"I have finally passed through the awkward stage of having a higher rank than most of my Gu," Fang Yuan now possessed two Rank Two Gu worms—one offensive and the other defensive.
Upon advancing to a higher cultivation rank, Gu Masters typically face the necessity of refining Gu worms that correspond to their new level. Initially, it is common for them to undergo an awkward transitional period wherein the majority of their Gu worms remain of a lower rank.
"The food for the White Jade Gu is jade rocks, which can be found here. As for the Moonglow Gu, its food is still Moon Orchids." Fang Yuan gradually opened the rock door.
The rock door was heavy, but for Fang Yuan strength it is sufficient to open it.
The scene that was revealed to Fang Yuan caused his field of vision to expand all of a sudden.
It was no longer a narrow tunnel or a secret room, but a large spacious plot of underground stone forest.
"I am now inside of Qing Mao Mountain; this underground space should be naturally formed." Fang Yuan looked up at the stone walls.
The stone walls of this chamber rose over sixteen meters high, with a matching stone ceiling above.
From above, massive dark red stone pillars hung down, each one giving off a faint crimson glow—just like the tunnel and the earlier secret room.
Though the light was dim, it was enough for Fang Yuan to make out his surroundings.
As he looked ahead, he saw that each pillar resembled an upside-down tree—devoid of branches, consisting only of a thick trunk.
The surfaces of the pillars were rough and riddled with shadowy holes, creating a haunting sight.
Countless such columns extended downward, forming what looked like an inverted stone forest inside the mountain.
It was a scene shaped entirely by the hands of nature.
Fang Yuan stared at the dark holes in the pillars and shot out a moonblade.
Thanks to the Moonglow Gu this moonblade is no longer a rank one strength but a rank two strength.
The eerie blue moonblade flew through the sky in an arc, precisely hitting a dark hole in the stone pillar.
A shrill and angry sound came from the dark hole.
With a 'swoosh', a grey monkey flew out from the cave and leapt towards Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan shot another moonblade
"The monkey was in midair and could not adjust its position, but its tail was extremely agile, sweeping several times and causing its body to flip. However, the size of the moonblade made it impossible for the monkey to avoid it, and it was struck, falling to the ground dead."
It was dead, without a drop of blood.
Only its grey body turned to stone, and in a second, its flesh and blood body became a stone monkey statue.
It died without shedding a single drop of blood.
Its grey body instantly turned to stone, transforming from flesh and bone into a lifeless stone statue in an instant.
The statue's posture and expression perfectly captured the monkey's final moment before death.
After just two breaths, cracks began to spread across its surface, and with a muffled boom, the entire statue shattered into countless fragments of stone.
Fang Yuan knelt down and brushed the stone fragments away, retrieving two jade-green yellow pearls—the eyes of the jade eye stone monkey.
This peculiar creature would crumble into grey stone shards upon death, leaving only its eyes intact as lustrous, jade-like pearls.
Each orb was dense and weighed no less than fifty grams.
With this discovery, Fang Yuan knew that as long as he continued to hunt jade eye stone monkeys, he would have no trouble feeding his White Jade Gu.
Fang Yuan continue to walk forward, on his seventh step, on the pillar closest to him, numerous jade-coloured glowing eyes could be seen peeking out of the stone holes.
Fang Yuan was unfazed by the danger, his heart remaining as calm as ice. "I could only use the Moonglow Gu four times in one go as each moonblade used 10% of my red steel primeval essence."
To play safe, he no longer used the moonblade, but activated the White Jade Gu.
As he continue walking forward and ignored the warnings of the stone monkey, they screamed furiously as an intruder has invaded their home.
The stone monkeys encircled him, the closest monkey jumping to Fang Yuan's leg and going into a frenzy. From down to up, it used its monkey head to hit Fang Yuan's chin.
Fang Yuan snorted and slammed his fist down, crushing the overconfident monkey.
Bam.
The stone monkey lost its life and turned into a rock statue.
Seeing the death of their companion, the rest of the monkey gang flew into a furious rage.
They howled wildly, their momentum doubling as they leapt at Fang Yuan with imposing force.
