« Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter » Chapter 44: White Ant Queen Half a month later. Outside the mountain, the summer heat was sweltering, but inside the mountain, it remained cool. Accompanied by Bai Jing, Fu Shaoguang left the Demon Market . Soon, a gigantic earthen fortress came into view. It was the Ant Nest . Fu Shaoguang entered it, marveling at the sight. The Termite Demons truly deserved their reputation in the Demon Market for their construction skills. The Ant Nest stood tall like an earthen mound, magnificent on the outside, and even more intricate on the inside, with roads extending in all directions. Crisscrossing and dense with tunnels. Like a dense, sprawling network. Fu Shaoguang believed his memory was good and his sense of direction accurate; he could remember the path at first, but he quickly became disoriented. His head was spinning. He stuck closely behind Bai Jing. Perhaps only Termite Dem...
Achieving Immortality in a Cultivation World by Extraordinary Means: Chapter 11: Cultivation Realms
Chapter 11: Cultivation Realms
A sliver of fish-belly white appeared on the horizon.
A wisp of Morning Sun Purple Qi descended, swirling around the translucent Mayfly in the Ancient Pine Courtyard.
Plain white and purple intertwined, the two colors complementing each other naturally.
Ending his Cultivation, Fu Shaoguang collected the morning dew, added a little nectar, and drank it down. This was one liang of spirit honey, something he had spent ten coins of heavy money to buy from a Butterfly Demon’s stall.
He could choose not to consume Spirit Medicine—not because he couldn’t afford it—but when it came to eating, he believed extravagance was necessary where it mattered.
After finishing his meal, Fu Shaoguang rested briefly, then flew out of the courtyard and entered the mountains to gather herbs as usual.
Holding a knife, he harvested a large amount of Oleander. After tidying himself and returning home, Fu Shaoguang made some minor adjustments and began reviewing what he had learned at the Demon Academy the night before.
According to the Magpie Demon, Heaven and Earth are divided into Qian and Kun, and all things contain Yin and Yang. Yao belong to Yin, Humans belong to Yang. Therefore, Humans favor daylight, while Yao travel through the dark of night. Cultivation itself also follows the division of Yin and Yang.
Humans cultivate Qian Yang Pure Qi.
Yao cultivate Kun Yin Turbid Qi.
Heaven has Nine Layers, Earth has Nine Hells, and the Spirit has nine orifices.
No matter the Cultivation path, all are divided into Nine Layers.
The lower three layers are Technique.
The middle three layers are Dharma.
The upper three layers are Dao.
After embarking on the Cultivation path, one advances from Technique to Dharma, then evolves the Dao, moving from shallow to deep, layer by layer. However, before stepping onto the Cultivation path, the process is reversed—one must first enter the Dao, cultivate Dharma, and only then can Technique be born, moving from top to bottom.
The Demon race is not as favored by nature as the Human Race. The calamities on their Cultivation path are far greater. There are tribulations for Achieving Sentience, tribulations for Drawing in Qi, tribulations for Becoming a Demon, and tribulations for Entering the Dao. Thinking back on his own experiences, Fu Shaoguang understood this clearly.
Because of his Transmigration, he became an Inherently Spiritually Intelligent Being and suffered a tribulation at birth, encountering the hunting of Dragonfly Nymphs.
When transforming into a Demon Insect, he encountered predation by monsters.
When Molting into an adult insect, he was attacked by a natural predator. That danger forced him to enter the Dao, generate Dharma Power, and comprehend Spells—this was also one of his calamities.
After thinking it through, Fu Shaoguang continued his review, focusing on the issue he cared about most.
Lifespan.
The Dao Realm belongs to Yao Kings.
The Dharma Realm belongs to Great Yao.
The Technique Realm belongs to Lesser Yao.
Lesser Yao differ by race and Cultivation Level, and so their Lifespans vary. Generally speaking, the First Heaven extends one’s Lifespan by one time, the Second Heaven by two times, and the Third Heaven by three times.
Fu Shaoguang was a Mayfly. Ordinary Mayflies take two years to go from larva to adult, but he took three. Calculating based on three years, he was currently in the First Heaven. His Lifespan had reached six years, leaving him with three years remaining.
This was already much better than expected.
Still, it wasn’t enough.
The higher one Cultivated, the longer everything took. Three years sounded long, but in truth, it would pass in the blink of an eye.
He needed to move faster.
Fortunately, he had already filled in much of his basic knowledge of Cultivation, so he didn’t need to stumble around blindly like a headless fly.
After organizing his thoughts, Fu Shaoguang picked up a small stick and drew on the ground, reviewing the Demon Script and Human Script he had been studying.
