The incomplete Gu takes the form of a small human body figure, barely fitting into Fang Yuan's palm. Its appearance is quite unique as well. It has the face of Jia Jin Sheng, looking shocked and furious, but the body is a sculpted masterpiece, with broad shoulders, defined abs, and arms that rippled with thick, powerful muscles. The Gu is white in color, similar to the color of bone.
Fang Yuan quickly took a look at the Gu and swallowed it.
"The way this Gu is used is similar to the Man-Beast Life Burial Gu. I must quickly consume this Gu." Fang Yuan silently laughed as the Gu slowly transformed his body.
This is the last stage of the refinement, which is happening inside Fang Yuan body.
The transformation in Fang Yuan's body was not visible on the outside, but rather occurring inside. As the Gu slowly 'dissolved' within him, his bones, muscles, organs, ligaments, skin, blood, and almost every part of his body began to heat up.
Fang Yuan gradually began to feel pain, but it was manageable.
Knowing it is now the right time, Fang Yuan proceeds to 'eat' the 'leftovers' or rather Jia Jin Sheng burned body in order to complete the Gu.
Yes, Fang Yuan has to commit to the act of cannibalism in order to refine this Gu.
After a couple of minutes of 'eating', the Gu was quickly 'dissolved' into Fang Yuan's body, and the effects were complete.
Fang Yuan quietly inspected his body and found that his muscles were better toned than before. Although this was the first time Fang Yuan had used this Gu, he was curious about its effects. Even though he was the one who created the Gu and knew more about its abilities than anyone else in the world, he still felt intrigued.
He tested it by pushing the boulder that the Flower Wine Monk had set up. Immediately, he noticed a difference, not only in his strength but also in his speed and stamina.
"My strength has undoubtedly improved, but also my control over it. Similarly, my speed and stamina have improved as well," Fang Yuan thought excitedly as he tested his own physical limits.
Fang Yuan drew back his fist and, with a powerful motion, punched the boulder, using nearly all of his strength without fully unleashing it. As expected, the boulder only had a small crack at the point of impact, but Fang Yuan was not concerned about the damage to it. Instead, his focus was on his own fist. The human fist, being fragile on its own, would undoubtedly bruise or, at worst, even fracture the bones if someone struck something that hard with close to their full strength
"It only caused a few scratches on my fist, but my bones are not damaged at all," Fang Yuan observed his hand closely.
But the most unimaginable part happened next.
The scratches on Fang Yuan's fist actually started to heal by themselves. Looking at this speed, in just a few hours, Fang Yuan's fist would be fully healed, without even leaving any scars.
"I would definitely love to test myself, just like I did when I obtained the Sovereign Immortal Fetus body, but Heaven's Will is watching closely. Any excessive testing will be suspicious and could incur Heaven's Will's inspection—or worse, interference and obstruction." Fang Yuan stopped testing his body and cleaned up the place.
The rain crashed down heavily.
Grey clouds covered the sky, and the continuous mountains far away blended into a mass of black ink.
The rain curtain interwove the heavens and earth together.
Crack!
The sky flashed bright abruptly, and a bolt of lightning cut across the sky like a silver snake, then in an instant it was gone.
Summer was approaching, and the end of spring's heavy rain seemed to bring about a trace of the warmth of summer.
On Qing Mao Mountain, huge expanses of jade green spear bamboo stood tall and straight, resisting the winds and rain, the bodies of the bamboo straight like a spear as ever, the tips of the bamboo pointing towards the blue sky dome.
In the Gu Yue village, row upon row of innumerable tall-pillared houses endured against the great rain's washing. Outside the village, the caravan had already set out on their journey once again.
"The rain is heavy, take note of the pavement."
"Don't fall behind, Gu Masters better pull your Gu properly, especially the fat beetle, don't block the mountain road anymore!"
"You bunch of mortal martial fighters, better open your eyes wide and pay careful attention. Lose a single thing and you'll be paying for that!"
After spending three days in Gu Yue village, the caravan was ready to leave, following the mountain path through Qing Mao Mountain toward their next stop.
The heavy rain washed over the land, and while the roads surrounding the village were paved with cobblestone and in decent condition, the path soon turned muddy and narrow after about five hundred meters
The proud ostrich chicken had its head drooping low, its colorful feathers drenched and sticking together, presenting the image of a bedraggled, soaked bird.
The enormous fat beetle worm trudged slowly forward, its thick, black armor glistening as the rainwater streamed down its sides and into the earth.
The shaggy mountain spider too was drenched, its green-black fur clumping together under the rain.