Fang Yuan did not back down and fought calmly with the stone monkeys.
Fifteen minutes later the battle ended.
On the ground, there were rock fragments all over the ground, and within those were dozens of jade pearls.
"I only have 6% of my primeval essence left. Now is the time to stop. Even with my current strength, it would be reckless to try and pass through this stage in a single day." Fang Yuan was fully aware of his circumstances—he was merely testing his battle strength and the capabilities of his newly refined Gu.
Fang Yuan collected all the jade pearls and left the secret cave.
He was now heading toward the outskirts of the village to search for the honey wine. With the White Jade Gu, he would be able to endure the bees' attacks and gather enough honey wine.
The golden winter sunset was surprisingly warm, with clear skies and gentle weather.
The setting sun cast soft red-orange rays that filtered through the tops of the pine trees, bathing the mountain floor in a delicate, glowing light.
It was sunset now.
Walking alone, Fang Yuan headed towards the village.
Winter wind blew on his face, this was the smell of freedom.
Back in the academy, he could only sneak out at night. Now that he was Rank two, he could move about freely in the day without any suspicion.
As Fang Yuan walked into the village, the limestone streets bustled with an endless flow of people.
This was the busiest time of day.
Injured Gu Masters returned from their missions, while weary farmers dragged their mud-caked feet and exhausted bodies home after a long day's work.
Life in this world was far from easy—it was a constant struggle filled with hardship and pain.
The sun gradually dipped behind the mountaintop, casting its final warm rays.
These rays filtered through the tangled, bare branches of the dying trees, scattering like fragments of time across the green jade walls of the bamboo houses.
"Oh no, my toy," a girl cried out, chasing her spinning top among the crowd.
The spinning top rolled to Fang Yuan's feet, and the girl also hit Fang Yuan's leg, falling on the ground.
"Sorry, sorry! For offending lord Gu Master, please pardon us!" The little girl's father hurried over. When he saw Fang Yuan's clothing, his expression was white as paper, bringing the little girl and kneeling down, kowtowing to Fang Yuan.
The girl cried out in shock, pearls of tears trailing down her fair and rosy face.
The passing villagers, upon seeing the scene, turned away and avoided them like the plague.
Some Gu Masters cast cold glances before turning away and leaving.
"Stop crying, you troublemaker!" The father was frightened, angry and afraid, moving his hand to give her a slap, but Fang Yuan grabbed his hand, not allowing any movement.
"Just a small matter, no worries." Fang Yuan laughed lightly, touching the little girl's head, softly consoling, "Don't be afraid, it is okay."
The girl stopped crying, using her teary eyes to look at Fang Yuan, thinking this big brother was really gentle.
"Thank you lord, thank you lord for your kindness!" The girl's father was overjoyed, kowtowing to Fang Yuan without a break.
Fang Yuan continued forward but came to a halt when he saw someone waiting ahead of him.
It was his uncle, Gu Yue Dong Tu.
In desperation, Gu Yue Dong Tu has no choice but to confront Fang Yuan. He looked at Fang Yuan who was slowly coming over and his line of sight fell on the latter's belt; deep emotions emerged in his heart.
Gu Yue Dong Tu was wearing the Gu Master's uniform which he rarely wore; he had leg wrappings around his legs and was wearing a red belt around his waist. Everything was neat and clean, and gave off a faint feeling of majesty.
"Only C-grade aptitude but he has already broken to Rank two at sixteen, it is truly surprising. I really don't know how he succeeded. However…this quick speed should be mostly attributed to the Liquor worm. Pity that Liquor worm has no use at Rank two."
Following that, he saw the faint smile hanging on Fang Yuan's mouth.
This smile made Gu Yue Dong Tu's heart chill.
Anger rushed through his mind, "This kid acts so calm, does he think he has me trapped within his palm?!"
Fang Yuan slowly walked over and stopped in front of Gu Yue Dong Tu, he knew the latter was definitely here for him.
Sure enough, Gu Yue Dong Tu opened his mouth, "Fang Yuan, I think we need to have a talk."