Amid the clamor of discussion, Fang Yuan strolled out of the Listening Waves Pavilion.
Wherever he went, the dense crowd instinctively parted to make way for him.
Although Fang Yuan was a Demonic Path Gu cultivator, drawing the disgust and aversion of the Righteous Path, his demonstrated mastery of the refinement arts commanded genuine respect. Especially in the special setting of the Central Continent Gu Refinement Convention during such a unique period, even Demonic cultivators could openly enter and leave Righteous Path sect headquarters. In the hearts of Gu Masters, there was a sentiment that went beyond the ordinary — a willingness to judge heroes solely by their refinement skill.
At the gate of the Listening Waves Pavilion, several Gu Masters from various factions shouted loudly, peddling intelligence. Business was booming.
"Extra! Extra! Fresh off the press — the most complete results board for this Central Continent Gu Refinement Convention, including results from the seventh round!"
"Want to know which hundred Gu refinement experts have the best shot at taking the championship? Come take a look! One Image Recording Gu, starting at just fifty Yuan Stones. Great price, limited quantity!"
"A renowned Wisdom Path Gu Master's predictions for the Central Continent sect ranking competition, plus the grudges and romances of the Ten Great Ancient Sects you never knew about! One intelligence package, only ten Yuan Stones! Cheap and good!"
"So they already have the seventh round results," Fang Yuan thought, a flicker of interest stirring in his mind.
But when he saw the outfit of the Gu Master selling the intelligence, he understood.
This Gu Master selling seventh-round results wore the sect robes of the Electric Speech Sect.
The Electric Speech Sect was a tier-one force established by a Gu Immortal, though of course it couldn't compare to the Central Continent's Ten Great Ancient Sects. The Electric Speech Sect's founding ancestor, Mi Languang, had originally been a Thunder Path Gu Immortal from the Storm Manor. He violated sect rules, had his cultivation crippled, and was expelled from the sect.
Forced to make a living, he switched to the Information Path. Combining his experience in Thunder Path cultivation, he created many unique Information Path Gu insects. The result was that he prospered even more than before.
The Electric Speech Sect he established had, after over a hundred years of development, risen to become a first-rate sect among Central Continent forces, renowned for the Information Path. Even the Ten Great Ancient Sects occasionally purchased intelligence from Mi Languang.
Fang Yuan walked up to this Gu Master and tossed him ten Yuan Stones. "Give me a copy."
The Electric Speech Sect Gu Master fumbled to catch the Yuan Stones, then looked up and recognized Fang Yuan. "Ah, sir! Could you be Lord Fang Yuan!? It is the greatest fortune of this lowly one's three lifetimes that you would ask me — how dare I accept your money? Please take it back. This intelligence is free for you."
With that, he held out the ten Yuan Stones to Fang Yuan with both hands.
Fang Yuan gave a faint smile. "Consider it a tip."
The Gu Master grinned obsequiously. "Then this humble one thanks Lord for his generosity! Here is the intelligence you requested, my lord. On behalf of the Electric Speech Sect, thank you for purchasing our information. If you could spare a moment from your busy schedule to grant us an interview, the Electric Speech Sect I represent would also offer Immortal Materials as a gift!"
Fang Yuan waved him off, took the Information Path Gu insect the man held out, and walked straight ahead.
"Please take care, my lord." Seeing Fang Yuan's refusal, the Gu Master didn't dare press further — after all, Fang Yuan was a Fifth Transformation Demonic Path Gu cultivator. He stood in place, watching Fang Yuan until he disappeared into the crowd before turning back to resume his loud calls, selling intelligence.
As Fang Yuan walked, he split off a thread of his mind and probed into the Information Path Gu insect he had just received.
This Information Path Gu was only First Transformation, its production cost extremely low, so it was naturally nothing remarkable.
What mattered was the intelligence inside — that was what made it worth ten Yuan Stones.
After reviewing the information, Fang Yuan learned that in the Central Continent Gu Refinement Convention, over eight thousand Gu Masters had achieved seven consecutive victories.
These people had cleared seven rounds of competition, meaning they were essentially all at the quasi-master level. Of course, among them there were inevitably some with exceptional luck but weaker strength.
Though "weaker strength" here was only relative — they were absolutely not in the category of someone like Hong Yi. People like Hong Yi had been thoroughly eliminated in the first three rounds.
At the start, hundreds of thousands had registered for the competition. The vast majority were Central Continent Gu Masters, though some came from the other Four Regions, including the Southern Border. After seven rounds, only a little over eight thousand remained — not even ten thousand — a testament to the staggering elimination rate.
Among these, those who had placed in the top three for all seven consecutive rounds numbered over four hundred.
These were at minimum outstanding talents of the Gu Refinement Master level.
Don't be fooled by the number four hundred seeming large — placed within the scope of the entire Central Continent, these people were truly a small elite, standing at the very apex of the refinement achievement pyramid.
In any path, master-level figures were rare. And the refinement path was more difficult to master than most, making the number of masters even smaller.
Among these four hundred, those who had placed first in all seven rounds of competition still numbered over eighty.
Without question, these eighty-odd individuals were the focus of all focus, the center of the storm.
Fang Yuan's name was prominently listed among them.
According to expert assessment, his name ranked only in the upper-middle position.
This was the result of Fang Yuan deliberately maintaining a high profile, which only showed how fierce the competition at the Central Continent Gu Refinement Convention truly was. All manner of extraordinary figures emerged one after another, and standing out among these refinement elites was no easy feat.
Of course, this ranking was mostly speculation and did not reflect actual refinement ability.