Chapter 170: One Mark of Success
Central Continent's Refinement Path Convention was not a simple competition.
It was a grand event spread across the entire region, with registration points in countless sects, cities, valleys, and mountains. Behind it stood the ten great ancient sects, and deeper still was the shadow of Heavenly Court. Every hundred years, refinement path talents, old masters, lone cultivators, sect elders, demonic Gu Masters, and hidden experts would gather under the same name.
The rules were loose enough to attract everyone.
Names could be false. Sects could be hidden. Paths did not need to be declared. As long as one had the token and passed the required tests, one could continue forward.
Fang Ming entered under a concealed identity.
He did not announce Eagle Sect. He did not reveal his background. He did not show his Immortal Gu. He only sat among the participants like an ordinary hidden expert and waited for the first task to begin.
When the materials were placed before him, many Gu Masters around him were still observing the recipe, calculating risks, and adjusting their breathing. Some checked the materials three or four times. Others closed their eyes to review the refinement steps.
Fang Ming only glanced once.
Then his hands moved.
Starlight-like sparks rose from his palm. The materials floated in order, entering the refinement flame one after another. His movements were not hurried, but they were too smooth. Every step connected to the next without pause, as if the recipe had already been refined in his mind hundreds of times before the actual Gu even appeared.
The elder supervising the stage looked over once.
Then he did not look away again.
Before half the time had passed, Fang Ming had already completed the task. The Gu worms were stable, without injury, without hidden flaws, and without the unstable aura that came from forced success.
Some participants noticed him standing up.
Their hands shook.
A flame went out. A water refinement bubble broke apart. Someone's half-formed Gu worm let out a faint cry and collapsed into useless residue.
Fang Ming did not turn back to look.
The early rounds passed like this.
To ordinary Gu Masters, the Refinement Path Convention was a mountain. To Fang Ming, the lower part of that mountain was only a road. He had grandmaster refinement attainment gained from dream realms, a mind strengthened by constant deduction, and enough wealth to practice methods ordinary refiners could only read about in inheritance fragments.
Young talents were crushed before they understood what had happened.
Old rank five refinement masters frowned after seeing his work, then fell silent.
Some people relied on speed. Some relied on rare techniques. Some relied on stable old methods passed down through sects. Fang Ming could see through many of them after a few glances. If a recipe had flaws, he adjusted it. If a material was difficult, he changed the order. If the task tried to test patience, he used precision to shorten the process.
His name spread quickly.
At first, people called him a mysterious expert.
Then they called him a dark horse.
After several rounds, no one used that word anymore.
A dark horse was someone who surprised others for a moment. Fang Ming had already become someone the other competitors deliberately watched.
But the Refinement Path Convention was Central Continent's grand event for a reason.
As the weaker participants vanished, the remaining refiners became harder to deal with. Their methods were no longer shallow. Some were sect elders who had refined Gu for over a hundred years. Some were lone refinement masters who had ruined fortunes and rebuilt them through refinement alone. Others were strange experts who had specialized in a single refinement branch for their entire lives.
Against them, Fang Ming's advantage remained clear, but it was no longer overwhelming.
In one round, an old woman refined without looking at the flames. Her fingers only moved when the smoke curled in a certain way. Fang Ming understood the theory behind her method, but he could also see that her reaction did not come from thought. It came from habit carved into her bones.
In another round, a middle-aged man spent almost no effort on the early stages and placed all his attention on the final stabilization. His first half looked ordinary, even slightly clumsy, but at the final moment, the Gu worm formed with shocking purity.
Fang Ming passed them all.
But he remembered them.
Dream realms gave him attainment. They gave him understanding, direction, and the ability to stand above most refinement Gu Masters. But attainment was not the same as hands that had repeated the same movement tens of thousands of times.
Fang Ming did not feel discouraged.
On the contrary, his eyes became brighter.
This was why he had come.
If everyone here collapsed before him, the Refinement Path Convention would only be a place to collect rewards. Now, it had become a place where he could measure the distance between himself and true refinement path monsters.
Round after round passed.
By the time Fang Ming reached the final, the number of people still watching had already become terrifying. Gu Masters filled the surrounding stages. Elders from many sects sat in silence. Even some Gu Immortals observed from hidden places.
The final opponent was an old man named Qing Mu Chen.
He was not tall. His hair was thin and white, and his back was slightly bent. His robe was plain green, old but clean, without the heavy decorations used by famous sect elders. At first glance, he looked more like an old craftsman than a refinement path expert standing at the peak of Central Continent's grand convention.
But Fang Ming did not underestimate him.
Qing Mu Chen's hands were too calm.
They did not tremble, but they also did not carry the stiffness of someone forcing control. His fingers rested naturally, as if every Gu material in the world had once passed through them.
When the final task began, Fang Ming acted first.
