Chapter 12: The Stone Bed's Secret
1633 Words
Shi Yue awoke with a jolt, the transition from unconsciousness to awareness abrupt. His first conscious thought was of the profound change within him. His Spiritual Sense – that inner perception vital to all cultivators – had undeniably sharpened. Where it once felt like a blunt instrument, now it possessed an almost tactile clarity. A wave of incredulous joy washed over him. Killing those insects... had it somehow tempered his Spiritual Sense?
This was unprecedented! A cultivator's Spiritual Sense was largely fixed by their cultivation stage, expanding only with significant breakthroughs. A stronger sense meant heightened perception, finer control over more magical tools, a fundamental advantage. While the immediate increase from the Scale Insects was minuscule, the potential was staggering. If continued extermination could refine it further... Shi Yue’s mind raced with possibilities.
Driven by this discovery, he sprang from the hard stone floor of the Stone House and hurried outside. A circuit of the three Spirit Fields confirmed his initial treatment had worked; the tell-tale yellow spots marring the Frostleaf Grass and Sunfire Grass were gone. Yet, two pressing questions demanded answers: How had the Scale Insects infiltrated his sanctuary? And were they truly eradicated?
Recalling his research, Shi Yue knew Scale Insects were oviparous. Females laid incredibly tiny eggs embedded within plant seeds or stems, ensuring the hatching larvae had immediate sustenance. The horrifying realization struck him: the seeds of his precious Frostleaf and Sunfire Grass must have carried the eggs. Within the Mysterious Space, where time flowed ten times faster than the outside world, generations of insects could have bred unchecked. Had he discovered them any later, his entire crop might have been devoured.
As for complete eradication? Shi Yue scoffed internally. Three acres was vast. There hadto be survivors, Scale Insects that escaped his initial purge. Squashing the visible pests was merely symptom relief; true eradication – addressing the root cause – required eliminating every last one. A single surviving pair could repopulate and stage a comeback with devastating speed.
Pondering solutions, Shi Yue willed himself out of the Mysterious Space. Back in Uncle Zhou’s cellar, his eyes scanned the dusty wooden shelves until they landed on a promising volume: Hundred Essential Insecticides. Its title left little doubt about its contents.
He opened the heavy tome meticulously, poring over every character. It cataloged over a hundred pest insects and detailed dozens of eradication methods. The approach depended on the pest: larger ones could be dispatched with elemental techniques like Fireball Technique, Wind Blade Technique, or Water Arrow Technique. Minuscule nuisances like the Scale Insects required the precision of Geng Metal Qi Aura. However, one method stood out for its broad applicability and efficiency: Using Insects to Eliminate Insects.
Employing beneficial Spirit Insects to hunt down the pests was remarkably effective. Simply command the right insects, and they’d scour the fields with lethal efficiency. The text listed several candidates: Spirit Bees, Spirit Butterflies, Spirit Ants, among others. Spirit Bees were highly recommended. Beyond pest control, they gathered pollen and nectar, which could be processed into valuable honey. Crucially, their movement between flowers facilitated cross-pollination, potentially boosting the yield of spirit grains and fruits.
Shi Yue’s interest solidified. Bees that killed pests andproduced marketable honey? It was an ideal solution. He carefully replaced the book and practically flew out of the cellar, summoning his flying artifact to head straight for the Mission Hall.
Reaching the third floor, Shi Yue approached a counter manned by a senior disciple. "Senior Brother, do you carry Spirit Bee eggs?"
"Several kinds," the disciple replied cheerfully. "Spirit-Devouring Bees, Silver Spider Bees, Five-Light Bees, Nether Shade Bees. Which interests the Junior Brother?"
"I need them primarily for pest control in my Spirit Fields. Which is most suitable?" Shi Yue inquired, brows slightly furrowed.
"All can hunt pests, but each excels differently," the disciple explained patiently. "Spirit-Devouring Bees consume pollen and nectar, but actively hunt other insects. Silver Spider Bees weave webs to trap prey. Five-Light Bees are larger and require more sustenance. Nether Shade Bees are docile but breed slowly. Their eggs cost five Contribution Points each, except the Silver Spider Bees at ten per egg. Which will it be?"
Shi Yue calculated swiftly. While items could be bought with Spirit Stones at a slight premium, Contribution Points were far more valuable. His years of effort had yielded only a little over a hundred points. Silver Spider Bees were immediately out of his budget. That left Spirit-Devouring, Five-Light, or Nether Shade Bees.
