"Slow speed..."
"Poor flexibility..."
"Why does it look so dim-witted? It seems its intelligence has actually dropped."
"..."
"What on earth is this?"
Qi Ping was momentarily speechless. Initially, he felt that the Pot-bellied Bee's lack of agility and speed compared to a normal Golden Marrow Bee was fine—perhaps it had awakened some unique talent?
So, Qi Ping began to communicate with the bee, hoping to learn what special characteristic it had evolved. However, after dozens of attempts, he realized its sapience had truly withered. Even when he reached out, its responses were intermittent and vague; its intelligence was far inferior even to that of a common Black Little Bee.
If it weren't for the fact that its First-tier Late-stage aura was solid and authentic, Qi Ping would have suspected that this breakthrough was entirely for show.
"This is ridiculous!"
"Could it really be the Pot-bellied Insect described in the manual? The one-in-a-million case that actually manages to rank up?"
"..."
Yet, upon closer inspection, Qi Ping still felt something was off. The Pot-bellied Bee felt very coordinated. Its aura was stable and firm, not floaty or superficial at all. This should be a genuine First-tier Late-stage bee.
'What could be in that belly? Could it be related to brewing honey?' Qi Ping began to investigate actively.
Mutations from the Bloodline Mutation Potion usually followed a traceable path, typically enhancing something the insect already possessed. For the Golden Marrow Bee, the best talent related to the abdomen was honey brewing. Thus, Qi Ping began to test its capabilities in that direction.
Roughly half a day later.
Qi Ping stared at the spirit herbs being fused under the Pot-bellied Bee's care, utterly stunned.
"Good heavens! That is incredible!"
The Pot-bellied Bee could actually distinguish with extreme sensitivity how to proportion different spirit herbs to maximize their effects, and then brew them into honey. This brewing ability was incomparably stronger than that of a standard Golden Marrow Bee.
"This is far too powerful!"
"The only slight pity is that its intelligence is so low. It can only instinctively distinguish and fuse the spirit herbs and nectar placed before it, creating the combination that best utilizes their medicinal properties before brewing it into honey."
'What a waste... if these Pot-bellied Bees had high intelligence, they would be natural-born alchemists!'
Based on what he saw, Qi Ping estimated that most First-tier spirit herbs could be handled perfectly by the Pot-bellied Bee. Furthermore, the honey brewed by its hands was far more effective than that of the ordinary bees.
'In that case, I can cultivate a group of Pot-bellied Bees in the hive specifically for brewing high-quality honey. I can check for other uses later.'
After multiple tests, Qi Ping finally grasped the bee's basic attributes.
[Species: Brewer Pot-bellied Bee (Golden Marrow Bee Variant)]
[Bloodline: First-tier High-grade]
[Talents: Grand Brewer]
Grand Brewer: Possesses a talent for brewing honey far superior to ordinary Golden Marrow Bees. It has an extremely sharp spiritual sense for spirit herbs, allowing it to fuse them and maximize their effects before converting them into honey.
[Evaluation: Gifted with an extraordinary sensitivity for spirit herbs, it has lost its toxic tail stinger, wind-attribute speed, and other talents. Even its intelligence has diminished as a result...]
'In truth, the evolution of the Pot-bellied Bee is in no way inferior to the High-speed Ring-cutter Bee.'
'With the Pot-bellied Bee, I shouldn't have to worry about my cultivation resources for the late stages of Qi Refinement.'
If he used these bees for the mass production of high-grade honey, Qi Ping estimated he could make a fortune. His only fear was that a Foundation Establishment expert might come knocking on his door the very next day.
Qi Ping was certain that the value of the honey brewed by the Pot-bellied Bee could tempt even those at the Foundation Establishment stage. However, this also required enough spirit herbs. If the cost of the herbs was factored in, the profit margin wasn't actually that high—it was still far from the exorbitant profits enjoyed by alchemists.
After all, the alchemy heritage that had been refined since ancient times was not something a Pot-bellied Bee with a single talent could match. To be precise, the Pot-bellied Bee was like an alchemist with low intelligence but a high success rate for fusing herbs. It was valuable, but not world-shaking.
Yet, such an insect-form alchemist was perfect for Qi Ping. He could accelerate the growth of spirit herbs, and the Pot-bellied Bee could brew honey suitable for his cultivation or honey with special healing effects. This state was ideal for him to quietly farm and increase his strength without engaging in too much external conflict.
Compared to the life of risking one's neck in dangerous ruins for resources, Qi Ping still preferred farming and bee-keeping on the mountain.
After testing the three types of drones, he was very satisfied. The gloom from the failure of the toxic and blood-red bees gradually faded. Overall, the effect of the Bloodline Mutation Potion had been excellent, far exceeding his expectations.
'I truly owe this to Sister Nan. Once I have surplus Golden Marrow Honey, I should send her some more. Given the value of the Demon Insect Chapter, the bit of honey I gave her before is really not enough to settle the debt.'
Qi Ping believed in repaying kindness, provided it didn't interfere with his own cultivation. At his core, he was a pragmatic man, but he was willing to do what he could for those like Old Man Zhou and Sister Nan within his capabilities.
After giving several instructions to the excited Golden Marrow Bees, Qi Ping returned to the ancient cedar tree. He reined in his excitement and entered a state of full-hearted cultivation. His Animal Companions were growing stronger; his own cultivation couldn't fall too far behind. He hadn't even started his training for the day!
With Qi Ping's orders, the Golden Marrow Bees didn't need him to worry about the future. Whether it was building the High-speed Ring-cutter army or cultivating more Pot-bellied and Balanced Bees, the colony would proceed in the direction most suited for its growth. In fact, they were even more invested and excited about this than he was.
Qi Ping only needed to wait quietly for the specialized armies to take shape. In the following days, he immersed himself in cultivation. The rent had been paid; for the next year, he had nothing to worry about. After a brief explanation to Old Man Zhou, the old man stopped asking questions. He knew that with the bees around, Qi Ping could handle most things, only reminding the youth to be more cautious.
...
However, Qi Ping soon encountered a new problem. Because he had consumed too much honey, his foundation was starting to become unstable. Theoretically, he could break through to the Qi Refinement Fourth Layer now, but due to the "floaty" nature of his spiritual energy, a hasty breakthrough would carry a significant risk of failure or internal injury. If he failed, the loss would outweigh the gain.
Luckily, he estimated he only needed about half a month to completely stabilize his realm. By then, breaking through would be no problem.
Anyway, until the Ring-cutter army was fully grown, Qi Ping didn't plan to visit the Qingshi Market. Even if Manager Gao had to wait another month, it didn't matter. Although he was curious if the manager had found his second Animal Companion, he suppressed the urge and decided to prioritize stability.
A month or so wouldn't make a difference. By then, he would be at the fourth layer of Qi Refinement, and his Barkskin would have reached Level 3, providing enough defense to handle more dangers.
However, after a few days of peaceful cultivation, someone appeared who was both unexpected and within his predictions. In the courtyard at the base of Peak 007, Lin Chaoyang sat at the red sandalwood table. After taking a sip of tea, he said excitedly:
"Brother Qi, I've gathered all the information about the Secret Realm! I'm at least seventy percent certain. Let's go find some fortune together!"