Beside the academy was a Gu room. The Gu room was not big; it was only 60 square meters in size.
On a Gu Master's road to cultivation, a Gu is the key to strength.
At the end of class, the excited teenagers rushed towards the Gu room.
"Form a line, enter one by one," some voices suddenly yelled; it was natural that there were guards outside the Gu room. The youths went in one at a time and came out.
A line of youths was formed based on talent. The higher-grade talents like Mo Bei and Chi Cheng, with B-grade talent, were toward the front, while someone like Fang Zheng, with A-grade talent, was at the very start of the line and the first one to choose a Gu.
Somewhere toward the middle of this line of some 57 students stood Yi Yun. Despite having B-grade talent with an aperture limit of 69%, he was still standing at the very front of the place where C-grade talent began, right behind Gu Yue Chi Cheng.
To someone unfamiliar, it was a pretty normal scene after all; C-grade talents should be after B-grade talents, who should be after A-grade talent. And D-grade talents should be at the very back.
However, to someone familiar with the situation, it was somewhat amusing. After all, Gu Yue Fang Zheng possessed A-grade talent with an aperture limit of 80%, so his being at the front was normal. Then came Gu Yue Mo Bei with 66% aperture limit and hence a B-grade talent. After this Mo family heir came Gu Yue Chi Cheng, who had walked 36 steps and hence was publicly known as a B-grade talent with an aperture limit of 66%. After him began the C-grade talent youths and then the D-grade talent youths.
However, Gu Yue Yi Yun, despite being familiar with the situation, did not find it amusing. Why? He, Yi Yun, was a B-grade talent with a 69% aperture limit. Logically, he should be behind Fang Zheng and then have Mo Bei after him. As for Chi Cheng, he should be somewhere at the back in the middle of the C-grade talents.
Yet here was Yi Yun standing right behind Chi Cheng, who was behind Mo Bei, who was behind Fang Zheng. The two 'rivals', Chi Cheng and Mo Bei, were mocking the lower-grade talent youths among themselves with a look of superiority, while Fang Zheng, who had gone in earlier, was taking his sweet time picking out a Gu Worm for some reason.
Yi Yun stood silently and patiently as a couple of C-grade talents directly behind him, who were fortunate enough to hear it, had a variety of expressions on their faces. Some were aggrieved, some had timid looks, probably feeling inferior to the more 'talented' of the class.
Yi Yun remained calm amidst this. Not due to being some great sage who had transcended the meaningless squabbles among mortals and surpassed the divisions in class that came with inequality. No. He, Gu Yue Yi Yun, was a petty person. If someone did something he didn't like, then 9 times out of 10, he would definitely get back at them a hundredfold. But he wasn't that stupid. If the other party had stronger backing or was more powerful, then he would definitely take his sweet time patiently.
The reason behind his unperturbedness was that he had better things to worry about. He wasn't even paying attention to what exactly the two were saying. His mind was currently focused on his aperture.
There was a particular illusory Gu worm in there which seemed to be 'napping peacefully'. The Gu worm was thumb-sized with a faint orange radiance. It had a couple of faint stripes. It had four extremely small appendages, and its tail seemed to curl up around it towards its front. The Gu worm seemed not to exist unless Yi Yun purposefully looked toward where he thought it was supposed to be. Had Yi Yun been unfamiliar with it, he might not have even known if this Gu worm had infiltrated his aperture!
"Crouching Tiger Gu… What a fitting name…" Yi Yun thought inwardly as he lamented. For this Gu was not the result of some inheritance or trade of information. Or even something he had bought. This Gu was a gift, one Yi Yun was desperate to return.
A gift from the esteemed Clan Head. Along with the Rank 1 Moonlight Gu, which was probably relaxing back at his home.
Yi Yun still remembered the cryptic words of the Clan Head from back then, when he had 'coincidentally' come across him in an alleyway after returning from the academy one day.
…
"Ah! Academy Student Yi. What a coincidence to meet you here?" the Clan Head spoke with surprise.
With a polite smile, Yi Yun bowed to the Clan Head and said, "Lord Clan Head, you look as illustrious as ever. Is there anything I can help you with?"
The Clan Head had laughed lightly and given him a Moonlight Gu along with this Rank 3 Crouching Tiger Gu,
"I felt like your reward of just a Moonlight Gu was not significant enough for your contributions. So here, take this Rank 3 Gu as well."
Yi Yun's smile strained as he replied, "The Clan Head is truly kind," with a reluctant expression. "But I am afraid your grace is truly wasted on someone like me. My contributions were not so significant, my lord."
Before the Clan Head could reply and maybe confuse and overwhelm him with 'advanced political maneuvering', Yi Yun had quickly added, "Besides, as a mere Rank 1 Gu Master, I do not think I can accept this kindness. Why not gift it to my father, the Rank 3 Elder, my lord?"