In contrast, the toad Gu croaked merrily, hopping along with its load and the Gu Masters, moving quickly over the mountain, while the winged snake had folded its wings and was cheerfully gliding through the muddy water.
To shield the goods from the rain, the Gu Masters were busy using their magical abilities.
On a few massive fat beetles, Gu Masters stood in the center. They raised their hands high, each with a One-stretch Golden Light Worm hovering just an inch away from their palms.
Primeval essence in green copper streams evaporated as it flowed into the bodies of the One-stretch Golden Light Worms. The Gu glowed like a golden bean, radiating outward to form a large, faint gold-colored bubble dome.
The bubble dome was expansive enough to completely enclose one fat beetle, with some room to spare.
As the rain hit the dome, it bounced off as if striking an umbrella. But this One-stretch Golden Light Worm continuously consumed primeval essence, which meant that, over time, the Rank one Gu Masters would be unable to maintain it.
As expected, after a while, a Gu Master shouted: "No more, my primeval essence is almost exhausted, who can take over?"
"I can!" Almost simultaneously, a Gu Master rushed forward and replaced his position.
A few Gu Masters activated the Green Silk Gu while pulling carriages or riding mountain spiders. The Gu made their hair grow rapidly, forming a protective raincoat around them and their steeds. The Green Silk Gu, a Rank one defensive Gu, required 30% of green copper primeval essence to activate and didn't consume essence continuously like the One-stretch Golden Light Worm.
When combined with the Rank one Black Boar Gu, it formed the Rank two Black Mane Gu, which covered the Gu Master's body with protective black mane armor. The next stage in its progression was the Rank three Steel Mane Gu.
In addition, many Gu Masters used the Water Spider Gu, creating a thin blue raincoat that absorbed raindrops. The raincoat thickened over time and could be cleared by urging the Water Spider Gu to expel excess water. Meanwhile, mortal warriors wore straw raincoats, which provided minimal protection and quickly became soaked.
"This accursed weather!" The Gu Masters cursed in their hearts.
In rainy weather, the mountain trails became increasingly difficult to navigate. Although martial artists were strong physically, they were still mortals. Once their bodies were soaked by rain and combined with strenuous labor, they were prone to catching colds. A serious illness was the mildest outcome, and in some cases, they could fall severely ill and be abandoned during the journey. If they encountered slippery roads or faced attacks from wild animals and Gu worms, they could lose their lives.
Even though the caravan was large and had numerous Gu Masters, there was always a significant loss of life after each trip. Mortal martial artists suffered the most casualties, while Gu Masters also experienced injuries. In the event of a large-scale migration of beasts, the caravan could even be completely wiped out.
Apart from natural disasters, there were also human-made threats. Some villages might not be welcoming to the caravan and could resort to robbing them.
"We're leaving, see you next year!" Some of the Gu Masters sat on the Gu worms and turned their bodies to bid farewell.
At the entrance of the village, many people gathered as they sent the caravan off with their gazes.
"You must come again next year!" Reluctant to see them depart, the children shouted loudly.
The adults had more complicated expressions.
"The road ahead is unforeseen. In these hard times, for those who are able to come to the village next year, how many would still be familiar faces?"
"Be it at the merchant caravan or in the village, it is not easy to earn a living."
As the caravan left further and further, as the crowd dispersed.
Fang Yuan stood on a secluded hillside, watching the merchant caravan from far away alone. He held a butter yellow paper umbrella, quietly standing in the rain.
He killed Jia Jin Sheng last night and cleaned up the scene, However, there were bound to be areas of neglect. Especially with the bloody smell, because the cave is not ventilated, the smell could not disperse easily.
The rain cleared the air and environment, significantly lowering the risk of being detected by scent-tracking methods. The crack was bound to have water cascading down, and once the fresh water vapor mixed with the air, it would mask any traces, preventing exposure for the time being.
However, as time passed, the likelihood of being exposed would gradually rise.
In this world, there were numerous types of Gu worms and investigative methods, many of which Fang Yuan was only partially aware of.
The rain drummed softly on the yellow umbrella, and the water followed its shape, flowing down onto the limestone beneath Fang Yuan's feet, splashing with each drop.
"By the way, since this is an unnamed Gu, I might as well name it Quasi-Great Strength True Martial Gu. After all, besides me, nobody else will know about it. The ability it grants are basically giving the user the strength, endurance, and regeneration of a Great Strength True Martial physique. The only difference is that it doesn't increase the aptitude; if it did, it would be a heaven defying Gu," Fang Yuan pondered as he saw the caravan curve around a corner and completely disappear into the forest.