Born as an ant, I was summoned to ascend to immortality.

Chapter 7 Enlightenment

Beside the purple bamboo grove, Lu Changye, dressed in a green robe, had been standing there for some time.

The morning light filtered through the bamboo leaves and fell on his shoulders. A faint smile played on his lips as his gaze fell on Zhou Li.

"It's been half a month since we last met, and Brother Ant has given me quite a surprise."

Lu Changye walked slowly closer, stopping about ten feet in front of Zhou Li. He bent down to examine him closely, his smile deepening.

"Transformation from the mortal realm and opening of the meridians, the bones become moist and radiant. Such progress is rare even in insect cultivation classics."

He saw right through Zhou Li's state at a glance!

Lu Changye is the first person Zhou Li has spoken to since the birth of this world, and he even bestowed upon him an opportunity previously.

Upon seeing his senior brother again, Zhou Li couldn't help but feel overjoyed, his beard swaying up and down as if expressing his gratitude.

"That day I gave you the dregs of the pill to see how far you could go, but I never expected that you would not only successfully transcend the mortal realm, but also directly enter the realm of Qi Refining."

As Lu Changye spoke, he slowly extended his right hand.

With palms facing upwards, stop half an inch off the ground, just the right position that Zhou Li could reach with a slight tilt of his head.

The meaning couldn't be clearer: they wanted to take control of the Zhou Dynasty's rites.

Zhou Li remembered this hand; it was this hand that had picked him up and put him down half a month ago.

To go or not to go?

Forget it. If the other party really had malicious intentions, why wait until today?

Without further hesitation, Zhou Li exerted force with his six legs, crawling along his fingers all the way to Lu Changye's palm.

To Lu Changye's surprise, the little creature showed no panic whatsoever. Instead, it stood steadily in the center of his palm, its whiskers drooping, as if... bowing?

Slowly raising his palm, Lu Changye held the ant up to his eyes, gazing at the small creature in his hand, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

After a long silence, he sighed sadly, "Even a lowly creature like you has feelings and righteousness, so why do others..."

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore."

Lu Changye shook his head and smiled, "You're in for a treat today. Let's see what this is!"

As he spoke, he took something out of his pocket.

It was a red and white koi carp that was over a foot long, but it was already lying belly up and had stopped breathing.

"It hasn't rained for half a month, and the spirit spring has dried up somewhat. It seems that this spirit fish wandered into the shallows, struggled and failed to return, and died this morning. You've gotten away with it for nothing."

"It's just a fish," Zhou Li thought, drooping his whiskers. "I thought it was going to be something as good as a Qi-replenishing pill."

Seemingly sensing Zhou Li's thoughts, Lu Changye's eyes flashed with a smile: "I bet you're regretting right now that you didn't get any Qi-replenishing pills?"

Zhou Li stiffened slightly; this senior brother had such keen intuition.

Lu Changye laughed and scolded, "Don't be so ungrateful after getting a good deal. Qi-replenishing pills are for humans. Although your physique is strong now, you are still an insect. Taking more pills would be like drinking poison to quench your thirst."

"This spirit fish is different. It is born from the energy of heaven and earth. Although it is not a spirit of plants and trees, it is born from a spirit spring, absorbs the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and receives the essence of the sun and moon. It has never been contaminated in the slightest, and it is most compatible with your insect body."

"Moreover, this spirit fish has scales as clear as jade, and its body is lean but not skinny. It is a first-class ingredient in the world... uh, a spirit creature, even better than a Qi-replenishing pill."

As Zhou Li listened to Lu Changye's words, the image of the dietary classic "Xin Zhai Qing Gong" on the table in his senior brother's room suddenly flashed through his mind.

He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Could it be that my senior brother killed this creature because of his gluttony? Luckily, I'm just an ant, with thick skin and little flesh, otherwise..."

Zhou Li shivered as he thought about it.

Putting aside Zhou Li's ulterior motives, Lu Changye had already skillfully set up a simple stove with firewood.

He lit a fire and cooked the fish with practiced ease, clearly someone accustomed to eating wild game.

