Fang Yuan ignored it all, multitasking.
He absorbed the natural true essence from the Yuan Stone while keeping a close watch on his Empty Orifice.
The true essence sea within his Empty Orifice, which had previously been low, was slowly rising again under the continuous influx of natural true essence.
The rate of recovery was somewhat slow, but Fang Yuan wasn't in a hurry.
Cultivation was about accumulation; it couldn't be rushed.
The one who was truly anxious was the middle-aged male family servant outside.
About half an hour later, Fang Yuan’s bronze true essence sea reached its limit of forty-four percent capacity.
But it wasn't over yet.
Currently, his true essence sea was a jade-green color—this was the Initial Stage bronze true essence of the First Transformation.
The true essence Fang Yuan had previously used to nourish his orifice walls wasn’t Initial Stage true essence. It was Middle Stage true essence, refined by the Wine Worm after... suppressing you into submission!
"Wine Worm," Fang Yuan thought, and the Wine Worm in his Yuan Sea immediately soared up, hovering in mid-air and contracting into a white, tangyuan-like dumpling.
Whoosh.
Ten percent of his Initial Stage true essence was deployed and injected into the Wine Worm's body, where it was quickly absorbed down to the last drop.
Then, a fragrant, mist-like wine vapor emanated from the Wine Worm's body, condensing into a cloud.
Fang Yuan deployed another ten percent of his true essence, casting it into this wine mist.
After the wine mist was completely consumed, the original ten percent of Initial Stage true essence had suddenly shrunk by half in volume, while its color shifted from jade-green to dark green.
This was now Middle Stage true essence.
"Ordinary students advance their cultivation using Initial Stage true essence of the First Transformation. But I use Middle Stage true essence. My efficiency is at least twice theirs. Moreover, when I use Middle Stage true essence to activate the Moonlight Gu, the Moon Blade it unleashes is far more powerful than one driven by Initial Stage true essence."
Only after his entire Yuan Sea had been purified and refined into First Transformation Middle Stage true essence did Fang Yuan finally open his eyes.
Cultivation knew no passage of time; it was already the hour of the rabbit.
The sky was no longer pure black but a deep, dark blue.
Suppressing you into submission! The moon had already vanished, leaving only a few lingering stars.
The large gate had been left open practically all night, the wooden corners beneath it soaked through, revealing the black marks of water stains.
The Academy dormitory had this one disadvantage: unlike ordinary stilted bamboo houses, it sat directly on the ground, making it more susceptible to dampness.
Snapping out of his cultivation focus, Fang Yuan also felt a chill wrapping around his body. Sitting cross-legged for so long had left both his legs somewhat numb.
He released his clasped right hand, and a shower of grey-white stone powder spilled out.
This was the residue left after the natural true essence in the Yuan Stones had been completely absorbed.
"In one night of cultivation, I used up three Yuan Stones," Fang Yuan calculated silently.
He himself only possessed Grade C aptitude, but to pursue cultivation speed, he had been constantly using Yuan Stones to replenish his true essence. More critically, he had employed the Wine Worm to refine Middle Stage true essence.
This dramatically accelerated his consumption of Yuan Stones.
"Although I grabbed another haul yesterday, burning through three Yuan Stones in a single night... it seems like I have plenty, but they can't withstand prolonged cultivation consumption... However, to pursue speed and efficiency, a price must be paid."
Fang Yuan looked outside the door again.
He saw the burly family servant named Gao Wan crouched in the corner against the wall, his body curled into a ball, seemingly asleep.
"It seems that Second Transformation female Gu Master has long since departed. Leaving this Gao Wan here to watch over me. Heh." A cold smirk appeared at the corner of Fang Yuan’s mouth. He stepped down from the bed and began quietly stretching his limbs.
As his body warmed up, he stepped out of the dormitory.
"Brat, you finally decide to come out. Well? Will you obediently surrender, come with me, and kowtow to my young mistress to admit your fault?" Gao Wan’s ears twitched, catching the sound of Fang Yuan’s footsteps. He shot to his feet in an instant.
His body was thick and sturdy, almost twice Fang Yuan’s size.