2 **Chapter 2: Whispers of the Half Moon**

*Time Skip no Jutsu*

The tranquil breeze brushed gently against the shores of Fei Yu Island, carrying with it the salty fragrance of the Xuan Feng Bao Archipelago. Nestled within the archipelago's embrace, the island resembled a half-moon cradling the secrets of a world beyond. The harbor, a bustling hub of activity, mirrored the island's serenity, as fishing boats bobbed gracefully in the azure waters.

Amidst this picturesque haven, a lone figure stood in the heart of a martial arts training ground, the golden rays of the sun casting a warm glow upon the scene. Fei Yu Zhen Wei had been reborn into the Gu world a decade ago. His journey unfolded on the sands of Fei Yu Island, where he honed his skills under the watchful eye of a seasoned combat instructor.

As the sun climbed higher in the sky, the rhythmic clash of flesh against flesh echoed through the training grounds. Zhen Wei, now a young man, faced his hand-to-hand combat instructor in a rigorous sparring session. The mentor, a weathered mortal with sinewy muscles and a stern countenance, pushed Zhen Wei to his limits.

For two years, this dance of fists had unfolded, and the progress was evident. The instructor's movements were swift and calculated, a testament to the artistry of his teachings. Zhen Wei, however, found himself battered and bruised, his body a canvas painted with the marks of a relentless struggle for improvement.

The sea breeze carried the mingling scents of sweat and determination as Zhen Wei fought against the tide of his instructor's blows. Each punch and kick was a lesson, etching the principles of combat deep into his muscle memory. The half-moon island, witness to this relentless training, seemed to hold its breath in anticipation.

As the final clash resounded, Zhen Wei found himself on the sandy ground, defeated but not broken. The instructor extended a weathered hand, acknowledging the effort and growth his student had displayed. With a nod of approval, he spoke words of encouragement, words that echoed through the tranquil air like a promise of further revelations on the path to mastery.

The sun dipped towards the horizon, casting long shadows over the training grounds. Zhen Wei, with a determined glint in his eyes, rose from the sands, ready to face the challenges that awaited him beyond the serene shores of Fei Yu Island.

Zhen Wei made his way across the Island, on his way home he passed street vendors, residential buildings, and a few still-closed taverns. It is the middle of the day, and the streets are full of servants, haggling to get the best prices for their masters.

On his way home, the warm summer sun shines on Zhen Wei's face. It had been 2 years since he had begged his father to get him a combat instructor. In those 2 years, he could not remember the last time he did not have some bruise or cut. But he endured. Anything to get a head start on the other youths his age.

He bought some food that he ate on his way home. A habit he has developed over the years. As he got closer to his house, the buildings became bigger and nicer, just because he was coming closer to the center of the village. At a certain point, all houses were owned by Gu masters and their families.

Making his way into the living room of his home, which, although built from wood with a roof of straw like most houses in the Fei Yu clan, was still way above average. It is a big house, perhaps about 3 to 4 times as big as average, with an extraordinary two stories and a spacious yard.

"Hello, Father."

"Ah, Zhen Wei, you're back already. How was your training?"

"I am making good progress in adapting to the environment while fighting."

After the first year of training, his teacher has changed the environment of their training all the time. One week they are fighting on the beach, the next in the forest or even in the ocean. He said something about never knowing when and where a real fight would happen.

"Very well, I met Ge Zen earlier. He has taken a clan mission, so you will not have any theory lessons in the next two weeks."

Ge Zen is a rank 1 peak stage Gu Master that his father hired to teach him a lot of different topics, everything from reading and writing all the way to the most common Gu Worms and Materials that can be found around Fei Yu Island.

He does not have very high talent or strength, but he made a decent living just teaching the children some elders about common topics before the academy. It seemed he had just taken the yearly mandatory clan mission. Not something to worry about though, as Ge Zen is well connected and probably chose something low-risk like collecting some materials or assisting an elder.

"Ok, I will make sure to continue my studies on my own."

"I will call for you when dinner is ready."

"Thank you."

Making his way to his room, up the stairs, the first room on the right. It has a lot of room, about 30 square meters. It was tidy, almost a bit empty and had a lot of space, with just a bed, desk, a wardrobe as well as a small cabinet for his personal items.

As soon as he enters, he closes the door and makes his way over to his desk. He sits down and looks at his bookshelf. There are maybe 50 books in it; he has read them all. Some of them taught him new things, some just refreshed what he knew from the novel.

Pretty fast his eyes fall on the only two books he cares about, the legend of Ren Zu, as well as his private notebook.

Opening the notebook, like every day, he begins reviewing.

'Over the past 10 years, I have made good progress in keeping my mind active as well as training my body, to achieve my maximum potential in the awakening ceremony.'

'Additionally, I have managed to get some very useful pieces of information about this clan and my general situation. My father was, at my birth, a rank 2 peak stage gu master. 6 years ago he made the significant advancement to rank 3 beginning stage. With that, he has become a minor elder.'

