All-class Gu Immortal

Chapter 221 Homecoming
"No wonder aptitude almost determines everything in the early stages of a Gu Master's cultivation; the change is too obvious!"

Zhou Qing felt the changes in his true essence; the true essence in both of his primordial apertures increased from 55% to 77%.

A genuine Class II qualification.

At the same time, he discovered that the speed at which the true essence circulated in his primordial aperture had greatly increased.

"It seems that my ability to refine these Gu worms was mainly due to the profession brought by the jade tablet."

Zhou Qing suddenly realized.

One must possess the aptitude of a Gu Master to open the Yuan Aperture. Only with the Yuan Aperture can one store true essence to refine Gu worms and allow the Gu worms to reside within the Yuan Aperture.

Zhou Qing, by using his Gu Master profession and the wine worm, forcibly opened his Yuan Aperture, which seems to be different from the original Yuan Aperture.

As he awakened his second-class Gu Master aptitude, the difference finally became apparent.

At this moment, Zhou Qing's Yuanqiao (a point on his body) showed unusual activity, and his true essence became increasingly condensed.

A line of text appeared in his field of vision.

[You have awakened a second-tier Gu Master aptitude, advancing your Silkworm Gu Master profession!]

【Occupation: Silkworm Gu Master (Tier 2)】

[Rank: Mid-Tier 2]

[Skill: Silkworm breeding and Gu poison preparation]

[Progress: Pinnacle (322/800)]

[Effects: Refining Gu worms, absolute control, combined refining techniques]

[Silkworm Gu Master (Profession Bonus): You have awakened a second-tier Gu Master aptitude and possess unparalleled silkworm-raising skills. You have incredibly skillful hands, with dexterity reaching the limits of any craftsman. Your success rate increases by 30% in any matter involving the raising and refining of silkworm Gu worms. Due to the greatly increased dexterity of your hands, your skills in related areas will also be enhanced.]

[Combined Refinement Technique (Tier 2): When a Gu worm reaches its growth limit, it can no longer evolve. Even if it mutates, it is extremely difficult to transcend the limitations of its race. It must be combined with other Gu worms to gain new life. You will gain an additional 20% success rate when combining Gu worms.]

"This is..." Zhou Qing's eyes widened. With the awakening of his second-class Gu Master aptitude, his Gu Master profession also received a huge boost.

The success rate of combining silkworm-type Gu worms has increased to more than 30%!

Not only that, his cultivation level also improved from the early stage of the second tier to the middle stage of the second tier.

The effects of the combined refining technique have been further enhanced, and the success rate of combining Gu worms has increased to 20%.

In other words, his success rate in refining ordinary Gu worms is at least 20%, while his success rate in refining silkworm Gu worms is at least as high as 50%.

"Next, we need to focus on cultivating the Ice Silkworm Gu and the Heavenly Silkworm."

Zhou Qing thought to himself.

After such a long period of adaptation, the Tiger Demon Tai Sui finally recovered more than two months ago and completely absorbed the toxicity of the Heavenly Poison Insect.

Now that I've awakened my second-tier aptitude and undergone job evolution, I certainly can't waste this effect.

At this moment, Zhou Qing took out a palm-sized, fiery red crystal from his Yuanqiao.

The fiery red crystal emitted a red light that flickered, as if sensing the change in the environment, and the red light became increasingly dazzling.

[Refining: Heavenly Fire Centipede (Transformation Stage)]

[Rank: Tier 2, High Grade (Can be evolved and combined)]

[Progress: Exceeded Limit (5/800)]

After a period of cultivation, the Heavenly Fire Centipede has finally entered the limit-breaking stage and advanced to a second-tier superior grade.

However, seemingly due to the power of the degenerated divine seed, the Heavenly Fire Centipede has once again transformed into a crystal-like egg, undergoing metamorphosis.

Zhou Qing could only continuously provide true essence, and when resting, he would also nourish it with spirit stones. It was estimated that it wouldn't be long before the Heavenly Fire Centipede would complete its next transformation.

[Refinement: Ice Fiend Gu]

[Rank: Mid-grade Tier 2 (Can be evolved and combined)]

[Progress: Complete (744/800)]

As for the Ice Fiend Gu, its growth rate is faster than Zhou Qing expected.

