Another Trade
Refining a rank six Immortal Gu is a very different matter from refining a rank seven, so trading flying bear strength for divination tortoise shell reads as greed. The room’s grim expressions are understandable; one Gu Immortal even snorts. Fang Yuan asks whether Miao Ming Shen will go through with it, and Miao Ming Shen, smiling forcefully, agrees anyway, citing Fang Yuan’s two past favors. The others’ opinion of Fang Yuan sinks further. ch. 1299
Fang Yuan offers to make up the difference, promising Miao Ming Shen will definitely be pleased, and transmits the offer in secret; the two step outside to complete the trade alone. They return smiling, visibly closer. Miao Ming Shen calls this a third favor owed; Fang Yuan calls it merely a transaction. The others, very perplexed, can only guess what closed the gap. ch. 1299
Fang Yuan takes the platform next, watched with probing curiosity as a stranger. An offer reveals intelligence: a Gu Immortal’s resources, his aperture’s scale, even his battle strength if he offers a damaged ancient desolate beast corpse. Gu Immortals focus heavily on gathering intelligence this way. Information path Gu Immortals hold the greatest advantage at it. ch. 1299
He offers Bone Spike, a bone path rank six Immortal Gu he does not need, with no preference for what he gets back. The room murmurs that Chu Ying must be rich to hold two Immortal Gu of other paths, and doubts this one will succeed, since no bone path Gu Immortal is present. Nobody speaks. Fang Yuan feels no disappointment: divination tortoise shell alone was worth the trip. ch. 1299
Wu Ma Yang is a dark path Gu Immortal. He has no obvious use for a bone path Gu, yet unexpectedly offers to trade anyway. The others can only suppose he might hold a killer move that needs it, and they keep their questions to themselves. He hesitates before offering day Gu, a rank six time path Immortal Gu. ch. 1299
Fang Yuan is stunned, though his face stays blank, and rejoices inwardly: this convention was really worth it. He holds Hei Fan’s true inheritance, rank seven year Gu, after Immortal Gu, and Years Flow Like Water. The inheritance’s killer moves would rise greatly in effect on immortal level day or month Gu, though he had set that ambition aside, content with year Gu. Day Gu simply appears before him now. ch. 1299
Fang Yuan, calling bone spike a feeding burden, agrees to the exchange. Wu Ma Yang answers that his day Gu drinks the water of the River of Time and gives him no feeding trouble, but he cannot use it, so he wants Bone Spike for his own immortal killer moves. The two trade at once. What a Gu Immortal refines is a worm’s will, not its body. A wild will cannot destroy itself, so refining it is safe, however tough. Another Gu Immortal’s will is different: forcing the refinement destroys the worm, unless the refiner suppresses that will flawlessly with wisdom path methods, rarely possible. That is why Fang Yuan never obtained dark arrow Immortal Gu after capturing Hei Cheng, and why he still cannot directly refine attitude Gu with his alliance with Hei Lou Lan gone. ch. 1299
