The Return of Funds

Gu Yue said nothing in the end. After eating, she left Hu Fangyuan's courtyard and headed toward Eastsea Academy.

Since the courtyard Hu Fangyuan had rented was not far from Eastsea Academy, he had no intention of seeing her off.

He washed the bowls and chopsticks, wiped his hands on his apron, and returned to the courtyard. Night deepened, and the moon rose into the sky, spilling silver radiance over the entire little courtyard.

It was just the right time to refine Gu.

Hu Fangyuan walked over to the stone table and took the materials out of his Storage Bag one by one: seven excellent Moon Orchids, a small bottle of Rootless Morning Dew, and a smoothly polished fragment of white jade.

He had commissioned people from a trading firm to collect these a while ago. Their quality was several notches above what he had bought at the flower shop last time.

Today, he would refine his second Moonlight Pearl Gu.

A single Moonlight Pearl Gu produced only enough Moonlight Dew for his own cultivation, leaving none to exchange for resources.

Now he had a major customer in Gu Yue, who wanted three bottles a month. Without refining a few more, he simply could not meet demand. He could also expand his customer base in the future; there were plenty of ways to make money.

With a thought from Hu Fangyuan, the Heaven Refining Furnace emerged from his palm and hovered in midair. Its archaic body gave off a gentle azure glow, and its mouth opened slightly, releasing a warm breath.

With the experience of his first refinement, he was much more practiced this time.

First, he activated Water Refining Azure Furnace. A gentle stream of Soul Power flowed from the furnace's mouth, forming a palm-sized water mirror in midair. Moonlight shone on the mirror, reflecting a clear image of the moon.

Next, he supported the seven Moon Orchids with Soul Power and placed them precisely on the water mirror, roots down and petals up. Their roots touched water without touching mud, and the seven flowers formed the shape of the Big Dipper, matching the star markings of the Moonlight Pearl Gu exactly.

The formation of seven stars surrounding the moon took shape in an instant.

It had taken a full thirty percent less time than his first attempt.

Next came Essence Guiding and Essence Gathering. Hu Fangyuan held his hands over either side of the water mirror and slowly infused it with pure Soul Power. Ripples spread across its surface, and the moonlight above seemed to be drawn down, turning into fine silver threads that descended and vanished into the hearts of the Moon Orchids.

The entire process flowed like drifting clouds and running water, without the slightest hitch.

Once the moonlight had gathered to its utmost limit and a luminous glow swirled in the flower hearts, Hu Fangyuan drew a trace of his own vital essence onto his fingertip and traced a counterclockwise circle on the water.

The radiance condensed. Success.

The silver threads surged, pouring into the flower hearts. The Moon Orchids' petals slowly closed, like babies clenching their fists.

During the Essence Infusion stage, Hu Fangyuan directly activated Water Refining Azure Furnace's nurturing power. The water circulated on its own, brushing over the flowers and leaves again and again. He did not need to watch it constantly at all; the Heaven Refining Furnace automatically maintained just the right intensity.

That was the advantage of having the Heaven Refining Furnace. Ordinary Gu Masters would not dare step away for even a moment at this stage, while he could go about his business and let the furnace handle the nurturing properly on its own.

About a quarter of an hour later, the moon reached the middle of the sky.

A soft pop came from within the water mirror.

The seven flower buds opened simultaneously, and silver mist gathered. A jade-toad-shaped Gu worm the size of a fingernail slowly floated up. Its entire body was moon-white, silver light flowing within its translucent form, with seven pale golden star points evenly spaced along its back.

The second Moonlight Pearl Gu had been successfully refined. Its quality was likewise high-grade.

A smile appeared on Hu Fangyuan's face. Sure enough, with his first attempt's experience and better materials, the second refinement had gone smoothly too, without any drop in quality.

He beckoned, and the new Moonlight Pearl Gu floated into his palm. Newly born, the little fellow was still somewhat bewildered. It crawled slowly about, rubbing its tiny claws against his fingertip.

With a thought, Hu Fangyuan sent it into the Heaven Refining Furnace. The first Moonlight Pearl Gu was still inside, so the two little fellows would not be lonely as they were nurtured in the furnace. Feeding them would be convenient too; he could simply feed them moonlight and Moon Orchid petals together.

