When he reached the doorway, he suddenly stopped and glanced back.
Wu Changkong still stood where he was, his hands behind his back, his figure straight and tall, his presence as steady as a mountain.
This teacher truly was committed to nurturing them.
The corners of Hu Fangyuan's mouth lifted slightly, and he turned to leave.
Outside the training grounds, the night breeze carried a touch of chill.
The moon overhead was full, spilling silvery-white moonlight that lit up the entire academy.
Hu Fangyuan headed straight for Eastsea Academy's gates.
Along the way, he occasionally encountered students leaving evening study, walking in twos and threes and discussing the day's lessons and the Class Promotion Tournament. Quite a few cast curious looks at Hu Fangyuan when they saw him.
Hu Fangyuan paid them no mind and continued on his way.
After leaving the gates and turning down two streets, he reached the small courtyard he had rented.
Dim yellow light illuminated the room. Its furnishings were simple: a bed, a table, a chair, and a storage chest in the corner. It was clean and tidy, with nothing unnecessary.
He walked over to the bed, sat down, and willed it.
An azure light flashed in his palm, and the Moonlight Pearl Gu floated out, landing in his hand.
The little creature was about the size of a fingernail, moon-white all over, with silver light flowing through its translucent body and seven pale golden star-spots twinkling faintly along its back. It seemed to sense Hu Fangyuan's presence, slowly moving its forelegs and lifting its head slightly, looking very docile.
Hu Fangyuan smiled and gently touched its back with his fingertip. The little creature curled up in comfort, and the star-spots on its back brightened.
"All right, time to eat," Hu Fangyuan said softly, carrying the Moonlight Pearl Gu to the window in his cupped hands.
He pushed the window open to let the moonlight spill in. Then he placed the Moonlight Pearl Gu on the windowsill, facing the full moon overhead.
The little creature immediately grew excited, climbing to the highest point of the window ledge and raising its tiny body toward the moon. Wisps and strands of moonlight were drawn toward it, slowly merging into its body. The seven star-spots on its back shone brighter and brighter, and the silver light within its body grew ever stronger.
Hu Fangyuan stood beside it and watched, waiting for about a quarter of an hour.
The Moonlight Pearl Gu's body flashed. Its tiny mouth opened slightly, and it spat out a crystalline drop. Pearl-colored, the droplet hung in midair, giving off a faint, fresh fragrance and gleaming softly in the moonlight.
Already prepared, he took out a small white jade bottle and brought it over to catch the drop of Moonlight Dew. The bottle already held a little under half a bottle, all saved from what he had left after drinking his share over the past few days.
After putting away the Moonlight Dew, Hu Fangyuan took a Moon Orchid petal from his Storage Bag and placed it on the windowsill. The Moonlight Pearl Gu immediately crawled over and began nibbling at it, eating with relish.
Only when it had eaten nearly enough did Hu Fangyuan return it to the Heaven Refining Furnace to nurture it.
Once all that was done, he carried the white jade bottle to the bed and sat down. Pulling out the stopper, he tilted his head back slightly and took a small sip.
The Moonlight Dew melted the moment it entered his mouth, and a cool sweetness instantly spread down his throat. The next moment, that coolness rushed straight into his mind. Hu Fangyuan felt a buzz, and his entire spirit grew invigorated.
It was like a dust-covered room being thoroughly cleaned. Every distracting thought and all the fatigue in his mind vanished without a trace.
His soul was clear, his spiritual platform bright, and even the circulation of Soul Power within his Soul Sea became considerably smoother.
Every thread of Soul Power became exceptionally distinct, answering his control like fingers obeying an arm, far more responsive than usual.
Hu Fangyuan narrowed his eyes in comfort.
This Moonlight Dew really is good stuff. Its nourishing effect on Divine Sense is much stronger than those potions sold on the market.
A sip every day could not only restore Spiritual Power but also slowly strengthen Divine Sense.
Accumulated day after day, the effects would be quite considerable.
Only when that feeling of clarity reached its peak and his overall condition stabilized at its best did Hu Fangyuan set down the jade bottle, settle cross-legged, and begin meditating.
He sat with his legs crossed, his back straight, his hands resting naturally on his knees, and his eyes lightly closed.
Within his Soul Sea, the Heaven Refining Furnace floated quietly, the patterns on its surface glowing faintly and giving off a steady, weighty presence.
The Moonlight Pearl Gu rested within the furnace, being nurtured as it emitted a faint moon-white glow.
