Chapter 314: Worm Peeling

Duan Rong's consciousness, like a tide, slowly surged up...

His eyelids twitched, and his eyes slowly opened.

The moment his consciousness cleared, Duan Rong suddenly jumped up.

He discovered that he was still in the same stone chamber as before he lost consciousness.

Shang Xiangyu was sitting at a small desk, flipping through that notebook. Only, the large stone pot that had originally been on the desk was already gone.

Seeing Duan Rong jump up, Shang Xiangyu raised his eyes to glance at him, his tone light and airy as he said, "Awake?"

Duan Rong's gaze swept outside the stone window, only to see a expanse of white, billowing mist.

Inside Changliu Mountain, with nine days of overcast for every one of sun, it was impossible to tell the changes in the weather.

Duan Rong also did not know how long he had been unconscious.

Seeing that Duan Rong did not answer, Shang Xiangyu did not mind; he closed the notebook, stood up, and said, "Come out with me."

As Shang Xiangyu spoke, he walked out of the stone chamber, and Duan Rong silently turned to follow Shang Xiangyu out of the stone cave.

Standing outside the cave entrance, Shang Xiangyu glanced at a corner of the platform outside the cave where several people were busily working, and said, "Pan Yong, this kid is named Duan Rong, show him the ropes."

Once Shang Xiangyu finished speaking, he did not wait for an answer, but turned and walked into the stone cave.

At this time, a young man with a square face and bright eyes finally raised his head, smiled honestly, looked at Duan Rong, and said, "Disciple Duan, come over to my side."

Duan Rong took a look at the young man named Pan Yong; this person's complexion was dark, and although he appeared honest, one could tell at a glance that he was a mature, steady, and deep-scheming fellow.

In that corner of the platform, the ground was covered with various tools and some bottles and jars.

Duan Rong carefully stepped over the clutter covering the ground and stood not far from Pan Yong.

Pan Yong pulled a folding stool from behind him, placed it by his side, and without even raising his head, said, "Come, sit here."

Duan Rong stepped over a strangely shaped wooden tool and sat down beside Pan Yong.

As soon as Duan Rong sat down, Pan Yong turned his head to look at him and said, "Watch closely, I'll catch three for you to see."

Duan Rong focused his gaze and saw Pan Yong reach his hand into a jar by his feet, pulling out a worm from that jar.

That worm was about the size of a thumb, without feet or whiskers, and its whole body was covered in alternating rings of hard shell.

The worm was constantly wriggling in Pan Yong's hand...

Pan Yong pinched the worm tight with one hand, while his other hand held a blackened iron tool; that iron tool looked a bit like tweezers, but it wasn't, and at one end, a three-inch black needle protruded.

Holding the iron tool, Pan Yong first used the black needle to pierce a protruding point on the worm's hard shell, saying, "First use the black needle to fix it in place. Pierce that protruding spot."

Pan Yong used the two ends of the tool to clamp the fixed worm tight, looked at Duan Rong, and said, "Watch carefully."

Then, Duan Rong saw Pan Yong grab the iron tool, his fingers moving like they were weaving a flower; he didn't know how he moved, but the worm's hard shell fell off, and a white, fat, maggot-like worm, wriggling, fell into Pan Yong's hand.

Pan Yong threw the fleshy, white, tender big worm in his hand into a wooden basin by his feet, where more than ten big worms were already wriggling and crawling...

Pan Yong removed the empty shell from the black needle, threw it by his feet, looked at Duan Rong, and asked, "Did you see clearly?"

Duan Rong shook his head with a blank expression.

Although Duan Rong hadn't seen it clearly, he knew that the key point was in the instant Pan Yong's fingers flashed; he didn't know how he moved, but he had used that iron tool to pluck off the worm's hard shell.

"It's fine, watch again."

Pan Yong repeated the process, once again throwing a worm into the wooden basin by his feet.

Duan Rong frowned; this time he stared tightly at Pan Yong's fingers, but still couldn't see it clearly.

Duan Rong said, "Senior Brother Pan, could you be a little slower the moment you pluck off the shell?"

Before Pan Yong could speak, another young man not far away chimed in, saying, "Kid, it's not that we won't go slow for you. It's that if it's slow, you can't pluck it off."

As that person spoke, he suddenly snapped his fingers and said, "It's just like snapping fingers; if it's slow, it won't make a sound. Understand?"

Pan Yong looked at the young man who snapped his fingers, smiled, and said, "Oh... Yin Cong, you know quite a lot now. When you first came, I asked you to pluck worm shells, and your face was so dark, you kept rolling your eyes at me..."

The young man named Yin Cong smiled and said, "Senior Brother Pan, why do you keep bringing up those embarrassing things? Aren't you exposing my shortcomings in front of the newcomer?"

Duan Rong glanced at the young man named Yin Cong; this person was clearly lively in temperament, while another young man beside him had a gloomy expression and didn't say a word. While the others were already joking around, he just kept his head buried in his work, not even raising his head once.

Pan Yong raised his hand again, threw a worm into the wooden basin, and said, "Come, Disciple Duan, you try."

As Pan Yong spoke, he put down the iron tool in his hand and stood up.

