The Path of Immortality: Starts With Creating Water Bear Gu

Chapter 86: (1): Beginning the Creation of a Low-Grade Gu Recipe

Long Qilin smiled and said, "There are many ways to earn contribution points. The mission hall you just visited is one such method. As long as you complete one of the tasks there, you will earn the contribution points corresponding to that task."

"Half of those tasks are issued by the clan, while the other half are posted by individuals. Some tasks offer a lot of contribution points and are highly sought after, while others are stingy with points and have been sitting there for years without anyone taking them."

"If you're thinking of taking on a task, it's best to consult me first to avoid getting a bad deal or ending up with a task where the effort doesn't match the reward."

"In addition to doing tasks to earn contribution points, you can also participate in the Martial Hall's Hidden Dragon Ranking. The family periodically awards contribution points based on your rank, with higher-ranked talents earning more points."

"You can also go to the Gu Battle Arena to compete in the Gu King Ranking. Just like the Hidden Dragon Ranking, the higher your rank, the more contribution points you earn."

"All the major rankings are good places to earn contribution points, but the top spot is almost always dominated by that Long Ziyan!" Long Qilin sighed, clearly feeling the frustration of being second for a millennium.

"There are also periodic tasks, such as family competitions, various tournaments, and even wars, all of which are great opportunities to earn large amounts of contribution points."

Long Qilin quickly explained the methods of earning contribution points to Long Xuan.

Long Xuan frowned gradually. Taking various tasks at the mission hall wasn't worth mentioning—grinding tasks would waste too much time.

How long would it take him to earn 50 million contribution points? By the time he had enough, the Blood of the Golden Crow might have already been exchanged by someone else.

He also didn't want to participate in the various rankings. If he sent little white and Xiao Qing to the Gu Battle Arena, they would surely take first and second place in the Spirit Gathering Stage rankings.

But that would expose all his trump cards! How could he do something so foolish? He didn't want everyone to know that he had two peak-grade Gu insects!

Moreover, even if he did manage to take first place in many rankings, the 50 million contribution points he needed would still be a distant goal.

Although he didn't know exactly what 50 million contribution points meant within the Long family, the fact that the Blood of the Golden Crow had been there for so long without anyone exchanging it was enough to show how vast the amount of 50 million contribution points truly was.

If he proceeded step by step, no matter how hard he tried, it would take him a long time to accumulate 50 million contribution points.

Long Xuan grew thoroughly frustrated. He didn't want to wait. Every extra day he waited was another day the Blood of the Golden Crow could be exchanged by someone else.

So, he asked again, "Is there any way to earn 50 million contribution points all at once?"

Long Qilin opened his mouth, stunned. He thought to himself, "Is he crazy? Earning 50 million contribution points instantly—what a dream! Why not just give them to him directly?"

What kind of task could be worth 50 million contribution points? If there was such a good task, he would have taken it himself. Even if you sacrificed yourself for the family, you wouldn't come close to earning 50 million contribution points.

A 50 million contribution point task—he really dares to dream, and it's amazing that he can even think of it.

Wait a minute? There might actually be a task worth 50 million contribution points. Long Qilin suddenly paused, as if something had just come to mind.

He had a sudden flash of inspiration, thinking of a task that could instantly earn 50 million contribution points. But that task was not something a normal person could complete. He couldn’t possibly do it, and it was pointless to mention it.

However, he was just making conversation, so he casually mentioned this task.

"If you're asking about a task that can instantly earn 50 million contribution points, there is indeed one in the Long family. Moreover, it's a long-term task, a permanent one that has been included in the family rules."

Long Qilin revealed a mysterious smile. Seeing Long Xuan’s eager expression, he didn’t keep him in suspense and explained directly, "This permanent task is to design an exclusive Gu recipe for the family. Depending on the value of the recipe, the family will award anywhere from 100 contribution points to 100 million contribution points."

"The exact value of the Gu recipe is determined by a collective vote of all the elders, so no one can cheat."

"But don’t think that earning contribution points from this task is easy. Creating a Gu recipe can be either very easy or very difficult."

"I won't even mention the difficulty of creating a peak-grade Gu recipe—almost no one can do it, only non-humans might manage."

"But creating a low-grade Gu recipe is something anyone can do. A low-grade Gu recipe can be made with just a handful of materials. Even with just two materials, it’s possible to create a Gu by sheer luck."

"Even if you're unlucky, as long as you experiment enough times, you’ll eventually stumble upon a Gu recipe."

"That’s why the trend of creating Gu recipes is so popular among the Long family. Every month, the family receives dozens of submissions."

"But the term 'exclusive Gu recipe' doesn’t just mean unique; it has to be powerful and unique. Trash recipes won’t be labeled as exclusive Gu recipes."

"Most submissions are for Gu recipes made from single-digit or double-digit materials. Their combat power is too weak and practically useless, with no value for a blood contract."

"So, most of those who submit such recipes are given a token reward of 100 contribution points and the recipes are stored away, never to be used by the family. Those who rely on luck to create a Gu recipe are lucky to break even, but most end up losing a lot."

"So don’t even think about using this method to earn contribution points. There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Those who dream of getting rich by creating Gu recipes end up losing everything. You mustn’t follow that path."

Long Qilin kindly reminded Long Xuan as he looked into his eyes.

