The dazzling morning sun illuminated the Qingmao Mountain.
In the academy, the elder was detailing the key points: "Tomorrow, we will choose our second Gu worm for refinement. Everyone already has the successful experience of refining a Gu worm, so this time will serve as a consolidation. Regarding the selection of the second Gu worm, you all must think carefully. Consider it comprehensively by combining your cultivation experiences over these days with an understanding of yourselves. Generally speaking, it is best to choose one that can be used in combination with your vital Gu."
A Gu Master's first Gu worm is called the vital Gu. Once selected, it undoubtedly establishes the cornerstone of one's development. The subsequent second Gu worm, third Gu worm, and so on, are all meant to determine the specific direction of a Gu Master's cultivation based on this cornerstone.
Listening to the academy elder's words, the teenagers could not help but fall into deep thought. Only Fang Yuan lay completely asleep on his desk.
He had worked hard for half the night yesterday. After returning to the dormitory, he still continued his Gu Master cultivation, nourishing his aperture. Only at daybreak did he finally go to sleep.
The academy elder glanced at Fang Yuan, furrowed his brows slightly, but did not say anything more.
Ever since the clan head Gu Yue Bo spoke those words to him, he had adopted a completely hands-off, indifferent attitude towards Fang Yuan.
"What Gu worm should I choose?" As many students pondered, they unconsciously looked toward Fang Yuan.
"Speaking of which, Fang Yuan already has a second Gu worm."
"Yeah, that's the Liquor worm. To actually dissect a Liquor worm from rocks, his luck is just too good!"
"If I had the Liquor worm, I could also be the first to advance to the middle stage, right?"
Thoughts surged in the students' minds; there were those who envied, and even more who were jealous.
Ever since that day, following the interrogation, Fang Yuan's Liquor worm had been successfully exposed. The origin of the Liquor worm did not arouse suspicion. While the clansmen felt relieved, they also sighed heavily over Fang Yuan's luck.
"Why don't I have such good luck, sigh!" Gu Yue Chi Cheng, who practically had the same C grade aptitude, sighed in his heart.
A long time ago, his grandfather had asked people around everywhere to purchase a Liquor worm for him. He never expected that, as the heir to a branch family, he didn't get one, yet Gu Yue Fang Yuan obtained it first.
Compared to Chi Cheng's resentful envy, Fang Zheng, who was also a vice class head, looked highly spirited.
"Brother, I will definitely surpass you." He glanced at Fang Yuan, said a word in his heart, and then withdrew his gaze.
These days, his eyes shone with a bright light, full of a surging passion toward life. His cheeks were rosy, his forehead gleamed, and even his walking pace had become brisk.
The academy elder saw all of this and immediately understood that the clan head Gu Yue Bo had already started secretly guiding Fang Zheng.
This kind of private tutoring naturally could not be spoken of openly.
The academy elder turned a blind eye to it.
Night fell again.
Fang Yuan once again squeezed into the secret rock crack cave.
Ring-a-ling…
In his hand, a wild rabbit struggled violently, and a small bell was tied around its neck.
This was a wild rabbit Fang Yuan caught on the mountain, and naturally, he was the one who tied the bell on it.
After a whole day, the stale air inside the secret cave had completely dissipated, and the air was very fresh.
The entrance to the tunnel was wide open, completely silent inside. Fang Yuan half-squatted on the ground and first carefully inspected the floor. Last night, he had sprinkled rock powder in two places on the ground. This thin layer of rock powder was not eye-catching at all.
"The rock powder at the entrance of the tunnel remains intact. It seems that during the time I was away, nothing unclean crawled out of the tunnel. There is a footprint at the cave's crack entrance, but I just stepped on it myself. It is evident that no outsiders have been here." Fang Yuan observed for a moment and felt reassured.
He stood up, reached out, and forcefully tore off a handful of dead and withered vines from the wall.
Then he sat on the ground, using the back of his knee to pin the wild rabbit down, freeing both hands to rub these vines together.
Ordinary Gu Masters would not know this kind of handiwork, but Fang Yuan had too much rich life experience. In his past life, there were several times when he was so destitute that he couldn't even afford to feed his Gu worms, and they starved to death one by one.
For a period of time, he had primeval essence but absolutely no Gu worms, and like an ordinary mortal, even basic living was difficult. Left with no other choice, he learned to twist straw ropes and weave straw shoes, straw hats, and so on to sell, exchanging them for a few primeval stone fragments to eke out a living.
At this moment, as he twisted the straw rope, the memories in Fang Yuan's heart surfaced once again.
The bitterness and suffering of that time had turned into the silent smile on his lips at this very moment. Under his knee, the wild rabbit struggled occasionally, making the bell ring loudly.
Couples tangle for a long time, twisting and turning with much clinging affection.
Finely and slowly, as years go by, gathering time together, there are twists, there are turns, and there are entanglements.
Twisting a straw rope, isn't it just like experiencing life?