Duan Rong had no choice but to bite the bullet and sit on Pan Yong's folding stool. Pan Yong sat to the side, looking at Duan Rong with encouraging eyes, and said, "It's fine, just go ahead and do it. Everyone went through this."

As Duan Rong sat there, just as he grabbed the blackened iron tool, the others all looked at him in unison, even that Senior Brother who had been silent all along looked at him now.

Duan Rong first reached his hand into the jar by his feet to feel for a worm.

The moment his hand reached into the jar, a tingling sensation filled his palm and the back of his hand.

Duan Rong had reached into a pile of worms to pull one out; as his hand reached the mouth of the jar, he discovered he had pulled out two, and as his fingers loosened, one fell back down.

Duan Rong pinched the hard shell of the worm with his left hand, and the worm kept wriggling...

The woman named Tang Zhu's expression changed, and she almost vomited.

She was the only one here who had never peeled a worm; seeing the worm wriggling in Duan Rong's hand, she got goosebumps all over.

Chen Hu looked at Tang Zhu and said, "If you can't watch, then don't watch."

Tang Zhu glared at Chen Hu and snapped, "Who asked you to care?"

Duan Rong used the black needle at one end of the iron tool in his hand to pierce the protrusion on the worm's outer shell, fixing it in place, and then Duan Rong used the two ends of the iron tool to clamp the worm steady.

Just at this moment, Pan Yong coughed and moved his folding stool to sit further away.

Duan Rong didn't pay it any mind; recalling the image of Pan Yong plucking the worm shell in his mind, his fingers suddenly moved.

Only a *pop* sound was heard; not only was the worm shell not plucked off, but the worm was crushed instead, and white, fishy-smelling fluid splashed all over Duan Rong's face...

Yin Cong let out a few hearty laughs.

Tang Zhu was also laughing, her face flushed red...

The moment Tang Zhu laughed, Chen Hu moved his eyes away from Duan Rong and looked with bright eyes at the smiling Tang Zhu.

Tang Zhu noticed Chen Hu looking at her, and her face instantly turned even redder; she glared at Chen Hu in annoyance, then buried her head in her work.

Pan Yong shifted his buttocks and laughed, "It's no bother, it's like that for everyone the first time."

Duan Rong wiped the foul-smelling insect pulp off his face; he finally understood why Pan Yong had chosen to sit further away just now.

Pan Yong said, "Disciple Duan, try a few more times. With this sort of thing, practice makes perfect. It's no bother if a few bugs die."

As Pan Yong spoke, he went off to do other things, only occasionally casting his eyes toward Duan Rong.

Duan Rong sat there, looking at the pitch-black iron tool in his hand, when his gaze suddenly shifted, and he secretly thought, "Spirit Reader."

The next moment, a set of data appeared before Duan Rong.

Artifact: Black Iron Clamp.

Spirit Artifact Tier: Unranked.

Devouring Requirement: None.

Devouring Effect: Primary Level Flexibility.

Duan Rong glanced at the devouring effect and secretly thought, "Devour."

As the word "devour" flashed through Duan Rong's mind, the data panel before him flickered and then dissipated, leaving the void instantly empty.

Duan Rong began to sit there, closing his eyes to rest his mind.

He did this in order to digest the just-devoured Artifact Spirit with the highest efficiency.

Duan Rong sat there without moving, as if he had fallen asleep, remaining still for a long time.

Pan Yong's expression had already changed.

Yin Cong snapped his fingers again, and Pan Yong turned his head to look at him, his expression very unsightly.

Yin Cong said, "A real master has arrived!"

Tang Zhu had originally been burying his head in his work, but at this moment he also raised his head to glance at Duan Rong, and looking at Chen Hu sitting diagonally opposite, he muttered, "This guy is really annoying..."

Chen Hu said, "You're talking about him, why are you looking at me?"

Tang Zhu said, "So what if I look at you?"

After a while, Duan Rong suddenly opened his eyes.

Every time the Womb Treasury Sutra advanced a level, Duan Rong's speed at digesting Artifact Spirits would become faster.

And at this moment, Duan Rong had already achieved the third level of the Womb Treasury Sutra.

The Divine Soul was like the stomach for Duan Rong to devour Artifact Spirits; as the Divine Soul grew stronger, Duan Rong could not only devour higher-tier Artifact Spirits, but his speed at digesting them also became faster and faster.

It was as if this "stomach" was not only becoming larger, but its digestive capacity was also becoming stronger.

As Duan Rong suddenly opened his eyes, the gazes of several people shifted.

Duan Rong was seen reaching out again, pulling an insect from the jar by his feet, and with a flick of his hand, he had already fixed the insect onto the black needle.

Almost at the same time the insect was fixed, Duan Rong's right hand twitched, and the two ends of the Black Iron Clamp had already gripped the insect firmly; the next moment, Duan Rong's fingers gave a twist, and the two ends of the Black Iron Clamp were seen to tremble.

A plump, white, fleshy worm had already dropped into Duan Rong's hand.

This entire set of movements by Duan Rong was simply even more fluid and natural than the demonstration Pan Yong had given earlier.

