Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 49 It’s as sweet as sugar
A dreamless night.

Three hours later, Fang Shu slowly woke up from his sleep.

When he woke up, he felt his mind was sharp and his body was active. The fatigue he had felt from staying up all night to refine the Gu had completely disappeared.

With a light leap, he jumped out of the scorpion pit, and at the same time, three small flying insects flew out of his nostrils and ears, hovering around him, swaying back and forth.

Fang Shu circled the scorpion pit, which was the size of a water vat, and performed a set of insect-based martial arts techniques. He felt his body was light and agile, his blood and qi were flowing smoothly, and he was in the best possible condition.

"Excellent! As expected of a treasure worm, it has such an effect even though it is only a sleep worm that has just completed one tribulation."

His eyes shone brightly, and he murmured to himself with delight.

Last night, Fang Shu used the newly refined Sleep Bug to help himself fall asleep, and he entered a deep sleep without delay.

In this state of sleep, his muscles, internal organs, and even his soul undergo tremendous rest and recuperation, resulting in a sleep quality far exceeding that of ordinary immortals.

After waking up, he will not feel sleepy for a whole day.

In other words, with the Sleepy Bug, Fang Shu only needs to rest for three hours a day to not only meet his daily sleep needs, but also recover his physical body faster than ordinary immortals.

In this way, compared to before, he had at least an extra hour to use for practicing his skills and refining Gu.

Fang Shu was overjoyed. He immediately understood the meaning of what the master of the Du family had said: his innate talent was limited, but his Gu techniques were limitless.

"Although my innate talent is difficult to improve, with the help of Gu worms, I can improve it in terms of cultivation time and efficiency."

He thought to himself, "If one day I refine an even more powerful Gu worm, my cultivation speed might not be much slower than that of a spiritual root cultivator!"

With thoughts swirling in his mind, Fang Shu's gaze once again fell upon the Gu book on the table.

What he refined was only a first-stage sleep bug. If he refined a second-stage sleep bug, it would save him half an hour of sleep time and improve his sleep quality.

However, for those who are sleepy after three tribulations, it only takes two hours each day!

In addition to being used by oneself, the sleep bug can also be used on others to induce sleep, or given to others for use and sold to the public.

However, if someone other than a Gu-refining immortal uses this insect, the effect of the Gu insect will be somewhat diminished, and the sleeping insect must be used intermittently, otherwise it is easy to become dependent on it, making it impossible to fall asleep without using the sleeping insect.

But these are minor issues. The creations of immortals are not limited to Gu worms. Pills, talismans, and all sorts of things can only be used to their fullest potential when they are in the hands of like-minded people.

Having tasted success, Fang Shu's interest in refining Gu poison instantly grew even stronger.

This thing can both promote spiritual practice and provide for one's family; it is truly a precious insect!

Immediately, taking advantage of his exceptionally sharp mind after waking up, he threw himself back into the great work of refining Gu poison.

However, what he tried next was no longer the follower worm or the breath-holding worm, which were also first-stage Gu worms, but the seven low-class "firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea" Gu worms.

These low-grade Gu worms can also improve his Gu-making skills, and they are easier to figure out and study than the high-grade Gu formulas.

Moreover, in the past month or so, the insect techniques in the Marrow Refining Chapter have been completely analyzed. A few days ago, Fang Shu estimated the progress of his Gu refining and put the inferior Gu formulas at the front of the analysis order.

He has now successfully refined the Sleepy Worm, a kind of Gu worm called "Rice Worm," and the formula will be completed in just two or three days.

This Gu worm uses the insects that are most likely to grow in grains such as rice, millet, and corn as its Gu material. This insect is called the rice worm, also known as the rice weevil or rice cow.

During the refining process, aged rice that is over ten years old is required as the base, and the essence and blood of the Gu-refining immortal are mixed with water and mashed into rice paste. Suitable rice weevils are then selected and refined.

Once processed, rice weevils can remove moisture, rotten smell, and insect odor from grains, turning old rice into new rice, which is beneficial and harmless.

It can also be eaten, and it is similar to a fasting pill. The older the rice weevil is, the more essence of the five grains it contains. Over time, this thing can even be upgraded to a top-tier treasure insect.

According to the Gu book, rice weevils that are over thirty years old are also a precious Gu refining material called "wine weevils".

It can be said that the Gu book bestowed upon Fang Shu by the Pavilion Master not only possesses wondrous uses for the three types of high-level Gu worms, but also for those that are not high-level. And so, in the time that followed...

Fang Shu was even more immersed in cultivation and Gu refining than before.

During his arduous practice, he also developed a more effective method for using the sleep-inducing bug.

Within a day, he can use drowsiness to divide his sleep time into three segments, each lasting one hour, and distribute them to different time periods throughout the day.

Especially when refining Gu, at certain critical junctures where he had to wait but not for long, he could rest for an hour and continue after waking up.

This kind of time management undoubtedly allows him to do more and be more flexible each day.

From then on, Fang Shu focused wholeheartedly on practicing his skills and refining his Gu poison.

He even had his meals delivered to his door by his second uncle, who was already enrolled in the academy. For materials used in Gu refining, he only needed to write them down by hand, and his second uncle would fetch them for him.

During this time, he also gave one of the Sleepy Bugs he had refined to his second uncle, so that his second uncle could enjoy some good fortune.

Fang Shu did not feel any distress during this arduous period of seclusion.

With the Daoist talisman by his side, he could clearly feel his progress every day, and he felt a great sense of accomplishment every time he mastered a new Gu formula.

Such an experience filled him with joy, so there was no time for him to feel distressed.

Meanwhile, the master of the pavilion seemed to know that Fang Shu was in seclusion studying Gu magic, so he sent a message through his second uncle, Yu Le, saying that Fang Shu could even skip the occasional lectures and focus on comprehending the magic.

Time passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, half a year has passed.

Until this day.

The owner of the inn once again relayed a message through his second uncle, Yu Le, instructing Fang Shu to leave the pass and undergo inspection.

Fang Shu then emerged from his state of asceticism.

When we were leaving the customs, my second uncle, Yu Le, was still waiting at the door with some worry.

Although immortals need to go into seclusion from time to time, it is rare for someone to go into seclusion for half a year in one go during the essence refining stage.

Therefore, to outsiders, Fang Shu's seclusion was either a sign of madness or self-deception.

Fortunately, the moment Fang Shu emerged from the pass, he was full of energy and radiant, and even his complexion did not appear pale due to being trapped in the house.

Her skin was like solidified cream, a kind of jade-like whiteness.

Fang Shu cupped his hands in greeting: "Second Uncle."

Second Uncle Yu Le, dressed in the robes of a servant in the inn, looked radiant and full of energy, much like before.

Seeing that Fang Shu was unharmed, the other party breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "You kid... hurry up and go, the master is calling you."

After bidding farewell to his second uncle, Yu Le, Fang Shudang headed towards the inner courtyard of the Dugu Pavilion.

In the inner courtyard square, besides the disciples Fang Shu had seen before, several more senior disciples appeared.

Fang Shu seemed to be the last one to arrive.

But at this moment, everyone's attention was not on Fang Shu, who had just arrived, but on another person.

(End of this chapter)