Elite Gathering: Second-Tribulation Tongue Sword, Second-Tribulation Insect

Fang Shu was slightly startled when he heard the call, and immediately turned his head to look.

He saw Qin Min standing at the entrance of the council hall, nodding at him with a smile on her face.

Beside the female Daoist disciple was another unfamiliar face, also a woman. Her Qi and Blood was extraordinary, suggesting she was also Immortal cultivator.

Fang Shu stopped and politely replied to Qin Min, "Junior Sister Qin Min, what is it?"

When Qin Min saw that Fang Shu's reaction to her greeting was indifferent, unlike the other fellow disciples who were enthusiastic and cheerful, a hint of displeasure appeared in her eyes.

However, she still smiled and first introduced the woman beside her, "This is Hua Xiaqing, an inner disciple of the Jade Bamboo Hall in town."

Fang Shu nodded to Hua Xiaqing, who also nodded slightly in acknowledgment. "Greetings, Fellow Daoist Fang."

After introducing the two, Qin Min said with a reserved expression, "When you entered the hall just now, I happened to hear that you have now passed the second tribulation and become a second-tribulation human immortal."

Sister Hua also came looking for me, wanting to go with me to the elite gathering of disciples from various schools in town. Senior Brother, would you also like to come? I'll introduce you; it'll be good for you to spar, compete, and broaden your horizons.

She paused briefly, then added a touch of enticement to her tone, "I've heard there are prizes at the event; winning or losing is secondary. If we can use this opportunity to make connections with people from different schools, we can look out for each other when we join the Immortal Sect in the future."

To everyone's Fang Shu, Fang Shu's face didn't show any interest upon hearing this; instead, he frowned slightly and asked, "A friendly sparring match?"

Fang Shu was calculating in his mind when he suddenly remembered Lone Pavilion Master had just mentioned about the early selection for entering the sect.

He wondered if this so-called elite dojo gathering was also related to this matter.

But after thinking about it, he became too lazy to ponder it anymore.

This wasn't ordered by the Lone Pavilion Master; it was just a private gathering of disciples. While sparring with others could broaden their horizons, it could also expose their own skills and make them look like foils to others.

Fang Shu had absolutely no motivation to get involved in trivial matters, let alone have the time to try and gain some so-called applause and attention.

"I'm sorry, but this is a gathering of elites. I've just broken through to a higher level and my knowledge is limited. I'd better not go and make a fool of myself." He politely declined.

Upon hearing this, Qin Min's expression stiffened slightly; she hadn't expected Fang Shu to refuse her at all.

In particular, this wasn't the first time she'd been rejected at the museum. Yesterday, when she excitedly went to ask Du Yu'er to accompany her, the other woman politely declined the offer with a smile.

Qin Min looked displeased and said in a deep voice, "Senior brother, I didn't invite anyone else to this. In the entire hall, only senior brother and I are worthy of Fang Lu's attention."

We are both considered geniuses; if we support each other at this gathering, we will surely not fall behind and will not be accused by others of having no one to rely on in our Solitary Gu Hall.

Despite the woman's use of the word "family" in her words, Fang Shu remained unmoved and completely unaffected by her words.

He smiled, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, and remained silent, offering no further explanation. He merely added, "Whether this institution is staffed or not is not something they can decide."

As a result, Qin Min's expression became even more embarrassed.

Especially since there were people outside the dojo watching her. Their gazes occasionally fell on her face, making Qin Min feel a bit hot.

"Hmph!" Qin Min couldn't help but feel annoyed, and she said coldly again:

"I gave you a chance, but you didn't seize it. Don't blame me later, senior brother."

Upon Fang Shu, Fang Shu nodded to the two men and then left.

As he passed the two women, he didn't turn his head, and his voice drifted lightly into their ears:

"By the way, Junior Sister Qin Min, you can call me 'Fang Shu' from now on."

After saying this, Fang Shu left the council hall and slipped away towards the front yard.

Only Qin Min remained standing there, her already sullen expression becoming even more rigid.

Suddenly, the woman remembered that she seemed to have been "instructed" by the Fang Shu before, and she didn't expect that he still remembered it.

She grew even angrier and muttered under her breath, "What a petty and treacherous person."

Hua Xiaqing, a disciple of the Bizhu Martial Arts Hall, stood to the side with her chest puffed out. She saw this scene in the Solitary Gu Hall and a hint of amusement appeared in her eyes.

But once Fang Shu had walked away and she was sure he couldn't hear Fang Shu, the female Daoist priest quickly whispered a few words of criticism against Fang Shu:

"He is indeed a short-sighted person. My sister is a person with Spirit Root. He is not even willing to accept my sister's kind invitation."

"With such a demeanor, it seems unlikely he'll be able to join Immortal Sect in the future."

Hearing her best friend's words of comfort, Qin Min's expression improved somewhat.

After a few more words, she suddenly felt that every word Hua Xiaqing said resonated with her.