"Six Spirit-Devouring Bee eggs, please," Shi Yue stated after a brief pause.
The disciple nodded, retrieving a Cyan Wooden Box from a shelf behind him. Shi Yue opened it to find six millet-sized, faintly luminescent white eggs nestled inside, emitting a subtle spiritual energy fluctuation. Satisfied, he transferred thirty Contribution Points to the disciple, tucked the box securely into his robe, and departed.
His next stop was the Archives Pavilion. He paid to copy a jade slip detailing insect rearing techniques before returning to Uncle Zhou's residence. Immediately, he pressed the new slip to his forehead, absorbing its knowledge.
The information was clear: Egg incubation required an environment rich in spiritual energy; the denser the energy, the faster the hatching. The Mysterious Space's ambient energy was comparable to Uncle Zhou’s home, but time there moved ten times faster. Incubating the eggs there would drastically shorten the process.
He reappeared within the Mysterious Space and strode into the Stone House. Following the slip’s guidance, he placed a dozen Spirit Stones on the stone sleeping platform, intending it as the incubation bed.
What happened next stunned him. The milky white stones rapidly turned ash-gray, their inner energy completely drained dry before his eyes.
"This… the stone bed absorbs Spirit Stone energy?" Shi Yue gasped, disbelief warring with fascination. Did it pose a danger? Could it drain hiscultivation base?
The thought chilled him. He took a cautious step back, then forced himself to recall: he’d slept on that platform before without any loss of Qi. It seemed the bed only targeted Spirit Stones, not cultivators. Emboldened, Shi Yue stepped outside the hut and immediately noticed a subtle difference. The ambient energy felt… fractionally denser than before.
"Absorbing Spirit Stones increasesthe spiritual energy density here?" The implications exploded in his mind, igniting fierce excitement. If the Mysterious Space's energy grew richer, wouldn't the spirit plants within grow even faster?
He couldn't resist testing further. Standing outside the doorway, he tossed ten more Spirit Stones onto the stone platform. Again, they swiftly turned to inert gray husks. And again, Shi Yue confirmed the faint but definite increase in the ambient energy around him.
Several trials confirmed the pattern: Stones placed insidethe Stone House were absorbed, boosting the entire space's energy levels. Stones left outside remained untouched. To enhance the Mysterious Space, he simply needed to feed the stone bed Spirit Stones.
The potential was staggering. Shi Yue took several deep breaths to calm his soaring spirits. But the discovery posed an immediate problem: he couldn't incubate the delicate bee eggs insidethe energy-draining hut.
Shifting focus, he retrieved a porcelain bowl. Gritting his teeth, he drew a small knife across his forearm. Deep red blood welled and dripped steadily into the bowl. He began chanting a complex incantation from the rearing slip. As the final syllable left his lips, he swiftly formed hand seals, directing pulses of energy into the collected blood.
The liquid stirred, lifting from the bowl to hover mid-air. It churned and coalesced, forming eighteen distinct blood-colored runes, each pulsing with restrained power. Shi Yue opened the wooden box. With a focused gesture, he commanded, "Go."
The eighteen runes shot towards the six bee eggs. Three runes sank into each egg, vanishing beneath the faintly glowing shells – the blood contract established. Shi Yue then prepared an empty jar, lining the bottom with ten fresh Spirit Stones. He placed the box containing the rune-marked eggs inside, covered the jar opening with a layer of gauze for ventilation, and carefully set the sealed jar outside the Stone House, well away from the energy-draining field.
With the immediate pest threat still lingering, Shi Yue held off planting spirit grain in the third, empty field. Instead, he embarked on a rigorous daily patrol of the two cultivated acres, meticulously inspecting every Frostleaf and Sunfire plant. His prediction proved accurate: Scale Insect survivors were present. Each discovery met with swift justice. He channeled the Geng Metal Art, summoning razor-sharp Geng Metal Qi Aura with precise flicks of his fingers, obliterating the tiny pests wherever he found them.
Shi Yue spent the equivalent of ten days within the Mysterious Space. Most of his time was consumed by patrolling and exterminating. The intense, sustained focus required to wield the Geng Metal Qi Aura proved unexpectedly beneficial; it relentlessly tempered his Spiritual Sense, honing it further, pushing its boundaries ever so slightly wider. The remaining hours he devoted to his own cultivation, cycling Qi and consolidating his gains. The challenges were many, but the path forward, illuminated by the stone bed's secret and the promise of the spirit bees, felt clearer than ever.
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