Capítulo 57: Chapter 57 Son
"... you need to move quicker Little Yuan! Your footwork is excellent, yet the rest of your movements are messy and inefficient. I know that you have refined complimentary body strengthening Gu, but still your fists and kicks contain wasted potential!".
Xuanyuan grunted adjusting his posture and deflecting a punch from Elder Luo. The Space Path Gu Master had refined body strengthening Gu starting from Rank 2 and refined those Gu all the way up until Rank 5.
Rank 2 Contracting Muscles Gu. Rank 3 Star Muscles Gu. Rank 4 Galaxy Muscles Gu. Then finally, Rank 5 Universe Muscles Gu.
Rank 2 Expanding Bones Gu. Rank 3 Swallowing Bones Gu. Rank 4 Gravity Bones Gu. Then finally, Rank 5 Singularity Bones Gu.
Unless a Gu Master used a Cleansing Muscles Gu, or a Purifying Bones Gu of an appropriate Rank, they would be unable to change the nature of their bones or muscles again, only able to refine their initial Gu to the next Rank to increase their strength.
Xuanyuan used a Rank 2 Dark Muscles Gu and a Rank 2 Light Bones Gu, so his muscles and bones had been engraved with Dark Path and Light Path Dao Marks. They were only mortal Dao Marks, so Xuanyuan didn't have to worry about spontaneous self combustion, but neither of his body strengthening Gu increased the effectiveness of his Shadow Path Gu.
Xuanyuan had used his intuition as a Master of the Shadow Path and picked these two Gu, hoping to refine them in the future to a higher Rank, but at his current attainment he was unable to deduce a potential refinement Path.
While Dark Muscles and Light Bones were Strength Path Gu and Bone Path Gu, they benefited Dark Path Gu and Light Path Gu, causing Xuanyuan to think about how common it was within nature to find Gu belonging to two different Paths.
Elder Luo just smiled answering his disciples question.
"The answer is not quite that simple Little Yuan. The answer you should be looking for, is where can I find two different Paths naturally occurring beside each other in nature. Then you will find you answer".
Xuanyuan tilted his head, retorting his Master's words.
"Strength Path materials can be found all over the Five Regions, while the Bone Path can be found in areas abundant in skeletons devoid of blood or souls. In fact, in areas with high amounts of Blood Path Beasts or Soul Path Beasts, Bone Path Gu and Bone Path Gu materials can be found in abundance... how then do other Paths fit into this?".
Elder Luo just smiled, stroking his beard. The Space Path Gu Master shook his head, denying his disciple the satisfaction of an easy answer.
"Perhaps once you enter the Blessed Land of a Gu Immortal you will be able to see what I mean. Blessed Lands are nurtured and raised carefully by each Gu Immortal, most often filled with empty open space or lifeless lakes and mountains. Those Wood Path Gu Immortals, or those Enslavement Path Gu Immortals are different of course, however, I suspect that someone like Immortal Song or Immortal Lan would have extraordinarily unique Blessed Lands".
"Have you entered many Blessed Lands before Master?", Xuanyuan asked.
Elder Luo shook his head, showing a wry smile.
"I have only ever entered two in my lifetime. One was Immortal Lang, our Space Path Gu Immortal. This was during my youth, slightly older than you are currently. It was my reward from the Earth Soul Hall during one of our Inter-Soul Hall tournaments. The other was when the previous Elder of the Earth Soul Hall passed away. I was still only at the Middle Stage Rank 5 at that point, but I was given a chance by Immortal Hui to cultivate in his Blessed Land for a couple years. By the time I exited, I was at the Peak of Rank 5".
Xuanyuan nodded, entranced by Luo Yu's words.
"What were they like? Big? Small? Like a forest? Or a lake? Or a mountain, or a-".
Elder Luo raised his hand, causing Xuanyuan to stop. The Space Path Gu Master shook his head, smiling at his disciple.
"I cannot speak on Elder Hui's Blessed Land, as I only spent my time cultivating inside. Immortal Lang's Blessed Land on the other hand, was extraordinarily large, filled to the brim with countless Space Path resources".
