The next day, the two of them arrived at the transaction site early.
"Boss, itâs just up ahead." Yuan Wei led the way in front and brought Xu Ping to a secluded place.
There was already a person wearing a cloak waiting there.
"My boss is here." Yuan Wei greeted the person.
"Hmm." The person in the cloak responded in a muffled voice.
"Fellow Daoist, how do you plan to sell this inheritance?" Xu Ping asked, looking at him.
"Two hundred Spirit Stones, no bargaining." The cloaked person answered calmly, but seeing their hands and feet trembling uncontrollably despite their efforts to maintain composure, it was clear they werenât as calm as they appeared.
"Isnât that a little too steep, and I donât even know if this inheritance is genuine or worth it." Xu Ping frowned.
Two hundred Spirit Stones was still a significant expenditure for him at this point.
"You can authenticate it first." The cloaked person seemed prepared and took out a thin book from their coat, tossing it to Xu Ping. "This book contains a fragmented version of the inheritance I copied."
Xu Ping took the thin book and began translating it immediately.
The thin book introduced various Gu insects and the methods of crafting them, but only recorded a bit of the crafting methods.
After flipping through a few pages, Xu Ping hesitated.
The inheritance seemed genuine, but the Gu insects documented werenât of much help to him.
Spending two hundred Spirit Stones on it was worth considering.
Until Xu Ping saw a crafting method for something called âGu Insect King,â he was shocked.
He closed the thin book without revealing any emotion, looking troubled, "The inheritance is real, but the Gu insects inside donât hold much value for me!"
"Either they are extremely difficult to craft, or they come with significant side effects."
Hearing Xu Pingâs response, the cloaked person couldnât maintain even a semblance of calm, and their tone grew agitated, "How... how could it be, this Gu Worm Scripture can craft First Rank Upper Grade combat Gu insects."
"These are comparable to Late-Stage Qi Cultivation, First Rank Upper Grade combat Gu insects, how could they not be valuable?"
"For others, they might be of extraordinary value, but for me, Late-Stage Qi Cultivation is nothing. Spending so many resources to craft a First Rank Upper Grade Gu insect that canât even beat me, whatâs the point?" Xu Ping calmly retorted.
The cloaked person was at a loss for words, wanting to retort but, thinking of this manâs impressive battle record, didnât know how to respond.
"What do you think is reasonable?" the cloaked person asked sullenly.
Xu Ping held up one finger: "One hundred Spirit Stones."
"No no, thatâs too low." The cloaked person got agitated again, "At least a hundred and eighty."
...
...
Ten minutes later.
After some bargaining, they settled at one hundred and twenty Spirit Stones.
Leaving the transaction site, Xu Ping bid farewell to Yuan Wei and hurried home.
Once home, he eagerly took out a thick, roughly two-inch thick, somewhat ancient black leather book.
This was the Gu Worm Scripture.
Most of the Gu insects within it werenât of much use to him.
What finally convinced him to purchase this Gu Worm Scripture was the recorded crafting method for something called âGu Insect King.â
The potency and medicinal strength of Hundred Flowers Brew mainly depended on the âHundred Flowers Gu.â
And since âHundred Flowers Guâ was also a kind of Gu insect, it might be possible to use this method to craft a âHundred Flowers Gu King.â
At that time, the medicinal strength and potency of Hundred Flowers Brew would undoubtedly be elevated to another level.
By then, the progress in cultivating Nourishing Life Skill could also be improved.
He had long been fed up with the slow pace of cultivation.
"Letâs hope the crafting method isnât too difficult!" Xu Ping began researching eagerly.
A quarter of an hour later.
Xu Ping put down the Gu Worm Scripture, frowning inadvertently.
The crafting method wasnât difficultâput ten Gu insects into the same box, stimulate them with secret medicine to let them devour each other, and the one left alive would be the âGu Insect King.â
But the success rate of crafting a âGu Insect Kingâ wasnât high, and if it failed, all materials and resources invested would be wasted.
Moreover, crafting a âGu Insect Kingâ relied on the Gu insects themselves to devour and evolve, and his proficiency panel couldnât be of any help.
Without panel assistance, he was somewhat daunted.
"Letâs do it; after all, my wallet can handle the failure now." Xu Ping exclaimed, gritting his teeth.
Isnât earning Spirit Stones just for spending? Anyway, Spirit Stones wonât multiply if kept.
...
...
Early the next day, Xu Ping acquired two hundred Polar Insects and several crafting materials from the trading market.
Returning home safely, he couldnât wait to embark on crafting the "Hundred Flowers Gu King."
The first step in crafting the âHundred Flowers Gu Kingâ was refining Polar Insects into âHundred Flowers Gu.â
This step Xu Ping was quite familiar with.
He spent five days, achieving a high success rate of ninety percent, refining two hundred Polar Insects into one hundred and ninety âHundred Flowers Gu.â
This success rate was enough to make some Grandmaster Gu crafters blush.
But Xu Ping felt not a bit of pride.
The tough part hadnât arrived yet!
He looked at the one hundred and ninety âHundred Flowers Guâ in front of him, took a deep breath, and commenced the critical step of crafting the âHundred Flowers Gu King.â
This step solely relied on the âHundred Flowers Guâ themselves, in other words, relying on fate and luck.
Yet he never trusted his luck.
Xu Ping meticulously checked the secret medicine in his hand, ensuring every component was prepared perfectly.
Mentally reciting the crafting steps, he gently placed ten âHundred Flowers Guâ into a pre-prepared box.
"Begin." Xu Ping whispered to himself, a slight flick of his fingers, and the scent of the secret medicine permeated, arousing the instincts of the small insects.
As the medicinal power seeped in, the âHundred Flowers Guâ began to appear restless, their appetite for mutual devourment gradually awakening.
However, as time passed, Xu Pingâs mood became increasingly heavy.
The ten âHundred Flowers Guâ tore each other apart inside the box, blood splattered, the scene was incredibly tragic, yet not a single âHundred Flowers Guâ gained the upper hand.
After half an hour, Xu Ping opened the box.
The scene before him made his heart sink: nearly all ten "Hundred Flowers Gu" were dead, even their bodies shattered beyond recognition.
Undoubtedly, the first craft attempt had failed.
Xu Ping sighed slightly as he washed the box clean, then placed a new batch of âHundred Flowers Guâ inside and started anew.
Time was spent in repeated attempts and failures for Xu Ping.
...
Two days later, Xu Pingâs eyes were bloodshot, his demeanor delirious.
"Sigh, this is the last batch, if this fails, Iâll have to buy more." Xu Ping sighed with vacant eyes.
The past two daysâ failures had left him numb.
He didnât even hold hope for the last attempt.
Yet instinct compelled him to cautiously place ten insects into the box, then sprinkle in the secret medicine.