Chapter 103: Retreat to advance, this is the pattern

“Heh… heh heh…”

Hearing Evan’s new offer, Arius let out a knowing chuckle.

This man was truly a piece of work.

A one-spirit-stone pile of books, yet through sheer exaggeration and deception, he had the audacity to inflate the price nearly a hundredfold.

Seeing Arius laugh, Evan grew even more nervous.

He knew, without a doubt—this time, he was completely screwed.

However, this experience had taught him a lesson.

The next time he encountered a powerful cultivator, he would make sure to keep a safe distance.

Or better yet—train an apprentice to handle customers in his place.

That way, if anything went wrong, it wouldn’t be his neck on the line.

“F-Fellow Daoist… what do you think?”

The more uncertain he felt about Arius’s thoughts, the less confidence he had.

“Bring me some top-quality insect eggs.”

Arius’s tone was calm, but he deliberately kept their distance uncomfortably close.

Given the vast difference in their cultivation levels, Arius could end Evan’s life in an instant if he so wished.

“Yes, yes, of course!!”

“Fellow Daoist, take a look! These are the Rain Summoning Worm eggs. Once hatched, these insects possess the divine ability to control rainfall—a perfect choice for tending spiritual fields or even mundane farmlands.”

“This here—Lightning Ant eggs! Once they mature, each individual ant can rival an early-stage Level 1 cultivator! The ant queen can even fight on par with a Level 2 cultivator. And if they form a swarm… they can easily threaten even a Peak Level 2 expert!”

“And this… this is one of our finest offerings—the Devouring Sky Horned Ant eggs! Even I have only successfully hatched two of them.”

“The moment these ants hatch, they already possess the combat power of a Peak Level 1 cultivator!”

“As for their adult forms? At minimum, they can rival Level 2 cultivators.”

“This species… has no queen.”

“Because its potential is limitless!! Upon reaching adulthood, it undergoes metamorphosis.”

“Each successful metamorphosis elevates its strength by an entire realm.”

“It is said that a Devouring Sky Horned Ant—if allowed to evolve enough times—can even devour entire worlds!!”

“Unfortunately… raising them is extremely, extremely difficult.”

Evan held up a glass vial, the tiny eggs shimmering faintly within, and sighed as he introduced the Devouring Sky Horned Ant.

In terms of potential and combat strength, these ants were undeniably monstrous.

Even as mere hatchlings, they were capable of slaughtering Peak Level 1 cultivators.

However, if not provided with sufficient resources, they would enter hibernation—their growth slowing to an agonizing crawl.

If the two young Devouring Sky Horned Ants he had weren’t currently in hibernation, Evan wouldn’t have felt so defenseless against Arius.

While it was true that spiritual and poisonous insects were generally weaker than human cultivators with spells and artifacts, a pair of Peak Level 1-level Devouring Sky Horned Ants—combined with Evan’s hidden trump cards—could have been more than enough to overwhelm ordinary Peak Level 1 cultivators.

After introducing the Devouring Sky Horned Ant, Evan proceeded to showcase various other spiritual insects, venomous bugs, and even gu worms to Arius.

There were three main categories of insects—venomous insects, spiritual insects, and gu insects.

Strictly speaking, all three were considered spiritual insects, but they were classified separately based on their functions and abilities.

Among them, venomous insects were offensive creatures, possessing significant combat strength.

Cultivating venomous insects was primarily for battle.

Spiritual insects, on the other hand, were docile and unsuited for combat. Their roles varied from tilling the land to fertilizing soil, or even summoning rain for spiritual herb fields and farmlands.

And finally—gu insects.

These creatures were sinister by nature, mainly used for ambushes, assassination, or enslaving subordinates.

In terms of cultivation difficulty, venomous insects were the easiest to raise, followed by spiritual insects, with gu insects being the most difficult.

After careful deliberation, Arius decided to purchase a variety of insect eggs from all three categories.

For venomous insect eggs, he purchased the largest quantity.

For spiritual insects, only a small amount was necessary—after all, their main purpose was to aid in the cultivation of spiritual herbs and assist in fertilizing and protecting the farmland under the De Molinos family’s influence.

As for gu insects—those were meant to control his subordinates.

Currently, the De Molinos family had hundreds of Blood Wolf Hall cultivators under its command.

Although they had already been branded with slave marks and sworn Heavenly Dao Oaths, these methods weren’t absolute.

The Heavenly Dao Oath had little binding force on low-level cultivators.

Only those at the Level 2 realm or higher would be truly restrained by the will of heaven.

As for slave marks, while Arius could implant them, they could be removed if a high-level cultivator intervened, or if these subordinates encountered a fortuitous opportunity.

However, if Arius secretly mixed gu insects into their medicinal pills, he could completely secure control over their lives.

Once a cultivator ingested gu insects, they would nest within their dantian. If triggered, even a Level 5 cultivator would struggle to remove them.

If he could cultivate legendary immortal gu, then even immortals could fall under his control!

“One hundred thousand—one hundred thousand insect eggs, fifty low-grade spirit stones.”

“Plus the books on insect cultivation and insect mastery—fifty-one low-grade spirit stones in total.”

Reviewing Arius’s purchase list, Evan cautiously reported the price.

This deal wasn’t just fair—it was practically a loss.

In all his years of swindling, this was only the third time he had suffered a loss.

The first two times had been because he encountered a powerful figure and a Level 3 cultivator.

Losing a deal to a Level 1 cultivator?

That was a first.

The more Evan thought about it, the more frustrated he felt.

But since Arius was standing too close, he could only force a bright smile, concealing his resentment.

However, in the next moment, Evan relaxed.

Since there was no avoiding the loss, why not turn the situation in his favor?

This was why Evan had managed to swindle countless cultivators for years, yet still safely run a store in Floating Dream Pavilion—his sharp instincts and adaptable mindset set him apart from ordinary merchants.

He gestured to a store assistant and instructed,

“Fetch an insect-rearing pouch!”

Then, turning back to Arius, he grinned warmly and said,

“Raising and controlling insects requires a specialized insect-rearing pouch.”

“Normally, such a pouch costs three low-grade spirit stones, but this time… I’ll gift one to Fellow Daoist, as a token of friendship!”

This was Evan’s signature tactic—retreating in order to advance.

By gifting Arius an insect-rearing pouch, he was making it difficult for Arius to complain, while also attempting to win him over.

After all, more allies meant more opportunities.

At the very least, by offering a small concession, he could ensure his own safety in Arius’s presence.

Soon, a store attendant returned from the storage room, carrying a specialized storage pouch embroidered with intricate patterns of insects, radiating a soft glow.

Taking the pouch, Evan handed it over with a beaming smile.