Chapter 9: Speeding Things Up
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Today's Song is: Foo Fighters - Best of You
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The next day, shortly after arriving home from the academy, Suo Bai was invited by Dong Tu to his office again, where Dong Tu and another elder representing the clan's hall of jurisdiction were with a contract.
The elder would serve both as a witness and to legitimize the agreement.
Dong Tu really didn't want to leave any loose ends, and immediately made the contract official, so Suo Bai couldn't try to simply take his resources and then turn against him.
It was even possible to see the deep dark circles in Dong Tu's eyes, making one wonder if it was due to insomnia and the work of having to write the contract, or if it was something else that tormented him.
Suo Bai didn't mind the contract and signed it easily, as for Fang Zheng, he couldn't be included in the contract, since if it was discovered that the clan's greatest talent was induced to give up his rightful inheritance it would make the clan intervene personally to protect the clan genius's assets and resources.
Then it would be up to Suo Bai to convince Fang Zheng to give up his share of the inheritance as well, which wouldn't be too difficult for Suo Bai, given the trust Fang Zheng has in him now.
And Suo Bai would really keep his end of the bargain, after all the inheritance has nothing really of value in Suo Bai's eyes, the only thing more interesting in the inheritance is just the Vitality Grass, an item that Suo Bai can recreate as long as he studies it enough.
If Suo Bai really wants to gather wealth in the clan, then he would have other ways of gathering a much larger capital than the small sum that Dong Tu is currently fighting to protect.
Immediately after signing the contract, Suo Bai received a thick hardcover book resembling a diary from Dong Tu along with a large cloth bag containing his first 100 primitive stones, and finally a copy of the agreement he had just signed.
Gathering up his things, Suo Bai headed back to Fang Zheng's room to talk to him. The conversation was very easy and smooth, especially when it got to the part where Suo Bai talked about young Shen Cui.
The man even wanted to do somersaults for all the joy he was feeling at the moment, but he didn't, after another conversation and exchange of ideas and teaching what little he knows about cultivation to help his little brother.
Before Suo Bai returned to his own room, he informed Fang Zheng to go and receive his weekly primitive stones with Dong Tu.
With all this done, Suo Bai returned to his room.
Arriving in his room, Suo Bai invited Nexus to help so that they could replicate the White Boar Gu. Within a few minutes Suo Bai got another Gu worm, and refined it quickly, then spent the rest of the night cultivating with the liquor worm and its large quantity of primitive stones.
...
Quickly time passed and April finally arrived, it had been over a month since Suo Bai had awakened its opening. He had already been recognized by the old man and his colleagues as someone who, despite his lack of talent, is hard-working and dedicated.
Which earned some positive points in the academy, especially from the elder who appreciated those who dedicated themselves and showed due respect in his classes.
And now Suo Bai was about to succeed in advancing to the intermediate stage before everyone else, but he still had to be discreet so as not to attract the unwanted attention of others, and turn all the recognition and appreciation he had worked hard to accumulate into pure hatred and envy.
Because yes, people admire a person of little talent who makes an effort despite the difficulties, but they envy and despise talent that surpasses them, especially if that talent is considered inferior to them, so he was forced to take a short break from his cultivation.
He was now more focused on other areas, such as deriving techniques and recipes with Nexus, and thanks to the deal made with his uncle, Suo Bai could now quietly afford the food needed for the White Boar Gu so he was now using it.
...
Kirckk! Kiickkk!
Twosmall monkeys less than a meter tall jumped together towards a young man in white clothes who was standing in front of them.
Blink!
The young man dodged the first one, which fell face-first to the ground as it missed its target, and the second one bit the young man's left arm, but what was interesting was that the young man's arm was enveloped in a faint jade green light that protected him from the monkey's bite.
Smack!
The young man grabbed the head of the little monkey that was trying to rip off his left arm with his right arm and then threw the monkey to the ground and with a *Smash* sound stomped on the monkey's skull and scattered brain matter all over the ground.
"Kiikkiie, KKiiekiekeEE!!!" The other monkey on the ground stood up and screamed with rage as he saw his companion being crushed alive by the young man's feet.
The monkey then started flapping his arms on the ground in hatred as he glared menacingly at the young man in white.
