5 Chapter 5: Proposal of the Second Supreme Elder
Hello, author here. I hope you all are having a good day :)
Here are today´s questions:
1. How large is the population of immortals in the Gu world?
2. Who is your favorite Venerable?
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Zhao Wen POV
Listening to Elder Du explain the proposal of the Second Supreme Elder, Zhao Wen frowned as he considered the implications.
"So, to summarize, the Second Supreme Elder wants to adopt me and raise me as his adopted son? In exchange for the rights to my parents' legacy, I will be personally taught by the Second Supreme Elder and receive his backing?"
After Zhao Wen summarized, Elder Du nodded before saying, "That is indeed the essence of the proposal. Brat, you truly are lucky. Old Man Han only has daughters, and out of them, only Young Miss Han Ning has any cultivation talent. You will be the heir of a powerful Rank 4 Gu Master, and all you need to do is marry one of his mortal daughters or granddaughters."
Upon hearing Elder Du's confirmation, Zhao Wen could only curse his situation internally.
When he received the summons to this meeting, Zhao Wen had worried that it was about the Inheritance of Phantom Fiend, a Rank 4 upper-stage Gu Master who cultivated the Phantom path.
Right after his arrival in the Gu world, he found the inheritance partially buried in the sand next to the body he had been transmigrated into. After taking stock of the situation, he had wandered around the desert until he had been found by a patrol from the Ye clan's caravan that recognized the body he inhabited. He had then been hurried to the caravan's healing Gu Masters.
While the damage done to the body and to the aperture was healing, he had been researching his new surroundings. From asking careful questions and reading various texts, Zhao Wen had roughly figured out the situation he found himself in.
The body he occupied was that of Ye Zhao Wen, a strength path Gu Master from the Western Deserts Ye Clan, a high-tier subsidiary force of one of the Western Desert super forces, Fang Clan.
Ye Zhao Wen was the child of two Rank 3 Ye clan elders who jointly managed the Judgment Hall. Ye Zhao Ping, Zhao Wen's father, was the leader of the clan's internal security forces, while Ye Jia Shui, Zhao Wen's mother, was the leader of the investigation team.
Together, the couple constituted an important political force inside the Ye Clan, with their opinion being crucial to the passing of any major decisions within the clan.
However, now the lineage of Zhao Wen had become a hidden threat waiting to strike him down. With the death of Elder Zhao and Elder Jia, Zhao Wen now technically became the owner of two Rank 3 inheritances and the various businesses the two had been maintaining. He was like a young child walking into a camp filled with bandits carrying gold bars.
[To think that only three days into my transmigration I am being coerced into a marriage. How am I supposed to say no to this? It's clear that if I want to develop in the Ye Clan, I will need to agree to this. F*#%! Can't I have a peaceful first few weeks?]
Seeing Elder Du's expectant look, Zhao Wen finally responded.
"I... I accept Supreme Elder Han's offer. Once we reach Ye Hu Oasis, I will join the Han branch."
These sorts of deals were how the righteous path handled internal conflicts. By having Zhao Wen marry into the Han branch, Supreme Elder Han was securing the assets of some of the most important leaders of the clan, and he was getting a talented heir to hold the fort while his grandchildren were growing up. And for Zhao Wen, although this deal would strip him of his parents' assets, it would give him what he desperately needed: backing.
Smiling, Elder Du responded, "Wonderful! Then, Young Master Zhao, I will send a letter to Supreme Elder Han informing him that he has a new son."
After saying this, Elder Du paused before saying happily,
"Oh, and before I forget, this is compensation from the clan for your loss. Take this token to the guards of the Gu cart. You can go and pick out five Rank 2 Gu worms of your choice. And this is condolences from Supreme Elder Han for your loss."
Saying this, Elder Du handed Zhao Wen a token, and after that, he pulled out a glowing red orb from his aperture.
Looking at the orb, Zhao Wen asked, "Is this..."
Hearing Zhao Wen's uncertain tone, Elder Du confirmed, "Yes, that is a Red Steel Relic Gu. Don't worry, Young Master Zhao, we won't let your unfortunate accident stall your cultivation for long."
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Exiting the Elder Tortoise house, Zhao Wen could feel a complicated mix of emotions.
"I don't like this feeling," he whispered as he walked towards his Tortoise house.
Zhao Wen knew that he was being used; it was not a new feeling. He had felt the same feeling in his previous life, but this time, it was different...
[That's right, I am no longer a powerless mortal; I am in the Gu world. This is a place where an individual can suppress the collective and determine the direction of an era. I know that if my cultivation was higher, if I knew some important method, then I could ignore these schemes. If I was an immortal, I could destroy the entirety of the Ye clan with a casual attack; if I was a venerable, I could shatter the desert, creating a void in its place.]
Reaching the foot of his Tortoise house, Zhao Wen jumped, and his enhanced body propelled him up to the entrance. Entering the Gu house, he sighed, thinking.