But the feeding costs had doubled too.

Hu Fangyuan did the sums in his head. One Moonlight Pearl Gu needed one Moon Orchid a day, making thirty a month. Two meant sixty.

On top of that, the Copper Bone Gu needed half a jin of copper shavings every day, as well as Beast Bone Powder.

Over a month, the materials alone would cost tens of thousands of Federation Coins.

If that were all, Wu Changkong's hundred thousand would be enough.

But if he wanted to refine more Gu worms and buy better materials, that little money would not even begin to suffice.

That was precisely why Hu Fangyuan placed such importance on every opportunity to secure investment.

It was true of Wu Changkong, and it was true of Gu Yue too.

Standing in the courtyard, he rolled his somewhat sore shoulders. Refining Gu worms consecutively consumed considerable Spiritual Power and Soul Power.

Hu Fangyuan brought the older Moonlight Pearl Gu out of the Heaven Refining Furnace. The little fellow opened its mouth and spat out a drop of Moonlight Dew, which landed right in his mouth.

A cool sensation instantly spread through him, and his fatigue swiftly receded. His Spiritual Power returned to its peak, and most of his Soul Power recovered as well.

After swallowing the Moonlight Dew, he returned indoors, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began meditating in place of sleep.

Only after experiencing the disparity in talent would he treasure it all the more once he obtained it.

Innate Full Soul Power merely gave him an opportunity to step into the ranks of Limit Douluos.

Without the resolve to persevere, he would never accomplish anything.

Within his Soul Sea, the Heaven Refining Furnace rotated slowly, while two streams of Soul Power, water and fire, circulated endlessly through his meridians.

With every full circuit, his Soul Power grew a little purer, and his Soul Sea a little more substantial.

The Copper Bone Gu lay dormant deep within his bones, slowly releasing a gentle power that nourished the bones throughout his body, increasing their density and toughness little by little.

The two Moonlight Pearl Gu rested quietly in the Heaven Refining Furnace, occasionally releasing a wisp of coolness to nourish his soul.

The night passed without incident.

Starting the next day, Hu Fangyuan fully entered the high-speed rhythm of intensive training and Gu refining.

He attended classes during the day, did physical conditioning in the afternoon, and went to the training grounds at night for Wu Changkong's hellish training. Once home, he still had to refine Gu worms, feed them, and meditate to cultivate.

Every day was packed full, without even a moment to spare.

Yet Hu Fangyuan did not feel tired at all. Instead, he grew more and more energetic. His strength was improving visibly.

The days passed one after another, and more than two months went by in a flash.

The students of Freshman Class Five were about to face the Class Promotion Tournament they had long awaited.

Over those two months and more, Wu Changkong's intensive training could only be described as inhuman.

Four hours every night: combat sparring, extra physical conditioning, Soul Skill analysis, and tactical coordination.

The schedule was packed so tightly that they did not even have time to catch their breath.

Wu Changkong's standards were harsh to the extreme. Move a little too slowly, and they were scolded. Aim a Soul Skill a little off, and they were punished. Make a mistake in coordination, and they had to repeat the drill ten extra times on the spot.

The four of them were trained until their cries of misery filled the air, but their progress was just as real.

Hu Fangyuan made the greatest progress.

After more than two months of honing himself in actual combat, his Soul Power Level had soared all the way to an astonishing level twenty-five.

Among all the freshmen in Eastsea Academy's history, Hu Fangyuan had the highest Soul Power Level.

Not only had his Soul Power increased, but his use of Soul Skills had undergone a complete transformation.

He could now activate his water and fire Soul Skills simultaneously: water screens defended against flames, and flames wrapped around water blades, combining offense and defense with seamless transitions.

He had also made some progress with the Distraction Technique, simultaneously controlling eighty identically sized water droplets to spin around him at high speed in irregular patterns without any collisions.

He had become increasingly proficient with the Copper Bone Gu as well. Once activated, it raised his physical strength another notch; a single punch at close range could shatter even a stone slab half a foot thick.

His Spiritual Power had long since stabilized in the Spirit Connection Realm and was even continuing to grow slowly.

His control over his Soul Skills grew ever finer, their use ever more effortless.