The thought settled in Fang Ming's mind.
Copying the end only gave a shell.
Following the process could create something more stable and powerful.
He stood beside Lang Ya land spirit, his eyes fixed on the refinement flow. The cloud building had already become a refinement chamber. Materials floated in the air and were arranged in layers, each one waiting for its proper turn.
Lang Ya land spirit had only just begun when he suddenly frowned.
"No, this will not do."
Fang Ming looked at him.
Lang Ya land spirit waved his sleeve. "This is an Immortal Gu recipe. Even if I refine it personally, some auxiliary steps still require hands. I will not waste my own attention on such simple work."
The clouds in the chamber stirred.
Space twisted.
Five figures appeared inside the refinement chamber.
Gui Wang.
Loner Hong Yu.
Fairy Qing Suo.
Fairy Huang Sha.
Fairy Fen Meng.
The five captured Gu Immortals had their auras suppressed. Their Gu worms were restricted, and their immortal essence could not be used freely. Even so, the moment they appeared, the pressure of Gu Immortals still filled the chamber.
But Lang Ya land spirit did not care.
He pointed at them and said, "You five, assist me."
Gui Wang's ugly face darkened.
Loner Hong Yu's brows tightened.
The Hua Hai three fairies exchanged glances, their expressions ugly.
They were Gu Immortals.
In the outside world, mortals worshipped them from afar. Clans treated them as ancestors, and many forces rose or fell according to their will.
But here, they were captives.
They were tools.
Lang Ya land spirit turned toward them and casually pointed at Fang Ming.
"This is Fang Ming, Thieving Heaven Demon Venerable's successor. He will watch the refinement. Do not disturb him."
The five captives froze.
Their gazes landed on Fang Ming.
At first, they had only looked at him as a mortal.
Then the words reached them.
Thieving Heaven Demon Venerable's successor.
The contempt in their eyes vanished.
Shock replaced it, then envy, and finally jealousy.
A venerable's inheritance was something even Gu Immortals dreamed of. A rank nine existence stood at the peak of heaven and earth. To inherit such a legacy meant unimaginable fortune.
Yet this fortune had landed on a mortal.
Gui Wang's eyes flickered with dark greed.
Loner Hong Yu quickly concealed his expression.
Fairy Qing Suo's cold gaze sharpened.
Fairy Huang Sha bit her lip.
Fairy Fen Meng's charming eyes moved between Fang Ming and Lang Ya land spirit, as if trying to judge how much value this so-called successor truly had.
Fang Ming did not greet them.
He only glanced once.
The Hua Hai three fairies were indeed beautiful. Fairy Qing Suo was cold and elegant, like ice under moonlight. Fairy Huang Sha was delicate and soft, making people feel protective at a glance. Fairy Fen Meng was charming and graceful, her beauty carrying a natural temptation.
But Fang Ming's gaze passed over them quickly.
Beautiful.
That was all.
His attention returned to Lang Ya land spirit's hands.
Right now, refinement mattered more than anything else.
Not lust.
Not conquest.
Not pride.
The Hua Hai three fairies noticed his indifference almost immediately.
Being captured by Lang Ya land spirit was humiliating. Being ordered to assist refinement was humiliating. But being ignored by a mortal as if they were unimportant was even worse.
Fairy Huang Sha's face turned slightly red from suppressed anger.
Fairy Fen Meng's smile stiffened.
Fairy Qing Suo's gaze became colder.
Fang Ming did not care.
Their resentment had no weight.
In this world, rage without strength was only noise. A Gu Immortal without freedom could still be ordered like a servant. A fairy without power could still be ignored like dust.
If one did not want to become helpless, one could only climb higher and go further, until no one could casually decide their fate.
Lang Ya land spirit clapped his hands.
"Enough standing around. Gui Wang, go there. Maintain the dark refinement flame. If it fluctuates, I will throw you into the cloud furnace."
Gui Wang's expression twisted, but he still moved.
"Loner Hong Yu, you control that red immortal material. Do not let it scatter."
Loner Hong Yu silently took his position.
"Qing Suo, cold qi. Huang Sha, refinement dust. Fen Meng, fragrance smoke. Move!"
The three fairies obeyed.
Their pride was crushed further with every order.
Lang Ya land spirit did not give them dignity. He did not treat them as guests, nor did he treat them as enemies worthy of respect. He treated them like borrowed tools.
The refinement resumed.
Dark flame rose.
Cold qi flowed.
Yellow refinement dust spread like fine sand.
Fragrance smoke curled gently, balancing the conflicting material auras.
Lang Ya land spirit's hands moved.
Aperture-related materials melted together without fire. Lifespan essence was separated into thin strands. Ancient blood essence floated upward and formed a faint red mist.
The five captives supported the outer conditions.
Lang Ya controlled the core.
Fang Ming watched from the side.
The difference between Lang Ya and Ba Gui became even clearer.
Ba Gui had relied on the old master's arrangements. It had followed the recipe, guarded each step, and spent immortal essence carefully, like someone walking across a broken bridge.
Lang Ya was not walking across a bridge.
He was building one as he moved.
Every material obeyed him.
Every reaction was anticipated.
When two forces clashed, he did not suppress them crudely. He guided them into a third change.
Fang Ming's eyes grew deeper.
This was refinement path mastery.
It was not inheritance.
It was not luck.
It was not barely succeeding through preparation.
It was true mastery.
Fairy Huang Sha's refinement dust trembled slightly.
Lang Ya land spirit's head snapped toward her.
"Idiot! Are you refining Gu or scattering flour?"
Fairy Huang Sha's face flushed.
She quickly stabilized the dust.
Lang Ya cursed again: "If your hand shakes one more time, I will make you grind cloud soil for a hundred years!"
Fairy Huang Sha lowered her head.
The humiliation in her heart almost overflowed, but she did not dare speak.
Fang Ming did not look at her.
This made her even angrier.
A Gu Immortal fairy had been scolded before him, yet this mortal did not even show interest.
No shock.
No pleasure.
No pity.
Nothing.
It was as if her humiliation was not worth his attention.
Lang Ya land spirit continued refining.
Soon, the first true structure appeared.
A faint empty cavity formed within the light.
It was not physical, yet it carried the feeling of space.
Not space outside the body.
Space inside the body.
A second place to store essence.
A second origin of cultivation.
The foundation of Second Aperture Gu.
Lang Ya land spirit's eyes shone.
"Good. The core concept is stable."
He raised two fingers and pulled apart several strands of light.
"But this part is crude. Whoever made this recipe forced aperture essence to merge too directly. Wasteful. Dangerous. Hmph, let this old man correct it."
The strands shifted.
The empty cavity became clearer.
The five captives felt the pressure rise.
Gui Wang's dark flame nearly surged too high.
Lang Ya glared. "Control it!"
Gui Wang growled, but still obeyed.
Loner Hong Yu's red immortal material spread into threads, wrapping around the forming aperture foundation.
Fairy Qing Suo's cold qi cooled the outer layer.
Fairy Huang Sha's dust stabilized the shell.
Fairy Fen Meng's fragrance smoke softened the conflict between blood essence and lifespan force.
Their cooperation was unwilling, but under Lang Ya land spirit's command, it became effective.
The refinement chamber brightened.
Fang Ming's expression remained calm, but his gaze did not leave the process for even a breath.