Chapter 55: Chapter 54: Mask of Deception
In the end, Zhou Ming decided to take a gamble.
To be honest, Zhou Ming had no shortage of means to improve his strength.
Moreover, due to the special treatment from the laws of the Gu World, Zhou Ming himself was subject to significant limitations.
No matter how good an item was, bringing it to the Gu World could potentially distort it into a Gu worm, unless he was willing to leave it in the Main God Space and only use it in the storyline worlds.
Since he currently lacked the power to resist the laws of the Gu World, Zhou Ming could only try to adapt and align all his enhancements as closely as possible with the path of a Gu Master.
"I choose the World Tree Leaf!"
A beam of light descended, and a palm-sized emerald green leaf floated in front of Zhou Ming.
Zhou Ming spread his hand, and the leaf gently landed in his palm.
The beam of light disappeared, and Zhou Ming used his fingers to caress the leaf, feeling the immense energy and strong vitality contained within it, his face filled with astonishment.
"What kind of Gu worm will it be refined into in the Gu World?"
"Could it be a Gu worm that replenishes spiritual energy or a healing Gu worm, like the Resurrection Gu that can revive the dead?"
The Resurrection Gu was a fourth-rank Gu worm and a consumable. However, its value was much higher than many fifth-rank Gu worms. It was extremely cherished and priceless!
Its healing effect was incredibly powerful!
Even if a Gu Master died, as long as their body remained intact within seven hours, they could use this Gu worm to resurrect themselves.
The reason Zhou Ming speculated that refining the World Tree Leaf into a Gu worm might have a similar effect was because he sensed a rich and astonishing life force from the leaf.
With such immense life energy, if it could be guided and used in the right way, it might truly possess the ability to revive the dead!
"Regardless, speculation is just speculation. Everything will have to wait until I return to the Gu World to confirm."
Zhou Ming placed the World Tree Leaf into the Flower Storage Gu and took out another item from it.
It was a thumb-sized, pitch-black, and deeply dark Celestial Demon Stone.
As soon as it was taken out, the Celestial Demon Stone automatically absorbed the surrounding light like a black hole, making the brightness of the surroundings seem to decrease.
Zhou Ming waited for a while but received no prompt from the Main God, confirming that this was not a new item that the Main God had never seen before.
He carefully searched through the Main God's exchange list but couldn't find any corresponding item.
"Celestial Demon Stone... This task is not easy to handle."
Zhou Ming rubbed his chin and ultimately decided to set it aside for now.
His strength was still too low. Just a hint of thought within a small stone almost caused him to fall into it. If he forcefully explored further, Zhou Ming was afraid he wouldn't even know how he died.
Moreover, he had no intention of bringing the Celestial Demon Stone back to the Gu World. Although he was curious to see what would happen when this thing collided with the will of the Gu World, considering that it was likely connected to the hidden task "Heavenly Demon," Zhou Ming ultimately decided to seal it within the Main God Space for further research in the future.
After placing the Celestial Demon Stone securely, Zhou Ming opened the exchange list once again.
"Exchange, Mask of Deception!"
Once again, a beam of light descended, and a thin, silver-white mask as delicate as a cicada's wings floated down.
[Exchange successful, consuming 3000 reward points.]
Mask of Deception: Disguises appearance, voice, and conceals one's aura.
Simple introduction, extraordinary effect.
Zhou Ming had already set his sights on this item before the previous mission, but at that time, he didn't have an urgent need to use it, so he invested his reward points in areas that required strengthening.
Zhou Ming's current strength was still far from being able to navigate the Gu World independently. It was best for him to silently develop under the stable living conditions provided by his family.
Having completed the second plot world now, with a month-long interval until the next one, Zhou Ming had to consider concealing his cultivation level.
Gently covering his face with the soft and ethereal silver-white mask, Zhou Ming had a thought.
The silver-white mask instantly merged into his skin, leaving no trace of its existence.
Then, Zhou Ming's appearance began to change. In just a few seconds, he transformed from a fair and sunny young man into a middle-aged man with a square face.
"Not bad effect."
Comparing his appearance in the mirror, Zhou Ming nodded lightly. His voice also changed into a slightly coarse and hoarse middle-aged man's voice.
"Unfortunately, its effect is limited."
Raising his hands, the fair and elastic skin, slender fingers—these youthful hands were completely mismatched with the middle-aged man's face.
"Let's try another function." Zhou Ming thought to himself as his natural aura rapidly diminished. Soon, the aura emanating from him was no different from that of a peak Rank 1 Gu Master.
Zhou Ming tried a few more times, his aura fluctuating, sometimes resembling a Rank 2 Gu Master, sometimes an ordinary person, and sometimes even as inconspicuous as a roadside small animal, easily overlooked.
"It's quite effective. I just don't know if I can obtain the Gu worms I want once I bring it into the Gu World."
Enjoying the mask for a while, Zhou Ming took off the Mask of Deception and stored it back into the Flower Storage Gu, then continued to assess the rewards from his previous mission world.
The two Flower Storage Gu that were originally filled to the brim before entering the previous mission world were now almost empty.
Most of the Gu worms' food had been consumed, and a large amount of supplies, especially weapons and ammunition, had been used up.
Despite the high consumption, the harvest was indeed plentiful.
The main gain was naturally the reward points of over 20,000. In addition, there were the two sets of special armor and weapons from Nohara Momonosuke and Tokugawa Hidetada.
These were equipment capable of withstanding Adamantite Blades and possessed obvious extraordinary power. Even if Zhou Ming didn't need them himself, he could sell them in the public space.
Other than that, there was nothing else of value.
Zhou Ming decided to purchase another batch of weapons and ammunition. As a beginner in the Gu World, his own strength was not strong, and the plot worlds he experienced were relatively simple, where the power of modern weapons was fully displayed.
After counting the supplies on his body, Zhou Ming already had a plan in mind.
"Next, I'll continue enjoying the good life as a profiteer."
He collapsed onto the large and soft bed, falling into a deep sleep with anticipation for a better tomorrow.
Although the main god's repairs were flawless and there would be no omissions in any injuries on his body, restoring his physical condition to its peak state, the consecutive battles within the plot worlds in a single day not only took a toll on his body but also on his mental will.
Even with Zhou Ming's strong willpower, he still needed appropriate rest to drive away fatigue and restore his spirit.
Time quickly passed.
There was no distinction between day and night in the main god's space, so Zhou Ming had to rely on an alarm clock to wake up.
As he struggled to get up amidst the relentless shouting of the alarm clock, he barely resisted the urge to smash it with a punch.
"Ugh... It's already noon in real time, right?"
Checking the time and converting it to Gu World time, Zhou Ming gradually woke up, feeling refreshed and all fatigue completely vanished.
"Phew!" Taking a deep breath, Zhou Ming stood up and stretched his body.
"It seems it's time to go back!"
"Main god, exchange 10 Red Steel Relics Gu!"
In the Gu World, the selling price of Red Steel Relics Gu was generally around 8,000 elemental stones, but here in the main god's space, exchanging one only required 400 reward points.
After deducting 4,000 reward points, Zhou Ming still had over 17,000 points remaining.
"Let's return." Zhou Ming placed everything he needed to bring back on himself, leaving the rest in the main god's space, and then chose to return to the Gu World.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone