaking and couldn’t be approached carelessly. He was still counting on the casting proficiency gained from successful Worm Refining to help him ascend to a Tier Two Caster in one go. This would allow him to earn a significant amount of Energy Stones, advance his Cultivation Technique, and continue his steady progress along the Way of Longevity.