Section Thirty-Four: Crushing You

Fang Yuan ignored everything, his mind working on two tasks at once.

He was absorbing the natural true essence from the primeval stones while also paying close attention to his aperture.

The sea of true essence in his aperture, which had previously receded, was now slowly rising as the natural true essence was continuously injected.

This rate of recovery was somewhat slow, but Fang Yuan wasn't in a hurry.

Cultivation was about accumulation; one couldn't rush it.

The one who was truly anxious was the middle-aged male servant outside the room.

About half an hour later, Fang Yuan's Bronze True Essence sea reached its limit of forty-four percent again.

But it wasn't over yet.

At this moment, the true essence sea was a verdant green, which was just the Bronze True Essence of a Rank 1 initial stage.

The true essence Fang Yuan had used to nurture his aperture walls earlier was not initial stage true essence. It was mid-stage true essence, refined by the Wine Bug.

"Wine Bug," Fang Yuan thought. The Wine Bug in his primeval sea immediately soared up, hovering in mid-air and shrinking into a white ball of dough.

Ten percent of his initial stage true essence was mobilized and poured into the Wine Bug, which quickly absorbed it without a single drop left.

Then, a fragrant, misty wine-like vapor emanated from the Wine Bug's body, condensing into a mass.

Fang Yuan mobilized another ten percent of his true essence and poured it into this mist.

After the mist was completely consumed, the original ten percent of initial stage true essence suddenly halved in volume, and its color changed from verdant green to pale green.

This was mid-stage true essence.

"Ordinary disciples use Rank 1 initial stage true essence to advance their cultivation. I, however, use mid-stage true essence, making my efficiency at least twice as high as theirs. Furthermore, when I use mid-stage true essence to activate the Moonlight Gu, the Moon Blades it unleashes are more powerful than those produced by initial stage true essence."

Only when his primeval sea was completely refined into Rank 1 mid-stage true essence did Fang Yuan open his eyes.

Time flew by in cultivation; it was now early morning.

The sky was no longer pure black but a deep black-blue.

The moon had disappeared, leaving only a few lingering stars.

The door had been left ajar all night, and the edges beneath the wooden door leaves were damp, showing black marks from the moisture.

This was the downside of the academy dormitories; unlike ordinary stilted bamboo houses that were comfortable and built directly on the ground, these were closer to the ground, making them damper.

Snapping back to reality, Fang Yuan felt a chill envelop his body. His legs felt somewhat numb from sitting for so long.

He released his clasped right hand, and a shower of gray-white stone powder fell.

This was the residue left after the natural true essence in the primeval stones had been completely absorbed.

"After a night of cultivation, I consumed three primeval stones," Fang Yuan calculated silently.

He himself had only C-grade aptitude, but to pursue cultivation speed, he had been continuously using primeval stones to replenish his true essence. More importantly, he had used the Wine Bug to refine mid-stage true essence.

This greatly increased the consumption of primeval stones.

"Although I managed to snatch another haul yesterday, the consumption of primeval stones in just one night reached three. This means that even though I have a lot of primeval stones, they can't withstand long-term cultivation wear and tear... But to pursue speed and efficiency in cultivation, one naturally has to pay a price."

Fang Yuan looked outside the door again.

He saw the burly servant named Gao Wan squatting in the corner, curled up as if asleep.

"It seems that Rank 2 female Gu Master has already left. She left this Gao Wan here to guard me. Heh heh." A cold smile touched Fang Yuan's lips. He got off the bed and began to quietly warm up his limbs.

As his body grew warmer, he stepped out of the dormitory.

"Kid, you're finally willing to come out. How about it? Surrender obediently, come with me, and kowtow to my young miss to apologize." Gao Wan's ears twitched, catching Fang Yuan's footsteps. He suddenly stood up.

He was powerfully built, almost twice Fang Yuan's height.

His muscles bulged, and beneath his slanted eyebrows, his narrow eyes gleamed with cruel and malicious light, like a starving hyena.

Fang Yuan's expression was blank as he continued to walk towards him.

"Kid, it would have been fine if you came out earlier. Coming out now, do you know how much hardship I endured watching over you?" he chuckled sinisterly, taking steps to meet Fang Yuan with a malicious look.

Just then, Fang Yuan suddenly let out a light shout, leaped forward, and charged at Gao Wan with raised fists.

