The Path of Immortality: Starts With Creating Water Bear Gu

Chapter 87: (2): In-Depth Development of Gu Insect Abilities

Previously, when the Earth Master ate the spiritual soil, there were faint signs of it evolving. However, because Long Xuan stopped it in time, the amount wasn’t enough, so the evolution failed.

But Long Xuan was able to conclude that every time the Earth Master consumes a kind of spiritual soil, it will evolve once, although the exact changes after evolution are unknown.

The second evolution route naturally involves eating feces.

Long Xuan found that his attempt to change the dung beetle's preference for eating feces had failed. Well, not exactly failed; it’s just that the dung beetle had developed a habit of eating soil, but that didn’t mean it had completely stopped eating feces.

Now, it eats soil when it encounters soil and eats feces when it encounters feces.

As a result, when it ate Brother Chicken’s feces, it actually showed signs of evolution. However, since Brother Chicken didn’t produce much, the transformation failed.

So Long Xuan quickly concluded that the dung beetle would undergo evolution when it consumed the feces of spirit beasts, though the required quantity might be significant.

The strength of the dung beetle after transformation might even be related to the species of the spirit beast that produced the feces. The feces of divine beasts could be the best option.

Feces are plentiful in the forest, making this a very cost-effective method that meets the criteria for high value at a low cost.

After these two accidents, Long Xuan quickly figured out the two evolution routes for the dung beetle.

He couldn’t be sure which route was stronger.

However, he guessed that the route involving spirit soil might be stronger, because divine beast feces are not available in this world, whereas the cost of spirit soil is higher.

But there are also disadvantages. The further along the route, the more difficult it becomes to evolve.

With more evolutions, the dung beetle's requirement for spirit soil would certainly increase, eventually needing peak-quality spirit soil, or even the legendary Heavenly Soil, which is extremely hard to find.

Choosing which evolution route to take is entirely up to personal choice.

After writing down the two evolution routes of the dung beetle, Long Xuan folded the paper and quickly set off towards the Long family.

With his speed, it took him less than half a day to arrive. Upon reaching the Long family, he immediately went to the mission hall and secretly placed the bug-raising pouch, containing the dung beetle and the Gu recipe, into the submission box. Then he returned to wait in peace.

…

Ten days later.

Long Xuan was comfortably lying in bed, sleeping in late, when the overly enthusiastic Long Qilin pulled him out of bed.

This wasn’t the first time Long Qilin had disturbed his good sleep.

He was already numb to it. To be honest, it was strange. Long Qilin was a Gu cultivator in the marrow-cleansing stage, while he was a Gu cultivator in the spirit-gathering stage. They didn’t belong to the same world, so how could they get along?

But Long Qilin just latched onto him, and since there was no formation blocking the entrance to the little Poor Peak, he could come and go as he pleased, treating the place as his home. Long Xuan had no choice; there was nothing he could do about it.

However, there were some benefits. Previously, his irregular sleep schedule from often working late on Gu recipes was corrected by being frequently woken up to have breakfast at the Long family’s cafeteria.

Breakfast was always timely, and to be honest, the Long family’s cafeteria did serve a great breakfast, worth getting up early for.

As they walked toward the cafeteria, Long Xuan yawned repeatedly and helplessly asked, "What is it this time? I'm not going to the Gu arena. My Gu insects are too weak to show off."

Long Qilin, walking alongside him, turned his head and smiled mysteriously, saying, "It’s precisely because you don’t have good Gu insects that I came to find you."

"I’ve got good news for you. Our Long family has developed an incredible secret Gu recipe, strong enough to become our clan's signature. The family intends to promote it throughout the clan."

"It's the talk of the clan. Many Long family Gu cultivators are rushing to exchange for the new Gu recipe. It’s already becoming a trend."

Long Qilin suddenly leaned in close to Long Xuan’s ear, excitedly saying, "Take my advice: exchange for it before the contribution cost increases."

"Trust my judgment, the Long family’s new secret Gu recipe is incredibly strong, far beyond your imagination. With it, your strength will skyrocket, and then you can compete in the Gu arena!"

Upon hearing this, Long Xuan’s eyes lit up, and he quickly woke up. His sleepy eyes instantly cleared.

The first thing that came to his mind was the dung beetle Gu recipe he had submitted to the family not long ago. He figured that the new secret Gu recipe Long Qilin mentioned was most likely his own dung beetle.

To be honest, after submitting the Gu recipe and the dung beetle to the family ten days ago, there had been no feedback, as if they had vanished without a trace.

Impatiently, he had to use his Eye of Heavenly farsight ability to observe the situation and discovered that all the family elders were excitedly conducting various tests on the dung beetle.

Evaluating the value of a Gu insect naturally requires various tests, which he could understand.

