Ruling Martial World by Infinite Insect Swarms

Chapter 23: Chapter 22: Strength Breakthrough, Rapid Insect Evolution

At the No. 1 Mine Cave Insect Nest, located on the outskirts of the Qin Family Manor.

Inside the cave, the three-meter-tall Insect Nest was undergoing a bizarre transformation. As its Energy was rapidly consumed, it reverted into a massive insect egg, pulsating like a beating heart. With each throb, one could clearly sense the Insect Nest slowly expanding. This was not evolution, but rather a secondary stage of growth.

During its initial incubation, a lack of resources meant that the resulting Tier One Insect Nest was not fully matured, leaving many of its internal organs only half-developed. Now that it had sufficient resources, it needed to complete its growth.

Of the two Insect Nests in the Insect Swarm, this one was situated in a much safer location and could also serve to protect the Qin Family Manor. Naturally, Qin Yu prioritized its development. Furthermore, deep within the Mine Cave, the continuous excavation by seven or eight Worker Insects had uncovered traces of Profound Iron Ore. Thanks to their tireless efforts, a small mountain of the ore had already piled up around the Insect Nest.

The Insect Nest could absorb minerals, analyze their properties, and then integrate them into the bodies of the Insect Race units, making their fangs and claws sharper and their Scale Armor tougher! Powerful life bloodlines and various minerals all harbored the potential for the Insect Swarm’s evolution.

As for the other Insect Nest—located deep in the mountains in a hillside cave not far from the battlefield—Qin Yu did not choose to evolve it. He simply let it absorb flesh and blood as quickly as possible to breed more Insect Swarm units.

At the same time, a Golden Eagle with a wingspan of over ten feet was delivered into this mother nest’s analysis chamber. Yes, it was the exact same Golden Eagle that had attacked the Red-bellied Eagle before the great battle. While the Red-bellied Eagle was merely an ordinary beast, this Golden Eagle was a genuine Demon Fiend. Once its bloodline genes were fully analyzed, the Insect Swarm’s aerial units would usher in yet another upgrade!

However, analyzing a Demon Fiend was noticeably slower and consumed a staggering amount of Energy. For a Tier One Insect Nest that had not yet fully matured to completely analyze it, it would take at least two days and consume over a thousand points of Energy.

But it was absolutely worth it!

Meanwhile, back on the battlefield, the thick stench of blood attracted a continuous stream of Poisonous Insects, wild beasts, and even Demon Fiends. Yet, against the Rapid Insects—whose numbers had surged to over fifty—they were utterly powerless. They could only retreat in bitter resentment or stay and be reduced to corpses.

Once Qin Yu confirmed there were no unexpected developments on the battlefield, he finally withdrew his consciousness and turned his attention to the Rapid Insects that had returned with his team.

Of the twenty Rapid Insects that had fought the Demon Fiends, nine had died on the spot. Only five suffered minor injuries, while the remaining six had to be dragged back. However, as they devoured the flesh and blood of the Demon Fiends, their wounds clearly began to heal. Furthermore, a mysterious change seemed to be occurring within the body of one of the more severely injured Rapid Insects.

Upon returning to the Qin Mansion, it dropped all pretenses and gorged itself in a frenzy. It consumed nearly its own body weight in Demon Fiend flesh, its physical form visibly expanding in the process.

Evolution! Mutation! Combat evolution.

During intense combat or under extremely harsh environmental conditions, the unstable genes within the Insect Race could suddenly mutate. This mutation could be beneficial, granting them greater power. It could also be detrimental, making them weaker or even leading to their death.

”I hope you can give me a pleasant surprise!” Qin Yu said, looking at the evolving Rapid Insect. Compared to the slight evolution it underwent the first time it was sprayed with the Blood Fox’s poisonous mist—which only slightly increased its resistance to toxins—this transformation was far more intense.

The Insect Swarm had two methods of evolution. The first relied on the Insect Nest’s active control for precise evolution, while the second was spontaneous evolution triggered by combat or harsh environments. Both had their pros and cons.

Active evolution consumed a lot of Energy, but the outcome was controllable. Spontaneous evolution had a smaller cost, but the process was completely random, leaving the final result entirely unknown. The only commonality was that once the evolution was complete, the new genetic template would be recorded by the Insect Nest, allowing for large-scale mass breeding thereafter. Combining these two methods gave the Insect Swarm infinite possibilities.

Filled with anticipation, Qin Yu fell into a deep slumber. The continuous slaughter and travel had long since left him mentally and physically exhausted.

The night slowly passed.

As the first light of dawn appeared in the sky, the No. 1 Insect Nest in the Mine Cave, having consumed 1,000 points of Energy, had swelled to a towering height of ten meters. Then, with a loud BANG, it abruptly burst open, transforming into a massive Insect Nest several times larger than before.

Even from dozens of miles away, the sleeping Qin Yu was jolted awake by the surge of power flooding through their Telepathy.

CRACKLE!

This turbulent force rapidly coursed through his entire body, quickly enhancing and strengthening his bones and tendons. Realizing what was happening, Qin Yu didn’t dare to delay. He immediately sat cross-legged and circulated his family’s Cultivation Technique, the *Celestial Wind Formula*, guiding his internal Qi Blood to temper the meridians throughout his entire body.

