Refining Essence, Untouched by Ten Thousand Insects

Hall Master Du, who had had her back turned, abruptly stopped.

Everyone in the cultivation hall followed the sound with their eyes, their gazes settling on the person who had stepped forward.

That person was Fang Shu.

Holding a tael of spirit stones in his hands, he spoke again in a grave voice:

"Disciple Fang Shu has been in the hall for half a year. I beg Master Du for mercy and permission to undergo the tribulation and break through ahead of schedule."

Everyone heard him clearly and was immediately astonished.

"This Fang has only been in the hall for half a year, and he is already impatient to undergo tribulation? Is he courting death?"

Others wore strange expressions. Their gazes first fell on Fang Shu, then on Xiang Xingwu, and they muttered:

"Well, well. Blinded by lust, he is so eager to seize the treasure and carry off the beauty that he is not even afraid of dying in the Venom Pit."

The disciples in the hall all looked poorly upon Fang Shu's volunteering. There were no few among them who sneered at him or disdained him.

Still, some knew Fang Shu and knew that he was among the most diligent in the hall, comparable even to Shi Hou. They spoke up one after another to advise and comfort him.

For instance, Senior Sister Yu'er frowned slightly and stepped forward. "Fang Shu, you have not been in the hall long. The rule that one must wait a year before entering the pit was not set because this hall covets your tuition."

Her eyes held deeper meaning as she looked at Fang Shu. "Do not be like that Shi Hou—rushing for quick gains, grasping at the small and losing the great, ruining your own future."

Xiang Xingwu, who had drawn the attention of many nearby, faintly sensed Solitary Gu Hall's displeasure toward her upon hearing Senior Sister Yu'er's words.

She too stepped half a pace forward, forcing a smile as she persuaded him, "Fellow Daoist Fang, our tower and your hall have always been on good terms. Things like the Treasure Jade will be available again next year. There truly is no need for you to be in such a hurry."

Yet Fang Shu did not even glance at her.

His gaze remained fixed solely on Hall Master Du as he continued to hold up the tael of spirit stones with both hands.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Hall Master Du slowly turned around. Her cloudy eyes fell upon Fang Shu as she scrutinized him.

To the surprise of many, Hall Master Du did not rebuke him outright. Instead, she asked, "Fang Shu, not a single disciple of this hall is entering the Dao today. Undergoing tribulation is no small danger for disciples of mortal birth like yourselves. Do you truly wish to undergo tribulation ahead of time?"

Fang Shu said gravely, "This disciple truly does."

Hall Master Du's expression did not change. Without taking the spirit stones, she pointed at the Venom Pit, signaling Fang Shu to enter it himself.

Senior Sister Yu'er, standing nearby, stepped forward as if to say something.

But Hall Master Du raised a hand to stop her and said blandly, "Each has his own aspirations. Why force him?"

Seeing this, some began to reconsider, wondering whether Fang Shu was hiding depths no one had seen. Others shook their heads repeatedly, looking upon Fang Shu even less favorably.

Xiang Xingwu was stunned for a moment. She quietly retreated farther into the crowd and tucked the Pure-Moon Treasure Jade into her sleeve.

She was now rather embarrassed, and the way she looked at Fang Shu carried a trace of displeasure.

Why is this man so unaware of his own limits? He has only been in the hall for half a year, yet he wants to undergo tribulation early. If he dies or is crippled too, will he not blame Seven Fragrance Tower's prize offering?

Yet she was helpless. Hall Master Du had already granted permission, and as an outsider, she could only watch.

Fang Shu paid no heed to the crowd's attitude. He merely cupped his hands toward Hall Master Du and said, "Thank you, Master."

He then turned around, swiftly removed his cultivation robe, placed the tael of spirit stones atop it, and made the muscles all over his body ripple. His blood and qi surged as he slowly walked toward the Venom Pit.

The instant Fang Shu entered the Venom Pit, the blood and qi around him rose even more fiercely. At last, quite a few people noticed something.

Senior Sister Yu'er's furrowed brow eased by more than half.

"This boy's blood and qi do not seem weak," many murmured.

Only Hall Master Du remained calmly focused on the Venom Pit. Her expression was blank, and she did not sit down, merely standing there to observe.

Fang Shu was utterly composed, ignoring everyone else.

He assumed a stance within the Venom Pit. As he clenched his teeth and swallowed, the nine Insect-Face Secret Scripts over his body surfaced one by one, writhing viciously across his chest, abdomen, limbs, and other places as though they were grinning savagely at their surroundings.

The expressions of the hall's disciples changed at the sight of those Insect-Face Secret Scripts.

Especially those nearest the pit. They immediately felt a wave of heat seeping out from the Venom Pit and washing over them.

"Good heavens, half a year! This boy learned the Insect Method and nourished his blood and qi in just half a year!?"

"He must have taken some precious medicine!"

One astonished gaze after another fell on Fang Shu. The earlier contempt and mockery had vanished.

When Xiang Xingwu saw the signs of Fang Shu's blood and qi, her eyes also widened in surprise. She clutched the Pure-Moon Treasure Jade within her sleeve and stared fixedly at Fang Shu.

Hisss, hisss, hisss!

Very soon, the gu insects secretly raised within the Venom Pit pounced viciously upon Fang Shu as usual, injecting their venom into his skin.

Fang Shu did not fear their bites in the slightest. He continued to stand silently in his stance, merely circulating the blood and qi within his body.

