Chapter 13

Fine golden threads were woven into a net on the carapace, shimmering with a faint glow. Although it remained motionless, it gave Wei Changfeng a peculiar feeling—it didn’t seem dead, but rather in a deep slumber.

Deep slumber!

A thought suddenly sprang to mind, and Wei Changfeng recalled more about the golden-thread beetle.

The golden-thread beetle had an extremely long lifespan and lacked any combat abilities. After being kept as a pet, it relied entirely on its owner for feeding and would not actively seek food.

Once it entered a state of hunger, it would fall into a deep slumber until it died or was awakened by someone.

Could it still be alive?

Wei Changfeng thought it was very likely. After all, it was hiding inside a thousand-year-old rosy pearl fruit, the spiritual energy of which could sustain it for a long time. This also explained why only the outer shell of the fruit remained.

After a moment's thought, he immediately cut his right index finger with a small knife and squeezed out drops of blood onto the golden-thread beetle.

Strangely, the crimson blood was immediately absorbed by the beetle's body, not a single drop was left behind. A faint red glow gradually appeared on the golden carapace.

Feeding the golden-thread beetle with blood was essential to establish a bond with it. Over time, the owner could even achieve mental communication, which was quite remarkable.

If the blood feeding was neglected for a long time, the golden-thread beetle would no longer heed the owner's commands and could be easily taken over by others through blood feeding.

The only way to awaken a slumbering golden-thread beetle was also through blood feeding!

This was originally a secret of the Heavenly Heart Sect. If Wei Changfeng hadn’t had a special relationship with Bi Xiuyun, he probably wouldn’t have known the method to awaken the golden-thread beetle.

Sss!

After a moment, when Wei Changfeng had dripped ten drops of his own blood, the golden-thread beetle on the table finally stirred. Its six legs spread out, and its back carapace trembled, emitting a low rumble.

In the next moment, it suddenly sprang up, flipped in the air, and landed steadily on the table. It raised its slender antennae toward Wei Changfeng and spread its wings, chirping!

It really worked!

Wei Changfeng was overjoyed. He had only tried it out, but he never expected that this golden-thread beetle, which was at least a few hundred years old, would actually be awakened.

Others might not know the value of the golden-thread beetle, but Wei Changfeng was well aware. With this spiritual insect in hand, it would be much easier for him to search for medicinal herbs and materials in the wild. It was truly a priceless treasure!

Thinking about how he had bought this spiritual insect for just five taels of silver, Wei Changfeng almost laughed out loud.

It wasn’t just five taels of silver; even if it were fifty thousand, five hundred thousand, or five million taels, he wouldn’t have exchanged it!

He had truly found a great bargain!

Chirp!

The golden-thread beetle chirped again, its wings trembling rapidly. It moved back and forth a few times, then shook its head and nodded at Wei Changfeng, looking quite amusing.

Wei Changfeng vaguely sensed that it was trying to convey a message to him—hunger, it was very hungry!

This golden-thread beetle had clearly been in a long slumber. Although it hadn’t died, it had very little strength left after waking up. After a few chirps, it folded its wings and lay on the table.

Wei Changfeng knew it needed to be fed. Blood feeding only awakened and tamed it, but could not replace the food it truly needed.

He also knew that the golden-thread beetle's favorite food was first, spiritual pearls formed by the condensation of spiritual energy, and second, the inner cores of demonic beasts, the higher the grade, the better.

However, both spiritual pearls and demonic beast cores were extremely valuable, and he couldn’t afford any of them!

In desperation, Wei Changfeng searched through the medicinal herbs he had bought, selecting all the ten-year-old herbs and fruits, and piled them in front of the golden-thread beetle.

Smelling the scent of the herbs, the originally listless golden-thread beetle immediately perked up, pouncing and opening its mandibles to start munching loudly.

These wild herbs, though not the golden-thread beetle's favorite food, contained a bit of spiritual energy and were sufficient to satisfy its extreme hunger.

Its teeth were extremely sharp, and in the blink of an eye, it had devoured several ounces of herbs, swallowing the essence and spitting out the residue, quickly turning the expensive herbs into piles of waste.

In less than half an incense stick's time, all the herbs and fruits Wei Changfeng had selected were gone, making his face turn green. These herbs were worth at least a hundred taels of silver—enough for just one meal!

If the golden-thread beetle always had such a good appetite, it wouldn’t be long before it ate him into poverty. The few hundred taels of silver he had left wouldn’t be enough.

Fortunately, after eating, the golden-thread beetle finally settled down, curling up and falling back into a deep slumber.

Its body had visibly swollen.

