C6 Divine Insect Eightcircle the Entire City Was Shocked!

Inside Long Hua City, at the castellan's residence.

"Instructor Qian, your visit honors us. My apologies for not greeting you sooner," Nangong said with a bow, his hands clasped together in respect.

Instructor Qian dismissed the formality with a wave of his hand. "Enough with the pleasantries. You know why I've come."

"How's the list coming along?" Qian Hee inquired.

Nangong had once been a student at the University of Northwich before joining the Guard Army post-graduation. His valor in several years of combat earned him a transfer to serve as the city lord of Long Hua City. A formidable swordsman, he had reached the impressive level of a Five-circle, Level 155. And while Qian Hee hadn't been his direct mentor at university, his status as an esteemed honorary instructor from the University of Northwich commanded respect.

"Teacher Qian Hee, everything is prepared. This year, Gloomrock City has a total of 13,000 students transitioning to new professions. We have 2,000 mages, 6,000 warriors, and swordsmen..." Nangong reported the details of the vocational transitions, then added with some concern, "We have 700 aspiring Beastmasters, but those with exceptional talent are few and far between."

Qian Hee nodded in understanding. He knew all too well the challenges Beastmasters faced in their development. The investment of time and resources required to cultivate a Beastmaster far exceeded that of a mage. Despite being a Beastmaster himself, bolstering the ranks of his profession was a task easier said than done.

"Send me the list of those with promising potential. I'll give them special attention," Qian Hee instructed. "And make sure to include the rest on the Admission List. We need to publish it before the university's recruitment begins."

"Understood," Nangong replied.

The upcoming university recruitment was a pivotal moment for high school graduates. Those with lackluster grades could surge forward in these two months, securing a place in higher education. Conversely, those with stellar academic records might find their prospects dimmed by vocational choices, potentially missing out on university admission. The release of the Admission List was always a time of great anticipation and excitement.

While they were in conversation, a guard burst in with urgency.

"Alert! To the City Lord, we have a crisis. An unidentified toxic mist has been detected outside the city, and it's highly potent!"

"Guard Chen Gang has been gravely wounded!"

"What? Toxic mist?"

Nangong and Qian Hee paused, taken aback, with Qian Hee furrowing his brow.

"There was no toxic mist when I arrived. How did it suddenly emerge? Let's go check it out!"

Nangong quickly agreed and set out with Qian Hee.

...

At the city gates, Faang Chen lingered.

He was the architect of the toxic mist, and walking away now seemed somewhat dishonorable.

But he was in a bind. He knew how to unleash the poison but not how to retract it.

So, he was left fretting.

Before long.

"Clear the way! The City Lord is here!"

A voice called out from the crowd.

The throng parted, allowing Nangong and an elderly man to pass through.

The sight of the elder sparked a flurry of chatter among the onlookers, some of whom even began filming.

"That's Instructor Qian! Incredible! To see Instructor Qian in the flesh!"

"Absolutely, a Seven-circle Beastmaster, at least Level 213. He rides a Lord Level Boss as a mount—astonishing!"

"It's too bad he's a Beastmaster, a swordsman would have been better!"

"University of Northwich has plenty of swordsman mentors, but first, you've got to get in!"

"Speaking of which, is this toxic mist really that dangerous? Even Instructor Qian is concerned?"

"Instructor Qian is a Beastmaster; he's bound to know a thing or two about poisons. This mist must be no ordinary affair!"

The crowd buzzed with speculation.

Some even uploaded the video to Gloomrock's professional forum.

Faang Chen, however, was too anxious to pay attention. His gaze was fixed on Qian Hee and Nangong.

His heart pounded with uncertainty, wondering if they could discern that he was behind the toxic mist.

It's often said that strength earns recognition and cultivation, but revealing himself now didn't seem prudent.

Especially since a newly transitioned Zerg Summoner shouldn't be capable of releasing such potent poison—a fact that defied explanation.

If he were discovered, he'd likely be taken for dissection and study.

Faang Chen remained concerned.

"Clear the way!"

Nangong commanded.

Almost instantly, with a sweep of his hand, an opening formed above the Great Barrier Formation.

A purple haze of poison wafted in.

Nangong acted swiftly, conjuring a blade of light to envelop the toxic cloud.

