8 Chapter 8 Theoretically

From Xuanyuan's meagre comprehension on the Wisdom Path, he knew that the Wisdom Path consisted of three major schools and that the vast majority of Wisdom Path Gu usually fell into one of these three schools.

They were Wills, Thoughts and Emotions.

Leaving aside Wills and Emotions, Thoughts, could be used to discern truths using only a minimal amount information. They could produce numerous different types of Thoughts associated with a particular field, and use those Thoughts to deduce something hidden from them.

Some types of Thoughts were more suitable for different topics.

Star Thoughts. Battle Thoughts. Space Thoughts. Empty Thoughts. Lightning Thoughts.

These were just some examples of different types of Thoughts, and Wisdom Path Gu Masters usually specialized in a particular field, perhaps limiting themselves to one or two different types of thoughts.

Star Thoughts excelled in deductions, producing numerous different thoughts at once. Battle Thoughts could imbue an ally with thoughts related to battle and warfare, increasing their awareness and combat potential. Lightning Thoughts were extraordinarily fast, speeding up the thinking process of a Gu Master by several fold.

But... Shadows As Thoughts Gu... now that was something slightly different.

Xuanyuan rubbed his temples a little, reducing the pain Shadows As Thoughts Gu caused by a not so small amount.

"Shadows As Thoughts Gu can transform shadows into thoughts. Or at least create a connection between a shadow and the Gu Masters mind. If the former is true, then information contained within a shadow is transformed into thoughts. While, if the latter is true, then the Gu Master and their shadow both produce thoughts simultaneously, the Gu Master receiving all of the created thoughts".

One meant that information within a shadow could be potentially extracted. While the other essentially created thoughts from a shadow, although, Xuanyuan assumed it would be limited to only knowledge that the Gu Master was familiar with.

To Xuanyuan, Shadow Thoughts were numerous in number and trying to focus on just a single shadow was like trying to capture mist in the hands. They were illusory, and a reflection of an actual thought.

However, it didn't make them any less real than actual thoughts.

Shadows were reflections of living beings. They experience everything that a living creature experiences, and grow alongside them. Shadows were born from a combination of the Dark Path and the Light Path, however, they were significantly more alive than either Path.

'If a shadow could produce thoughts, or, if a shadow could become thoughts, then what would it tell us? A shadow is a reflection of a living creature, then surely it would know everything about them? Every dirty little secret, every piece of knowledge, every single piece of understanding and comprehension... They experience everything we do after all...'.

It was a twisted way of looking at things, but Xuanyuan could feel a deep churning within the depths of his mind. His own understandings of shadows were slowly progressing. Even if they were unfounded, the theory was enough for him to start building the foundations of something great.

'Little shadow... you can create a connection between my shadow and my mind right? In doing so, you can send Shadow Thoughts about the things I am thinking about right?'.

Xuanyuan watched as his shadow gave him a thumbs up, nodding its own head vigorously.

'Is it possible for you to send a single Shadow Thought to me? Just a tiny one if possible?'.

His shadow tapped its chin for a moment, before a faint shadowy wisp appeared in Xuanyuan's mind.

'The air in Old Luo's place is much nicer to breathe than this old shack'.

Xuanyuan's breathing paused for a moment, and his mouth unconsciously opened.

"You can create opinions and not just questions? Then what happened last time in Senior Sister Xi's classroom? And before when I was asking you about Heaven Path and Human Path?'.

His shadow nodded, sending him another Shadow Thought. The tone of the Shadow Thought distinctly apologetic.

'I was only trying to help you the last couple times figure out what you wanted'. 

The response caused Xuanyuan to frown a little.

'Actually that makes sense. I was thinking about questions relating to the limits of Shadow Path. Little shadow must've tried to help, sending me his own Shadow Thoughts to multiply the number of questions I had...'.

The nature of Shadows As Thought Gu was slowly being revealed to Xuanyuan.

Considering that Shadows As Thought Gu was significantly stronger than anything that Xuanyuan could withstand currently, it was more than likely a Rank 5 Gu. If it was a Rank 6 Shadows As Thought Immortal Gu, Xuanyuan was sure that the number of Shadow Thoughts it would produce would be enough to overwhelm his consciousness and potentially break his mind.

Shadows As Thought Gu was also one of the rare Gu which do not rely on a Gu Masters primeval essence. It instead relies on something else, in this instance, Xuanyuan's Shadow Otherworldly Dao Marks. 

Shadows As Thought Gu itself was attracted to Xuanyuan's Otherworldly Dao Marks. It made the most sense that it would draw power from them.

