[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-starlight-professional":3,"chapter-starlight-professional-starlight-professional-chapter-571":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Starlight Professional",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2309231,4512,"Chapter 571: Strange Insects","starlight-professional-chapter-571",571,"\u003Cp>Several days later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qingli Marsh, Fei Family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Fei family’s ancestral grounds were a sprawling complex of buildings, their depth impossible to gauge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Fang Xing’s perception, the arrays and other defensive forces within those Cengceng  courtyards were certainly far stronger than those in Paper Slave Valley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Paper Slave Valley was nominally under the Blood Shadow Sect, but in truth, it was the outermost of the outer layers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had rarely taken off his leather hide, but now he donned a plain blue robe, tidied himself slightly, and appeared ethereal and detached, walking obediently behind Old Lv.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“First, let’s meet the herb garden overseer—Fei Cai. Overseer Fei Cai is a seventh-stage Sensing expert.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Lv gave a warning, then turned into a small courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A delicate, petite woman stepped forward, calling him “Grandpa”—she must be his granddaughter who had married into the Fei family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately, Old Lv’s granddaughter led Fang Xing and Old Lv into another courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the courtyard, a middle-aged man was cultivating Qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Streams of pitch-black malevolent energy swirled around him, forming a storm of malevolence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Seventh-stage Sensing—Malevolent Energy! It involves refining one’s own Qi into a special malevolent form, infusing one’s spiritual power with a trace of malevolence… Simply by relying on one’s own spiritual power, without any technique or artifact, one can effortlessly suppress first- and mid-stage Sensing cultivators.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing’s mind stirred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, Xiao Cui. You brought your grandfather—why bring gifts?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Cui spoke a few words, and Fei Cai happily accepted the gifts Old Lv had brought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing clearly saw a flicker of pain on Old Lv’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘These Floating Cloud Five Friends have connections, but they’re truly broke…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recalling Old Lv’s hesitant, picky selection of gifts earlier, Fang Xing couldn’t help but smile inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, Old Lv, if the herbalist you recommended can save the Dragon King Ginseng, the Reclamation Token will certainly be yours.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fei Cai, recently overwhelmed by this very matter, gave his assurance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This… we simply don’t know how to proceed yet. We can only wait and see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Lv dared not make any promises.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re Fang Xing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fei Cai looked at Fang Xing, exuding the pressure of a superior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, to Fang Xing, it was like a joke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s right…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He answered calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you have confidence in healing the herbal plant?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I haven’t seen it yet—I have no confidence.” Fang Xing spoke plainly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm. You’re not a braggart. Follow me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fei Cai strode forward, leading Fang Xing and the others to the herb garden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The herb garden was small, nestled in a tiny valley, with a warm spring well at its center.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Nature’s balance of creation and destruction is truly wondrous…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the valley’s terrain, Fang Xing couldn’t help but admire it inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along the way, patrols of cultivators were everywhere, but they all withdrew upon seeing Fei Cai.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, Fei Cai brought Fang Xing to the valley’s depths, where a bamboo fence enclosed several ancient tree stumps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the tangled roots, a greenish ginseng plant flickered in and out of view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its stems and leaves bore dark spots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you think?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fei Cai asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Somewhat similar to fire poison…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing, gifted in herbalism, carefully replied: “But to know for certain, I need to examine it further…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fei Cai’s expression remained unreadable; he pulled out a token and waved it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bamboo fence parted automatically, revealing a path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Fang Xing stepped inside, he felt ten times the concentration of plant essence compared to outside; he breathed deeply, and his Natural Affinity talent activated instinctively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He reached out, touched the Dragon King Ginseng’s leaves, and communicated with it, gaining a faint hint of information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Fang Xing stepped out of the bamboo fence, now wearing a look of quiet confidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s your assessment?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Lv asked anxiously; even Fei Cai’s hands, clasped behind his back, tightened slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I won’t disgrace your trust…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really? The family has already summoned several herbalists to examine it…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fei Cai was skeptical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They treat headaches with headache remedies and foot pain with foot remedies…” Fang Xing said no more, only: “They saw the fire spots on the plant, so they prescribed cold-natured medicines. Some offered temporary relief, others worsened the condition—correct?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Precisely.” Fei Cai suddenly felt a flicker of renewed confidence in Fang Xing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Though the Dragon King Ginseng has developed fire spots, it hasn’t been poisoned by fire—it generates fire poison internally… akin to an evolution, or a self-defense mechanism.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Self-defense? Then…?” Fei Cai looked toward the herb garden: “Are there pests in the garden?