Gu Taming Heart Sutra

Behind the stone platform.

The old man spoke in a hoarse voice, like dry tree bark scraping together.

"Customer, what do you want?"

"I have top-grade Young Gu here. Raise them well, and they will be no small help."

Luo Chen's eyes lit up beneath the White Tiger Mask.

There really were some!

He remained silent without giving anything away for a moment, then spoke softly, lowering his voice slightly to make it sound weathered and steady.

"What kinds of Gu worms do you have?"

The old man stretched out a withered hand, like dead wood, and opened a Black Jar.

Luo Chen focused his gaze, and his expression froze.

The Black Jar was filled with blood, with several blood-red Gu worms resembling fat grubs floating within it.

A martial artist's blood!

"Hehe! This old man's qi and blood have declined, so I can only borrow others' blood to feed them!"

The old man chuckled, his voice still grating.

He pointed to the Black Jars one by one and introduced them.

"Qi Blood Gu, Echo Gu, Flavor Seeking Gu, Sky Eye Gu... these First Stage Mortal Gu worms are the ones Gu Masters use most often."

Luo Chen's gaze settled on the Black Jar holding the Flavor Seeking Gu, and his eyes lit up, but he quickly looked away.

The path of a Gu Master was divided from First Stage to Ninth Stage, and Gu worms were the same.

If a First Stage Flavor Seeking Gu grew and advanced to the Second Stage, it had a chance of becoming a Shadowless Scent Seeking Gu.

That was also the target Gu worm he had come here to try his luck for.

Luo Chen got straight to the point. The other party was clearly a Gu Master and knew the value of his own Gu worms, so there was no chance to pick up a bargain.

"How much does this Flavor Seeking Gu cost?"

"If the customer wants one, fifty taels of silver each will do."

The old man chuckled.

"What the hell?" Luo Chen pointed at the First Stage Mortal Gu in disbelief before continuing.

"Twenty-five taels of silver!"

"Heh, customer, that's not how you haggle. Forty-five taels at the lowest."

"Oh, right. Buying just one Gu worm for cultivation will most likely not be enough. After all, some Gu worms have limited potential and will find it difficult to advance."

Damn it?

Luo Chen rubbed the money pouch in his robes and haggled with the old man.

In the end, he bought five Flavor Seeking Gu at thirty taels each!

Holding the Black Jars against his chest, Luo Chen wore a pained expression beneath his mask.

One hundred and fifty taels was more than half his fortune.

But it had to be done. There was a chance of failure when cultivating a Gu worm into one's own Subordinate Gu or Natal Gu.

The old man was right as well. Gu worms varied in potential, so he had to cultivate several and select the one with the greatest potential.

"Stall owner, do you sell beginner cultivation techniques for Gu Masters?"

Luo Chen's tone carried a hint of probing. If the man had no cultivation technique to sell, Luo Chen would have to go through some trouble.

The old man blanked for a moment. You bought Gu worms without even preparing a cultivation technique?

But there was no reason to turn away business delivered to his door.

With a soft chuckle, he took a secret manual from his robes and handed it to Luo Chen.

"The Gu Taming Heart Sutra is yours for a cheap one hundred taels of silver!"

Luo Chen was delighted and immediately began haggling again.

A quarter of an hour later.

Luo Chen held the Black Jars in both hands, with the Gu Taming Heart Sutra tucked into his robes, and avoided the crowd as he headed toward the Black Market's exit.

Behind the crowd, three figures looked at one another. After exchanging glances, they silently followed him out of the crowd.

Luo Chen seemed completely unaware. Passing through the alleyways, his footsteps gradually quickened.

Within the shadows behind him.

Three black-clad men emerged from the darkness, greed in their eyes.

"He's some brat fresh out of the nest."

"Hehe, I had my eye on him the moment he entered the alley!"

"Let's do it, brothers!"

The three exchanged glances and chased after Luo Chen together.