A strange, pleasant fragrance wafted up, and Lu Changye tore off a small piece of the fish belly, gently tossing it onto the ground, saying, "This is for you."

Zhou Li didn't stand on ceremony. He crawled over and took a bite, and immediately felt a refreshing fragrance wash over him, making him feel indescribably comfortable.

What a wonderful fish!

At this moment, Lu Changye's expression turned solemn and he said, "It is not as domineering as the Qi-replenishing pill. Its nature is mild and long-lasting, making it most suitable for nourishing the foundation and consolidating the realm. Each bite is equivalent to several days of arduous cultivation."

"But precisely because of this, it will inevitably be fought over by all kinds of insects and beasts. You must not store it in the nest. Just eat as much as you want, and how much you can absorb depends on your ability."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Li no longer bothered to savor the food and began to wolf it down. Fortunately, he hadn't eaten much in the cave, so this was a good opportunity to fill his stomach.

A moment later, Zhou Li couldn't eat anymore and lay sprawled out in the courtyard.

But Lu Changye said solemnly, "It's not time to rest yet. If the spiritual energy in this flesh is not used properly, it will dissipate in a day. Quickly concentrate on your breathing exercises."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Li's expression hardened. He immediately turned over, gathered his spiritual energy, and began circulating it throughout his body. Since entering the initial stage of cultivation, he no longer needed to climb to the top of the bamboo tree to cultivate.

Unlike the violent fiery currents of the Qi-replenishing pill, it was a gentle warmth that flowed slowly through Zhou Li's body like a spring stream.

Wherever the warmth reached, the dark gold patterns on the carapace shone, and when it flowed over the carapace, it produced a tingling sensation that vanished in an instant.

Lu Changye sat quietly to the side, chuckling, "I never imagined that one day I would be protecting an ant. Life is truly unpredictable."

After a while, Lu Changye looked at Zhou Li and suddenly let out a soft exclamation, frowning, but did not say anything to disturb him.

Lu Changye waited until the sun was setting and Zhou Li finished his breathing exercises before speaking:

"Brother Ant, I observe that your spiritual energy is mixed and impure, and your spiritual thoughts harbor hidden resentment. Is there some grudge you harbor?"

Zhou Li was stunned for a moment, a shadow passing over his heart.

Born as ants, living only a day, it would be a lie to say that we harbor no resentment.

Seeing Zhou Li standing motionless, Lu Changye stood up and said with his hands behind his back, "Brother Ant, do you know what your greatest opportunity has been after years of cultivation?"

"As ancient texts say, when sages sat and discussed the Way, fish, insects, birds and beasts, moved by their thoughts, would shed their wildness and stop to listen. Some even had their intelligence gradually awakened and embarked on the path of the Way."

His gaze fell on Zhou Li, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes:

"Brother Ant, your greatest opportunity is not the Qi-replenishing pill I gave you, nor the spirit fish today, but the trace of intelligence that has sprouted in you from your daily exposure to Taoism on Purple Cloud Peak. Otherwise, even if I had the greatest abilities, I could not have accomplished this great fortune."

Upon hearing Lu Changye's words, Zhou Li paused, thinking to himself, "What Senior Brother said has enlightened me. I only knew that I was reborn, but I never thought that it might be because I gained sentience in this bamboo forest that I was able to remember my past life."

Since Zhou Li was reborn from the ashes of an ant, he often complained about the heavens and blamed others, hating the injustice of the heavens. He never thought that perhaps it was because of the gift of the heavens that he was able to be reborn.

After some thought, Zhou Li seemed to have figured something out; the anger in his heart gradually subsided, and he felt a sense of clarity.

Once a thought arises, one can understand one's true nature.

In the instant his thoughts became clear, Zhou Li felt that his previously chaotic and obscure spiritual thoughts were now as clear as if they had been washed by a sweet spring.

The spiritual energy around him also subtly changed. As he exhaled a breath of turbid air, the turbid air dissipated as soon as it left his body, turning into light smoke and disappearing without a trace.

At this moment, the tingling and itchy sensation in my back reappeared.