"He had herds of Floating Space Bison in his Blessed Land. They fed on the Empty Essence Grass which grew on enormous floating islands, kept aloft using a rare mineral called Ascending Jades. They naturally float upwards but are naturally repelled by water and clouds. It never rained in the Blessed Land, and the life below was nurtured by all sorts of strange lakes and rivers. Wild Space Path Gu could be found in abundance all over the Blessed Land, and this wasn't even taking into account the dozens of mountains and valleys which were littered across the landscape".
Elder Luo showed a reminiscent expression, his gaze fondly looking back on his youth.
Xuanyuan could see the expression on his face, and licked his lips, pausing for a moment before asking his Master a serious question.
"Master... this may be forward of me, but... have you ever thought of becoming a Gu Immortal?".
Luo Yu snapped out of his trance, narrowing his eyes for a moment, before letting out a small sigh. The Peak Rank 5 Gu Master glanced at his disciple, but didn't show any outward change in his expression.
Eventually, he smiled, nodding as he tilted his head to look at Xuanyuan.
"Of course I have. If I can become a Gu Immortal, then it will grant me benefits and strength beyond anything that which most Gu Masters can comprehend. If my attainment and grasp of the Space Path was just slightly higher, I believe I could refine an Immortal Gu during my Immortal Ascension. The only problem is Little Yuan, is that my Vital Gu is only Rank 4, while all the other Gu in my possession are Rank 5. If my Vital Gu was Rank 5, then I would be willing to attempt Immortal Ascension".
Xuanyuan frowned for a moment, glancing at his Master's stomach for a moment. He remembering him telling him about his Vital Gu, and that it was the secret behind his strength in Spatial Cracking.
Spatial cracking revealed gaps in space, and was perhaps the most useful at entering sealed spaces safely in comparison to spatial severing or spatial piercing.
Creating cracks were slower in comparison to severing or piercing, but creating cracks in the correct spot, could eventually shatter an entire space completely, without the people inside even knowing about it.
It was a much more precise method of spatial manipulation using Gu. And required both patience and a comprehensive grasp on the Space Path.
"Master... your Vital Gu, it was a Rank 4 Hammer Fissure Shark right?".
Elder Luo nodded, bringing the Gu out of his primeval essence sea.
The Rank 4 Hammer Fissure Shark was huge, even by Gu Master standards. The Rank 5 River Swallowing Toad that Fang Yuan had previously dealt with was the size of a small hill, and was capable of swallowing enough water to flood a small region.
The Rank 4 Hammer Fissure Shark was roughly the same size as a hundred foot yacht in terms of length and width. It was capable of swimming through the air and attacking Gu Masters with its physical size and strength alone, but its true capabilities laid within its ability to "fissure" space.
The Hammer Fissure Shark could swing its enormous head around and fissure space in a straight line, producing a crack in space roughly a dozen meters in length.
The crack, while long, was almost imperceptible to most Gu Masters. If it hit someone, naturally they too would be cut in half along the cracked space. The Hammer Fissure Shark was... a hammer. It produced a powerful blow capable of cracking space open, and wasn't like other Gu which usually just remained in the aperture during combat.
The Hammer Fissure Shark was capable of fighting alongside Luo Yu, just like the River Swallowing Toad. It's size and speed were remarkable, and it could fly too as a Space Path Gu.
Xuanyuan tilted his head to the side, gazing up at the enormous Rank 4 Gu swimming in the air above him.
"The Hammer Fissure Shark... it needs a Rank 5 Hammer Gu of some kind in order to be refined correct?".
Hammer Gu was a Rank 5 Gu belonging to the Weapon Path. While the Weapon Path was founded by Che Wei, a Gu Immortal from the Heavenly Court, Weapon Path Gu still existed throughout the Five Regions. While the Soul Path was founded by Spectral Soul, it was still possible to find Soul Path Gu scattered throughout the Five Regions before the La
Elder Luo nodded, albeit while showing a strained expression.
"There are many kinds of Rank 5 Hammer Gu, even in the Sect I know that there are at least three Rank 5 Hammer Gu. However, I am... stubborn. I do not want them and desire a specific Rank 5 Hammer Gu to refine my Rank 4 Hammer Fissure Shark with".
