As one Soul Transformation stage bee after another completed its metamorphosis, Qi Ping's heart brimmed with pure joy!
'All that effort and those countless resources were not in vain!'
'The entire process went smoothly—no melodramatic plot twists or sudden accidents.'
'Then again, if accidents had occurred despite such exhaustive preparation, I truly would have had to burn incense and pray to the ancestors for better luck.'
Watching the bees reach the Soul Transformation stage one by one, Qi Ping's grin was so wide it nearly reached his ears.
The Golden Marrow Queen Bee was equally delighted. Buzzing with excitement, she said, "Boss, look! This is magnificent!"
Having led her swarm from insignificance to this sudden rise, the Queen Bee's sense of accomplishment was overflowing. To have nurtured so many Soul Transformation warriors meant she had truly lived up to her title. Of course, she knew that without Qi Ping, none of this would have been possible. With that thought, she reaffirmed her resolve to help him build the ultimate sanctuary.
She, the Golden Marrow Queen Bee, lived for farming!
Beyond the Queen, the entire Golden Marrow swarm was in a state of fervor.
"Companions, isn't this metamorphosis far beyond our expectations? I don't think our swarm has ever been this powerful in all of history!"
"Indeed! It seems our rise is now unstoppable!"
"This is all thanks to the Queen's leadership and the Boss's support!"
"It's just a pity we didn't have the chance to be part of this metamorphosis. Our constitutions simply weren't strong enough."
"We just need to focus on farming and brewing honey. Growing the swarm requires an immense amount of resources!"
"The Boss once said that if we could research a truly legendary honey recipe, we could earn a mountain of Spirit Stones! We now have over ten thousand types of spirit herbs in the sanctuary, meaning there are infinite possibilities for new brews. If we succeed, we'll be etched into the annals of bee history!"
Listening to the excited chatter of the bees, Qi Ping felt a wave of emotion. The strength of the swarm was no accident. Over the last few decades, their brewing capabilities and the number of new recipes had skyrocketed, driven by this culture of "farming and research."
Combined with the knowledge Qi Ping provided, the bees had learned spirit herb lore, alchemy techniques, and flame control through their collective inheritance. They had even developed unique brewing methods based on the Yin-Yang properties of the Equilibrium Bees. These included fire-tempering, cold-extraction, medicinal essence isolation, and fermentation.
Currently, the collective alchemical knowledge of the swarm surpassed any single alchemist Qi Ping had ever met! Furthermore, their knowledge was increasing at a terrifying rate, as they shared, inherited, and innovated without any individual greed.
The effects of many of their honeys were already on par with high-grade medicinal pills, and in some aspects, they even surpassed commercial pills. This was the primary reason Qi Ping's honey industry had managed to carve out a glorious path in the cutthroat alchemical market.
'With the continued development of this brewing legacy, the Way of Honey might eventually become one of the Great Arts of Cultivation, standing alongside alchemy and smithing.'
'Strictly speaking, brewing is a form of alchemy and pharmacology; the only difference is the final form of the product.'
The bees were no longer limited to liquid honey. Solid forms, explosive energy states, and other variations had begun to emerge—a true blossoming of diversity. The Way of Honey for the Golden Marrow swarm was on the rise, accelerating with every new piece of alchemical knowledge they absorbed.
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Qi Ping shifted his gaze from the ordinary Equilibrium Bees. The grand ceremony of metamorphosis had concluded, and the final results were in.
The number of bees that had successfully reached the Soul Transformation stage was exactly thirty-six!
"What a terrifying success rate!" Qi Ping's pupils contracted slightly at the final count.
It was beyond his wildest expectations. Such a probability would strike fear and awe into any beast-taming cultivator. These were Soul Transformation stage demon insects! For most cultivators of that level, being able to evolve one or two such insects was cause for celebration. The resources required were usually more than a single person could bear.
But thirty-six? Most beast-tamers wouldn't even dare to dream of such a number.
After confirming the count, Qi Ping began to categorize the bees by their attributes. The ideal state was to have at least two of each attribute, providing more options for bloodline fusion.
"Two for the Spatial attribute, two for Life, and even one successful Death attribute..."
"Four for the Sun attribute, three for Yin, five for Gold..."
"Finally, five Equilibrium Bees that have maintained the purest Golden Marrow bloodline."
"Not bad, not bad at all!" The more he counted, the more satisfied he became. "With the exception of the Destruction attribute, every element has at least two successes, and their bloodlines appear incredibly potent!"
To Qi Ping, each of these thirty-six bees radiated the formidable aura of a Soul Transformation demon insect.
"Friends, test your power!" Qi Ping commanded.
"Understood, Boss!" the thirty-six bees buzzed in unison.
The Spatial attribute bees churned the power of the void, flapping their wings to send out arcs of spatial blades before tearing open rifts and disappearing within. The Life attribute bees radiated a mysterious and vast vitality; combined with their terrifying soul and physical defense, it would be nearly impossible for an ordinary enemy to kill them. The Fire attribute bees erupted with flames so hot the air distorted and burned.
Every bee showcased startling power. Only the five pure Equilibrium Bees showed a smaller increase in raw destructive power compared to the others, but their overall strength was still a massive leap from the Nascent Soul stage. This was expected; the greatest advantage of the Equilibrium Bee lay in its evolving bloodline.
"Excellent!" Qi Ping praised. "There are five Equilibrium Bees. Once they devour the other attributes and the Queen reaches the late Soul Transformation stage, the true potential of the Equilibrium Bee will be unleashed."
Once they fused the Yin-Yang and Five Elements attributes as a foundation, and then added Space, Life, and Death... Qi Ping could hardly imagine how strong a perfected Equilibrium Bee would be. In that state, even devouring Void Refinement stage bloodlines would become easy.