But those old guys were so slow with their work. They had to test its strength, speed, defense, bite force, even its appetite, and had to pit it against all sorts of other Gu bugs in battle.

In short, they tested everything. What could have been done in an hour took them several days, and his contribution points still hadn’t been credited. He was truly fed up.

What kind of efficiency was this? He was getting impatient.

Today, he finally heard some news. Since the matter had spread so widely within the clan, it seemed the feedback was good, and the family was considering promoting it clan-wide.

As long as the Gu recipe met the criteria for clan-wide promotion, the contribution points awarded wouldn’t be low.

Long Xuan grew excited and decided to listen to what others thought about the dung beetle. So, he feigned surprise and said in shock, "What? The Long family actually came out with a new secret Gu recipe?"

"Who on earth developed this Gu recipe? It’s so cost-effective that it’s going to be promoted clan-wide. That’s amazing! This person must be a genius, with unparalleled talent, truly deserving of the title ‘monster.’"

"Quick, tell me just how strong this new Gu species is?" Long Xuan shamelessly praised himself before asking.

Long Qilin, satisfied with Long Xuan’s shocked expression, enthusiastically replied, "Strong? The new secret Gu recipe is beyond strong!"

"The new Gu species is called the Earth Master. Let me tell you, even as a juvenile, the Earth Master is half a head taller than a person. Who knows how big it’ll be when it matures!"

"Remember, small size is a common trait among insects. Most bugs are tiny. When have I ever seen such a big Gu insect? Such a large Gu is something I’ve never encountered before."

"A giant like that would be a war beast on the battlefield, a killing machine. Just moving its feet could crush a large number of enemies. When something gets that big, it’s hard for it to be weak."

"And who on earth came up with the idea of giving this giant a suit of heavy iron armor?"

"Isn’t that cheating? Which Gu goes into battle covered in metal? How are other Gu insects supposed to fight it?"

"And yet, this thing’s strength is extraordinary. It can wear extremely thick metal into battle, and even if the metal weighs thirty times its body weight, it doesn’t affect it at all."

"No High-grade Gu could break through such thick metal, but its claws can smash a high-grade Gu into pulp. Isn’t that outrageous? It’s just unfair!"

"The best part is that it’s cheap, really cheap. It’s cheap to feed, and even the evolution process is surprisingly affordable, practically free. It’s a favorite among the poor. I strongly recommend you also refine one of these Gu insects; it’s too good to pass up!"

"Now the Earth Master has become a must-have for Long family Gu cultivators, and it’ll soon be a standard. Everyone will have one. You’ll miss out if you don’t refine one."

Long Qilin, full of excitement, rambled on, wildly praising the dung beetle's combat power with animated gestures.

The more he praised it, the more comfortable Long Xuan felt. Hearing that the dung beetle was becoming a standard, his smile widened. He knew that once a Gu bug reached this level, the reward contribution points wouldn’t be less than ten million.

"Are you sure the dung beetle will become standard? Even someone as wealthy as you, a genius, would refine such a low-grade Gu insect?" Long Xuan suddenly interrupted and asked.

"Of course!" Long Qilin smiled. "I now have eight Gu slots. No matter how rich I am, I can’t refine eight peak-grade Gu bugs. I still need many low-quality Gu bugs to fill in."

"Although the Earth Master is a low-grade Gu bug, its strength and defense are worth considering. Just the sheer size is intimidating and can boost morale. It’s perfect for the front line."

"So, I must refine a Earth Master. I’ve already done so, and today I called you out to show you my big treasure."

"It’s currently collecting soil balls to fill its storage space. I’ll call it over to show you something amazing."

Long Qilin, eager to show off, blew a whistle, and a Earth Master about the height of a person came running over, pushing a ball at high speed.

Many people along the way watched, pointing at it, but why were they all covering their noses?

Long Xuan's expression changed drastically as he suddenly realized something. The ball couldn’t possibly be…

His eyes widened in shock and fear.

Oh no! Although the Earth master's eating habits were modified to consume soil, it still eats dung if it encounters it. Now it eats soil when it meets soil and dung when it meets dung.

He then remembered that he had forgotten to include this detail in the Gu formula. This was a disaster! Something big was going to happen!

As the dung ball, taller than a person, approached, the stench was already overwhelming. Long Xuan’s face turned pale with fear, and he turned and ran.

At this point, the two of them were not far from the dining hall. The foul odor quickly spread through the doors and windows into the dining hall, even into the mouths of those eating.

“Wow…”

“Ugh…”

As expected, the dining hall was filled with the sounds of vomiting. The Gu cultivators of the Long family, who were eating there, all vomited and dry-heaved. The dining hall was immediately thrown into chaos with continuous cursing and shouting.

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