Within a jagged crevice on a cliffside of Maple Red Valley, Gensheng had established a makeshift sanctuary. Three skeletons, picked clean of every scrap of meat, lay piled in the corner.

  The outside world is hunting me. For now, I can neither feast on laborers nor openly practice my spells.

  Without the subsequent stages of the Hundred Solutions of Celestial Insects, he would be trapped forever in this half-human, half-insect state. He could kill a few Qi Condensation disciples, yes, but he would be doomed to spend his life in the gutters, never seeing the sun.

  To blend into a crowd, to enter the Library, to find a greater destiny... it was all a fool’s dream.

  Irritation gnawed at his mind. His path was correct, but the road ahead was swallowed by mist.

  "Half-man, half-insect. Feeding on flesh, yet learning the speech, script, and arts of humans."

  A breeze drifted through the crevice, and a voice sounded from behind him. It was warm and steady, as if an old friend were reminiscing over tea.

  Without warning, a man had appeared in the cave.

  A middle-aged scholar in a cyan robe stood a short distance away, hands tucked behind his back, observing Gensheng with a faint, knowing smile. He looked refined, his aura completely restrained; had Gensheng not seen him with his own eyes, he wouldn't have sensed a soul in the cave.

  "Your form... you’ve taken the Hundred Solutions of the Shadowfire Butterfly lineage and forged a new path that no one could have predicted."

  The scholar seemed to read his mind and chuckled softly. "Though I am human, I cultivate the Dao of Insect Control. The cultivators out there call me the Insect Demon."

  He took a step forward and crouched, bringing his eyes level with Gensheng’s.

  "Little one, would you care to acknowledge me as your Master?"

  "I see the resilience of an insect's frame and the dexterity of human hands. You possess both demonic power and sapient intellect. If you study my Insect Mastery, you will undoubtedly surpass the teacher. To me, this form of yours is not disgusting—it is the perfect Dao Body."

  The Qi within Gensheng surged to its peak. His six hands gripped the ground, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

  "Who are you?"

  The scholar remained unbothered, even tilting his head with interest. "A rogue cultivator." He brushed a speck of non-existent dust from his sleeve, his eyes never leaving Gensheng’s six hands. "I was passing through, felt a sudden resonance, and decided to take a look."

  A rogue cultivator?

  "Senior must be joking," Gensheng said, slowly straightening his body. The tattered rags slipped, revealing more of his chitinous thorax. "I am a creature at a dead end, a monstrosity that won't live much longer. I cannot accept a Master, nor can I speak of 'cultivation'."

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  This was half-truth, half-probe. He truly lacked a manual for the next stage. He wanted to see what this "Insect Demon" was really after.

  "Oh?" The scholar’s brow arched. "And why is that? Your aura is unstable, but your foundation is vast and your killing intent is focused. You are not one to fear death or wallow in self-pity. Why say you won't live long?"

  "All of Maple Red Valley seeks my head. You must have heard of the bounty in the Mission Hall. I am but a fifth-level Qi Condensation whelp. How long can I hide in the wilderness?"

  This is my situation—a scorched coal. Do you dare touch it? Can you even hold it?

  Hearing this, the Insect Demon didn't look grave; he burst into laughter.

  "Maple Red Valley? They are naught but a pack of fools begging for scraps while holding a golden bowl. They are hunting me, too. It seems we are kindred spirits, you and I."

  The Insect Demon paced around Gensheng, inspecting him like a priceless treasure.

  "You say you are neither man nor ghost? I say you are magnificent."

  "The Shadowfire Butterfly’s ancestral manual is stagnant, obsessed with shedding the insect shell to become human. They call that the 'Righteous Path.' Bah! The power of an insect lies in its innate Divine Abilities. The brilliance of a human lies in the meridians, the Dantian, and the ever-shifting wisdom of the mind."

  "They choose only one and congratulate themselves on their 'attainment.' But you... you have fused both into a single furnace."

  The admiration in the Demon’s eyes deepened. "Six hands. What an exquisite creation! Do you have any idea what 'One Heart, Six Uses' means to an Insect Master? It is a realm we only dream of!"

  "An ordinary cultivator is at their limit forming mudras with two hands. But you? You can trigger six spells or manipulate six magical artifacts simultaneously!"

  The words struck Gensheng’s mind like a great bronze bell.

  That Yinhuo Die—the one who abandoned her insect nature to play at being human—she is the true fool!

  "As for your 'dead end,' that is nonsense. Acknowledge me as Master, and I will not only ensure you live, but I will make you live better than anyone in this valley. They see you as an evil; I see you as a treasure. They want to kill you; I will teach you how to slaughter them all."

  Gensheng fell silent. This was a scene he recognized. Survival for a price.

  "What do you need me to do?"

  The Insect Demon nodded in approval. "I need you to handle a task for me. A task that only you can accomplish."

  He pulled an ancient parchment map from his robe and spread it on the ground. It was a map of Maple Red Valley. His finger pressed down on a central area marked in blood-red.

  "This is Saintess Peak, a forbidden zone of the sect. At its summit lies a grotto-dwelling. It houses the sect’s once-in-a-century genius, their hope for the future—the Saintess, who is on the verge of reaching the Core Formation Realm."

  Gensheng memorized the name. "The Saintess is in seclusion. And she is supported by a Grade-3 Spirit Vein beneath the valley."

  "You want me to destroy the Spirit Vein?"

  "No," the Demon smiled. "I want you to destroy the Saintess."

  Gensheng paused. With his current power, provoking such a figure was like a mantis trying to stop a carriage.

  The Insect Demon seemed to read his doubt. He circled Gensheng, clicking his tongue in wonder. "Do you feel you are too hideous, too repulsive to step onto the grand stage?"

  Gensheng met his gaze. "In this state, I cannot even leave the Outer Sect. Senior is surely mocking me."

  The Demon shook his head. "Mediocre worries. I have a method that can allow you to Transfigure into human form—and it will allow you to keep those six hands exactly as they are."

  The killing intent in Gensheng’s gut froze. "A human body... with six hands?"

  "Indeed." The Insect Demon withdrew his hand and stood tall. "A cockroach’s body is foul, unfit for the halls of the refined. But you are different. You carry a unique Fate-Weight that allows you to reverse your bone-structure and sprout human limbs. If you take human form, you will be a man of Peerless Beauty. And combined with those six arms..."