Inside the pavilion made of white bricks, Fang Tian had already settled into one of the rooms after emptying it. If someone were to see Fang Tian now, they would wonder whether he was crazy or suffering from an itch. Fang Tian was moving his hands and feeling different parts of his body, nodding in satisfaction at times, and frowning from time to time.
"It is extremely difficult to implant these Gu worms into my body. I must fix them in place. If I fail to place them in the correct positions, I will suffer unbearable pain, and I will be lucky if I do not die…"
Fang Tian had implanted several Gu worms into his body that caused a Gu Master to become numb to pain. Such Gu worms were common in the markets, and Gu Masters who could not endure severe pain in battles often bought them, as did Gu Masters of the strength path if they wanted to use Gu worms such as Jade Bone Gu, Iron Bone Gu, or even when using White Boar Gu or Crocodile Strength Gu.
Now, the situation was similar for Fang Tian. He wanted to use Iron Bamboo Bone Gu to strengthen his skeletal structure and transform it into an iron bamboo skeleton.
"Finally, they are fixed in place."
The Gu worms were fixed in different parts of his body, and after confirming that they were ready, he injected his primeval essence into them. The Gu worms trembled slightly, and their invisible effects began to manifest as Fang Tian felt his sensations grow numb. When this feeling reached its peak, he injected his primeval essence into Iron Bamboo Bone Gu. After injecting sixty percent of the upper-stage Rank Two primeval essence into Iron Bamboo Bone Gu, the Gu shattered inside Fang Tian's aperture. Iron Bamboo Bone Gu looked like a small bamboo forest floating on a stone island, but these bamboo stalks were dyed with a metallic color.
Fang Tian waited for a while, but he did not feel anything because he was activating the Gu worms that numbed his sense of pain. Inside his body, the transformation had already begun.
His bones slowly transformed into iron bamboo bones. At first, parts of them turned into green metallic spots, but these spots quickly condensed and spread to other parts of his bones. It started from the vertebrae of his spine, then spread to his skull, shoulders, and pelvis, until his entire skeleton was covered in an iron-green color.
Drops of sweat gradually flowed over Fang Tian's body and evaporated due to the heat emitted from his body, yet Fang Tian was unaware of the terrifying pain he had avoided. Although Iron Bamboo Bone Gu was a Rank Three Gu and expensive as well, it was a consumable Gu that shattered after a single use.
"This is annoying, but I already feel exhausted. Even though my sense of pain is numbed, my body is still undergoing changes, which leads to a dreadful feeling of fatigue… Ah, I understand now. Even if the sense of pain disappears, one must still not overuse body-modifying Gu worms, or one will die of exhaustion."
This was true. There was no method without flaws. If one used Gu worms to numb pain while using other Gu worms to modify the body and overdid it, one would die of exhaustion and fatigue. The problem with using such Gu worms was not the pain; pain was merely a warning from the body. What would happen if your body stopped sending warnings to you?
Most likely, you would die if you did not realize that your body was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion.
After ten minutes, the transformation of Fang Tian's skeleton ended, and he now possessed an iron bamboo skeleton. He could now add more beast strength instead of stopping after using White Boar Gu.
However, instead of continuing his cultivation, he fainted from exhaustion. He could advance his cultivation level at an unbelievable speed, but he chose to focus on strengthening other aspects first before focusing on his cultivation level. Although a higher rank meant greater strength and more primeval essence, to him, it was like taking one step closer to death.
If not for this, he would not have decided to cultivate the strength path as a secondary path instead of focusing solely on the wood path, which would grant him a tremendous long-term advantage.
After several hours, Fang Tian woke up with difficulty. The feeling of exhaustion still lingered, but it was much lighter. Upon waking up, he used Thermal Serpent Gu and discovered several human women moving inside his pavilion, cleaning and arranging things for him.
"Oh, the servants have already arrived. In any case, I can let them handle these tasks. I still have to continue my cultivation, but that can wait for later. What I need to look for now is a source of income… If I had Nine-Leaf Vitality Grass Gu, things would be much easier."
Fang Tian had encountered Nine-Leaf Vitality Grass Gu before in a Bao clan caravan, but he was not interested in it. Even after robbing the caravan, he did not take this Gu. Now, he found himself somewhat regretting not taking it.
After eating in his pavilion facing the lake, Fang Tian went out to stroll through the city. Wu Clan City was as lively as ever, with humans and Gu Masters everywhere, falling into Fang Tian's sight as merchants shouted toward him in attempts to attract his attention.
Fang Tian did not respond to them and walked calmly. The humans made way for him now that he was wearing a Gu Master belt with the number "2" engraved on it, pushing themselves aside.
Gu Masters from Wu Clan patrolled all over the city. Some were on duty, while many young Gu Masters belonging to Wu Clan strolled arrogantly through the markets.
Fang Tian did not try to interact with them, but unfortunately, he bumped into a young female Gu Master of similar age who belonged to Wu Clan. This female Gu Master had a tall figure and black hair reaching her back. She had a small and delicate nose, and her white skin gleamed under the sunlight. With sharp black eyes and a slender waist, she could be considered extremely beautiful.
"Ah, her beauty rivals Li Hua's. I am still not immune to this kind of beauty."
Fang Tian wanted to turn around and flee, but a powerful and crushing grip clamped down on his shoulder. It was like a bear's paw pressing on him. If not for his abnormal skeleton and his possession of horse strength and part of boar strength, Fang Tian would have been nailed to the ground. The young woman spoke in a sweet voice tinged with displeasure.
"You bumped into me, Wu Ji, and you want to turn around and run like this?"
Fang Tian's pupils had already dilated when he heard this name. However, he did not realize what it meant until he connected it to a certain figure after a moment.