Rise of the Wang Clan: Starting with a Portable Farm

Chapter 276: Rainbow Phoenix Silkworm

Yang Lu wasted no time, swiftly ascending to the summit of Haoran Peak to meet Wang Hao.

Following a few requisite, shallow pleasantries, the veneer of courtesy dropped, and they moved straight to business.

“Fellow Daoist Wang,” Yang Lu began, his tone laced with poorly concealed urgency. “Do you possess any more of that diluted Rank Three spirit water? I am willing to pay an exorbitant sum for it. I hold a vast collection of rare spirit insects that I would gladly offer in exchange!”

Wang Hao unhurriedly produced two jade vials from his robes, a faint, calculating smile on his lips. “I have two vials remaining. However, they are diluted far more heavily than the previous batch. I have no lack of Spirit Stones; my sole interest lies in rare heaven and earth spirit insects, or high-tier spirit beast eggs.”

Yang Lu snatched the jade vials, popping the corks to take a deep sniff. His brow furrowed in immediate displeasure. “Fellow Daoist Wang, why would you dilute such a heaven-defying treasure? It is a sheer waste of natural wealth!”

Disappointment gnawed at Yang Lu. Even with three heavily diluted vials of Rank Three spirit water, he still couldn’t guarantee the successful incubation of his two Soul-Devouring Golden Cicadas.

Wang Hao offered a practiced, self-deprecating sigh. “Fellow Daoist may not be aware, but this spirit water marginally increases the success rate when refining pills. I only acquired a few vials by sheer luck. To stretch my supply, I had no choice but to dilute them. After all, I am merely a Rank Two alchemist; pure Rank Three spirit water is beyond my current means to utilize.”

“Senior Yang,” Zou Yu interjected from the side, playing her part flawlessly with a look of immense reluctance. “My master utilized this very spirit water to refine a Middle Grade Foundation Establishment Pill. You truly should not underestimate its potency!”

Hearing this, Yang Lu’s suspicions eased. It made logical sense that a minor clan cultivator wouldn’t possess large reserves of pure high-grade spirit water.

He pondered for a moment before gritting his teeth. “I do possess some genuinely rare stock. Were I not in such desperate need of this spirit water, I would never bring them to light. Fellow Daoist may choose a few from this selection.”

With a sweep of his sleeve, Yang Lu presented seven or eight distinct types of insect eggs, detailing their pedigrees with practiced pride.

“The Black Jade Bee. Ranked ninety-first on the Heaven and Earth Spirit Insect Ranking. It is an aggressively violent spirit bee, more than double the size of an ordinary variant. Its stinger carries a lethal fire poison; a few strikes will leave a Foundation Establishment cultivator dead or permanently crippled!”

“The Gold-Eating Ant. Ranked one hundred and thirty-seventh. Forged with copper sinews and iron bones, its physical resilience is terrifying. It feeds exclusively on ores and rare metals.”

Wang Hao analyzed the offerings coldly. A small cluster of Gold-Eating Ants was virtually useless; they only became a deterrent when bred into a swarm of over a thousand. Even then, their fatal flaw was obvious—they couldn’t fly. Any high-level cultivator could easily evade them. They were little more than glorified miners and path-clearers.

“The Snow Jade Spider,” Yang Lu continued. “Ranked one hundred and seventh. Upon reaching the second grade, it can exhale freezing bursts of extreme cold.”

“The Purple Crystal Centipede. Ranked ninety-fourth. Capable of spitting a highly corrosive venom and exceptionally skilled in earth-escape arts!”

Yang Lu puffed out his chest. “I also possess a specialized Spirit Pill formulated exclusively for nurturing spirit insects. I can gift Fellow Daoist a bottle! If you require more, you will need to purchase them with Spirit Stones. My Setting Sun Sect is the only faction in this entire region capable of producing them.”

Wang Hao’s brow furrowed in thinly veiled disdain. These spirit insects were functional, but their immediate impact in a life-and-death struggle was abysmal. Species like the Gold-Eating Ant and the Black Jade Bee demanded monumental resources to breed into effective swarms and were too easily countered.

As for the nurturing pills? Wang Hao had a mountain of superior feed in his spatial farm; he certainly didn’t need to buy Yang Lu’s scraps.

“Fellow Daoist Yang,” Wang Hao said, his voice dropping to a cool, dismissive register. “I am offering two vials of Rank Three spirit water. Are these mundane pests truly the best you can present? I heard the Yiyuan Sect maintains ties with the Nascent Soul powerhouse, the Beast Taming Sect. Does your sect possess nothing with a respectable ranking?”

Yang Lu balked, genuinely stunned. “This… Fellow Daoist truly fancies none of them?” Whenever he revealed these eggs in the past, other cultivators had practically salivated over them. How could Wang Hao look at them like common trash?

“If Fellow Daoist lacks anything of true value, I would be better served trading these vials to Fellow Daoist Liao for some high-tier talismans.” Wang Hao turned his back, a clear gesture of dismissal.