In the secret cave, the red light was dim; youth and worldly hardship intertwined on Fang Yuan's face.
Time also seemed to stop here, quietly admiring the young man twisting the straw rope.
Ring-a-ling…
Half an hour later, the wild rabbit swiftly darted into the tunnel. The bell around its neck continuously jingled, and in a few breaths, it left Fang Yuan's sight.
One end of the temporarily woven straw rope in Fang Yuan's hand was tied to the wild rabbit's hind leg, and at this moment, it was being dragged by the rabbit, sliding outward rapidly.
After a while, the straw rope stopped moving.
But this did not mean the wild rabbit had reached the end of the tunnel; it could have been killed by a trap, or it might have just paused halfway.
Fang Yuan started withdrawing the rope. The rope gradually tightened, and he pulled forcefully.
From the other end of the straw rope, a force immediately transmitted back. Then the straw rope continued sliding outward again.
Evidently, the wild rabbit on that side was suddenly subjected to the pulling force and, under panic, started darting inward urgently once more.
After repeating this several times, the wild rabbit seemed to finally reach the end of the tunnel. No matter how Fang Yuan pulled the straw rope, the rope just loosened and tightened, tightened and loosened.
Perhaps the wild rabbit darted to the end of the tunnel, or perhaps it fell into some kind of trap mechanism and became stuck.
Verifying the answer to this was also extremely simple.
Fang Yuan began to reel in the rope; how could the wild rabbit resist his strength? Eventually, he forcefully dragged the wild rabbit out using the straw rope.
The wild rabbit kept struggling fiercely at the other end, but the straw rope was made from the Wine Sac Flower Gu and Rice Pouch Grass Gu. Even though they had withered and died for many years, they were still tough and not something ordinary straw could compare to.
The wild rabbit once again bounded alive into Fang Yuan's hands. Fang Yuan inspected the wild rabbit closely, and seeing that there were no wounds on its body, he finally exhaled a breath of turbid air.
"From the looks of it right now, this segment of the tunnel should be safe."
Having obtained this result, the wild rabbit lost its usefulness. Fang Yuan casually squeezed it to death and tossed its corpse onto the ground.
He couldn't release this wild rabbit. Animals have memories too; in case it came back here again, completely like the Liquor worm, and brought outsiders, that would be terrible.
He took a deep breath. After several probes, he finally stepped cautiously into the tunnel.
Even though he had the wild rabbit scouting the way, many trap mechanisms were specifically aimed at humans. Small animals like the wild rabbit might not trigger them. Therefore, Fang Yuan had to stay on guard.
The tunnel ran in a straight line, slanting downwards into the earth. And the further down he went, the more spacious the tunnel became.
When Fang Yuan just entered the tunnel, he had to bend his back and lower his head. After walking out about fifty steps, he could hold his head high and puff his chest out. Walking to about a hundred steps, he could swing his arms left and right freely.
The tunnel was actually not long, only about three hundred meters or so, but it took Fang Yuan a full two hours to finally explore to the end of the tunnel.
Along the entire way, he remained highly cautious, probing at every step. By the time he reached the end, he was already covered in cold sweat from exhaustion.
"Not having a Gu worm used for reconnaissance is truly troublesome," Fang Yuan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Only after confirming it was safe did he settle his mind and carefully examine the end of the tunnel.
Upon this observation, he was stunned.
At the very end of the tunnel, a gigantic rock blocked the path. The surface of the rock was smooth and protruded towards Fang Yuan's direction, exactly like Jia Fu's plump belly.
It was this giant rock that blocked Fang Yuan's continuing footsteps.
Other than this huge rock, there was absolutely nothing else around Fang Yuan.
"Could it be that due to an accident, the middle section of the tunnel collapsed, resulting in a blockage?" Fang Yuan's gaze focused; this was a highly probable occurrence.
Before the Flower Wine Monk died, he urgently established this strength inheritance. Using the Thousand Li Earthwolf Spider, he hastily created a mountain tunnel. The tunnel led to the depths of the mountain body, guiding the inheritor forward.
However, several hundreds of years had passed. This tunnel could not withstand the erosion of time, and at a certain moment, a section of the tunnel fell into disrepair and collapsed.
Various accidents always occur in life.
"If this is really the case, won't I have to stop right here?" He stepped forward and touched the stone. For this giant rock blocking his advance, just the exposed surface area was as big as a door. One could imagine the thickness of its entire shape.
Fang Yuan could use the Moonlight Gu to grind away the rock wall, but to grind away such a massive boulder, it would take absolutely one or two years of hard, painstaking work.
"It seems that I must use tools, using pickaxes and shovels to crack the giant rock open. But doing it this way will inevitably expose many traces. Some of the knocking sounds will also spread out." Thinking of this, Fang Yuan frowned deeply. He was considering the risks and rewards involved.
If the risk was too great, he would rather give up this strength inheritance.
After all, if someone else discovered the secret here, not only would the layout and hard work he made previously go to waste, but he himself might even be in life-threatening danger!