Record of a Demon's Cultivation Chapter 1248: A Real Eye-Opener

"With Miss Yue’s endorsement, how could this old man possibly refuse?" Feng Mu replied.

"Then this junior thanks you, Senior," Mi Man said, producing a storage pouch and handing it to Feng Mu. "Here are sixty high-grade spirit stones, the participation fees for Senior Brother Feng and myself. Please accept them."

"How could this old man possibly accept Miss Yue’s spirit stones!" Feng Mu protested, but his hand reached out to take the pouch, casually brushing against the delicate back of Mi Man’s hand.

Mi Man showed no sign of displeasure at Feng Mu’s presumptuous gesture.

Song Wen, standing nearby, finally realized that attending this so-called exchange conference required a substantial fee—thirty high-grade spirit stones per person. With dozens of participants, Feng Mu would collect two to three thousand high-grade spirit stones, a remarkably profitable venture with no investment.

However, the exchange conference must possess some unique value; otherwise, attendees wouldn’t willingly pay such exorbitant fees.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Feng Mu, Mi Man excused herself and led Song Wen into the plaza, where they found two adjacent empty tables and sat down.

Mi Man then produced a gu cauldron, from which a palm-sized butterfly emerged.

The butterfly glowed with an ethereal blue light, its body radiating an eerie phosphorescence. Its wings, as thin as cicada’s wings, seemed to ripple with a hazy mist as they opened and closed.

A single glance at the butterfly was enough for Song Wen to recognize it as a mind-altering gu insect.

However, this gu insect was only at the third-tier, making it seem like a useless trinket for Mi Man, who was at the Divine Transformation Stage.

"Senior Brother Feng, what do you think of my Thousand Illusion Butterfly?" Mi Man asked softly, tilting her head.

"Junior Sister Yue’s gu insect is undoubtedly a rare spiritual object in this world," Song Wen replied.

A flicker of mockery flashed in Mi Man’s eyes, as if scoffing at Song Wen’s blatant lie.

"Senior Brother Feng, what about your gu insect? Show it to me too, please?"

Suddenly, a jade bottle appeared in Song Wen’s hand.

He tilted the bottle, pouring out an insect egg the size of a chicken’s egg.

The translucent egg revealed a centipede-like creature coiled within.

This gu insect egg had been obtained from Xiao Ying, but Song Wen had never hatched it.

"I don’t have any Gu insects, only these newly acquired insect eggs. Since I’ve never practiced Gu rearing before, I wanted to seek guidance from some Gu masters."

Song Wen presented the insect eggs as a pretense, hoping to keep the Shadow King Gu hidden from too many eyes.

Mi Man glanced at the insect eggs without comment, then closed her eyes to meditate, seemingly uninterested in either the people or the Gu insects present.

Time passed slowly. After about half an hour, Feng Mu, who had been guarding the entrance, suddenly produced an array disk and activated a formation.

Instantly, an invisible barrier rose from the depths of the Mist, signaling that no further entry would be permitted.

Feng Mu strode to the center of the plaza, his gaze sweeping over the cultivators seated at the low tables on either side. He announced in a clear voice, "Esteemed Gu masters, I’ve organized this exchange conference to foster communication among fellow practitioners, sharing knowledge of Gu rearing techniques, Gu insects, Pill Formulas, and more. As the host, I recently acquired several rare Gu insect eggs, which I’ll now present for your appraisal. If any fellow daoist is interested, they may inquire about purchasing them."

As he spoke, several insect eggs materialized mid-air before Feng Mu.

He then proceeded to introduce each egg in turn.

The rare items Feng Mu mentioned failed to pique much interest. Only three nascent soul cultivators inquired about details, but none made a purchase.

Feng Mu’s displeasure was evident, his gaze turning noticeably colder.

Yet in an instant, he regained his enthusiastic demeanor, inviting others to step forward and present items for sale or trade.

Over the next hour, Song Wen witnessed a bewildering array of bizarre Gu insects.

There were Spirit-Devouring Gu, capable of shattering mana shields; Stealth Gu, adept at concealment and tracking; Heart-Peering Gu, able to probe others’ memories; Bloodline Gu, parasitic creatures that infested hosts; Bone-Corroding Gu, whose venom could dissolve flesh; and even Spring Returning Gu, which could heal injuries.

Song Wen found these Gu insects uninteresting.

In comparison, he still considered the Shadow King Gu, with its ability to extend divine sense perception and excel at concealment, far more valuable.

Beyond Gu insects, there were also various pill formulas and spirit herbs specifically targeting them.

For a sum of one thousand high-grade spirit stones, Song Wen secured the Dragon Gu Pill formula.

The merchant who sold it claimed this specific elixir could bolster the might of fifth-rank Gu insects, proving effective against most known Gu species.

Remarkably, this potent Pill Formula was offered at a mere thousand high-grade spirit stones. The seller, however, had already profited from its sale to more than a dozen other cultivators, raking in over ten thousand high-grade spirit stones. This fact filled Song Wen with a touch of envy.

Ever since he gained control of the shadow void, Song Wen, who up until then had never experienced a shortage of spirit stones, found his resources dwindling rapidly.

The shadow void was an insatiable consumer of spirit stones.

Despite already pouring no less than three hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones into it after its advancement to the mid-seventh-tier, there were still no signs of it reaching the late-seventh-tier.

Within Xiao Ying’s Gu Rearing Manual lay two other Pill Formulas that could purportedly enhance fifth-rank gu insects. Song Wen entertained the thought of selling them for a time.

After considerable thought, he dismissed the idea.

He had no desire to draw undue attention. Furthermore, he was uncertain about the rarity of the two Pill Formulas he possessed; common formulas might not yield a significant profit.

Once the trading session concluded, Feng Mu made his way back to the plaza's center.

"The next phase is the private exchange period. You are free to seek guidance from anyone present, but coercion is strictly forbidden. I implore everyone to respect this and refrain from any conflict," he announced.

With that, Feng Mu took a seat at an unoccupied low table nearby.

Almost immediately, several cultivators stepped forward, eager to seek his advice.

The remaining attendees formed small groups, engaging in hushed conversations.

Observing this, Song Wen decided to approach a solitary figure seated some distance away.

This individual was adorned with a ghost-faced mask, exuding a chilling aura that naturally kept others at bay.

Based on the Shadow Void’s senses, this person possessed the highest cultivation level among those present, second only to Song Wen himself—they were at the late-stage Void Refinement.

"This humble one is Feng Xin. Greetings, fellow daoist. I have a query and would be most grateful for your esteemed guidance," Song Wen offered.

As the other party had deliberately masked their aura and appearance, Song Wen, despite showcasing a Divine Transformation Stage cultivation, could only address them as "fellow daoist" to avoid betraying that he had discerned their true cultivation.

"This venerable one does not rear gu insects. You are wasting your time here," the Ghost-Faced Cultivator responded curtly.

Their voice was a gravelly, genderless sound.

Song Wen paused for a moment before resuming, "Then I shall not trouble you further, fellow daoist."

With that, Song Wen turned and departed. After surveying the plaza, he proceeded towards Feng Mu, who was still positioned at the center.

As the organizer of this event, Feng Mu was undoubtedly highly proficient in gu rearing.

However, a throng of people surrounded Feng Mu, compelling Song Wen to wait his turn with patience.

After a wait equivalent to the time needed to brew two cups of tea, the crowd around Feng Mu finally dispersed, presenting Song Wen with an opening to speak.

"Senior Feng Mu, this junior humbly seeks your guidance. When a gu insect advances to the fifth-tier, it tends to disregard its master's commands and instead attacks them. Is there any known method to circumvent this issue?"