Although it could draw its strength from them, considering Xuanyuan's cultivation, his mind would most likely break before it could fully highlight its strength. The sheer number of Shadow Thoughts that Shadows As Thought Gu could produce was immense, especially to a Rank 1 Gu Master.

However, given the nature of shadows, Shadows As Thought Gu was significantly more... communicative than other Gu. It had currently taken residence within Xuanyuan's shadow and was using it to send Shadow Thoughts to him.

The uniqueness of Shadows As Thought Gu was what made it so powerful to Xuanyuan.

"If any other Path had a similar Gu... Flame As Thought Gu, Sword As Thought Gu, even something like Time As Thought Gu. They wouldn't be as communicative, nor as versatile as Shadows As Thought Gu. Perhaps something like Soul As Thought Gu, or Blood As Thought Gu might possess similar qualities but...".

The shadow was a reflection of all living beings. Xuanyuan's own shadow was a reflection of himself. And now this reflection had become somewhat... sentient.

Xuanyuan narrowed his brows for a moment, scratching the top of his head.

"Although... I wasn't planning on walking the Wisdom Path. But with Shadows As Thought Gu, I might have to change that".

If Xuanyuan wanted to make the most of Shadows As Thought Gu, having an understanding of Wisdom Path would only propel his comprehensions and understandings of the Gu further. 

Picking a sub-path this early was a little too eager in his opinion, but it was always possible to change it to something else. Picking a sub-path based on a single Gu was a little pre-emptive anyways.

Xuanyuan let out a loud sigh, sitting up from his bed and grabbing his shoes. He had spent enough time in Long Xi's apartment, and his grasp over Shadows As Thought Gu was enough to prevent himself from activating it by accident again.

'Little shadow, don't produce Shadow Thoughts unless I need them okay? I might need them later though, is that alright?'.

Xuanyuan felt a wisp of black flicker in his shadow for a moment before a thought appeared in his mind.

'Just don't forget about me!'.

Xuanyuan suppressed a smile, hearing the thought.

Stretching his limbs a little bit, Xuanyuan headed back towards Elder Luo's residence. Long Xi's apartment had been at the base of the mountain near Earth Soul City, and it would take him at least an hour to walk all the way back.

Xuanyuan felt slightly proud, knowing that despite most of his peers barely possessing a single Gu, he himself had completely refined his Vital Gu, and has in his possession a Rank 5 Gu currently within his shadow.

The immaturity which came with his body rose up, only to be completely suppressed by the rational adult beneath the skin.

'Finding a Rank 5 Shadow Path Gu, not even a month after I decide to walk the Shadow Path. Was this all preordained by Fate? Or was this just the Will of Heaven? Either way, neither bodes well for me...'.

Heavens Will still existed after the destruction of Fate Gu, and could still interfere in the Gu World. With the exception of a Blessed Land, or a Grotto-Heaven, nowhere was safe from Heavens Will.

If Xuanyuan meeting with Shadows As Thought Gu was influenced by Fate Gu, then what did it say about him and his future relationship with the Shadow Path?

'Feng Jin Huang, the future Great Dream Immortal Venerable "coincidentally" found Dream Wings Immortal Gu and used it to access Dream Realms to push her attainment to Great Grandmaster in several different Paths. This was ordained by Fate Gu, who desired her to become the next Immortal Venerable'.

Shadows As Thought Gu came to Xuanyuan in a similar manner. He never considered himself as "lucky", and wasn't so immature as to not suspect the work of Fate Gu.

Rubbing his temples again, he shook his head not wanting Shadows As Thought Gu to accidently activate again.

"I don't even have the qualifications to worry about Fate Gu right now. I should just focus on what is right in front of me".

Xuanyuan spent a little more than an hour, walking through False Soul Mountain before arriving back at Elder Luo's residence. He had prepared his excuse long ago, but after entering the residence, he was surprised by Elder Luo's absence, as explained by one of the maids tending to the residence.

"Elder Luo has a meeting with the other members of Earth Soul Sect. They are in charge of managing Earth Soul City, and from what I understand, an earthquake has caused an opening into the Earth Abyss to appear within several li of the city".

Xuanyuan just nodded, giving the maid a small nod.

"Thank you. I'll wait for Master to return before eating if that's alright".

The maid gave a deep bow before leaving Xuanyuan alone.

'That's pretty lucky', Little Shadow thought.

'Indeed', Xuanyuan replied.

It left Xuanyuan alone to practice with Shadows As Thought Gu, and also without the need to explain himself for being late. 

Entering his study, Xuanyuan locked the door behind him before sitting down cross-legged, smoothing out his breathing, and removing any excess thoughts from his mind.

He felt his primeval essence sea surge slightly, using roughly 10% to refine his aperture walls before letting out a breath of turbid air.