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Indeed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing himself felt a touch of luck—Druids excelled at communicating with plants and animals; in this situation, he had an advantage over orthodox herbalists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Please, young friend, lend your aid. The Fei family will reward you handsomely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fei Cai’s expression turned solemn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, of course…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing approached an ancient tree stump, extending his Druidic perception until he detected several extremely faint life signs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though insects have low intelligence, they’re still slightly smarter than plants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simple commands like “come,” “eat”—they could understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shhh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shhh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, Fei Cai saw strange ants emerging from the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He examined them but couldn’t identify their species at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They look like ‘Spirit-Eating Ants’—the most common pests in spirit fields—but they’ve mutated…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Lv muttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing pulled out a bamboo tube, drilled a small hole in it, and collected the mutated Spirit-Eating Ants inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Done. These ants feed on the roots and stems of spirit plants. The Dragon King Ginseng, having developed sentience, evolved fire poison as a defense mechanism. Now that the stimulus is gone, applying some cold-natured medicine will show results in time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood up, clapped his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How many days will this take?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fei Cai remained doubtful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Seven days.” Fang Xing sensed the Dragon King Ginseng’s condition, communicated with it once more, and made his judgment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without stimulation, whether human or plant, all prefer to follow their established path—that’s path dependency. No one changes without reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In that case, wouldn’t you two stay a while longer at the Fei family?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fei Cai was warmly insistent: “Old Lv, you can spend more time with your granddaughter…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Lv seemed tempted, but Fang Xing refused outright: “I have other matters.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Very well. Since that’s the case, I won’t detain you. In seven days, if the Dragon King Ginseng is well… the Reclamation Token will be delivered to you. If you deceive me…” Fei Cai’s voice turned cold: “You know the consequences.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Naturally.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing agreed without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sigh… Brother Fang, why did you say that last line? You’ve greatly offended Overseer Fei Cai.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After leaving the Fei family, Old Lv complained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just a few extra days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I prefer the wilds and nature… Besides, these mutated Spirit-Eating Ants, though harmful to spirit plants, aren’t powerful themselves—how did they end up in a heavily guarded ginseng garden?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing toyed with the bamboo tube containing the mutated ants, asking a counter-question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean… there’s a traitor? Why?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Lv looked utterly confused, then suddenly shuddered, falling into ominous silence—no matter how much Fang Xing pressed, he refused to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Fang Xing said no more, but sneered inwardly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It seems the Dragon King Ginseng juice from this six-decade harvest likely relates to breaking through the Dao Foundation… a matter of fundamental importance.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Old Lv clearly realized something and dares not speak—even regrets getting involved.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Too late now—he’s already in the game. Trying to withdraw? Not easy…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After parting with Old Lu, Fang Xing walked to a secluded spot, suddenly spread his arms, and transformed into an owl, gripping the bamboo tube and clothes as he flapped his wings and took flight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was his newest learned 【Wild Shape】 form!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It proved that flight ability was crucial when one was weak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among Qi-Perception Ninth Layer cultivators, without relying on artifacts or talismans… only those who had reached Qi-Perception Eighth Layer and refined a single Gangqi  could use their own Gangqi  to lift themselves into flight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even so, they could not sustain it for long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To achieve true bodily flight, one must break through to the Dao Foundation!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the wild, a humble wooden hut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The owl landed and transformed back into Fang Xing’s human form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He donned a leather robe, walked over to the side, watched the sprouting oak seeds, nodded, then picked up a gourd filled with monkey wine and gulped it down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Druid’s Dao is nature…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked around and smiled: “Indeed, nature still feels more familiar to me…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief rest, eating some berries and dried meat, Fang Xing turned his attention to his spoils from this mission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mutated Spirit-Eating Ants?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint smile curled his lips: “They look similar… but the life essence I sense is nothing like that of ordinary pests… little ones, I can feel the savagery and ferocity hidden deep within your bloodline… that is the mighty lineage of the wild, of the primeval wastes…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Druids possess the Animal Domain; learning to tame beasts and control insects comes quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that he had acquired a rare group of exotic insects, Fang Xing felt he should buy a few books on insect taming—there would surely be gains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After communicating briefly with the little ants and feeding them some of their favored food, Fang Xing settled them down, then resumed reading and cultivating…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he knew it, seven more days had passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yunlai Market.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing did not immediately rejoin the Floating Cloud Five Friends; instead, he found the vendor who had sold him the oak seeds last time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Friend has come? Take a look at this piece of ‘Qingling Bamboo’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gray-robed vendor smiled upon seeing Fang Xing and opened a jade box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the box was a section of bamboo, still with its roots, covered in fresh soil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing sensed its vitality and nodded: “Good…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Qingling Bamboo was precisely what he had searched for—the plant most suited for planting in the Qingli Marshlands beyond the borders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had mentioned it only briefly last time; he hadn’t expected the vendor to have found it for him.\u003C\u002Fp>",1697,"2026-06-20T11:03:22.760Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","4a4b73a8f79995d3fbd2f764ee75367d8720e19e4bfa9cc4f4a097fafcd023a0","starlight-professional-chapter-572","starlight-professional-chapter-570",726,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstarlight-professional-cover.jpg"]