In the center of the map was a raised stretch of land. There were no steep peaks—only gentle slopes, with a wide gap split open at the top, as though it led deep underground.
This place was labeled with two characters: Earth Mound.
Surrounding the Earth Mound was a terrain of mixed marshlands and forests, and in the lower-left corner, a river flowed.
Below the entire topographical map were four lines—"Light concealed within earth, / radiance ten thousand zhang high, / roaming a hundred miles through the sky, / singing of plum blossoms' snowy fragrance."
Fang Yuan murmured the words under his breath, chewing on them for a long while, yet could not decipher them.
These four lines seemed like poetry, yet not quite. They resembled a Gu recipe, but only vaguely.
But one thing Fang Yuan could confirm: these four lines of riddles were obviously deliberately left behind as clues.
What was even more remarkable was that after the topographical map had formed for a brief moment, it gradually vanished from the gray-white stone slab.
Soon, the stone slab in Fang Yuan's hands had turned pristine white, completely blank.
But when Fang Yuan closed his eyes, he could effortlessly recall every detail of the topographical map, without the slightest discrepancy.
This was not because his memory was extraordinary, but rather—
"Painting Intent Gu. A Painting Intent Gu had been planted on this stone slab. This Gu could form vivid imagery that penetrates deep into a Gu Master's memory, ensuring they never forget."
A flash of insight lit up Fang Yuan's eyes.
This was obviously a legacy left behind by a Gu Master.
To appraise these gray-white stone slabs, Fang Yuan had retrieved a number of Crystal Clear Gu, Sunlight Gu, Moonlight Gu, and others from the Ge family's clan vault.
Just now, he had activated these Gu insects. Then he had skillfully infused them with True Essence to probe the slab.
These techniques were the specific methods used to appraise gray-white stone slabs.
And these very techniques had become the key to unlocking the secret of this particular stone slab.
"The Gu Master who forged this gray-white stone slab didn't just use a Painting Intent Gu. Other Gu insects were used as well to create this effect. This Gu Master left behind a legacy, and in order to filter for a worthy successor, they certainly put considerable thought into it."
Fang Yuan chuckled. He hadn't expected to obtain a lead on a Gu Master's legacy under circumstances like these.
Legacy. It was one of the defining cultural features of this world.
Whether they were Righteous Path Gu Masters or Demonic Path Gu Masters, all would choose to leave behind a legacy—leaving their own unique mark upon heaven and earth.
Though he had luckily obtained this lead on a legacy, Fang Yuan did not feel particularly surprised.
In his previous life five hundred years ago, he had encountered many similar situations. By now, nothing surprised him anymore.
The vast majority of Gu Masters would leave behind legacies.
This resulted in legacies of wildly varying quality. There were Gu Immortal legacies, and legacies left by Fourth Transformation and Fifth Transformation Gu Masters—these were all worth looking into. But there were also many that were only Second Transformation or Third Transformation legacies, and even First Transformation Gu Masters would sometimes leave one behind.
Added to the ravages of time, heavenly disasters, and such, many Gu Masters who explored legacies were met only with disappointment.
Some legacies had long since been destroyed and lost. Some had been claimed by earlier arrivals. And some were Demonic Path legacies—carefully designed traps, the venting of dark-hearted Gu Masters at the moment of their death.
"I'm far too busy right now. I don't have time to abandon my current plans and travel to some distant place over a legacy whose location is unclear. Besides, with only this topographical map, I don't even know where this so-called 'Earth Mound' actually is."
Obtaining the Earth Mound Legacy Map had been nothing more than a small surprise. Fang Yuan quickly set it to the back of his mind.
In the days that followed, he continued his cultivation while beginning to refine Gu.
From the accumulated resources of the two families before him, he had obtained an improved Gu recipe that Fang Yuan found quite interesting.
From the Ge family's clan vault, he retrieved more Gu insects. After spending several days and failing twice, he successfully elevated the Third Transformation Eagle Wing Gu in his hands to the Fourth Transformation Eagle Soar Gu.
Speaking of which, this Eagle Wing Gu had been practically unused in his hands. He had originally purchased it from a marketplace gathering of several families near the Ge family camp in the Red Flame Valley, after leaving the Rotting Poison Grasslands.
The Wolf King Chang Shanyin was no flying expert. Naturally, Fang Yuan would not easily employ this master-level skill.
It was a hidden trump card. Once deployed in the future, it would certainly leave the world astonished.
Chang Shanyin's disappearance of over a dozen years served as a perfect cover story. Who knew what opportunities or encounters he'd had? Becoming a flying master—why was that impossible?
Several days after the Eagle Soar Gu was successfully refined, Ge Guang personally visited Fang Yuan and brought the latest intelligence.
"The Ma family has completely swallowed up the Fei family and become the leading force of the Heavenflow Heroes' Assembly…"
"At the Mengqiu Heroes' Assembly, the Nuoer family's representative is a Fifth Transformation Gu Master named Nuoer Tu."
"The Zhao family from Caofu? Hmm, that Zhao Lianyun—Ma Hongyun's future wife, the remarkable woman who would one day become a Wisdom Path Gu Immortal. Right now she's still nothing more than a young child."
"In any case, the Ma family is making a huge splash this time. They clearly intend to make a major move and go for the seat of the Lord of the Royal Court. This matches my memories of the previous life as well. The only question is whether Ma Hongyun has appeared yet?"