Capítulo 52: Chapter 52 Numerous Propositions
Xuanyuan left Tai Yin shortly after, seeing that Tai Yang was doing a mission for the Water Soul Hall. He knew that he had left a deep impression in the minds of both Tai Yin and Tai Yang, but now could only hope that the pair of them joined his expedition.
'Another Fire Path Gu Master, and a Sword Path Gu Master, means that our teams offensive power would dramatically increase. While I do understand the value of offensive Gu, support type Gu are perhaps more important over long durations like this one'.
Xuanyuan had a couple more people to invite on his trip, and needed to prepare a few different types of Gu, and the food required to sustain them. Heading towards the Dark Soul Hall, Xuanyuan waited around before seeing Jia Yufei chatting with someone.
The Shadow Path Gu Master just smiled, his tall figure standing out amongst the crowd, causing Jia Yufei and Li Xiao Er to move over to the side, the former gesturing to Xuanyuan.
"Xuanyuan! We were just looking for you! I told Li Xiao Er about our plans for an extended expedition to Dream Garden City, and she wanted to ask you about them".
Xuanyuan could see the reservations on Li Xiao Er's face, but the pretty looking girl just stood tall and straight, her height significantly higher than any other girl her age. Xuanyuan was tall for a boy, but Li Xiao Er possessed similar qualities, almost the same height as Tai Yang or Fang Kai.
The Wind Path Gu Master stared at Xuanyuan for a moment, her cheeks somewhat red.
"Uh, the first thing I wanted to ask was... why me? I mean, I know I'm a Rank 2 Gu Master, but there are plenty of others who are probably a better fit than I am. I am not exactly the most... normal combatant there is you know?".
Xuanyuan nodded, knowing she was referring to her fighting style during the tournament. Li Xiao Er used more martial arts than anyone in the tournament, with the exception of Fang Chen. Her speed and perception were her greatest weapons, and but didn't use Gu to enhance the strength of her fists or the power behind her blows.
Unlike everyone else, who either used a Gu as a weapon, or the ability of a Gu offensively.
It seemed as though she was intent on only using martial arts, and for Gu to enhance her already existing techniques and movements.
"I am aware of your preferences in combat. But your speed and techniques are more than capable than almost every other Gu Master our age. I understand the... need for primeval essence stones just as well as you do. If you could obtain a Rank 2 Wind Strength Gu, or even a Rank 2 Billowing Muscles Gu or a Rank 2 Hollow Wind Bones Gu, your physical strength would sky rocket. It even compliments other Wind Path Gu, enhancing your speed even further".
Li Xiao Er glanced at Jia Yufei, smiling and nodding at the other girl.
"You have nothing to worry about Xiao Er", said Jia Yufei, "Your speed and agility exceeds everyone else on our team. If you are willing, we would be extremely lucky to have you".
Li Xiao Er blushed again nodding and giving them both a small bow. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, glancing at Xuanyuan before returning her attention to the both of them.
"I have to discuss some things with my mother and father. But I should be able to go. My parents are both Rank 3 Gu Masters belonging to the Midnight Zephyr Sect. They are here in the Ancient Soul City as envoys, so while they are here, I'll tell them about your plans... if that is alright?".
Xuanyuan and Jia Yufei nodded, watching as Li Xiao Er smiled before walking towards the exit to Dark Soul Hall. The Fire Path Gu Master smiled mischievously, grinning at Xuanyuan, causing him to groan and roll his eyes.
"Get your head out of the gutter Jia Yufei. I didn't think that she would have a crush on me, I just need more variety in the other members of the expedition".
Said girl just patted Xuanyuan on the shoulder, nodding sagely.
"I understand young man. Youths today are not good at showing their emotions so-. Hey! Hey, Xuanyuan come back here!".
Her words were interrupted as Xuanyuan started walking away, forcing her to chase after him.
