Fang Yuan had some experience with the Flying Vajra Centipede, and was able to refine it on his second attempt to the chagrin of his opponent.
Just like that, several rounds passed.
It was here that Fang Yuan's suboptimal luck played yet another role - he had been in the lead before, but now, it was more that he drifted between second and first place, occasionally even dropping down to third. But he did not have enough time to try and do something regarding this.
Ultimately, people began being eliminated near the latter rounds as it turned to a more traditional tournament-like format.
Finally, it was Fang Yuan against Liu Nan. The two teams were neck and neck, with this round deciding who was going to move on ahead.
"Alright then," the land spirit said. "Given that Fang Yuan's team has been the underdog up until this point, we will let them decide which gu worm to refine this last round."
Fang Yuan glanced at the recipes laid out for him - they had been picked out by the land spirit at random, and some had been consumed already in the rounds past. Fang Yuan could pick any of those that remained. His eyes flashed as he came upon one gu worm in question. "This! Let us refine Rank 5 All-Out Effort Gu!"
"Hmm... my resources regarding the same are a bit limited," the land spirit murmured. Many Strength Path resources were limited or had gone extinct since the old ages; many only grew within the apertures of Strength Path Gu Immortals. "The two of you will only get about two tries. Alright then, let us begin!"
The two sides faced off from each other. Fang Yuan instructed Bai Ning Bing to start working on the refinement cauldron while he arranged for the other materials.
Both sides worked silently, their focus entirely upon what they were doing. The process went about smoothly enough, until...
"AH!" Bai Ning Bing yelped back as the refinement mixture she was working on suddenly grew unstable, spitting out a charred piece of leather, indicating that the material was destroyed to the point that it could not be used.
Liu Nan smirked. "Fang Yuan, I remove the skin of the six-legged mountain goat from your materials!"
The six-legged mountain goat was a beast that used to grow on Azure Heaven but had died out when it had been destroyed by Ren Zu's children. Its skin was an important component of Rank 5 All-Out Effort Gu and there was no alternative. It was only a Rank 3 material, but it formed an important part of the core of the gu worm's refinement. Without it the recipe was a dud.
Of all the materials that had to have been burnt...
Fang Yuan only had two sets, one was gone, there was nothing further they could do. The land spirit walked over to him, giving him a disappointed look. "Well lad, I guess that's it then. Unless you have some alternative recipe of your own, I'm afraid that you're done for."
Fang Yuan, however had a tiny smile on his face. "I don't have another recipe - but there is still the inspiration for another way to refine Rank 5 All-Out Effort Gu!"
***
A few hours earlier, on Fang Yuan Continent:
"Husband, what are you doing out here near the banks of the river?" Shen He asked. Wang Tian was busy over a small fire. "You have a cold, you should be resting..."
"Hiding from Bai Xiao, but I have an idea for a new gu worm," Wang Tian said. "Thank you for gifting me this earlier." It was a Rank 2 Friendship Gu. "I want to advance this Friendship Gu further. Now that we've come so far, and our friendships have deepened, I think that I can go further... don't worry about my cold, I think I'm well enough."
"In that case, let me help," Shen He said, volunteering to sit next to Wang Tian while he started his refinement.
First, he placed Friendship Gu in the middle. To Friendship Gu, he added two Rank 1 Hope Gu, the combination glowing as he tossed in primeval stones.
"The other ingredient to advancing friendship," Wang Tian said, "Is faith! Faith in one another is key to friendship!" He tossed in Rank 2 Faith Gu into the mixture, as it started glowing a brighter color.
"Hmm... then we should also add this in," Shen He said, handing him a Rank 2 Unity Gu.
"Than - achoo!" Wang Tian sneezed, the mixture of blood and mucus landing in the refinement mixture, worrying him - but the refinement did not stop. Instead, it lead to a result that he had not been expecting.
***
"We are allowed to use other materials, no?" Fang Yuan asked the land spirit. "Up to an extent... even other gu worms if we happen to know of them..."
