Little Strong had a penchant for stealing, especially food, which was an innate trait, much like human desires and emotions.

For the past two months at the Top Xuan Sect, where experts gathered like clouds, Little Strong spent most of his time inside the Ancient Ring of the Insect Emperor. Even when Alaric Ye let him out, he kept a close watch on him.

Now, finally tasting a bit of freedom, Little Strong could no longer suppress his long-held urge to steal.

Alaric seemed to understand Little Strong very well. Although Little Strong was usually obedient, there was no guarantee he wouldn't get a wild idea and run off. Stealing was a minor issue; Alaric feared he might be discovered and killed by Foundation Establishment cultivators. As for Golden Elixir masters, they probably wouldn't bother with such trivial matters.

So, Alaric earnestly advised, "Little Strong, it's not that I don't want you to go out, but you must cultivate your Hidden Dragon Technique to the second level. If Foundation Establishment cultivators can't detect you, you can move freely in the Top Xuan Sect as long as you avoid the Golden Elixir masters."

He needed to give Little Strong something to do.

The so-called Hidden Dragon Technique was a secret method for concealing one's aura, which Little White and Little Strong had comprehended in a secret realm. Alaric had also received instruction from Little White but had not yet reached the first level.

The Hidden Dragon Technique was extremely difficult to cultivate. Reaching the first level could shield one from the distant perception of Foundation Establishment cultivators. The second level could completely block their perception. The third level could shield against the ordinary perception of Golden Elixir masters, and the fourth level could even block their divine sense. There were a total of ten levels.

Currently, Alaric did not know the rank of the Hidden Dragon Technique.

Given its high difficulty, Alaric believed Little Strong wouldn't reach the second level in a short time.

Upon hearing this, Little Strong's eyes gleamed brightly.

"Long live the Master! Little Strong will go cultivate right away!"

Without any hesitation, Little Strong excitedly transformed into a black streak and dove into Alaric's Ancient Ring of the Insect Emperor.

Little White and Little Strong could cultivate their techniques much faster inside the Ancient Ring.

Alaric smiled wryly.

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What kind of karma had he accumulated to end up with such peculiar spirit insects? The smelly fart worm loved to fart, Little Strong loved to steal, and only Little White seemed somewhat normal.

Then he saw rocks flying beside the training ground, and within a few breaths, a pit three to four zhang deep had formed. Shortly after, a dark cloud drifted over, and a torrential rain began to pour into Alaric's courtyard.

Little White also had her preferences; she loved soaking in water and couldn't tolerate any dirt on her pristine scales.

Wiping the rain from his face, Alaric murmured, "I hope the two silkworm babies about to hatch won't have any extreme hobbies. Little Blue, come with me."

Little Blue was the new name Alaric had given to the smelly fart worm.

In the rain, Little Blue happily flapped his wings and followed Alaric.

Since Little White and Little Strong knew Little Blue wasn't very intelligent yet, they didn't try to communicate with their new companion and went about their own business.

Alaric stood under the eaves and patted his robe. With a "pop," a wave of air burst from his body, completely dispelling the water droplets.

The robes of the Top Xuan Sect were indeed water and fire-resistant, and dust-free.

"Little White, remember to fix the pool and plant these mulberry trees in the spirit farms."

"Got it, Master!" Little White lazily replied, already lying in a pool half-filled with clear water.

Since the mulberry trees had been delivered, they needed to be planted, whether or not they were used to feed the Snow Silkworms. This would prevent other cultivators visiting Alaric from suspecting he had secrets if they saw his Snow Silkworms thriving without mulberry trees.

Back in his room, Alaric took out an ice crystal jade box containing Snow Silkworm eggs from his storage space. He didn't open the box immediately but quickly browsed the Snow Silkworm Breeding Manual to understand their habits. Then, he opened the jade box.

Two thumb-sized, snow-white silkworm eggs lay quietly inside.

According to the normal process, Alaric needed to build an ice cellar for the Snow Silkworms to live in. He did plan to build an ice cellar for appearances, but not yet.

Snow Silkworms needed time to grow. He would first hatch them and let them grow in the space of the Ancient Ring. In the ring's space, Alaric had planted Frost Grass, a water-attribute spirit herb. The temperature around the Frost Grass was very low, possibly more ideal than an ice cellar.

After finalizing his plan, Alaric used the blade of his flying sword to cut his finger, squeezing out two drops of blood onto the silkworm eggs.

With a thought, he placed the eggs next to the Frost Grass in the Ancient Ring's space. Within a few breaths, Alaric's blood had soaked through the eggs, turning them from snow-white to blood-red. He could feel a slight tremor from the eggs, indicating the revival of life inside.

Puff, puff, puff...

A series of foul-smelling farts enveloped Alaric. Little Blue, excited by the scent of Alaric's blood, rubbed frantically against his other hand but didn't dare to consume the blood without permission.

Alaric took out a dish from his storage space, dripping blood into it.

"Cough, cough... Go ahead, eat. You can have a bit more the first time. Once you gain some intelligence, you won't fart so much..."

Little Blue devoured the blood ravenously, then Alaric placed him into the Ancient Ring's space. He saw Little Blue curiously crawl over to Little Strong, who was cultivating, and let out a few friendly farts.

Little Strong swatted him away with a pincer, but didn't really hurt him.

Little Strong complained, "You stink! But we do look somewhat alike. You can come with me to learn how to steal!"

Alaric quickly made Little Blue fall asleep with a thought.

After dealing with Little Blue and the Snow Silkworm eggs, Alaric went to the Spirit Beast Peak's main dining hall for a hearty meal, then visited the market to buy a low-grade Yellow Rank spell, Ice Sealing Technique. Once he learned it, he could use mana to quickly freeze water into ice, easily building an ice cellar.

...

On the third day of Alaric's stay at Spirit Beast Peak, two plump, translucent silkworm babies, as beautiful as jade, appeared in the Ancient Ring's space.

Alaric's two Ice Silkworms had finally hatched.

As Alaric had predicted, the Ice Silkworms loved the space inside the Ancient Ring. They didn't just stay near the Frost Grass but could also adapt to normal temperatures.

However, Alaric was troubled by their voracious appetite. They ate wherever they went in the ring's space. After a day, many spirit herbs had small bite marks, and even the hard shells of Little Strong and Little Blue bore teeth marks.

These two silkworm babies seemed to be natural foodies, born with excellent teeth and an insatiable appetite.

Alaric couldn't help but complain, "Am I, Alaric Ye, not destined to have a single normal spirit insect?"