Over the following days, Qi Ping meticulously studied each bee. He found their states to be excellent, with only a few being "average"—which was still quite good by any standard.
Using his knowledge and the advice previously given by the Eight-Winged Pith-Immortal, he narrowed his choices down. He focused on the compatibility of their innate traits and how they would mesh with the swarm's collective abilities. Ultimately, he selected nine bloodlines for primary fusion.
These covered the Yin-Yang, Five Elements (Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth), Space, Life, and Death attributes.
The designated champions were the Mystic Sun Bee, Mystic Yin Bee, Scarlet Gold Bee, Azure Emperor Bee, Green Sea Bee, Sky-Burning Bee, Dragon-Vein Bee, Void-Aether Bee, Creation Spirit Bee, and the Bone-Corroding Bee.
Each of these ten Soul Transformation spirit bees was a legend in the making. Any one of them, if given to a beast-tamer, would be enough to make that person a legend in the cultivation world.
"Now, we just have to wait for the Equilibrium Bees to fully integrate these ten bloodlines!"
It wasn't that Qi Ping didn't want to fuse more, but an individual's capacity was limited. Fusing too many conflicting bloodlines at once could be detrimental. In fact, for the initial stage, he planned for the Equilibrium Bees to focus on the Yin-Yang, Five Elements, and Space attributes. Life would follow, and Death would be the final, most experimental step. If any signs of rejection occurred, he would stop immediately.
He was currently confident in the Yin-Yang, Five Elements, and Space attributes because they were the laws he himself practiced. The Life attribute, serving as the foundation for the body and soul, had a natural affinity with all living things. Only the Death attribute was something he wasn't certain about; if it failed, it was no great loss, but if it succeeded, the bloodline ceiling of his bees would be raised to a terrifying level.
Having set the direction for the bloodline evolution, Qi Ping was in high spirits. However, he had one more critical task: Swarm Expansion!
"I'm leaving these resources here. We have a tough battle ahead of us shortly. We must breed these nine types of spirit bees as quickly as possible. This is going to be hard work for you!" Qi Ping said to the Queen Bee, pointing at a mountain of rare treasures.
These were the resources he had recently gathered. The ones he collected earlier had already been processed into honey suitable for nurturing the swarm, so the preliminary work for the expansion was already done.
"Leave it to me, Boss! I'll give you the most powerful legion in the shortest time possible!"
Qi Ping admired the Queen's efficiency; she was the perfect manager for his sanctuary.
After handling everything, Qi Ping tore open a spatial rift and left the Natural Sanctuary to return to the Qingyuan Mountain Range. Within the sanctuary, the spiritual energy was currently being used for resource production. For his own cultivation and herb-taming, he relied on the Qingtian Domain's spirit vein—a vein on the verge of reaching Rank 5, which gathered the will and spirit of all living beings in the domain.
Upon returning, Lin Yue immediately came to report.
"Dean, that mysterious person who wants to defect to our side has contacted me again. They've sent the resources and manuals they promised last time."
Lin Yue respectfully handed over a high-grade storage ring. It was protected by a Void Refinement stage seal; normally, only someone of that power level could hope to open it.
Qi Ping said nothing. He simply tapped the ring with a finger, and the powerful seal popped like a bubble.
Lin Yue's pupils shrank, and his heart pounded. 'That was a Void Refinement seal... and the Dean popped it like a soap bubble? That's monstrous!'
"The Dean's power is becoming more unfathomable by the day!" Lin Yue marveled internally.
Qi Ping's divine sense swept through the ring, taking in a hoard of rare treasures and exotic manuals.
"They really didn't hold back!" Even with Qi Ping's immense wealth and composure, he was shocked by the sender's generosity.
Inside were the remains of two Void Refinement stage demon insects! There were also countless records on spells, spatial techniques, and alchemical lore, including many at the Soul Transformation and Void Refinement levels.
As the saying goes, one feels soft-handed after taking gifts. Qi Ping had received a massive windfall of exactly what he needed, and his impression of this group improved significantly. This gift was perfectly timed.
Seeing Qi Ping's expression, Lin Yue guessed the value was immense. After all, anything that could pique the Dean's interest was bound to be extraordinary.
Qi Ping didn't hide it. He tossed the ring to Lin Yue, letting him see for himself. As Lin Yue's sense entered the ring, his expression froze, and his eyes bulged. Even with his experience, he was left speechless.
Qi Ping ignored Lin Yue's shock and asked, "When they delivered this, did they say anything?"
Lin Yue regained his composure and replied, "Yes, Dean. they mentioned the movements of those from the outer domains. They've basically completed their battle preparations—arrays, pills, and logistics are all ready."
"Furthermore, the mysterious cultivator from the Heavenly Dragon Continent demanded that they hand over control of the Profound Heaven Grand Array held by the Star-Sea Alliance. Since that array is the final foundation of the Star-Sea Continent, most members opposed it. However, lately, several people have been 'convinced' by unknown means."
"Finally, some have detected movements in demonic energy. Even the Forest Sea Demon Realm has shown unusual activity recently. They suspect the Heavenly Dragon Continent is planning something big."
"I can understand the demons, but the beast race is getting involved too?" Qi Ping frowned. The strength of the Forest Sea Demon Realm was far superior to the current Star-Sea Continent. If they joined the fray, the consequences would be dire.
With so many enemies, Qi Ping felt that even with his newly expanded swarm, it might not be enough.
"Yes, that's what they said. They also mentioned that some secrets can only be told to you directly, Dean."
"Then arrange a meeting. I need to judge for myself if these people truly want to protect their home or if they're playing some elaborate game."