His mind had been cleared of most of its thoughts, the remnants of Shadow Thoughts disappearing into the Dark, being completely removed from any sources of Light.

'Little Shadow, can you produce Shadow Thoughts, solely about Shadow Eyes Gu?'.

Xuanyuan felt his temples twinge for a second, before numerous black wisps floated up from within his shadow.

'Shadow Eyes Gu is a Rank 1 Shadow Path Gu. It can see the shadows of all living beings within 30 feet. It has reduced effect in areas affected by Dark Path Gu, or Dark Path Dao Marks. It has increased effect in areas affected by Light Path Gu, or Light Path Dao Marks. It needs to eat approximately 100 grams of Black-Lined Grass per week. It cannot perceive the shadows of souls. It cannot perceive the shadows of Dao Marks. Using Dark Charcoal and the bones of an Ebony Stallion, Shadow Eyes Gu may be refined into Black Shadow Eyes...'.

This was all of the information that Xuanyuan currently knew about Shadow Eyes Gu. Elder Luo had provided him the knowledge on a single refinement Path for the Gu to Rank 2, transforming the Gu with Dark Charcoal, a Fire Path Gu material and the bones of an Ebony Stallion, a Shadow Path Beast.

Dark Charcoal and the Ebony Stallion bones were to be superheated using a blacksmiths forge. Each of the materials would slowly be broken down, but at the climax, the moment the Ebony Stallion Bones were about to crumble into ash, one would throw the Shadow Eyes Gu in, letting it sit in the shadows cast by the flames, within a foot of the Dark Charcoal.

The shadows cast by the flame should take on the image of a flaming black stallion before merging with the Shadow Eyes Gu, transforming it into the Black Shadow Eyes Gu.

Black Shadow Eyes Gu was the standard refinement Path for Shadow Eyes Gu. It increased the range of its abilities from 30 feet to 70 feet.

While refining Black Shadow Gu, one had to take into account the intensity of the flame, the timing of adding the Shadow Eyes Gu, the ratio between bones and Dark Charcoal, the influence of external light sources and a couple other different factors.

Xuanyuan had his own suspicions about the Gu, but he didn't have any concrete evidence at the moment. His knowledge on Gu exceeded that of Gu materials, his intense attraction towards the Shadow Path fueling his desire to learn.

Unconsciously, Xuanyuan summoned another illusory black wisp from the depths of his shadow.

'What if I used Charcoal Gu instead of Dark Charcoal? What would happen to the end result?'.

Little shadow responded to Xuanyuan's question, releasing numerous more Shadow Thoughts.

'Charcoal Gu is a Fire Path Gu. Dark Charcoal is a Fire Path and a Dark Path material. The possibility of the fire overwhelming the shadows is significantly more likely, and would likely lead to the destruction of all Gu and Gu materials. Increasing the amount of bones would lead to a greater explosion at the completion of the experiment'.

Xuanyuan suppressed a wince as another wave of pain pierced the side of his head.

'What would happen if I kept Charcoal Gu but swapped Dark Charcoal for Black Rain Bark?'.

More and more wisps started emanating from Xuanyuan's shadows.

'Charcoal Gu is a Fire Path Gu. Black Rain Bark is a Water Path and Dark Path material. Ebony Stallion bones belong to a Shadow Path Beast. Water cancels out Fire. There would be no reaction'.

'Swap Black Rain Bark with Shadowless Sword Gu'.

Xuanyuan felt something drip down his nose but suppressed it as dozens upon dozens of Shadow Thoughts emanated from his shadow. Shadows As Thought Gu was created dozens of different thoughts, different variations, calculating the possibilities of Xuanyuan's theory.

'Charcoal Gu is a Fire Path Gu. Shadowless Sword Gu is a Sword Path Gu, which neither possesses a shadow, nor the capability of harming shadows. Ebony Stallion Bones belong to a Shadow Path Beast. Charcoal Gu would break down the bones, releasing the power within and cast the remnant shadows of the beast outward. Shadow Eyes Gu could allow the Gu Master to perceive these shadows and then use Shadowless Sword Gu to strike them'.

'What if I cast Shadowless Sword Gu into the flames? What would happen then?'.

Xuanyuan could barely keep his head up, as more Shadow Thoughts swarmed his head.

Little shadow was silent for a moment, before a single response came to Xuanyuan's mind.

'Shadowless Sword Gu lacks a shadow. If it can absorb the essence Shadow Eyes Gu, allow Charcoal Gu to temper it and refine it, and then absorb the shadow Shadow Path Beast then...'.

'Then it could theoretically birth a new Gu'.