This power was incredibly formidable, filling him with profound delight.

”Perhaps I can break straight through to the Bone Forging Realm!” he thought to himself.

The growth of the Insect Swarm would, in turn, enhance Qin Yu’s own strength, for the swarm acted as an extension of his own limbs. In the context of Martial Arts, the strengthening of one’s limbs naturally catalyzed a transformation of the core body. It wasn’t just the evolution of the Insect Nest that provided this feedback; the birth of every single Insect Race unit granted him a minute buff. Cumulatively, this feedback was utterly staggering.

However, this feedback was not limitless. Units of the same tier had the most obvious effect initially, but once they reached a certain threshold, the resulting improvement would diminish until it was virtually non-existent. This was exactly why Zhang Shun had assumed Qin Yu was nearing Refining Tendons Perfection when they parted ways.

CRACK! CRACK!

As the Qi Blood within him grew increasingly ferocious, his bones and tendons emitted sharp snapping sounds. The harmonious resonance of bones and tendons!

Qin Yu abruptly opened his eyes, a smile naturally tracing the corners of his mouth. Thanks to the feedback from the Insect Nest, he had achieved Refining Tendons Perfection and successfully crossed into the Bone Forging Realm!

A Bone Forging Martial Artist possessed Great Success in External Skills, boasting Copper Skin Iron Bones. Their physical strength was double that of the Refining Tendons stage, but more importantly, they were no longer plagued by the limitation of only being able to sustain short bursts of power. Even firing a hundred arrows at full strength would be an absolute breeze!

”In just three short days, my strength has actually broken through two successive realms!” Qin Yu thought joyously.

In the Martial Arts World, true mighty power belonged to the individual. Although the Insect Swarm was an extension of his limbs and the source of his might, if his main body was too weak, he would be an easy target for assassination.

But the surprises didn’t end there.

Once the residual energy in his body was completely digested, Qin Yu cast his gaze toward the nearby Martial Arts Arena. Standing there was the Rapid Insect that had devoured vast quantities of Demon Fiend flesh and blood—it had completed its final evolution!

This Rapid Insect was noticeably larger than its ordinary peers, boasting a shoulder height of 1.5 meters. Within the Insect Swarm’s Mind Network, its presence felt exceptionally formidable. In fact, when Qin Yu attached his consciousness to it, he actually sensed a faint, peculiar energy. When found in a Martial Artist, this power was called Qi and Blood Power; when within a Demon Fiend, it was known as Demon Power. The Names differed, but their essence was exactly the same.

”The evolution was a success!” Qin Yu exclaimed in delight. He carefully tested the Rapid Insect’s strength, ordering it to sprint around the Martial Arts Arena and even wrestle with a standard Rapid Insect. It defeated its opponent with effortless ease.

”After evolving, its size, physical strength, and speed have all seen significant improvements. Its combat prowess has already reached the Bone Forging Realm, and it has even gained an initial grasp over Qi and Blood Force, granting it even greater potential.

”However, the resources required to breed one have also doubled.”

This was an immensely successful evolution! Without hesitation, Qin Yu issued a direct command through the Insect Swarm’s Mind Network.

”From now on, all subsequent Rapid Insects are to be bred using this template!”

Overjoyed, Qin Yu immediately issued another order.

”No. 1 Insect Nest, begin analyzing the Giant Bear Demon Fiend’s bloodline genes to fully master Qi and Blood Force. The Insect Swarm is going to need larger units!”

Lying next to the Insect Nest was a massive Giant Bear Demon Corpse, which the Worker Insects had spent the entire night hauling back. When standing upright on its hind legs, this Bone Forging Realm Giant Bear towered at 2.2 *zhang* (about 7.3 meters), and it stood 1.2 *zhang* (about 4 meters) at the shoulder when on all fours. Its thick coat of fur was incredibly dense.

The claws extending from its gigantic paws were over a foot long, resembling deadly blades. In terms of sheer size alone, it was far more gargantuan than the Blazing Flame Tiger Demon. However, its eye socket had been pierced through by a sharp arrow, thoroughly destroying its brain.

It had been Qin Yu’s very first target on the battlefield. Had he allowed it to charge into the Rapid Insect formation, its heavy, tank-like body would have easily shattered their ranks. During the great battle, Qin Yu realized that the Insect Swarm sorely lacked this kind of heavy-duty unit. The defining traits of the Rapid Insects were speed and ferocity; they acted like a wolf pack, making it difficult for them to contend head-on with truly colossal Demon Fiends.

But a giant bear unit like this would be entirely different. Though it lacked agility, it held an absolute advantage in size and raw strength. It would be a supreme killing machine on large-scale battlefields. Had the Insect Nest not completed its promotion, it would have been physically impossible to drag such a behemoth inside for biological analysis.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Qin Yu, who had already finished washing up and was heading toward the Martial Arts Arena, heard the voice of his father, Qin Hu, ring out beside his ear.

”Yu, come here for a moment!”