Red Steel Relic Gu

On the Jia clan caravan treehouse’s second floor on Qing Mao Mountain, Fang Yuan finds a red steel Relic Gu for sale and later buys it. ^{ch. 111 ch. 113} He uses that copy to advance, then takes a second one from Bai Ning Bing. ^{ch. 115 ch. 143}

Appearance

Form and rank

When Fang Yuan activates his first copy, it flies up in his aperture and gives off bursts of red light that pour into the aperture wall until the Gu turns transparent and vanishes. Before that activation, the Gu already sits in his aperture while Black Boar Gu hovers around it; the chapter does not name an idle color or resting shape for the red steel copy itself. ^{ch. 115}

It is the rank two member of the Relic Gu series: rank one green copper, rank two red steel, rank three white silver (also called Silver Relic Gu there), and rank four yellow golden Relic Gu. It is effective only on rank two Gu Masters. ^{ch. 111}

Effect

On the treehouse floor it is sold as a Gu that can instantly raise a rank two Gu Master’s primeval essence by a small realm. ^{ch. 111} Fang Yuan’s first activation replaces light red primeval essence with red light driven into the aperture wall, advances him from rank two initial stage to middle stage, and leaves a thicker water membrane plus scarlet middle stage primeval essence; the Gu exhausts itself and disappears. A red steel Relic Gu directly strengthens the aperture’s foundation, which for a Gu Master means advancing by a small realm. ^{ch. 115} A later copy he holds is likewise only effective for rank two Gu Masters. ^{ch. 145}

Price

On Qing Mao Mountain the treehouse marks the caravan copy at three thousand primeval stones; Fang Yuan expects the final price to cross five thousand and possibly reach eight thousand. ^{ch. 111} Later market talk prices red steel Relic Gu at eight thousand, between cheaper green copper and dearer white silver and yellow gold Relic Gu. That market stretch also states Relic Gu are natural Gu and cannot be refined by Gu Masters. ^{ch. 278}

Fang Yuan’s use

He sells family assets to fund the bid. ^{ch. 112} He later receives the red steel Relic Gu from Jia Fu together with a token that proves Jia Fu will help him if he asks. ^{ch. 113} He activates it in his aperture and moves from rank two initial stage to middle stage. ^{ch. 115}

After the fight with Bai Ning Bing, Plunder Gu pulls a red steel Relic Gu from Bai Ning Bing’s body into Fang Yuan’s hand; Bai clan had given it to Bai Ning Bing, who never used it after reaching rank three. Fang Yuan refines it at once with Spring Autumn Cicada. ^{ch. 143} At that point he has already reached rank two upper stage by other means and still holds the Relic Gu unused, planning to use it to reach rank two peak stage. ^{ch. 145} Soon after, he is already at rank two peak stage. ^{ch. 148} The novel does not show that second activation on screen. Later clan talk credits two red steel Relic Gu for how far he had climbed. ^{ch. 153 ch. 159}

Series limits

Relic Gu form and human path