The monkey then used the momentum of his feet along with his hands and jumped into the young man's face. But his decision was a mistake in the eyes of the young man, who simply sighed and threw a powerful dark blue blade towards the young ape that split his body in two.
Before the two separate parts of the monkey's body hit the ground, they turned into particles of light and disappeared like an illusion, or a monster from a realistic RPG.
[Congratulations, Sir! This is a new record, your skills are improving exponentially]
The young man clenched his fists and sighed. "I'm still a long way off, if it was a real fight, I'd be dead after this one, I didn't manage my primitive essence properly and I ended up spending more than I needed to, if something unforeseen happened I wouldn't be able to react." As the young man spoke, his surroundings began to fall apart and slowly took the form of a closed training room.
"But that's good, throughout this month, I've really improved in combat, something I've never touched before in my life." The young man, although dissatisfied with the end result, still knew that he had made a lot of progress compared to his former lay state.
[Indeed, sir. I can see an improvement of 1000% compared to your previous state, if you continue like this, I can estimate that in less than 4 months you will be the most skilled in combat skills in the clan]
"Hehe, and all thanks to your advanced Nexus simulations. the difference between the simulation and the real battle is almost zero, in fact you could say it's even better, due to the safety and difficulty adaptation factors."
During that month, Suo Bai only truly fought the stone monkeys in the cave of inheritance five times, and that was enough for Nexus to gather data on the monkeys and set up a working battle simulation against them.
If any mortal clan or sect in the Gu world knew of such a method they would be crazy to get their hands on it to train their members in the controlled safety of battle simulation, imagine creating soldiers adapted to all kinds of environments, enemies and circumstances.
Especially considering the short time it takes to train a member within the simulation, Suo Bai himself had practically zero experience in battles, and the Nexus is still learning how to use its capabilities to simulate battles.
But even with these factors, Suo Bai has improved so much in a short space of time that it's unrealistic, now imagine a warrior with a more solid base, and a Nexus more experienced in using battle simulation with much more data to use as a reference, it would be possible to create extremely well-trained warriors.
"I think that's enough combat training for today, what time is it Nexus?" Suo Bai stretched a little and asked.
[It's 4:27 p.m., sir!]
"Now it's time for us to study and expand your Nexus database a little more." Suo Bai spoke as he used a damp towel to wipe off the sweat from his workout and then went to his room to change.
...
The streets of the village of the Gu Yue clan were quite busy at this time of day, many Gu Masters arriving from missions passed through the streets to return to their homes, some even stopped at some stores and bought something before returning home.
The village was really lively at this time of the afternoon, especially the commercial area of the village where the vast majority of the clan's stores were located, there were many stores specializing in Gu worms, Gu worm food, Gu worm refining, Gu materials, but there were also stores specializing in everyday utensils, such as clothes, jewelry, meat, spices, and others.
In the clan's busy shopping area, many vendors advertised themselves in front of their own stores, some erected large posters informing about discounts, others bellowed like goats caught in a fence, and there were some who simply handed out flyers.
"Come, come. A Gu human face stump for only 60 primordial stones, last chance to get it!" A man shouted loudly as he pointed to a tree stump cut into the ground, the most interesting thing about the stump was that it seemed to have the face of a wrinkled old human asleep on it.
Some passing pedestrians were interested and stopped for a moment to observe and perhaps even try to buy.
Another vendor nearby didn't have to keep shouting out his items, thanks to a simple white flag with the words '20% Discount' written on it. He would simply sit and wait for his customers to approach before presenting his items.
And whenever someone approached his store, he would start. "Hello young master, do you want to buy something for your companion? How about this white jade hair clip?"
And in this lively shopping area of the Gu Yue clan, a young master was calmly strolling around observing his surroundings.
The young man was walking alone but you could see that he had status due to his impeccable, polished clothes and his sophisticated, noble mannerisms.
The young man was dressed in a pure white shirt and pants with gold embroidered details and a long black cloak with silver details on the arms.
The young man also sported long, silky black hair that shone like the starry night sky. Unfortunately it wasn't possible to see the young man's eyes as they were half-closed, but it was possible to see his eyebrows lined up like the branches of a cherry tree and his eyelashes as long as a willow tree, his eyes looked like they were always smiling at whoever looked at them.