Fortunately, the Ice Fiend Gu doesn't seem to be undergoing any transformation, otherwise Zhou Qing would have lost a single usable high-level Gu.

"Pfft!"

At this moment, a pink butterfly the size of a washbasin flew out of Zhou Qing's primordial acupoint; it was none other than Er Qing.

"I know, how could I go back on my promise?" Zhou Qing said with a smile. Recently, he had been busy awakening the aptitude of the Spirit-Subduing Gu, so after the Tiger Demon Tai Sui awakened, he hadn't had time to use the Tai Sui's flesh to cultivate Gu worms.

He has now awakened the second-class Gu Master aptitude, so it is not very realistic for him to awaken the first-class aptitude in a short period of time.

In the history of the Ice Spirit Clan, Gu Masters who successfully awakened first-class aptitude using the Spirit-Subduing Gu were originally second-class aptitude.

He's probably the first person to awaken a second-class aptitude without any Gu Master qualifications.

Other clansmen without Gu Master qualifications can basically only awaken third- or fourth-grade qualifications; there is no possibility of achieving instant success.

Of course, he is probably the first person to be able to carry the spirit-summoning gu with him and use it repeatedly.

Zhou Qing put away the Spirit-Subduing Gu, whose color had faded.

The time required to cultivate the Spirit-Subduing Gu for the second time, as well as the consumption of Ice Soul Mystic Spider essence blood, increased significantly.

The Ice Soul Spider in the storage space has already used up one-third of its essence blood.

According to Zhou Qing's estimate, to awaken the first-class Gu Master aptitude or the martial arts spiritual body, at least one-third of his essence blood would be needed, or even more.

However, as long as one can awaken first-class aptitude and martial arts spirit body, even if one uses them all, it doesn't matter.

"Plop!" Erqing landed on Zhou Qing's shoulder.

"Okay, okay." Zhou Qing came back to his senses, took out the tiger demon Tai Sui that had turned purplish-black, cut off a small piece of meat from its body, and threw it to Er Qing.

After Erqing ate the meat slices, its originally pink body turned black at a visible speed until it turned purplish-black. It then tilted its head back and fell off Zhou Qing's shoulder.

Zhou Qing reached out and caught it, placing it on the grass beside him.

"Still can't completely resist it?" Zhou Qing looked at his hands. A black patch appeared in his palms, and then his hands turned pitch black. In just a short while, the poison had spread to his forearms.

He immediately activated the Poison Dragon Golden Body Technique and began to refine the deadly poison.

The deadly poison that had spread to his forearm was finally brought under control by the flow of qi and blood. Then, like peeling away layers of a cocoon, it was gradually transported by Zhou Qing through his qi and blood to the Poison Dragon Blood Sac in his dantian.

At the same time, a plump celestial silkworm flew out of Zhou Qing's primordial acupoint. The celestial silkworm swam rapidly in his meridians, constantly repairing the meridians that had been damaged by the deadly poison.

Finally, when Zhou Qing's hands were fully restored, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

More than two months ago, when the Tiger Demon Tai Sui recovered, he tried to cut off a tiny bit of Tai Sui flesh to adapt to the poison. He suffered a small loss at the time, and it took him most of the day to refine the poison.

His cultivation has now reached the peak of the fourth blood exchange, and he is just one step away from the fifth blood exchange. However, he still finds it difficult to adapt to the deadly poison of the Heavenly Poison Insect.

It's hard to imagine how Wanqi Zongyuan could withstand the deadly poison of the live poisonous insect.

Zhou Qing already possessed a constitution that made him immune to all poisons. After cultivating the Hundred Poisons Primordial Body, his poison resistance was further enhanced. Now, he has switched to cultivating the Poison Dragon Golden Body. While he may not be immune to all poisons, he is not far off.

The venom of this insect is so potent that even martial artists of the same level would likely die upon contact, and those at the Qi and Blood Dragon Realm would probably find it difficult to resist.

Even top-tier martial arts masters at the Qi and Blood Refining Realm would suffer a great loss.