In his perception, threads of numbness seeped from his feet and hands toward the rest of his body. Stimulated by the gu venom, the blood within him surged madly like a rushing torrent, sweeping through every inch of his body.

Amid the scorching heat, purplish-gray sweat also seeped from the surface of his skin.

Many failed to notice this. Even those who did could not make sense of it.

But Senior Sister Yu'er, who had been staring intently at Fang Shu, suddenly seemed to realize something.

Her gaze turned strange as she carefully examined Fang Shu from head to toe, as though she were meeting him for the first time.

Before long, a hundred breaths had passed.

Just like Shi Hou earlier, Fang Shu had been stimulated by the poisonous insects in the Venom Pit. His blood and qi flourished luxuriantly, already condensing into a hazy mist.

If he endured a little longer, he could easily cross the threshold of tribulation and become a first-tribulation Essence-Refining immortal cultivator.

This sight shocked even more people, changing their expressions.

Xiang Xingwu, who had retreated into the crowd, involuntarily stepped forward again. Expectation filled her face, and her eyes held only Fang Shu.

A blush rose on her cheeks once more, and the Pure-Moon Treasure Jade appeared at her wrist.

As for Shi Hou, who had just caused her so much worry, she had deliberately ignored and temporarily forgotten him.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

As Fang Shu's blood and qi became increasingly vigorous, he seemed ready at any moment to take that final step across the threshold. Everyone's hearts rose into their throats.

Then Fang Shu abruptly opened his eyes.

He steadied his blood and qi as well and looked down into the Venom Pit.

This action made many cry out.

"Fang, break through already! Stop fucking dawdling!"

With Shi Hou's example still fresh in their minds, everyone understood that Fang Shu's actions most likely meant he too wanted to refine even more extraordinary precious blood.

Others shouted to Senior Sister Yu'er, "Senior Sister, save this foolish boy! Entering the Dao is what matters!"

But contrary to their expectations, Senior Sister Yu'er, who had always cared deeply for the hall's disciples, merely pressed her lips together and stared intently at Fang Shu without interfering.

Not only Senior Sister Yu'er acted this way. Hall Master Du was the same. She said not a word, did not even ask him anything, and merely narrowed her old eyes slightly.

Before everyone's eyes,

Fang Shu reached out and likewise scooped up poisonous blood from the Venom Pit.

But instead of pouring the poisonous blood into his mouth, he formed sword fingers and slit open the Insect-Face Secret Scripts across his chest, abdomen, and back one by one.

The insect faces formed from twisted sinew and muscle had already been vicious-looking. Once cut open, they became all the more terrifying.

Holding the poisonous blood in his hands, Fang Shu immediately smeared it over all nine insect faces.

In an instant, the poisonous blood entered his body. He gritted his teeth, while the blood and qi throughout his body burned like fire and boiled without end!

Yet this was still not enough. Once Fang Shu saw that his fleshly body had adapted to the insect blood, he suddenly fell backward.

The move made many feel their vision blur, and they thought he could no longer endure it and was about to collapse.

Some even cried out in alarm.

But even when most of Fang Shu's body had sunk into the poisonous blood, Hall Master Du standing before the Venom Pit still did not act.

Only then did everyone vaguely realize that Fang Shu had not fainted. He had submerged himself in the poisonous blood of his own accord.

Hisss! The sounds of snakes and insects crawling erupted within the Venom Pit.

The dense swarms of gu insects soon crawled over Fang Shu's entire body, forming a terrifying human-shaped mass that made everyone around them shudder at the sight.

This looked even more perilous than Shi Hou's act of "drinking poisonous blood and eating poisonous insects."

Yet in truth, the various gu insects only circled over Fang Shu's skin. Their venom could only enter from the outside, making it far less dangerous than swallowing poisonous blood.

Under everyone's horrified gazes, Fang Shu once more ignored all else and slowly rose from the pit, carrying a body covered in gu insects.

Splash! As poisonous blood and snakes and insects streamed down, he settled into position and sat cross-legged.

Those undergoing tribulation in the Venom Pit used the ten thousand secretly raised insects to knock upon the gate. Naturally, only when insects covered the entire body could it be considered the most complete tribulation ritual.

In the great hall, Hall Master Du's expression still did not change much at this sight, but her gaze visibly softened, revealing a few traces of appreciation.

Thump, thump. Time passed.

While everyone was still horrified by the swarm of insects covering Fang Shu's entire body, even his mouth and nose, before long a drumbeat-like sound rang in their ears.

Before they could react, a pillar of blood-and-qi essence mist, a full zhang high, formed with a sharp crack and rose within the cultivation hall!

Rustle, rustle.

The clustered snakes and insects scattered in all directions like thunder startling hibernating creatures, tumbling crookedly from Fang Shu's body.

At that moment, Fang Shu emerged from the insect swarm, his expression tranquil. His flesh had healed, his skin fair and flawless, and he sat quietly in the Venom Pit like a white porcelain doll.

Around him, snakes and scorpions kept their distance. The gu insects seemed to be guarding him, seemed to be prostrating themselves, leaving an empty space a foot wide around him and not daring to approach in the slightest.

Under everyone's gaze, Fang Shu stepped into Essence Refining as naturally as water flowing into a channel, untouched by ten thousand insects.

He sat quietly in the poisonous blood, already transcendent and otherworldly, no longer a mortal.