Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Waves rose and fell within the Yuan Sea, tides surging and receding.
Taking a broad look, a pale red hue stretched across the expanse — no longer the bronze sea of the First Transformation, but a Red Iron Sea.
The four walls of the Empty Orifice were coated in a luminous thin film — the hallmark of a Second Transformation cultivator at the Initial Stage.
The entire Red Iron Yuan Sea occupied forty-four percent of the Empty Orifice. Above the surface of the sea, the Spring Autumn Cicada materialized its form.
After nearly a year of restful slumber, it had made some recovery.
Previously, its body had possessed not a trace of luster, rough and dull like a piece of withered firewood. Now, however, it seemed to have gained a hint of oily sheen.
Its wings had once resembled withered leaves drifting in the autumn wind, their edges tattered and incomplete. Now, they showed a faint touch of new green, and the wing edges seemed to have been traced with a thin black line, forming a complete arc with no more gaps.
"Spring Autumn Cicada... spring and autumn... so that's how it is. To recover, it must go through spring and autumn. Since my rebirth, the past year has been one cycle of spring and autumn, so it has begun to heal."
Fang Yuan stared at the Spring Autumn Cicada, his mind stirring with new insights, his understanding of the cicada deepening by another layer.
Gu Masters refine Gu, raise Gu, and use Gu. The aspect of "use" was multifaceted, encompassing countless applications. Through his daily and nightly companionship with the Spring Autumn Cicada, Fang Yuan's understanding of it had been slowly accumulating, continuously deepening.
"However, the Spring Autumn Cicada is still very weak — it has merely crawled a few steps forward from the cliff's edge of death. The only thing I can utilize is its aura, to suppress other Gu Insects and enhance the effect of single refinement. As for fusion refinement, it cannot help."
Other wondrous Gu Insects existed that could improve the success rate of fusion refinement. Every craft had its specialists; the Spring Autumn Cicada simply possessed the power of rebirth.
Besides the Spring Autumn Cicada, on the surface of the sea, the plump Wine Worm had curled itself into a round ball, drifting happily in the waves.
A White Pig Gu resembling a ladybug and a Jade Skin Gu like a piece of jade circled each other as they flew.
Fang Yuan slowly opened his eyes and gradually spread open his right palm. In the center of his palm was a crescent moon and two five-pointed morning star marks.
These were two Little Light Gu and a Moonlight Gu, residing there as their dwelling.
Fang Yuan sat cross-legged on his bed, his gaze shifting to the space beside him.
On the bed lay three money pouches — two bulging and one mostly deflated. Beside them, a snow-white tusk from the Wild Boar King lay quietly against Fang Yuan's leg on the sheets, looking like a piece of ivory.
After the Sickness Snake squad had exerted all their strength to slay the Wild Boar King, they had been ambushed by a pack of Lightning Wolves. Most of the boar's flesh had been devoured by the wolves, leaving only the two snow-white tusks as the most valuable spoils of war.
According to clan rules, as one of the members who had killed the Wild Boar King, Fang Yuan had received one snow-white tusk free of charge.
Fang Yuan gazed at the items before him, his expression carrying a faint weight of gravity: "My Yuan Stones are running low — only enough for one fusion refinement's consumption. After this refinement, regardless of whether I succeed or fail, my finances will collapse. But if I don't perform the fusion refinement soon, in less than fifteen days my Yuan Stones will keep draining away, and I'll lose even the chance to attempt it."
Fang Yuan was raising seven Gu Insects, which was already a considerable financial burden. Furthermore, with his Grade C Aptitude, in his pursuit of rapid cultivation he had repeatedly used the Wine Worm. As a result, his Yuan Stone consumption far exceeded that of an ordinary person.
Recently, he had also stopped using Yuan Stones to quickly replenish the True Essence in his Empty Orifice. The Red Iron Sea within him now was entirely the result of his own natural recovery.
Fang Yuan had long since begun to carefully budget his Yuan Stones, calculating every expense — they could no longer be spent carelessly.
His current situation was akin to having nearly fallen off a cliff, clinging to a clump of wild grass that kept his body temporarily suspended at the edge.
But as time passed, the grass in his hands was continuously snapping. If he didn't make some risky effort, it would not be long before he plunged over the edge.
What he needed to do now was seize the grass while he still held it, use it for leverage, and haul himself up onto the cliff.
If he succeeded, he could ride that momentum to claim his inheritance and ascend to a new plateau, where everything would take on a fresh appearance.
If he failed, he would fall — and to climb back to this point would require expending vast amounts of time and energy all over again.
"No matter what, let's begin." Fang Yuan took a deep breath, his gaze firming with resolve.
White Pig Gu, Jade Skin Gu!
The two Gu Insects emerged from his Empty Orifice at his mental command, hovering before him.
"Fuse!" Fang Yuan gave a silent command in his mind, and the White Pig Gu and Jade Skin Gu abruptly erupted with a blinding white light, crashing straight into each other.
The collision was silent and soundless, yet it produced a brilliant sphere of light.
The white radiance was even more dazzling than before.
This signified that Fang Yuan's two streams of consciousness were merging into one.