Now, Zhou Qing truly possessed the ability to protect himself in front of a top-tier second-tier expert. "Er Qing, are you alright?" After refining the poison, Zhou Qing looked at Er Qing, who was still lying limp on the grass.

"Pfft, pfft." Erqing's voice was barely audible, but he still stubbornly insisted that he was still alive.

"Very good." Zhou Qing put Erqing away. As a Gu worm containing a potent poison, it would indeed be a bit shameful if it were poisoned to death.

"It's about time to go home."

Zhou Qing headed towards Bingyun Mountain Village.

With only a few months left until the agreed-upon two-year period, the arrival of Wu Hongyang and Wu Xia has forced the resources in the stronghold to be tilted towards them, significantly reducing the resources Zhou Qing can obtain from the stronghold.

In any case, his Gu Master aptitude had already improved, and with the Spirit-Subduing Gu in hand, he had achieved his primary goal of coming to the Ice Spirit Clan.

Now that he possesses superior physical attributes, returning to the Southern Frontier will actually make it easier for him to achieve breakthroughs in martial arts.

As for the resources needed for refining Gu, as long as one is in the upper echelons of the Southern Frontier, there will naturally be no shortage of resources.

Moreover, there are many mountains surrounding southern Xinjiang waiting for him to explore.

Rather than being cautious in the Qilian Mountains, it's better to return to the southern border and roam freely.

The third-tier Gu Masters of the four clans are still in the Qilian Mountains, which makes Zhou Qing dare not leave the mountain stronghold too far.

It would be more comfortable to return to southern Xinjiang.

Due to the agreement between martial artists and Gu masters, third-tier Gu masters dare not enter the Southern Frontier.

Otherwise, the higher-ups in the martial arts world are not to be trifled with.

There are still nineteen years until the next opening of the Fallen Immortal Valley. Zhou Qing plans to try to achieve breakthroughs in martial arts and Gu Dao during these nineteen years.

He simultaneously pursued the three arts of martial arts and broke through to the third rank of Venerable in the art of Gu cultivation.

When he enters Fallen Immortal Valley, he will have a greater advantage over other competitors and will be more likely to obtain the inheritance of the blessed land. After that, he will not lack third-level cultivation resources.

A few days after returning to the mountain stronghold, Zhou Qing went to the back mountain and found Wanqi Zongyuan to explain the situation.

"You want to leave the mountain stronghold and return to Nanli County?" Wanqi Zongyuan frowned slightly.

Although Zhou Qing had made this clear before coming to the Ice Spirit Clan, he did not expect that after two years, Zhou Qing's thoughts would still not have changed.

"Is it because of Wu Hongyang and Wu Xia? I broke my promise about this. As long as you don't leave, I can compensate you in other ways."

Wanqi Zongyuan believed that Zhou Qing harbored resentment towards Bingling because of the incident where he was intercepted while using the Spirit-Subduing Gu.

"Clan leader, you've misunderstood. It has nothing to do with this matter. The reason I'm leaving is because I'm worried about my master and senior sister. Back then..."

Zhou Qing quickly explained, informing Wan Qizongyuan about the internal strife within the Five Poisons Sect.

"In that case, I have nothing more to say," Wanqi Zongyuan sighed softly.

Zhou Qing was willing to risk returning to Southern Xinjiang, even though he had such a good cultivation environment in Bingyun Mountain Village, just to help his master.

Given Zhou Qing's deep sense of loyalty and gratitude, Wanqi Zongyuan couldn't find a reason not to let him go.

"Thank you, clan chief!" Zhou Qing bowed respectfully.

“You may leave, but I will only tell others that you went out to refine Gu. Otherwise, it will be difficult for you to take the Spirit-Subduing Gu with you. Although the Spirit-Subduing Gu is on the verge of extinction, it is still a treasure passed down for three hundred years by my Ice Spirit Clan. You must take Miaoyin with you so that the clan can keep in touch with you at any time.”

Wanqi Zongyuan pondered for a moment.

“Of course.” Zhou Qing nodded. Miaoyin was his concubine, but in reality, she was also a spy sent by Wanqi Zongyuan to his side.

