After an incense stick's worth of time, the first Tiger Head Bee fell drunk onto the pig's head meat.
Dressed in a protective suit, Hong Yuan quickly came over and placed this Tiger Head Bee into the first layer of the bee prison cage.
Soon, the second arrived, then the third…
After two hours, Hong Yuan had collected more than fifty Tiger Head Bees, and the first layer of the bee prison cage was full.
Hong Yuan replaced the Bee Attracting Water and the pig's head meat and continued to capture Tiger Head Bees.
Three hours later, Hong Yuan filled the second layer and half of the third layer.
By then, he had caught more than one hundred and fifty Tiger Head Bees.
At this moment, the sun hung high in the sky, scorching the earth, the air filled with a steaming heat.
Hong Yuan didn't push himself. He carried the bee prison cage and looked for a suitable place.
Before long, he found a tiger-inhabited cave on the largest mountain peak in this area.
This cave was warm in winter and cool in summer; one couldn't feel the sun's scorch at all inside.
When Hong Yuan entered the cave, the tiger charged at him ferociously, but Hong Yuan decisively drew his Tang Sword for combat.
After a single exchange, the tiger was cut in half mid-air, blood splattering everywhere.
"Oh-ho, I don't need to eat dry rations today," Hong Yuan said with a slight smile. Then, he stepped over the tiger's carcass and took possession of the cave.
With a thought, Hong Yuan took a large iron bucket with a lid out of his storage bag.
He was going to raise Worms!
The basic process of raising Worms is very simple; anyone can do it. It involves trapping a group of insects together, letting them fight, and the survivors are the most brutal.
Of course, this is just the simple theory. You still have to ensure these insects will fight each other and devour only the essence. To truly raise Worms, many medicinal herbs and procedures are still needed to aid the process.
Hong Yuan took out the Tiger Head Bees from the first layer of the bee prison cage and put them into the large iron bucket.
Forty-nine Tiger Head Bees were simultaneously confined in the iron bucket. If it weren't for the gaps Hong Yuan had left, it would surely be pitch black inside.
Through the gaps, Hong Yuan clearly saw the Tiger Head Bees, listless like withered flowers.
According to the Worm cultivation method, one just needs to quietly wait for the Tiger Head Bees to determine a winner, as Yue Yun had done.
But Hong Yuan was a transmigrator from Blue Star. He understood what a 'catalyst' was and wouldn't foolishly wait.
He knew, of course, to use external aids to achieve his goals more quickly.
To prevent his Sting Bees from being as weak as Yue Yun's, Hong Yuan had also upgraded the medicinal herbs he used.
"Heh, struggle and devour," Hong Yuan sneered.
He took out red blood grass, red silver flower, and other non-ranked medicinal herbs from his storage bag that threw animals into a chaotic state.
Then, he added a cobra carcass, which could enhance the Tiger Head Bees' venom.
All these items were stuffed into the iron bucket by Hong Yuan, who then took out a black notebook from his storage bag and began writing and drawing with a charcoal pencil.
Hong Yuan meticulously recorded data and tracked the progress of his plan; his focused demeanor would make anyone think he was a research scientist if he were wearing a white lab coat.
Inside the iron bucket, the extremely hungry Tiger Head Bees scrambled to devour the cobra's carcass.
Soon, three Tiger Head Bees succumbed to the cobra's inherent venom, falling to the ground, dead.
In the blink of an eye, the cobra's carcass was completely devoured by the Tiger Head Bees, leaving not a single bone.
Several Tiger Head Bees that hadn't eaten their fill turned their attention to the red blood grass, red silver flower, and other herbs, beginning to gnaw on them. Gradually, their eyes turned crimson, and the urge to destroy everything flooded their minds.
Slowly, these Tiger Head Bees with blood-red eyes turned their gaze towards their own kind…
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Loud collisions and the frantic buzzing of wings erupted from the iron bucket.