Because Pan Yong had to demonstrate for Duan Rong, he had inevitably been rigid and mechanical.

The few of them were stunned there, and before they could react, another big fat worm had already been tossed by Duan Rong into the wooden basin.

Pan Yong said, "You... Disciple Duan, how impressive..."

Duan Rong said, "It is because Senior Brother taught me well."

Pan Yong smiled awkwardly. He had only demonstrated for Duan Rong three times, after all.

Yin Cong looked at Chen Hu's profile and laughed, "Sigh... Mr. Poker Face, you've been outdone!"

Chen Hu was already considered the most skilled among them. He held the record of only crushing seven insects.

But Duan Rong had only crushed one insect.

Chen Hu glanced at Duan Rong, and seeing those practiced movements, even with his usual calm and unruffled demeanor, he was slightly startled at this moment.

Yin Cong said, "This brother is a seasoned hand!"

Chen Hu gave a grunt, a look of contemplation appearing in his eyes.

Yin Cong said, "I've heard that some martial arts geniuses with high comprehension can master any martial arts move just by looking at it once. I didn't believe it before."

As Yin Cong spoke, he glanced at Duan Rong again.

That twist of the clamp to peel the insect had some real technique to it.

These people were all Outer Sect Disciples, and their attainments in martial arts were all among the best of their peers.

That insect was fat and tender; to peel off its shell without damaging the insect's body, one's fingers had to go through more than ten changes in an instant.

One always had to improve time and again to figure out these changes.

Inevitably, one would get foul pulp splashed all over one's face time and again.

If one ran into a clumsy one, it was normal to get splashed until one vomited several times.

But Duan Rong had only crushed one insect, and succeeded on the second try.

In between, he had only sat there with his eyes closed for a while.

Could it be that just by closing his eyes and thinking for a while, he could see through those ten-plus changes?

What kind of monstrous comprehension ability was this?

Chen Hu suddenly sighed and said, "There is always someone better, and there is always a heaven beyond heaven." Following this, he stopped looking at Duan Rong and continued to bury his head in his work.

Just at this moment, on the other side of the large platform, there was a sudden clattering sound of an Iron Chain.

A figure actually walked out from the corner on the other side of the large platform.

It was a lame man, his stature shorter than an average person; as he walked out, he rubbed his sleepy eyes, and drool was still dripping from the corner of his mouth...

Yin Cong said, "It's over, the little demon king is awake."

Duan Rong had also already looked over toward that side.

Looking at that person's appearance, he seemed to have reached adulthood, yet his face still retained a childlike naivety, and within that naivety was a look of simple-mindedness.

The lame man let out a yawn, then looked over in this direction and immediately discovered that there was one more person.

An expression of excitement instantly appeared on his simple-minded face, and he immediately came limping over in this direction, but as soon as a clatter was heard, he was held back by an Iron Chain.

The lame man was almost pulled to the point of falling, but he seemed not to care at all, merely grinning as he looked at Duan Rong.

He clearly knew that Duan Rong was a newcomer.

The lame man stood there, his two hands fumbling about his body.

Before long, he clutched something from his pocket, suddenly raised his hand, and threw it forcefully toward Duan Rong.

The moment the lame man appeared, Duan Rong had felt it strange, especially since an iron ring was fastened around his waist, tied to an Iron Chain.

At this moment, seeing the lame man raise his hand, a black shadow flew toward him.

While still in mid-air, Duan Rong had already seen that it was merely a stone.

As the stone neared his body, he reached out and caught it in his hand.

Seeing Duan Rong snatch away his stone, the lame man was stunned for a moment, then became so angry he wailed and shrieked, grabbing another stone to throw at Duan Rong.

Duan Rong reached out again and tossed that stone down by his feet.

Having been thwarted twice, the lame man became even more enraged and actually began rolling around on the ground.

The lame man rolled on the ground for a while, stood up again, and threw a stone at Duan Rong.

Duan Rong's expression remained unmoved, and he caught them one by one.

Just then, Tang Zhu looked at Duan Rong and said, "Don't keep catching them. If you let him hit you once, he will stop."

There were already four or five stones by Duan Rong's feet, and his expression was becoming increasingly unsightly. But he was new here and had no idea what the situation was, nor did he know who this lame man really was, or why he was tethered to the stone wall with an Iron Chain.

Seeing Tang Zhu say this, and seeing another stone fly over, Duan Rong did not go to catch it; he tilted his head and let it strike his forehead.

Seeing that his strike had landed, the lame man was instantly so happy he began clapping his hands.

Duan Rong kept a cold face and simply lowered his head to continue peeling his insects.

Just then, a stone suddenly smashed into Tang Zhu's head; an expression of indignation instantly appeared on Tang Zhu's face, but she did not look up, merely pausing for a moment before continuing with the work at hand.

Seeing that the two people he had hit showed no reaction, the lame man suddenly felt it was dull and flavorless; he threw away the stone in his hand and sat before the stone railing, howling and shrieking...

When the lame man grew tired of calling out, he looked at the white mist rolling in the Empty Valley and began to stare blankly...

(End of this chapter)