Not long after Gao Zheng brought the news, the Golden Ape Martial Hall's Senior Disciple, Li Jinshan, indeed gathered a group of inner-sect disciples and informed them of the various matters concerning the Wild Mountain.
Su Yan was among this group. During the meeting, Li Jinshan also had people distribute a booklet titled The Savage Beast Illustrated Compendium.
This booklet was similar to the Hundred Herbs Chart, introducing the Savage Beasts that might appear in the Yun Ling Wild Mountain.
Su Yan memorized the contents, cross-referencing them with his knowledge of mountain lore, which actually increased the proficiency of his Mountain Lore Technique somewhat.
Three days passed in a flash. The moon hung high in the sky. The courtyard was quiet, with tree shadows swaying and rustling.
In front of Su Yan, the Shadow Water Centipede was wriggling, knocking over an empty bottle of Poison Dragon Pills before eagerly swallowing another pill tossed by Su Yan.
Over the past three days, the Shadow Water Centipede seemed to have reached a critical juncture; the number of Poison Dragon Pills it consumed each day was slightly more than the day before.
In just three days, Su Yan had fed it two bottles of Poison Dragon Pills.
Under the bright, silvery moonlight, the Shadow Water Centipede's purple shell gleamed, looking like a gemstone wreathed in misty vapor.
Its mouthparts continuously chewed the Poison Dragon Pill, converting the toxins and medicinal power into energy for its own growth.
With the help of the poison pills, the Shadow Water Centipede's growth rate was much faster than simply nibbling on herbs.
Su Yan focused his mind and carefully watched the Shadow Water Centipede's growth rate continuously increase:
397, 398, 399...
The growth rate kept climbing, and when it finally reached 400, a change immediately occurred.
[Shadow Water Centipede 0/1 (Metamorphosis Stage)][Metamorphosis: Savage Beast Carcass]
The Shadow Water Centipede's size increased again, its purple color deepened, and the fierce, predatory aura it emitted was comparable to that of the Muscle and Bone Realm.
However, this was not the cause of Su Yan's surprise, but rather the change in its status.
His eyes flashed with excitement, as the vibrating Fierce Bug Cauldron had already transmitted relevant information to him.
[Devouring the object of metamorphosis can transcend its form and complete the transformation.]
"So that's it. Infancy, Growth, Maturity—these three stages don't just refer to its physical growth state, but the process of accumulation for the spirit-bug's life transformation. Completing the accumulation is the Metamorphosis."
Undisguised excitement surged in his heart. This meant that if the transformation was completed, the Shadow Water Centipede would leap in power to possess fighting strength greater than his own.
Perhaps Muscle and Bone Realm Small Completion, or even Muscle and Bone Realm Great Completion.
Regardless of the strength, it meant that its potential for becoming stronger was equally limitless.
"A Savage Beast Carcass... Simply devouring a Savage Beast Carcass to complete the transformation can't be that simple."
Su Yan's eyes narrowed, and he immediately realized: if the Savage Beast Carcass was the core of the metamorphosis, then its quality would determine the centipede's final strength after the transformation.
"A second-tier Savage Beast is something I can only dream of. Even Old Song waited a long time just to get that little bit."
Su Yan immediately dismissed the idea in his mind. Forget second-tier, even a late-stage first-tier Savage Beast would be difficult to acquire, as they were powerful creatures equivalent to the Blood Shifting and Nourishing Vitality Realms.
Su Yan's eyes sharpened with resolve: "A mid-stage first-tier beast will do for now. Breakthrough first, then complete the rest later."
He immediately made a decision, remembering the Azure-Patterned Viper he had killed in the wolf den.
"Thank you for the gift, Old Pang."
The blood and flesh of the Azure-Patterned Viper, a mid-tier first-tier venomous creature, had long been used by Su Yan to feed the Shadow Water Centipede and the Velvet Fire Scorpion.
Now, all that remained was a skeleton of white bones, which he had originally planned to grind into powder for use in medicine.
