Soon a week passed.
In a tall mountain at the Gu Yue Clan's village academy, a young Gu Master listened intently to the academy elder's lecture.
"Humans are above all creatures; Gu are the essence of heaven and earth. In this world, there are thousands of species and a countless number of Gu. They live everywhere around us – in the soil, in the bushes, even on the bodies of wild beasts."
"I know what lives up my ass: this world's hate boner."
The young Gu Master, with his 'formidable' insight into the mysteries of the world, nodded in awe at the information his cerebral cortex was receiving.
"As humans continue to propagate and grow, the scholars of the past gradually uncovered the mysteries of the Gu. Those who have opened the aperture and use their own Primeval Essence to feed, refine, and manipulate these Gu-people who have achieved these various purposes are what we call Gu Masters."
"Got a growing mystery for you right here..."
The young academy student pondered over the words of the wise Academy Elder with great fervor.
"And all of you have successfully opened your apertures in the Awakening Ceremony 7 days ago. With the coagulation of the Primeval Sea, right now you are all Rank 1 Gu Masters."
"Yay! I am an officially celebrated cannon fodder!"
The youth was 'ecstatic' at the achievement as he found the 'crux' of the matter.
In the village academy, the Academy Elder talked with confidence and composure. In front of him were 57 students, seated and listening attentively.
The mystery and strength of a Gu Master were deeply rooted in the hearts of the youths a long time ago. Thus, the students were very interested in everything that the elder taught and said.
At this moment, a young teen raised his hand. With the elder's permission, he stood up and asked, "Elder sir, I've known this since I was small. There are Rank 1 Gu Masters, Rank 2, and so on. Can you explain in more detail to us?"
"Why do you even wanna know? Not like you'll make it beyond Rank 1 peak stage in your life. And even if you do, this mountain is on the hit list of the 'Unabomber Who Sold His Testicles' and his friendly neighborhood testicle holder- 'Alec Todobadstov'." Yi Yun thought as he suppressed the desire to roll his eyes and made sure not to glance even subconsciously at the class's resident senior citizen sleeping… peacefully?
As he directed his gaze towards a fellow female classmate, he, at that moment, wanted nothing more than to rip her apart. And not at all in a sexual manner.
"That bitch took my seat! Gu Yue Jin Zhu! Because of you, I am being forced to sit next to this terrifying bastard who is increasing his attainment in Dream Path. Mark my words. I will make you pay," he vindictively thought.
Then he instantly became depressed as he remembered his realization from earlier.
"If I have time to kill you, that is…."
Qing Mao Mountain was going to explode via Gu World Sub-Zero in T-minus 2 years. Within that time, if Yi Yun wanted to live, then he had to get the fuck away from here.
For that, he needed to go out of the mountain. To accomplish that, he needed to be at least Rank 3 initial stage so he could survive the wild, and he needed a couple dozen resources such as daily necessities; food for Gu worms; a Gu worm set which spans attack, defence, movement, healing, investigation, storage and stealth; then he needed to find a way off the mountain.
To be honest, he wasn't feeling very optimistic about escaping after cultivating for a week. It took Mo Bei, another B-grade talent with 66%, a little more than an entire year just to get to Rank 1 peak stage! Yi Yun's talent was just slightly above his by 3%! And it took Fang Yuan, a very experienced Gu Master and former Blood Path Gu Immortal, 4 days and 3 nights of continuous cultivation to get to the Rank 2 initial stage from Rank 1 peak stage!
Despite having the so-called 'advantage' in advancing to the Rank 2 initial stage from the Rank 1 peak stage, Yi Yun wasn't confident in achieving the same result in 4 days and 3 nights. Even if he somehow got the required resources and Primeval Stones, he still had to be able to stay 'awake' enough to cultivate all that time and be able to properly nourish the aperture.
He didn't think he had sufficient mental fortitude or the required experience to accomplish such a thing within such a small timeframe. He was only a university student. And in this 'new world'- Gu World, he was just a random mortal.
His analytical mind had then come up with the next probable solution to his current problem. It was a solution that would set a ragful fire ablaze in the ass of anyone who heard it, for it was none other than 'another world horse armor', i.e. 'Pay to Win'.
Sure, if he used the Green Copper Relic Gu to advance through Rank 1 and the Red Steel Relic Gu to advance through Rank 2, he wouldn't need to spend so much time cultivating. He could focus on other things like learning some of the martial arts and assassination techniques he got from the Rank 1 East Window Gu. Practice refinement. Earn money. Practice his Gu worms. Maybe contemplate the meaning of life. Go to a brothe- *ahem*. Increase attainment in Yin-Yang Path.