Xuanyuan had asked seven people already if they were willing to come on his expedition. There were still three people left that he had yet to ask, but knew that Long Xi and Yu Zhong Er would more than likely say yes.
They had given him the idea, and he knew that the pair wanted to travel in larger groups such as this one, so that they could earn more primeval essence stones and take more aggressive trips throughout the resource points controlled by the Ancient Soul Sect.
Considering their experience, their cultivation, and the fact that Jia Yufei and Li Xiao Er were coming, it would keep their hearts at ease, despite going with Yu Xiaolong and Lu Guo, both of whom they were not familiar with.
If Tai Yin and Tai Yang were coming as well, it would split the group evenly between five men and five women.
'Two Fire Path Gu Masters... Two Sword Path Gu Masters... One Lightning Path Gu Master... One Wind Path Gu Master... One Light Path Gu Master... Two Shadow Path Gu Masters... And Fang Chen'.
Xuanyuan was impressed by Fang Chen's willpower and perseverance, and despite his low B Grade Talent, he was driven, confident and possessed a mental strength greater than anyone else his age.
His Vital Gu was a Third Eye Gu, a Wisdom Path Gu which could use deductions to analyze the movements of a target, predicting their next actions. It was an extremely draining Gu, but once he became a Rank 2 Gu Master, it would offset the cost significantly.
Xuanyuan was even considering giving him a Gu to enhance his combat abilities but ultimately decided against it.
'I should do it over the course of our trip. It will show that I had been planning it for a while, and if I do it in front of the others, it will make me seem more friendly and affable. But... what Path did Fang Chen walk again?'.
Xuanyuan had only ever seen him use his Third Eye Gu and wasn't even sure if he had another Gu in his possession. He was a mortal born Gu Master, but other than that, didn't really know much about Fang Chen.
Xuanyuan knew that he had been hanging around the Burning Soul Hall after the tournament, so he went to go ask Lu Rong if she had seen Fang Chen around lately. The Rank 2 Lightning Path Gu Master grinned when she saw Xuanyuan waving at him as they chatted in the central hall.
"Xuanyuan! I haven't seen you since before the tournament! Congratulations on winning! I hope my brother hasn't been annoying you too much about going on missions or anything though?", Lu Rong had a bright and righteous personality, and was quite forceful when it came to disciplining her younger brother, but was always reserved and amicable in front of others.
Xuanyuan had seen her in situations both with and without Lu Guo accompanying him, and always preferred seeing her without Lu Guo present. Her demeanor reminded him of a strict mother, nagging and pushy whenever Lu Guo was around.
It also brought out the righteous part of her personality a little too much, which always caused Xuanyuan to just smile and nod, going along with whatever she was saying.
Shaking his head, Xuanyuan smiled at Lu Rong.
"You're brother has been quite helpful lately. Planning and acquiring resources for us to use on our expedition... I was actually here today to look for Fang Chen, hoping that I could invite him to come along with us, have you seen him recently?", he asked.
Lu Rong blinked for a moment before tapping her chin, realizing Xuanyuan was serious.
"You haven't heard? Elder Li has taken Fang Chen in as a disciple. She was impressed by him after the tournament and asked him if he wanted to join the Burning Soul Hall. He is in seclusion at the moment, spending most of his time cultivating to Rank 2... I don't think he is going to leave any time soon".
Elder Li, the Elder in charge of the Burning Soul Hall, was another fanatic of the righteous path. Elder Luo had told him that Elder Li was surprisingly cunning and deceptive, despite her reputation, but every time Xuanyuan had seen her, she was disciplining disciples for breaking the Sect rules, or dispatching Gu Masters to a region where demonic path Gu Masters had raided or attacked.
He didn't know what Elder Luo meant by "cunning" and "deceptive", but he had taken those words to heart and kept a distance between himself and Elder Li.
Particularly after the tournament.
Hearing Lu Rong's words Xuanyuan paused before scratching the back of his head, letting out a small sigh.
