In the secret chamber, Fang Yuan sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, both eyes shut tight.
Pale silver True Essence flowed ceaselessly, channeled into the Self-Reliance Gu.
The Self-Reliance Gu, situated within Fang Yuan's Empty Orifice, was swimming through the sea.
It resembled a cockroach — flat-bodied, dark brown all over, with long thread-like antennae and a pair of forewings and hindwings.
This was a Third Transformation healing Gu, purchased by Fang Yuan during his recent large-scale exchange.
The Self-Reliance Gu could almost be considered the perfect match for strength-path Gu Masters.
The stronger the Gu Master's power, the more excellent the Self-Reliance Gu's healing effects. Conversely, the weaker the strength, the worse the recovery.
Self-reliance, self-reliance — it derived its regenerative, restorative power from physical strength itself.
Fang Yuan already possessed the strength of two pigs, one bear, and one crocodile. Activating the Self-Reliance Gu now, its healing effect was already on par with the Flesh Renewal Gu. And this was not its limit. As Fang Yuan continued to add new sources of strength in the future, its healing potency would surpass the Flesh Renewal Gu and keep climbing ever higher.
But the Self-Reliance Gu had its drawbacks.
It could only heal the Gu Master himself — it could not be used on others.
This greatly limited its applications.
On top of that, it was expensive. As a rare Gu, it cost a staggering forty-five thousand Yuan Stones! Far more costly than even the Sword Shadow Gu. Though strength-path Gu Masters were plentiful, very few could afford to buy one.
Unlike in ancient times, most strength-path Gu Masters nowadays occupied the lowest ranks, doing menial labor. Those at lower Transformations were common, those at higher Transformations were few, and those who stood out were even fewer. Those who stood at the pinnacle were extraordinarily rare — across the entire Southern Border, only the Martial Goddess had achieved it. And even she relied on an ancient strength-path legacy.
This was an era of decline for the strength path.
Now, Fang Yuan was using the Self-Reliance Gu to heal himself.
In his battle against Li Hao, he had sustained injuries.
The true culprit behind those injuries was not Li Hao, nor the Mountain Toad. It was Fang Yuan himself.
During the fierce battle, his attacks had been wild and overwhelming, sustained over a long period. This had torn his muscles, severed his tendons, and even left the Heavenly Canopy Gu severely depleted, requiring rest.
Fortunately, he had used the Iron Bone Gu beforehand. His iron bones held firm, unscathed. Otherwise, even his bones would have shattered.
When ordinary people exert too much force, they strain their muscles. The more a cannon fires, the more likely its barrel is to burst.
Any form of power requires a foundation to bear it. This was especially true for strength-path Gu Masters.
Though Fang Yuan had the Heavenly Canopy Gu and Iron Bones, his power was simply too great. His moves were relentless and continuous, far exceeding what his muscles could bear. The strain on his internal organs and blood was immense.
After a single battle, his entire body was riddled with hidden injuries.
Even his sweat carried streaks of blood.
"Using the Self-Reliance Gu to heal. This has already been the fifth hour. The main difficulty comes from the Steel Sinew Gu — that's what makes the treatment so hard." Fang Yuan had a clear sense of his condition.
Before this, he had continuously used the Steel Sinew Gu to modify and train his body. As a result, the sinews throughout his muscles had taken on a faint black hue with a metallic sheen, becoming far more tough and resilient.
Now these very sinews were either strained or outright severed. Regrowing and reconnecting them, restoring and healing — this was far more difficult than healing ordinary muscles and tendons.
Why was that?
Ordinary people might not be able to explain it clearly, knowing only that such a phenomenon existed. But Fang Yuan understood. In his previous life, he had been a Gu Immortal. He knew that this involved the laws of heaven and earth.
Humanity was the spirit of all creation. Gu were the true essence of heaven and earth.
Gu insects, whether large or small, contained fragments of the grand laws of the Dao.
The Steel Sinew Gu's effect was to forge the sinews within a Gu Master's body until they were as tough and resilient as steel. This meant that Fang Yuan's sinews now carried a permanent imprint of that law — a mark of the Grand Dao.
When the Self-Reliance Gu attempted to heal, it had to not only restore the flesh and sinews themselves, but also overcome and overlay that layer of law.
Fortunately, this particular law did not conflict with the law of healing. Otherwise, instead of healing Fang Yuan, it would have harmed him.
The same was true for the Brown Bear Core Strength Gu, the Black-and-White Pig Gu, and the Crocodile Strength Gu.
Each of them contained a fragment of the Grand Dao's law pertaining to "strength." When attached to Fang Yuan's body, these fragments lay dormant as phantom beast powers, invisible to the naked eye. Only when fully unleashed could they be seen.
What were these phantom beast powers? At their core, they were dao patterns — the traces of heaven and earth's Grand Dao!
Take the Poison Oath Gu, for another example.
It embodied the law of binding, placed within a Gu Master's body to simultaneously bind the other party.
These dao patterns were normally invisible. However, under the effects of the Breaking Word Gu, they could be revealed and then destroyed.
The law contained within the Breaking Word Gu was directly opposed to that of the Poison Oath Gu. The former was simply stronger, which was why it could suppress and counteract the latter.
To extend this further — why did the Light Rainbow Gu and the Body Shifting Gu require the Gu Master to be pure and unblemished?
For the same reason.
The law of strength would interfere with the laws governing light and spatial manipulation. If the strength dao patterns were too powerful, they would cause the latter two to fail.
"A Gu Master's use of Gu was, in essence, the utilization of various fragments of the Grand Dao's laws. Gu were the carriers of these fragments — natural tools. When Gu Masters refined Gu, the same applied: they fused laws and condensed them. Raising Gu, using Gu, refining Gu… the path of Gu was no petty discipline. It was the true Grand Dao! In cultivation, Gu Masters took nature as their teacher and came to understand heaven and earth. That was why there existed the method of longevity, why there was the hope of achieving immortality."
Fang Yuan had long since come to this realization.
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