The Ascension of Contracted Spirits

Chapter 160 - 124: Rare Insect Clan, Mud Blade Mantis! _2

Ye Hanjun wore a faint smile and calmly relayed a thought he had been meaning to share:

"Su Mei, Li Jingming, you have seized the opportunity to change your fate. With my guidance, you have separated yourself from your past self and strode towards a future filled with brilliance."

"However, in your spare time, you should think about what it is that you truly want to achieve deep within your hearts."

"This goal can be without boundaries, absurd, and even misunderstood by the world."

"It is not simply about ’becoming stronger’, but rather about bringing previously unreachable dreams into reality after achieving strength."

"I call it ’the power of growth’ or ’the belief of growth’."

"For example, while countless factors compelled me to become stronger, often against my will, my ’desire to eat’ is one of my self-driven motivations. No external force can persuade it. It wholly belongs to me."

Shaking his head, Ye Hanjun earnestly said:

"Remember, never strive to become stronger for the sake of becoming stronger. You must find your own belief."

"What is the point of standing at the peak of the world, where no one can look up to you, no one can stand by your side, and no one wants to protect, if all you have is blank power?"

"Higher ranks, stronger Fond Spirits, more wealth... these are not the purpose of being human. A better life is. Never confuse the means for the end."

"Su Mei, Li Jingming—I hope that as my disciples, you won’t lose yourselves."

"Think about what you want to pursue. If you can’t figure it out for now, that’s fine. This is a question you can ponder throughout your life."

"Trust me, once you possess your own belief, whether it’s one or many, when you approach them one by one, you will become invincible; no confusion can blind your eyes, and no predicament can halt your steps..."

His simple words struck like thunder.

Su Mei, who was originally joyfully savoring the delicacies, shuddered and froze.

While Li Jingming, with his sparkling eyes, seemed to see a brighter Path of Controlling Spirits. It appeared closer and more real to him.

"Huh, this kind of teaching can also trigger a Passive Ability?"

Ye Hanjun intended to lay a solid foundation for his disciples and sow the seed of ’belief’ early so their journeys could be more far-reaching in the future.

Unexpectedly, their Passive Ability, ’Reciprocity’, was activated.

A considerable amount of experience points flooded into him, making him feel tinglingly pleasant from the rapid flow of power.

"The mentors at the academy never explain these things..."

"But Master Han’s words come from the heart and strike our souls with a power akin to an earth-shaking force!"

Li Jingming respectfully expressed his gratitude for Ye Hanjun’s enlightening words with a bow.

Su Mei, coming to her senses, swiftly followed suit.

Her delicate face glowed with a light rarely seen in her usual demeanor. Standing before Ye Hanjun, she seemed less reserved and more playful.

"Master Han, before I figure out what I actually want in life, I am determined to make you my goal and continuously try to catch up!"

"Despite our similar ages, you truly embody the ideal definition of a ’master’. Being able to be your disciple is indeed good fortune in my life!"

Ye Hanjun faintly smiled without answering.

He stood up from the rock, gesturing for his two disciples to divide the remaining duck necks among themselves. After finishing their meal, they prepared to start their day’s adventure.

"Li Jingming, let’s try the full version of the ’Sweet Slime’ today."

Li Jingming nodded in agreement, then added tentatively,

"Master Han, the commotion was quite large yesterday with only half the dose."

"I’m worried that if we go all out, it might attract bigger insects at the Rainbow Light level."

"No worries. We will deal with it when it comes."

With an unperturbed demeanor, Ye Hanjun pulled out a red elixir bottle from his Dimensional Space Bag and handed it to Su Mei, saying,

"This is the ’Fury Potion’ I mentioned to you before. It was first purchased from the store, and then I added a few special ingredients to slightly modify its properties."

"Later, when all the insects are attracted here, let the ostrich drink it."

"For about fifteen minutes, the ostrich’s combat power will skyrocket, getting infinitely close to the Perfection of the Clay Body."

"However, it will become ’Out of Control’ and may not follow your commands."

"What you need to do is ride and control it, making sure that its life is not in danger while letting it go wild."

"In this way, during the fight, it has the chance to comprehend new skills and indirectly improve its overall combat capability."

"Understood!" Su Mei nodded solemnly.

After discussing the plan, Li Jingming spent twice as long as he did yesterday carefully setting up the insect trap.

Then, he smeared the Sweet Slime along the edge of a giant rock. As soon as the sweet scent filled the air, he quickly retreated from the trap with Ye Hanjun and Su Mei, hiding behind another rock tree at a distance of three hundred meters.

"Buzz buzz buzz—"

Surprisingly, a swarm of ’Zombie Bees’ was the first to rush over.

These insect-like Fond Spirits don’t collect nectar but prefer to harvest fresh blood from dead bodies to make "Blood Honey".

Their small bodies can hardly be caught by the trap with larger holes.