"I... see. Well, that is certainly... not what I wanted. But I guess I should congratulate Fang Chen the next time I see him. Elder Li too for taking in a new disciple".
Xuanyuan scratched his chin, causing Lu Rong to laugh, covering her mouth with her hand daintily. The older woman patted him on the back, shrugging her shoulders noticing the frown appear on his face.
"You'll be fine Xuanyuan! I'm sure you'll be able to find a couple more Gu Masters to join your little expedition! Why don't you ask Tai Yin or Tai Yang to join? They certainly seem more amicable than some of the other Elder descendants".
Xuanyuan showed an awkward expression, letting out another sigh.
"I already did ask them. Neither of them have given me an answer yet, and I don't have many other backup plans other than Tai Yin or Tai Yang. With their Peak Rank 2 Gu Master cultivation, they should reach Rank 3 in the next few months, hopefully while we are travelling towards Dream Garden City. If they don't join, our offensive capabilities will be significantly lower with just Yu Xiaolong and Jia Yufei as pure offensive Gu Masters".
Lu Rong tapped her chin for a moment thinking, before offering another suggestion.
"Well what about Song Pei? Elder Song isn't the most friendly of people, but Song Pei isn't that bad. He actually didn't end up joining the Dragon Soul Hall like most other Enslavement Path Gu Masters do and instead joined the Dark Soul Hall under Elder Hu. I don't know why, but Elder Li was grinning when she mentioned this during our last group check in".
The taller boy lifted his head somewhat, raising an eyebrow.
"Song Pei? He joined the Dark Soul Hall? Under Elder Hu? Since when?".
Lu Rong shrugged.
"It was almost directly after the tournament. The Dark Soul Hall is always looking for new members to assist in the exploration efforts, mapping out new passageways or searching for deeper floors to the Earth Abyss. An Enslavement Path Gu Master is extremely useful in scouting and reconnaissance so he might be just waiting until he becomes a Rank 3 Gu Master before he properly joins".
Xuanyuan hummed for a moment, nodding somewhat before smiling at Lu Rong. The older girl seemed to notice the change in his movements before walking away speaking to him while waving.
"Good luck! And make sure you tell that brother of mine to visit me before you leave! I want to make sure he isn't planning on doing anything stupid with that Gu that I gave him!".
Xuanyuan yelled, thanking Lu Rong as she turned a corner before turning around and heading towards the Dark Soul Hall.
He had been to the Dark Soul Hall plenty of times to visit Elder Hu, who was close with Elder Luo, even before he became his disciple. After he had made his declaration in front of them, in addition to Elder Kong, she had become much more lenient and warm to Xuanyuan, letting him visit whenever he wanted.
She wasn't his Master, nor was she family, but it seemed that she valued Elder Luo's opinion and presence, making Xuanyuan, his disciple, someone that she could indulge.
She had wanted to give him a Gu, but Elder Luo rejected the offer, causing Xuanyuan to mentally scream, losing the opportunity to obtain a Gu for free. It was only a Rank 1 Hide Shadow Gu, which could hide an individual's shadow within their body for a certain period of time, but Xuanyuan still wanted to cry over the lost opportunity.
As he wondered through the underground tunnels towards the Dark Soul Hall, Xuanyuan eventually arrived in the central hall of the Dark Soul Hall, gazing around, seeing if he could find Song Pei anywhere.
Xuanyuan waited for the better part of thirty minutes for him, almost about to call it quits before a familiar sounding voice entered his ears.
"... listen... I'll talk to Xuanyuan. If he wants Yang and I to join, he'll have to take you as well. I know that things have been hard since you left the Dragon Soul Hall, but you heard what the Elders are discussing, he is more than likely going to become the next-".
Xuanyuan raised an eyebrow.
"Tai Yin?".
Two pairs of eyes turned to look at Xuanyuan, a familiar face and figure that he had seen just earlier that day.
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