He refined with full seriousness.
The flame rose, thin and steady. Materials entered in sequence. His mind moved quickly, separating the recipe into layers, judging the best timing, and adjusting the fire according to the changing aura of the half-formed Gu worm.
This was not an early round. Fang Ming did not hold back. His grandmaster attainment showed itself fully, and the surrounding refinement masters watched with heavy expressions.
Every step was correct.
Every correction was sharp.
Whenever instability appeared, Fang Ming suppressed it before it could spread. When one material reacted slightly earlier than expected, he changed the order of the next two materials without hesitation, turning a potential flaw into an advantage.
Many spectators felt their scalps go numb.
Such a young-looking refinement expert already had this level?
But Qing Mu Chen did not look at Fang Ming.
The old man refined slowly.
At least, it seemed slow at first.
His flame was not bright. His movements were not beautiful. Sometimes, he even paused for a breath longer than expected, making some younger spectators think he had missed an opportunity.
Fang Ming saw differently.
Qing Mu Chen was not slow.
He was waiting.
Waiting for the material's inner heat to settle. Waiting for the faint conflict between two dao mark traces to weaken. Waiting for the Gu worm's forming will to turn from resistance into acceptance.
His hands moved only when movement was necessary.
Fang Ming's refinement was brilliant like a sharp blade. Qing Mu Chen's refinement was like an old river cutting through stone. It did not rush, but every movement carried the weight of time.
Halfway through the refinement, Fang Ming gained a slight lead.
By the final third, the lead vanished.
It was not because Fang Ming made a mistake. He made none.
It was because Qing Mu Chen wasted less.
A little less flame.
A little less material.
A little less correction.
Each difference was tiny. Any single one could be ignored. But when accumulated across the entire refinement, they became a distance.
At the final stabilization, Fang Ming's eyes narrowed.
The Gu worm before him trembled once. Its aura rose sharply, then settled. His refinement was successful.
Almost perfect.
But on the other side, Qing Mu Chen's Gu worm had already stabilized three breaths earlier.
Three breaths.
In mortal combat, three breaths could decide life and death. In refinement path, three breaths could decide victory and defeat.
The final result was announced.
Qing Mu Chen first.
Fang Ming second.
The crowd was silent for a moment before noise surged like a wave.
Fang Ming looked at the completed Gu worm before him, then at Qing Mu Chen.
The old man cupped his fists politely.
"Young friend's attainment is terrifying. Given time, this old man may not be able to stand before you again."
Fang Ming returned the gesture.
"Senior's hands have refined for a lifetime. I still lack that."
Qing Mu Chen smiled faintly, but said nothing more.
Fang Ming did not feel humiliated.
He had lost, but he had not been crushed. The difference was small, yet clear. That made the loss more valuable.
If he had lost because of a trick, it would only be a lesson in caution. If he had lost because of suppression, it would only show insufficient strength. But losing by three breaths to an old refinement expert who had spent his life on the path showed something sharper.
His attainment was real.
His talent was real.
But refinement path was also accumulation.
Dream realms could raise his vision, but they could not give his hands two hundred years of repeated practice in a single night.
After the final ended, the reward was delivered.
The success dao mark appeared before Fang Ming like a faint trace of light. It did not look heavy, yet every refinement path expert present stared at it with burning eyes.
This dao mark could decide the success of a refinement.
For mortal Gu, it was wasteful.
For Immortal Gu, it was priceless.
Several representatives approached Fang Ming soon after. Some offered immortal materials. Some offered Immortal Gu recipes. Some were more direct and asked him to use the success dao mark to refine for them, promising payment that would make ordinary rank six Gu Immortals lose their composure.
Fang Ming refused all of them.
His tone was calm, and he left no opening.
He had not fought through the Refinement Path Convention to sell the result to others.
The success dao mark entered his possession, and not long afterward, Fang Ming left Central Continent's public stage.
When he returned to Old Lord Can Yang's blessed land, the fire crane land spirit was already waiting.
The blessed land's central refinement chamber had been prepared in advance. Beneath the chamber, underground fire veins moved like slow rivers. Around the walls, flame path formations flickered quietly. Several controlled fire pools burned with different colors, and smelting formations had already purified the surrounding air until only dry heat remained.
Fang Ming stood before the main furnace and looked at the materials laid out in front of him.
He had not prepared these in a hurry.
Long before the Refinement Path Convention ended, he had already been gathering what he needed. Some materials came from Jade Pool blessed land. Some came from Dong Fang tribe's hidden accumulations. Some were purchased through treasure yellow heaven. Others were found through Old Lord Can Yang's memories, inheritance clues, and the resources of this very blessed land.
Even without the success dao mark, Fang Ming had planned to attempt this refinement.
The dao mark only changed the nature of the attempt.
