The giant silkworm Gu flew close to Mount Wu Yi until the massive city of the Wu Clan lay directly beneath them, yet it continued its ascent toward the mountain peak.
Fang Tian sat there in exhaustion. His face had grown gaunt, his cheekbones protruding sharply, and the skin beneath his eyes had darkened. Wu Ji beside him was in no better condition—she was practically skin and bones, with clear signs of fatigue and exhaustion etched onto her features.
Even so, the two of them managed to form playful smiles as they neared the summit. After all, the past two months had been nothing but relentless hardship.
"I can't wait to go back and eat real food instead of beast meat and rice… This stuff is so boring!"
Wu Ji complained beside him, while Fang Tian divided his focus between controlling the silkworm Gu, channeling his primeval essence into it, and listening to her chatter.
"Food is one thing I miss too," Fang Tian replied, "but I'm even more excited about the fortune we'll reap. Hah… I'll buy Silver Relics Gu and break through to the peak stage. That should ease the pressure on my aperture."
"That's incredibly expensive. With your talent, breaking through to the peak stage won't take long anyway. Why waste money? Has the pressure on your aperture reached a point you can't endure anymore?"
Fang Tian gave her a bitter look and nodded.
Although he had already advanced to the middle stage and slightly eased the pressure by converting his primeval essence to the initial stage essence, the strain on his aperture still remained. To buy more time, he had to break through to the peak stage and gain one or two extra years.
Yet now, he finally held a glimmer of hope. He knew what he had to do to resolve this problem. With his attainment in the wood path, he realized that one year of quiet cultivation would give him enough time to explosively increase his battle strength.
"Oh, look—someone's flying toward us."
Indeed, from the mountain peak, a Gu Master surrounded by the aura of Rank Four charged toward them, riding atop a golden cloud.
"Who are you? How dare you fly above Wu Clan City?!"
Wu Ji immediately stood up, clasped her fists toward the Rank Four elder, and spoke respectfully, though her tone carried a trace of defiance.
"This junior Wu Ji pays her respects to Elder Lian."
"Wu Ji? …Oh, the little Wu Ji, daughter of Elder Chen Yu. I see, that's fine… But remember this for next time. Gu Masters are forbidden from flying over our city. If it happens again, you will be attacked without warning."
"This junior understands, Elder."
Elder Lian cast Fang Tian a disdainful glance, as though recognizing him, then flew back toward the peak of Wu Clan Mountain.
Before long, Fang Tian and Wu Ji landed on an open area atop the mountain. The ground here was flat, with a clear pool of water in the center. Fallen leaves drifted across its surface, creating a serene and beautiful scene. Pillars, barriers, and walls had been built along the mountain face, forming exquisite mountain chambers for Wu Clan members.
Several pavilions even extended along the lakeside, where famous Gu Masters of the Wu Clan resided. Wu Ji didn't bother explaining anything. She stretched lazily, her bones cracking audibly as she relaxed.
"Hand over the resources and Gu worms you obtained at the resource point. I'll convert them into contribution points. If you want, I can also convert some into primeval stones."
"Why bother? Why don't we just go exchange them ourselves right now?"
"Tsk, tsk, you really don't get it, idiot. Wherever there are resources, there's competition. Same goes here. The wealth you and I brought back rivals that of those old geezers. You're an outsider, and I'm just a Rank Three initial-stage Gu Master. Do you really think they'll let us keep all of it? We'd be lucky to walk away with half a million primeval stones."
"So you're using one of your mother's channels to convert the Gu worms and resources into contribution points and primeval stones?"
"Bingo! So—how many primeval stones do you want?"
That was a good question. Although the Wu Clan's exchange list was rich with rare and precious Gu worms, Fang Tian still needed to keep a supply of primeval stones if he wanted to buy Gu worms from city shops or refinement materials.
"Let's say… four hundred thousand."
Wu Ji nodded in understanding. She extended her hand, and Fang Tian handed over the Silver Merchant Pocket Gu along with hundreds—nearly a thousand—metal-path Gu worms. Though the quantity was large, most were only Rank One or Rank Two, with very few Rank Three Gu worms.
The noteworthy point was that these Gu worms were still wild and unrefined. Fang Tian had suppressed them with the aura of a Rank Four Gu worm and barely managed to contain such a massive number within his aperture.
"All right, you gloomy bastard. See you later. I've got a lot to take care of now that I'm back in the clan. You should probably head to the Internal Affairs Hall to confirm your mission and claim your reward."
Fang Tian nodded and parted ways with Wu Ji, heading toward the Internal Affairs Hall. Although he didn't frequent the mountain's core area, he still remembered the location of the hall where missions were confirmed and contribution points exchanged.
The golden-bamboo-built Contributions Hall soon came into view, massive enough to rival an elder's palace. No one ever underestimated the sturdiness of this bamboo. Though the hall appeared fragile and lacking in grandeur, one thing inspired dread in all who looked upon it—
The Internal Affairs Hall was a mortal Gu House.
