Chapter 121

At this moment, every Gu Pit was bustling with activity, surrounded by countless onlookers; the Gu Fighting Tournament was one of the clan's most lively grand events, and everyone came out to watch.

Not long after, Family Head Long Wanli rose from a high platform built of cement and began a lengthy opening speech.

Somehow, though his voice was not loud, it clearly reached every ear—even those of spectators far from the stage.

Yet his words were nothing but formulaic rhetoric, utterly empty and dull; just as everyone below began to nod off from boredom, the Gu Fighting Tournament officially began with his announcement.

At once, the crowd below opened their eyes and snapped to attention.

Immediately after, Long Wanli set aside his lengthy script and pulled out a list, recording the names of every contestant.

Ten Gu Pits would hold battles simultaneously; those whose names were called must enter their assigned Gu Pit to fight.

Each Gu Pit had a judge who would declare the winner, after which the next batch of contestants would take the field.

But the battle order and opponent selection did not appear to be decided by drawing lots—it was directly assigned by the clan.

This stirred an uneasy feeling in Long Xuan's heart.

He had planned to use the Heavenly Mechanism Eye's slight penetrating vision ability to draw a good lot, always choosing the weakest opponents and saving his turn for last.

Yet the clan had broken all conventions—there was no drawing of lots at all. Was this nonsense?

Wasn't this always done by lottery? How could fairness be ensured otherwise?

The clan's deviation from tradition shattered all his plans, leaving him no way to cheat.

Just as he was still stunned, Long Wanli's voice suddenly rang out.

"Long Xuan, Long Ye—report to Gu Pit No. 1."

Long Xuan's body stiffened. Damn it—he was the first to fight, and Gu Pit No. 1 was the closest to the Family Elders on the high platform, the most visible, the most watched, the most crowded.

Gu Pit No. 1 drew half the gaze of the entire arena—the most conspicuous position of all.

This was the consequence of no lottery. Long Xuan sighed lightly, then unethically sent his Clone forward, showing no intention whatsoever of respecting his opponent.

At that moment, the Flame Clone received the command in his soul, his mouth twitching involuntarily—he could only grit his teeth and step forward. His original body had given him not a single Top-Grade Gu Worm, only an Insect Breeding Bag filled with Second Team Gu Worms.

The Second Team Gu Worms were all Lower Grade Gu Worms—what was he supposed to fight with? Ordered to win, yet given no resources—he was truly screwed.

He glanced at his opponent, already standing beside the Gu Pit: Long Ye was a Cultivation Stage: Essence Refining Gu Cultivator. Though one level higher than him, Gu Fighting relied solely on Gu Worms—his own cultivation realm offered little advantage.

But this rule also restricted his Ten Absolute Body—he couldn't enter the arena. How could he win with just a few Lower Grade Gu Worms? Fight with his head? Remember, Long Clan Essence Refining Gu Cultivators all possessed Upper Grade or Top-Grade Gu Worms.

Long Ye had already tossed his Gu Worms one by one into the Gu Pit; especially a massive Earth Master stood out prominently—it had become the hallmark of Long Clan Gu Cultivators, each of whom owned one.

The Flame Clone sighed helplessly, finally reaching for the Insect Breeding Bag his original body had just handed him. When he checked the contents, his eyes suddenly lit up.

He'd brought that thing too? That's cheating!

Now the Flame Clone was no longer worried—he wore a devilish smile, utterly confident about the coming battle.

He patted his Insect Breeding Bag, and instantly a swarm of Ice Bees buzzed out, filling the air in the blink of an eye.

The Ice Bee swarm had now exceeded ten thousand, and among them, many had completed their first Transformation into Ice Bee Guards—fully formed and ready to relieve Long Xuan's troubles.

This was the Ice Bees' first battle; all were exhilarated, eager to fight. Ever since their stingers evolved into Ice Needles capable of infinite regeneration, they had all become warlike.

The largest Bee King among them, Bee King Bing Bing, was the most excited, staring down with fierce battle intent.

Suddenly, a vast swarm of insects appeared overhead, instantly drawing the full attention of the entire arena.

Spectators watching other Gu Pits turned their gazes here, stunned—Gu Pit No. 1 now held every eye in the arena.

Spirit Insects could be bred in large numbers, but due to countless restrictions, Gu Cultivators who favored Insect Swarm Tactics were exceedingly rare. Yet once such a swarm achieved combat readiness, it was truly terrifying.

Though Spirit Insects were weak, if numerous enough, surrounding and overwhelming a Top-Grade Gu Worm was perfectly normal.

But raising a swarm was ruinously expensive, and suitable Insect Species were hard to find—so Insect Sea Tactics rarely appeared in the Gu Fighting Tournament.

Such a rare combat scene naturally drew everyone's interest. Spectators from other Gu Pits rushed toward Gu Pit No. 1, gazing curiously at the aerial swarm, their faces alight with excitement.

Some even pulled out the Spirit Insect Atlas, frantically searching for the identity of the flying Spirit Bees—but Ice Bees were Long Xuan's own creation; how could they find any record of them?