Yet, to everyone's astonishment, a series of damage numbers began to appear above Nangong's head.

-1,000

-1,000

-1,000

This poison mist, emitted by the mini noxious insect prior to its evolution, was still at its basic Level 0 toxicity.

But even Nangong, a Five-circle swordsman, was losing health.

"Teacher, there's something odd about this poison. It's penetrating my defenses!"

Qian Hee's brow furrowed as he reached into the mist.

Quickly, a sequence of damage numbers sprang up above his head as well.

"No way, is Instructor Qian losing health too?"

"Who unleashed this poison, some divine powerhouse? Can even a Seven-circle Beastmaster not withstand it?"

"Damn, if this powerhouse targets Gloomrock with their poison, are we all doomed?"

"To make a Seven-circle Beastmaster lose health, could the poison master be at the Eight-circle or even Nine-circle level?"

"This is insane, why would such a powerhouse come to our Gloomrock?"

The crowd buzzed with speculation.

Nangong looked at Qian Hee, his eyes filled with inquiry.

Instructor Qian Hee gestured, expelling the poison fog from the Great Barrier Formation, and said with a frown,

"This poison fog is peculiar; it seems to bypass defenses completely!"

"It doesn't matter who you are or how strong you are, everyone's health is dropping!"

"Could it be an Eight-circle Poison Master? Has he come?"

Nangong's face grew tense.

But Qian Hee shook his head.

"It's not him. He's being hunted by over a third of the top hundred guilds!"

"His poisons are mostly beast-related. If he were here, Gloomrock would already be a wasteland of poison!"

"Besides, I've never heard of his poisons ignoring defenses!"

Qian Hee continued, removing his gear and then donning it once more, yet the damage numbers remained a constant thousand.

This further supports his theory: the blood loss was defense-ignoring. No matter your strength or how formidable your defense, you'd lose a thousand points each time.

"Could it be the work of another Eight-circle Poison Master?" Nangong inquired.

Qian Hee shook his head. "Unlikely. An Eight-circle Poison Master wouldn't be able to bypass defenses so consistently. The blood loss would vary, at least somewhat."

"But the blood loss is identical every time. That leads me to believe it's not the strength of our adversary, but rather the potency of the poison itself that's remarkable."

"Regrettably, we can see the poison's effects, but not its source. We have no idea who's behind it." Nangong, puzzled, pressed for clarification.

"Instructor, what are you suggesting?"

"It's likely the venom of a particular insect," Qian Hee explained.

"I've studied poisons, and few can ignore defenses like this. Most are of mythical caliber, such as the venom from the Nine-eyed Sky Spider, the mini noxious insect, and the Mudblood Crocodile."

"Yet, the toxins from the Nine-eyed Heavenly Orb and the Mudblood Crocodile don't spread. The mini noxious insect, however, is capable of creating a toxic mist."

"The mini noxious insect? But that's a mythical-level pest. And the damage it inflicts usually starts at ten thousand!"

Nangong interjected, concerned.

Qian Hee nodded. "That's the part I can't figure out. If this poison was emitted by a zero-level mini noxious insect larva, a loss of a thousand health points each time would make sense."

"But to control the mini noxious insect, how powerful must the Beastmaster be? Surely at least an Eight-circle."

"And considering the volume of the poison, it's unlikely anything less than several thousand mini noxious insects could produce such an amount."

"What level of strength would a Beastmaster need to control thousands of these insects?"

"Not even a Nine-circle Beastmaster might manage it, especially with zero-level insects. It's almost inconceivable!"

"One has to wonder if someone just happened upon a trove of zero-level mythical insects by chance, or if there's truly an Eight-circle or Nine-circle powerhouse lurking nearby."

"This situation is likely more complicated than it seems!"

The onlookers' faces registered shock as they absorbed the news.

What had they overheard?

Eight-circle and Nine-circle big shots?

Mythical-level mini noxious insects?

Was this within their realm of experience?

Gloomrock was just a small place; how could such entities make their way here?

Once the video hit the professional forums, the Gloomrock forums went into meltdown.

The whole city was abuzz with shock.

While the city buzzed, Faang Chen had already quietly slipped away.

If Qian Hee and the rest couldn't track him down, he saw no reason to stick around for the commotion.

Better to slip away now and focus on his career advancement.