The method of refining the Golden Silkworm Gu involved grinding twelve kinds of poisonous insects—namely the golden silkworm, centipede, small snake, centipede-like scutigerid, ant, poisonous bee, cicada, and earthworm—along with one's own hair after sun-drying them into a powder, feeding this to a living golden silkworm, and then enshrining the silkworm before a pestilence-poison utensil, burying it at a crossroad brimming with spiritual energy.
After passing through forty-nine days, it was retrieved and stored in a specially made censer, thus completing the Golden Silkworm Gu.
This Gu-refining method was detailed within the Gu Refining Art.
However, even though Lüo Bing obtained the Gu Refining Art, she could not refine the Golden Silkworm Gu, failing more than a dozen times and ending in defeat every time.
Ultimately, it was because Lüo Bing was still not proficient in the various Gu-refining Dharma Gates.
Chen Dengming was different.
Although he had only recently broken through to become a cultivator, he had already immersed himself in Gu-refining for decades back in the mortal world. Not only was he proficient in Gu-refining, but he was also familiar with the various subtle states of Gu worms, able to make adjustments at the most appropriate timing.
These were all matters of experience, unrelated to the disparity in the Strength Realm, which Lüo Bing did not possess.
At this moment.
Inside a three-section compound of the Luo Family.
Chen Dengming was busy together with Xu Wei, simultaneously occupied with grinding the dried corpses of a dozen poisonous insects into powder while instructing Xu Wei on the knack of the Gu Refining Art.
Help someone all the way, send the Buddha to the Western Paradise.
Teaching Xu Wei some of the knacks of the Gu Refining Art was also done in the hope that she could display talent in this aspect and ultimately stay within the Luo Family because of it. That would be for the best, and those troubles of her own would naturally be resolved without a hitch.
Of course, Chen Dengming himself was not without a bit of selfish motive.
If Xu Wei could stay in the Luo Family, then he would also be considered to have a very trusted confidante within the Luo Family.
Regardless of what identity or status this confidante held in the Luo Family, at the very least she would constitute some assistance at certain times.
After all, the Luo Family was the local emperor of the entire Rogue Cultivator Gathering Place.
And he would be living and cultivating within the Gathering Place for a very long time in the future; having a trusted person like Xu Wei stay in the Luo Family brought him only benefits and no harm.
Xu Wei truly lived up to being someone who had struggled at the bottom; despite initial fears toward the terrifying-looking poisonous insects, she was able to grit her teeth and endure the discomfort to work alongside him, and her techniques gradually grew proficient.
Chen Dengming took this in and was satisfied at heart.
He was very clear that perhaps at this very moment, from some unknown location, the young miss of the Luo Family, Lüo Bing, was observing him from afar, and perhaps the other party would also notice Xu Wei's performance.
However, Xu Wei's current performance could not truly be called good, but there was plenty of time, and refining the Golden Silkworm Gu was not a task of a single day.
Two incense sticks of time later.
All twelve types of poisonous insects had been successfully ground into powder.
Chen Dengming called Xi'er over and informed the other party of the requirements for the subsequent steps.
"I am well aware that the subsequent steps require the hair of our young miss, but what is the meaning of needing Essence Blood?"
Hearing Chen Dengming's request, Xi'er's pretty face froze as she frowned and spoke.
Chen Dengming explained with a smile, "Needing Essence Blood is a method of Gu-refining that I researched and figured out myself. It is not recorded in the Gu Refining Art, but this method can increase the success rate of Gu-refining, and the refined Gu worm will also be more spiritually attuned to its master."
Xi'er frowned, half-convinced and half-doubtful as she said, "Researched yourself? Hmph, you, a mere... a Qi Refining First Layer cultivator, can actually break away from that Gu Refining Art and research an even more formidable doorway?"
Chen Dengming spread his hands. "It's fine not to use Essence Blood, but I suspect that both attempts will fail."
The saying went that first-class people needed no teaching, second-class people were taught with words, and third-class people were taught with the stick; those who could draw inferences from one instance were always the minority.
Whether practicing martial arts, cultivating the Dao, or refining Gu, it was always the same.
Although his aptitude for martial arts was lacking, his comprehension was passable, and he ultimately gathered the strengths of a hundred schools to create the Chen Family Martial Arts General Outline.
In Gu-refining, his comprehension was also exceptionally brilliant, able to combine the Gu Refining Art and the habits of numerous poisonous insects to figure out a 'Blood Refining Method' outside of the Gu Refining Art; these were all his own insights and experience.
Although he had given the Gu Refining Art to many Immortal Masters, it remained unknown whether anyone in the end could comprehend other Gu-refining methods outside of the Gu Refining Art by themselves.
Just like reading The Art of War, some read it as if glancing at a blank book, while others read it and were able to apply it flexibly.
At this moment, Xi'er's delicate body trembled, as if hearing some voice transmission, and she glanced at Chen Dengming, saying, "The young miss has instructed: you may use your own hair and Essence Blood. But remember, if this fails, you must still use your hair and Essence Blood next time. You only have these two chances."
"Fairy Lüo is certainly cautious enough."
Chen Dengming thought to himself, yet he didn't mind it.
Essence Blood was extremely important to a cultivator.