However, when he saw the terrifying brightness in Long Xuan's eyes, he couldn't help but frown.

Long Xuan quickly realized this and pretended to be frustrated, saying with disappointment, "There's actually a requirement for the strength of the Gu recipe. This is too difficult; I can't do it."

Although Long Xuan showed a very disappointed expression, he was secretly delighted, his heart pounding.

He had already understood that, to put it simply, if the Gu recipe you create is weak, you lose. If the Gu recipe you create is strong, then you can become wealthy.

Isn't it just creating a slightly stronger unique Gu recipe for the family? This is something he could easily do.

He didn't dare submit a peak-grade Gu recipe, but submitting a low-grade Gu recipe really didn't require much caution.

After all, anyone could create a low-tier Gu formula, and the Long family received dozens of newly created low-grade Gu recipe every month.

Creating a low-grade Gu recipe in this world isn't considered a noteworthy event. If he happened to come up with a powerful low-grade Gu recipe, people would just praise him for his good luck.

Creating a peak-grade Gu formula was very difficult for Long Xuan, but creating a low-grade Gu formula? That was almost too easy for him; it was as simple as using his hands.

This contribution value to him was like getting something for free, and not just once but an unlimited amount. Whenever he had time, he could come back and reap the benefits.

Before, he had no experience and didn't understand anything, wasting a long time crafting Gu recipe.

But now, things were different. His theoretical knowledge was extremely rich, and he had more experience in creating Gu recipe than anyone else.

If he were to create a peak-grade Gu formula, it might take him over a year.

But to create a low-grade Gu formula, it would only take a few materials, maybe dozens of materials at most. In half a month's time, at most, it could be done, and if he were lucky, he could produce a low-grade Gu formula in a day.

This contribution value to him was like a gift from the heavens, a great opportunity, like a pie falling from the sky, big enough to kill someone.

If he wanted, he could clear out this entire treasure trove.

However, although creating a low-grade Gu recipe wasn't a big deal, a low-grade Gu recipe was still too weak, so it's hard to say whether it could earn millions in contributions.

So Long Xuan had to ask again, "Since the contribution value is related to the strength of the Gu recipe, why do those people still enjoy researching Gu recipe that use fewer materials? Aren't they just waiting to lose?"

"Unless Gu recipe with fewer materials also have a great potential, otherwise, no one would do it."

Long Qilin unexpectedly glanced at him and praised, "You’re quite smart. You guessed correctly. Even researching a low-grade Gu recipe can have the chance to earn millions in contribution points. Sometimes, the value of an peak-grade Gu recipe in the eyes of the family’s top members is less than that of a low-grade Gu recipe."

"This is no exaggeration. The value of a Gu recipe is not only measured by its strength but also by its cost-effectiveness."

"If the cost is too high and the failure rate is too exaggerated, the value of the excellent Gu recipe is greatly reduced. Such an peak-grade Gu recipe, with a crafting cost that could bankrupt the family, is not favored by the family. Giving it a million contribution points would already be generous."

"Even if this peak-grade Gu is crafted, only an individual benefits, and it doesn’t significantly improve the overall strength of the family."

"So what if the peak-grade Gu worm is strong? Can its owner take on ten opponents at once? Even if they can take on ten, can they take on a hundred? A thousand?"

"If something happens to this person, all the massive resources invested by the family would be wasted, like chickens flying away and eggs being smashed."

"The family currently has fewer than a hundred experts in the Qi Marrow Cleansing stage, but there are ten thousand Gu cultivators in the Spirit Gathering stage. Most of them are very poor, unable to refine powerful Gu, and their strength is weak, offering little help to the family."

"But what if the family has a cheap and powerful Gu recipe that everyone can use? Such a Gu could rapidly arm the entire family, with everyone having one, and the overall strength of the family would instantly rise to a new level."

"So you must remember, for an individual, the best is definitely an peak-grade Gu recipe. But for a family, considering the overall interests of the family, the most helpful thing is not an peak-grade Gu formula."

"A family always needs a highly cost-effective Gu recipe that can be rapidly promoted and popularized throughout the clan, with everyone owning one."

"This long-term task’s contribution points are also judged mainly based on cost-effectiveness."

"That’s why those who submit Gu formulas prefer to research low-cost Gu formulas. The quantity of materials and the strength of the Gu formula are generally correlated, but it’s not an absolute rule."

"If you can research a highly cost-effective low-grade Gu formula, with just a few dozen spirit stones as the cost, but stronger than most Gu species in this world, and can be quickly popularized throughout the clan, with everyone owning one."

"Then a billion contribution points would be guaranteed, with no disputes."

Hearing this, Long Xuan couldn’t help but twitch his mouth. A Gu insect refined with just a few dozen spirit stones that is stronger than most Gu species in this world? Are they daydreaming in broad daylight? What are those top members even thinking! How could that be possible?

Of course, he also understood that Long Qilin might have used exaggerated rhetoric. It might not need to be that exaggerated, perhaps just being the strongest among low-grade Gu formulas, with a low cost, would be enough to earn tens of millions of contribution points.

For him, this was absolutely doable. Isn’t it just about challenging the limits of cost-effectiveness? To be honest, it’s far easier than creating an peak-grade Gu recipe.

Whichever material is the cheapest, just pick that one. How hard could it be? It’s too easy, as long as you have hands to do it.

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