As evening fell, he flew out of the courtyard and entered the Scorpion Demon’s 【Five Poisons Shop】. As an old supplier, the large quantity of Oleander earned him a steady twenty coins. This daily income was considered good in the Demon Market, upper-middle class within Anping Alley.
But Fu Shaoguang was still not satisfied.
If he had Transmigrated into a race with a longer Lifespan, he could afford to take things slowly.
But as a Mayfly, he had no such luxury. He needed to be one step faster than other Yao, finish everything he needed to learn, and quickly step into the Second Heaven.
Cultivation required resources.
Preserving health required resources.
None of it could be done without money.
Golden Autumn Season.
Osmanthus flowers were fragrant, and Ginkgo leaves turned yellow.
A Mayfly flew out of the Demon Market, searching through mountains and forests while staying alert to natural predators.
It was Fu Shaoguang.
He had stayed in the Demon Market for a full month. His rental period expired yesterday, and instead of renewing, he gritted his teeth and spent one hundred coins to rent a Class B Room with a Spirit Gathering Array, moving to Ankang Alley.
Now, Fu Shaoguang had just over two hundred coins left. The Poisonous Herbs in the nearby small mountains were becoming harder to find, and his income had grown unstable.
Taking advantage of Golden Autumn’s abundance, he risked entering deeper into the mountains to search for Medicinal Materials, hoping to make a good haul.
Many Yao were doing the same.
Once they left the Demon Market, everyone scattered.
Before long, Fu Shaoguang sensed that he was being targeted. He was surprised, but not really.
There were over five hundred Yao in the Demon Market, and he was the only Mayfly. Attention was inevitable. His move into Ankang Alley within a single month wasn’t a secret either. It was only natural that some Yao would have ideas.
His Five Senses were sharp.
The Yao tailing him didn’t realize it had already been exposed.
This was his chance.
Vibrating his wings, Fu Shaoguang pretended not to notice, acting as though he were casually searching the mountains while deliberately moving farther away.
Suddenly, Wind Blades whistled through the air, and Killing Intent pressed down on him.
The pressure of a natural predator surged forward. The Tailing Yao finally lost patience and launched a fierce attack.
Already prepared, Fu Shaoguang activated Inch of Time Lengthening without hesitation. A faint silver halo appeared around his wings.
The Wind Blade slowed for a brief moment.
He dodged immediately, pulled Poison Powder from his Bamboo Token, and scattered it toward the Tailing Yao. At the same time, he drew his knife, flapped his wings, closed the distance, and threw the blade in one smooth motion.
Every time they met, the Dragonfly Demon would nod and smile, looking friendly enough. Knowing a Yao’s face, however, didn’t mean knowing its heart.
The Dragonfly Demon’s expression changed instantly.
It hadn’t expected Fu Shaoguang to react so quickly.
Nor had it expected Poison Powder.
The Dragonfly Demon beat its wings, barely avoiding the first cloud.
Then the knife arrived, cold light flashing with Killing Intent. It dodged instinctively—only to fall straight into Fu Shaoguang’s trap, right into the range of the second scattering of Poison Powder.
The powder coated its wings, body, and eyes.
Pain exploded in its vision. Bloody Tears flowed as it went blind within a few breaths, and its demon body began to rot, large Black Spots spreading rapidly.
The moment the poison hit, Fu Shaoguang retreated, hiding among the Ginkgo leaves and waiting patiently.
The Dragonfly Demon went mad, rampaging through the forest and releasing another Wind Blade after its Cooldown Period. Fu Shaoguang hid deeper still. After about Half a Cup of Tea’s Time, the Dragonfly Demon finally collapsed and died miserably.
Flapping his wings, Fu Shaoguang approached the pool of black blood, retrieved the Dragonfly Demon’s Bamboo Token, pulled his Sharp Knife from a nearby tree, and quickly left the area.
After One Cup of Tea’s Time.
The stream was clear, water murmuring as it flowed.
After washing the Bamboo Token, Fu Shaoguang stabbed it with his knife.
The token shattered, dropping only a few Copper Coins.
He counted them. Thirty-five.
“Poor ghost,” he muttered.
Putting everything away, Fu Shaoguang flew up into a treetop and reviewed the battle.
The victory wasn’t just due to planning—it owed a lot to the Poison Powder.
The Poison Powder was something he made himself.
He always kept a portion of the Poisonous Herbs he collected, such as Thunder God Vine, Oleander, and Pinellia.
After grinding and mixing them, he tested the toxin on natural predators that had yet to gain sentience.
After several adjustments, the poison became extremely effective.
He had brought it along purely as a precaution.
He hadn’t expected to use it so soon.
It seemed this method was worth developing further.
After summarizing the fight and adjusting his shortcomings, Fu Shaoguang—now rested—continued his search through the mountains.
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