Two consecutive critical Gu refinement failures, like a bolt from the blue, struck Liu Chen, instantly shattering his meticulously planned scheme. This sudden blow not only sent his mood plummeting but, more importantly, left him without enough time to prepare new gu Materials.
It's important to know that the Materials required for Gu refinement are not readily available; even for the most basic wine, the quantity needed is enormous. Given Liu Chen's current situation, attempting to purchase these Materials again would undoubtedly cause unnecessary trouble and might even expose his Gu refinement plan.
Facing such a predicament, Liu Chen sighed helplessly, "It seems I can only focus on Cultivating." Since he couldn't continue Gu refinement, the only thing he could do was redouble his efforts in Cultivating and enhance his strength.
Time was pressing, and Liu Chen dared not slack off in the slightest. He rose early and slept late every day, diligently Cultivating, not missing any opportunity to improve himself.
Without the Wine Gu to purify his Primal Qi, Liu Chen's Cultivation speed noticeably slowed. During the time it took for the backlash from the failed Gu refinement to fully heal, he also had no choice but to recuperate quietly.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was already the twelfth month of winter. The year was about to end, yet Liu Chen's Cultivation remained at Second Rank initial stage, with no progress whatsoever.
Before the heavy snow sealed the Mountain, he had prepared a large quantity of supplies in advance to cope with potential difficulties. These supplies included not only various daily necessities but also ample food and water specifically for himself, ensuring he could maintain basic living needs in the cave.
And these supplies had all been placed in the Flower Wine Inheritance Cave beforehand. This cave, located in a remote area, was a safe haven for Liu Chen. Here, he could Cultivate in peace, undisturbed by the outside world.
Liu Chen had left the Mountain Village early. Due to his disappearance, the Mountain Village had issued a search mission, but no traces were found. Ultimately, it was concluded that he had been eaten by a wild beast and was missing.
A Gu Master apprentice with C-grade Aptitude, if he was lost, he was lost. The Family didn't pay too much attention to it.
"The Jade Eyes of the Jade Eye Stone Monkeys have almost been collected," Liu Chen thought to himself, looking at the cave filled with the jade eyes formed after the death of the Jade Eye Stone Monkeys. These jade eyes were the food he had specifically prepared to feed the White Jade Gu. The White Jade Gu was the only defensive Gu he possessed, requiring special jade to feed it. And the Jade Eyes of the Jade Eye Stone Monkeys happened to meet this requirement.
Besides the jade eyes, Liu Chen had also made arrangements for the other Gu in the Legacy.
Among them, he successfully refined the Earth Listening Flesh Ear Grass and, enduring the pain, cut off his own ears, replacing them with the Earth Listening Flesh Ear Grass. Although this process brought immense agony, it was still slightly less severe compared to the pain from the Gu refinement backlash.
That Sawtooth Golden Centipede, though appearing quite fierce, was completely insignificant in Liu Chen's eyes. After all, he now possessed more than enough offensive Gu and had no need to pay attention to this small Sawtooth Golden Centipede. Thus, he unhesitatingly commanded the Thousand Li Earth Wolf Spider to drive it away.
As for the Heaven Essence Treasure Lotus, due to the constant removal of Primal Stones from the Yuan Spring by the Gu Yue clansmen, it had never been successfully refined. Currently, this Heaven Essence Treasure Lotus only had six petals. However, Liu Chen did not intend to collect it too early; instead, he decided to wait until he reached Third Rank before returning to Qing Mao Mountain to collect this precious Heaven Essence Treasure Lotus.
At this time, heavy snow fell, covering the entire Qing Mao Mountain with a thick blanket of snow. Liu Chen seized this opportunity to command the Thousand Li Earth Wolf Spider to completely seal the entrance to the Flower Wine Inheritance Cave. He no longer felt any attachment to this Qing Mao Mountain, where he had once lived.
Immediately after, Liu Chen unhesitatingly commanded the Thousand Li Earth Wolf Spider to depart from the Flower Wine Inheritance Cave and dig a new passage in the direction he had already chosen. The Thousand Li Earth Wolf Spider also carried a large quantity of daily necessities on its back, all of which he had prepared before leaving Qing Mao Mountain.
The Thousand Li Earth Wolf Spider moved through the ground as if it were an innate instinct. As it dug forward, the excavated soil would be directly swallowed by it, which not only saved time in clearing the soil but also provided some nutrition for the Thousand Li Earth Wolf Spider.
Fortunately, the Thousand Li Earth Wolf Spider consumed very little Primal Qi when digging tunnels, allowing Liu Chen to confidently let it continue digging, even a Second Rank initial stage Liu Chen could maintain it.
Liu Chen tightly gripped the small and exquisite compass in his hand, staring at it intently. He continuously adjusted the digging direction of the Thousand Li Earth Wolf Spider, ensuring it moved along the correct path.
Liu Chen sat steadily on the broad back of the Thousand Li Earth Wolf Spider, swaying slightly with its digging movements. From time to time, he would take out Primal Stones from his System backpack and absorb them without hesitation to replenish his constantly depleting red iron Primal Qi.
Time passed by, minute by minute. After a full day of relentless effort, Liu Chen finally successfully left the range of Qing Mao Mountain. He breathed a sigh of relief, then commanded the Thousand Li Earth Wolf Spider to dig upwards, and an exit was soon excavated.
Liu Chen climbed out of the cave entrance and came to the outside world. He looked around, carefully observing the surrounding scenery, while recalling his previous memories in his mind. Suddenly, his gaze was attracted by a village not far away.
"There's actually a village here?" Liu Chen said in surprise, as he had originally thought this would be a desolate area.
He rode the Thousand Li Earth Wolf Spider, slowly approaching the village. From a distance, he saw houses scattered in an orderly fashion across the land, forming a unique landscape. There were no famous mountains around this village, nor was there a Gu Master Family stationed here, indicating it was clearly just an ordinary small village.
Such small villages were not uncommon throughout the Southern Border region; they were sparsely distributed in various corners. Although their locations were remote, they could serve as temporary stopping points for merchant caravans.
Even though he was very clear that it was unlikely for there to be particularly powerful Gu Masters in this village, Liu Chen did not rashly head directly to it.
He decided to first find a safe place underground and then dig a cave where he could temporarily reside. After some effort, Liu Chen finally succeeded in digging a spacious cave and used various animal skins to create a warm and comfortable dwelling.
And so, Liu Chen spent a night in this underground cave.