Several months passed in Shang clan city.
The city was still as lively as before. Merchants came and left, Gu Masters entered the battle stage every day, auctions were held one after another, and information flowed through shops, restaurants, tea houses, and gambling dens like water passing through a river. Shang clan city would not stop for anyone, and during this time, Fang Ming had also changed.
He had reached rank four peak stage.
At first, he cultivated steadily from rank four initial stage to rank four middle stage. Shang clan city was safe, or at least within the rules, it was safe. For Fang Ming, who had A-grade aptitude, this kind of peaceful cultivation environment was very precious. After that, he used two copied Yellow Gold Relic Gu. Rank four middle stage. Rank four upper stage. Rank four peak stage. His cultivation rose rapidly, but Fang Ming did not become arrogant because of this.
Cultivation was only one part of strength.
A Gu Master's strength did not only depend on aperture cultivation. Gu worms, battle experience, methods, information, feeding burden, refinement ability — all of these were important. During these months, Fang Ming spent much of his time studying refinement. Before this, refinement had always been one of his greatest weaknesses. He could copy Gu, buy Gu, and loot Gu, but he did not truly understand the process behind Gu refinement.
This was very dangerous.
A Gu Master had three foundations: nurture, use, and refinement. These three were connected to each other. If one was lacking, the whole structure would become unstable. Even Gu Immortals could not ignore refinement. Fang Ming did not want to become a refinement path specialist, but he could not remain ignorant either.
Thus, he studied.
Recipes. Material processing. Flame control. Primeval essence control. Failure records. Feeding compatibility. Refinement environment. Success rate. All sorts of things entered his mind one by one.
He also practiced with low rank Gu.
He failed many times. Batches of materials were ruined by him. Primeval stones flowed away like water. Failure was painful, but failure was also useful. After many attempts, Fang Ming's refinement foundation finally caught up somewhat. He was still far from being a master, but at least when he looked at refinement now, he was no longer like a blind man touching an elephant.
During this time, he also copied two refinement talents.
The first was Steady Refiner.
After obtaining this talent, Fang Ming's hands became steadier. His primeval essence control became smoother, and the number of careless mistakes during refinement decreased. This talent did not turn him into a refinement genius, but it made every refinement attempt more stable. Sometimes, stability was more important than brilliance.
The second talent was different.
Counterfeit Refinement Genius.
After copying this talent, Fang Ming's system changed. A new option appeared.
Counterfeit Copy.
Normal copy was still present. Normal copy copied the target directly, but the requirement was strict. Fang Ming had to get very close, usually within one meter, and the more valuable the target, the longer the copying time became. Counterfeit Copy was different. Its range was ten meters. Its speed was faster. Its use was easier. But there was a flaw.
The result was not perfect.
A counterfeit copy was weaker than the original. It might have lower power, greater primeval essence consumption, weaker special effects, or even hidden defects. But there was also an advantage. Because it was counterfeit, Fang Ming could influence the result slightly. Not freely, and not completely, but enough to guide the copied Gu in a direction.
Lower consumption.
Stronger effect.
Easier use.
Better compatibility.
The effect was limited, but the meaning was great. This changed many things. In the past, if Fang Ming wanted to copy a valuable Gu, he had to get dangerously close. Now, ten meters was enough.
Ten meters.
For ordinary people, this distance was still short, but for Fang Ming, it was already a huge improvement.
While Fang Ming cultivated and studied, Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing were also making names for themselves. They entered the battle arena and fought repeatedly. Fang Yuan was already rank three initial stage, while Bai Ning Bing was rank three peak stage. One had deep battle experience and ruthless judgment. The other was a natural battle genius, cold and sharp. The two did not fully trust each other, but once they entered the battle stage, their cooperation was very good.
One pressured.
One cut in.
One forced the enemy to move.
One attacked the weakness.
Soon, their names began to spread.
Not long after, Bai clan Gu Masters also arrived at Shang clan city. They had chased Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing all the way here. When both sides met, their words clashed immediately, and killing intent was obvious. But this was Shang clan city. Shang clan city had rules. No one dared attack openly. The Bai clan Gu Masters could only watch Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing move under Shang clan's protection. Their faces were ugly with anger, but there was nothing they could do.
Fang Ming heard of this and only smiled.
Rules were very interesting.
Sometimes, rules were chains.
Sometimes, rules were shields.
It depended on where one stood.
And right now, Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing were standing inside the rules.
On this day, Shang clan city held a large-scale auction.
This was not an ordinary auction. Rare Gu, Gu recipes, inheritance clues, Gu food, refinement materials, beast kings, slaves, gambling rocks, and all sorts of things were gathered here. Rank three Gu were common. Rank four Gu were not rare. There were even two rank five Gu announced beforehand. Because of this, the auction attracted many people.
Fang Ming went alone.
When he arrived and showed his Purple Thorn Token, the attendant's expression changed immediately.
"Esteemed lord, we can arrange a private room for you."
"No need." Fang Ming said.
The attendant was stunned.
Fang Ming continued: "I want a front seat."
"Front seat?" The attendant could not help but repeat.
"Yes."
The attendant's expression became slightly strange, but he quickly lowered his head. "As esteemed lord wishes."
A Purple Thorn Token holder refusing a private room and choosing a front seat was unusual. Private rooms were quiet. Private rooms were safe. Private rooms had face. Those with status liked private rooms, because there they could hide their identity and bid without being watched. But the front row was different. It was too exposed. People with status rarely chose it.
But Fang Ming did not care about face.
He needed distance.