"When are you planning to leave?" Wanqi Zongyuan asked.

"Let's do it this month," Zhou Qing replied.

"Alright, once you're ready, let me know and I'll send you back. That will save you some trouble. The Qilian Mountains have been quite turbulent lately, so it's good for you to go back to the Southern Frontier to avoid trouble."

Wanqi Zongyuan's words were meaningful and pointed to the earth.

"Thank you for your guidance, clan leader," Zhou Qing said gratefully.

"Go ahead," Wanqi Zongyuan waved his hand.

Ten days later, Zhou Qing took Miaoyin to the back mountain.

Miaoyin had no objection to leaving the mountain stronghold with Zhou Qing and heading to the southern border. After all, as Zhou Qing's concubine, she was expected to follow her husband's lead.

Moreover, as Zhou Qing's status in the clan has risen over the past two years, Miao Yin has also received many benefits from the clan leader.

There were originally eight girls for Zhou Qing to choose from. Two years have passed, and of the other seven, those with Gu Master aptitude are still hovering at the first level, while those without Gu Master aptitude have not made much progress in their martial arts cultivation.

Only Miaoyin, at only nineteen years old, had already entered the Blood Exchange Realm and become a Grand Martial Master who had undergone a Blood Exchange.

Moreover, Zhou Qing often guides her in her cultivation, and she is not far from undergoing her second blood transfusion.

At this point, she would naturally choose to leave with Zhou Qing.

In particular, she also carried a mission assigned to her by the clan chief.

However, Miaoyin is also very clever. In order not to make Zhou Qing feel resistant, she has been reporting Zhou Qing's daily affairs to the clan leader in advance recently.

When the two arrived at the back mountain, Wu Hongyang and Wu Xia appeared with Wan Qizongyuan.

"Greetings, Clan Chief." Zhou Qing bowed respectfully to Wan Qizongyuan, but his gaze drifted towards Wu Hongyang and Wu Xia.

“The two envoys have important business to attend to and need to travel to the Central Plains. This trip is convenient, so I will escort you to the Southern Frontier,” Wanqi Zongyuan said solemnly.

“Okay, let’s go.” Wu Hongyang nodded, completely ignoring Zhou Qing. He had been in a bad mood lately because he hadn’t been able to awaken his first-class aptitude using the Spirit-Subduing Gu. However, he and his junior sister were on a mission, and apart from the Spirit-Subduing Gu, he had no conflict of interest with Zhou Qing, so there was no need for them to clash.

"Alright." Wanqi Zongyuan released the Ice Crystal Dragonfly Gu, which grew to the size of a house, and the five of them went up one by one.

after one day.

Wanqi Zongyuan first placed Zhou Qing and Miaoyin near the nearby Jiulian Mountain, and then continued flying south with Wu Hongyang and Wu Xia.

Zhou Qing watched the three figures disappear quickly into the clouds, his expression shifting repeatedly.

"Fortunately, there was no direct conflict." Zhou Qing thought to himself with relief.

Yesterday, while passing through the territory of a powerful beast, they attracted its attention. Wanqi Zongyuan prepared to take a detour, but unexpectedly, Wu Hongyang and Wu Xia jumped down from the sky.

The two released the Heavenly Beetle Gu, which killed the powerful beast.

The third-tier Heavenly Beetle Gu originally didn't have much combat power, but that Heavenly Beetle Gu was a bit strange. It seemed different from the normal Heavenly Beetle Gu, and the combat power it unleashed was at least at the peak of the second tier.

Although not as good as Wanqi Zongyuan, it's not far off.

"Young Master Zongzheng? What's wrong?" Miaoyin couldn't help but ask in a low voice when she saw that Zhou Qing's expression was off.

"It's nothing." Upon hearing this, Zhou Qing snapped out of her daze and shook her head with a smile.

"By the way, Miaoyin, from today onwards you should change how you address me and call me Zhou Qing."

“Zhou Qing, young master.” Miaoyin nodded.

"This place is very close to where I used to live. Let's go check over there first." Zhou Qing found his way and prepared to go back to Heishan Town to find Ruyan.

"Yes, young master." Miaoyin nodded obediently.

(End of this chapter)