Standing before the Gu house, Lin Yan's brows tightened. A mere Rank 2 Fire Aperture Gu was priced at 1,500 primeval stones—five of them would cost 7,500. As for the Glass Flame Bone Gu, the conditions were even harsher. It had to be purchased together with its corresponding killer move, and the buyer had to swear a vow Gu not to spread it.
In other words, buying a single Glass Flame Bone Gu meant paying for the Gu itself, the killer move, and the vow Gu—easily amounting to tens of thousands of primeval stones.
Lin Yan's expression darkened, but he understood the logic. The Fire Pattern Gu series was the Huang Family's core inheritance. Naturally, they would guard it tightly and prevent it from leaking.
Left with no choice, he purchased four Fire Pattern Gu and two Fire Aperture Gu, spending 4,200 primeval stones. The rest would have to wait until the funds from the Human Elixir Gu came through.
Even so, he wasn't willing to leave just yet. Could something else replace the role of Glass Flame Bone Gu?
As he pondered, the killer move Flame Demon True Body surfaced in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more familiar it felt.
Soon, a memory from the original novel surfaced—Rank 4 Fire Human Gu.
It was a unique method used by an elder from the Southern Border Hundred Families. Once activated, it meant certain death, but the user's body would transform into a fire being, and their battle strength would surge dramatically.
If a Rank 3 Gu Master used it, even a Rank 5 expert would hesitate to confront them.
There was more than one type of such elemental transformation Gu; it was a complete series. In the original novel, Wood Path had Wood Spirit Gu, and Water Path had Torrent Gu, all of which were extremely rare and came at a high price.
It was likely that the Huang Family's ancestors drew inspiration from Fire Human Gu to create Flame Demon True Body, retaining its explosive power while avoiding its fatal drawback.
Lin Yan pondered carefully. The function of Fire Aperture Gu was to create a space within the body to store violent flames, releasing them when needed. This increased the power of Flame Path Gu by fifty percent while also replacing primeval essence consumption.
It could be said to be extremely powerful. With five Fire Aperture Gu, the amplification would reach two and a half times, allowing Rank 2 Flame Path Gu to rival Rank 3. Even for Rank 3 Gu, the effect would still be significant despite being reduced.
If Fire Aperture Gu represented stored explosive power, then Fire Pattern Gu served as both amplification and restraint, strengthening the body while containing the violent fire energy and preventing it from leaking out.
Finally, the Glass Flame Bone was the key. A normal human body simply could not withstand the simultaneous eruption of five Fire Apertures; the body had to be modified to adapt to Flame Path Gu.
The more Lin Yan analyzed, the clearer the structure of Flame Demon True Body became. In essence, it was a system built from three types of Gu working together. Because of that, it could be broken down and understood step by step, instead of remaining an incomprehensible whole.
"So the replacement I need… must be something that strengthens the body."
"Strength Path Gu…?"
He immediately rejected the idea. Gu like Copper Skin Gu wouldn't work—the skin was already occupied by Fire Pattern Gu, and the two would clash violently. Iron Bone Gu and Steel Tendon Gu were also unsuitable; they would likely suppress the explosive output of the Fire Apertures instead of supporting it.
That approach was too crude, a direct confrontation of combat systems, nowhere near as refined as the Huang Family's Glass Flame Bone integration.
Lin Yan continued searching through the Family's Flame Path Gu records, combining what he remembered from the original work with his own deductions. He spent two full hours comparing, memorizing, and refining his choices.
In the end, he found a barely acceptable option.
"Rank 3 Borrow Fire Gu… you'll do."
Having made his decision, Lin Yan purchased it without hesitation, spending 3,000 primeval stones.
Lin Yan had spent 7,200 primeval stones and was left with just under 5,000, which he still needed for cultivation. There was no room to continue buying Gu.
The Borrow Fire Gu had an unusual origin. It was developed by a Huang Family predecessor who drew inspiration from the ancient Rank 4 Borrow Strength Gu of the Strength Path. On its own, this Gu had no offensive power, but when combined with Heaven Strength, Earth Strength, Fire Strength, or Water Strength, its potential became extraordinary.
It could draw upon the Qi of heaven and earth, even siphoning power from flames or water.
That predecessor had attempted to replicate this concept within Flame Path—intercepting fire seeds from heaven and earth to form an Otherworldly Flame, creating an overwhelming, near-invincible force.
But in the end, the attempt failed. The Borrow Fire Gu remained incomplete, stuck at Rank 3, and its effect was somewhat obscure. It could transfer the power of one Flame Path Gu to another, but at a cost—the Gu being drained would become unusable for the duration.
Even so, Lin Yan's eyes sharpened slightly. To others, this might be a failed creation. But in his hands… it might just become the missing piece.