...

Flashback - 5 Minutes Earlier

The land spirit stared at Fang Yuan for a while, its gaze analyzing him closely. After a tense silence, the old man finally asked, "What is the secret code?"

Fang Yuan, with a playful smirk, replied, "The secret code you created with the Demon Venerable back then? Hmm… there is no secret code."

The land spirit's expression twisted into a sinister grin. "Hehe, you dare to tease me? Then I shall kill you here and now!"

Fang Yuan, however, remained calm and composed. "No, you cannot harm me," he said with confidence. "I am the Demon Venerable's inheritor. You cannot touch me before the agreement of the three Gu is completed."

Fang Yuan then smiled. "Now, take a look at this." He showed the land spirit some Gu recipes he had carefully prepared over the last five months. Of course, it was only an introduction—just a tiny part of the real recipes.

The land spirit looked at them closely and was first shocked, then excited, though a hesitant expression lingered on his face.

"How do you want to exchange these recipes?" the land spirit asked, trying to hide his eagerness. "I will trade a similar grade Gu worm for it, or you can choose a comparable Gu recipe."

Fang Yuan shrugged. "Who said I wanted to exchange them? I just wanted to see how knowledgeable the spirit of Long Hair Ancestor really is." Fang Yuan's eyes glinted with playfulness. "It seems he's not as impressive as I thought. You don't even know about such simple Gu."

"You!" The land spirit's beard bristled with rage, his eyes widening, as if flames were about to shoot from them. He looked ready to kill Fang Yuan on the spot.

But Fang Yuan remained unfazed.

After a long stare, the land spirit suddenly deflated, like a balloon leaking air. He scowled miserably, climbed off the bed of clouds, and walked toward Fang Yuan, softly pleading as he pulled on his sleeves. "Young lad, please, be kind. Just exchange the recipe with me, won't you?"

Fang Yuan was speechless, thinking, "Even though I knew this would happen, seeing it in person is something else. The mighty land spirit, reduced to this... no shame at all."

...

"Handsome young lad, is the tea not to your liking? Are you not happy? For the sake of this tea, please exchange those recipes with me." The land spirit put on a forced smile, desperately trying to win Fang Yuan over.

Fang Yuan silently drank his tea.

If it were anyone else, the land spirit would have extorted or threatened them by now. But Fang Yuan was the inheritor of a Demon Venerable. The land spirit couldn't use force, so he could only resort to begging, shamelessly.

"Young lad, have mercy on this old man! I live here all alone, so lonely, so bored, so hungry, so thirsty. My only joy is looking at these Gu recipes to pass the time. Would you be so heartless as to reject such a pitiful request?"

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

The land spirit had the appearance of a kindly old grandpa, with white hair, beard, and eyebrows, and he stared at Fang Yuan with a pleading gaze.

"I'm afraid I've got something sad to tell you, but you're not a human, you're a land spirit," Fang Yuan replied, his eyes twitching in annoyance. Even knowing this would happen, experiencing it is something else entirely, he thought.

"You can say whatever you like, but as long as you give me the recipe, you can do anything you want with me!" The 'grandpa' winked shamelessly at Fang Yuan.

At that moment, Fang Yuan wished he were a Venerable, just so he could beat this damn land spirit.

The land spirit's body trembled, and he began to sob, rolling around on the floor like a child. "I want to exchange! I want that recipe and this one too! Young lad, you are too cruel, too heartless. Why won't you just give me these recipes? Will it kill you to do a good deed? Please, just exchange with me!"

"Young lad, what's wrong with your conscience? You are too cruel! As expected of the inheritor of a Demon Venerable..." The land spirit was mourning loudly.

Fang Yuan sighed, calming himself down. This thing is just a creep land spirit, he reminded himself.

"Alright, I'll trade with you," Fang Yuan finally said, feigning reluctance. "But remember, I'm doing you a favor."

He acted as if he had suffered a great loss just by agreeing. "Sigh… Bring me a brush and paper."

With the memories spanning 500 years into the future he had, Fang Yuan possessed a vast collection of Gu recipes—some ahead of their time by an entire era. Of course, the land spirit had never seen them.

Fang Yuan wrote down two recipes and handed them over. The land spirit, standing nearby, scratched his ears in anticipation, his eyes shining with excitement. He confirmed that the recipes were entirely new to him, having never seen them before.

"I want Connecting Heaven Gu and Divine Sense Gu in exchange for these two recipes."

"Here, here." The land spirit waved his hand, and two Gu worms materialized on the table.

After receiving them, Fang Yuan refined the Gu and placed them into his aperture.

"Continue! I want the other recipes, especially this Stargate Gu," the land spirit said eagerly.

"Stargate Gu, huh?" Fang Yuan mused. "It's interesting. It allows one to cross the five regions by tapping into Black Heaven's power. It's a rare Gu worm, could be compared to Hole Earth Gu and Connecting Heaven Gu.

"Did you create these recipes?" the land spirit asked in awe.

"Of course!" Fang Yuan replied confidently. "I created many Gu and completed countless half-finished recipes, even immortal ones."

"Little friend, you have a remarkable talent for refinement path. I'm truly amazed!" The land spirit, now calling him 'little friend' instead of 'young lad', was clearly impressed.

"For Stargate Gu, I'll only trade it for Small Family Qi Gu and Human Qi Increase Gu," Fang Yuan said in a calm, measured tone.

"What?!" The land spirit was furious. "Those are ancient Qi path Gu that are nearly extinct! You want both for just one recipe?"

"I'm not forcing you to exchange," Fang Yuan said with a shrug. "But you know how useful Stargate Gu is, and besides, I've already done you a favor by exchanging with you in the first place."

The land spirit hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "Alright, to repay your favor, I'll trade them."

(Author's Thought: A pair of black and white foxes who are masters of deception, capable of pretending exceptionally well.)

Two Gu worms appeared in the land spirit's hands, and Fang Yuan swiftly took them. In return, he handed over the Stargate Gu recipe he had written.

Fang Yuan was pleased. These two Gu were crucial for his plans.

Small Family Qi Gu allowed a Gu Master to absorb heaven and earth qi, indirectly controlling them to reduce the force of heavenly tribulation and earthly calamity. Human Qi Increase Gu, on the other hand, would boost human qi but at the cost of significantly intensifying tribulations.

After some time, the land spirit asked again, "What do you want for the other recipes?"

Fang Yuan remained silent, deep in thought, before finally replying, "Let's leave them for now."

"I want you to refine my first Immortal Gu."

.

.

.

(What Gu do you think he want?)

...

Advanced chapters:

[email protected]/false_truth