The Resplendent Trio—the Blood-Armor, Gold-Armor, and Emerald-Armor bees—had felt extraordinary from the start. He had hoped for at least one or two to survive, but to have all three make it was an unexpected windfall.
After several days of testing and communication with the bees, Qi Ping mapped out their talents. First was the emerald-green bee:
(Species: Pharmacist Bee - Golden Marrow Bee Variant)
(Bloodline: Rank 2 Low-grade)
(Talents: Medicinal Instinct, Brewing Artisan, Honey Enthusiast)
(Medicinal Instinct: Possesses an incredibly sharp intuition for the properties of spirit herbs. Can easily extract and fuse different medicinal essences.)
(Brewing Artisan: A natural genius at brewing honey. Can brew not only pollen but also various spirit herbs, effectively purifying and concentrating their medicinal effects.)
(Honey Enthusiast: Possesses a profound interest in the research of new honey recipes and loves experimenting with different types of spirit honey.)
(Evaluation: A born master of honey-making. Capable of researching honey with astonishing effects! Pharmacist Bee: Leave the heavy burden of honey research to us!)
Of the eight survivors, Qi Ping was most satisfied with the Pharmacist Bee. Though its combat power was subpar, its utility was off the charts! It surpassed the Brewmaster Belly-Bee in every way and lacked the latter's low intelligence. It was actually passionate about research.
"This will save me so much effort. I can leave the formulation of new honey to the Pharmacist Bees. As long as I have enough variety in my spirit herbs, they will surely produce something amazing."
Whether it was honey for cultivation, body tempering, healing, or enhancing the Queen Bee, Qi Ping didn't mind the variety.
The second was the dark-golden bee. Qi Ping initially thought it was a metal-attribute variant, but testing proved it was earth-attribute.
(Species: Earth-Armor Bee - Golden Marrow Bee Variant)
(Bloodline: Rank 2 Low-grade)
(Talents: Earth Element Affinity, Thick Earth Armor, Explosive Tail-Stinger)
(Earth Element Affinity: High affinity for earth-attribute power, allowing it to easily manipulate earth spiritual energy.)
(Thick Earth Armor: The body is covered in a layer of earth-attribute armor, providing high defense and a minor boost to physical strength.)
(Explosive Tail-Stinger: The stinger has evolved into a specialized organ for condensing and launching earth-attribute spikes. These stingers possess armor-piercing capabilities and explode upon impact.)
(Evaluation: Do not underestimate the small stinger of a bee. Infused with elemental power, it can cause significant damage to both physical bodies and spiritual energy.)
Qi Ping tested the Explosive Tail-Stinger personally. It moved with incredible speed and carried a heavy impact. The explosion was troublesome to deal with, and the lingering earth energy made it difficult to clear. One or two weren't an issue, but a swarm of them would be a nightmare for any cultivator.
"The best way to use these is in combination with a formation. If they form a massive earth-attribute battle array, their firepower will be devastating."
A simple earth-attribute formation was well within Qi Ping's current capabilities. While he couldn't create profound, high-level arrays yet, a basic battle formation to link their power would increase their combat effectiveness by thirty percent.
Finally, there was the Blood-Armor Bee, which had appeared in his very first experiment.
(Species: Blood-Armor Bee - Golden Marrow Bee Variant)
(Bloodline: Rank 2 Low-grade)
(Talents: Robust Body, Bloodlust, Blood Armor)
(Robust Body: Physical strength, speed, and defense are greatly enhanced. Possesses decent self-healing capabilities.)
(Bloodlust: Enters a frenzied state when injured, triggering violent biting and energy surges.)
(Blood Armor: A specialized layer of protection that significantly boosts the bee's physical output.)
To be honest, the Blood-Armor Bee slightly disappointed Qi Ping in terms of pure combat utility. At the Foundation Establishment level, melee-focused insects were at a disadvantage compared to ranged attackers.
"Still, their raw strength is impressive. They make for a good vanguard to support the Earth-Armor Bees, making the swarm's tactics more versatile. More importantly, their existence is vital for the Queen Bee's evolution. Once she absorbs their bloodline, her physical stats will reach a new peak."
This was crucial for the future. Boosting the Queen's base stats would not only increase the swarm's overall power but also improve the success rate when she eventually attempted to absorb the Demon Insect King's bloodline.
"In the future, I will prioritize nurturing the Pharmacist, Earth-Armor, Blood-Armor, and Toxic variants as the primary bloodlines. The Scout and Balanced bees can be maintained in smaller numbers."
This combination would maximize the Queen Bee's potential. Overall, Qi Ping was extremely pleased.
"But for now, I'll focus on the Earth-Armor Bees. The others can be kept in smaller groups."
The four Spirit-Source Stone Pillars were nearly depleted after his recent activities. He estimated he only had enough energy left to nurture maybe two or three hundred more Rank 2 bees. The Star-Spirit Wood's gathering ability was limited and couldn't support a massive swarm alongside a large medicinal garden.
Once the pillars were empty, he would either need to find cheap, high-energy materials to make spirit fertilizer or find a Miniature Spirit Vein Essence. Such an item was the core of a small spirit vein. With it, the earth could generate spiritual energy indefinitely. These were usually guarded by major sects with powerful arrays.
Occasionally, however, they appeared on the market. A miniature essence suited for the Qi Refinement level could cost anywhere from thirty thousand to two hundred thousand spirit stones. Qi Ping could afford a low-end one if he sold all his honey and loot, but he had hesitated because they were difficult to nurture and maintain.
However, he had recently realized that the Shepherd of Trees' Tree-Spirit Contract and the Natural Sanctuary skill could be used to accelerate the growth of a spirit vein. As he had completed the swarm evolution, the massive feedback of Druid experience had finally pushed him to Level 6.
At Level 6, he could select a new landmark skill for his Shepherd of Trees path: Natural Sanctuary. He had planned to take this skill for a long time, but only now did he realize how perfectly it synergized with his other abilities.