Chapter 7: Readjusting Expectations
Hello, I hope you all are having a good day. :)
Here are today's questions:
1. Do you think Variant Humans can become Venerables?
2. What piece of text that authors put in fanfics is so unrealistic that it irritates you? - CreedFollower in the chapter-beginning discord channel
3. Which of the RI Fanfictions on Webnovel is your favorite? (there is only one correct answer)
the RI Fanfictions discord: https://discord.gg/pWNj4Ycvsd
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Zhao Wen's POV
Three days later...
After his failed attempt to break through to rank 3, Zhao Wen went to Elder Du to ensure that his failed attempt hadn't caused any permanent damage to his body's aperture.
His surprising request for a meeting had been granted, with Elder Du being confused about what Zhao Wen could want. Once the reason for the meeting was shared, Elder Du admonished Zhao Wen for his reckless attempt to reach rank 3 without anyone to supervise and guide him.
Elder Du instructed Zhao Wen to avoid using his primeval essence for a few days to let his aperture recover from the repeated abuse it had been subjected to during the past few days. Furthermore, Elder Du pulled some strings and made sure that Zhao Wen wouldn't receive any missions or tasks until the Ye caravan had returned to Ye Hu oasis.
With the ever-present heat or cold outside, Zhao Wen chose to spend the coming few days, when he was forbidden from using primeval essence, reading up on the area's history, Gu cultivation, and thinking about the implications of him being here.
Sitting quietly inside the library of Elder Du's Elder Tortoise House, Zhao Wen was slowly turning a page of the most popular book in the Five Regions and Two Heavens, the Legends of Ren Zu.
Zhao Wen was reading about Desolate Ancient Moon's desperate search for Success Gu on Cheng Bai Mountain.
As Zhao Wen read about Desolate Ancient Moon's search, he started to read aloud as he approached the end of the section:
"Despite Desolate Ancient Moon chanting 'me' continuously, some of the scars still remained on her. As they accumulated, these scars turned her into a monster.
She grew six heads, three arms, five tails, and looked like a centaur. She had sixteen legs, and some of her legs had soft fur, some had snake-like scales, some had sharp claws, some had tough hooves.
In the search for success, people often transform and become completely different.
But Desolate Ancient Moon also became much stronger because of this.
After going through so much, she had become several hundred times as strong as before. These rocks could no longer trouble her.
"Success, oh success, where in the world are you?" Her seven mouths opened together. Some were screaming, some were shouting, some were whispering while others were growling.
The more she failed, the more she desired success in her heart.
After her great effort, the number of unpicked rocks became fewer and fewer.
Eventually, when there were only two rocks left, Desolate Ancient Moon was stuck between two difficult choices.
Undeniably, among these two rocks, one was Success Gu, while the other was Failure Gu.
If she obtains Success Gu, that would be the best. But if she picked Failure Gu, then Desolate Ancient Moon would become completely lost; she would be in danger of dying.
Even if Desolate Ancient Moon became a monster, becoming so much stronger.
One step to heaven, one step to hell, what should she choose? Desolate Ancient Moon could not help but become hesitant.
"If I do not dare to take the next step for fear of failure, then I will never succeed! I am already so strong, success is a step away from me, even if I take Failure Gu, as long as I chant 'me,' I should be able to endure it, right?" Eventually, she mustered her courage and stretched out her palm, picking one of the rocks.
Unfortunately, she picked Failure Gu.
An unforeseen feeling of loss and self-doubt assaulted her.
"Me, me, me…"
Desolate Ancient Moon continued to chant 'me,' but her voice became softer. As her seven mouths stopped moving eventually, her expression turned into a daze.
She had fallen into endless perplexity; she had completely lost herself.
The biggest tragedy for a human is to lose your sense of self."
Reading that last line, Zhao Wen felt it resonate with him on a profound level. Who was Zhao Wen? He was a recently transmigrated otherworldly demon; it had been less than a week since he had arrived in this foreign but familiar world.
In other words, less than a week ago, he was living his life on Earth as Arthur Smith, going about his day-to-day life normally. Less than a week ago, the 27-year-old Arthur Smith was impaled by a metal rod while going to work.
He still remembered the feeling of having that piece of metal going through his shoulder blade, through his stomach, and out of his body near his pelvis.
"Losing oneself on the road to success…"
As he thought about this extract from the Legends of Ren Zu, the otherworldly demon sighed as he started to recall his last moments.
