The morning sun rose slowly; it was another new day.
The students had lined up in order, their faces filled with excitement, standing in front of the academy's Gu room.
Today was a good day to choose their second Gu worm!
Fang Yuan was the first to advance to the middle stage and possessed the right of first choice, thus he stood at the very front of the line.
Behind him, in order, were Gu Yue Mo Chen, Gu Yue Fang Zheng, and Gu Yue Chi Cheng.
Creak.
The door of the Gu room was opened by the guards, and Fang Yuan was the first to step inside.
Although the Gu room was not large, it held a universe within. Small square holes were carved into the surrounding walls, some large and some small, inside which various receptacles were placed.
There were stone basins, jade plates, cages woven from grass, and fired purple clay pots.
Various types of Gu worms, all of Rank one, were stored within these receptacles. To feed these Gu worms, the academy had to expend up to a thousand primeval stones every single day.
Fang Yuan swept his gaze and discovered that many receptacles were already empty, devoid of Gu worms.
The Gu worms in the Gu room were replenished only once a year. Previously, when choosing their vital Gu, the majority of the teenagers had selected the Moonlight Gu; right now, there was not a single Moonlight Gu left in the Gu room.
There were no windows on the four walls of the Gu room, only a small skylight opened on the roof.
Sunlight pierced through the skylight, forming a rectangular golden spot of light on the floor of the Gu room.
The first time he entered the Gu room, Fang Yuan had a target and chose the Moonlight Gu as soon as he came in. But now, he only had a few potential targets in his heart.
However, regarding these targets, he still had to see if the Gu room had them in stock.
Following the left wall, Fang Yuan strolled forward while browsing carefully.
After five steps, his footsteps paused slightly.
In a square cubicle near his shoulder, a copper bowl was placed, and lying within the copper bowl was a Gu worm.
This Gu worm looked like a stinkbug, flat and wide, with a very small head and an oval-shaped body. Its entire body was a glowing yellow-orange, emitting a metallic luster like copper.
This was a Copper Skin Gu. It was an object frequently chosen by close-combat Gu Masters. The martial arts instructor of the academy raised exactly such a Copper Skin Gu; once activated, one's entire body would turn a faint yellow, and defense would greatly increase.
Fang Yuan had broad horizons, so naturally, he looked down on such a Gu worm. He continued walking forward and saw another Stone Skin Gu.
The Stone Skin Gu and the Copper Skin Gu had similar appearances, only its body was a dusty gray, like an artifact made of stone.
Following six consecutive Stone Skin Gu, there was an Iron Skin Gu.
The Iron Skin Gu's size and appearance were also very similar to the Copper Skin Gu, with only slight differences in the details. It stayed quietly in an iron bowl, completely unmoving. Its entire body emitted a cold, stern light like black iron.
Just as there were families in human society, there were also families among Gu worms.
These three Gu worms that Fang Yuan saw in succession all belonged to the same series. Their appearances were similar, and their functions were also similar.
"Iron Skin Gu, Copper Skin Gu, Stone Skin Gu, Jade Skin Gu… If there is a Jade Skin Gu, I might as well choose it this time," Fang Yuan muttered, a trace of anticipation rising in his heart as he continued to walk forward.
But he was destined to be disappointed; after the Iron Skin Gu, there was a whole row of Beast Skin Gu.
The Jade Skin Gu and the Beast Skin Gu, along with the Copper Skin Gu and others, belonged to the same series. However, their values differed vastly. The Beast Skin Gu was the most common, its market price even slightly lower than that of the Stone Skin Gu, but it had many advancement routes and could be refined together with many other Gu worms.
The Jade Skin Gu was the rarest Gu worm in this series. Its market price was second only to the Liquor worm, and sometimes with price fluctuations, it could even equal the Liquor worm.
Fang Yuan looked around but did not find a Jade Skin Gu. He was not disappointed, but rather smiled in understanding: "The Gu Yue village is just a mid-sized clan, and the academy's Gu room can only be considered middle-tier. To expect a Jade Skin Gu here, the standards are a bit too high."
At this point, the left wall had been fully inspected, so Fang Yuan switched to another wall and continued strolling.
