Back when Fang Yuan chose the Charge Gu and Ram Gu as his movement Gu, he had already considered the situation at the Fourth Transformation.
The Charge Gu and Ram Gu were the two main materials needed to refine the Charge and Ram Gu.
Using these two Third Transformation Gu as the core, supplemented by a Gu Master's True Essence and various auxiliary materials, one could refine the Charge and Ram Gu.
The refinement process for the Charge and Ram Gu was not difficult.
Fang Yuan had prepared thoroughly, and on top of that, this particular recipe had a high success rate.
Two days later, Fang Yuan succeeded in his refinement, obtaining a brand new Gu Insect — the Charge and Ram Gu.
The charging distance of the Charge Gu and Ram Gu was only one hundred steps.
The refined Charge and Ram Gu doubled this charging distance to two hundred steps. Additionally, the interval between two consecutive activations was reduced to half the original.
However, the True Essence consumption increased slightly.
Of course, this minor drawback was nothing to Fang Yuan, who possessed the Nine-Eye Wine Worm and the Heavenly Origin Treasure Lotus.
"Let me count. Right now, I have six Fourth Transformation Gu in my possession. They are the Coolie Gu, the Charge and Ram Gu, the Yang Gu from the Yin-Yang Transformation Gu, the Nine-Eye Wine Worm, the Effort Gu, and the Blood Skull Gu."
"The rest — the All-Out Gu, Strength Gu, Metal Vigor Gu, and so on — are all Third Transformation Gu. They are gradually falling behind my needs."
The majority of Gu in Fang Yuan's possession were still Third Transformation Gu. He was now at the Fourth Transformation Initial Stage and possessed Middle Stage Bright Gold True Essence, so these Gu were becoming increasingly inadequate.
Of course, it wasn't always the case that higher Transformation Gu were better.
The Bone-Flesh Reunion Gu was only Third Transformation, but this Transformation level allowed more Gu Masters to use it, which actually enhanced its value.
Overall, however, the Transformation levels of Gu and their Gu Master needed to align. Ideally they would match, for the best results.
Fang Yuan did the calculations. There were quite a few Gu that needed upgrading.
The first priority was the All-Out Gu.
The All-Out Gu in his possession was only Third Transformation, capable of projecting only a Third Transformation beast force phantom. To refine and upgrade its Transformation level, he would first need to obtain the Hundred Battles Unharmed Gu from the Three Kings Inheritance. That would have to wait.
The Strength Gu was also Third Transformation, but Fang Yuan lacked the relevant recipe, making further upgrades impossible.
The Third Transformation Metal Vigor Gu — Fang Yuan planned to refine it into the Fourth Transformation Golden Bell Shield Gu.
The Third Transformation Daluo Flower, used for storage, could be upgraded to the Fourth Transformation Daluo Lamp Gu.
The Self-Reliance Gu was also Third Transformation, but had already reached its ceiling. No recipe existed to elevate it further. Still, despite being only Third Transformation, as long as the force Fang Yuan channeled was powerful enough, its healing effect could rival that of a Fourth Transformation healing Gu.
In a similar situation was the Bone-Flesh Reunion Gu.
The Breath Suppressing Gu, used for concealment, was also Third Transformation. Although it could be upgraded further, Fang Yuan decided to set it aside. At this stage, he had no need to suppress his breath and hide.
The Heavenly Origin Treasure Lotus was also Third Transformation.
Fang Yuan now possessed the recipe to refine the Fourth Transformation Heavenly Origin Treasure Lord Lotus. However, it required acquiring several Yuan Springs to complete. That was a monumental task, and Fang Yuan could only set it aside for now.
Counting it up: the All-Out Gu, Metal Vigor Gu, Daluo Flower, Heavenly Origin Treasure Lotus... Fang Yuan only needed to refine these four Gu.
But that wasn't the whole picture.
Fang Yuan had once used the Iron Bone Gu, Steel Sinew Gu, and Copper Skin Gu to modify his body. All of these were Third Transformation Gu. Their current defensive effects were barely adequate in Fourth Transformation Gu Master combat.
Then there were the Eight Great Beast Shadows on his body. None of them drew from Fourth Transformation Strength Gu. All of these, therefore, needed to be updated.
"My Eight Great Beast Shadows are all ordinary beasts. Only by replacing them one by one with Tiger Force Phantoms, Mastiff Force Phantoms, and the like can I achieve peak combat power at the Fourth Transformation realm."
Fang Yuan had once taken great interest in the Tiger Force Gu inside Xue San Si's Empty Orifice.
But Xue San Si had been blown to bits by him, and all her Gu had been destroyed.
Fang Yuan's fighting style was simply too brutal. He would smash his enemies into a pile of mincemeat at the drop of a hat.
Though this was a well-known characteristic of Strength Path Gu Masters, the approach was so excessively violent that it was rare for any Gu to survive a battle.
Fang Yuan had defeated three Fourth Transformation Demonic Path Gu Masters in succession, yet only obtained the Effort Gu.
And that Effort Gu had been voluntarily surrendered by Fei Li upon his defeat.
In truth, Gu Masters mostly obtained Gu through buying and trading, raising and capturing, or refining and reverse-refining.
Very few Gu Masters could harvest Gu from battle spoils.
For one thing, Gu Masters' methods were strange and dangerous. Once a battle broke out, both sides would go all out. For their own safety, neither would hold back. Under such circumstances, Gu would inevitably be caught in the crossfire and destroyed.
Second, destroying one's own Gu was particularly easy. With a single thought, a Gu Master could trigger a self-destruction of their own Gu.
"Upgrading all of these... that's a long road ahead..." Fang Yuan sighed, stepping out of the cave.
Bai Ningbing was already standing at the cave entrance, gazing upward at the summit, waiting for him.
Fang Yuan followed her gaze and looked up as well.
Atop the three tallest peaks of Three Fork Mountain, three massive pillars of light soared skyward, piercing through the clouds. Their momentum was magnificent, as though they were the pillars holding up heaven and earth.
The Three Kings Inheritance had opened.