Mortal: I, Zhang Tie, started by joining forces with Han Li to kill a strategist.

To balance work and rest, Zhang Tie, who had been in seclusion for a full year, did not cultivate anymore, but instead came to the Scripture Pavilion located on Spirit Beast Peak.

Arriving at the bookshelf filled with records of strange beasts and insects with ease, I wondered what kind of insects those insect eggs, treasured by late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, were.

If it's a good thing, then nurture it; if not, then don't bother!

There are quite a few records about spirit insects in the scripture pavilion of Spirit Beast Mountain. Zhang Tie found a few of the more complete ones.

"The Record of Spiritual Insects, The Illustrated Compendium of Strange Insects, The Ancient Compendium of Strange Insects..."

Zhang Tie began flipping through the books one by one.

The Spirit Insect Record seems to be a complete version of the introduction to spirit insects distributed when he joined the sect. It records more than a thousand common spirit insects, from level one to level four, and describes their morphology, habits and uses in detail. However, Zhang Tie did not find any that matched the insect eggs in the black jar.

The illustrated guide to strange insects was thicker and contained more information, but Zhang Tie still couldn't find it after flipping through it all, and he immediately frowned.

However, if they are not found, it often means that those dozen or so insect eggs are not ordinary.

Zhang Tie picked up the third book, "The Ancient Mythical Insect Compendium." This book was much thinner than the previous two, and its cover was yellowed, giving it a sense of age.

Upon opening the first page, Zhang Tie saw a line of text: "This book is a collection of ancient materials, recording thousands of strange insects, but most of them have already become extinct. The ranking is based on my personal assessment of their rarity and is for reference only... —You Huai!"

It turns out this is a book about sewing. I wonder who You Huai is. But to have access to so many ancient materials, he must be at least a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Zhang Tie continued turning the pages. The book seemed to be arranged from back to front, recording hundreds of ancient spirit insects. The further he turned, the rarer they became, and some of them Zhang Tie had never even heard of.

However, after turning three or four pages, Zhang Tie's hand paused slightly.

"The twenty-second is the Gold-Eating Insect, a ferocious swarming insect that is adept at devouring metals and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. It is impervious to water and fire, can be trapped by jade and wood, and can be overcome by spiders..."

This book even records the Gold-Eating Insect, it really has a terrible reputation. But Zhang Tie remembers that Han Li should have obtained the Gold-Eating Insect in the Chaotic Star Sea!

As he continued flipping through the pages, Zhang Tie's eyes lit up when he reached the last few pages.

"Ninth place, the Sky Crystal Ant..." The description is only a few hundred words long, and includes pictures of the eggs and adult ants.

"This insect disappeared from Tiannan in ancient times, leaving only fragments in some ancient texts. Legend has it that the Celestial Crystal Ant is incredibly hard, highly venomous, and feeds on second-grade or higher gold and iron ore. Its nests produce Celestial Crystal Stones, excellent materials for crafting magical artifacts, which can greatly enhance the artifacts' spirituality and power. It was almost completely captured and killed by ancient cultivators. The method of cultivating it has long been lost..."

Zhang Tie's breathing quickened for a moment.

Although the image of the insect eggs in the portrait was somewhat blurry, Zhang Tie was certain that the dozen or so insect eggs in his hand were the eggs of the long-extinct Tianjing Ant!

If he could cultivate Heavenly Crystal Ants, wouldn't he have an endless supply of Heavenly Crystal Stones, which are extremely precious even to Core Formation cultivators?

However, the method of cultivation has been lost...

Zhang Tie closed the book. Although the method for cultivating the Tianjing Ants had been lost, he was not without a way.

Perhaps the cultivation method can be deduced from the Book of Cause and Effect? ​​It's just that he doesn't know how much cause and effect value is needed, and he doesn't have much cause and effect value at the moment.

"Let's hold off for now, and try again once we've accumulated enough causal points!"

Zhang Tie walked out of the Sutra Repository, piloted the flying boat back to Lingxian Peak, and went directly to Sun Feng's cave.

Today, Sun Feng was off duty, and the two had arranged to meet. Zhang Tie felt that Sun Feng, a senior brother with whom he had a fairly good relationship within the sect, was a person whose character was worth befriending.

