I am an insect

Ji Ye looked at the teacher and said, "Teacher, there must be a reason for saying that."

The teacher nodded and said, "Because there is a saying that when larvae live for more than a hundred years, they undergo a metamorphosis that even the gods forbid. Therefore, when humans are born, they have a special lifespan limiter in their bodies. This limiter restricts the lifespan of humans. No matter if you are the king of a country or the richest person in the world, you can only live to be a little over ninety years old at most. No one can break the one hundred-year curse..."

Lin Ya said, "The world is so big, and the global population is so large, maybe there are people who can break this curse and live to be over a hundred years old? Like Ji Ye."

The teacher smiled and said, "Yes, there are always exceptions, like buying lottery tickets, who knows, you might win the jackpot..."

He paused slightly at this point, then continued, "Generally, animals cannot develop a spiritual form after death. Only those who live long enough can potentially become spirits after death... like that dog named 'Mantis' that you killed..."

"It lived for twenty years, which is equivalent to a hundred years in human terms. If dogs also have such a lifespan limiter, then it broke that limiter, so after death, it could manifest a spirit. In folk terms, this is called becoming a spirit."

Lin Ya suddenly exclaimed, "I understand! Animals can't become adults after they die, but if they live long enough and break the lifespan limit, they can emerge from their cocoons and become adults. Humans can naturally become adults, so if someone lives long enough and breaks the human lifespan limit, what will emerge is an insect even more powerful than an adult?"

As she spoke, she glanced at Ji Ye and suddenly realized that he had become so powerful in just a few days. Could this be the reason?

Comparing sentient animals to ordinary animals, what about sentient adult insects and ordinary adult insects? Thinking about it this way, she felt a sense of dread.

The teacher let out a long sigh and said, "Yes, although it's just one way of saying it, since even I know it, those people must know it too. They won't let an adult insect that has lived for more than a hundred years appear casually. Of course, due to the natural lifespan limit of the human body, it's basically impossible for anyone to actually live for more than a hundred years. Even those big shots who control the most resources don't live past a hundred years old, let alone ordinary people."

The teacher looked at Ji Ye again and said, "Your situation is a bit strange. I find it hard to understand. If you really lived to be over a hundred years old, how could they not know? They probably investigated you a long time ago."

At this point, the teacher clearly began to doubt Ji Ye.

Ji Ye asked, "Did you investigate me a long time ago?" A thought suddenly struck him as he remembered something.

When he was young, due to the special era and social unrest, the registration of identity information was incomplete. Later, when the registration was supplemented, an error was made, and his age was registered as three years younger.

When he grew up, he realized that the wrong age registration meant he would have to work three more years before retirement, so he tried to find connections to change his identity information back to the correct age.

"If what the teacher said is true, and these people have investigated me, with their incredible abilities, they must have found out that I used connections to change my age by three years back then. So in their eyes, my real age this year is only ninety-eight, but they don't know that my real age this year is actually one hundred and one years old..."

Thinking of this, Ji Ye said, "I did have someone change my age; I was three years older..."

The teacher suddenly realized, "I see. They must have investigated you and know that your real age is no more than one hundred years old, which is why they didn't pay special attention to you. That explains it."

Lin Ya looked at Ji Ye and said, "So your real age isn't over a hundred."

Ji Ye's lips moved slightly, then he smiled and nodded. He understood the principle that the taller the tree, the more the wind will blow against it. Since his teacher believed that humans should not live for more than a hundred years, and that anyone who lived past a hundred years old would be considered an old and vengeful being, which was taboo, he naturally did not want Lin Ya and his teacher to know his true situation.

Unlike Lin Ya, Ji Ye had lived for so many years and had seen countless people of all kinds. He didn't completely believe what the teacher had just said.

In particular, when the teacher learned that he had killed the young man in the white hat and the "mantis" giant dog, his reaction was very serious. But then, as if he had thought of something, he became friendly and gentle and chatted with him again.

However, Ji Ye always felt that the teacher's apparent kindness and gentleness had a hint of pretense. He wasn't being sincere enough with him, or rather, he was holding back some of what he said. But Ji Ye couldn't figure out exactly what he was holding back.

The teacher chuckled, "Although Ji Ye's actual age isn't over a hundred, he's at least gone through a larval stage of over ninety years, followed by a forty-nine-day pupal stage. It's understandable that he's stronger than the average adult..."

He paused slightly at this point, then continued, "Lin Ya, remember to teach Ji Ye the adult insect cultivation method I taught you. If you cultivate according to this method, it won't be difficult to reach the limit of the initial stage of adult insects. Given Ji Ye's situation, there is even hope that he can break through the initial stage."

Lin Ya hummed in agreement and smiled, "The main reason I brought Ji Ye to see you today is because of this cultivation method. I wouldn't dare teach him in private without your permission, Teacher."

She then looked at Ji Ye and said, "Why don't you hurry up and thank your teacher? The fact that your teacher agreed to let me teach you means that he approves of you. You're already so amazing now, you'll definitely be even more amazing after you learn this cultivation method."

"The cultivation method for adult insects?" Ji Ye's heart stirred slightly, and he said, "Thank you, teacher. But I wonder what the initial state of these adult insects is?"

The teacher said, "No need for thanks. We have a common enemy, and we must unite to fight them. The stronger you are, the better for us..."

He paused slightly before continuing, "The so-called initial state refers to the larvae that, after dying, undergo a forty-nine-day pupal stage to transform into adults. Adults that have just emerged from their pupae are collectively called the initial state. This initial state also has varying degrees of strength. As long as one learns my adult cultivation method, given enough time, evolving to the limit of the initial state is not a problem… Whether one can break through the initial state depends on individual opportunity and talent…"

Ji Ye nodded slightly, indicating that he understood. He was thinking about the ancient book "Huangdi Neijing" that he had accidentally found at a stall in the antique market. Some of the contents were different from the versions that were popular online. There were some records about the cultivation of adult insects.

He has been cultivating according to the records there for the past few days and has made great progress. He just doesn't know what this adult insect cultivation method that his teacher and Lin Ya mentioned is, and how it compares to the cultivation method recorded in the Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic.

He wanted to test the effectiveness of this adult insect cultivation method.