Counterfeit Copy had a range of ten meters. A private room might be comfortable, but it was useless to him. The front row was better.
Soon, the auction began.
One rare Gu after another was brought onto the platform. A rank three Frost Breath Gu was sold for tens of thousands of primeval stones. A rank four defensive Gu was sold for hundreds of thousands. A refinement recipe caused several clans to fight over it fiercely. The prices rose again and again, and the voices in the hall became louder and louder.
Fang Ming sat quietly in the front row.
His expression was calm. His savings were not large compared to the people here. In ordinary markets, he was a rank four expert with decent wealth, but in this auction, he was only a person with a good token and shallow foundation.
Money was also strength.
Fang Ming understood this even more clearly now.
At this moment, the first rank five Gu appeared.
It was not his target.
It was a water path Gu.
Water path was very popular. It had attack, defense, movement, healing, and support. Many clans had water path inheritances, and many Gu Masters could use it. The moment the Gu appeared, the bidding became intense.
"One million five hundred thousand!"
"Two million!"
"Three million!"
"Five million!"
The price rose rapidly. The hall became heated. In the end, this rank five water path Gu was sold for eight million primeval stones. When the final price appeared, even many Gu Masters could not help discussing among themselves.
Fang Ming remained calm.
Eight million primeval stones.
Even if he sold everything he had, it would still be far from enough.
Soon, the second rank five Gu was brought out. The auction host's voice became louder.
"Everyone, this is the next treasure."
A jade box opened.
Inside was a dark red Gu. It looked like a small horned beetle. Its body was thick and heavy, and faint force rippled around it.
The host introduced loudly: "Rank five strength path movement and impact Gu — Tyrannical Crash Gu!"
The hall stirred.
The host continued: "Once activated, the Gu Master can charge forward in a short burst with tremendous force. All enemies and obstacles in the path will suffer the impact. For close-combat strength path Gu Masters, this is a rare high-grade movement Gu."
Fang Ming's eyes narrowed slightly.
This was it.
Strength path.
Movement.
Impact.
Rank five Gu.
And it was not an ordinary rank five Gu. For strength path Gu Masters, this Gu was extremely suitable. But strength path was declining. Many people knew that strength path was cheap in the early stage, but difficult later. Fewer and fewer Gu Masters were willing to spend huge sums of money on strength path Gu. Even if this Gu was excellent, that was why it appeared in the auction.
But no matter what, rank five was still rank five.
The starting price was terrifying.
"One million primeval stones!"
Very quickly, someone bid.
"One million five hundred thousand!"
"Two million!"
"Two million four hundred thousand!"
The competition was not as fierce as the water path Gu, but the price was still climbing. Fang Ming sat in the front row. The distance between him and the platform was within ten meters.
He did not bid.
He only looked at the Gu.
Counterfeit Copy.
The system responded.
The target was rank five.
Its value was high.
But it was within range.
Copying began.
Fang Ming sat calmly, like an ordinary observer watching the auction. But inside, he was guiding the counterfeit process. This time, he did not choose lower consumption. He chose the opposite.
Increase essence consumption.
Preserve more effect.
The original Tyrannical Crash Gu had a powerful impact at the end of its charge. This was its greatest value. If the copied Gu lost too much of this effect, its value would fall greatly. The counterfeit process naturally tried to weaken it, while Fang Ming pushed back as much as he could.
The bidding continued.
"Two million seven hundred thousand!"
"Two million nine hundred thousand!"
"Three million!"
At three million, the price stopped. After all, strength path was declining. To many people, spending three million primeval stones on a strength path Gu was already too much. The host looked around the hall. No one continued bidding. Thus, he struck the final decision.
"Tyrannical Crash Gu, sold for three million primeval stones!"
At almost the same time, Fang Ming's system completed.
Counterfeit copy successful.
A new Gu appeared in his system space.
Tyrannical Dash Gu.
Rank five counterfeit.
Strength path movement Gu.
It was not Tyrannical Crash Gu.
It was weaker. The destructive crash at the end was gone. Instead, it became a short burst dash. Fast. Forceful. Suitable for sudden close-range movement. But without the original's heavy collision impact. Its consumption was also high, higher than Fang Ming would have liked, but the effect was stronger than an ordinary weakened copy.
Fang Ming was satisfied.
A rank five Gu was still a rank five Gu.
Even if it was counterfeit.
Furthermore, Tyrannical Crash Gu itself was a top-tier strength path Gu. Even a lesser version still had great value.
The auction continued.
Fang Ming did not leave immediately. Leaving right after Tyrannical Crash Gu was sold would be too direct. Thus, he remained seated and continued watching. Several more items were brought out. Some were rare. Some were strange. Some caused intense bidding. Fang Ming only watched silently.
Only after some time passed did he stand up.
The attendant noticed immediately and hurried over.
"Esteemed lord, are you leaving?"
"Yes."
"Was there nothing suitable?"
Fang Ming glanced back at the auction stage.
"Too expensive."
The attendant smiled awkwardly and lowered his head.
This answer was too direct, but it was also very reasonable. The items here were truly too expensive.
Fang Ming left the auction hall.
Outside, Shang clan city was already covered in lights. Lanterns and Gu lights shone everywhere. The noise of the auction gradually faded behind him. Fang Ming walked into the street, his expression calm.
Counterfeit Copy worked.
It had range.
It was faster.
It could even touch rank five Gu.
Although the result was weaker, it was usable. This changed the meaning of auctions, displays, and high-level gatherings. He did not always need to buy. He only needed to be close enough.
Fang Ming walked through the crowd.
His public path had gained its first true rank five piece.