Now, it has become the perfect object for metamorphosis.
The viper bones were taken out and placed in the courtyard. The Shadow Water Centipede seemed to have smelled a spiritual medicine; its antennae swayed, and it quickly approached.
Under the moonlight, the misty purple aura became even more crystalline. The Shadow Water Centipede's mouthparts, like a pair of shears, bit down on the bone.
The Fierce Bug Cauldron vibrated slightly, and countless infinitely thin red threads, as fine as a fraction of a hair's width, seemed to connect through space, linking the Cauldron to the Shadow Water Centipede.
It was only then that Su Yan noticed the countless thin threads connecting the Fierce Bug Cauldron and the Shadow Water Centipede.
This thread of connection was something only the centipede itself could see. In fact, these threads did not exist in a visual sense, but were more like the manifestation of a controlling power.
Under the power of the Fierce Bug Cauldron, the originally extremely hard carcass felt as brittle as tofu under the centipede's mouthparts.
After being devoured, it immediately transformed into an essence that fused into the Shadow Water Centipede's body.
The process of consumption was quick; the three-to-four-meter-long snake skeleton was completely devoured by the Shadow Water Centipede.
At this moment, a hint of crimson was added to the misty purple vapor. Su Yan's eyes lit up, and a feeling of concern welled up in his heart.
"It's coming."
Drops of bright red liquid began to seep out from the gaps in the Shadow Water Centipede's armor. The purple light and the red liquid intertwined, then formed a red cocoon about half a person's height.
The cocoon completely enveloped the Shadow Water Centipede. The power from the Fierce Bug Cauldron was continuously transforming the creature.
Su Yan stood firm in the courtyard, not daring to leave even half a step. This was the first metamorphosis of one of his controlled spirit-bugs.
To say he wasn't nervous or expectant would be a lie.
Time passed slowly. The moon at the treetop gradually sank, and a dark blue tint appeared in the sky.
Dawn was breaking, and finally, a faint crack sound arrived.
The cocoon shattered. From the crack, a pale, slender antenna extended, followed by the entire head and the large, terrifyingly white, hard body.
A giant centipede that looked like a skeleton appeared before Su Yan. Its armor was bone-white, and it exuded a predatory ferocity akin to a corpse. Though clearly a living creature, it sent a chill down one's spine at first glance.
The fierce, icy aura it released caused a shudder to run down Su Yan's back.
[Shadow Water Centipede devoured a First-tier Mid-stage metamorphosis object, the Savage Beast Carcass, and transformed into the Pale Bone Venomous Centipede ][Pale Bone Venomous Centipede 1/100 (Infancy Stage)]
'Success!'
Su Yan could barely contain the joy in his heart. If he weren't in Yun Cang Town, he might have laughed out loud.
This transformation into the Pale Bone Venomous Centipede was not just an evolution of his controlled bug; it was an evolution of Su Yan's own future prospects.
Seeing the words "Infancy Stage" again, Su Yan felt immensely reassured.
It meant that, with the proper accumulation, it could re-enter the Maturity and Metamorphosis stages, and the centipede could continue to grow stronger.
Su Yan's eyes flashed, and he immediately gave an order to the Pale Bone Venomous Centipede with a thought.
'Go.'
The Pale Bone Venomous Centipede instantly twisted its body, moving like a pale white shadow, and lunged towards the iron training dummy.
Clang! With the bodies crossing, the inch-thick iron plating was actually torn with a huge gash.
Looking again, the Pale Bone Venomous Centipede landed, raised its body, opened its mouthparts, and several white, nail-like objects shot out with a whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Pale Bone Venomous Centipede Nails!
With a puchi sound, the iron plating was pierced, and the emitted Pale Bone Venomous Centipede Nails plunged deeply into the hard wood beneath.
With such an attack, let alone those in the Skin Refining stage, even those in the Muscle and Bone or Blood Shifting stages would be pierced if hit.