"Get out of my sight! If I were to take you as a disciple, I'd probably die of anger before long. At least my children are well-behaved. Get lost — I don't want to see you." Lang Ya's land spirit waved his hands dismissively, refusing Fang Yuan's request to become his disciple without a moment's hesitation.
He could have obtained a Second Empty Orifice Gu, but Fang Yuan had schemed against him, making him hand over the very Gu he had just refined while also losing his Divine Travel Gu.
Fang Yuan chuckled, not the least bit bothered by the land spirit's rejection.
The land spirit was a manifestation of a Gu Immortal's obsession — simple and stubborn. A refusal now meant a refusal in the future as well.
"What a pity. I was originally planning to present the Divine Travel Gu as a gift for accepting me as a disciple."
"Hmph, I can't stand cunning people like you. The Mao Min are much more agreeable! I'll tell you the truth — I've already taken eighteen Mao Min as disciples. From now on, I will only accept Mao Min!"
"Let's put that aside. Give me the Second Empty Orifice Gu." Fang Yuan extended his palm.
Lang Ya's land spirit's expression froze. He gazed at the Immortal Gu in his hand with undisguised reluctance. This was the Gu he had intended to refine — it had just been completed, and he hadn't even had time to enjoy holding it before it was about to change hands.
But the agreement from years past had already crystallized into an obsession, forming an integral part of who the land spirit was. He could not violate it, nor had he ever thought of doing so.
"Boy, you remember this!" Lang Ya's land spirit growled through gritted teeth, shoving the Second Empty Orifice Gu into Fang Yuan's hand.
The Second Empty Orifice Gu resembled a beetle — pointed at both ends, plump in the middle. It was about the size of a teenager's fist, jade-green in color, smooth and cool to the touch.
On its round back sat a single golden eyeball. The golden pupil darted about like flashes of lightning, brimming with spiritual energy.
"This is the Gu I risked everything to refine at San Cha Mountain all those years ago. I never imagined I'd obtain it in this manner." Fang Yuan sighed with emotion, but he didn't activate it immediately. Instead, he stored it away.
Although the Second Empty Orifice Gu had become his through Lang Ya's willing cooperation, Fang Yuan was not yet a Gu Immortal. Without Green Grape Immortal Essence, he couldn't mobilize it.
"You've gotten your Immortal Gu. If you don't want to waste your last opportunity, you can leave now." Lang Ya's land spirit issued his dismissal.
But Fang Yuan produced the Divine Travel Gu, a smile on his face, and waved it before the land spirit. "Don't you want this Immortal Gu anymore?"
Lang Ya's land spirit raised an eyebrow. "What — you want to sell it?"
He had the Heaven Communicating Gu to connect with Treasure Yellow Heaven, where he could purchase a vast quantity of Gu refinement materials. Even the Human Orifice needed to refine a Second Empty Orifice Gu could be obtained by buying slave Gu Masters and harvesting them.
The Second Empty Orifice Gu was a consumable — once used, it ceased to exist. Lang Ya could simply refine another one. Of course, the prerequisite was that he had the Divine Travel Gu. Without it, the refinement was absolutely impossible.
Fang Yuan didn't answer directly. Instead, he posed a question: "Tell me — if I were to use a second Second Empty Orifice Gu, would it create a third Empty Orifice?"
"Hmph, keep dreaming." Lang Ya's land spirit immediately scoffed, letting out three cold laughs. "This is a Second Empty Orifice Gu, not a Third Empty Orifice Gu. You want to form a third Empty Orifice? You'd have to first figure out the recipe for a Third Empty Orifice Gu!"
Fang Yuan nodded, his expression serious. "That's exactly what I think as well."
The land spirit wouldn't deceive him just to acquire the Divine Travel Gu. At the same time, Fang Yuan already knew the recipe for the Second Empty Orifice Gu and had long deduced this very principle.
He had only asked to confirm — a matter of prudence.
With this, the Divine Travel Gu in Fang Yuan's possession, along with the half-finished Second Empty Orifice Gu, had lost their original purpose.
Fang Yuan already possessed one Second Empty Orifice Gu. He was a loner with no trusted followers to elevate, so he had no need for a second.
Moreover, he had just observed the land spirit's refinement process and knew that the final step was extraordinarily dangerous. The light sphere expanded and contracted repeatedly, demanding extremely precise control — at least the soul depth of a thousand people to manage it.
Immortal Gu were not so easily refined. Back when Fang Yuan had first arrived at San Cha Mountain after his rebirth, he had wisely not thrown himself headlong into refining a Second Empty Orifice Gu. Had he attempted it with the strength he possessed back then, failure would have been inevitable. The backlash from refining an Immortal Gu alone would have pushed him to the brink of death.
Of course, he could also sell them in Treasure Yellow Heaven.
But doing so would attract the attention of the Inkstone Old Man and expose many of his hidden cards. Furthermore, anything he received in return could easily have been tampered with by other Gu Immortals.
Trading with Lang Ya's land spirit was different.
At the very least, the land spirit wouldn't try to pass off inferior goods. He had substantial purchasing power and was eager to acquire the Divine Travel Gu for his own refinements.
And Fang Yuan avoided a second exposure entirely. It was perfectly safe.
"Land Spirit, take a look at this." After a moment's thought, Fang Yuan brought out the half-finished Second Empty Orifice Gu he had personally refined years ago.
The half-finished product was shapeless and vague, like a roughly carved blank with no sign of life. It resembled a gray stone carved into the shape of a beetle — a bulging belly, pointed head and tail, without a single leg or antenna.
Though it shared the general silhouette of a true Second Empty Orifice Gu, the difference in quality was stark and unmistakable.
Lang Ya's land spirit's eyes lit up at the sight of it. "I didn't expect you to have gotten this far. But the hardest part of refining a Second Empty Orifice Gu lies in the final step. The earlier stages can be managed by any Refinement Grandmaster."
A trace of delight crept into the land spirit's tone.
Fang Yuan had both the Divine Travel Gu and this half-finished product. If he acquired them, the land spirit would only need the final step to produce another Second Empty Orifice Gu.
For Lang Ya's land spirit, such a temptation was nearly irresistible.
"Speak — what do you want in exchange?" Lang Ya's land spirit withdrew his burning gaze and looked at Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan glanced at the Divine Travel Gu in his right hand and answered without hesitation: "Immortal Gu are priceless. Of course, it must be a Gu-for-Gu trade. That's the time-honored custom among Gu Immortals."