After taking the weak Gu worm out of the stone, Fang Tian placed it on his palm and examined it carefully. This Gu worm resembled a mantis, about one and a half times larger than a palm. However, half of its head was composed entirely of black eyes, while the rest of its body was dyed a dull yellow.
A thick strand of emerald-green primeval essence flowed out from Fang Tian's aperture and attached itself to the yellow mantis. The Gu worm was unable to resist Fang Tian's primeval essence, as it had only just awakened from her slumber and was extremely weak, with almost no strength remaining.
After refining the Gu, Fang Tian sent his consciousness into it in order to examine its method of use.
"Hm?! What is this?"
Fang Tian injected more primeval essence into the Gu, attempting to understand the strange sensation that had arisen within him when he sent his consciousness into the Gu worm. The moment the first strand of primeval essence entered the Gu worm, he began to hear a beautiful and gentle voice within his mind.
"Heir, since you have passed the trial of this hall, it means that you are already at rank two—one of the necessary conditions for the next trial…"
The voice paused briefly, allowing Fang Tian to process its words.
"Your next trial is closer to an essential step and foundational requirement for every Gu Master than a mere test… You may have already guessed it upon entering this hall. You must train your skills through Gu refinement, heir. The cultivation of a Gu Master is divided into the use of Gu, the refinement of Gu, and the nurturing of Gu… These are the foundations of becoming a Gu Master, and in the end, all of us must pass through them. However, Gu Masters often focus on usage and nurturing, neglecting Gu refinement—or at most, only touching upon its surface."
The voice began explaining the fundamentals of Gu Master cultivation, and Fang Tian became absorbed, listening carefully to every word and engraving them into his mind.
"Thus, to be worthy of inheriting my legacy, I, Li Hua, require you to practice Gu refinement here until you have completely mastered it. Do not care if your fingers peel or are cut. Do not care if blood flows from your seven apertures. Do not care about severe injuries. Do not care about time… If you cannot persist, then return to where you came from and leave my inheritance to be washed away by the river of time. But if you are determined to take it, then you must fulfill my condition."
Fang Tian did not leave, but he frowned slightly. And who could blame him? He knew well the difficulty of refining Gu worms—let alone the materials required to continuously practice refinement.
The voice fell silent for ten minutes. Fang Tian felt unease rise within him when the familiar voice disappeared. However, it soon returned, albeit weaker.
"As long as you can still hear me at this moment, it means that you are truly determined. Had you left, the inheritance would have self-destructed. Now listen carefully and memorize every word and every step without forgetting… A thick leather-bound book will automatically appear once this Gu worm dies. When you open it, the Gu recipes required to pass this trial—along with the necessary steps and material names—will be imprinted within. Now, I will demonstrate the method of refinement. Take out the Replay Gu from your aperture and inject it with your primeval essence."
Fang Tian thought inwardly as he took the weak Gu worm out of his aperture and injected it with his emerald-green primeval essence.
"So this Gu worm is called Replay?"
Fang Tian frowned deeply. No matter how much primeval essence he injected into the Gu worm, it felt like a bottomless abyss—draining his primeval essence until his aperture was completely dry.
"This will take some time…"
Fang Tian let out a tired sigh and activated the Heavenly Treasure Lotus of Primeval Essence. Combined with the natural recovery speed of his primeval essence, it took no more than five minutes for his aperture to be refilled. Fang Tian injected his primeval essence again, but this time he felt as though he had only filled the abyss with a single drop.
"Step by step, accumulation is built—one step, then another, then yet another—until these steps become the foundation for future generations. And those without ancestral accumulation must build their own foundation and path!"
This fleeting thought passed through Fang Tian's mind as he continued filling the Gu worm with primeval essence for half a day, until he barely managed to activate it.
The Replay Gu exploded, transforming into a cluster of beautiful white lights that gathered into a single point and adhered to the wall. A video-like scene began playing on the wall.
A woman with green hair, pale skin, and full lips appeared. She wore a loose green robe with long, wide sleeves that fluttered whenever she moved. Fang Tian exclaimed softly:
"Li Hua!"
Li Hua did not turn toward his whisper. She was busy placing a red heart dripping with golden sap onto the table. With a wave of her hand, a barrel rose into the air, pouring out a pitch-black liquid that was nearly thick and viscous. The materials were piled up together, then divided into separate groups. As she sorted them, she began murmuring their names.
"Heart of the Suppression Tree and Fertility Life Water, combined with Corroded Rotting Metal and the leg bones of a Water Wolf. First, melt the Suppression Tree Heart into the Fertility Life Water to form a white mold. Grind it and mix it with the Water Wolf leg bones, then expose them to Corroded Metal under high heat and place them into a container—this will produce the Gu worm… Also, you must never use primeval stones! You must replace them entirely with your primeval essence."
She paused briefly, a beautiful smile appearing on her face, before continuing:
"This is the recipe for Aperture Suppression Gu of rank one."
She then gestured toward a different group of strange materials.
"Four stalks of Black Death Flowers, the heart of the Hundred Beast King of the Suppression Tree…"
Li Hua continued listing various materials for the rank two Aperture Suppression Gu, along with its refinement method and required duration.
"Heir, remember this well. No matter how many primeval stones you add to ease the burden on yourself, refinement will fail the moment they are introduced. I do not know the exact reason, but this is what will happen. So remember—use only your primeval essence."
Fang Tian nodded in frustration after roughly understanding the reason, but he continued watching. Li Hua displayed different sets of strange and familiar materials and began naming Gu worms he had never heard of before, along with their recipes.
Recipes for coiling Vines Gu from rank one to rank three, recipes for Wood origin Origin Gu, Small Buds Gu, and various other Gu worms spanning different paths. Although all of these recipes were fascinating, one name continued echoing in Fang Tian's mind.
"Flash of Inspiration?"
It was an extremely familiar name. If he remembered correctly, this Gu had been mentioned in Reverend Insanity and granted inspiration to its user—a remarkably useful effect.
"Now watch carefully, heir, as I refine Gu. Although I cultivate the Wood Path and have become a master of it, the Refinement Path is my secondary path, and my attainment in it has reached quasi-Master."
Li Hua interrupted Fang Tian's train of thought, causing him to refocus on the wall displaying the scene of the past. She took out the materials for rank one Aperture Suppression Gu and began the refinement process.
Hours passed as Fang Tian watched with intense concentration, memorizing every step. Li Hua refined several Gu worms so that her heir could learn without suffering failure. No matter how abundant the resources she left behind, they would never be sufficient to make the heir proficient in the Refinement Path if he continued fumbling and making mistakes.
Thus, she did not provide much information about the nature of her inheritance. She only taught her heir the names of the materials used in the recipes and refined Gu in front of him, allowing him to avoid beginner-level mistakes.
And so, Fang Tian found himself in a strange situation—one where he had to practice Gu refinement, nurture his own Gu worms, pass the trial, and continue cultivating to meet the inheritance's standards.
As a result, the exploration of the third hall was delayed for several months.