Chieftain Lie Xiu, Second Elder Lie Feng, and Fifth Elder Lie Hei observed Xiao Huo's demeanor, each displaying a distinct expression. Lie Feng and Lie Hei scoffed coldly, while Lie Xiu frowned slightly and shook his head.
Yet, after some thought, he did not dwell on the matter too much. After all, it was the nature of the young not to be astute or perceptive of hidden meanings.
At that moment, Xiao Huo had already approached the Fire Ant statue. He bowed deeply to Lie Xiu and the others before placing his hand on the statue. Lie Xiu smiled faintly—at least the boy had manners.
The instant Xiao Huo's palm touched the Fire Ant statue, a glimmer of spiritual light surged from within, traveling up his arm and into his mind. Xiao Huo felt as though a multitude of insect-like whispers filled his head.
Accompanied by these sounds, a torrent of text rushed in, causing an intense pain in his head. Thus, the Fire Ant Cultivation Method was completely instilled into Xiao Huo's mind.
Chu Xuan, observing from afar, nodded slightly. This method of directly imprinting knowledge into the mind was evidently quicker and more memorable than studying from bone scripts. Such techniques existed in the world of cultivation as well.
However, the drawback was also clear—it could lead to rigid thinking. The Fire Ant Cultivation Method received by Xiao Huo and others all stemmed from a talented predecessor, presumably the legendary Golden Insect Master, Lie Teng.
Lie Teng's insights might not represent everyone's experience. Some might have developed unique insights that could have taken the Fire Ant Cultivation Method in a different direction. Such potential insights might be completely stifled by this mode of transmission.
"Go back and rest," Lie Xiu waved his hand, and two robust attendants came forward to help Xiao Huo back to his seat.
After Xiao Huo's return, Lie Yong immediately stepped forward to receive the Wisdom of Insects. Despite facing the same pain, Lie Yong's resolve was evidently stronger than Xiao Huo's. He gritted his teeth and endured without assistance, walking back to his seat on his own.
Lie Xiu looked at him approvingly and nodded, "Well done."
Following that, other young men and women like Lie Jia and Lie Fei approached the statue to listen to the Wisdom of Insects. This continued until noon when the ritual finally concluded.
"The Fire Ant eggs are ready; each of you may come and take one," announced Lie Xiu. He clapped his hands, and immediately, three robust attendants brought forward three large wooden platters adorned with exquisite patterns.
In the cave world, where minerals were abundant but wood was scarce, wood was extremely valuable. The use of beautifully crafted wooden platters to hold the Fire Ant eggs demonstrated the tribe's emphasis on this event.
By now, Xiao Huo and the others had recovered from their pain. He scanned the area, noting there were sixteen ant eggs in total. Each was the size of a palm, radiating a deep red hue and seemingly emitting heat.
Chu Xuan, accustomed to scanning with his spiritual sense, suddenly took notice. "Hmm, this ant egg is extraordinary." He observed that one of the eggs gleamed with a brilliant gold-red hue, unlike the others. He immediately activated his spiritual sense, vibrating the shard of the Mirror, attempting to signal Xiao Huo to choose that particular egg.
However, Xiao Huo, feeling the vibration of the mirror shard, tensed up instead, clutching at his chest tightly.
Lie Xiu noticed his movement and asked with concern, "What's the matter? Are you feeling unwell?"
Xiao Huo shook his head, "A little."
"Then pick an egg and go rest," Lie Xiu said with a smile. "It's normal to feel a bit unwell after listening to the Wisdom of Insects. Just eat well and rest."
"Yes," Xiao Huo replied.
Without overthinking, Xiao Huo grabbed an egg at random and turned to leave. The one with the gold-red interior, however, was taken by Lie Yong.
Chu Xuan rolled his eyes.
Dealing with an oblivious host was truly a challenge!
That night, Xiao Huo eagerly began cultivating the Fire Ant egg.
"The cultivation method states that Fire Ant eggs need a high-temperature environment to hatch," he noted. "Luckily, the tribe has already delivered fire stones, and I can now start constructing an incubation basin. If all goes well, it should hatch in three days, and then I'll need the servants to quickly prepare the daily insect feed..."
As Xiao Huo muttered the Fire Ant Cultivation Method to himself and busied his hands, Chu Xuan listened to his continuous chatter, the complete Fire Ant Cultivation Method quickly forming in his mind. After a while, he nodded repeatedly.
"Not bad, not bad, this Fire Ant Cultivation Method is indeed quite ingenious," he mused. "This method allows the Fire Ants to develop independent thinking, separate from the queen. This recipe is quite valuable!"
A spark of inspiration flashed through Chu Xuan's mind. Suddenly, he thought that perhaps he could experiment with Fire Bees. Ants and bees share similar social structures. Since the Fire Ant tribe successfully used this cultivation method for Fire Ants, he could potentially apply it to cultivate Fire Bees as well...
Upon Chu Xuan's thought, the queen bee delivered a Fire Bee egg to him. He fetched several fire-attributed spiritual items from his storage bag. These items shared the common property of creating a relatively high-temperature environment around them.
However, Chu Xuan was well aware that the Fire Bee egg was only a first-transformation Gu. Thus, he chose only foundation-level spiritual items for the task, knowing that too high a temperature might instantly destroy the egg.
"As for the recipe... I don't have the materials from the cave world here, but I can substitute them with medicinal properties and theories. It's not hard to complete the recipe," he thought. Excitement flickered across Chu Xuan's face. Indeed, coming to this cave world had not been a mistake.
"It's just a pity that the starting point is so low. If I had been picked up directly by the higher-ups of a large tribe or even a tribal nation, I could have immediately obtained numerous Yao insect cultivation methods."
"I might even control the insect masters of an entire nation, tailoring cultivation methods specifically for them, like for Blood Steel Wire or the Blood Bee Queen," he pondered, shaking his head.
A low starting point was no obstacle; it could always be compensated for. If the host does not strive, then this old man will strive on his behalf, ready to switch hosts if necessary. With enough audacity, he could switch twice in a day!
Chu Xuan stepped out of his cultivation room, deep in thought. "I need someone I can trust. Firstly, to gather intelligence. This would corroborate the information provided by Myriad Souls Elder, ensuring he does not betray me. Secondly, to collect materials."
The Fire Bee cultivation requires many materials, and he cannot afford to waste time collecting them himself. Such tasks cannot be entrusted to just anyone.
He thought hard and considered Wan Wuying. Compared to others within the Myriad Souls Sect, he certainly trusted Wan Wuying more. Moreover, currently controlled by Myriad Souls Elder and utterly despondent, if Chu Xuan were to extend a hand, it would surely be remembered for a lifetime by Wan Wuying.