Luo Chen cradled the Black Jars with one arm, killing intent flashing in his eyes.

"Damn it, my disguise is no different from everyone else's. Why did they single me out?"

After running for a while, he spotted a small alley and darted inside.

The three men followed closely behind. They exchanged glances, drew their weapons, and went in after him.

Suddenly, Luo Chen stopped and turned to look behind him.

A broad white grin flashed.

"Gentlemen, can you tell me how you spotted me when my disguise was so good?"

Behind the White Tiger Mask, Luo Chen's eyes held a questioning look. He deliberately lowered his voice until it became deep and hoarse.

The three halted. The leader pointed Luo Chen up and down, laughing mockingly.

"Haha, this boss really does have a sharp eye. He really is a brat fresh out of the nest."

"Fuck!" Luo Chen cursed inwardly as he looked at the three men. He had no desire to listen to any more mockery.

He drew his long saber, and a cold gleam burst forth in the alley.

The three men only saw an incomparably sharp saber flash through their pupils.

They could never make another sound.

The black-robed leader raised a hand and pointed at Luo Chen's figure as he wiped his saber, confusion in his eyes as his head separated from his body.

Luo Chen walked up to the three corpses and gave a soft laugh.

"Maybe my disguise wasn't that good, but you lot weren't much better either!"

[Killed a First Realm (Bone Forging) martial artist. Plundered 30 years of lifespan.]

[Killed a First Realm (Bone Forging) martial artist. Plundered 47 years of lifespan.]

[Killed a First Realm (Bone Forging) martial artist. Plundered 25 years of lifespan.]

[Lifespan: 16/193.]

"How did you know I've been a little short on lifespan lately?"

Luo Chen muttered as he vanished around the corner of the alley.

The journey was completely unobstructed.

Luo Chen vaulted over the wall of his home and returned to his bedroom.

He gently placed the Black Jars from his arms on the table and opened them curiously for a look.

The Flavor Seeking Gu were like tiny black butterflies, white speckles dotting their pitch-black wings as they hung quietly along the inner walls of the Black Jars.

He nodded in satisfaction and closed the lids.

He casually flipped through the Gu Taming Heart Sutra, only setting it aside after it had been entered into the panel.

"This Gu Taming Heart Sutra is actually a mid-grade Gu Master cultivation technique. It records many common First and Second Stage Gu worms, as well as the cultivation method for a rare Gu worm."

"Eighty taels well spent."

"Could that old man be about to die, so he's selling off his inheritance at a discount to find a successor?"

He shook away the tangled thoughts in his heart.

With a thought, his lifespan began to be consumed year by year.

[Consuming lifespan to deduce the Gu Taming Heart Sutra.]

[First year: You fed First Stage Mortal Gu with blood and attempted refinement. The refinement succeeded, and the Gu Taming Heart Sutra reached the Beginner level.]

[Third year: You cultivated more First Stage Mortal Gu, ultimately keeping the one with the greatest potential and refining it into your Natal Gu. The Gu Taming Heart Sutra reached Minor Accomplishment.]

[Eighth year: You refined more Subordinate Gu and cultivated a Second Stage Mortal Gu. The Gu Taming Heart Sutra reached Major Accomplishment.]

[Thirteenth year: You refined your second Natal Gu. The Gu Taming Heart Sutra reached Perfection.]

[Lifespan: 16/180.]

This deduction went exceptionally smoothly.

It had only consumed thirteen years of lifespan to reach Perfection.

Countless experiences in cultivating Gu worms and refining Natal Gu emerged within Luo Chen's mind.

A quarter of an hour later.

Luo Chen slowly exhaled, a sharp light gleaming in his eyes.

"The path of a Gu Master truly has countless methods."

His gaze fell on the Black Jars in the distance, and Luo Chen's voice gradually turned cold.

"When the Second Stage Shadowless Scent Seeking Gu is refined, it will be the day you Skin Tempering Demon die!"