A group of five Gu Masters moved together—four men and one woman. Each of them radiated the aura of Rank Two, while the man leading them emanated the aura of the middle stage. All of the Gu Masters wore black hoods that concealed their faces.
The leader, a man of average height whose muscles were clearly outlined beneath the Gu Master robe of the Yan Zu clan, spoke in a steady voice.
"Brothers, go and search for Yan Zu Jin Long to conclude this mission. The Elder of the War Hall is paying close attention to this matter, so let us handle it properly."
"Yes, Elder Brother."
The Yan Zu Gu Masters quickly split up to search for Jin Long. The search did not take long—each Gu Master possessed investigative methods. Even if those methods were crude, they were still practical.
Soon, they regrouped, and the muscular man with the highest cultivation among them led the group toward the large hut where Jin Long resided. When they arrived, Jin Long was already waiting outside, his expression tense and uneasy. However, upon seeing them, his expression relaxed significantly. A nervous smile appeared on his lips as he greeted them.
"Esteemed elder brothers, this junior pays his respects."
Jin Long clasped his fists and bent his back slightly toward the group of Gu Masters. The hooded Gu Masters nodded in approval, silently praising his manners.
"That is enough of these pleasantries," the leader said coldly. "You reported to the clan that there was a demonic Gu Master, and that you killed him. Oh, right—you also mentioned that he was a slave who obtained a fortuitous encounter and became a Gu Master. Now, hand over all the evidence you possess, along with any spoils."
Worry surfaced on Jin Long's face once more, prompting the only female Gu Master in the group to speak. Her voice was low, yet pleasant.
"Do not worry. The clan will reward you well. You eliminated a potential threat, and the evidence you obtained may even lead to a batch of Hope Gu, preventing mortals from becoming Gu Masters."
"Little Qing Lan, you must remain vigilant," the muscular man said sternly. "There are many dangers here. Another demonic Gu Master may be lurking nearby. Observe carefully."
The woman fell silent as understanding flashed through her eyes. She did not argue with the man who had advised her.
The group then turned their attention back to Jin Long, the muscular man pressing him again.
"Junior Jin, hand over the evidence. One must eat only as much as his stomach can bear—otherwise, he will choke and die."
Jin Long finally relented. He produced several pieces of leather clothing and a Gu worm resembling a green scorpion, its edge thin and sharp like a needle. All the Gu Masters stared at the Gu worm with great interest. None of them had seen such a Gu before; it was clearly not something native to their village.
"I don't know what this Gu is called," Jin Long said, "but I named it Coiling Vine Gu. It's actually quite useful—it can produce multiple vine limbs. Although it's rather fragile, it's easy to control, and the many thorns on its surface can cause shallow wounds upon contact. The problem is that its range is limited."
"You know quite a lot about this Gu," the muscular Gu Master said sharply. "Did you use it?"
His gaze turned piercing as he stared at Jin Long. However, he did not pursue the matter further. He simply took the Gu worm and left with the group to continue their investigation.
After they moved away, Jin Long finally let out a long sigh of relief. He wandered around the village for a while, observing the villagers and the group of Gu Masters.
He was bold enough to activate his own investigative Gu. The War Hall Gu Masters sensed this and expressed their displeasure when confronting him, but the response they received was:
"You must understand his situation. A demonic Gu Master appeared in this village and went unnoticed, resulting in a serious blemish on his record. Naturally, he must demonstrate diligence so that we may vouch for him before the War Hall Elder. Unfortunately, we are occupied with matters far more important than a mere Rank One Gu Master."
The War Hall group nodded in satisfaction and allowed Jin Long to act as he pleased while they continued their investigation for an entire day. When they found nothing, they returned to the village to submit their report and hand the strange Gu worm over to the clan elders for examination.
"They finally left… Because of them, I couldn't get too close, so I handed the Gu worm to Jin Long without any instructions. I fear he made a few mistakes during the investigation."
Fang Tian was hiding on the outskirts of the village, where only a few villagers lived—a safe place to avoid Gu Masters. He emerged only after learning that they had departed, yet his heart continued to warn him that he was walking on a tightrope. One misstep, and he would fall to his death.
Still, if danger arose, all he needed to do was flee. He was no longer as foolish as before. After fighting Jin Long, he realized he had many weaknesses—weaknesses he had overlooked due to arrogance and inexperience.
First, his lack of combat experience was glaring. It was like a blank sheet of paper stained with a few drops of ink. The gap between having no experience and possessing it was as vast as the difference between heaven and earth. Although he practiced using Gu for hours every day and even trained on live targets, he still could not make up for the difference between himself and a Rank One Gu Master who had spent ten years fighting and killing.