The Copper Bone Gu lay dormant deep within his bones, motionless, with only an occasional flicker of dark copper light between the gaps.
Hu Fangyuan gathered his thoughts and focused all his attention on his Soul Sea.
The route along which his Soul Power circulated appeared clearly in his mind.
Strands of pure Soul Power flowed out of his Soul Sea, slowly coursing along his meridians, passing through his limbs and every bone before finally returning to his Soul Sea. With every completed cycle, his Soul Power grew a little purer, and his Soul Sea became a little more substantial.
The Moonlight Dew's effects persisted, its coolness nourishing his soul and making his perception exceptionally keen. He could clearly feel the free-floating Heaven and Earth Essence in the air slowly being absorbed by his body, transformed into the purest Soul Power, and merged into his Soul Sea.
His cultivation speed was at least thirty percent faster than usual.
Hu Fangyuan knew very well that this was only the beginning.
The Moonlight Pearl Gu was merely a rank-one Gu worm, with limited effects.
Once he advanced it through refinement and refined higher-ranking Gu worms that aided cultivation, his cultivation speed could climb another step.
Besides, in addition to the Moonlight Pearl Gu, he also had the Copper Bone Gu. Every night while he meditated, the Copper Bone Gu slowly nourished his bones, improving their density and resilience bit by bit. Though each day's improvement was tiny, the accumulated effects were quite considerable.
Two Gu worms: one nourished the spirit, and the other aided Body Refinement.
Combined with the Heaven Refining Furnace's effect of tempering Soul Power, his cultivation speed far surpassed that of Soul Masters at the same level.
This was the advantage of a Gu Master.
Soul Masters relied on talent and resources to cultivate. Without sufficient talent or resources, their cultivation speed could not rise. But Gu Masters were different. They could refine all kinds of Gu worms to make up for their own shortcomings.
If their Divine Sense was weak, they could refine Dream Path and Soul Path Gu. If their bodies were weak, they could refine Strength Path and Transformation Path Gu.
If cultivation was slow, they could even bring out the Blood Skull Gu!
With enough gu materials and gu recipes, Gu Masters could improve themselves without limit.
However, within the Gu Master system, eternal life was an unattainable dream. Even if they refined enough powerful Gu worms, even if they could split the earth and move mountains, shift rivers and overturn seas, they still could not escape the fate of death.
But in the Douluo Plane, eternal life was merely a bonus that came with becoming a god!
Even if this world has long been without gods, why can't I, Hu Fangyuan, be the one to carry on the past and open the way to the future?!
Of course, it was still too early to speak of such things. He only had rank twenty-one Soul Power and two rank-one Gu worms. He had not even fully crossed the threshold of becoming a Gu Master.
There was still a long road ahead.
Hu Fangyuan gathered his thoughts, stopped letting his mind wander, and concentrated entirely on circulating his Soul Power.
Time passed, second by second, minute by minute.
Outside the window, the moon gradually sank westward, and its light grew dim.
The room fell into darkness, with only the faint moonlight filtering through the window barely revealing its outlines.
Hu Fangyuan remained seated cross-legged on the bed, motionless as an old monk deep in meditation.
Within his Soul Sea, the Heaven Refining Furnace slowly rotated, emitting a gentle azure glow. His Soul Power circulated faster and faster, and his Soul Sea grew more substantial bit by bit.
An unknown amount of time passed.
Suddenly, a faint hum came from within his Soul Sea.
Hu Fangyuan's entire body shuddered, and the speed of his Soul Power circulation instantly surged. The Soul Power within his Soul Sea churned violently like boiling water.
A breakthrough?
Joy stirred in Hu Fangyuan's heart.
The bottleneck between rank twenty-one and rank twenty-two had actually loosened silently during tonight's meditation.
Not daring to be careless, he hurriedly gathered his thoughts and drove his Soul Power with all his strength, battering that bottleneck.
The Heaven Refining Furnace blazed with light, and a stream of pure Soul Power shot from its mouth, slamming fiercely into the bottleneck.
Boom!
A muffled sound rang out that only he could hear.
The bottleneck had broken!
His Soul Sea instantly expanded, and the concentration of his Soul Power rose considerably. A powerful force surged out of his Soul Sea, flowing through his meridians and throughout his body.
Hu Fangyuan slowly opened his eyes, and two sharp gleams flashed in their depths.
Rank twenty-two. He had done it.
He clenched his fists, feeling the Soul Power within him, more abundant than before, and a satisfied smile curved his lips.
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