"There are that many different kinds of Rank 5 variations of the Hammer Fissure Shark?!", Xuanyuan exclaimed.
Elder Luo nodded explaining the Gu.
"I have spent more than a decade deducing and refining various Hammer Sharks to Rank 4, producing numerous iterations of the Gu, some capable of enhancing the range of its spatial fissure, others the width of the spatial fissure itself".
"Some have even been refined into Gu that I had never even considered possible before, like a Rank 3 Hammer Fissure Shark being refined into a Rank 4 Blood Piercing Shark. Or a Rank 4 Hammer Fissure Shark being refined into a Rank 5 Thought Jaws Shark. If there was such thing as a Shark Path in this World, I think I would be closest to creating it".
"In the end, I want my Hammer Fissure Shark to be refined into something capable of still fighting alongside me at Rank 5, or even Rank 6! Enhancing the abilities of a Gu is inconsequential! Even if my Rank 5 Hammer Fissure Shark can only cut through a few meters worth of space, the strength of a Rank 5 Gu will still exceed that of a Rank 4! What I desire Xuanyuan, is a Rank 5 Cracking Jaws Shark!".
Xuanyuan's eyes widened, hearing the intensity behind his Master's words.
Even though he and his Master had had heart to heart conversations about the righteous path and the nature of Man, discussing philosophy wasn't as personal and shouting out one's desire.
The earnest expression on his Master's face, the fiery passion behind his eyes, the resolve contained within his words.
All of it was familiar to Xuanyuan.
Luo Yu had his own dreams and desires. His own goals and wants.
Even if they affected his potential in the long run, Xuanyuan would still probably try his best to obtain the Second Aperture Gu before undergoing Immortal Ascension.
Why?
Because he desired strength and did not want to be limited to just a single Path! Xuanyuan wanted to know everything there was to know about Gu, and Dao Marks and attainment and in order to do that, he would do whatever it took to get there!
'I can kill others, others can naturally come to kill me, this is nothing', he thought.
Xuanyuan didn't reject the strength of the righteous path, knowing the value in relationships and the power of emotions.
Xuanyuan didn't reject the benefits of the demonic path, knowing that morals and ethics only restrained the self, preventing him from seeing the bigger picture.
He walked his own Path, like many others did before him, towards his own goal, towards his own future.
"... This is my own, an insignificant character's, Xuanyuan's Perseverance", he muttered, mimicking the line he had repeated over and over again in his mind.
Seeing his Master, with his own goals and his own desires, Xuanyuan only solidified the resolve he had in his heart.
Giving his Master a deep bow, Xuanyuan just smiled, giving his Master an honest smile.
"Just as you have helped me Master, I will do whatever it takes to help you achieve your own goal. I desire to become Venerable, a Rank 5 Cracking Jaws Shark should be nothing in comparison, right?".
Luo Yu's eyes widened, his heart growing several sizes, feeling the emotions in Xuanyuan's words. He unconsciously nodded, patting Xuanyuan on the shoulder, shaking his head, the smile on his face unable to hide itself.
"... You... you are more than I ever could have hoped for, Little Yuan".
Luo Yu wanted to help Xuanyuan flourish from the very depths of his heart, a combination of his morality and ethics, and the familial spirit given him to him by the Sect, nurtured over many years of hard work. He thought of Xuanyuan as his own son, in every way other than blood.
Xuanyuan felt as though he could better understand his Master, and in doing, Luo Yu felt closer to Xuanyuan than ever before. As such, Xuanyuan wanted to help him achieve his own goal, of creating the Gu which resided in his heart!
The last time Luo Yu shed tears, was during a feud between the Ancient Soul Sect and a hidden Demonic Sect directly on the boarder between the Western Desert and the Central Continent. Several of his close friends had died that day, leaving only him and Hu Yin as the only ones still alive from their initial group.
Two had become Elders, while the rest were buried, their existence carried on within the hearts and minds of their friends. The emotions in his heart bubbled up like spring water, unable to be contained to just his face, and spilled over into the outside world.
Despite his unsightly appearance, he couldn't be happier, feeling the warmth of son for the first time ever in his life.
His own human qi increasing even further unbeknownst to him, or anyone else around him.
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