Second, his Gu worm coordination was somewhat poor. Although he possessed Gu worms of a single path, their practical combat applications were limited. His vital Gu, Wood Origin Gu, was only Rank One and would soon be refined to Rank Two. At present, it could only be used in conjunction with the defensive Jade Bark Shell Gu.
That was its sole utility for now. As for Vine Garden Gu, although powerful, it was impractical in most situations. The vines required time to emerge and gather, and the consumption of primeval essence was simply enormous. Thus, Fang Tian needed to diversify his offensive methods. Although he possessed several offensive Gu worms from different paths, he was reluctant to use them unless absolutely necessary.
The reason was simple. He possessed one of the Ten Extreme Physiques—the Boundless Forest Samsara Body. This physique granted him a tremendous advantage when using Wood Path Gu worms. It also gave him rapid comprehension of the path, allowing him to use Wood Path Gu more effectively through practice and understanding. The more he used Gu worms, the deeper his understanding of the path became.
Some might call it a supernatural talent, but in truth, it was merely a gift from a body created specifically for this path.
"In any case, I must reorganize my Gu worms. There are already three Gu recipes in Li Hua's inheritance that suit my needs—all of them belonging to the Wood Path."
Fang Tian walked toward Jin Long's hut and found him standing outside, barking orders at around ten villagers. When he noticed Fang Tian, he waved the villagers away and gestured for Fang Tian to follow him inside.
Inside the hut, Jin Long bowed respectfully to Fang Tian, but Fang Tian interrupted him immediately.
"Enough with the pleasantries. Answer my questions in as much detail as possible."
"As you command, my lord!"
"Now tell me everything you know about the Yan Zu clan—even information not known to the public. Do not conceal anything."
Hesitation and inner struggle appeared on Jin Long's face, but he spoke after suppressing those emotions.
"My lord, there are sixteen elders in my clan. Most are in the initial or middle stages of Rank Three, but there are two elders in the upper stage—the War Hall Elder and the Internal Affairs Hall Elder. As for the Clan Leader, it is rumored that he possesses a Grade B aptitude, nearly at its peak… and he is at the peak of Rank Three."
"Our clan is divided into three major factions. The Clan Leader's faction is the strongest—it nearly equals the other two combined and barely suppresses them. Also, although our clan has relatively few elders, we possess a large number of Rank Two Gu Masters, comparable to a mid-sized clan. As for Rank One Gu Masters like myself, we are extremely numerous and handle most of the clan's tasks."
He paused to catch his breath before continuing.
"Rank One Gu Masters focus on logistics, guarding the village walls, and cleansing the surrounding areas. A small number of us with decent battle strength guard the borders or villages where mortals live. These missions are actually quite lucrative, but they're not enough for an ambitious man. Some of us gamble by venturing beyond the cleansed zones in pursuit of wealth. Most die—but those who return usually bring back one or two valuable gains."
"The clan suffers a beast tide roughly every five years, composed of Shadow Cats. This information is public knowledge. What they don't know is that each beast tide consumes the clan's foundation to the point that it becomes extremely fragile. During those times, internal power struggles reach their peak. Aside from that, the clan uses Rank One Wind Pressure Gu as its symbol, and most clan members use it as well."
"As for external affairs, our village has very few connections in the Southern Border. Only one caravan arrives each spring, belonging to the Bao clan. It's a medium-to-large caravan. I recall that two years ago, they even offered a Rank Four Gu worm, which the Clan Leader purchased for seventy thousand primeval stones!"
Jin Long's expression was filled with excitement and pride as he spoke of a Clan Leader capable of purchasing and wielding a Rank Four Gu worm. Fang Tian sighed inwardly.
"A frog at the bottom of a well, thinking Rank Four is the peak… how laughable."
Still, he had obtained extremely valuable information. Strangely enough, Jin Long recounted everything with remarkable precision—especially the last detail regarding the caravan.
"If I can reach that caravan, all the primeval stones I've accumulated will finally become useful. I could even sell the Gu worms I refine there, amass wealth, and purchase resources and Gu worms that suit me!"
Unable to help himself, Fang Tian envisioned this beautiful future and asked Jin Long with keen interest.
"And when will this caravan arrive next?"
"Ah… I believe in about a month or so. The time is quite near. Unfortunately, I have very few primeval stones to acquire useful Gu worms."
Fang Tian's eyes gleamed with excitement, completely ignoring Jin Long's rambling. Countless plans formed in his mind—only to be swiftly rejected. Rash thinking would not help him. He needed to infiltrate the Yan Zu clan to gain a clearer picture of the situation.
"Or… perhaps I can make this idiot go back and record everything for me."
Jin Long was still complaining about poverty when Fang Tian spoke calmly, causing him to fall silent at once.
"Follow me, you foolish. In one month, we're going to make a fortune."