Hong Yuan was currently adding pig's head meat and other food to the second and third layers of the bee prison cage. Upon hearing the commotion from the iron bucket, the corners of his mouth curved up slightly; he was clearly pleased.
"Has it finally begun? Kekekeke!"
After a sinister cackle, Hong Yuan refocused on the iron bucket, meticulously documenting his observations.
Experiment Phase One: Track Tiger Head Bees of different sizes and traits, aiming to select the most superior specimens for the next batch.
First to die: Tiger Head Bees lacking venom potency.
Second to die: Tiger Head Bees lacking speed.
Third to die: Tiger Head Bees with weak stingers.
Fourth to die: Tiger Head Bees with fragile mandibles.
…
For four straight hours, Hong Yuan continuously summarized data and drew conclusions.
Finally, the victor emerged.
It was a Tiger Head Bee Worm with potent venom, incredible speed, a razor-sharp stinger, and mandibles possessing off-the-charts biting force.
Hong Yuan didn't rush to release this Tiger Head Bee Worm.
The Tiger Head Bee Worm still needed to devour the essences of the other Tiger Head Bees.
Heh heh, my precious, continue to grow. Hong Yuan thought, a sinister smile twisting his features as he took out an Orange River Fruit from his storage bag.
The Orange River Fruit induced hunger in those who consumed it. It was usually used before meals to aid digestion, much like apple cider vinegar from Hong Yuan's previous life on Blue Star.
THUD.
Hong Yuan tossed three red fruits into the iron bucket, and they rolled towards the Tiger Head Bee Worm.
The Tiger Head Bee Worm stared at Hong Yuan with bloodshot eyes, baring its bloodstained fangs.
Seeing this, Hong Yuan grew even more excited.
"That's right, just like that! More ferocious, even more ferocious! Bwahahaha!" Hong Yuan laughed with delight.
The Tiger Head Bee Worm didn't buzz. It voraciously bit into the Orange River Fruits, replenishing its fluids.
Suddenly, an intense wave of hunger washed over it.
It turned and pounced on the carcasses of the other Tiger Head Bees.
Devouring the essence!
「As dusk approached.」
Hong Yuan opened the lid of the iron bucket. The Tiger Head Bee Worm at the bottom instantly snapped open its blood-red eyes.
BOOM!
Like an unbridled stallion or an arrow loosed from a bow, the Tiger Head Bee Worm shot towards Hong Yuan, aiming straight for his head.
Calm and collected, Hong Yuan sidestepped, then caught the Tiger Head Bee Worm in his hand, which was covered in True Essence, immobilizing it.
"Heh, you think you can rebel against me?" Hong Yuan scoffed.
He tossed the Tiger Head Bee Worm into a stone pot. Inside were materials like Hundred Tempered Fine Iron and Star Luster Grass, all essential for refining a Rank One Sting Bee Worm.
THUD.
Hong Yuan closed the heavy lid, then took out an Energy Stone.
The Sting Bee refined by Yue Yun probably only needed one Energy Stone. No, more likely half an Energy Stone, otherwise it wouldn't have been so weak. Hong Yuan mused. After a moment, he took out two more Energy Stones.
Hong Yuan crushed the three Energy Stones and placed the fragments on top of the lid.
Strands of Essence Qi flowed into the stone pot, making the Tiger Head Bee Worm itch all over.
Following that, Hong Yuan lit the firewood and began the refinement process for the Sting Bee Worm.
The Tiger Head Bee Worm, tormented by the heat, writhed in the stone pot. It instinctively moved towards the Star Luster Grass, even as the Hundred Tempered Fine Iron began to slowly heat up.
Why do I feel this Sting Bee Worm still won't be very strong? Hong Yuan wondered.
At this thought, he began to actively channel the True Essence within his body, intensifying the refinement of the Worm.
The process for a Rank Two Rapid Bee Worm was preemptively applied by Hong Yuan.
Under these conditions, the Tiger Head Bee Worm in the stone pot underwent a dramatic transformation: its body elongated, its stinger grew even sharper…