A faint green light spread from beneath Fang Tian's skin, and the pain gradually intensified within him, yet instead of the agonized expression one would expect, there was a slight, pained smile on his face.
The light within him gradually intensified until the pain became unbearable, at which point Fang Tian stopped using the Horse Strength Gu. He released the breath he had been holding, then took a deep breath once again. Now that the pain had eased, he could sense the difference in his body.
"I've already spent several days since arriving at this fishing village, doing nothing but using the Horse Strength Gu, using my primeval essence to nourish my aperture, and trying to build the foundation for my killer move. The progress in the first two has been excellent and very smooth, while the latter is slow, even though I have made some gains and obtained new insights… now that I have obtained the strength of a complete horse, my body is strong enough to crush a human skull with my bare hands."
During the previous days, he had devoted time to using the Horse Strength Gu and nourishing his aperture to accelerate his breakthrough toward Rank Two, while failing to deduce the path that his killer move should take. Failure did not mean there were no gains; through trial and error, he accumulated experience, and with experience, he gradually drew closer to success.
"But success is still far away."
Fang Tian sighed and rose from his bed with a stiff body, then swept his surroundings with the Thermal Snake Gu. The bodies of the servants and the Gu Master couple were exposed to his senses, which put him at ease. During the past few days, Fang Tian's interactions with the Gu Master couple had been few, but he had managed to form an impression of them. These two were not of the demonic path, which greatly reassured him, as he did not want to sleep with one eye closed while the other remained open.
Aside from this, he was certain that the only thing that made the couple show him goodwill was the reward he would give them on the day of his departure. These two were very shrewd; they had judged that they could not defeat Fang Tian in a direct battle even if they joined forces with the young Gu Master.
Thus, they agreed to extort primeval stones from Fang Tian, something he did not mind. At most, he would give them a few hundred primeval stones, which could be recovered within a week.
"Good, these Gu worms did not detect any movement inside my room other than me."
He had placed several Rank One and Rank Two Gu worms, using them for investigation in case anyone dared to enter his room during his cultivation, when he would be at his weakest. Fortunately, no one had been bold enough to do so. After confirming that there were no issues, he withdrew the Gu worms back into the Stomach Tempering Gu so they would not starve, then left his room and headed outside the manor.
Dawn had just broken, making the cool, moist breeze refreshing to the spirit. Fang Tian decided to stroll around the fishing village and observe what was happening within it.
The mortals gathered outside the village, preparing to go fishing to secure their daily sustenance. Fang Tian paid them no heed; instead, what caught his interest was the young Gu Master who stood staring at the sky with a vacant expression.
"Hello, boy, what do you like about the sky?… it is far too vast and far too great for people like us."
Fang Tian opened the topic as he looked at the youth, who was still staring blankly at the sky, as though he had not heard what Fang Tian said. Fang Tian frowned slightly at receiving no response, but soon the youth opened and closed his mouth several times before managing to form a sentence.
"The sky is vast and boundless… indeed, it is so to you… but it holds the freedom to judge us, and thus it des… deserves my time spent staring at it."
Fang Tian laughed at the youth's interesting reply and admitted that this topic was indeed intriguing to him.
"That's right, boy, it is vast and boundless; it knows everything and judges all fates. But have you ever thought about what would happen if a human were to replace the sky?"
The young Gu Master turned around and spoke to Fang Tian with empty eyes, tears beginning to slide down from them, yet the same vacant expression remained on his face. Fang Tian was slightly frightened by this scene, and when he tried to ask, the youth replied.
"No, I have never done that before, but it sounds very exciting."
This was the first time the young Gu Master had managed to form a complete sentence without stopping. He did not continue speaking, but instead moved about with a vacant expression and began wandering through the village, leaving Fang Tian frozen in place.
Fang Tian was somewhat terrified by this strange situation, so he quickly returned to the manor, shut the door on himself, and continued closed-door cultivation for several days. He did not try to think about this matter again.
It could be said that the following days were peaceful, as no one disturbed his cultivation, except that Zhao Tuo or Chen Lan would knock on his door and indirectly urge him not to stay inside for too long.
Fang Tian did not want to disappoint them, and after using the White Boar Gu and obtaining a bit of boar strength, he decided to move forward with his plan toward Wu Clan City.
Early in the morning, the couple Zhao Tuo and Chen Lan stood at the entrance of the village, speaking with Fang Tian. However, the young Gu Master could not be seen anywhere around them.
"Brother Fang, this sister strongly advises you to keep a low profile. Wu Clan does not like or care about lone cultivators like us, so even if one of them spits on you, you should bow and thank him."
Fang Tian silently nodded, and he was beginning to see that their relationship was not purely one of利益. Perhaps a trace of goodwill had grown in their hearts toward Fang Tian, who had shown no intention of harming them. Fang Tian returned to reality when the muscular man Zhao Tuo spoke.
"Brother Fang, we were delighted to host you, but all things must come to an end. Do not forget that you have friends who welcome you in this small village."
Fang Tian nodded in thanks and clasped his fists toward them. The couple returned the gesture, causing him to take out two Gu worms from his robe. These Gu worms were things Fang Tian did not need, or were below the standards he desired, and served as a token of his appreciation toward the couple.
"Thank you, Brother Fang!"
The voices of the couple reached Fang Tian as he departed toward Wu Clan City.