The Path of Immortality: Starts With Creating Water Bear Gu

Chapter 49: An Encounter with the Great-Uncle

Long Xuan hurried to the large wine jar, gently pushing aside the lid. Instantly, an adorable little white snake appeared in his sight.

This little white snake was significantly larger than before, but the wine in the jar was completely gone. At this moment, the little white snake was curled up in the center of the jar, sleeping soundly, and Long Xuan could even hear its faint snores.

Although it was still asleep, seemingly not yet sober, Long Xuan was overjoyed.

The progress on the little white snake's head had changed, now showing [0.00000%].

Gu insects follow a different growth system. When a spiritual insect transforms into a Gu insect, the progress resets to zero, indicating that it has completely transformed into a Gu insect.

However, the distilled liquor was too potent, and it still hadn't sobered up.

But that was a good thing.

Taking advantage of its deep sleep, Long Xuan sneakily dropped a blood droplet on its head, immediately establishing a blood contract with it.

Soon, through the blood contract, Long Xuan learned of its abilities.

The wine insect would acquire different abilities depending on the quality of the wine it consumed—the better the wine, the stronger the abilities.

Long Xuan’s self-created four-flavor wine—sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy—was of the highest quality. The abilities the wine insect gained from this wine could not be simple. Although Long Xuan had already prepared himself for strong abilities, he was still shocked by the wine insect’s powers.

The little white snake carried domain abilities.

A domain, essentially, makes one invincible within its range; it is the most formidable ability.

Domain abilities are exclusive to peak-grade Gu insects and are extremely rare even among them. Lower-grade Gu insects can never possess domain abilities.

Not only did the little white snake carry a domain, but it carried two domains at once.

Historically, no Gu insect had ever carried two domains. Long Xuan’s wine Gu was the first, setting a historical precedent.

The reason for this, Long Xuan attributed to the distilled liquor. Unlike traditional wine-making methods for Gu insects, he used distilled liquor.

With no other explanation, it seemed his innovative wine-making method was indeed correct. Long Xuan's eyes sparkled with excitement.

The two domains the little white snake carried were the Slow Domain and the Speed Domain.

As the names suggest, the Slow Domain slows down opponents within its range, while the Speed Domain accelerates allies and the user.

These two domains can be activated simultaneously, slowing opponents and speeding up oneself—a clear advantage in battle.

Do not underestimate this ability. The slow domain was already the ceiling of combat power in the novel in the previous life, and with the Speed Domain, the little white snake directly exceeds the standard.

Ecstatic, Long Xuan hurriedly picked up the little white snake, cherished it for a while, and then placed it into his insect-rearing pouch.

The insect-rearing pouch was dark, silent, devoid of spiritual energy, and had stale air—not a comfortable place to stay.

But Long Xuan had no better option. Carrying a peak-grade Gu insect openly would be unwise, as the entire market did not have a single peak-grade Gu insect. The little white snake was invincible from birth.

There are spatial treasures in this world that have their own realms, but Long Xuan had never seen one. He couldn’t obtain one anytime soon, so he had to temporarily inconvenience the little white snake.

After refining the wine Gu, Long Xuan felt great. He shaved his beard and finally stepped out of his long-neglected small house. After being cooped up at home for so long, he was ready to see the outside world.

He planned to relax, stretch his muscles, and visit the market to see if he could find some millennium ice essence.

Speaking of the millennium ice essence, it exhausted him.

Anything over a thousand years old is incredibly difficult to find.

For years, after creating the formula for the Divine ice Flame, he had been unable to find the primary ingredient, the millennium ice essence. Despite his immense wealth from auctioning off the fossil vein location and having gathered all other materials for the Divine ice Flame, he couldn’t find any trace of the millennium ice essence.

The Divine ice Flame not only greatly aids in alchemy but also significantly boosts combat power, potentially surpassing Gu insects in destructive power.

Long Xuan had long yearned to witness the flame that could emit cold air, as described in novels. After being stuck for so many years, how could he not be anxious?

Although Long Xuan hadn’t been to the far west market in years, his clone frequently visited, collecting various materials for him. Thus, Long Xuan was still very familiar with the market despite the years that had passed.

As soon as he arrived, he eagerly began browsing the stalls, inquiring about any trade fairs or auctions.

But he was soon disappointed. There were no auctions or trade fairs, and the stalls lacked any decent treasures. He found nothing valuable, let alone the elusive millennium ice essence.

This is why he always created Gu formulas after obtaining peak-tier materials. This materials were extremely difficult to find. If he made the formula first, he might never find the materials, potentially wasting years or even a lifetime.

After another round of browsing with no success, Long Xuan was about to leave when a muscular man approached, sniffing the air around him. The man’s eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, “Good wine!”

Long Xuan sniffed his own clothes but couldn’t detect any wine scent.

He was meticulous about his appearance, shaving, bathing, and changing clothes before leaving. How could this man smell wine?

“Stop sniffing. I have an animal Gu with canine senses. Scents are hard to eliminate completely. Humans can’t smell it, but dogs can.”

The man gave a smug smile and continued, “What a fine wine! I’ve never smelled such a delightful aroma in my life. It must be a newly created unique brew.”

“I pride myself on my tasting skills. Let me taste your wine, and I might offer you some valuable advice.”

Hearing this, Long Xuan widened his eyes in disbelief. Did he hear correctly? Someone wanted to taste his wine? Did he need such help? This man was just looking for a free drink! How thick-skinned!

But Long Xuan didn’t dare voice his thoughts. The man’s aura suggested he was at the peak of marrow cleansing, far beyond what Long Xuan could contend with.

However, the man’s gaze was kind, reassuring Long Xuan slightly. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the man’s look was like an elder admiring a talented junior.

Ignoring this odd feeling, Long Xuan cautiously asked, “I am an apprentice under Elder Long Lao. May I know who you are?”

Long Xuan invoked a protective charm, leveraging his alchemist status, which was not to be trifled with. He hoped mentioning Elder Long Lao would deter any rash actions, as Long Lao's reputation was formidable in the market.