[The original cultivated the Strength path and enhanced his body with multiple Gu. This body still has the foundation to walk the strength path. All I would need is a set of Gu worms, and after I get used to them, I would gain Rank 2 peak stage battle strength. The problem is... I don't have any Strength path Gu worms or inheritance past Rank 3.
The Ye Clan specializes in the Wind and Soul paths, having multiple Rank 3 and some Rank 4 Gu worms of those paths. If I choose to continue cultivating the Strength path, I will either need to create my own Strength path Gu for Rank 4-5 or leave the clan in search of Strength path Gu.]
Entering his quarters, Zhao Wen closed the door and sat down to contemplate.
[Compiling the paths that I can realistically cultivate in my current environment are: Strength, Emotion, Wind, Soul, and Phantom Paths.]
Out of these options, Emotion Path is the least developed, with only the inheritance of this body's mother having any information on it. At best, it might contain a few Rank three recipes and some Rank 2 Gu. I can probably expect to break through to Rank 3 soon, and then I would have problems finding a complete set of Gu worms.
Wind Path, being the traditional path of the Ye Clan, has a multitude of Rank 1-3 Gu recipes and Gu worms available in the clan. However, for Rank 3-4, the popularity of Wind Path becomes a problem, as the majority of elders cultivate Wind Path.
Soul Path had been a recent addition to the Ye Clan, with the previous Clan leader finding a Rank 5 soul path inheritance and cultivating an elite force of Soul Path Gu masters. The path had become a mainstay of the Ye Clan.
Phantom Path was almost completely unknown to the Ye Clan, with only their overlord, the Fang Clan, having any Phantom Path Gu. The only reason Phantom Path was even an option was Phantom Fiend's Inheritance. With its set of Rank 3 and Rank 4 Gu, together with the information about refinement recipes and cultivation methods, it was probably the best choice for Zhao Wen if he wanted to reach Rank 4 quickly.
[Hmmm, Emotion Path, while powerful and tempting, is not likely to allow me to reach Rank 5 and beyond. I would still appreciate the inheritance, but even if I get it, I would only use Emotion Path as a supplementary Path.
The same is also true with Strength Path, although the original cultivated Strength path and this body already has Strength path foundation. Strength path does not have good prospects for the immortal realms. I can continue to cultivate it as a supplementary path, but I won't become a Strength path Gu master. Perhaps this is my bias showing, but now that I am in a world filled with supernatural powers, I don't want to become a brute fighting with his body.
As for Wind Path… the controllers of the Wind path inheritance are the Chen Branch of the Ye Clan. Apparently, they are the chief rival of the Han Branch, and now that I will be joining them, I doubt the Chen Branch would be willing to share the best Gu Worms and techniques with me.
Soul Path has a similar problem, though not as severe. It is controlled by the Xie Branch, the current branch holding the position of clan leader. The problem is that the original Zhao Wen humiliated and nearly crippled the second son of the clan leader, Ye Xie Lian, during their time in the academy.
I presume the marriage of Ye Xie Lian to Ye Han Ning, the only Gu master daughter of Supreme Elder Han that was announced shortly after that incident, is part of the reason. Sigh, if I want to cultivate Soul path, I should do so once I have cleared out any enmity the original Zhao Wen left behind.]
Shifting his attention to his secluded domain, Zhao Wen pushed out the Phantom Vault Gu.
[Until I find a better inheritance or I become unable to progress, I will cultivate Phantom Path. It should allow me to reach Rank 4 before the lack of Gu refinement recipes becomes a hindrance.]
Once Zhao Wen had made up his mind, he started to inspect the Gu that would be his companions for the foreseeable future. However, as he inspected the Phantom Vault Gu, he frowned.
[Why is my will inside the Gu damaged? I'm sure it was larger when I refined the Gu a few hours ago?]
Frowning as he observed the Gu worm, Zhao Wen's eyes suddenly brightened as he connected the dots.
[The original refinement! I remember the Will of Phantom Fiend was surprisingly weak, and now this… an effect of my Secluded domain must be to weaken wills! What about the other Gu? I see! The will inside them is also damaged but to a lesser degree. Perhaps Phantom Vault Gu shielded them and took most of the pressure?]
Experimenting with the secluded domain, Zhao Wen discovered some of its properties.
When he was holding a Gu Worm or had it in his aperture and focused on it with the intent of absorbing or consuming the Gu Worm, the Secluded Domain would pull the Gu into itself.
Once a Gu Worm had entered, the will inside the Gu would start dissolving, with the speed depending on how far inside the secluded domain the Gu worm was.
[This is as far as I am willing to experiment with these Gu Worms. I still need to learn what happens once the Will of a Gu is gone, but I don't want to use these Gu as test subjects. Now that I have already decided to walk the Phantom Path I can´t be using these critical Gu for experiments like these.]
looking at the Gu worms in front of him Zhao Wen contemplated
[Turn Phantom Gu, Phantom Vault Gu, Amplify Effect Gu, Condense Phantom Gu, Phantom Fiend Gu and Phantom Steps Gu. Which of these Gu should I make into my Vital Gu?]
