Daydream Village was a village nestled at the end of a valley and the beginning of a forest. The valley stretched all the way to the West, directly towards Wind Blade Mountain, while the forest covered several hundred square kilometers in every direction but West.
Due to the elevation being lower than the rest of the surrounding terrain, there were several large lakes within the vicinity of Daydream Village, with multiple streams and two rivers running between them. Despite the fact that this area was renowned as a location plentiful with Illusion Path Gu materials and Fire Path Gu materials, unlike Wind Blade Mountain, it was formed naturally, and produced a plethora of different types of Gu.
Each of the Rank 1 Gu Masters who resided within Daydream Village had a wide variety of different Gu. They could not store Gu effectively like a Sect or Clan, but over numerous generations, the knowledge accumulated by their ancestors allowed them to categorize and teach potential Gu Masters the basis of cultivation.
In the Central Continent, so long as an individual possessed enough wealth, or had enough talent, they could attend a school for mortals, learning mathematics, literature, craftsmanship or philosophy. Women were not treated as property, and were allowed to pursue their own dreams in the Central Continent as well.
The concept of handing down knowledge from master to disciple was engrained in the very essence of those who resided in the Central Continent. While some Clans did reside here, they were suppressed heavily by the Ten Great Sects and the Heavenly Court. Most either resided in the Blessed Lands of their Gu Immortals, or only resided in the Central Continent to get away from the constant fighting in the other four regions.
Most of the individuals in Daydream Village possessed the name "Murong", however only a handful were actually related. Most tried to send their children away to big cities like Restless Wind City or Dream Garden City in order to learn a trade, while usually only those who were men returned, more often than not married, sometimes with a child in tow.
These Rank 1 Gu Masters residing in Daydream Village, possessed varying degrees of talent. The most talented was Murong Chu, who possessed a 58% primeval essence sea, while the least talented was a young man by the name of Murong San, who possessed a 21% primeval essence sea.
They attempted to try and flatter Xuanyuan and the others, while gently prodding, hoping to see the talents of disciples of the Ancient Soul Sect.
"Lady Long, you are younger than myself and are already a Peak Rank 2 Gu Master! Your innate talent must be extraordinary! Beyond that of most Gu Masters!".
Murong Chu tried to chat with Long Xi, but the girl only politely nodded, her gaze flittering to Xuanyuan.
"I was blessed with an A Grade Talent. It has allowed me to cultivate quicker than most other Gu Masters. However, in terms of talent, none of us are comparable to Little Yuan here".
Xuanyuan rolled his eyes, hearing Long Xi's words. He could feel the gazes of more than a dozen Rank 1 Gu Masters on his body, causing him to sigh before sending Long Xi a subtle glare. The girl just poked her tongue out at him, before he nodded, not bothering to hide it.
"While there are talents that exceed my own, I was born with a primeval essence sea almost completely full. The maximum amount of primeval essence I can store within my primeval essence sea is... 99%".
Murong Chu, and all the other Daydream Village Gu Master's felt their eyes widen and their mouths drop. One of them even tripped, not noticing a branch that had fallen in their path. They were all shocked, baffled at what Xuanyuan had told them.
99% primeval essence sea!?
What the hell?!
What kind of talent was that?!
Xuanyuan just nodded, not bothering to explain himself further. Murong Chu just watched Xuanyuan continue trekking through the forest, a pang of envy once again coursing through his heart.
He glanced at Long Xi, noticing her stand beside Xuanyuan, watching the pair chat harmoniously, even as Xuanyuan glared at her, causing her to giggle, covering her mouth cutely. It made him jealous seeing the girl that caused his heart to race chat and laugh with another man.
Feeling the 58% primeval essence sea within himself, he let out a sigh, cursing his own luck.
'If I was just born with 2% more, I would have met the requirements to become a disciple of the Ancient Soul Sect. Even with the most basic of B Grade Talents, I would be able to follow them back to the Ancient Soul Sect and become a disciple of one of the Ten Great Sects. Perhaps then, I could see her again...'.
Murong Chu was eighteen years of age. He could remember a dozen different Talent Awakening Ceremony's and only once in a decade had someone been born with an A Grade Talent. They were recruited by the Ancient Soul Sect, and presumably, was a successful and powerful Gu Master by now.
Murong Chu wanted to leave Daydream Village and join one of the subsidiary Sects nearby, but knew that his grandfathers lifespan was nearing its end. He knew his limits, and at the very least, should be able to reach the Peak Of Rank 2 over the course of his entire life.
His grandfather had told him something one day, a piece of advice he didn't yet understand.
"Listen Chu, you may desire to leave Daydream Village one day, and I know that I cannot stop you. But if you do leave, you will have nothing but regrets in your heart. There is a mountain beyond a mountain, and a man beyond a man. Would you rather be a big fish in a small pond, or a small fish in a large pond? You know nothing of the rest of the World, at least here in Daydream Village, you will have a wife and possibly a mistress or two. Think about it my boy, that is all I ask of you...".
Murong Chu shook his head, suppressing the feeling of envy in his heart.
"There is a mountain beyond a mountain, and a man beyond a man... To think, this man would be both younger than me, and more talented than me. Grandfather... I understand this now".
Naturally, Xuanyuan didn't understand the massive changes that occurred within Murong Chu's heart just now. He just strode past the large, violet and indigo coloured trees, before arriving at a small lake, glancing around at the scenic landscape.
