Refining Gu Like a Master.
{Random Island of the Eastern Sea}
"It's strange how these Gu masters keep showing up on my doorstep, seeking to kill me," Chef Pride mused to himself. "But I suppose having hundreds of Gu as a mortal doesn't exactly help in keeping them at bay." He was in the middle of refining Gu, or as he called it, "making tasty bugs."
Suddenly, he heard a sharp knock on the door, and he instinctively reached for his sharpest knife with a heavy sigh. "If you're here for my famous bug soup, it'll cost you one primeval stone. But if you're here to steal, then leave now. Consider this your only warning!" He quickly grabbed a piece of coal and threw it into the fire beneath the pot.
When there was no response, Chef Pride crouched down, poised for an attack from any direction.
Slowly, the door creaked open.
Without hesitation, Chef Pride charged towards the intruder, but to his surprise, he found himself on his back, wondering what had just happened.
In walked a rank-5 Gu master. "When I washed up on this island after battling my rival Shen Wang, my intention was to wipe out this village. But then I smelled your soup," he explained.
"I must ask, how is a mortal able to refine Gu, and where is the inheritance for it?" the Gu master inquired.
Chef Pride slowly picked himself up, trying to maintain his composure, and dusted off his apron. He gestured for the Gu master to take a seat at the table while he added a few spices to his pot and tasted the broth before serving a bowl.
The Gu Master arched an eyebrow in suspicion but ultimately concluded that the mortal was merely attempting to gain his favor, especially given the tantalizing aroma wafting from the soup.
With calculated precision, Chef Pride served two bowls of soup, one for himself and one for the Gu Master. As he savored his meal, he took a seat at the table, inviting the Gu Master to join him.
The Gu Master observed Chef Pride's every move, remaining cautious even in the presence of a mere mortal. Vigilance had been his key to survival thus far.
After scrutinizing Chef Pride's every bite for a full minute, the Gu Master finally raised his spoon to sample the soup. Suddenly, without any warning, he collapsed to the ground, writhing in convulsions.
The Gu Master had been one step behind all along; the soup was not the source of the poison, but the very air he had been breathing in.
Unbeknownst to the Gu Master, Chef Pride had already crafted an antidote. Ironically, the cure was nestled within the soup that he had been so cautious of, but even if he had consumed it, he would have fallen prey to a different, slower-acting poison.
Chef Pride rose from his seat, retrieving his specially-crafted rank-5 Contact Small Explosion Gu. This Gu was a one-time-use weapon, and required no primeval essence to activate.
The first Contact Small Explosion Gu that Chef Pride had acquired was a rank-3 weapon, obtained from a rank-2 Gu Master. After meticulously preparing it, similar to the careful preparation of a puffer fish, he consumed it and immediately gained inspiration on numerous cost-effective methods of crafting one.
Chef Pride then dragged the gu master's unconscious body outside, taking several steps back before hurling the Gu at him. Upon impact, the gu master's defensive Gu sprang to action, but proved futile in the face of such overwhelming force.
As Chef Pride had learned, the higher one ascended in rank, the more likely they were to possess automatic defensive mechanisms. Just as the gu master had been a careful individual, Chef Pride remained vigilant and strategic in all of his actions.
Indeed, if Chef Pride had attempted to slay the gu master with a knife or other conventional weapon, the defensive Gu would likely have been triggered, resulting in a fatal counter-attack against him.
With the gu master disposed of, Chef Pride turned and walked back inside. He began detoxifying the poison he had knowingly consumed from the soup, taking a few pulls to counteract its effects.
Next, he retrieved a piece of paper bearing a unique illustration of the human body. Unlike traditional anatomical drawings, this one depicted the intricate network of Gu woven throughout the body, with various images of Gu imprinted upon the flesh.