There were so many other things that could be done if cultivation were sublet to money. And how much money would be required for such an endeavor?
With the knowledge from the East Window Gu, pre-transmigration Yi Yun and fragments from the novel <
4(minor stages)*4,000(Green Copper Relic Gu possible selling price) + 4(minor stages)*8,000(Red Steel Relic Gu possible selling price) = 48,000 which can be rounded to ~50,000.
It would take 50,000 Primeval Stones for a proper Pay-2-Win run, with time only spent crossing big realms. And that was just for the small realms.
Upon adding the other uses of Primeval Stones, like refilling the aperture, refining Gu to a higher Rank, buying Gu, being extorted by Fang Yuan, the possibility of bribing someone, and buying other things, the price increased to a very large amount.
Rank 1 Gu worms generally cost 200 - 1,000 Primeval Stones (rare utility specs like Liquor Worm or Bookworm skew higher).
Rank 2 Gu worms cost around 700 - 2,500 Primeval Stones.
And Rank 3 Gu worms cost 2,500 - 10,000 Primeval Stones.
So even if he gave the middle finger to a proper Gu worm set at Rank 1, to get all 7 types of required Gu worms, he'd still need around 4,900 - 17,500 Primeval Stones to get a good set at Rank 2.
And then he'd need another 17,500 - 70,000 Primeval Stones to get a good set for Rank 3.
Of course, that 50,000 Primeval Stones to get 8 Relic Gu (4 Green Copper Relic Gu and 4 Red Steel Relic Gu) was extremely optimistic. As in the mortal world, Relic Gu were extremely rare types of Gu, and often were auctioned at an extremely high price, while the demand was much greater than the supply.
Then there was the doubt in his mind about whether it was even allowed for Clan Elders or other Clan Gu Masters to buy Green Copper Relic Gu for Rank 1 Academy Students to help them advance quickly. He was at least 70% sure that there would be some bullshit reputation or moral constraint. Or some other bullshit like 'Oh but the young'in won't have a stable foundation.' or something even more absurd.
The time constraint and the money constraint made Yi Yun extremely pessimistic and bitter about even being able to survive and get out of Qing Mao Mountain within two years.
He also began to feel that other matters, such as making connections, responsibilities of a Gu Master, and other such bullshit, would definitely cut into precious time that he definitely did not have.
Then, added as a 'dessert' or a glass of wine to wash the 'main course' were the other external problems that Yi Yun was currently facing: who was the one who took away his and everyone else's memory of the Awakening Ceremony?
According to the elders and the Academy Elder, it was an attack by a Demonic Path Gu Master, possibly hired by the other two clans- Bai Clan and Xiong Clan, to kill the talent of the clan.
According to the gossiping students, the main target was supposed to be Fang Yuan since he showed signs of genius from a young age and many people thought of him as the 'Hope of the Clan', but when he showed the world and the clan how disappointing and inept he was by awakening the average talent- C-grade. The target must have switched to the newly rising student with A-grade talent- Gu Yue Fang Zheng!
Because of this, Yi Yun was both confused and wary. After all, there was no such event in the novel <
After realizing this, Yi Yun had sent a prayer of thanks for how courageous the Elders and the Clan Head of the Clan were. If the target was on his head back then, then he was glad to still be safe and alive.
This brought him to his other current external problem- 'Who the fuck Chi Cheng'd him?' That too was without consent. Yi Yun had no such memory of any conversation regarding cheating to get an Extreme Physique talent. Not only was this a very dangerous gamble, but it was also extremely difficult for an Elder to be able to fool not just the other Elders and the Clan Head but also the entire Clan and the other two Clans about the individual being an Extreme Physique.
These were only two of the greatest external threats that Yi Yun felt towards himself. After all, there was still the complementary clan politics that he was definitely expecting and the intentions Gu Yue Bo had towards him.
Their last meeting had been both frightening and confusing to him, and he didn't mean the 'meeting' they had after the Blood Pond Fiasco. He meant-
The youths started shouting with rage and indignation.
Yi Yun was broken out of his thoughts by the ongoing commotion in the class.
"It's all because of that Flower Wine Monk! He was too sinister and cunning!"
"What a pity that our fourth clan leader was softhearted and benevolent, and died at a young age."
"If only I had been born a few hundred years earlier! If I had seen that demon, I would have torn off his ugly face."
Yi Yun blinked in understanding. It seemed that the Academy Elder had just finished retelling the clan propaganda of the 'Battle between Flower Wine Monk and the Fourth Generation Clan Leader'.
"*sigh* Demonic scoundrels really are the worst!" Yi Yun lamented with a sigh. Many of his classmates agreed with him.