'He has not made an advancement since, seems to have hit the limit of his potential. I do not think he will go much further with his 70% Aperture. But still, he has become stronger and more influential after upgrading his core set of Gu to Rank 3.'

'I say minor because the clan leader is the one and only rank 5 gu master in the clan. The real elders, the ones with the power are the 6 rank 4 gu masters of the clan. Each rank 4 Elder leads a Hall or has an important role in the Clan.'

'The first Elder controls the Treasury, Academy and protects the Spirit Springs.'

'The second Elder leads the Military Hall.'

'The third Elder leads the Refinement Hall.'

'The fourth Elder leads the Medical Hall.'

'The fifth Elder leads the Mission Hall.'

'And lastly, the sixth Elder does not lead a hall, and is not even in the clan all year because he leads the Clan's convoy of merchant ships.'

'My father, as one of the around 50 rank 3 Gu masters of the clan, is still an important figure. He is quite wealthy too, since he is part of the third Elder's refinement hall.'

'Anyways, so the Fei Yu clan is an apex existence in the Xuan Feng Bao Archipelago, since we have around 10,000 Gu Masters, hundreds of thousands of mortals, and control a whole medium-sized island with three Spirit Springs alone. But most importantly of all, for the past four generations, we have had at least one rank 5 Gu master at all times.'

'So in the Xuan Feng Bao Archipelago, there are only two clans equal to us, with dozens that are inferior. And most importantly, there are none that are superior, since my father personally heard from the clan leader in one of the annual clan meetings of all elders, that there are no immortals in any of the clans.'

'Now apart from my delightful family situation, there is an additional piece of information that is probably even more important than that.'

'I learned this at 6 years old, when my father took me out to the harbor to look around the merchant ships that arrive at Fei Yu Island twice a year. Now this was in the autumn, and it is of interest because this convoy of ships arrived on a holiday.'

'The ‚Pilfer Purge Fest' which is a worldwide day of festivities, that celebrates the disappearance of the Thieving Heaven Demon Venerable nearly a thousand years ago.'

'Now, why is this important? Well, because it tells me what time it is, of course.'

'It tells me that Giant Sun, Spectral Soul, Paradise Earth, and Fang Yuan have not yet existed.'

'Which opens up a lot of possibilities for choosing a path to cultivate. It also tells me a lot…'

'Like how variant humans still partly exist in the main Gu World, and not just in the Apertures of Gu Immortals. It also tells me that Long Haired Ancestor, who at this point is a Supreme Grandmaster of Refinement Path, and owes Thieving Heaven. Which I could take advantage of since I am anotherworldly demon.'

'Or how I do not have to wait for the Sovereign Immortal Aperture Gu…. Because it will still be anywhere from 150,000 to 300,000 years before Fang Yuan will even be born.'

'It also tells me that for example, Treasure Yellow Heaven already exists… '

'It truly is, as they say, information is king.'

'Now I know that I will be 15 in 5 years, and the clan has an awakening ceremony four times a year, for everyone that reached the age of 15 in the last 3 months. I also know that this clan has no defining Path that it is famous for. The most popular path with maybe around 20% - 30% of people in the clan using it is Water Path.'

'Which should come to the surprise of absolutely nobody, as this is the Eastern Sea. But the other 70% to 80% are pretty spread apart. With the more used ones, really depending on the environment of the Eastern Sea, like Wind Path or Cloud Path.'

'This is good news for me because, nobody will care if I choose a more exotic path.'

'So now I think it is time for me to choose a path, or at least narrow down the options, so I know where to even start.'

'Well, let me get an overview of the options first.'

'Alphabetically that would give me:'

*Blade Path*

*Blood Path*

*Bone Path*

*Cloud Path*

*Dark Path*

*Dream Path*

*Earth Path*

*Emotion Path*

*Enchantment Path*

*Enslavement Path*

*Fire Path*

*Food Path*

*Formation Path*

*Heaven Path*

*Human Path*

*Ice Path*

*Illusion Path*

*Information Path*

*Killing Path*

*Light Path*

*Lightning Path*

*Luck Path*

*Metal Path*

*Moon Path*

*Painting Path*

*Phantom Path*

*Pill Path*

*Poison Path*

*Qi Path*

*Refinement Path*

*Restriction Path*

*Rule Path*

*Shadow Path*

*Snow Path*

*Soul Path*

*Sound Path*

*Space Path*

*Star Path*

*Strength Path*

*Sword Path*

*Theft Path*

*Time Path*

*Transformation Path*

*Water Path*

*Weapon Path*

*Wind Path*

*Wisdom Path*

*Wood Path*

Writing the last one down, i shook my head and exhaled.

„Pfff…. These should be all known paths, now of course I always have the option to invent my own like a lot of Venerables have done in the past."

1977 words