The Ju family was, after all, a clan that had stood for hundreds of years, with deep foundations. The Ju family's collections allowed many of the auction participants to walk away with something, whether great or small, and opened the eyes of quite a few people.
"Everyone rarely gets together like this — don't leave yet. Let me play host." Fang Yuan urged everyone to stay.
In the restaurant, jade platters held fine delicacies, paired with exquisite dishes and fine wines.
"Brother Fang Zheng, here is the recipe you wanted." After several rounds of drinks, Wei Yang produced a Ming Xin Gu and handed it to Fang Yuan.
The Ming Xin Gu resembled a ladybug, about the size of a fingertip. Its entire body was a deep crimson, and on its rounded carapace were four white heart-shaped spots.
The Ming Xin Gu was also a storage-type Gu.
Similar to the Book Worm Gu, it stored information.
Ming Xin Gu existed from the First Transformation to the Fifth Transformation. A First Transformation Ming Xin Gu had only one white heart-shaped marking on its carapace. A Second Transformation had two, and so on.
The Ming Xin Gu Wei Yang produced had four spots, indicating it was as high as the Fourth Transformation.
However, using a Fourth Transformation Ming Xin Gu to store the recipe for the Tian Yuan Bao Jun Lian was perfectly reasonable.
Fang Yuan had spent six hundred and seventy thousand Yuan Stones for this recipe. To avoid suspicion, he had Wei Yang do the bidding.
Looking at the Ming Xin Gu, Fang Yuan did not take it. Instead he said, "Since Brother Wei has already refined it, why not use it now? That way I won't have to refine it all over again."
"Very well." Wei Yang nodded and channeled his True Essence into it.
The Ming Xin Gu let out a soft pop and transformed into a stream of pink light. Under Wei Yang's mental control, the light streaked toward Fang Yuan's chest and vanished in an instant.
In that moment, a secret recipe flooded into Fang Yuan's mind.
The formula for how to refine the Tian Yuan Bao Jun Lian.
The main Gu Insect ingredients required for the refinement, every auxiliary material — all the steps, and every precaution to observe during the process, everything was included in full.
Fang Yuan could not forget this information even if he wanted to — it was as though it had been carved deep into his heart. Such was the effect of the Ming Xin Gu: memories so vivid they were engraved upon one's very soul.
A faint sense of satisfaction welled up in Fang Yuan's heart: "I already have a Tian Yuan Bao Lian, but it is only Third Transformation. It works well enough now, but once I reach Fourth Transformation, its supplementary effects will immediately weaken. Now that I have this recipe, if I can refine a Tian Yuan Bao Jun Lian in the future, it will undoubtedly bring me tremendous help."
Fang Yuan had not known any recipe related to the Tian Yuan Bao Lian. Obtaining this formula now was an unexpected windfall.
Of course, the recipe had not been appraised. But given Fang Yuan's vast experience, his preliminary judgment was that the chances of it being a fake were very slim. Otherwise, the seller would not have put it up for auction.
"Still, in the future I'll need to use some Gu to verify and extrapolate, to guard against any traps or errors hidden within."
"Now that I've bought this recipe, I'm afraid others will start to have their suspicions. Many will surely wonder whether I possess a Tian Yuan Bao Lian..."
"However, while the Tian Yuan Bao Lian is rare, it is not unique. It's not as dangerous to possess as the Blood Skull Gu. Otherwise, I wouldn't have bought this recipe so brazenly. My Gu combination is taking shape, my cultivation is constantly breaking through, and I have fewer and fewer things to worry about. Buying this recipe is no big deal."
Chapter 477. Fists Give Birth to Truth
Had it been in the past, Fang Yuan would never have so brazenly purchased this secret recipe.
But now, he was merely half a step away from the High Stage of the Third Transformation — a matter of mere days.
Once he used the Silver She Li Gu, he would reach the Peak Stage of the Third Transformation!
His strength was no longer what it used to be. With the Purple Thorn Token protecting him, and with everyone only harboring suspicions rather than certainty, he could fully bear the consequences of this matter.
"Let me calculate the time... Fang Zheng has been in Merchant City for over two years now. His progress has been faster than expected. The Tian Yuan Bao Lian..." Wei Yang sipped his wine. Though he had his own guesses, he ultimately said nothing.
"Could it be that Brother Black Earth has a Tian Yuan Bao Lian?" Shang Xinci was also pondering silently, but she did not ask.
On the very first day she began cultivating, Shang Yanfei had told her about many taboos within the Gu Master community. One of them was that one must not casually ask about the Gu Insects owned by other Gu Masters.
For a Gu Master, Gu Insects were the foundation of their standing, their capital, their secrets, and their trump cards.
Once a Gu Master's Gu Insects were exposed, they became very easy to target.
Therefore, it was a major taboo for Gu Masters to ask each other about their Gu Insects.
"Fang Yuan has the Tian Yuan Bao Lian, so he bought the secret recipe. That much is understandable. But why did he pass on the Hard Labor Gu and buy the Windstyle Gu instead?"
Bai Ningbing, seated to the side, remained silent, turning things over in her mind. Fang Yuan's actions left her somewhat unable to read him.
"Sigh, if only I could become a Young Master. Every year, the Young Masters of the Shang clan get the opportunity to apply to the clan for three Gu Insects, and the clan will acquire them at no cost." Shang Xinci let out a sigh.
This was one of the Shang clan's major policies for nurturing Young Masters. As long as the request wasn't excessive, the clan would pool its resources to acquire whatever Gu the Young Masters wanted.
If Shang Xinci could become a Young Master and wanted a Hard Labor Gu, obtaining one with the full backing of the Shang clan would be as easy as flipping over a hand.
Fang Yuan had been seeking a Hard Labor Gu for a long time. He had finally encountered one at the auction, only to be blocked by Shang Yazi, letting it slip through his fingers. Shang Xinci very much wanted to help him.
Fang Yuan patted Shang Xinci on the shoulder with a smile. "No matter, no matter. Who knows — Shang Yazi might just hand that Hard Labor Gu over to me of his own accord."