Southern Border, Wu Family.
In the secret cultivation chamber, Fang Yuan hovered in midair, his face set in solemn concentration.
His long hair streamed about him, and countless Gu insect auras rose from every part of his body, intertwining and merging together.
"A crucial step…" Fang Yuan murmured to himself, his gaze sharpening.
He carefully brought out a single mortal Gu.
It was a Metal Path mortal Gu, only at the First Transformation level.
Activating it alone posed no risk whatsoever. But the situation now was different.
Bang.
A muffled thud rang out from Fang Yuan's body.
He was struck as though by lightning, his powerful frame shuddering violently. His face went pale, and a thin trickle of bright red blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
"Failed again." He let out a heavy mental sigh.
He descended from midair to the ground, pressing a hand to his chest to assess the damage.
"At least I only used a First Transformation mortal Gu, so the injuries are minor. No need to bring out the As Before Immortal Gu for healing. Relying solely on the Supreme Immortal Body's powerful recovery ability, I should heal in two or three days."
Fang Yuan had been attempting to further refine the Hard Back killer move.
The Immortal-level killer move Hard Back used the Sixth Transformation Immortal Gu Diamond Will as its core. Fang Yuan had relied on this move, along with his cunning, to successfully defeat the Xia Family Gu Immortal Xia Feikuai.
Afterward, he had always felt that the move was not quite complete — there was still room for improvement and refinement.
This feeling had received his serious attention.
He knew that as a dual Grandmaster of Wisdom Path and Transformation Path, this intuition was not groundless. It held real practical significance.
"Unfortunately, despite making some progress with my calculations these past few days, the results have been negligible. It seems my realm is still insufficient. I'll put this aside for now."
Fang Yuan sighed.
In truth, his rate of progress would already be considered quite impressive if achieved by other Gu Immortals. Back then, the Fierce Thunder Villain had spent years — whole years — deducing the Immortal-level killer move Thunder God Child, and his pace of progress, most of the time, did not even reach a tenth of what Fang Yuan was managing now.
But Fang Yuan's decision to give up was also a wise one.
Because he had the means to elevate his realm. Once his level rose, refining the Hard Back killer move could be accomplished in one swift stroke.
As Fang Yuan gradually sold off his Dragon Fish, his financial situation had improved considerably.
Only then did he have the surplus resources to work on refining the Immortal-level killer move.
Deducing Immortal-level killer moves was actually very resource-intensive. For example, after a failed attempt, the Gu Immortal would suffer backlash and take damage, requiring healing. The Gu insects would also be damaged and needed constant replacement. And if an Immortal Gu itself was damaged, it was even more troublesome.
But if one's realm was sufficient, the refinement could be accomplished all at once, saving enormous amounts of effort, time, and resources.
Fang Yuan's current realm made the process a strain. While he could eventually succeed, the cost would be a rather large sum.
After deliberation, he decisively abandoned this minor plan within his cultivation.
After resting for a moment, Fang Yuan activated his Gu and channeled his consciousness into the Treasure Yellow Heaven.
In the Treasure Yellow Heaven, his consciousness navigated with practiced ease to the will of a Gu Immortal for a discussion.
"Your Divine Deer Fruits — I'll offer thirteen hundred Immortal Essence Stones. Sell them all to me," said Fang Yuan.
The Gu Immortal's will shook its head, somewhat helplessly. "I told you, this price is too low. Fellow Immortal, you've already come to me three times. If you really want to buy, then offer two hundred more Immortal Essence Stones, and you can take the whole lot right away."
These Divine Deer Fruits were a Sixth Transformation Immortal-grade material.
They were not rare Gu materials, but few sellers offered them.
The reason was simple — market demand was low.
However, Fang Yuan needed them to feed his Diamond Will Immortal Gu.
Having obtained the Diamond Will Immortal Gu, he had to solve the feeding problem — he couldn't just let this Immortal Gu starve to death.
Fang Yuan said nothing, carefully examining the wares.
The Divine Deer Fruits at this stall were of excellent quality. Having browsed the Treasure Yellow Heaven several times, Fang Yuan had found that these were the best he had seen.
The price was also quite reasonable.
That was why he had made multiple trips here.
The Divine Deer Fruits did not grow on trees or flowers. They were shaped like a clenched infant's fist and grew on the antlers of a wild beast known as the Fruit-bearing Elk.
Fruit-bearing Elk.
Fang Yuan had already learned the specific name of this wild beast. They were also sold in the Treasure Yellow Heaven.
But even if he bought a batch, how many Divine Deer Fruits they could actually produce was a question well worth investigating.
All resource production had its own cultivation techniques.
Fang Yuan's ability to produce Dragon Fish was not the result of random experimentation — he had the experience and knowledge of the Eastern Clan.
This came from the foundation of a super clan. That was why his Dragon Fish were of excellent quality, bred smoothly, with low costs and considerable profit.
"For now, I should first gather a portion of the Divine Deer Fruits to handle the Diamond Will Immortal Gu's first feeding."
"Later, when I'm more flush with resources, I'll look into raising Fruit-bearing Elk, reaching a point of self-sufficiency where I can independently feed the Diamond Will Immortal Gu."
"As for whether I can mass-produce these Divine Deer Fruits in the future and make them another source of profit — that will depend on fate and opportunity."
While turning these thoughts over in his mind, Fang Yuan communicated with the Gu Immortal's will: "Then I'll take another look."