Die Lunwen did not believe him immediately.

“I’m unconvinced.”

If someone were to steal the technique and then spend some time learning it before returning to claim they were distant relatives, how much different would it be than now? Proving the truth of his story to Die Lunwen would not be simple. This was exacerbated by the fact that the Xuanyuan Empire used Gu. Everyone here knew how to raise and link with bugs, so what could showing off that ability prove? After a bit of deliberation on the Inner World, they chose to use the most expedient solution.

A light shone through the robes covering Sage’s chest as he stood up and walked over to the more open central area of the room. He pushed a few chairs out of the way to clear a space and then he suddenly changed. It was a single smooth shift without any shedding of blood, bright flashes, or painful noises. The golden eyed human had now become a seven foot tall silver mantis.

This was not Sage’s original form but something he’d created with the Master Seal on the spot. If he were to reveal his current true body he would smash not just the room but the whole building apart with his size. The size of his body was a reflection of his strength when compared to the quality of his bloodline. His true body was still the Thunder Soul Mantis with its size inherited from the Genesis Spider. The huge size was a side effect of using the spider’s physical strength. Many of the Lang Clan didn’t use this ability so they could retain a more moderate size, but the physical fighters in the Clan had all taken to having immense true forms. Since they all lived nearly their whole lives with a Human Seal it had no detriments to them and provided great strength even when sealed into a human body.

Sage revealed a monstrous Mantis Body to show to Die Lunwen the capabilities of the full merge technique. He also showed off the retention of his mind and will by speaking with the Heart’s Tongue.

“Is this proof enough? Would a pretender be able to do this without losing their minds? Give me a few tasks to perform to show this isn’t an illusion or trick.”

There was still a chance someone might actually try the full merge technique and succeed without losing their mind completely. It was only after merging multiple times that things started to get really muddled, and Die Lunwen would not be able to pick out all the different beasts that Sage had merged together into a single body. Maybe if he had merged with a bunch of the common local Gu it would be instantly recognized, but in the current situation he chose to simply show off some of his varied abilities to show the very hybridized nature of his body.

Die Lunwen was surprised by the sudden change. It was one thing for someone to use the Insect Immortal Index to merge with a beast or bug. It was another thing to so drastically become so inhuman. When Sage left his seat, Die Lunwen was expecting him to reveal a strange growth or inhuman skin texture hidden beneath his robes. The complete transformation into a giant mantis was not something he saw coming. He’d never heard of such a drastic transformation technique that so flawlessly concealed someone as a human.

What followed were a series of tests of intellect, coordination, and temptation. Die Lunwen seemed to know his stuff as he tried to frustrate Sage with complicated activities, and then taunt him with things that a mantis would be attracted to. After showing that none of the insectoid traits remained, Die Lunwen was willing to give them a little leeway, but he was not yet fully convinced.

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Sage returned to his human form and took a seat once more, “Allow me to demonstrate some sincerity. This is an example of something from my Lang Clan, what do you think?”

At this time he brought out a cricket-like creature the size of a dinner plate. Instead of two large back legs, all six were the same size. He sat it upon the table and tapped upon its back. As he did, a flame spit out of the large round orifice on the end of its abdomen.

“I’ve never seen that Gu before.”

“This isn't a Gu. It’s what we call a Blastid. No one is linked to it, and nobody has to control it to do this. It only requires a touch. Even those without any cultivation at all can activate it, and it doesn’t require Spirit Stones for its feeding.”

“You can activate its power without anyone being bonded to it?”

“Is this enough to bring to your superiors? I would like to trade the breeding techniques for the Blastids with your Clan. Please also bring a servant who hasn’t cultivated so the capabilities of the Blastids can be demonstrated.”

To punctuate this point, Sage brought out another Blastid, this one much larger than the first. It was about half the size of a person and radiating the strength of a rank 4 Cultivator. Realizing that this strange creature wasn’t just limited to the low end, Die Lunwen finally nodded and rose to his feet. He gave one last careful look at the two Blastids and Sage as well before leaving the room. Die Lunwen returned a few minutes later to lead Sage out of the room. He brought Sage to another room to rest and relax as they couldn’t assemble the necessary people until the next day.

The next day, the meeting was far more formal, as Sage found himself led into what appeared to be the main hall of the Die Clan rather than just a side room. There were far more people assembled, so much so that they didn’t bother with individual introductions or greetings. Instead, a servant to the side made the introductions, naming the pair of Clan Elders that were in the main seats and then announcing Sage’s name in the same manner.

“So, Lang Sheng, I believe you had a demonstration for us?”

Sage looked over to the person who was making the introductions, singling them out as the only non-cultivator in the room, “May I have his participation and a proper test target?”

The presenter was the only person not aware of this while the two Elders gave him a nod. To the side, a few of the Die Clan members stepped to the side and revealed an open area of the hall with a few stone dummies already waiting. Sage nodded and waved his hand, bringing out a table with an assortment of differently sized Blastids upon it. He did his best impression of a salesman and picked up one smaller than his palm and with a tap a small flame was emitted, “This is the weakest type of Fire Blastid, useful for mortals to light fires.”

Then he sets it down and picks up one of the plate sized bugs with a slightly different color, “They don’t just create fire, they can have many different Qi natures, this is a Frost Blastid, which is another mundane assistant, perfect for keeping food and drinks cold. The Fire Blastid in the second rank, like this one, is perfect for cooking.”

“The rank one and two Blastids are intended to be useful tools to improve their quality of life. Rank three and higher Blastids on the other hand, are mostly meant to be used as weapons, or strategic resources.”

Sage waved the presenter from earlier over to the table and picked up a Blastid as large as his arm. He gave the man a quick crash course, showing him where to touch the Blastid to make its legs move and where to press to make it activate. The legs could wrap around an arm, stand on their own, or be locked into position to form a grip and stock like it was a rifle. Sage showed the man how to hold it in the rifle configuration and aim the Blastid’s back end toward the stone dummy. The creature’s face was pointing right at the wielder, but it was featureless enough to not be that intimidating. The Blastids only had very tiny eyes, which could easily be mistaken as a few black decorative beads, and the mouth was hidden underneath a sweeping armored plate which meant there weren’t any big jaws right in view, a combination that made it much easier to pretend it was a piece of equipment and not a living being.

There was a loud crack and flash of light. A bolt of lightning shot from the back of the Blastid to strike the stone dummy. Even though the presenter had never held a Blastid before the target was close enough that he was able to hit it on the first try. It left a scorched black mark on the stone without causing any real damage, but that’s because this Blastid was only a rank three.