Her lips had a reddish-pink color like the blackberries in the snow, her lips were always curved in a calm and serene half-smile that reassured people's hearts.
His skin was a healthy pink that conveyed the serenity of spring to anyone who saw him.
Her body was tall and well-proportioned, with a height of more than 1.80 and if it weren't for her baggy clothes, you could see that her body was completely toned.
[Don't you think you're getting a bit too vain, sir?]
This young man was naturally Suo Bai, who had dressed up and put on make-up so that he could only leave his house to walk around the clan market.
"Hehe, silly nexus, you can never take too much care of your appearance, look how many discounts I get just for looking like that." Suo Bai smiled as he opened a small white fan and covered his face, laughing.
"Look, before I was only a grade 5, at most a grade 6, but now that I've tidied myself up and dressed properly I'm sure I can be considered a grade 7 maybe even a grade 8. This all creates opportunities for me in the short term." Suo Bai knew how much people rely on appearances, so he used this card to get some small perks.
"If I approached these stores with my original appearance, I would at most receive normal treatment and perhaps even indifference, but with this more refined and groomed appearance, I get discounts and better service."
"They look at my appearance and think I'm important, so they give me more attention and care, they try to win my favor and get my attention to maybe get a promotion opportunity, they imagine I'm someone important, so they treat me as such." The amount of items and exclusive information that Suo Bai has obtained using this method alone without spending almost anything cannot be counted on the fingers of his hands.
But Suo Bai also knows that he doesn't necessarily have to do that, after all he has the Nexus to help him gather and organize information more quickly, and if he wants an item, he can simply make the Nexus absorb it and the owner won't even notice how the item has disappeared.
And he really does, he uses the Nexus to organize and compile all the information he gets from the conversations of passers-by, he uses the Nexus to absorb and scan some items he finds useful in the market to expand his database, but he also still insists on dressing up to walk around.
Perhaps it's really Suo Bai's pure vanity that makes him want to maintain an above-average appearance, but it could also be the influence of the fact that Suo Bai hasn't had a body for a long time, which has made him value the new one he's got too much. Perhaps even Suo Bai himself doesn't know the answer to that, and doesn't care.
"As long as it pleases me, I'll do anything, even dress up like a tramp." Suo Bai laughed with the fan still covering his face.
This is Suo Bai's simplistic and humble mentality, settling for the smallest things.
[That 'Gu Human Face Stump' sounds interesting, sir!]
"Hm? Oh, I remember this Gu in the diary entries of elder Fang, it's a Gu worm that takes root in the soil and then fertilizes the soil, it's an excellent Gu worm for raising plants, and it has a very interesting function." Suo Bai pulled the information he had about Gu from his memory.
[Yes, it takes root in the ground and with the primitive essence injected inside it, it fertilizes the soil creating a faster and more abundant harvest, when in use the face displays a contented and happy expression while green branches sprout on its top]
[According to the diary, this Rank 2 Gu worm can advance to Rank 5 Spring Tree Gu, one of the best healing Gu worms in the world, created by the Green Lotus himself]
"Yes, I remember, Spring Tree Gu, a healing Gu worm that feeds on human happiness, an almost legendary Gu, it is said that not even the green lotus itself was able to advance this Gu to the immortal level." Suo Bai closed his fan and sighed.
"As soon as no one is paying attention, you can devour that Gu Worm, Nexus." Suo Bai approached and spoke softly.
thump!
Phat!
Sounds as loud as a giant's footsteps suddenly sounded in the village, frightening some residents because of the powerful vibrations.
But before a commotion could take place a voice was heard on the horizon, almost as if carried by the wind straight to people's ears.
"Jia Fu greets Brother Gu Yue Bo."
Looking at the golden horizon of Qing Mao Mountain, it was possible to see a huge toad jumping towards the village, the toad was as big as a five-storey building and so robust that it carried countless items on its back without showing the slightest discomfort.
On top of the giant toad, in addition to the goods, it was possible to see a robust man standing on top without losing his balance. The man looked to be between 40 and 50 years old and had a protruding belly and a merchant's smile on his face.
Just after Jia Fu had shown his greetings to the clan leader, Gu Yue Bo himself quickly appeared in front of the village with a glow of golden light and greeted the merchant back in a tone of mutual respect.
