First refining wine worm

"With my third-rate aptitude, my aperture can only hold up to forty-four percent of the primal sea. The rate at which Gu worms reject primeval essence is much faster than my own rate of self-recovery. To refine Gu worms, I must rely on external forces, meaning I have to expend primeval stones."

"The weaker the will of the Gu worm, the easier it is to refine. But like all living beings, there is always a will to survive. To refine the Moonlight Gu, I'll need a minimum of five primeval stones, up to eight." Relying on his rich cultivation experience, Fang Yuan estimated the total amount of primeval stones he would need.

"Now, to refine the Wine Gu, I'll need at least eleven stones, possibly up to sixteen." While the Wine Gu, like the Moonlight Gu, is a first-tier Gu worm, it is rarer and therefore more difficult to refine.

In other words, although Fang Yuan currently possesses seventeen primeval stones, refining just the Wine Gu could leave him with as few as six stones, or as little as one at most.

In the night sky, the bright crescent moon emitted a radiant moonlight. The moonlight gently caressed the ancient moon stronghold, its bamboo houses standing like a forest of jade plaques along the way.

The night breeze blew gently.

Under this moonlight, Fang Yuan returned to the inn.

The inn's door was already closed.

Fang Yuan knocked on the door loudly.

"I hear you! I hear you! Who's there, knocking so late..." The inn attendant muttered as he opened the door, half-asleep.

But upon seeing Fang Yuan at the door, his slightly displeased and lazy expression immediately changed. He bent over, smiling obsequiously, "It's young master. I'm truly honored to open the door for you."

Fang Yuan nodded, his face indifferent, and entered the inn.

This expression only made the attendant even more humble, and he took the initiative to ask, "Is the young master hungry? Would you like me to inform the chef to prepare some snacks for you as a late-night meal?"

"No need." Fang Yuan shook his head, instructing only, "Prepare some hot water for me to wash up."

"Yes!" The attendant nodded quickly. "Young master, please go back to your room. I guarantee the hot water will be delivered shortly."

Fang Yuan grunted in acknowledgment and ascended the stairs to the second floor.

The attendant watched Fang Yuan's departing figure, his eyes glinting in the lamplight, showing a clear shade of envy.

"So this is a Gu master. If only I had the qualifications for cultivation, how good would that be!" He clenched his fist, sighing deeply.

These words floated into Fang Yuan's ears, causing him to inwardly chuckle bitterly.

Gu masters possessed powers beyond ordinary people, becoming superior beings among men. However, the price they paid was high.

The first and foremost challenge was financial strength.

Gu masters needed primeval stones for cultivation, battles, refining Gu worms, and trading.

Without primeval stones, how could one cultivate?

This was something the inn attendant, as a mere mortal bystander, couldn't comprehend due to his circumstances.

Just like this evening, when the young Gu master Jiang Ya vented his frustration at the hunters for being able to afford the Green Bamboo Wine that he himself hesitated to spend primeval stones on: "You mere mortal hunters have such spare money!"

From a glimpse, this sentence alone illustrated the plight of a Gu master's cultivation.

Though Gu masters earned more than ordinary people, their expenses were equally substantial. Often, every primeval stone had to be carefully budgeted, especially for lower-ranking junior Gu masters.

Despite some Gu masters appearing glamorous on the surface, their lives inland were often financially strained.

"And as a Gu master's realm advances, so does their demand for resources. Without backing, cultivation becomes arduous." Fang Yuan thought back to his past life, deeply experiencing this.

He returned to his guest room, just as the lamp was lit, and the inn attendant promptly brought up a basin of hot water.

Of course, there were also towels and other toiletries.

Fang Yuan dismissed the attendant, closed the door, bolted it, and after washing up, he got into bed.

Though his body felt weary, a lingering excitement remained in his heart. "I finally obtained the Wine Gu. It's even more precious than the Moonlight Gu. In a sense, it's a Gu that can enhance a Gu master's aptitude!"

Fang Yuan sat cross-legged on the bed, taking out the Wine Gu.

The Wine Gu was still sound asleep, its body slightly larger than the Moonlight Gu's, resembling a silkworm pupa in appearance.

Under the lamplight, its body emitted a faint radiance, like the luster of a pearl. Its two eyes, like black sesame seeds, were set in its chubby white head, giving it a cute appearance.

Holding it in his hand, it was surprisingly light, weighing about half an egg.

Taking a closer sniff, a trace of wine fragrance still lingered on its body.

This fragrance wasn't from the Green Bamboo Wine but rather emanated naturally from the Wine Gu itself. The scent was ethereal and elusive. Fang Yuan's nostrils twitched as he absorbed this aroma into his body.

The fragrance of wine surged down, entering his aperture and merging into the bronze-colored primal sea.

The primal sea rippled slightly, quickly absorbing and assimilating this wine essence. A strand of exceptionally pure primeval essence emerged as a result.

While other primeval essences were emerald green, shimmering with a metallic bronze sheen, this strand was a deeper shade of green, denser and more refined. It was a primeval essence that only intermediate-level first-tier Gu masters could possess.