"Yeah! If that demonic scoundrel hadn't used such lowly methods, our Gu Yue Clan might have become the sole overlord of Qing Mao Mountain," an eager and slightly zealous classmate said.
Yi Yun, who had absolutely no idea who this classmate was, nodded as if in agreement and said with a smirk, "If not for these lowly tricks, how could a stinky demon even hope to stand a chance against a hero like our fourth clan leader?"
There was a sound of mocking laughter, and smirks adorned many young faces. Almost all the students had a proud look adorning their faces.
"Hehe. That ugly monk must have gotten beaten like a dog!" a classmate said.
There was a brief moment of laughter resounding in the room as the youths continued to mock the Flower Wine Monk.
Yi Yun, who had a smirk of his own and was happy to demolish these 'stinky underhanded Demonic Path scoundrels', saw Fang Yuan stretching from the corner of his eye as he tried his best not to pay any attention to the 'senior citizen' and to focus on participating in the 'class discussion'.
"I bet the Flower Wine Monk was an ugly bastard with a face not even his mother could love!" he jeered mockingly.
Another bout of laughter followed as the class eagerly insulted the Demonic Path scoundrel and lamented about the 'tragedy' of the fourth-generation clan leader.
This verbal bashing made Yi Yun feel very good; hence, he participated in it vigorously. As a former internet user, he was already very proud of his sharp tongue, and this opportunity to bash on someone who couldn't talk back was very calming for him. He felt all of the stress of the past week and the tension about his future leave him slowly, like a weight lifted off his shoulder.
The Academy Elder watched the bashing with amusement. Every year, it was the same: youths bringing up creative insults and 'what I am going to do with that bastard…' phrases. Every year, he taught a different batch of youths, and every year he heard similar insults and phrases; sometimes they were unique, memorable and funny, like the one in which Yi Yun described in detail how the Flower Wine Monk bent over backwards to feed his Thousand Li Earthwolf Spider.
There were also the common but emotional ones, which Fang Zheng was saying about how the Flower Wine Monk was a scoundrel.
There were also the direct and brutal ones like the one Mo Bei was saying about how he would bring down a hammer on the Flower Wine Monk's chest and shatter every rib he had, if he could see him, that is.
The Academy Elder felt like it was almost a ritual at this point, a coming-of-age ceremony in which young Academy Students bashed on the Flower Wine Monk before getting their first Gu Worm.
Fang Yuan, on the other hand, was deep in thought. He had been abruptly woken up while he was 'inventing Sleeping Path'.
"Flower Wine Monk, huh…" Awoken by the classroom's noisy chatter, Fang Yuan opened his sleepy eyes.
He stretched his body and thought with resentment in his heart: this Flower Wine Monk, where did he die? Why is it that I still can't find his legacy after searching around the entire village?
In his memories, there was a Gu Master from the clan who was brokenhearted and started drinking a lot. About two months from now, the man would be heavily drunk as he lay down outside the village. His heavy wine aroma unknowingly attracted a Liquor Worm.
The Gu Master was ecstatic, fully intent on catching it. The Liquor Worm hurriedly fled, and as the Gu Master was in hot pursuit of it, he followed the Liquor Worm's trail and discovered an underground hole entrance and went in.
The Liquor Worm was a very precious and expensive type of Gu. The half-drunk Gu Master decided to risk it and enter the hole, finding himself in a secret underground cave. After that, he discovered the bones of the Flower Wine Monk and the inheritance he left behind.
When the Gu Master returned to the village, he reported his discoveries and immediately caused a big stir among the entire clan. Later on, that Gu Master benefited much from it, and his cultivation base suddenly became outstanding. His lover, who had once abandoned him, was attracted to him again, and he became the talk of the clan for a while.
"Sadly, I only heard bits and pieces about this piece of news, so I don't know where the accurate location is. It wasn't like I knew I would be reborn again on this day. Flower Wine Monk, where in the world did you die off to?"
For the past few days, he had been buying a lot of wine, wandering around the village as soon as night arrived. He wanted to use the aroma of liquor to attract the Liquor Worm. Unfortunately, he never saw the Liquor Worm appear, making him feel very disappointed.
"If I could find that Liquor Worm and refine it into my vital Gu, that would be so much better than the clan's Moonlight Gu. In the blink of an eye, it's already April; there's not much time left." Fang Yuan heaved a sigh and gazed out of the window.
Fang Yuan was broken out of his thoughts when Yi Yun slammed his hand down on the table in joy, and a loud sound of boisterous laughter surrounded the class.