The other person neither ridiculed what had just happened nor offered any so-called comfort; they simply went along with her words, subtly criticizing Fang Shu.

Hua Xiaqing smiled, then suddenly added, "However, my sister also missed a point just now."

Qin Min was puzzled by what she heard.

Hua Xiaqing immediately added, "In my opinion, among all the disciples of the Solitary Gu Hall today, only you, sister, possess the talent of an Immortal Sect. No one can surpass you."

These words made Qin Min blush slightly. Her expression brightened, and she was filled with confidence, saying:

"Thank you for your kind words, sister. Even if I am the only one from our school attending this gathering, I will certainly put the disciples of all the other martial arts schools in town to the test today!"

"Good." Hua Xiaqing's expression showed anticipation at the opportune moment.

The two women then stepped out of the gate of the Solitary Gu Hall together and headed straight for the so-called "Elite Gathering".

On the other side.

Fang Shu had already put the little incident from his mind.

He quickly arrived at the boundary between the front and back yards, greeted the Snake Master who guarded the basement, and then, with his hair standing on end, bent down and burrowed into the basement.

As he walked, he thought to himself, "This Snake Master still sends chills down my spine. It seems that even if he isn't a Refining Qi demon, he must be on the verge of Refining Qi."

Soon, the books, stone tablets, chests, medicine boxes, and other items on the basement shelves caught his eye and drew his attention.

The chill in Fang Shu's heart vanished, replaced by a deep sense of anticipation.

His gaze swept over the treasures on the shelves and he discovered that the items in the storeroom that the Lone Pavilion Master had allowed him to enter were all of the second-level tribulation quality!

After some deliberation, he was the first to abandon those Law Techniques and secret techniques.

Now that he possesses both Gu magic and Flame Blade Art for protection, even if Law Technique isn't enough, he can always find bargains in the Monster Market later.

On the other hand, when it comes to medicines, those that catch the eye of the Lone Pavilion Master are not necessarily all top-notch, but they are certainly not likely to be a dud.

Sure enough, any medicine on the shelf that carries a risk has a clear label on the yellow sticker on the box.

Fang Shu's gaze wandered among them, pondered for a moment, then swept over the various pills and ointments for nourishing the body, finally settling on all sorts of strange and unusual medicines.

Suddenly, his gaze fixed on the six characters "Hundred-Spirit Refined Artifact Oil," which came into his view.

According to the description on the medicine bottle, this bottle of artifact oil is refined from the bodies of hundreds of spiritual beasts. It can be applied to Law Artifact to nourish them and enhance their Law Artifact quality.

When applied to weapons such as swords, spears, and halberds, it has even more remarkable uses, increasing the strength and resilience of the weapons and repairing some damage.

Fang Shu immediately took down the oil bottle, which was about the size of a baby's fist, and thought to himself, "This is perfect as sword oil. Let's see if it can help my Tongue Sword enter its second tribulation."

Having experienced the Scorched-Tail Hall incident, Fang Shu now possesses the complete manual for the Long-Tongue Sword and can forge the Three Tribulations Tongue Sword in one go.

Even though the Tongue Sword absorbed some more Treasure Blood, it still failed to advance and was still short.

Fang Shu originally planned to use his current second-stage tribulation Qi and Blood to properly nourish himself, thereby promoting the advancement of his Tongue Sword technique.

But now it seems that this bottle of oil can be used for gentle nourishment, saving time and conserving Qi and Blood.

Having made up his mind, Fang Shu took the oil, turned around and left, no longer looking at the other treasures on the shelf.

Back at the entrance to the underground parking garage, after the Snake Master flicked his tongue and sniffed at him all over, he left peacefully.

Next.

Fang Shu then found his second uncle Yu Le, in the Solitary Gu Hall and told him the good news about his breakthrough in cultivation.

Second Uncle Yu Le was immediately delighted. He secretly prepared a few free side dishes and dragged Fang Shu to eat right there in the kitchen.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Fang Shu reminded his second uncle that he had already informed the Lone Pavilion Master his breakthrough in cultivation, but unless necessary, he should not tell the others in the family to avoid incurring jealousy and resentment.

When my second uncle, that old fox, heard this, he looked at me with disdain and said, "Go away, do I need you to explain to me?"

Fang Shu smiled but remained silent.

He casually slipped the half-finished bottle of spirit wine into his sleeve, and seeing the pained expression on the other person's face, he leisurely took his leave.

Several days later.

Fang Shu applied the "Hundred-Spirit Refined Artifact Oil" to the Long-Tongue Sword and refined the sword again and again.

When there was only a little less than half a bottle of oil left, he successfully refined the Tongue Sword into a second-level tribulation Law Artifact!

After the second tribulation, the Long-Tongue Sword's blade is at least twice as tough as before; even though it's made of flesh and blood, it can cut through iron like mud.

Fang Shu further enhanced the sword with the Flame Blade Art, making it glow red and radiating even more intense heat, like a fire poker just taken from an iron furnace. The Mystic Script the Blade Technique on the sword also circulated more smoothly.

