As Zhou Ming stepped into the market, he finally experienced the feeling of being revered and looked up to by others (excluding the plot worlds). Rank 4 cultivation was a mark of expertise among Gu cultivators, allowing one to dominate the mundane world.

Although Zhou Ming was only at Rank 2, as long as he disguised himself well without revealing any flaws, he could continue to show off.

Ignoring the gazes of the people around him, Zhou Ming made an effort to maintain a cold and indifferent demeanor as he entered the largest store in the market.

"Respected sir, welcome to our humble shop! Please come in, please come in!"

The shop owner, who Zhou Ming hadn't seen during his previous visit, personally came out to greet him.

"I have several precious Gu worms in my possession to sell," Zhou Ming straightforwardly stated.

Before coming here, he deliberately made his voice hoarse (physical means), which now sounded somewhat unpleasant.

However, the shop owner didn't mind and his eyes lit up. He extended his hand in a welcoming gesture, saying, "Please, upstairs!"

Zhou Ming could feel the old man continuously observing him, but he didn't use any Gu worms, so he followed him.

His disguising techniques were not sophisticated, and anyone with a discerning eye using Gu worms would undoubtedly see through his true appearance.

However, his current identity as a Rank 4 Gu cultivator meant that no one would risk offending a Rank 4 Gu cultivator by rashly using Gu worms to investigate someone's secrets.

The two of them went up to a refined private room on the third floor, and Zhou Ming wasted no time. He directly took out ten Red Steel Relic Gu worms.

"Just Red Steel Relic Gu worms... Wait, ten of them?"

To this Rank 3 expert shop owner, Rank 2 Red Steel Relic Gu worms, though precious, were not rare.

As the owner of this shop, he dealt with countless Gu worms every day, with daily transactions worth tens or even hundreds of million primeval stones. A Red Steel Relic Gu worm was only worth 8,000 primeval stones, so what did it matter?

However, being able to produce ten Red Steel Relic Gu worms all at once was indeed uncommon.

Red Steel Relic Gu worms were natural Gu worms that current Gu cultivators were unable to refine. They relied solely on capturing them in the wild.

The significance behind the ten Red Steel Relic Gu worms and the identity of the mysterious Rank 4 Gu cultivator in front of him were the reasons why the shop owner was pondering deeply.

At this moment, Zhou Ming spoke.

"For now, let's trade these. It's our first cooperation, so let's start with an appetizer."

"If the cooperation goes well, I will bring more Gu worms next time."

Upon hearing this, the shop owner's heart skipped a beat, and he put on a friendly smile, saying, "Respected guest, the usual price for Red Steel Relic Gu worms is around 7,500 primeval stones. But since it's you, you definitely can't be treated like everyone else. How about 7,800 primeval stones?"

"Alright," Zhou Ming nodded and handed over the ten Red Steel Relic Gu worms to the shop owner.

The shop owner put away the Gu worms and was about to instruct someone to fetch the primeval stones when Zhou Ming stopped him.

"No rush, I also want to buy some other Gu worms."

Zhou Ming asked, "Do you have any Gu worms here that can stabilize the aperture?"

The shop owner pondered for a moment and said, "Gu worms that stabilize the aperture are mostly used for repairing damaged apertures of Gu cultivators. These Gu worms themselves are relatively rare, and we don't have many in the shop."

Then, the shop owner listed the names of several Gu worms.

Zhou Ming listened but frowned slightly because none of these Gu worms met his requirements.

"Are these Gu worms all in stock at your shop? If I can wait, can you arrange to bring more Gu worms from elsewhere?"

The shop owner relaxed his expression and smiled, saying, "Of course."

He listed a large number of Gu worms once again, and this time, Zhou Ming heard the name of the Rock Aperture Gu worm among them.

In addition, there were a few other Gu worms that met Zhou Ming's requirements but had different effects.

In the end, Zhou Ming made his selection, choosing three Gu worms, including the Rock Aperture Gu worm.

"Rest assured, these three Gu worms will be available within seven days."

"Alright," Zhou Ming nodded and inquired about other Gu worms, such as the Yin-Yang Transformation Gu, which were highly cherished Gu worms. The shop owner couldn't obtain them from the main store.

However, there were a few Gu worms that could lower aptitude, which Zhou Ming reserved and agreed to come back to collect them in seven days.

After discussing these matters, Zhou Ming began asking about various Rank 1 and Rank 2 Gu worms in the shop.

"I've been researching new Gu worm formulas recently and need various types of Gu worms. I thought I could purchase a batch from you."

Zhou Ming came up with a random reason, and whether the shop owner believed it or not didn't matter. It was enough for him to appear convinced on the surface.

As a result, Zhou Ming quickly purchased a large batch of Gu worms, and the 78,000 primeval stones from the sale of the ten Red Steel Relic Gu worms were spent before he even received them.

Initially, the shop owner had intended to use the money as a deposit for the reserved Gu worms. However, when he saw Zhou Ming spending all the money at once without mentioning anything about a deposit, and considering Zhou Ming's mention of "big business," he ultimately didn't ask for a deposit.

With all the primeval stones spent, Zhou Ming left the shop empty-handed and hurried back to his family.

He made quite a harvest this time, acquiring seventeen Rank 1 Gu worms, twenty-three Rank 2 Gu worms, and sixteen Rank 3 Gu worms.

Among these Gu worms, there were consumption-type Gu worms as well as ordinary ones. If they were all consumption-type, he could have bought even more Gu worms.

Unfortunately, after Zhou Ming's previous sweeping of the market during his rest period, there weren't many Rank 1 and Rank 2 consumption-type Gu worms left to be found.

So Zhou Ming had to mix in other purchases. Fortunately, the business of reselling Gu worms was currently his exclusive venture, and no matter how he went about it, he would make a profit.

After being away for several days and returning to the family (although it was just a day in the Gu world), Zhou Ming couldn't help but feel a slight wave of emotions.

"Zhou Hao and the others haven't come back yet." Zhou Ming visited the living quarters of his teammates from the same squad, knowing that they couldn't have returned so soon, but he still felt a sense of inexplicable loss.

He would have to leave the family sooner or later, or rather, the day of leaving the family was not far away.

It had been over a month since he broke through to the peak of Rank 2, and with his current 99.9% aptitude, he would undoubtedly advance to Rank 3 within half a month.

When that time came, if he truly became a Ten Extreme Physique, he would have to consider leaving the family and heading to a more prosperous place to find a solution to the Ten Extreme Physique problem.

From the moment his aptitude reached 99%, Zhou Ming understood that all his plans had been disrupted. The path of silently developing within the family and becoming the Sword God of Tenth Mile Slope was no longer viable.

After leaving the family, Zhou Ming might find it difficult to have another opportunity to meet these friends who had risked their lives together.

"All gatherings must come to an end, and joys and sorrows in this world are bound to part ways. It is what it is, nothing more."

Returning to his own residence, Zhou Ming gently closed the door, as if shutting out the entire world along with his feelings of melancholy.

His expression became serene once again, and his thoughts regained their calmness.

"Let's return to the main god space!"

With the increase in his strength, Zhou Ming now needed two thousand reward points for a round trip, but at the same time, he received many more reward points than before.

The scene before him changed, and the familiar main god's radiant sphere appeared once again in front of him.