Purple and pink reeds were scattered about the shoreline, while white lotus buds floated aimlessly on the waters surface. A slight haze could be seen just a few inches off the waters surface, making the lotus flowers appear mystical and otherworldly, like an echo of something that was forgotten.
In the shallows, Xuanyuan could see dozens of Green Steel Bulls drinking the lake water and munching on the reeds beside the shoreline. While Green Steel Bulls were a generally docile type of Beast, they could eat more than ten kilograms of plants each day, which was why the villagers were so worried about them.
Occasionally they would come and devour their crops, reducing their harvests and potentially even harming the mortal villagers. While the Old Murong Gu Master could deal with multiple at once with his cultivation, his physical body could no longer keep up with his movements.
Xuanyuan guessed that he had a Rank 2 Gu in his possession, possibly more than one.
Glancing at Song Pei, the Enslavement Path Gu Master nodded, activating his Crocodile Enslavement Gu before commanding his Armored Scale Crocodile to enter the water. The massive length of the crocodile quickly vanished as it sunk to the bottom of the lake, crawling along the bottom towards the herd of Green Steel Bulls.
Song Pei closed his eyes for a moment, before activating another Gu, only opening his right eye. Its shape and form resembling that of a crocodile more than a human eye.
Seeing through the eyes of his enslaved crocodile, Song Pei nodded, reporting what he could see.
"There are probably about a thousand Green Steel Bulls. Not enough for a beast tide, and I cannot see a Green Steel Bull Beast King. If we cull the herd to a tenth of its current size, the Village shouldn't have to worry about the Green Steel Bulls for at least another decade".
Xuanyuan hummed, not showing his disappointment in the lack of a Beast King. Turning his head towards Yu Xiaolong and Tai Yin, he nodded before the two of them smiled, the latter punching his fists together.
"Finally! Dealing with those carps back on Wind Blade Mountain was a pain considering that the water dulls the effects of my Gu. Now I can finally test out all of my new Gu without restraint!".
Tai Yin just smiled, summoning her Rank 2 Longsword Gu into her hand. The sharpness behind her gaze becoming more and more prominent as she and Yu Xiaolong stepped forward.
Murong Chu and the others looked towards Xuanyuan and the others, seeing that none of them stepped forward to assist them. He could help but question whether or not they were going to help cull the herd of Green Steel Bulls.
Xuanyuan glanced at him, shaking his head.
"Without a Beast King, this herd is nothing too special. Xiaolong is a Lightning Path Gu Master, while Yin is a Sword Path Gu Master. Their offensive capabilities are among the greatest in our group. Them alone will be enough".
Murong Chu glanced at his fellow Rank 1 Gu Masters, seeing expressions of conflict and helplessness on their faces. Even if they were Rank 2 Gu Masters, old Murong wouldn't be capable of eliminating an entire herd all by himself.
Was this another gap between themselves and these Ancient Soul Sect Gu Masters?
Yu Xiaolong glanced at Tai Yin, a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.
"Hey, Tai Yin, let's have a bet on who can kill the most bulls before we're finished. The winner gets any Gu that we might find?".
Tai Yin raised an eyebrow, grinning before giving Yu Xiaolong a nod.
The Middle Stage Rank 2 Gu Master, and the Peak Stage Rank 2 Gu Master both shared a silent look of understanding, before moving their gazes back towards the herd of Green Steel Bulls. They had already started to approach the shoreline before a few Beasts on the outer banks of the lake lifted their heads and gazed at the two approaching humans.
None of them seemed interested in the presence of these humans, causing Tai Yin to grin, activating several Gu at once.
In an instant, her cultivation base exploded, and the feeling of dark red primeval essence leaked out into the world around her. She had been working hard since she had lost to Xuanyuan during the tournament, even going so far as to ask Song Pei and Tai Yang to help her with creating a set of complimentary Gu!
She no longer wanted to use the Rank 3 Crescent Slash Gu given to her by her father!
She would no longer live in the shadow of Elder Tai!
She was Tai Yin, and with a sword in her hand, she would cleave through the Heavens and the Earth!
Xuanyuan's eyebrows rose a fraction on an inch, glancing at Long Xi, seeing the girl grin watching Tai Yin.
Rank 2 Longsword Gu!
Rank 1 Sword Sheath Gu!
Rank 2 Sword Strength Gu!
Rank 2 Sword Breath Gu!
Rank 2 Sword Qi Gu!
Rank 2 Sword Source Gu!
And finally...
Rank 2 Dark Slash Gu!
Tai Yin lifted her sword above her head, sword in its sheath, gathering countless wisps of sword qi around her body. They rotated around her at tremendous speeds, capable of cutting through scattered leaves and floating blades of grass.
In a single moment, she opened her eyes and muttered several words.
"Mortal Killer Move - Dark Sword Cleave".
Tai Yin slashed down, releasing all of the stored up sword qi and darkness qi within her sword sheath. The two different types of qi slashed out together, producing a five meter long sword slash, devoid of any sort of light or colour.
The black wave of sword qi and darkness qi cut through the air faster than Xuanyuan's Dense Shadow Blades, launching more than fifty meters ahead of her, cutting through the earth, and the dozens of Green Steel Bulls standing on it in an instant.
The girl felt her hands shake from the backlash, but just grinned seeing the enormous cut in the earth that she created. More than a foot wide, and fifty meters in length, she glanced at Yu Xiaolong, seeing the young man slightly dumbfounded by the appearance of a killer move.
'This is the sword, in my, Tai Yin's hand!'.
— Un nuevo capítulo llegará pronto — Escribe una reseña