On this wall, the most numerous were the Longhorn Beetle Gu.
Like the Skin Gu, the Longhorn Beetle Gu was also a large family among Rank one Gu worms.
They had similar appearances, presenting a long cylindrical shape with slightly flattened backs. The majority were black, emitting a metallic luster. They possessed a pair of extremely long antennae that exceeded their bodies, and as their powerful mandibles opened and closed, they emitted a clicking, cracking sound, like sawing wood. Therefore, Gu Masters in some regions also called them "Tree-Sawing Youths."
The first to catch Fang Yuan's eye was a Brute Force Longhorn Beetle Gu.
Its entire body was the color of red iron, and its pair of antennae was slightly thicker than normal longhorn beetle antennae; every short distance along them, a bamboo-like joint grew.
This Brute Force Longhorn Beetle Gu sold very well on the market. In the caravan that came to the Gu Yue village a while ago, someone was selling these Brute Force Longhorn Beetle Gu in large quantities.
The Brute Force Longhorn Beetle Gu could grant a Gu Master temporary immense strength. It was reputed to hold the strength of one bull, lasting for the duration of five breaths.
But it had two flaws.
One was that it consumed too much primeval essence every time it was activated. At Rank one middle stage, it required ten percent of primeval essence; converted to initial stage, each use would take twenty percent primeval essence.
The other was that it had aftereffects. If a Gu Master's constitution was frail and they used this Gu excessively, it would lead to muscle strains, or even severed tendons. Usually, only Gu Masters with sturdy physiques would use it. With Fang Yuan's small frame, there was no need to consider it.
Fang Yuan had self-awareness; he walked past the Brute Force Longhorn Beetle Gu and continued looking.
"Eh? This Gu worm is not bad." His footsteps slowed.
This was a Yellow Camel Longhorn Beetle Gu.
Its body was slightly longer and thinner than the Brute Force Longhorn Beetle Gu, its whole body a dark yellow. The pair of long antennae had no bamboo joints; they were yellow at the base, fading into black at the ends.
The Brute Force Longhorn Beetle Gu could temporarily grant a Gu Master powerful strength; this strength was explosive in nature and could only be maintained for five breaths. The Yellow Camel Longhorn Beetle Gu, however, could bestow endurance upon a Gu Master, greatly reducing the rate of their physical exertion, and could be maintained for fifteen minutes. Moreover, it had no aftereffects.
Among Rank one Gu worms, the market price of the Yellow Camel Longhorn Beetle Gu was also quite high, comparable to the Moonlight Gu, second to the Jade Skin Gu, and even further behind the Liquor worm.
Fang Yuan swept a glance around; indeed, there was only this single Yellow Camel Longhorn Beetle Gu in the Gu room.
"The Gu worm is not bad, but it doesn't match my direction," Fang Yuan shook his head, giving up on this Gu worm.
Soon, he reached the corner. He had finished looking at the second wall but found nothing satisfactory.
The Gu worms in the Gu room only amounted to this level; hoping to pick up a hidden treasure or encounter some surprise was highly unlikely.
Fang Yuan turned to the third wall and continued his inspection.
On this wall, the Boar Gu were the most numerous.
The Boar Gu was also a series of Gu worms.
There were the Flower Boar Gu, the Pink Boar Gu, the Black Boar Gu, and the White Boar Gu.
The Pink Boar Gu had the lowest value, and almost no Gu Master selected it. Because it only had one ability, which was to fatten. After a Gu Master infused it with primeval essence, the Pink Boar Gu would modify the Gu Master's body, making them fat. No matter how thin or small they were, they could turn into a chubby, big fatty.
There were only two or three Pink Boar Gu in this Gu room, making it seem as if it wasn't even worth collecting and feeding them in large numbers.
The Flower Boar Gu were the most numerous, numbering a full few dozen, lined up in a patch. The surfaces of these Gu worms were mottled; if not black and white, then black and pink, or white and pink, and a few even had black, white, and pink together.
The effect of the Flower Boar Gu was similar to the Brute Force Longhorn Beetle Gu; both temporarily increased a Gu Master's strength.