Smiling faintly, he muttered,
"Should I be grateful that my breakthrough attempt failed, showing me that I was treating this world too casually? Or should I lament my failure and restart my attempt now that I have more experience? This failure forced me to recall those memories… Sigh, it seems I am not as indifferent to life and death as I thought I was."
Looking back down at the extract from the Legends of Ren Zu, he smiled.
[Failure, oh failure, I might not have known you intimately during my early years on Earth, but you were truly biding your time, preparing to strike me down with a mighty blow. I worked so hard, dedicated so much of myself to achieving my dream, only for it to be shattered by a loose piece of metal.]
Recalling those last minutes, Zhao Wen shuddered. He never wanted to experience that pain again; he never wanted to experience the feeling of being propped up by something piercing his body.
Those last minutes while his mind still worked were the closest Zhao Wen had ever come to what he imagined hell would be. Even if this wasn't his original body, he could feel phantom pain all throughout his chest area.
Closing his eyes, Zhao Wen directed his attention to his aperture and started practicing a meditation technique he had learned from Phantom Fiend's inheritance.
This technique's purpose was to calm the Gu master by having him move his primeval essence around in increasingly elaborate ways. The idea was to have the Gu master completely focus on the primeval essence, expending the Gu master's will and thoughts to manipulate the essence.
By doing this, Zhao Wen was technically going against Elder Du's instructions to not touch his primeval essence sea, but Zhao Wen was confident this exercise would not cause any problems.
After exercising for some time, Zhao Wen had to stop as he became incapable of completing the following part of the exercise.
Having calmed down, Zhao Wen mused,
[This exercise is likely designed as a way to expend thoughts rapidly and as a training exercise for primeval essence manipulation. Perhaps it was created by a wisdom path Gu master? Well, it's not like the origin of this technique really matters; as long as it is effective, I will use it.]
Opening his eyes again, Zhao Wen contemplated his previous state.
[I might have developed some slight trauma regarding my death.]
Breathing in, Zhao Wen moved his attention back to his aperture, observing the Gu worms floating on the primeval essence sea.
[Thinking back on my selection of Turn Phantom Gu as my vital Gu, I wonder if this trauma is a leading cause for my decision?
I hold the inheritance of a unique and extraordinary Phantom path mortal expert, yet I decided to ignore his greatest achievement, Phantom Fiend Gu, and chose one of the most common Phantom Path Gu worms in existence, Turn Phantom Gu.]
Sighing, Zhao Wen concluded,
[Well, it is not like I can change my decision now. Turn Phantom is a good Gu worm, and with Phantom Fiend's inheritance holding the rank 4 recipe for it, I can use it all the way to rank 4 and beyond if I can trade for the rank 5 recipe with any of the super forces.]
Standing up from the table and approaching the shelves containing various scrolls and books, Zhao Wen thought,
[On the matter of future cultivation needs, I should probably create some kind of roadmap for my path to the immortal ranks.
I was reborn roughly 11,000 years before Fang Yuan's era. Though I am a mortal, I am fairly sure that Bo Qing, or Envoy Azure of Shadow Sect, should be roaming around the central continent at this time.
Because of this and because the Western Desert was mentioned so little in Reverend Insanity, there are basically no opportunities I can take advantage of while a mortal. One of the few opportunities I can take advantage of while a mortal is the recipes for the rank 2 to rank 4 liquor worms.]
Smiling faintly, Zhao Wen observed the two tiny silkworm-looking Gu that were swimming around in his aperture.
[Sure, I was told that it is frowned upon to take multiple Liquor Worms from the storage, but it was not forbidden. These two cute little things are the start of my attempt to refine Seven Fragrances Liquor Worm and eventually Nine Eyes Liquor Worm.]
Picking up a book recording the history of the Ye Clan's various branches, Zhao Wen walked back to the table and sat down to continue his research.
As he opened the book, he thought,
[In my past life on Earth, I realized my powerlessness. In front of natural disasters and human calamities, one man was truly insignificant. This is why we formed complex societies, to deal with the chaos of the physical world. Yet we humans still dream of wielding godlike powers, to split the sea and shatter mountains.]
With a growing smile, Zhao Wen looked out of the library's window, towards the blazing container of Rank 9 Fire Gu.
[This was but a dream for us on Earth. But here, in these Five Regions and Two Heavens, it is not a mere dream. Here, if I try my hardest, if I exploit every advantage, and if fortune favors me, I truly can split the sea and shatter the mountains. Here in this hellish world, I can truly be Me.]