Fang Yuan hurriedly stopped.
He had used the Wine Worm before, but the Wine Worm merely refined True Essence, raising its quality by a small sub-stage. He had never used Snow Silver True Essence, where the difference in quality was this enormous!
With no other choice, Fang Yuan had to reduce the amount he called upon each time, while also weakening the force of the scrubbing and refining.
"Who would have thought that having True Essence quality this high could be a drawback," Fang Yuan said with some annoyance.
In the darkness, Bai Ningbing rolled her eyes upon hearing this.
What an incredible blessing this was!
If others found out, they would probably be so enraged they'd slap Fang Yuan to death on the spot.
This truly was a happy kind of trouble.
Two hours later, the six portions of Snow Silver True Essence were only just barely consumed.
A single session of cultivation had, remarkably, given the rough Stone Film a polished luminosity. It was like rough jade that had undergone preliminary processing, beginning to reveal a smooth luster beneath.
"Quick, quick — another ten percent of True Essence," Fang Yuan urged.
Night passed in this manner of cultivation.
When the rooster in the courtyard crowed and the sky outside the window began to faintly brighten, Fang Yuan opened his eyes.
His gaze sparkled with vitality, brimming with a barely containable excitement.
He withdrew his palm and clenched it into a tight fist: "First Transformation Peak Stage!"
A single night of cultivation had elevated him from First Transformation High Stage to First Transformation Peak Stage.
How swift!
Throughout all his years of cultivation — counting even his previous life — he had never experienced a night as satisfying and exhilarating as this one!
It almost made him unable to stop.
To use an analogy —
Back when he had Grade C Aptitude, cultivating was like a snail crawling. After using the Wine Worm, he could walk. With Grade A Aptitude and the Tian Yuan Treasure Lotus, it was like running.
Damn it, using this Bone Flesh Reunion Gu was like strapping two wings on and taking flight!
Bai Ningbing's expression was equally one of genuine shock.
She was clever and sharp; she quickly realized this Gu had yet another, far greater purpose.
"This Gu is remarkable — it can probably help charge through major realms as well!"
The Wine Worm could only improve sub-stages. When charging through major realms, a Gu Master had to rely on their own True Essence. That was precisely why Aptitude was so important.
But with this Bone Flesh Reunion Gu, one could borrow another person's Empty Orifice during a breakthrough to a major realm.
What an overwhelming advantage!
"With this Gu, the Bones Mountain was an absolute bargain. Even sacrificing the Tian Yuan Treasure Lotus was worth it."
At that moment, morning light swept into the farmhouse. Bai Ningbing let out a long, heartfelt sigh: "How many prodigies exist under heaven!"
Grey Bone Scholar was merely a Fourth Transformation Gu Master, yet he had developed the Bone Flesh Reunion Gu — truly an extraordinary talent!
Any Gu Master with a title possessed exceptional abilities. Compared to them, Fang Yuan and Bai Ningbing were still complete unknowns.
……
The sun blazed high in the field.
"Auntie, please rest properly. I'll help you!" Fang Yuan snatched the hoe from the old woman's hands.
The old woman certainly couldn't compete with the young and vigorous Fang Yuan. Her tool was taken, yet she looked even happier, grinning from ear to ear: "Oh my, where did this fine young man come from?"
Two days had passed since their first dual cultivation.
The original plan had been to stay one night and leave, but after using the Bone Flesh Reunion Gu and experiencing the thrill of rapidly advancing in cultivation, Fang Yuan decided to alter the plan slightly — at the very least, he would break through to Second Transformation before departing.
In any case, the stone wouldn't be discovered for another two or three years. There was no rush.
Bai Ningbing did not object either. The gap between Second Transformation and First Transformation was vast. Becoming a Second Transformation Gu Master would be of tremendous help for the journey ahead.
So the two of them settled into the village and refused to leave.
The old woman had no intention of driving them away.
In truth, she wished Fang Yuan and Bai Ningbing would stay forever. Both worked so hard — one might be a bit tongue-tied and the other a bit ugly, but they were honest children.
By day, Fang Yuan and Bai Ningbing did chores. One possessed the strength of two boars, the other the strength of a crocodile — among mortals, they were virtually demigods. A bit of farmwork was child's play. Besides, for an old woman's household, what heavy labor could there possibly be?
Every day the pair slept only an hour or so, yet remained full of vigor.
Compared to their previous life of trudging through the wilderness with no shelter from wind and rain, never knowing if they would see the next day, this kind of life was simply heaven.