“Wait!” Yang Lu blurted out, stepping forward to block Wang Hao’s path. “I have two eggs of the Rainbow Phoenix Silkworm. It ranks fifty-first on the Heaven and Earth Spirit Insect Ranking! The Rainbow Phoenix Silkworm is a master of concealment and wind-element arts, possessing an unfathomable flight speed. It is an unparalleled partner for any cultivator, in both offense and defense! Legends state that upon reaching the fourth grade, it can tear through the void, carrying its master across thousands of miles via Teleportation!”

Yang Lu’s eyes narrowed, trying to regain his leverage. “This spirit insect is exceptionally precious. You must add another vial of Rank Three spirit water to the trade!”

“The Rainbow Phoenix Silkworm?” Wang Hao paused, glancing back over his shoulder. “Now that sounds somewhat interesting. Elaborate.”

“It excels in wind-escape arts and can carry its master in flight. While there are faster spirit insects in this world, they strictly occupy the top ten of the Heaven and Earth Rankings—mythical creatures Fellow Daoist Wang will likely never encounter in this lifetime. Beyond evasion, it can unleash invisible wind blades, slaughtering enemies without a trace!”

Yang Lu’s chest swelled with Sect pride. “Our Patriarch established the Setting Sun Sect’s dominance in the Red Butterfly Sea entirely by relying on two Rainbow Phoenix Silkworms. The Liao and Sun clans may boast one more Golden Core cultivator than us, but even if they allied together, they would still be slaughtered by our Patriarch!”

“Spare me the endless praises,” Wang Hao interrupted, his tone sharp and pragmatic. “Tell me its flaws.”

Wang Hao wasn’t a fool. If the Rainbow Phoenix Silkworm was truly that invincible, Yang Lu would never part with it so easily. If every disciple in the Setting Sun Sect owned one, they would have conquered the Red Butterfly Sea ages ago, rather than bowing to the Yiyuan Sect.

Yang Lu offered a tight, forced smile. “Fellow Daoist Wang is sharp indeed; your perspective is impressively comprehensive.” He sighed. “Very well, I shall be transparent. The Rainbow Phoenix Silkworm’s divine abilities are devastating, but it cannot aid a cultivator in combat prior to reaching the third grade! Only after it achieves its third-grade metamorphosis and becomes a butterfly can it manifest its true power. Until that day, the sheer volume of resources required to feed it is astronomically higher than that of ordinary spirit insects! Were it not for this crippling gluttony, it wouldn’t be ranked fifty-first—its combat prowess alone warrants a top-twenty placement!”

“What? It must be nurtured all the way to the third grade before it transforms?” Wang Hao frowned heavily, feigning deep hesitation. His own Illusion Moon Butterfly was a formidable asset, and it had provided immense utility even at the second grade. Why did this silkworm require such a grueling incubation period?

Playing the part of a struggling clan leader, Wang Hao asked, “Fellow Daoist Yang, is this spirit silkworm utterly useless before it becomes a butterfly?”

Inwardly, Yang Lu sneered. Even Golden Core cultivators bleed their treasuries dry trying to feed this glutton. You, Wang Hao, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator from some backwater clan, dare to covet it? You’ll bankrupt yourself before the Rainbow Phoenix Silkworm ever spins a cocoon! These precious eggs will be entirely wasted in your hands.

Outwardly, however, he maintained a mask of patient diplomacy—he still desperately needed that spirit water.

“The Rainbow Phoenix Silkworm undergoes four life stages: egg, silkworm, pupa, and butterfly. A first-grade silkworm provides zero utility; it does nothing but eat and sleep. Upon reaching the second grade, it begins to spin silk. This silk is a supreme-grade material for artifact refining, capable of forging flying Magical Artifacts or dharma robes that drastically enhance a cultivator’s escape speed! Unfortunately, the silk yield is pitifully low, nowhere near enough to offset the ruinous cost of feeding it.”

“And how exactly did Fellow Daoist come to possess these eggs?” Wang Hao pressed.

“Every thirty years, the Patriarch’s third-grade Rainbow Phoenix Silkworm lays a clutch of ten eggs. The Sect holds a grand martial tournament, and the top five disciples each claim two. I secured these two eggs by fighting in the tournament two years ago.” Yang Lu shook his head, feigning practicality. “But I simply lack the vast resources to feed two useless mouths. Rather than wasting my Spirit Stones on them, I would be better served purchasing spirit herbs to advance my own cultivation! I strongly advise Fellow Daoist Wang to do the same—stick to spirit insects that mature quickly and offer immediate low-level utility. The Snow Jade Spider is an excellent choice!”

The truth, of course, was vastly different. Because Yang Lu had secretly unearthed the Soul-Devouring Golden Cicada eggs, he now viewed the Rainbow Phoenix Silkworms as a burdensome distraction. He needed to funnel every scrap of his wealth into hatching the cicadas. Naturally, he would take this secret to his grave.

Resources? Behind his stoic expression, Wang Hao’s internal monologue practically laughed. Resources were the absolute least of his concerns. His dimensional farm produced a staggering bounty of spirit beast fodder. A single casual harvest would provide enough premium feed to gorge these ‘ruinous’ silkworms for an entire year.