Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 92 Bestowing Treasures and Refining the Gu Through Three Tribulations
When Fang Shu walked out of the quiet room, he couldn't find Du Yu'er in the Dugu Pavilion, so he simply walked directly into the council hall.

Sure enough, he found the owner of the mansion in the council hall. The man was sitting in a chair, looking as if he had been waiting for him.

When Fang Shu approached, a slight smile appeared on the usually indifferent face of the innkeeper. However, for some reason, Fang Shu sensed that the innkeeper looked somewhat lonely sitting there alone today.

But he quickly put those thoughts aside and stared intently at the person beside the owner of the building.

On the table were three items: a purple-gold and black patterned jar, a package resembling a silkworm cocoon, and a jade medicine bottle.

These three items all appear to be full of spiritual energy, and are not ordinary objects.

And the pavilion master praised, "Yesterday you fought a battle and went through a life-or-death experience. Today you went into seclusion to cultivate diligently and have only come out now."

No wonder your cultivation has progressed so quickly; most of the people in the academy are not as good as you.”

Fang Shu immediately cupped his hands in greeting: "Master, you flatter me."

"Alright, I won't waste any more words. I don't want to delay your cultivation."

The owner of the pavilion pointed to the three items in his hand and said, "This is a purple-gold black-patterned insect jar, made of purple-gold mixed with black gold. It is a three-tribulation magic artifact. When used to refine Gu, it can nourish the Gu worms on its own, which helps to succeed in refining Gu. I bought it in the Immortal Sect back then."

"This is a white jade blood cocoon, and each one contains a white jade blood silkworm. This blood silkworm can be used to perform the Gu-cultivation technique, which involves transferring your Gu worm into it, feeding on the silkworm, repairing and nourishing the Gu worm, and even giving it a second spring. It is a good Gu worm for healing after three tribulations."

"This is a secret medicine for the Three Tribulations, called the Three Insects Nourishing Essence Paste. It was made by me from the remains of three kinds of Gu insects: the Sleepy Insect, the Follower Insect, and the Breath-Holding Insect. Using this paste to refine these three Gu insects will have miraculous effects. Its medicinal effect can be called a spiritual medicine for the Quasi-Four Tribulations. And using it to refine other Gu insects is no weaker than ordinary secret medicines for the Three Tribulations."

After the owner of the guesthouse finished his introduction with a smile, he noticed that the light in Fang Shu's eyes shone even brighter.

Fang Shu thought that the other party would ask him to choose one of the three things, so he pondered it over and over.

To everyone's surprise, the owner pointed to three things and began to speak:
"Take them all."

"Huh?" Fang Shu suddenly looked up at the owner of the Duguan Pavilion, and for a moment thought he had misheard.

These three treasures, each capable of withstanding three tribulations, were all given to him!
The owner of the inn noticed his gaze, nodded with a smile, and urged again, "What are you dawdling for? You were quite efficient when you killed that Luo Dalang yesterday."

Upon hearing this, Fang Shu breathed a sigh of relief and, without further hesitation, bowed deeply and clasped his hands, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Master."

The owner of the pavilion gently supported Fang Shu, and a soft force was released from his hand, lifting Fang Shu up from a distance.

Without Fang Shu stepping forward, the three items wobbled and floated to his side.

He glanced at them briefly before tucking the three treasures into his sleeve, intending to examine them more closely once he returned to his room.

"Yesterday you were able to slay a three-tribulation immortal. These three items are both compensation from me for the unfortunate events that led you to this, and a reward from me for your cultivation."

The owner of the inn slowly began to speak: "Furthermore, regarding yesterday's events, after my investigation, I found some suspicious circumstances. Those Luo brothers were disguised, and their bloodlines are completely different; they are not true brothers, not even cousins."

Furthermore, Luo Dalang had taken a secret medicine and hastily advanced from the second tribulation to the third tribulation. He may have only completed the breakthrough the day before yesterday, making him appear very much like a suicide soldier or a bounty hunter. That's why no one knew he was at the third tribulation.

Having said that, the owner of the pavilion didn't say anything more.

But Fang Shu understood perfectly when he heard this.

No wonder in yesterday's battle of magic, Luo Dalang killed his brother first, and then, after finding an excuse, tried to kill him as well.

The other party was not trying to help, but was deliberately trying to cause trouble for the Dugu Sect. They were probably trying to force Qin Min to fight by killing Fang Shu.

For a moment, Fang Shu's expression turned strange.

He was puzzled by the fact that he had been underestimated and used as a pawn without his knowledge, only to have the other party die at his hands. He was also puzzled by Qin Min, who had been targeted so quickly.

