**[Space Beyond]**
**[Obsidian Spire of Eternal Twilight]**
**[Floor 6]**
This floor served a medical purpose, filled with hundreds of intricate formations and essential accessories. On the pristine white bed lay a girl, parts of her flesh meticulously removed, and her Nascent Soul finally purified of harmful Dao marks. Zhi Xing Yao sat resolutely in a chair while Jian Feng scrutinized Fang Shung's body.
"What a peculiar balance; an enormous amount of her Chaos Essence was necessary just to stabilize her against those Dao marks," he noted. With a swift gesture, he released a soothing white mist that enveloped her body, calming her mind and halting her trembling.
"Now that this is accomplished, teleport her outside of Gu Yue Mountain," he instructed firmly. Zhi Xing Yao nodded, then delicately lifted her body and activated a formation. It rose into the air and slowly vanished, ensuring her safe passage.
**[Qingmao Mountain]**
A formation ignited, and her body materialized there, the formation disintegrating into nothingness. In the distance, Anming, who had been deliberately slowing the flow of time across the entire mountain, finally allowed it to return to its natural state. He teleported to the now bewildered and awakening Fang Shung.
"Where am I?" she demanded, instinctively clutching her head as awareness of her altered body settled in. Confusion crossed her features as she fixated on Anming. He appeared entirely ordinary, with one striking exception: his azure eyes. His cultivation radiated immense power, yet when she attempted to sense it, he felt just like a mortal.
Anming wore a calm yet radiant smile. *Is he a friend or foe?* Fang Shung pondered. Who could tell if that radiant smile was merely a mask?
Anming met her suspicious gaze directly. "Little one, there's no need to worry about this man. I won't harm you."
"Shouldn't you at least promise me that?" Fang Shung shot back.
"Promises are merely words," Anming replied. "Even in moments of panic, they provide psychological relief, despite the knowledge that they may be false or... maybe not."
He maintained his smile, his expression steady, and his hands clasped behind his back. "You've impressed me, ensnaring most of your clan. Make sure you use them wisely," he added nonchalantly as if his words were inconsequential.
*How does he know?!* Panic surged within her—a whirlwind of thoughts raced through her mind. The details of her strange condition, her location, and his awareness of what she had done sent alarm bells ringing instantly.
Anming simply laughed softly, then handed her a Rank 7 Gu. "This is the Perfect Yang Clone Gu. Your Yang has been restored, but you will remain female. Use it wisely," he instructed. Initially, he had intended to place the Gu in the spirit spring but decided that handing it over directly would be more effective.
The Gu was pure white with a black dot at its center. "Take it. I assure you, I won't take your life or anything else." After observing her vigilant demeanor, he finally made his promise and passed her the Gu.
Before Fang Shung could respond, he teleported away, leaving nothing but a whisper of wind in his wake.
Suddenly, an overwhelming wave of dizziness washed over Fang Shung, and in an instant, she collapsed into a deep slumber.
[After a time]
When she stirred awake, it was in the familiar confines of her room, though everything felt different—especially her.
"What just happened?" Her mind crackled with newfound awareness, memories, and knowledge cascading into her consciousness like a hidden treasure trove. She unlocked secrets of various martial arts, weapon refinement, and, intriguingly, the heightened knowledge of Gu.
Within her, she sensed two ethereal forces resonating: one was her mortal aperture, and the other her dantian. A vibrant energy surged through her 12 meridians, unlike anything she had ever encountered in the Gu world.
Fang Shung felt liberated as all harmful Dao Marks evaporated, and her chaos Essence production skyrocketed like a raging tempest. The sensation of the Rank 7 Gu, the Perfect Yang Clone Gu, gifted to her by that enigmatic man, pulsed within her being.
With determination, she rose and gazed into her Dantian. It shimmered with silver glass walls encasing a brilliant golden Qi. As she moved the primeval essence from her aperture, her Dantian transformed the primeval essence into pure Qi, refining it in a beautiful dance of self-dual cultivation.
Realizing that 49 days had slipped by unnoticed, she dived into the wealth of knowledge that surrounded her. Among the intricate scrolls, one martial art captivated her: "Oneself As Dao." This astounding technique promised to engrave the essence of any ability of a Gu which could be used by only primeval essence or Qi without worrying about its food or other related things.
She took slow, deep breaths, trying to find her center. A lot had happened recently, and with the new knowledge and powers at her disposal, her original plans had been thrown into disarray. She needed a moment to relax and gather her thoughts. The changes had occurred overnight, which was, even for her, an overwhelming amount to process all at once.
The technique known as "Oneself As Dao" had its limitations, but her attainment levels provided some support. The limitations of this technique stemmed from conflicting Dao marks and the constraints of attainment levels.
For ranks 1 and 2, there were ordinary and quasi-master levels. For ranks 3 and 4, the levels were master and quasi-grandmaster. Ranks 5 and 6 consisted of grandmaster and quasi-great grandmaster, while ranks 7 and 8 included great grandmasters and quasi-supreme grandmasters. Finally, rank 9 represented the Supreme Grandmaster attainment level.
It was not enough to simply meet the required attainment level for one path; you needed a specific attainment level corresponding to the path of the Gu you were absorbing the Dao of.
She seized her rank 3 Gu, the mesmerizing Golden Moon Glow Gu, with a sense of purpose. As she invoked "Oneself as Dao," a swirling dance of intricate scriptures enveloped the Gu, transforming it before her eyes. In a blinding flash, the fragments of Dao surged into her, leaving nothing but dust behind. It was a familiar sensation—a powerful connection that felt like an innate gift pulsing through her very being.
With a surge of her Chaos Essence, a mark on her hand exploded to life, radiant and enchanting. An ethereal glow shaped like a colossal moon erupted from her house, slicing through the wall with incredible force. "This... feels like destiny—a perfect fit, or perhaps I'm just exceptionally lucky!" she mused as the mark of the golden moon on her hand flickered and vanished.
Having a master's attainment level in every path meant that all rank 1, 2, and 3 Gu's Dao would be absorbed by her. Her body was perfect, so there were no worries about conflicting Dao marks.
"Next, it's time to embrace the Dao of multiple Gu worms for my journeys. Since food is out of the question, I can gather as many as I desire," she declared, her excitement bubbling over. With her mind racing with possibilities, she settled into her bed, drifting off to sleep while plotting her next grand moves.
This technique was going to take most if not all her focus and attention for the next few days.
As dawn broke, she sprang from her slumber, calling out for her father. "Summon the clan leader immediately!" she commanded, her voice brimming with authority. Moments later, the clan leader arrived, and she ordered them both to escort her to the main treasury— the sacred vault brimming with Gu worms and precious materials.
No apprehension clouded her thoughts regarding the traveling caravan, the elusive first-generation Gu Yue, or Tie Xue Ling. Soon, she would unleash her will upon the mountain, ready to seize its treasures and turn it to dust in her wake.