"What a pleasure to have Brother Jia Fu visit us so soon, I believe you must have had a peaceful trip."
"Hoho, really. We've been blessed on our trade route and we've gotten some good things that might interest Brother Gu Yue Bo," Jia Fu replied eloquently.
"What a blessing, the heavens really are on the side of the righteous." I invite Brother JIa Fu to a small banquet tonight in the clan pavilion." Gu Yue Bo likewise responded with his experience in dealing with this friendly merchant.
"Then I will trouble the honorable clan of Brother Gu Yue Bo." The two had a quick conversation full of eloquent compliments for each other.
It wasn't long before the rest of the caravan arrived behind Jia Fu's big toad.
As soon as the caravan arrived, Jia Fu gave clear instructions and then left the rest to his employees before following the clan leader.
The rest of the caravan was just as magical as Jia Fu's giant toad, with flying snakes, land birds pulling carts, jumping giant toads and various other magical beasts carrying a rich stock of goods.
As soon as the rest of the caravan finished arriving, they headed for a reserved area in the village and set up their tents and stores, attracting the attention of the locals who were already eagerly awaiting the new goods that would be displayed for sale.
Amongst the crowd that murmured curiously and moved slowly towards the caravan, Suo Bai stayed behind with a complicated look on his face as he reasoned.
"The caravan came a month early, and from what I heard of the conversation between Jia Fu and the clan leader, it seems that they had an easy way here." Suo Bai held his chin and pondered.
"Maybe it was heaven's will? but why would she help the caravan get here early? Is it some kind of indirect message? But what does she mean by that?"
Suo Bai allowed his mind to wander to various questions as he searched for an answer to each one.
Until one moment an answer came into his mind, as if a light shone into his mind.
"Is she telling me to hurry up? Are we running out of time?" As if to answer his last question, his Gu Vital the Autumn Spring Cicada vibrated and squeaked in response.
"That's right... But we should have more time, the mists of chaos shouldn't act so quickly." Suo Bai knew why the will of heaven wanted him to hurry, it was because of his actions in trying to enter this world.
His world was exposed and vulnerable in the chaos outside. And he had to go out to protect him from possible devouring or assimilation by other exploitative entities.
He had to live up to his title of Herald of Heaven and really go for it.
"How is the situation in the chaos?" Suo Bai asked and waited for a possible answer.
The answer took a while, but the cicada vibrated again and sent a wave of will with little memories into Suo Bai's consciousness.
In this memory he found himself in chaos again, only this time from the point of view of the red mist.
Looking out into the chaos he saw a mass of smaller green gas trying to take advantage of the opening in the red mist to create a leak in it and preying on it like a parasite.
Because of the circumstances, the red mist could not defend itself or fight back for the time being.
So outside help was needed to remove or assimilate this mass of green gas.
"I see, from what I can see, this mass of green gas is in its last days too and is desperate to find a chance to survive, even risking itself like this on a superior." Suo Bai sighed.
"We were lucky, this is at most a world with less supernatural, maybe even a world without the supernatural." It will be easy to subjugate the rules of this world and make it food for us..." Suo Bai pondered calmly.
"But I still have to prepare myself, you never know what might be waiting for me inside."
"I have to act quickly." Suo Bai didn't linger any longer in the market and went off in the direction of the merchant caravan to see if he could find anything useful.
Near where Suo Bai was standing, the man who was selling the 'stump with a Gu man's face' let out a miserable cry of rage. "They stole my Gu, someone stole my Worm Gu!!!!!!"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
PilgrimofWisdom
PilgrimofWisdom No, I did not drop this work. I'm just going through writer's block, even though I already have the idea and a basic 'script' of what I want to happen, I can't get the words together, it seems like my speaking skills get away from me whenever I concentrate .
But I'm slowly getting over it, I decided to develop my creativity in other works and I'm feeling better, I wrote the draft of a second reverend insanity fic that helped me get rid of some of what was holding me back.
That's why I managed to bring this to you today, but I don't guarantee constant updates, as I'm organizing my separate thoughts and ideas.
That's what I wanted to say, what did you think of the current chapter? Tell me how you feel and as always, good luck on the battlefield!
— New chapter is coming soon — Write a review
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