"Lad, I do not have any more skin from a six-legged mountain goat. Even if you were to go on Yellow Treasure Heaven, you may not find it," the land spirit answered. "Unless you have a recipe that is completely different and you change it to match this one, I'm afraid that you have lost."
"I don't need that. I have an alternative so long as you can get me these..." Fang Yuan said.
"Fang Yuan, can we really succeed?" Bai Ning Bing asked. The goat skin had been damaged by her, meaning she was well aware that the loss would be on her head were it to happen.
But Fang Yuan seemed to still have a way out!
"Indeed," Fang Yuan said. "Has no one every told you that the true wealth is friendship all along, Ning Bing?"
Fang Yuan took Rank 2 Friendship Gu. He then added in two Hope Gu. "But friendship is not enough, in order for friendship to thrive, one must add hope as well. Then, to hope in the future, add faith in one's friends and their abilities. And to hopes and dreams, finally, unity among friends is needed. Combined together, they can turn into true wealth!"
Fang Yuan tossed these gu worms into a pile, and they began glowing.
"Lad, the refinement mixture is unstable," the land spirit noted.
Fang Yuan frowned. He too, had noticed this. What was he missing?
He racked his brains, remembering that scene within his aperture that he was thinking of. What had Wang Tian done differently?
"Ah! One more ingredient is left - this is a Human Path gu worm. Meaning that an embodiment of the Human Path is needed to stabilize it as a catalyst," Fang Yuan said. He turned to Bai Ning Bing. "Ergo, the blood of one of the extreme physiques!"
Bai Ning Bing pricked her finger, a drop of her blood was added to the refinement mixture as it stabilized.
What emerged was a gu worm mentioned with The Legends of Ren Zu. Though, it was refined, in that story in a completely different manner and with a different recipe.
Rank 3 Wealth Gu! It shone like a pile of gold and diamonds, and could be used to substitute for any Rank 3 material - including the skin of the six-legged mountain goat!
"Lad, you truly have certain skills up your sleeve," the land spirit noted. "To have crafted an alternative recipe for Wealth Gu... you really are something!"
"Hmph, this was nothing special," Fang Yuan, who had copied the refinement technique from Wang Tian, said.
Gu worms oftentimes had multiple refinement recipes available. True, Ren Zu had his own way of refining Wealth Gu as per the story, but that didn't meant that other methods weren't possible - that was what Thieving Heaven had been saying when stating that the legends were not the end-all-be-all for the Human Path! An aspect of humanity was that it was constantly advancing, meaning an old legend couldn't have had everything that embodied humanity. Adding to this, the experience of Otherworldly Demons meant that the scope of the Human Path was constantly expanding!
Granted, Fang Yuan only had a recipe for Rank 3 Wealth Gu at the moment. As one advanced in the ranks, the difficulty of refining recipes would increase. Such was true even at the mortal level, as for trying to refine Immortal Wealth Gu, it was only a pipe dream for him at the moment.
Fang Yuan tossed Wealth Gu into the mixture as a substitute for the goat skin.
On the other side, Liu Nan's refinement mixture turned an ugly dark color as it exploded, ruining various refinement materials. There was no recovering from a loss that big.
Now, they had a fighting chance of being able to succeed!
All Fang Yuan had to do was succeed in this refinement, and he would win!
The Tian Ji blessed land would be his, and he would be able to reverse-refine the Spring Autumn Cicada successfully.
But right then...
Liu Nan's face darkened. "Fang Yuan - you and that frosty harlot you brought alongside yourself to this sham will never succeed!"
"Why you!" Bai Ning Bing snorted in anger, activating her gu worms, and launched an attack right at Liu Nan!
The onlookers were stunned as the land spirit waved his hand and the attack vanished mid-air, but the damage had been done.
"I told you no attacking the other contestants except in a sanctioned fight!" the land spirit yelled, stomping its feet angrily. "Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing, you're both disqualified from this tournament!"
Fang Yuan glared not at the land spirit, or at Liu Nan - but at Bai Ning Bing.
There was no way that she would lose her composure at an insult so easily.
Meaning there was only one explanation.
"Bai Ning Bing - you've betrayed me!?"