Abyss Toad

Cao Xiaochun didn't pay it much mind. After supervising for half an hour, nearly half a truckload of goods was finally unloaded. After signing his name on the delivery receipt, he locked the door and smiled at the goods piled across most of the living room.

When it came to the most basic yet lethal Gu insects, aside from the Five Poisons, the rest were pests that were easy to gather and could be reused.

Aside from the live creatures needed for refining Gu, the half-truckload of goods consisted of the Five Poisons, locusts, and killer bees!

Because the game had descended upon this world, even the original animals had undergone a degree of evolution. They had become stronger, and their venom had grown dozens of times more potent than it had been three hundred years ago. Thus, these animals themselves were the best materials for refining Gu.

Though these things were cheap when sold individually, Cao Xiaochun needed them in massive quantities. Everything here had cost nearly several million yuan, making him sigh. If he hadn't had some savings left, he simply couldn't have supported such an enormous expense!

Gu Masters weren't just a money-burning profession—they were also a profession inclined toward darkness. Beneath the feet of every powerful Gu Master lay treasures and dry bones. Once Cao Xiaochun understood that truth, he had already prepared himself.

Clearing his mind of distractions, Cao Xiaochun stretched out a hand and lightly tapped the air. The White Jade Gourd instantly flew out from his dantian and slowly spun in midair!

He stepped forward and quickly tore open the packages. Before the animals inside could react, they were sucked into the gourd by a powerful force.

There were simply too many packages, and the process lasted a full two hours.

After finishing everything, Cao Xiaochun sat cross-legged and formed scarlet runes with both hands, slowly sending them into the gourd. Due to the characteristics of the Heaven-Earth Black-Yellow White Jade Gourd, he could refine several types of Gu insects at once while also shortening the time they took to form...

Another three hours passed, and Cao Xiaochun was growing groggy. Such high-intensity output was a severe test of his mental strength. On top of that, the violent aura carried by the Gu insects made him exceptionally irritable. Under this double torment, Cao Xiaochun was exhausted to the extreme!

Buzz!

With a hum, the White Jade Gourd emitted a gentle white glow. Seeing this, Cao Xiaochun swiftly withdrew his hand seals, bit down hard on his index finger, and flung out a stream of blood.

When the blood touched the White Jade Gourd, its gentle white light instantly turned red, while the violent feeling in Cao Xiaochun's heart gradually faded away!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several streaks of light shot out from the gourd. A black toad three meters tall and four meters wide appeared on the ground, along with a fist-sized locust and a crystal-like killer bee!

"Fuck, where are my Five Poisons? What the hell is this thing?"

Staring at the black toad that occupied half his living room, with twelve eyes on its face, venomous fangs hidden in its mouth, and a scorpion tail trailing behind it, Cao Xiaochun froze for a moment before crying out in shock.

The locust and killer bee had been refined smoothly, but something seemed to have changed during the refinement of the Five Poisons. According to his plan, seven Gu insects should have emerged. Why was there only one toad?!

Unable to figure it out, Cao Xiaochun directly cast an Eye of Truth on all three Gu insects. In an instant, their information appeared before him.

Abyssal Toad Gu, Black Iron Tier (Upgradeable). One of the supreme first-rank Gu insects of the Five Poisons category. Steel hide and iron bones, immune to water and fire, immense strength, body covered in corrosive venom. Can use sonic attacks, spit black mist that causes the entire body to rot, and summon phantoms of the Five Poisons. Attack range: twenty meters!

Mother Locust Gu, Black Iron Tier. Can produce up to two thousand Locust Gu offspring. The offspring possess sharp teeth, leaving not a blade of grass wherever they pass!

Killer Bee Mother Gu, Black Iron Tier. Can produce up to three thousand offspring. The offspring carry neurotoxins that can kill or induce hallucinations!

"Hiss, I hit the jackpot!"

The Mother Locust Gu and Killer Bee Gu hadn't changed much, which Cao Xiaochun had expected. But the Abyssal Toad gave him an enormous surprise!

Not only did it combine all the finest traits of the Five Poisons, but most importantly, it was an upgradable Gu insect, not a transitional product like Locust Gu!

Its strength was also far greater than that of the Five Poisons Gu refined separately!

"From now on, I'll call you Xiao Qiang!" Cao Xiaochun slowly walked forward and stroked the Abyssal Toad Gu's belly. The more he looked at it, the more he liked it. Since Gu poison had no effect on him, he could pet it as he pleased.

Croak!

The Abyss Toad looked at its master, seeming to possess a trace of intelligence in its eyes as it enthusiastically responded to Cao Xiaochun's touch.

Not only was Xiao Qiang a powerful combat asset, but judging by its appearance, it was also a decent mount. It was a little ugly right now, but Cao Xiaochun believed that as long as it improved again in the future, its looks would gradually improve too.

With Xiao Qiang and the two newly refined Gu insects, plus the Moonlight Gu and Vitality Grass he had exchanged from the shop, his defenses were still somewhat lacking. But purchasing more materials would likely waste another day. There were only six days left until the school's major exam. If he wanted to make a name for himself during the exam, he needed to raise his level first.

Thus, after putting the three Gu insects back into the gourd, Cao Xiaochun immediately decided to head into a dungeon for some training.

After all, dungeon training could not only raise his level but also gather souls. A Gu Master's growth couldn't do without them.

After cleaning up the mess on the floor and the tables and chairs Xiao Qiang had crushed, Cao Xiaochun made a few preparations and headed toward the outskirts of the city.

Ever since the Will of Heaven had manifested, towering walls had been erected around every city to defend against the various terrifying monsters beyond them.

With the emergence of professional classes, humanity gradually began to counterattack. Under the army's suppression, teleportation points were established throughout different regions. After exploration roughly determined the danger level of nearby areas, those areas became dungeons for professionals to explore.

However, because the environment beyond the walls changed drastically and the land was endlessly vast, even in the lowest-level Black Iron dungeon, no one's safety could be absolutely guaranteed over the past three hundred years.

For example, a Black Iron Tier professional might enter a dungeon suited to their level, where the monsters were originally all Black Iron Tier. But if they were unlucky enough to encounter a Bronze Tier or even Silver Tier monster that had wandered in from elsewhere, they could only bear the consequences themselves.

After all, a dungeon was merely a designated region. Factors beyond the Nine Provinces Army's responsibility included high-level monsters wandering through and all manner of unpredictable dangers.

But if one was lucky, killing certain monsters or lords could yield all kinds of precious rewards—materials, monster cubs, medicinal herbs, equipment, and more.

A hundred years ago, a warrior obtained a young dragon in a Bronze Tier dungeon and soared to greatness from then on!

Therefore, every region was filled with danger, but also opportunity. Beyond the city walls was a paradise for professionals—and, correspondingly, their burial ground!