Chapter 23: Turning the Tables

As the battle intensified, the contest between Yun Yi and the elder senior brother gradually evolved into a duel of wits and courage. The senior brother grew increasingly cautious with every move, while Yun Yi, utilizing his diminutive stature and superior intellect, relentlessly sought an opening for a counterattack. The atmosphere in the dense forest was suffocating, as if the very air had frozen solid.

Finally, during a fierce exchange, Yun Yi keenly captured a subtle lapse in the senior brother’s guard—a momentary loss of balance just as the man swung his sword. Elated, Yun Yi knew this was the opportunity he had been waiting for. Without hesitation, he vibrated his wings and lunged toward the senior brother’s vital point with lightning speed. The senior brother had never expected this mosquito to launch a counterattack at such a moment, let alone one of such overwhelming ferocity. He scrambled to parry with his sword, but it was too late. Yun Yi’s stinger pierced his defenses like a bolt of lightning, striking directly into his body.

The senior brother felt a wave of excruciating pain, lost his balance, and collapsed to the ground. It turned out that the senior brother had already sustained significant injuries in previous skirmishes, and his disdain for Yun Yi had caused him to lower his guard at the critical moment. It was precisely this vulnerability that Yun Yi had exploited. Now lying on the ground, the senior brother’s eyes were filled with resentment and shock; he could never have imagined that he would be brought down by a mere mosquito.

Looking at the fallen senior brother, a complex mix of emotions stirred within Yun Yi. He knew he had won, but the victory had come at a price. Yet, he understood even more clearly that the law of the jungle was absolute: the strong survive, and the weak are eliminated. Just as he was immersed in these turbulent thoughts, a sudden realization flashed through his mind—a memory of the precious spirit mushroom.

This spirit mushroom was a treasure coveted by every cultivator, and for Yun Yi, it was of paramount importance—the very object he had been focused on all along. He took flight and quickly reached the location of the mushroom, only to be astonished by its crystalline appearance and the faint, ethereal glow it emitted; it was clearly extraordinary. However, as he prepared to harvest it, he discovered it was as large as an adult’s palm. With his current body, taking it was impossible. He muttered to himself, "With a spirit mushroom this massive, how could my tiny body possibly carry it away?"

As he found himself in this dilemma, a memory of the senior brother’s finger, adorned with a simple, ancient ring, flashed through his mind. A thought stirred within him: he had read countless tales of storage rings in cultivation novels. Could this be one of those legendary artifacts? A plan quickly formed: "If I can obtain that ring, perhaps I can solve this predicament."

With his mind made up, Yun Yi flew back to the senior brother and landed lightly beside his finger. Carefully, he inserted his proboscis into the gap between the ring and the skin, nudging it gently. To his surprise, the ring slid off and fell before him. Yet, even now, the ring appeared enormous to him, and he could barely lift it.

Just then, a bold thought exploded in his mind: "Right! If I can absorb more blood, perhaps it will trigger a further evolution, and my size will increase accordingly."

Without hesitation, Yun Yi plunged his slender proboscis into the senior brother’s skin, beginning to siphon the blood rich in cultivation and life force. Although the blood within the senior brother was as vast as a sea, even a mosquito as small as Yun Yi could not drain it all despite his best efforts.

Then, the miracle occurred. As the blood flowed in, the mysterious blood bead within Yun Yi began to swell until it reached total saturation. Suddenly, a drop of highly refined energy overflowed from the bead and merged into his body. Yun Yi felt a surge of unprecedented power, pushing his cultivation to the seventh level of demonic energy and causing his body to undergo a subtle yet astonishing transformation. His tiny frame expanded, and every inch of his skin seemed to pulse with inexhaustible power, growing until he reached the size of a small woman’s hand—an incredible feat for a mosquito.

"Ha! So that is how it works!" Yun Yi was filled with joy and exhilaration. He realized that this surge of power not only meant a leap in his strength but also opened the door to a much broader world. He fluttered his now-larger wings; each beat seemed to carry the melody of a gentle breeze. The ring, which had once seemed so daunting, was now effortlessly cradled in his "hand" like a crystalline grape.

Surveying his new form, Yun Yi felt a surge of greater ambition and longing. He yearned to become stronger, to reach higher levels of cultivation, and even dreamed that one day he might take human form and truly enter the ranks of the immortals. He knew, however, that in this treacherous forest, every step had to be taken with caution, and every decision could be a matter of life and death. Yet, at this moment, a resolute light burned in his eyes.

He looked at the three fallen cultivators; their bodies were precious resources, the keys to his continued evolution. A daring plan emerged: he would extract all the blood from the three cultivators and use the newly acquired storage ring to preserve it. This blood held the years of cultivation and life force of these men—it was his ticket to breaking through to even greater heights.

He did not, however, rush to absorb all this blood into his internal bead. He had already learned that while the refined energy converted by the bead was powerful, it required tempering before his body could fully assimilate it. Otherwise, his current physical state could not withstand the strain, potentially leading to uncontrollable consequences.

Therefore, Yun Yi made a wise decision. He carefully siphoned the blood from the three cultivators, gathered it, and used the storage ring to preserve it. Though the ring was small, its internal space was vast, sufficient to hold the blood while keeping it fresh and pure.

"Storing the blood in the ring is both safe and convenient," Yun Yi mused to himself. "When I find a suitable place to cultivate, I will slowly refine this energy. Perhaps, in the near future, I really will be able to take human form."