"Lord Fang Yuan, the secret chamber is right this way. Please, enter." In the dim underground passage, an old second-rank Gu Master walked ahead, leading Fang Yuan.
The secret chamber that stored the clan's Gu refinement recipes was just ahead.
Fang Yuan's promotion to clan elder was a complete reversal of his status. He now had the right to freely browse all the joint refining formulas kept by the clan, as long as they weren't of the fourth or fifth rank.
Ordinary first and second rank Gu Masters had to trade primeval stones and battle merits to read the formulas.
The chamber was deep underground the mountain village, extremely well hidden. Even if the entire village were razed to the ground, this chamber would still exist.
Back then, the founder of Gu Yue Mountain Village, the first clan leader, had discovered a primeval spirit spring in this underground cavern, and it was this that made him determined to establish a village here.
Through the management and development of successive clan leaders, the underground cavern of Gu Yue Mountain Village had become the secret base of the Gu Yue clan.
On normal days, ordinary Gu Masters didn't have the qualifications to come and go here. Only the elders, the clan leader, and the Gu Masters of the Dark Hall responsible for guarding it had such rights.
Many Gu Masters only came here once in their entire lives.
That was the Talent Ceremony, where the youths would go to the Sea of Flowers at the Primordial Spring to open their apertures using the Hope Gu.
Beyond that, unless for a special reason, the underground cavern was absolutely forbidden to anyone unrelated. Even the Gu Masters guarding it were strictly vetted.
After all, the Primordial Spring in the underground cavern was the foundation of the entire Gu Yue Mountain Village. The massive amounts of primeval stones condensed from its spring source supported the cultivation of all the Gu Masters of the Gu Yue clan.
Walking in the passageway, the footsteps of the two echoed continuously.
The faint sound of a river flowing drifted over—it was the underground river in the cavern.
After a short while, the Gu Master led Fang Yuan to a stone door.
He slapped his belly, and a Gu flew out from his aperture. In a flash, it struck the stone door.
The surface of the stone door rippled, like a pebble thrown into water. Then, the light and shadow on it shifted for a moment.
Gradually, the stone door disappeared, revealing the secret chamber inside.
The secret chamber was not small, about one mu in size. Every few steps, there was a half-man-tall stone table. On dozens of stone tables, white jade plates were set out, and on the plates quietly rested a Gu worm.
These Gu worms came in all colors. They were about the size of a fist, and looked very similar, as if they were silkworms. On their heads grew two compound eyes like those of a bee or dragonfly. The compound eyes were colorful, like enamel or glass. The surface, however, was not soft. It was covered in a dimly gleaming carapace, which gave off a metallic sheen.
"Lord Fang Yuan, this is your first time in this chamber, so let me explain. These second-rank Illumination Gu all have formulas recorded within them. The greenish-blue Illumination Gu contain almost all of the clan's first-rank formulas. The red-black ones hold the second-rank formulas. The white ones are third-rank formulas. The orange-yellow Illumination Gu contain fourth-rank formulas. As for fifth-rank formulas, they are naturally in the purple Illumination Gu at the very center of the stone platform." The old Gu Master timely explained from the side.
The Illumination Gu was a type of Gu capable of recording images. A step further was the third-rank Recording Gu, which could record both images and sounds.
After being refined into a Recording Gu, it could not only replay images but also transmit sounds. Back in the secret cave in the rock crevice, the Flower Wine Traveler used a Recording Gu to leave Fang Yuan a dying declaration about his legacy.
But recording formulas didn't require sound, so the Illumination Gu was sufficient.
Joint refining formulas were extremely precious.
If recorded on ordinary bamboo paper, if stolen, not only could the thief refine unique Gu worms for the Gu Yue clan, but it would also be a serious intelligence leak for the clan.
Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will win a hundred battles. An experienced Gu Master could see the strengths and weaknesses of a refined Gu from a single formula.
If a formula was leaked, the loss to a clan was enormous. In future battles, the clan's Gu Masters could very likely be countered and suppressed by the enemy.
Therefore, formulas were always strictly controlled, managed by rank, and specially preserved.
The Illumination Gu was relatively easy to refine, low in cost, and was the most common way to preserve formulas.
"Lord Fang Yuan, these Illumination Gu all belong to the Elder of the Secret Hall. Despite this, it doesn't stop you from circulating your true essence to read them. However, given your current status, you cannot yet access fourth and fifth rank formulas. There are two more points: the chamber is a heavily guarded area of the clan. Every move you make here is under secret surveillance. You can only stay in this chamber for a quarter of an hour per visit. Once the time is up, you must leave." The old Gu Master spoke again.
"Hmm, I understand." Fang Yuan nodded.
"Lord Fang Yuan, this subordinate has no right to enter, so I will stand by the door. When the time is up, I will call for you." The old man bowed.
Fang Yuan stepped into the secret chamber. The moment he entered, the stone door behind him turned from virtual to solid, locking him alone in the chamber.
Walking in the secret chamber, it was completely silent. The sound of footsteps echoed in his ears. On the surrounding walls were embedded several Water Light Gu.
The light radiating from them rippled like water, layer upon layer of shifting light and shadow, alternating between brightness and gloom.
Fang Yuan casually picked up a red-black Illumination Gu. He infused it with his Silver True Essence, and instantly, two beams of colorful light shot out from its two compound eyes.
He raised the Illumination Gu slightly, aiming its compound eyes at the white jade plate on the stone table.