"...and then the Flower Wine Monk was kicked in his crotch by Madam Qing from the red-light district due to not having any available courtesans due to…"
"And that was the way the Flower Wine Monk became a eunuch." Yi Yun finished his totally original story.
Another round of boisterous laughter followed, and even the Academy Elder was smiling slightly now.
"Well, at least that's what I heard from an older Gu Master who was there at the time." Yi Yun nodded knowingly with a grin on his face.
"He is right! I saw him get kicked by Madam Qing too!" a youth stated in between laughs.
"Yeah! I was there too. I held the ugly monk down while the Thousand Li Earthwolf Spider had its meal!"
Another round of boisterous laughter followed.
Fang Yuan, who was seeing this, glanced briefly at Yi Yun as he remembered information about him from his old timeline, "Gu Yue Yi Yun. He was born as the son of a minor Elder of the Clan Head's faction. He only has C-grade talent, if I remember correctly. He was generally a laid-back and relaxed person."
"Demonic scoundrels deserve to be beaten to a pulp!" Yi Yun eagerly said in agreement with another classmate.
Fang Yuan thought inwardly in mild amusement, "Except that he was also very lecherous, greedy, and petty! He liked to spend his time in brothels and relied on his mother and sister for resources. If I remember correctly, in the last life, he was once even beaten by a Rank 2 caravan Gu Master and his friends because Yi Yun had bedded the wife of the Gu Master last night and she was pregnant with his child!"
"Of course, by that time, Yi Yun was a bona fide Rank 3 Elder of the Clan, courtesy of taking advantage of resources from his family. So not only were the caravan Gu Masters who assaulted him punished severely, but the one whose wife carried his child was even castrated!"
"Before the caravan left, the Gu Masters who assaulted Yi Yun were found alive but beaten half to death by a mysterious person. The victim Gu Masters insisted that they had fallen down a cliff, so the matter was never pursued."
Fang Yuan remembered because this matter had been the talk of the clan back then, and it had also been used to publicly frame Yi Yun sometime later by another clan faction, and so Yi Yun was exiled from the clan. His Gu worms were seized, and he was forced to leave.
"In the academy, however, Yi Yun was an extremely amicable, laid-back and willful person." Fang Yuan remembered this as he recalled the incident in which Yi Yun had given a fellow classmate Primeval Stones because they needed them. Granted, Yi Yun had jokingly asked for the classmate's sister as collateral, but the classmate had just laughed along with the joke since he was very grateful to have been given crucial Primeval Stones since he was from an unremarkable background.
A few other students, either because they had an unremarkable background or due to greed, had then gone to seek out Yi Yun with sorrowful tales for Primeval Stones. But he had refused them all, deflecting them by jokingly saying- 'Ask your mother if she wants to be my concubine, I'll think about it if she says yes.' That had indeed sent them all back.
"He was only a little eccentric when he was still in the academy. But he had somehow changed after graduation, or was it when he became an Elder?" Fang Yuan pondered as he remembered.
The reason Fang Yuan remembered quite a bit about this fellow Gu Yue Yi Yun was because, in his last life, Yi Yun was like a friend to the Fang Yuan of then!
Yi Yun had even helped Fang Yuan out a couple of times when he became an elder. The Fang Yuan of then had been very grateful and thankful. But as for the current Fang Yuan…
Loyalty to others is betrayal to oneself; betraying others is loyalty to yourself.
((A/N: I am not going to put an excerpt from the Legends of Ren Zu. I am already embarrassed since I have to paste the entire text from the novel since it is a canon-compliant scene. But if you guys want excerpts or maybe the entire <
It didn't matter if Yi Yun had helped him in the past or if he had felt grateful to him. Gu Yue Fang Yuan had always only worked towards his own interests.
Thinking so, Yi Yun became a discarded memory in Fang Yuan's mind.
If the current Yi Yun could hear Fang Yuan's thoughts, he would grit his teeth in frustration, then be glad that his previous self was an insignificant person, and be glad that Fang Yuan won't turn him into a woman.
Without knowing it, the class was almost over. The Academy Elder finally informed them, "This week I have taught you all how to contemplate and check your own Aperture's Primeval Sea, and how to meditate and shift around the Primeval Essence inside your body. Now is the time for you all to refine your vital Gu. After this class ends, you will all go to the academy's Gu room and pick a Gu worm. After choosing your Gu, please go home and focus on refining it. When you have finally refined your Gu, then you can come back to the academy and continue attending class. At the same time, this is your first assessment. Whoever can finish this assessment first will be rewarded with a generous sum of 20 Primeval Stones."
His words instantly quietened down the youths for a moment.