Overjoyed, Fang Shu became somewhat carried away. Holding his sword, he thrust it into the wall of the quiet room again.

Pfft!

This time, not only were the bricks and stones of the quiet room pierced, but the inner iron and steel pillars were also pierced by half a foot, emitting a trembling sound.

He sheathed his sword, turned around, and transformed it into a long whip, which he then swirled around.

After some calculation, the length of the Tongue Sword has more than doubled compared to before. Now it can easily kill thieves and pluck their hearts within a range of 27 feet.

Its longest leap is over 37 feet, but it is somewhat stiff and lacks agility.

Clang!

Fang Shu flicked his Long-Tongue Sword, shrinking it to three feet in size, and flicked it with his hand, producing a trembling sound.

He couldn't help but exclaim, "What a fine Law Artifact!"

With this Law Artifact by his side, his Law Power would undoubtedly be even more formidable.

Combined with his solid Qi and Blood, and his ghostly Gu techniques, he might even be able to put up a fight against ordinary Three Tribulation Immortal cultivator.

Immediately, Fang Shu was moved and wanted to continue practicing the Two Tribulations Tongue Sword in the quiet room to explore its upper limit of power.

But suddenly, he noticed the hole he had casually poked in the wall earlier, and immediately realized that he had almost started to demolish the house again in the quiet room.

He looked embarrassed, quickly stepped forward to examine the situation, and thankfully said, "It's alright, a little dusting will do."

Fang Shu pondered, his eyes slightly narrowed, and suddenly thought of a good place to test his swordsmanship and skills.

That is the Lead Mountain Mine outside the town!

Perfect timing! Now that he has broken through to the second tribulation and mastered the Flame Blade Art and the Second Tribulation Tongue Sword, it's time for him to head to the mines outside the town to search for the Purple Lead Mica Milk, which will be helpful for his future cultivation.

Even if you can't find it, or the harvest is too small.

On his return, he could also, as the Lone Pavilion Master suggested, take the opportunity to rip off the mine owner surnamed Cao.

Upon realizing this, Fang Shu's mind became even more agitated.

However, he did not rush out, but stayed in the quiet room, slowly applying all the remaining weapon oil to the Long-Tongue Sword.

When the oil in the vessel was completely used up, he held the Tongue Sword and was able to pluck leaves and flowers within a three-zhang radius and leave sword marks within a four-zhang radius.

At this moment, Fang Shu finally wiped his mouth, sheathed his sword, and leaped out of the quiet room to prepare for going out.

Because he might need to seclude himself in the mine or encounter a landslide, he prepared a full hundred Grain-Repelling Pill.

In addition, he had prepared all sorts of other talismans, including those for Clean-Clothes Talisman, Clean-Water Talisman, Water-Drawing Talisman, and Direction-Finding Talisman.

Even so, after careful consideration, he still did not leave immediately, but instead locked himself in his room again for another period of seclusion.

This time, Fang Shu was not practicing martial arts or crafting weapons in seclusion, but rather refining Gu poison.

After a series of repeated attempts, he struck while the iron was hot and successfully refined a "Second Tribulation Breath-Holding Insect" in one go. Only then did he feel relieved and, after a period of deep stillness, was ready to go out.

In fact, if it weren't for the fact that his wealth was almost depleted, he would probably still refine "Sleepy Insect" and "Tagalong Insect" into second-tribulation Gu worms before considering going out again.

This made Fang Shu sigh in his heart:

"Although the arts of Immortal cultivator are excellent, they are also very expensive. I wonder how expensive the refining of that natal Gu worm will be..."

But this also made him even more eager for the treasure hunt.

After calming himself down, he even checked the almanac and picked out a day that was "auspicious for travel, but inauspicious for opening graves."

And so on this day...

Fang Shu changed his appearance, left only a note in the room for future reference, and then quietly left Guling Town.

Although he left the town discreetly, he found a large group of companions.

Fang Shu successfully blended in with a group of miners who were going out to mine, thanks to the effect of the Breath-Holding Insect, so that the leading Immortal cultivator did not notice anything amiss.

Upon arriving at the Lead Mountain Mine, they encountered dog demons, pig demons, and other creatures with keen senses of smell, but none of them noticed anything amiss.

This immediately made Fang Shu realize that the "Breath-Holding Insect" truly lived up to its reputation as a top-tier Gu technique, comparable to the Sleepy Insect and the Tagalong Insect. Its effects were excellent, allowing him to conceal his aura, blend in with others, and remain unnoticed.

Next.

Fang Shu like any other miner, honestly making a living by mining in the Lead Mountain Mine.

The only thing that set him apart from the other miners was his excessive restlessness; he changed mines several times in a row, and dreamed every day about "getting rich."

This drew sneers from many veteran miners.

Finally, one day...

To outsiders, his whereabouts were completely unknown, and his fate was uncertain.

In reality, he skipped work and followed the mine map left by Cheng the Jar to a mine that had been abandoned for ten years.