Wei Changfeng breathed a sigh of relief and, after some thought, placed it back into the Sumeru Cauldron.

He extinguished the oil lamp, returned to his bed, and sat cross-legged to continue practicing the Great Void Nine Heavens Yang Heart Sutra, striving to restore his first-level cultivation as soon as possible.

The long night passed silently.

...

Snap!

A crisp cracking sound startled Wei Changfeng out of his deep meditation.

He suddenly opened his eyes and saw the lid of the Sumeru Cauldron on the table being lifted, a golden light flying out and quickly heading toward him!

Wei Changfeng was startled and instinctively tried to dodge.

However, the golden light suddenly paused, hovering in front of him, emitting a faint hissing sound.

Wei Changfeng focused and saw that it wasn’t golden light at all, but the golden-thread beetle!

After a night's slumber, the little guy looked much better. It spread its wings, flew around Wei Changfeng once, and then landed steadily on his shoulder, chirping twice.

This time, Wei Changfeng felt its affection and attachment!

Wei Changfeng didn’t pay it any more attention, and the golden-thread beetle, with its own sense of spirit, crawled into his clothes and hid in his chest.

But Wei Changfeng could still clearly feel the connection between them.

He got up, picked up the Sumeru Cauldron from the table, and saw that there was a shed carapace inside.

The shed carapace of the golden-thread beetle was an excellent medicinal material, useful for refining several special pills. Although small, it was highly valuable and could at least make up for last night's loss.

Leaving the room, Wei Changfeng washed up, had breakfast, and then bid farewell to Murong Wan, heading to Jingyun Martial Academy.

Jingyun Martial Academy was not in Jingyun City but on the east bank of the Luo River in the west of the city, backed by the Green Wilderness Mountain. It was very close to the open-air market where Wei Changfeng had been the day before, a short walk away.

Jingyun Martial Academy covered a vast area. From a distance, it looked like a huge estate, with white walls and black tiles surrounding hundreds of stone and wooden houses. On the mountain, there were magnificent palaces and floating stone platforms, forming a city outside the city!

Standing in front of the red gate of Jingyun Martial Academy, Wei Changfeng felt a deep sense of emotion.

Three years ago, his predecessor had abandoned a promising future in martial arts and left the academy, embarking on a path of no return.

Three years later, Wei Changfeng returned here, with a completely different mind and soul!

"Excuse me, young man, are you a student of the academy?"

At that moment, an elderly voice came from the side.

Wei Changfeng turned his head and saw an old man with white hair and a simple robe looking at him, his eyes filled with a bit of caution and flattery.

The old man was holding the hand of a girl around twelve or thirteen years old, with a pair of bright, black eyes. Though still a child and dressed simply, she was clearly a beauty in the making.

The Lower Academy of Jingyun Martial Academy opened its gates to recruit new students on the first to third day of each month.

Like the Alchemy Academy and the Literature Academy, as long as the tuition was paid, eligible boys and girls from Jingyun City and the surrounding areas could enter the academy to study martial arts.

It was the third day of the month, and many people had already gathered outside the gate, mostly accompanied by their elders. In comparison, Wei Changfeng, who was alone, stood out.

"You old man, you really don’t know anything. How could he be a student of the academy!"

Before Wei Changfeng could answer, a fat man in brocade sneered, "Students of the academy all have identity badges and wouldn’t be waiting here for the gate to open."

This fat man was also there to register, accompanied by a chubby little boy who kept glancing at the girl with his small, beady eyes.

Wei Changfeng smiled but didn’t say anything, essentially confirming it.

However, the old man in the simple robe felt a bit awkward and, trying to make conversation, said, "So you’re here to register too? This is my granddaughter, Xiaoling. We’ll be fellow students in the academy."

"Xiaoling, say hello to your senior brother!"

Wei Changfeng was no fool; he immediately understood the old man’s intentions.

The old man was trying to help his granddaughter make a connection with a fellow student in the academy, hoping for some support in the future.

"Hello, senior brother, I’m Nie Xiaoling."

Xiaoling said shyly, her face blushing slightly.

Wei Changfeng smiled warmly, "Hello, I’m Wei, Wei Changfeng!"

Although he saw through the old man’s intentions, he didn’t feel much resentment. Xiaoling was a very cute and endearing girl.

However, the little boy who had been staring at Xiaoling was not pleased. He glared at Wei Changfeng with a hateful look and tugged at his father’s arm.

The fat man looked at the old man and then at Wei Changfeng, sneering, "Old man, even if you’re looking for a protector for your granddaughter, you should find a better one. He’s already fifteen or sixteen, right?"

"Starting martial arts training now is too late!"

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