The elder nodded with satisfaction, "Very good, you remember clearly."
With a blush, Lie Jia smiled sheepishly before sitting down.
The elder surveyed the room and continued, "In ten days, you shall all open your Insect Orifices. Who can tell me the function of these Insect Orifices?"
His gaze landed on a drowsy youth in the corner, and he couldn't help but show a stern expression.
"Xiao Huo! Answer this!"
The youth snapped to attention, standing up straight. He stammered, unsure of what the elder had asked.
The surrounding youths looked on with amusement.
Chu Xuan, facepalmed inside the cloth bag on his chest.
Staying up all night pondering the scriptures left by the ancestors, and now caught dozing off by the teacher!
That day, the youth who broke the nest of roaches and rats and retrieved the fragments of the Mirror was named Xiao Huo.
During this time, Chu Xuan listened to Xiao Huo's monologues and gradually came to understand the language and script of this world. Only then could he comprehend the conversations between the elder and the youths.
A handsome young man sneered, "Xiao Huo, you can't even answer such a simple question? I think you shouldn't sit with us anymore; you're embarrassing."
The elder frowned, "Lie Yong, have you forgotten what I said on the first day of class? Do not speak ill of your clansmen!"
The young man was unapologetic but apologized to the elder, "Lie Yong is aware of his mistake."
The elder turned again to Xiao Huo, his expression severe but his voice reminding, "Xiao Huo, let me ask you once more! What is the function of the Insect Orifices!"
Xiao Huo finally caught on and hurriedly said, "The Insect Orifices are innate talents we are born with. The more Insect Orifices one has, the more yao insects one can tame. One must have at least one Insect Orifice to qualify as an Insect Master."
The elder snorted coldly, his face a mix of frustration and disappointment, "Good that you know! The chief sent me to impart lessons in the hopes that the sons of the Fire Ant Tribe would cultivate diligently and achieve greatness! Xiao Huo, if I catch you sleeping in class again, don't bother coming back!"
Xiao Huo shivered, nodding repeatedly, "Master Zhu, I understand my error."
The elder shifted his gaze away and continued, "What Xiao Huo just mentioned is only half right. Over the years, only half of those who turn fifteen manage to open their Insect Orifices. Those who have opened their Insect Orifices establish a soul contract with the Yao insects, ensuring the insects will never betray them. Without an Insect Orifice, one can still tame yao insects, but they might betray their master in the future."
The elder added, "Some without Insect Orifices also seek to form soul contracts with yao insects, ultimately leading to a perverse path of becoming one with the insects. You must never follow in their footsteps!"
"Yes!" The youths responded in unison.
The elder cleared his throat, "Today's lecture is on the strengths and weaknesses of the Fire Ants, a crucial lesson that will greatly aid you in future battles. Listen well!"
At dusk, the class concluded.
The youths dispersed from the classroom.
Flanked by several peers, Lie Yong passed by Xiao Huo, giving him a sidelong glance and speaking indifferently, "Those who belittle themselves will inevitably be belittled by others. Xiao Huo, how can you aspire to become an Insect Master if you indulge in such self-neglect and sleep through class? Do not tarnish the renown your father once held!"
The other youths snickered as well. No one had ever dared to doze off during class. Anyone bold enough to do so would typically be expelled from the classroom by the elder on the spot.
"If it weren't for Xiao Huo's father being a Silver Insect Master, Master Zhu wouldn't have spared him any face and would have already driven him out of the classroom."
"Indeed, but Xiao Huo's father, Xiao Yan, has been missing for many years. I think he no longer deserves such favorable treatment."
"Xiao Huo alone resides in a red-brick house... Does he deserve it?"
The youths murmured about Xiao Huo, making sure he could overhear them.
Xiao Huo clenched his fists, remaining silent, and slowly walked home. Once home, he collapsed onto his bed.
Moments later, he retrieved a red carapace from beneath his pillow and gazed at it for a long time.
"Father... can I truly inherit your talent and open an Insect Orifice? To possess three Insect Orifices is to be a child of heaven, a height I dare not even hope for. Even two Orifices are a mark of genius, beyond my aspirations. I only hope to open one Orifice and not disgrace your name. I have yet to avenge you... I must become an Insect Master!"
A fierce determination burned in Xiao Huo's eyes.
But the fire of determination flickered out after mere moments, "The number of Orifices one can open is predestined. Father told me when I was young that my talent was mediocre at best, predicting that half an Orifice might be my limit... Ah... it is fate... I should continue studying the Grey Earth Worm Cultivation Method left by the ancient elder."
He sighed softly, gently stroked the giant insect's head beside him, fed it a cockamouse, and continued reading the bone script.
Chu Xuan heard Xiao Huo's self-pitying mutter and shook his head.
If one cannot believe in oneself, how can others be expected to believe?
He pondered his observations of this time, reflecting on this cave world where wild and poisonous bugs were known as "yao insects."
This world had small, medium, and large tribes, and tribal nations, forming a hierarchy of power. There was a hierarchy of Insect Masters from Bronze to Diamond and even titled ranks.
He was certain that this cave world must also possess a highly developed system for cultivating yao insects. If he could gain access to it, perhaps he could make great strides in the art of Gu cultivation.
"But Xiao Huo is too weak. Accessing this world's knowledge on cultivating yao insects through him is still very challenging. This old man must lend a hand."
Chu Xuan smiled helplessly.
"Insect Orifices... are the qualifications for an Insect Master's cultivation. The more Orifices one has, the more yao insects one can control, the faster these insects enhance, and in turn, the more they nourish the Insect Master."
At first glance, this concept resembles the spiritual roots of cultivators. Yet upon closer reflection, it's markedly different.
Unlike the somewhat ethereal spiritual roots, it more closely resembles a special organ developed through a cultivator's acquired practices.
Take, for example, the Tome of Blood Worms inside Chu Xuan's body, specifically condensed for nurturing Gu insects.
Could it be that the organs condensed by cultivators through their techniques are equivalent to the innate talents of these people? If so, imparting the "Tome of Blood Worms" to Xiao Huo might indeed be useful.
Chu Xuan immediately began to adapt the "Tome of Blood Worms" according to the physiological structure of humans in this world. He had already scanned Xiao Huo's body with his spiritual sense.
He discovered that the people of this cave world had physical structures different from those of ordinary humans on Mystic Azure, Blue Star, and the soul beings of Soul Star.
Appropriate modifications were necessary. Otherwise, the technique would be useless. It might even produce adverse effects.
The "Tome of Blood Worms" is merely a Foundation Establishment stage technique. Thus, it only took him a day to successfully modify it.