Sensing this verdant bronze primeval essence, Fang Yuan smiled with satisfaction. "Currently, I'm only at the initial stage of the first tier. But with the refinement from the Wine Gu, once my primeval essence is purified, I'll have the primeval essence of an intermediate-level first-tier Gu master. The subtleties of this are beyond words."

However, he quickly suppressed his smile. "But I haven't truly mastered the Wine Gu yet. Only after completely refining the Wine Gu into my vital Gu, can I freely manipulate it and refine my primeval essence with maximum efficiency."

Thinking this, he no longer hesitated, drawing out a strand of bronze primeval essence from his aperture.

The primeval essence tightly wrapped around the Wine Gu, suspending it in front of Fang Yuan, beginning to invade its body.

Sensing the imminent threat to its survival, the Wine Gu suddenly woke up. It began to struggle violently, mobilizing its own strength to repel Fang Yuan's primeval essence.

"This Wine Gu has a strong resistance." Fang Yuan's expression turned serious as he felt the speed at which his primeval essence was consumed, which was more than twice as fast as with the Moonlight Gu.

"Regardless, I've made up my mind to refine this Wine Gu." His eyes flashed with determination, continuing to draw out primeval essence and envelop the Wine Gu.

In the room of the inn, the candle on the table burned quietly, casting a pool of light in the center of the room, while the corners and edges were dimly lit.

The candlelight reflected on Fang Yuan's face as he closed his eyes, focusing his mind on dealing with the Wine Gu.

A continuous stream of verdant bronze-colored primeval essence emanated from Fang Yuan's entire body like mist, gathering together and firmly enveloping the Wine Gu.

The Wine Gu floated in the air, less than a foot away from Fang Yuan's face. Within the encirclement of the bronze primeval essence, it struggled desperately.

Time quietly passed.

The candle burned lower and lower, its flame dimming. Outside the window, the crescent moon had slowly descended, heralding the arrival of a new day.

Morning sunlight seeped through the cracks in the window, casting a beam of light along the window frame.

Fang Yuan opened his eyes and looked at the Wine Gu before him.

A hint of green had already appeared on the Wine Gu's white body. This was the result of Fang Yuan's half-night effort.

However, it was apparent that this bit of green was less than one percent of the Wine Gu's body.

Fang Yuan's expression turned serious. The will of this Wine Gu was too tenacious, with a resistance far surpassing that of a first-tier Gu worm.

"This Gu worm is likely the vital Gu of the Flower Wine Walker. The Flower Wine Walker was a fifth-tier powerhouse, and this Wine Gu was originally also fifth-tier. However, over the years, it has lacked sufficient nourishment, leading to a decline in its rank. Now it remains only at the first-tier level, but its will is as strong as a rock!" Fang Yuan guessed the truth.

The Wine Gu itself was the Flower Wine Walker's vital Gu, its natural will refined through years of battles alongside the Flower Wine Walker's travels across the lands.

After the Flower Wine Walker's death, his formidable will remained within the Wine Gu. Now, Fang Yuan's attempt to refine the Wine Gu was akin to a contest of wills against the Flower Wine Walker.

This was far more challenging than refining a natural Gu worm.

Human wills generally surpassed those of natural Gu worms. In critical life-or-death moments, humans could unleash powers beyond their own imagination. Moreover, the Flower Wine Walker was a formidable figure in the demonic path, solitary and renowned, with a will stronger than peers of the righteous path.

"It's impossible to refine this Wine Gu within a month now. Unless a powerful figure uses the aura of second or third-tier Gu worms to suppress the will inside the Wine Gu to its lowest extent, then I could achieve twice the result with half the effort." Thinking this, Fang Yuan couldn't help but sigh.

His parents were deceased, his uncle and aunt were scheming against him, and he had no powerful backing. Where could he find external assistance?

If his aptitude were Class A, it would be different, but with his current Class C aptitude, all his clan members looked down upon him. Who would be willing to expend such effort to help him?

More critically, the existence of the Wine Gu couldn't be exposed.

The Gu Yue Clan didn't have Gu worms like the Wine Gu, and Fang Yuan couldn't explain its origins. If it were exposed, it might draw the attention of higher-ups, potentially linking it to the Flower Wine Walker. The association was too easily made between the two.

"By this calculation, seventeen primeval stones are still not enough; I'll need at least thirty primeval stones! It's truly troublesome, but no matter the difficulty, I must refine this Wine Gu." Fang Yuan's will was as firm as iron, having already made up his mind to refine the Wine Gu.

The vital Gu was of great significance, largely determining a Gu master's future cultivation direction.

While the Wine Gu wasn't the most ideal choice among vital Gu in this world, it was much better than the Moonlight Gu and the best option Fang Yuan could attain under current circumstances.

"Gurgle, gurgle..." At this moment, Fang Yuan's stomach protested.

After a sleepless night and full exertion in refining the Wine Gu, Fang Yuan was naturally hungry.

"I should fill my stomach first before thinking about saving up primeval stones." Fang Yuan rubbed his stomach and descended to the first floor.

In the dining hall, he sat in a corner and ordered several breakfast items.

Just as he began to eat, his younger brother, Gu Yue Fang Zheng, appeared.

"Brother, why are you staying at the inn? Why didn't you come back to sleep last night?" He was quite blunt, with a hint of inquiry in his tone.