As the power of moonlight circulated within the water curtain, Soul Power had already tempered it once, stripping away its impure traces and leaving only the purest moonlight essence. Absorbing it into the Gu Materials this way would naturally produce a higher-quality Gu worm.
After roughly half an incense stick's worth of time, the moon's reflection at the center of the water curtain had become incredibly solid, its silver light dazzling, as though a real little moon had sunk into the water.
The seven Moon Orchids had also drunk their fill of moonlight. Each entire plant lit up, floating on the water like seven little silver lamps.
A thought stirred in Hu Fangyuan's mind. He knew the time had come to condense the moonlight.
According to the Gu Canon, this step required the practitioner to dip his index finger in the vital essence of the ancestral aperture between his brows, then trace a circle counterclockwise across the water mirror's surface, thereby opening the Heaven Gate and drawing concentrated moonlight into the flowers' hearts.
This step was crucial. The speed, size, and force used to draw the circle all had exacting requirements. The slightest deviation would allow the moonlight to dissipate, lowering the Gu worm's quality at best and causing the refinement to fail at worst.
Hu Fangyuan did not panic in the slightest. He withdrew his left hand, leaving only his right to maintain the water curtain's stability, then raised his right index finger and pointed its tip at the space between his brows.
With a thought, he drew a wisp of pure mental power bearing the imprint of his own consciousness from his ancestral aperture and gathered it at his fingertip.
This wisp of mental power was mixed with his innate Soul Power, making it purer than ordinary vital essence and easier to control.
He lowered his wrist slightly and touched his index finger to the edge of the water curtain. Then, gently turning his wrist, he kept his fingertip against the water's surface and moved counterclockwise at a steady speed. Wherever his fingertip passed, it left a faint silver trace, like a silver line drawn upon the water.
The entire movement flowed like drifting clouds and running water, neither fast nor slow, tracing a perfect circle just outside the moon's reflection.
The instant the circle was complete, the water curtain shuddered violently.
The moonlight that had been descending in fine strands suddenly turned wild. Moonlight from high above poured down like a silver waterfall, turning into countless visible silver threads that fell straight from the night sky and pierced the dew openings in the hearts of the seven Moon Orchids with needlepoint precision.
Dazzling silver radiance instantly enveloped the entire courtyard, turning even the flagstones on the ground silver-white.
Silver light flowed within the water curtain. The seven Moon Orchids frantically absorbed the concentrated moonlight, the light on their petals growing so intense that it became impossible to keep one's eyes open.
Hu Fangyuan's gaze remained steady, his fingertip still resting on the water's surface as he firmly maintained the circle's shape. He could feel an immense power of moonlight surging through the water curtain. An ordinary water mirror would probably have been shattered by this force long ago.
But this water curtain, condensed from the Heaven Refining Furnace's Soul Power, was like the sturdiest of vessels, locking all the moonlight's power inside without letting the slightest trace escape.
This was the moonlight-condensing step: gathering concentrated moonlight to provide the most fundamental source power for the Gu worm's birth.
This state persisted for roughly three minutes, until the concentrated moonlight pouring in reached saturation.
Hu Fangyuan flicked his fingertip lightly. The circle dissolved, and the silver light over the water curtain dimmed slightly, returning to a steady flow. Yet anyone could have seen that the power now contained within the water curtain was far more than several times stronger than before.
Having drunk their fill of concentrated moonlight, the seven Moon Orchids' petals began to close slowly. From their originally spread-out forms, they curled inward little by little, wrapping together in overlapping layers like a baby slowly clenching its fist.
Every petal grew plump and lustrous, as though liquid silver light lay hidden within, shimmering with flowing colors at the slightest movement.
Next came the Essence Infusion stage. This step required continuously nurturing the Gu Materials with one's own vital energy, without interruption or impatience, until the petals closed completely and the Gu worm took shape within.
Hu Fangyuan was already prepared. Exerting force with both hands, he activated the nourishing power of the Water Refining Azure Furnace, and the Soul Power currents within the water curtain began circulating automatically. Gentle Soul Power flowed along the ripples, washing over the seven Moon Orchids' petals, roots, and stems again and again, like a warm breeze brushing the face, unceasing yet perfectly measured.