The Family Elders on the high platform also looked astonished. The Great Elder stepped forward first: "He's chosen the Insect Swarm Path. Though its combat power is formidable, it's incredibly wasteful."

Long Wanli smiled: "Not necessarily. Bee species feed on nectar. If the Medicine Garden is planted entirely with Flower-type Spiritual Medicine, their food supply is easily solved."

"No wonder he demanded such a vast peak for his Cave Abode—if he intends to breed Ice Bees on a large scale, he needs ample land to grow Spirit Flowers."

The Fourth Elder, a woman, frowned: "Everyone knows the Ice Bees' diet is easy to manage, but this Spirit Insect has one fatal flaw: their stingers grow backward. Once embedded in an enemy, they cannot be pulled out—they are a species that dies after a single attack."

"No one likes such disposable Spirit Insects. From ancient times to now, no Gu Cultivator has ever raised a bee swarm. He is the first—opening a new chapter in history."

"It's a new path, an unknown path—he must forge it himself. Unless he solves the fatal flaw of the Ice Bees—dying after every attack—his swarm will never amount to anything."

All the Elders nodded. This flaw was too deadly: massive upfront investment, only to lose every single insect in one battle—cost and return were wildly disproportionate. Even a fool wouldn't raise such a species.

Long Xuan was clearly no fool. If he dared invest heavily in breeding Ice Bees and had already produced a sizable swarm, he must have solved this problem.

All the Elders looked curious, eager to know how Long Xuan had achieved such a feat.

At Gu Pit No. 1, Long Ye, seeing his opponent unleash so many insects, felt his scalp tingle. Ten thousand insects attacking his handful of Gu Worms? This was outright bullying.

Worse, these insects could fly—how could he fight? Helplessly, he sent out his only flying insect: a massive butterfly, flapping its wings fearlessly upward.

But what awaited it was a Rain of Pear Blossom Needles.

Once the Ice Bees formed their aerial formation, rear ends downward, targeting the Gu Pit, Bee King Bing Bing gave the order—and their stingers rained down like a storm.

The fearless butterfly plunged straight into the Needle Rain. Butterflies were fragile creatures—how could they withstand Ice Needle strikes?

Instantly pierced like a hedgehog, it tumbled from the sky.

Meanwhile, Long Ye's ground-based Gu Worms were also struck down. The Gu Pit was small, yet the Needle Rain covered every inch.

The needle barrage was so dense there was no space to dodge—they could only scramble in panic.

Worse still, Ice Bees could fire Ice Needles infinitely—each stinger regrew immediately after firing. The Needle Rain came in relentless waves, bombarding the ground without pause.

Soon, all of Long Ye's Gu Worms were pierced like hedgehogs, poisoned by bee venom, and lay motionless.

Only the Earth Master cheated—its body armored in thick iron plating, impervious to Ice Needles.

Though it could threaten the Ice Bees, forget that Long Xuan also possessed an Earth Master—now, Long Xuan's larger Earth Master was pinning Long Ye's down and grinding it into the dirt.

Under these circumstances, Long Ye had no choice but to raise his hand in surrender.

Thus the first Gu Fighting match of the Gu Fighting Tournament ended in an instant kill, stunning everyone.

Such an attack method was simply crude and straightforward — especially within the Gu Pit, where movement was restricted, every Gu Worm became a living target, utterly unable to dodge the dense Needle Rain. This attack method was truly unsolvable.

It had to be said, the Rules of the match were far too favorable for this swarm of bees — with movement restricted, the killing power of the Needle Rain multiplied several times over.

At this moment, everyone wore a wary expression, pondering how they themselves would cope if put in this situation.

The group of high-ranking members on the stage exchanged glances. The Fourth Elder smiled first and praised, "So that's how it is — replacing the barbed bee needles with regenerable Ice Needles is truly a fine method."

Long Wanli turned his head to look at her and laughed, "Hehe, I've spoken with him once. This boy's scholarship in researching insects is absolutely at the Monster level. It's hardly surprising he could devise a way to improve the bees' flaws. In terms of comprehension, my assessment of him is rare across all ages."

All the Elders were startled by such a high assessment and turned their gazes to Long Wanli together. Rare across all ages — that evaluation was really too high. The history of this world numbered far more than ten thousand years, didn't it?

Yet, thinking of the Gu Formula that Monster had researched, everyone fell silent and closed their mouths — they truly had no rebuttal.

Long Xuan, completely unaware that Long Wanli had given him such a high assessment, tossed a Pill Bottle to Long Ye after winning the first match, then left the Gu Pit.

His bee venom was a new type of deadly poison in this world, temporarily without an antidote. If he hadn't acted, Long Ye's Gu Worms — apart from the Earth Master — would have died to the last one.

Long Ye caught the Pill Bottle, gave him a grateful look, and finally withdrew from the stage as well.

The two had come quickly and left quickly — the fight had barely begun before it was already over, and everyone shouted that it wasn't satisfying enough.

(End of this chapter)