"You brat, you're asking for death!!" Gao Wan's face contorted. He was full of anger and swung his sand-bowl-sized fist at Fang Yuan.

The fist was incredibly powerful, breaking through the air and whistling with the sound of wind.

Fang Yuan's gaze was clear as water. Seeing the fist coming, he shifted his feet and moved to Gao Wan's side.

He extended his finger and poked towards Gao Wan's waist.

Gao Wan blocked with his arm, and Fang Yuan missed the poke, hitting Gao Wan's left forearm instead.

Fang Yuan immediately felt as if his finger had struck a steel plate, causing pain and numbness.

"This Gao Wan is at the peak of mortal martial arts. I only have the Moonlight Gu to fight with right now, without any other Gu worms to assist. In terms of pure fist and foot combat, I'm no match for him!" Fang Yuan's eyes flashed, and he wisely gave up the attack, retreating several steps to create distance.

In Gu Yue village, only Gu Yue clan members were qualified to cultivate Gu Masters.

Other outsiders, regardless of whether they had cultivation aptitude or not, were not eligible to participate in the Aperture Opening Ceremony.

However, these mortals could practice martial arts.

Gao Wan, for example, wasn't a Gu Master, but he must have trained diligently in martial arts. His fundamentals were solid, and he was a middle-aged man in the prime of his life.

Aside from the Moonlight Gu which Fang Yuan could use for combat, his body was merely that of a fifteen-year-old boy. In terms of strength, agility, or endurance, he was no match for Gao Wan.

Martial artists like Gao Wan were capable of killing early Rank 1 Gu Masters. Even mid-rank Gu Masters would face a certain threat.

"This kid is too ruthless!" Gao Wan still felt lingering fear as Fang Yuan created distance between them.

The waist was a vital spot on a person. A forceful poke there would inflict significant damage. If too much force were applied, it could even be fatal.

Gao Wan had been waiting outside the courtyard for most of the night, his body enveloped by the cold and damp air, making his reactions somewhat sluggish. He had almost fallen prey to Fang Yuan's attack just now. Fortunately, despite his usual sycophancy, he had also trained diligently. At the critical moment, his body's instincts had overridden his mind's reaction, allowing him to narrowly defend against Fang Yuan's offense.

"I can't let my guard down anymore. This kid is a wolf cub, his attacks are vicious and insidious; one wrong move and I'll be in trouble. No wonder the young master was knocked out by him twice." Gao Wan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, casting aside his previous disdain and giving Fang Yuan his full attention.

"If I capture this kid, I'll have accomplished a great deed. The young lady will surely reward me then! The early Rank 1 Moonlight Blade is at best a knife; as long as it doesn't hit a vital spot, it's just a shallow wound that breaks the skin and causes bleeding."

With this thought, Gao Wan's heart burned with fervor. He extended his vice-like hands and lunged towards Fang Yuan.

Bang, bang, bang.

Fang Yuan showed no fear, meeting Gao Wan head-on and engaging in close-quarters combat. Fists and feet collided, offense and defense shifted, and a continuous stream of dull thuds echoed.

When robbing students, he had only used his palms, focusing on subduing and controlling the situation. Now, fighting Gao Wan, he held nothing back.

At times he'd gouge at eyes, poke throats; at times he'd strike the chin with the heel of his palm, chop the back of the head with his edge; at times he'd knee the groin; at times he'd elbow the waist.

Gao Wan was sweating profusely from the fight.

Fang Yuan's every move targeted Gao Wan's vital spots. His methods were vicious and ruthless, clearly aiming to kill Gao Wan.

Gao Wan was merely a mortal, unlike a Gu Master. Although he had trained diligently in martial arts, vital spots remained vital spots. Mortals couldn't turn their eyelids into steel; this was the limitation of mortal martial arts.

Conversely, Gao Wan dared not kill Fang Yuan.

Fang Yuan was a member of the Gu Yue clan. If Gao Wan killed Fang Yuan, he would incur the wrath of the entire clan and be torn apart by five horses. The Mo family would be the first to deal with him.

Therefore, his intention was to capture Fang Yuan alive, preferably by making him suffer during the capture.

With one party having reservations and the other harboring killing intent, Fang Yuan was actually dominating the fight!

(PS: Oh dear, a tragedy! I stayed up too late coding last night and skipped a chapter. Fortunately, thanks to the reminders from my friends, I've corrected it immediately! It's 2013, I wish everyone a Happy New Year!)