Chapter 5 - 5 Chapter 5 Spawning_1 (2/2)

Because their hunting abilities were far less formidable than stronger beasts, their success rate in hunting was much lower, and they didn’t dare to compete for prey with other fierce beasts. Therefore, the probability of them being hungry was quite high.

Driven by hunger, even though it was already daylight, they would still roam around the peripheral areas of the mountain forest, hoping for good luck and the chance to encounter prey.

Qin Niu’s journey into the mountain was smooth, after all, he took a familiar path and did not encounter any fierce beasts.

Arriving in front of the termite’s nest, its cave was not damaged, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

He peered inside through the small holes outside the cave.

Sensing the presence of its master, the two antennae waved vigorously.

Termites have eyes, located just behind the antennae, but because they live in the dark for extended periods, their vision is extremely poor.

Many worker ants do not even have eyes or the ability to see.

Qin Niu saw five white ant eggs in the shallow cave.

The newly promoted Ant Queen cradled an ant egg with her forelegs and spat out a clear saliva that she evenly covered over the surface of the egg.

She was incubating the ant eggs.

This saliva could protect the eggs from bacteria and viruses from the outside world and also provide moisture, nutrient enrichment, and warmth.

“The first batch produced only five eggs, that’s way too few!”

No one is perfect; the same goes for Ant Queens.

Larger queens lay more eggs in their first batch, but they are mindless and often die due to various foolish behaviors.

This small-sized termite possessed rare moderate intelligence, being not only cautious and careful in its actions but also frugal with its energy.

But the number of eggs it laid was pitifully small.

You must know, worker ants that hatch and go out to forage are very likely to die.

The more, the better for sure.

Even if ninety percent die, there will still be ten percent of the worker ants to bring food back to feed the Ant Queen.

Only having five in total meant they could easily be wiped out.

Qin Niu was filled with worry about its future.

After all, he was now the master of this Ant Queen; if it failed, it would mean that Qin Niu’s investment of one tael of silver and all his efforts were lost.

The beginning of an Insect Master’s journey is extraordinarily difficult.

The path he chose was harder and more prone to failure than that of the average Insect Master.

However, everything has two sides. A high barrier to entry also means high value and strong competitiveness.

No matter what, seeing it successfully lay the eggs still made Qin Niu very happy.

They say dragons beget dragons and phoenixes beget phoenixes, and the son of a mouse will dig holes.

This Ant Queen was outstanding in every aspect except for its small size; he believed its offspring wouldn’t be far behind.

Although there are only five worker ants in the first batch, aren’t each of them elite soldiers?

Elite soldiers can completely be worth ten ordinary ones.

Five elite worker ants are equal to fifty ordinary worker ants laid by other queens.

So this situation is still worth looking forward to, no need to be too pessimistic.

He now finally understood that the best time to subdue an Ant Queen was after its nuptial flight and before it laid eggs.

Once a female milky white ant lays its first egg after the nuptial flight, it will immediately be promoted to a Grade Two insect.

The difficulty of subduing a Grade Two insect is much higher by several magnitudes.

A low-grade Contract Charm would definitely not be enough.

Using only a low-grade Contractual Talisman to subdue a Grade Two insect, Qin Niu had made a great deal.

Many Insect Masters might need to spend countless effort, wealth, and time to advance a Grade One insect to Grade Two, and even then, success isn’t guaranteed.

However, a Breeder Ant can automatically upgrade, illustrating the tremendous potential for termites to level up.

Termites have a history over a hundred million years longer than that of ants; they are no doubt far superior to ants.

This is why Qin Niu chose termites instead of ants as pets.

After checking on the Ant Queen, he made his way down the mountain following the same path.

He hadn’t gone far when he felt a prickling sensation on his back, as if something had set its sights on him.

“Damn, I’m afraid I’ve attracted the attention of a predator in the mountain. If it’s the king of beasts, the tiger, then today might be more bad luck than good.”

His cultivation was now at the Onefold realm, 18/100.

After toiling in the field day and night for seven days, and eating the meat and corn sent by Wang Wanyan, his cultivation had only increased by 1 point.

Cultivation is an activity even more costly than controlling beasts.

Historically, there has always been the saying of “the poor engage in literature while the rich practice martial arts.”

Even the most basic practice of cultivation requires eating meat at every meal.

Qin Niu’s cultivation level was very poor now; the cultivation of an average healthy adult man is generally around the Onefold realm, 30/100. If they have no method of cultivation, their level will continue to decline with age.

He was still young, and coupled with malnourishment, his fighting ability was significantly below that of an average adult man.

Even the most ordinary wild wolf could take his life.

The feeling of a threat behind him intensified, and he couldn’t stop his eyelids from twitching uncontrollably.

From behind him, there came a faint rustling noise from the firewood, slight yet sounding like the ominous tolling of a death knell.