Sun Feng quickly came out to greet Zhang Tie and invited him into the cave.

The cave dwelling was not large, but it was decorated very elegantly by Sun Feng. Sun Feng took out a pot of spiritual tea and several piles of spiritual fruit, and the two sat facing each other.

"Junior Brother Zhang, it seems you've gained quite a bit from this seclusion! Your aura is much stronger than it was a year ago, and your cultivation has improved significantly!" Sun Feng looked Zhang Tie up and down, secretly surprised.

The level of refinement of Zhang Tie's aura was comparable to that of some veteran early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators!

Zhang Tie smiled and said, "Slight improvement!"

"Slightly improved? Junior Brother Zhang, you're being a bit too modest. I've been on Lingxian Peak for over a decade, and I've encountered at least eighty or a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators. The aura emanating from you is comparable to those at the peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage!"

Zhang Tie picked up the spirit tea without saying a word, knowing that Sun Feng had something to say!

Sun Feng put down the spirit tea and sighed.

"Junior Brother Zhang, to be honest, I really envy you! You've reached such a level of cultivation in your early twenties, while I, a native disciple of Spirit Beast Mountain, have been cultivating for nearly forty years and am still stuck in the early Foundation Establishment stage!"

Zhang Tie looked at him and said, "Senior Brother Sun, you are mistaken. Cultivators from the outside world are not so easy to deal with. Killing and robbing are commonplace for them!"

"Your position as a steward in the sect has the advantage of safety... but there are trade-offs!"

"Alas! How could I not know? But while being a steward is certainly stable, with monthly contribution points and no need to go out and fight, stability also means no opportunities!" Sun Feng shook his head and smiled bitterly.

"Cultivation isn't something you can achieve through hard work alone; spiritual treasures and opportunities can't be found in sects!"

Zhang Tie was silent for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Senior Brother Sun, are you planning to go out on a mission?"

Sun Feng nodded: "If this continues, I'm afraid I'll never reach the mid-Foundation Establishment stage in my lifetime. While I still have the willpower, I should go out and explore, even if it's dangerous, it's better than what I'm doing now!"

Zhang Tie frowned, noticing that Sun Feng seemed to have something on his mind, but since the other party didn't say anything, he didn't press him.

Moreover, he understood Sun Feng's thoughts. On the path of cultivation, one either advances or regresses. Staying in the sect as a steward is safe, but it also means that opportunities will not fall into your lap.

If Sun Fengruo stays within the sect, those Foundation Establishment cultivators nearing the end of their lifespan in the Affairs Hall will likely be his fate.

"Senior Brother Sun, some missions outside are easy, and some are difficult. But I still suggest you think it over carefully. Even if you really decide to go out, choose a safer one and gain some experience!"

"That's what I was thinking too! The Affairs Department has a few missions coming up that are similar to yours, like guarding the Red Jade Mine. I'm planning to take one!"

Zhang Tie nodded and said nothing more.

The two drank a few more cups and chatted about cultivation.

Sun Feng talked about the changes in Spirit Beast Mountain in recent years. Zhang Tie listened attentively. He didn't plan to take on any more missions in the short term. Instead, he prepared to break through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage first. It was time to understand the changes within the sect.

"By the way, Junior Brother Zhang, during your year of seclusion, the sect has taken in another batch of new disciples!"

"Oh?" Zhang Tie raised an eyebrow.

"This isn't the kind of ascension ceremony my junior brother attended. This time, there are nearly a thousand new disciples joining the sect, all from the cultivation families under the Spirit Beast Mountain!"

"Nearly a thousand people!?" Zhang Tie was somewhat surprised.

"Yes, these family scions have cultivated since childhood, so their foundations are solid. It's said that this time, there are more than a dozen disciples with dual spiritual roots who have entered the sect, and the rest all have three spiritual roots!"

Zhang Tie immediately understood. Cultivation families trained disciples and gave them priority to entering sects. This was one of the methods used by the seven sects of Yue Kingdom to maintain fresh blood.

In essence, a sect is formed by many families, much like shareholders in a company in the previous life, while the top patriarch is the director behind the scenes, wielding the greatest power.

It can be said that the descendants of these families are the foundation of these sects.