In the mountain forest, a fat black bear reared up on its hind legs, standing a full two meters tall.
It roared at Fang Yuan and Bai Ningbing, but the two remained utterly unmoved.
The black bear grew furious. Dropping to all fours, it charged toward the two youths at a sprint.
Don't be fooled by a bear's clumsy appearance — in reality, they run quite fast. Typically twice the speed of a human.
Seeing the black bear closing to within about fifty steps, the corners of Fang Yuan's mouth curved into a satisfied smile.
Bang.
An explosion rang out, sending dirt flying in all directions.
The bear let out a miserable howl, as if struck by a blow to the head, its charge instantly halted.
The baffling attack enraged it. It quickly adjusted its trajectory and charged at Fang Yuan once more.
But after barely ten steps, another explosion erupted from the ground.
Roar!
The bear's chest and belly were blasted into a bloody mess. Its eyes blazing red, driven to the peak of fury, it lunged again.
"Beasts are beasts — lacking in wisdom." Fang Yuan sighed leisurely, turned, and retreated.
The bear pursued relentlessly from behind, but every few steps triggered another explosion.
After charging another few dozen steps, the bear was covered in wounds, not a patch of fur intact. All four limbs were crippled, and it limped along, no longer the fearsome predator it had been.
Its anger faded, replaced by the instinct for survival.
Even though Fang Yuan stood before it, no more than twenty steps away, it chose to retreat.
But Fang Yuan had long anticipated its retreat path. He had dug a deep pit along the way and planted at least five Blast Mine Potato Gu.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion, and the battle was over.
Meanwhile, inside the tent, a wisp of smoke continuously drifted and hovered.
Within the smoke, images flickered, faithfully and simultaneously displaying the entire process of Fang Yuan's battle.
"Elder Moxing, what do you make of it?" Seeing the battle end, the Bai Family Patriarch spoke up.
In the entire tent, only she and Bai Moxing were present.
"If I'm not mistaken, that young master of the Guye Clan should be using Blast Mine Potato Gu, yes? That Gu is a single-use consumable — buried in the ground, it absorbs earth energy to grow, then detonates upon vibration. Among Second Transformation Gu insects, its power is quite formidable. However, on White Bone Mountain, this Gu would be severely weakened. There's no soil on White Bone Mountain; even the rocks are made of bone. Blast Mine Potato Gu simply cannot be planted there." Bai Moxing mused.
The Bai Family Patriarch shook her head slightly. "Your analysis is correct, but that's not what I was focusing on. Did you notice that from planting the Blast Mine Potato Gu to the end of the battle, Fang Zheng did it all single-handedly? He clearly has Third Transformation guards beside him, yet he used Second Transformation Blast Mine Potato Gu himself, at great effort. Every time he planted one, he had to use Yuan Stones to recover his True Essence. But he insisted on doing it all himself. What does that tell us?"
Bai Moxing's eyes lit up slightly. "I understand now. This Fang Zheng is an upright person, not the sort to cut corners or cheat. He agreed to join the hunt, and even though it's troublesome and exhausting, he doesn't want to use external means to gain an unfair advantage."
"Those who cut corners often have weak resolve. The upright are often steadfast. To extract the location of the Origin Spring from these two, the best approach is indirect probing and outwitting them. Heh heh, I'm now even more confident in last night's plan." The Bai Family Patriarch laughed.
..."I have completed my task without disgrace." Half an incense stick later, Fang Yuan presented a tattered bear pelt before the Bai Family Patriarch.
"Heh heh heh, in such a short time, nephew has slain an adult black bear — truly worthy of being the Guye Clan's young master." A fitting hint of surprise appeared on the Bai Family Patriarch's face, quickly turning into a smile.
"Nephew might as well go back and rest. The Bronze She Li Gu will be delivered shortly."
"Thank you, Patriarch. This junior takes his leave."
Fang Yuan and Bai Ningbing withdrew from the central tent and returned to last night's quarters.
Moments later, a Gu Master delivered the Bronze She Li Gu.
Fang Yuan took it and used it right there in the tent, advancing his cultivation from Middle Stage to High Stage.
A Gu Master's minor realms were easy to break through — a matter of patient grinding. But major realms required aptitude to support the breakthrough.
She Li Gu, Stone Orifice Gu, and many others — a great number of Gu insects could allow a Gu Master to skip the grinding and rapidly elevate their cultivation.
However, High Stage First Transformation was still just First Transformation. Such a marginal improvement could hardly change the current situation.
That evening, the Bai Family Patriarch once again held a banquet in the tent, inviting Fang Yuan and Bai Ningbing.
The Bai Family Stronghold had a tradition: during the hunting competition, there were bonfire banquets every night. The grand bonfire banquets were held outdoors in the camp, while the smaller banquets in the central tent only invited the top performers.
Due to their special status, Fang Yuan and Bai Ningbing were once again seated as honored guests.
"Come, let me introduce nephew to our clan's rising stars. You young folk should get to know each other." During the banquet, Bai Moxing broached the topic.
Seated in the central tent were four young people.
Two men and two women, all at Third Transformation cultivation without exception.
One of the men was Bai Moxing's nephew, named Bai Moting — a thin-framed youth who ranked third after the first day's hunt.
Of the two women, one was named Bai Caoshuai, and she looked rather... careless.