This thing was like an ID card from his past life; if it fell into the hands of someone with ulterior motives, they could stir up plenty of evil deeds. In his past life, if a not-so-familiar person had asked to borrow his ID card, he naturally wouldn't have lent it out easily.
"Immortal Master Chen, why don't you... use mine?"
Beside him, Xu Wei blinked her beautiful eyes, extended slender wrists white as frost from her sleeves, and looked at Chen Dengming as she spoke.
She naturally knew the importance of Essence Blood, but she trusted Chen Dengming and did not want him to be in a difficult spot at this juncture.
And she reckoned that even if there were any risks, she was willing to bear them.
Chen Dengming glanced at Xu Wei and smiled. "No need. I am also attempting to refine the Golden Silkworm Gu for the first time; it's better to use mine to be more secure."
With those words, he separated a small portion of the ground poisonous insect powder and his own hair to feed to the prepared golden silkworm.
The golden silkworm was only the size of half a finger, plump and chubby, with a pale golden complexion, and its body was even translucent, allowing one to clearly see the fat and tiny blood vessels within. At this time, the golden silkworm didn't even have sharp teeth.
Feeding it powder ground from poisonous insect corpses at this moment would very likely cause the golden silkworm to drop dead on the spot.
Yet Chen Dengming executed the wondrous technique within the Gu Refining Art, and a thread of subtle spiritual energy entered the golden silkworm's body like a thousand intricate threads, acting like a precise and delicate scalpel performing surgery to help the golden silkworm quickly refine and absorb the poisonous insect powder.
Instantly, the originally pale-golden golden silkworm swelled and grew a circle larger, its entire body turning dark cyan with a withered aura.
On the opposite drum tower, Lüo Bing's cold eyes narrowed slightly, staring intently at Chen Dengming and the golden silkworm.
In the past dozen-odd times, she had always failed at this step of the refinement; the golden silkworm would be poisoned to death, wasting materials in vain.
However, at this moment, she only saw Chen Dengming bite the tip of his tongue, spit a trace of Essence Blood onto the golden silkworm, and then, as if executing some technique, the golden silkworm actually calmed down again, causing her to furrow her brows slightly.
Could it be... the key really lies in this Gu-refining Dharma Gate he created himself?
In the courtyard, Chen Dengming looked at the golden silkworm, which had regained its calm though its aura remained somewhat withered, and he let out a breath of relief.
He immediately picked up the golden silkworm with care and walked over to the crossroads within the courtyard.
He set up the pestilence-poison magic tool prepared beforehand by the Luo Family—a statue of the plague god—facing south, and then drew a simple, small-scale Gu-refining field on the ground, placing a Low-grade Spirit Stone in position.
Instantly, a faint, wondrous field of energy permeated and shrouded a small area, and wisps of Gu-poison aura drifted out from the plague god statue magic tool.
Chen Dengming carefully placed the golden silkworm within the field. The toxins and bloodstains on the surface of the golden silkworm's body rapidly became transparent, and it gradually fell into a deep sleep.
"Forty-nine days. Hopefully, every day from now on will go smoothly."
Chen Dengming smiled faintly, nonchalantly casting a glance at the status of the Gu Refining Art on his panel.
Gu Refining Art:(1/100)
When refining ordinary Gu such as snake Gu or stone Gu, the Gu Refining Art would never increase its proficiency no matter what.
At this very moment, upon merely starting the refinement of the Golden Silkworm Gu, it had increased by one point of proficiency.
Over the next forty-nine days, he would also come every day to tend to and recuperate the golden silkworm. By then, with a stable daily increase of one point, after refining the Golden Silkworm Gu, it would trigger yet another surge of proficiency, and the Gu Refining Art might well break through because of it.
This was also the reason why he was happy to refine the Golden Silkworm Gu for Fairy Lüo.
With others providing the materials and the venue while he practiced his skills, it simply couldn't get any more comfortable.
Now, even the Golden Silkworm Gu would likely belong to him in the future due to the blood-refining connection; this errand was simply too wonderful, though it was a pity there was only this one chance.
He looked toward Xu Wei at the side and said, "Next, I'll have to trouble you to frequently look after the condition of this golden silkworm. Observe it using the methods I taught you, and the moment there is any abnormality, you must notify me immediately."
Xu Wei immediately bowed in acknowledgment. "Understood, Immortal Master Chen."
Chen Dengming nodded in satisfaction and strode toward a bright pavilion opposite.
He had invited Xu Wei to come to the Luo Family together precisely to resolve this woman's crisis.
But whether this woman could ultimately stay in the Luo Family would depend on her own fortune and luck.
The saying went: A beauty gifts me a golden-inlaid blade, how shall I repay it? With brilliant jade.
Xu Wei harbored deep grace toward him, and this time he could be considered to have repaid it.
And during this recent period, he would also be living here.
To him, this was also a stroke of fortune upon coming to this Cultivation World.
Compared to many cultivators who were still contending in the Gathering Place for a good spiritual residence, the Luo Family, sitting atop a First-Rank Spirit Vein, was paradise.
He had to seize every moment to cultivate here, striving to quickly advance to the realm of the Qi Cultivation Second Level.
At the same time, the practice of spells such as the Fireball Technique and the Artifact Control Technique could not be neglected either.
(There will be another update around ten o'clock in the daytime.)
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