The Clan Head had laughed lightly, "You truly are a filial child! Elder Yi is truly lucky to have you. Academy Student, do not worry about such meaningless things as the Gu Worm being above your rank."
Yi Yun had been confused as an inkling slowly formed in his mind. But he desperately wished it were not so. However, the next words of the Clan Head made him feel despair once more.
"I have already refined this mere Rank 3 Gu worm. Don't worry about activating it as well. I'll keep its activation sustained. Being an Academy Student, you may be unfamiliar, but Gu worms can be lent to another Gu Master for usage," the Clan Head explained as he helped in the education of the clan youth.
Yi Yun nodded with a smile, "Thank you for your guidance, Clan Head." The Rank 3 Crouching Tiger Gu went into the aperture of its new 'debtor'.
"Hahaha. So polite. I have high hopes for you, Yi Yun. Your B-grade aptitude is second only to Fang Zheng after all."
"Study well, and train hard. I'll leave first."
With that, the Clan Head left, leaving Yi Yun bowing in gratitude with 2 new Gu Worms, a smile and crippling anxiety.
…
Even now, when Yi Yun thought about that incident while waiting for his turn, he could not understand the Clan Head's intentions. He was almost tempted to consult his mother or father out of sheer curiosity and anxiety regarding this matter.
But recalling how his father was in the Clan Head's faction and the number of secrets that Yi Yun now possessed, some of which couldn't be told to anyone, Yi Yun resisted the urge.
His gaze drifted towards the Rank 3 Crouching Tiger Gu as he remembered its effect.
Rank 3 Crouching Tiger Gu!
It had the ability to temporarily conceal the aptitude of the Gu Master using it by a factor of 10%!
So if someone had an aptitude of 90% then upon using this Gu worm it would only show 80% when someone checks an individual's aperture.
Its drawback was that it only concealed the aptitude. The aptitude did not get reduced. And it had no other effect on any other part of the aperture. Only concealing. Moreover, due to it being Rank 3, if someone were above Rank 3 and checked his aperture, then they would see the true Aptitude of the Gu Master. While if someone possessed some strong investigative Gu worm, which specialized in aperture investigation, they would also see through it.
Also, it only visually concealed the Primeval Sea. If someone had the relevant Wisdom Path Gu worms, knew all the Gu he possessed, and knew his current rank, they should be able to calculate his true talent based on Primeval Essence and Gu worm usage based on his expenditure and usage.
Yi Yun desperately wished to return this gift back. At this moment, the phrase- 'Don't look a gift horse in the mouth' was as meaningless as other people's Immortal Essence is to a Gu Immortal.
Not only was this Gu worm not refined by him, but it was also activated by the Clan Head only.
Yi Yun broke out of his musings as he saw Chi Cheng come out with a smug look on his face.
He ignored the 'lower talent wastrel' and walked into the room.
This room was a mysterious room. The four walls all had holes; in each one of these embedded square holes was another square hole. Each of the holes differed in size, some big and some small. The bigger ones were no bigger than an earthenware cooking pot, the smaller holes no smaller than a fist.
In the many square holes were all kinds and varieties of containers – there were grey stone basins, verdant jade dishes, exquisite grass cages, earthen stoves etc. These containers kept in all kinds and varieties of Gu.
Some Gu were silent, while some Gu made a lot of noises, creating chirping, clucking, rustling sounds and so on. All these noises combined together to create a sort of life symphony.
Yi Yun looked at this vibrant sight and for a moment felt the miraculousness of life. Then he remembered the 'new mistress' in his stomach and snorted as he began browsing the collection.
"Let's see, all these are supposed to be Rank 1 Gu worms. I already have a Moonlight Gu, so there is no need to pick that or an offensive Gu unless it is something very precious."
As he moved around, he saw the defensive-type Gu worms like Stone Skin, Iron Skin, Bronze Skin, Beast Skin etc. Sure enough, just like the novel, there was no Jade Skin Gu here.
He then saw the temporary strength-enhancement-type Gu worms, like the Longhorn Beetle Gu series.
Like the Brute Force Longhorn Beetle Gu, Yellow Camel Longhorn Beetle Gu etc.
Then came the Boar-series Gu worms: Flower Boar Gu and Pink Boar Gu. There was no permanent strength-granting Gu like the Black Boar Gu or the White Boar Gu.
"Perhaps, I'll have better luck when the caravan comes. The Gu Yue Clan is only a middle-sized clan; there aren't many very good rare Gu worms available for the public. Perhaps if this was a super force with Gu Immortals, those types of Gu would be widely available…"
"In this regard, I suppose the Central Continent should be pretty good. For not only is joining a super force Clan in any of the other four regions hard as an external member, but it also will not provide a similar level of status compared to being able to join a Super Force Sect in the Central Continent," Yi Yun thought idly as he then shook his head.
"But I am getting ahead of myself. Reaching Rank 3 and getting out of this mountain with an acceptable set of Gu Worms spanning the pre-requisite categories is my current goal." His gaze flickered towards the many present Gu worms.
