The Silkworm Babies were eating a lot, gaining rich nutrients, and growing rapidly. In just five days, they had already devoured two of the ten Frost Grass plants that Alaric Ye had planted. Moreover, their appetite seemed to be increasing.
Fortunately, Alaric still had thirty Spirit Stones on hand and managed to plant another thirty Frost Grass plants specifically to feed the Silkworms.
This was an extremely extravagant behavior.
According to the "Silkworm Rearing Manual," Frost Grass could be used as a high-grade feed for Silkworms. However, due to its high cost, it was rarely used, as the silk produced might not cover the expenses.
The cost of the Frost Grass that Alaric planted was several times higher than the market price. He was worried that these two chubby little guys might eat him out of house and home.
But Alaric had always liked little bugs. Seeing the Silkworm Babies eating so happily, he felt it was worth it. If they really drained his wallet, he could only live off his blood in the future.
After all, to the Silkworm Babies, Alaric's blood was their favorite.
Besides feeding them Frost Grass, Alaric occasionally had Little White and Little Strong feed them other types of Spirit Herbs. However, the quantities were small. Consuming Metal-attributed Spirit Herbs could make the Silkworms' teeth sharper, Wood-attributed Spirit Herbs made them more energetic and grow faster, Fire-attributed Spirit Herbs enhanced their future spell power, and Earth-attributed Spirit Herbs significantly boosted their defense.
Such a costly feeding method was rarely attempted, even by the Inner Disciples of Spirit Beast Peak.
The smelly fart worm, Little Blue, was also entering a rapid growth phase under Alaric's care. Little Blue preferred Fire-attributed Spirit Herbs but had a much smaller appetite than the Silkworms.
Alaric noticed that Little Blue was undergoing some kind of mutation after consuming Fire-attributed Spirit Herbs. The most obvious change was that its farts became stinkier, and occasionally, it would even emit sparks that ignited the stench, causing a violent explosion.
Thus, Alaric spent his days feeding the Spirit Insects, practicing his cultivation, and occasionally attending classes at Spirit Beast Peak Academy. Time flew by, and more than a month had passed in the blink of an eye.
In Alaric's bedroom, he sat cross-legged on an oval jade meditation cushion. The Sword Grass leaf in his hand quickly withered, and a large amount of Geng Metal Qi merged into his body.
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Unlike the intense pain he experienced when he first started practicing the "Five Elements Vajra Technique," Alaric didn't even furrow his brow. Now, his execution of the technique was extremely smooth, and he felt no pain, only a slight comfort in his body.
Suddenly, Alaric's body trembled, and his skin glowed with a faint golden light. He transformed into a golden Buddha!
At that moment, Alaric opened his eyes, a sharp gleam flashing in them. He extended his hand, and with a "clang," the Black Iron sword on the table flew out of its sheath, transforming into a cold light and landing in his hand.
He swung his wrist, and with a sharp motion, the Black Iron sword clashed with a "ding," sending sparks flying. Alaric's wrist was unharmed, only bearing a silver-white scratch that disappeared within a few breaths.
Alaric had finally succeeded in reaching the first level of the "Five Elements Vajra Technique."
While running the technique, no mortal weapon could harm him anymore. Even a flying sword attack from a cultivator of the same level wouldn't instantly penetrate his body.
Alaric grabbed the sharp Black Iron sword, and it quickly deformed in his hands, eventually being twisted into a large dumpling!
The "Five Elements Vajra Technique" not only enhanced his body's defense but also strengthened his bones, meridians, and muscles. Now, his physical body possessed the strength of a horse!
The strength of his body and the intensity of his mana wouldn't add much when using artifacts for long-range attacks, but if Alaric wielded a melee weapon, infusing his entire body with mana, he could achieve perfect synergy.
In other words, Alaric could now exert the strength of 3.4 horses in close combat!
Moreover, mana was easily exhausted, but a cultivator's physical strength was inexhaustible. Most cultivators' combat power would plummet when their mana was depleted, but body-refining cultivators wouldn't suffer as much.
This was the advantage of body-refining cultivators.
Looking at the Black Iron sword in his hand, Alaric was very satisfied with the "Five Elements Vajra Technique." The month of enduring excruciating pain had not been in vain!
Alaric stood up easily.
"Finally, I can focus on practicing the 'Five Elements Primordial Art.' Once I reach the first level of the 'Five Elements Primordial Art,' I'll consider advancing to the second level of the 'Five Elements Vajra Technique!'"
With the first level of the "Five Elements Vajra Technique" achieved, Alaric finally had the confidence to practice the "Five Elements Primordial Art."
If he could reach the second level of the "Five Elements Vajra Technique," ordinary flying swords and spells would find it hard to harm his body. The Iron Tortoise Technique would be considered a minor success.
But the second level would undoubtedly be much more difficult than the first, so he couldn't rush it.
With a thought, five lights flashed, and Little White, Little Strong, Little Blue, and the two Silkworm Babies appeared before Alaric.
"Dinner time!" Alaric patted each of their heads, then placed a plate in front of each of them. After dispersing the "Five Elements Vajra Technique," he made a cut on his wrist with the flying sword, and a large amount of fresh blood gushed out, filling each plate halfway.
Except for Little White, the other four Spirit Insects began to devour the blood ravenously. Little White extended her head and licked Alaric's wrist with her tender red forked tongue, causing his wound to heal naturally.
After tending to Alaric's wound, Little White began to eat.
Alaric's gaze fell on the two Silkworm Babies, now three to four inches long.
Their names were Silkworm One and Silkworm Two, one male and one female.
Silkworm One and Silkworm Two were eating more and more, their appetite almost matching that of Little White and Little Strong. The smallest eater was Little Blue. Unlike the other Spirit Insects, who rarely ate Spirit Herbs after drinking blood, the Silkworms continued to eat all day long...
If there were no Spirit Herbs to eat, they would gnaw on the ice blocks around them, and after finishing the ice, they would even munch on the sand on the ground.
Now, in the space of Alaric's Ancient Ring of the Insect Emperor, only four of the dozens of Frost Grass plants remained. Even with frugal feeding, the Silkworm Babies could only last for ten more days.
Although Alaric's strength had improved significantly, his plan to make money had not made any substantial progress. Relying solely on the six Spirit Stones he received monthly as a senior miscellaneous disciple was far from enough to cover his current expenses.
"Why am I always so poor... I must find a way to make money," Alaric thought, feeling a bit troubled.
Alaric needed money to practice the "Five Elements Vajra Technique," money to practice the "Five Elements Primordial Art," and even more money to raise the Spirit Insects...