From Wu Ji, Fang Tian had learned that this Gu House was formed from hundreds or even thousands of Gu worms combined. No one could activate it—not even a Rank Five peak-stage Gu Master could move it for even a few seconds.
Even so, the Internal Affairs Hall alone demonstrated the deep foundation of the Wu Clan. And for Fang Tian, who knew that Gu Immortals existed within the Wu Clan, this left a subtle impact on him.
To Gu Immortals, mortal Gu Houses held little value. Most were used merely to assist in nurturing their immortal apertures. Only a rare few possessed enough combat strength to participate in battles between Gu Immortals.
"But that world is still far from me… let alone ten years, I might need twenty or more to meet the basic requirements to ascend to immortality—if I even survive that long."
Naturally, Fang Tian knew the locations of many so-called "once-in-a-lifetime opportunities." Yet with his current strength, reaching them was difficult—if not outright impossible. Thus, he acted as though unaware of these precious chances and continued cultivating quietly, though a clear plan already existed in his mind. What he lacked was power—the power to reap the greatest benefit.
After entering the Internal Affairs Hall, Fang Tian stood before a two-meter-tall panel and retrieved a Gu worm from it. He sent a thread of primeval essence into the Gu, activating it instantly, and recorded the successful completion of his mission along with a brief description and details.
This information was registered within the hall, and a Rank Five elder would promptly review it and assign him a corresponding evaluation and contribution points.
This was the system of the Internal Affairs Hall. There were no Gu Masters stationed here; everything was efficient and mechanized. Even tasks requiring human hands were handled swiftly and effectively by a single attendant.
After a short while, his name appeared on the panel before him with the evaluation: "Very Good," alongside his awarded contribution points.
One contribution point equaled one hundred primeval stones. One thousand contribution points equaled one hundred thousand primeval stones. Fang Tian received a total of thousand and One hundred contribution points—a very respectable sum. Without hesitation, he went straight to the exchange board and spent all of them.
"Red Earth Herb bundles and Burial Hedgehog Thorns… Tenfold Leaf Gu…"
He spent every last contribution point on Gu worms, refinement materials, and primeval stones.
His reckless spending drew the attention of Wu Clan Gu Masters, who stared at him in disbelief as he wasted a thousand contribution points on what they considered ordinary items. What annoyed them most was that he didn't buy particularly useful Gu worms.
Only four of the Gu worms were Rank Three, and just one was considered useful. The others specialized in support and nourishment, making them appear worthless in close combat. Worse still, more than half his points were spent on refinement materials, while the rest went to Rank One and Rank Two Gu worms.
Clearly, he intended to refine Gu worms—but was refining Gu really that easy?
Fang Tian didn't disagree with them. Even though his success rate for refining Rank One and Rank Two Gu worms was high, what he intended to refine now were Rank Three Gu worms.
From Rank Three onward, the success rate dropped below fifty percent. Out of ten attempts, he might succeed only four times. That was why he spent such a huge sum to purchase enough refinement materials for four full attempts.
Leaving the Internal Affairs Hall, Fang Tian descended from Wu Yi Mountain's core region and returned to the familiar city below. A sense of relief washed over him—the constant tension of fearing death at any moment had finally faded.
He returned to his familiar garden residence. Fortunately, the landlord hadn't changed; Fang Tian had already paid several months' rent in advance to avoid the headache of finding another suitable residence.
Outside the pavilion overlooking the beautiful lake, the maids were sitting and drinking tea in the very spot Fang Tian often enjoyed resting. One of them turned her head toward the entrance, her expression freezing in terror.
Fang Tian walked toward them calmly, his gaze cold. For some reason, these maids were lazing about and drinking tea instead of working.
"Master! This servant begs for forgiveness!"
The maid immediately knelt to the ground, her voice drawing the attention of the others. They turned, froze in fear, and hurriedly knelt as well.
"Master! We are your servants. You may do as you please with us, but please forgive our laziness!"
Fang Tian looked at them in confusion. Honestly, he didn't mind them taking breaks, and from what he could see, the pavilion and garden were well maintained. He simply couldn't understand their reaction.
"Oh right… this is the Gu world. These servants are closer to slaves—or rather, livestock—in the eyes of Gu Masters. They probably think I'll kill them for this?"
"Relax, girls. You can rest when you need to. Just make sure the pavilion and garden stay clean and orderly."
"The master is merciful! This servant will do her utmost to fulfill your requests!"
The maids cheered in relief as Fang Tian walked past them and entered the pavilion. Inside, the space was vast and divided into several rooms.
He went to the bath, thoroughly washed himself, changed into clean clothes, and finally lay down to rest.
Fortunately, this time he didn't dream of anything strange—neither about himself nor about Li Hua.
It was a long, peaceful sleep, making up for weeks of exhaustion.