This made Fang Shu secretly realize that being in the limelight was not necessarily a good thing.

As expected, the owner of the independent venue also added a note:
"This battle is over. Before the selection of the Immortal Sect, you should not engage in any more battles or sparring with others, whether it be a literary or martial contest."

Fang Shu thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement: "Yes, Master."

The owner of the inn was delighted to see that he hadn't asked any more questions and had obediently agreed. His respectful and intelligent manner was truly gratifying.

"Alright, go back and cultivate diligently."

The innkeeper stood up and smiled, "I hope that next spring I can send you up the mountain to cultivate ahead of time." Unlike before, when she would simply utter the words "get rid of him" and send Fang Shu away, this old woman encouraged him and stood up, making Fang Shu feel slightly flattered.

He took his leave.

On his way back, Fang Shu encountered Senior Sister Du Yu'er, who was rushing over.

After exchanging pleasantries, he learned that Du Yu'er had been staying in Qin Min's room for a long time, which was why he hadn't been able to find her earlier.

At the same time, he also learned from Du Yu'er that Qin Min had been ordered to be "confined".

Although Du Yu'er didn't reveal any more details, Fang Shu subtly sensed her slight disappointment in Qin Min.

He politely bid farewell to Senior Sister Yu'er and returned to his room on his own.

With no one around, he placed all three of his treasures on the table and carefully examined them. Finding nothing amiss, the joy on his face no longer concealed, but instead spread widely.

He had never owned a single item of this quality before, but now he possessed three of them all, and each one was usable by him, as if they had been specially prepared.

This made Fang Shu sigh, "Those who are valued by their teachers are truly blessed!"

Immediately, an expression of great interest appeared on his face.

If his guess is correct, the reason he received the almost compensatory reward from the Pavilion Master today is probably also closely related to Qin Min.

There's a high chance that the other party is arrogant because of his favor. The master of the pavilion had no choice before, but now that Fang Shu has appeared, Qin Min has suddenly "fallen out of favor," which has led to Fang Shu's current favor.

This is truly a delightful thing; even a person with spiritual roots can be squeezed out by a mere mortal like him.

However, Fang Shu only pondered these trivial matters briefly before quickly putting the so-called loss of favor and gain of favor out of his mind.

The pursuit of immortality and the Dao emphasizes the return of great power to oneself. All kinds of favors and privileges are merely icing on the cake and should not be indulged in.

He sat cross-legged in the room, holding the purple-gold insect jar, methodically channeling his qi and blood into it, nourishing and refining it.

Such magical artifacts used for refining gu (a type of poisonous insect) often have a set of simple and universal secret texts, which are inherent in insect cultivation techniques, making them extremely convenient to refine.

for the rest of the time.

Fang Shu then stayed quietly inside the room.

He remained unperturbed by honor or disgrace, indifferent to the changing relationships within the institution; he had no interest in staying or leaving, and readily accepted visits from those who came seeking an audience.

He was merely raising poisonous insects, testing medicines, and training his body.

It happened in the blink of an eye.

Fang Shu was immersed in these simple and fulfilling days of cultivation. It had been one year and three months since he entered the town to seek immortality. He was now a little over seventeen years old.

This day.

In his room, the smell of medicine was strong, and three small flying insects were circling around him, flying unsteadily, swaying and buzzing incessantly.

However, Fang Shu didn't find them noisy at all; on the contrary, he watched them with pleasure.

These three flying insects were Fang Shu's greatest achievement during his period of seclusion and cultivation.

They were none other than the breath-holding bugs, sleep bugs, and tagalongs at the third level of the Tribulation!

With the help of the treasure bestowed by the master of the pavilion and his own research, Fang Shu's Gu technique has made great progress, successfully advancing one tribulation ahead of schedule and enabling him to refine Gu for the third tribulation!
Moreover, he had refined three different types of Tribulation-level Gu worms. Even with the aid of secret medicines, it meant that his Gu technique was completely and firmly established at the Tribulation level, and it was not just a matter of luck.

Aside from his progress in Gu techniques, Fang Shu's own cultivation level has also improved considerably.

The Dao talisman in his mind trembled slightly, and the text in the realm section appeared:
[Second Tribulation Human Immortal (72% complete)]

He has already completed most of his second tribulation cultivation, with less than 30% remaining before he can break through the barrier and enter the third tribulation!
Fang Shu remained calm, thinking to himself:
"There are at least three months until the imperial examinations, and with one result every month, it's not too urgent."

He was invigorated, radiating an uplifting spirit from within, feeling that the path to immortality was within reach, and that his sword was poised to strike the Three Tribulations!

(End of this chapter)