"For this, I have already mentally prepared myself to sacrifice many things, such as a 'strong foundation' and rare and top-tier Gu Worms. As long as the Gu worm meets the bottom line and is acceptable, I should be satisfied."
"Thanks to the inheritance of the Rank 4 Gu Master, Wretched Assassin. I have somewhat of an understanding and point of comparison to decide whether a Gu worm meets the minimum criteria or not."
"As long as I can reach Rank 3 and get out of this doomed mountain, I am satisfied. After all, other things that might have harmed me, like an unstable foundation, weak Gu worms, a lack of specialization in a path, or any number of other things…"
"They can all be eventually solved! Those problems are temporary! After all, this is a world of Gu. A world where the laws of physics operate on an entirely different scale. A world where natural phenomena can be easily mimicked. A world where the strength of an individual can exceed that of a group. If I can't even have this much hope or resolve then I simply don't deserve to be in this world."
Looking around at the various Gu worms, this resolution reaffirmed Yi Yun's earlier decision as he went towards the healing-type Gu worms and picked out the Rank 1 Gu worm- Life Breath Grass.
Although having a set of Gu worms that coincide with each other and amplify each other is extremely necessary, Gu Masters worldwide are plagued with a certain issue: money, or rather, a lack of it.
Gu require money just to be purchased. Then, to feed them, a Gu Master requires money to buy their food. Then, in case of battle, a Gu Master requires money to quickly replenish their Primeval Essence.
Fusing Gu worms to a higher Rank also requires money. And so does re-buying the refinement ingredients when the refinement inevitably fails at the first try.
And in Clans like the Gu Yue Clan and even in the outside world, even when a Gu Master is able to build a good and compatible set of Gu worms. Heaven and Earth are impartial. Nature is equal. Some Gu worms are better suited to certain tasks than others. And hence some Gu Masters are better suited to certain tasks than others.
Keeping this in mind, and considering the incoming wolf tide, thanks to the knowledge from the novel, Yi Yun decisively chose to become a Healing Specialist Gu Master. Even though there is an entire faction dominating the healing side, and his 'backing' from his father is towards the Clan Head, he still decided to pick Healing as his specialization.
The Life Breath Grass. Upon activation, it produced a greenish glow. This glow, when placed next to the injury, could help heal the Gu Master. It could be used on others as well, by having the glow on the hands and touching or hovering over the wound.
Its drawback was that the healing effect was good, but it also drained the stamina of the Gu Master who was being healed, in addition to the Primeval Essence of the Gu Master using the Gu worm. Also, it couldn't be used to treat severe injuries. Broken bones, injured organs, missing limbs, missing organs, and the like could not be healed.
However, the reason Yi Yun picked this Gu was that it was one of the ingredients for refining Rank 2 Love Life Separation. But the refinement of such a Gu was still very tricky, and Yi Yun felt like he needed to first acclimate to the current problems around him before thinking about such a Gu worm. However, he was firm in his decision to refine it.
Secondly, this Rank 1 Gu had several other evolution paths leading to healing-type Gu worms. And Yi Yun wanted to specialize in this aspect.
So, based on these factors, Yi Yun picked this Gu Worm and left with it in his pocket.
Generally, after having an offensive Gu, most youths focus on defensive or movement Gu, or something that can enhance their attacking power. But Yi Yun had no such profound experience in fighting.
The closest things he had were a couple of self-defence classes he attended in his previous life during his teens out of boredom.
What he did have related to fighting were several tricks, tips, and techniques that didn't require Gu worms, present in the inheritance contained within the Rank 1 East Window Gu of the Rank 4 Gu Master Wretched Assassin.
So his solution to his current situation was simple. If time is limited and I don't know how to fight, why spend my time learning? I should just focus on earning money, increasing my rank and comprehending these techniques in Wretched Assassin's Inheritance. Besides, the academy teaches martial arts. That, along with the information from East Window Gu, is more than enough for me currently.
Sure if I manage to make it out, then in the future I am definately abusing soul searching to gain more and more techniques.
Time is limited. If I am to make power and domination my current goal, I am destined for failure eventually, whether it be in some arena or by the hands of a certain demonic path Gu Master, using my blood to increase his talent.
Besides, I am not a child. Adding this Yi Yun's age to my own, I am over 30. Fighting kids and winning in tournaments is something I do not find beneficial to my current circumstances, especially when I can instead gain resources in a safer way, like, say, placing bets on the outcome of certain events, which is but one of the many ways to make money other than by beating each other like brutes. Sure, it is a slow and roundabout way, but it's not like I have a choice.
Yi Yun thought as he walked slowly towards his home.
Currently, however, I should focus on refining the two Gu worms that I have in my possession.
I am not interested in the reward for first place or in 'gaining honor for my family'.
But I am interested in staying alive and securing my survival.