Langya Blessed Land, capital of the Black Hair Kingdom.
The streets were teeming with voices as a nationwide competition had reached its final stage.
On the martial arena, the last two Gu Masters were locked in fierce battle, vying for the ultimate throne of victory.
The crowd of Hairy Men watching overwhelmingly favored one of them.
Because the other was none other than Gu Yue Fang Zheng.
He was a purebred human Gu Master, and naturally, he would receive no support from the Hairy Men.
Even the King of the Black Hair Kingdom, seated atop the elevated platform watching the battle, was frowning. He certainly didn't want the first-ever nationwide competition to produce a human Gu Master as its final champion. Wouldn't that make the other two kingdoms laugh their heads off? They would think the Black Hair Kingdom was depleted of talent, letting a human Gu Master achieve fame so easily.
If Fang Zheng won, it would be tantamount to severely damaging the Black Hair Kingdom's political interests. So the Black Hair King had long since arranged things beforehand, rigging the match.
"Finally, it's done," the Black Hair King thought with secret delight, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes.
On the martial arena, Fang Zheng suddenly felt dizzy and disoriented, nearly collapsing on the spot.
"What's happening?!" Fang Zheng was greatly alarmed. Instinctively, he thrust both palms forward.
With a whoosh, surging water materialized out of thin air, crashing toward his opponent.
Fighting against Fang Zheng was a Fifth Transformation Flame Path Gu Master of the Hairy Men.
Fang Zheng's sudden explosive counterattack startled the Hairy Man, who immediately leaped into the air to dodge the incoming torrent of water.
Beneath his furry feet, two lantern-shaped flames burned, allowing him to hover for a brief time.
However, this very action caused him to lose the best opportunity to strike Fang Zheng.
Fang Zheng recovered his bearings, still feeling considerable dizziness and in a wretched state. But having endured numerous setbacks and trials, he had already schooled his expression by this point, his face betraying nothing. From the outside, nothing seemed amiss.
The water came swiftly and retreated just as quickly. The Fifth Transformation Hairy Man Gu Master hurriedly descended from the air.
He was no flying master. Remaining airborne in such a state would make him the perfect target.
Dodging the water moments ago had been a last-resort move. Now he needed to close the opening immediately.
The two fighters squared off once again.
"Fang Zheng, you've been ambushed. Someone planted a Soul Path Gu Insect in your soul without you knowing." Fang Yuan's will revealed the truth to Fang Zheng.
"How is this possible?" Fang Zheng was both shocked and furious.
Fang Yuan's will sighed: "This Soul Path Gu Insect has a faint connection with the Black Hair King up on that elevated platform. It seems he was the one who set you up."
"Despicable! Hateful!" Fang Zheng clenched his fists, and at this moment, resentment finally showed on his face.
"What's wrong?" Fang Zheng's opponent, reading his expression, suddenly noticed the change in Fang Zheng's face. Thinking he was about to unleash another powerful move, the Hairy Man immediately raised his guard in full alert.
Fang Yuan's will sneered: "Now do you believe me? I told you long ago that the higher-ups of the Black Hair Kingdom would never allow you to win. This entire competition, from start to finish, has been a tool of the rulers. Though it pretends to be fair on the surface, anyone who truly expects it to be fair is a fool."
"You're right!" Fang Zheng ground his teeth, his eyes blazing as though spitting fire. "But that only makes me more determined to win!"
"Heh. That kind of spirited stubbornness is still just youthful naivety, my foolish brother." Fang Yuan's will saw right through Fang Zheng's unwillingness to yield and chuckled coldly to himself.
In truth, the optimal response would be to deliberately lose to his opponent and take second place.
That way, he wouldn't exhaust himself, and the Black Hair Kingdom's elites would be happy to accept the result. Such an outcome would not only showcase the Black Hair Kingdom's abundance of talent but also demonstrate the king's magnanimity in promoting talent regardless of origin. Even a human Gu Master could be accepted.
But Fang Zheng insisted on claiming first place — not only making things difficult for himself, but also drawing the enmity of every other Hairy Man.
What difference was there between first and second?
A temporary difference in ranking. It wasn't a critical turning point in his life. Was it really that important?
But Fang Yuan's will was perfectly content with this.
Fang Zheng harbored deep prejudice against him. Only through continuous external pressure could he be compelled to remain in contact with Fang Yuan's will, gradually influenced and subtly transformed through prolonged exposure.
And now, Fang Zheng's choices would provoke enormous resistance — a tremendous benefit to Fang Yuan's conditioning plan.
So Fang Yuan's will decided to do everything in his power to fulfill Fang Zheng's wish.
He spoke: "I am merely a strand of will. This Soul Path Gu Insect — you'll have to find a way to purge it after the battle. Right now, your soul is damaged, and you can no longer use the River-Devouring Toad. After all, commanding the River-Devouring Toad in combat demands an enormous drain on your mental energy. Though you've lost your trump card Gu Insect, you still have a chance of victory. From now on, you must follow my instructions!"
Fang Zheng grunted in displeasure. Though deeply unhappy, in the current situation, he could only acquiesce to Fang Yuan's will.
Fang Zheng himself might not realize it.
After these days of interaction, he was indeed changing.
When Fang Yuan emerged from Falling Loose Valley, he happened to receive back a strand of his will.
After carefully inspecting it and finding no issues, Fang Yuan merged it into his own sea of consciousness.
Within his mind, countless thoughts surged like a tide, enveloping this strand of will and engaging in close, seamless exchange with it.
In a mere instant, Fang Yuan learned of Fang Zheng's recent circumstances.