The Brute Force Longhorn Beetle Gu was reputed to hold the strength of one bull, while the Flower Boar Gu held the strength of one boar. The Flower Boar Gu consumed the same amount of primeval essence as the Brute Force Longhorn Beetle Gu, but it could be maintained for ten breaths, double the duration of the Brute Force Longhorn Beetle Gu.
Furthermore, because the explosive force exerted by the Gu Master was smaller, the aftereffects were naturally not as severe as those of the Brute Force Longhorn Beetle Gu.
"The Flower Boar Gu is the most mainstream Gu worm, and it sells the most on the market. Its market price is only half that of the Brute Force Longhorn Beetle Gu, truly warranting the title of cheap and high quality. However, within the Boar Gu family, the remaining two Gu have extremely high value, more expensive than the Jade Skin Gu or the Liquor worm!" A thoughtful light flashed in Fang Yuan's eyes.
A single Black Boar Gu or White Boar Gu sold for as high as six hundred primeval stones on the market; often, the moment one appeared, it would immediately be snatched up and bought by someone.
The ability of the Black or White Boar Gu was to modify the Gu Master's physique, fundamentally increasing the Gu Master's physical strength.
Although the Brute Force Longhorn Beetle Gu could grant a Gu Master the strength of a bull, it could only last for five breaths; if used too much, the strength augmentation would be too great for the Gu Master to bear, resulting in intense aftereffects.
The strength that the Black or White Boar Gu added to the Gu Master, although gradual and accumulating over days and months, once obtained, became the Gu Master's own. Even if the Black or White Boar Gu died, this strength would still remain on the Gu Master's body.
Because of this, the price of the Black or White Boar Gu was higher than that of the Liquor worm.
The general public widely believed that the value of the Liquor worm was actually slightly less than the Black or White Boar Gu.
The Liquor worm could only refine primeval essence. In a fierce battle, a Gu Master's primeval essence was extremely easy to exhaust. For the remainder of the battle, the Gu Master would have to rely on their fists, kicks, and own physical strength. This was where the value of the Black and White Boar Gu lay; it was more reliable than the Liquor worm.
"If I could refine a Black Boar Gu or a White Boar Gu, that wouldn't be bad at all." Fang Yuan was merely casually thinking about it; in a Gu room like this where there was only one Yellow Camel Longhorn Beetle Gu, how could there possibly be such rare Gu worms as the Black or White Boar Gu?
He walked a full circle and looked at all the Gu worms; as expected, there were none of his ideal Gu worms.
In the end, at a corner, he picked out a Little Light Gu.
There were a total of five Little Light Gu in the Gu room.
This kind of Gu had a very peculiar shape; it looked like a five-pointed star and was only half the size of a fingernail.
This Gu was primarily used in conjunction with the Moonlight Gu and was one of the most common auxiliary Gu worms for the Moonlight Gu. Fang Yuan's selection of it could be considered passable; at the very least, it fit his intended direction of development.
"Fang Yuan has come out."
"It took quite a while, he finally came out."
"I wonder what Gu he picked?"
"He has the Liquor worm, so this is already his third Gu. I'm just afraid he won't be able to afford to feed them, hehe."
Fang Yuan casually walked out of the Gu room. The students, having stood outside the door for quite a while, were somewhat restless and antsy.
"My turn! I wonder if Fang Yuan chose that Gu worm?" Seeing Fang Yuan come out, Gu Yue Mo Chen hurriedly took large strides and stepped into the Gu room.
He searched around and immediately spotted that absolute singular Yellow Camel Longhorn Beetle Gu; he could not help but be overjoyed and immediately took it away.
Afterward, Fang Zheng also walked in.
"I have the Moonlight Gu to attack; what I lack is a Gu worm for defense." Gu Yue Fang Zheng considered for a long time and finally chose a Copper Skin Gu.
Gu Yue Chi Cheng was the fourth to walk into the Gu room.
"I need the ability to dodge. In future battles, I'll be able to hit others while they won't be able to hit me. This way, I will stand in an invincible position." He picked and chose left and right, and finally selected a Dragon Pill Cricket Gu.