Before, it would have been a gamble.
Now, it was an execution.
Even so, Fang Ming did not feel relaxed.
This was different from Copy.
It was different from Counterfeit Copy.
It was also different from Virtual Refinement.
Those methods belonged to his cheat. They consumed wealth, followed their own logic, and gave results through a system outside the normal understanding of Gu Immortals.
This time, Fang Ming was refining an Immortal Gu himself.
Real immortal materials. Real formations. Real immortal essence stones. Real failure consequences, even if the success dao mark stood at the end like a guarantee.
The Gu he wanted came from Old Lord Can Yang's inheritance.
Life Chasing Immortal Gu.
Old Lord Can Yang had destroyed his own Immortal Gu before death, leaving Fang Ming with only the recipe, memories, and scattered refinement experience. But that was enough. Fang Ming had Can Yang's soul search gains, fire path refinement environment, grandmaster refinement attainment, and now the success dao mark.
The land spirit lowered its crane head.
"Master, the first flame chamber is stable."
Fang Ming nodded.
"Begin."
The furnace opened.
Fire rose without smoke.
Fang Ming placed the first immortal material inside. The fire swallowed it quietly, turning red, then gold, then a strange pale color that resembled candlelight reflected in old bones.
One material after another entered.
Fang Ming's expression remained stern. He did not perform with the brilliance he had shown in the convention. This was not a stage, and there were no spectators to impress. Every movement was restrained. Every breath was measured.
The land spirit assisted from the side, controlling the fire pools, adjusting the chamber pressure, and activating formations when Fang Ming gave the order.
Some materials were easy. Under Can Yang's fire path methods, they melted smoothly and fused into the furnace.
Others resisted.
A piece of life-fire immortal material trembled violently when placed near the main flame. Its surface burned, but the vitality hidden inside refused to enter the fire. The two forces pulled against each other, one trying to consume, the other trying to survive.
Fang Ming only glanced at it before changing the flame.
The pale fire became dim. Instead of burning fiercely, it wrapped around the material like a net. The land spirit released a second formation, drawing heat from the underground fire vein and pressing it inward layer by layer.
After half an hour, the material softened.
Fang Ming threw it into the furnace.
The entire refinement chamber shook.
For a moment, the flame inside seemed to come alive. It stretched toward the outside world, as if searching for living aura to chase. Several defensive formations lit up immediately, forcing it back into the furnace.
Fang Ming's eyes were calm.
"Continue."
Immortal essence stones were poured into the formation.
One batch.
Then another.
The fire grew steadier, but the pressure in the chamber continued rising. Heat washed over Fang Ming's body. The walls glowed red. The land spirit's crane feathers turned into flowing sparks before reforming again.
Time passed.
The refinement entered its later stage.
The embryonic Gu aura inside the furnace became clearer. It was not gentle. It had a strange hunger, like a flame that did not merely burn what it touched, but remembered the target and chased it beyond distance.
Fang Ming stared at it without blinking.
This was the trace he wanted.
Life Chasing Fire's most terrifying point was not raw destructive power. It was pursuit. Once connected, it could chase into an aperture and continue causing damage. Fang Ming wanted to take that principle and eventually turn it into something that suited his own totem system.
But first, he needed the Gu.
Another batch of immortal essence stones shattered.
The furnace gave a low sound, almost like breathing.
The land spirit spoke quickly, "Master, the final fusion is unstable."
Fang Ming raised his hand.
The success dao mark appeared.
It floated silently above the furnace, faint and weightless, yet the moment it appeared, the chaotic aura inside the refinement chamber seemed to pause.
Fang Ming did not hesitate.
"Enter."
The success dao mark descended into the furnace.
The pale flame surged upward.
For a breath, the entire chamber became silent. The fire stopped crackling. The formations stopped trembling. Even the underground fire veins seemed to freeze.
Then a clear cry rang out from within the furnace.
It was not the cry of a bird, beast, or human.
It was the sound of a Gu being born.
The furnace opened by itself.
A small Immortal Gu flew out slowly.
It looked like a thin ember-colored thread wrapped around a tiny black flame. The thread moved as if alive, constantly trying to extend outward, while the black flame at its center burned without consuming the thread. Its aura was rank six, but the feeling it gave off was dangerous and difficult to ignore.
Life Chasing Immortal Gu.
Fang Ming stretched out his hand.
The Gu landed on his palm.
The pressure in the refinement chamber faded. The fire pools lowered. The land spirit bowed its head again, and the formations gradually dimmed.
Fang Ming looked at the Immortal Gu quietly.
This was his first true Immortal Gu refinement outside of his cheat's direct methods.
It had consumed rare materials, immortal essence stones, preparation, Can Yang's inheritance, the blessed land's fire path environment, and the success dao mark he had won from Central Continent's Refinement Path Convention.