With the Heaven Refining Furnace automatically maintaining the Soul Power circulation, the pressure on Hu Fangyuan eased greatly. He needed only a small portion of his attention to control the overall rhythm, allowing him to use the rest of his Soul Power to nourish the Gu Materials. He could clearly sense the condition of every Moon Orchid. The aura of life within them strengthened little by little, growing from the faint glow of a firefly into a small flame.
Time passed slowly. The night breeze rustled through the branches in the courtyard.
An occasional insect call sounded in the distance, making the night seem all the more tranquil. Hu Fangyuan sat motionless on the stone platform, faint azure light and silver radiance lingering around him as though he had entered meditation.
At one point, a stronger gust of night wind sent fallen leaves spiraling across the courtyard toward him, about to land on the water curtain.
Hu Fangyuan did not even lift his eyelids. With only a slight pulse of Soul Power, a thin film of water immediately rose around the water curtain's edge, keeping the fallen leaves outside. The instant the leaves touched the film, a gentle force bounced them away, sending them drifting to the ground nearby.
The water curtain itself did not develop even a single large ripple, remaining as steady as before.
Roughly a quarter of an hour later, the moon gradually reached the middle of the sky. It was now precisely midnight, when the moonlight was at its strongest.
Above the water curtain, the seven Moon Orchids had closed completely, becoming seven plump, round buds, silver-bright all over and smooth as jade. The buds floated on the water, rising and falling slightly as though breathing. Each rise and fall released a faint ring of silver light.
Hu Fangyuan's heartbeat quickened a little. He knew the most crucial moment of Transformation was about to arrive.
He gathered his thoughts and focused all his attention on the water curtain, driving his Soul Power to its limit and unleashing the Water Refining Azure Furnace's full might.
The currents within the water curtain abruptly accelerated, forming a gentle vortex that encircled the seven buds at its center and supplied them with an endless stream of pure Soul Power and moonlight power.
Just as the moon reached its highest point, at the very instant its light shone brightest.
Pop.
An exceedingly faint, delicate crack came from the center of the water curtain. It was quiet, yet it rang in Hu Fangyuan's ears like thunder.
A tiny fissure split open at the top of each of the seven buds at the same time.
Seven wisps of silver mist, like silkworm threads, slowly drifted from the fissures and converged at the very center of the water curtain.
The seven wisps of silver mist twisted into a single strand in midair, spiraling and entwining, spinning faster and faster until they gradually formed a tiny silver vortex.
At the vortex's center, a speck of light slowly lit up. At first, it was only the size of a needlepoint, but as silver mist continued pouring into it, the light grew brighter and brighter, gradually reaching the size of a grain of rice before continuing to expand.
Hu Fangyuan held his breath, not daring to be the slightest bit careless.
This was the crucial moment of the Gu worm's Transformation, when all the Gu Materials' essences condensed into form. The slightest mistake would leave the whole endeavor falling short at the final hurdle. He drove the Heaven Refining Furnace with all his might, adjusting the water curtain's temperature, flow rate, and Soul Power concentration to their most perfect state, like the most meticulous craftsman carefully carving a work that was about to take shape.
The silver mist grew denser and denser, and the vortex spun faster and faster.
Another dozen or so breaths later, the vortex abruptly contracted inward. All the silver mist instantly gathered together, condensing into a tiny solid form.
A small insect rested quietly on the water's surface at the center of the water curtain.
Hu Fangyuan's heart finally settled back into place. Looking closely, he saw that the little insect was about the size of a fingernail, shaped like a miniature jade toad. Its hind limbs were indistinct, while its two forelimbs were folded before its chest as it rested in a curled posture.
Its entire body was a translucent moon-white, with what seemed like liquid silver light slowly flowing inside, brightening and dimming with its breathing. Seven pale-golden star points were evenly arranged along its back in precisely the shape of the Big Dipper. With every breath, the star points lit up in turn.
Its eyes were two deep-purple crystals without pupils, yet clear and luminous, their surfaces faintly reflecting the moon in the sky. Its little mouth was slightly open, and every few breaths, it exhaled an extremely fine wisp of cold air. As soon as that cold air touched the water, it condensed into a tiny ice crystal that glittered in the silver light.
The little insect lay on the water's surface and slowly moved its forelimbs, lifting its head slightly as though sensing its surroundings.
The rank-one Wood Path Gu worm, the Moonlight Pearl Gu, was complete!
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