บท 60: Chapter 60 Let's Have a Friendly Wager?
Xuanyuan and the others continued travelling all the way until they reached the sight of their first mission. Wind Blade Mountain was a named mountain in the Western Regions of the Central Continent, containing tall peaks and sharp ridges. The area was a few hundred square kilometers in size, but none of the nearby mountains were as tall or prominent as Wind Blade Mountain.
Supposedly, it was the sight of a famous battle between a Rank 7 Metal Path Gu Immortal, and a Rank 7 Blade Path Gu Immortal. The result of their battle changed the very landscape, imbuing it with Metal Path and Blade Path Dao Marks, transforming it gradually till it eventually became a resource point.
This was during Thieving Heaven's Era, so even considering that it must have taken several tens of thousands of years for the Dao Marks to transform, gradually becoming non conflicting, and eventually compatible with one another.
The soil beneath Wind Blade Mountain transformed into Silver Essence Soil, capable of nurturing numerous Metal Path Gu materials. Bladeless Bamboo grew in abundance, and flowers bearing sharp, almost metallic petals could be found in secluded areas, hidden in crevices and cracks in the rock.
Rare ores and minerals were constantly mined here by mortals. Green Ripple Bronze and Silent Silver capable of refining numerous Metal Path Gu. Shifting Flower Steel and Radiant Blade Gold capable of refining numerous Blade Path Gu.
Wind Blade Mountain was managed by the Ancient Soul Sect, and they possessed a tributary at the base of the mountain, forming a small City, roughly one tenth the size of Earth Soul City.
No-one other than the Supreme Elders of the Ancient Soul Sect knew this, but Immortal Tang, the Rank 6 Metal Path Gu Immortal belonging to the Ancient Soul Sect used Wind Blade Mountain as his own personal fiefdom, using the naturally produced Gu and Gu materials to progress his own Blessed Land.
While regular Gu Masters could still forage and nurture Gu materials in Wind Blade Mountain, more than 80% of it was considered off limits, too dangerous for mortals to explore. Ancient Soul Sect Gu Masters enforced this rule, preventing anyone from straying past into Immortal Tang's Blessed Land.
This was the advantage of the Righteous Path, although the vast number of Gu Masters in Wind Blade Town did not know this fact.
Xuanyuan and the others entered Wind Blade Town, settling into their first night, gathering in the the dining hall of the inn that they were staying at.
It was currently summer, so the nights were short and the days were long. The heat allowed mortals to venture out even after dark, and there were plenty of festivities celebrating the new year, even weeks after the summer solstice.
The Inn itself was quite vibrant and lively, and the other customers were equally as boisterous as drunken men and women could be, singing and dancing in time with music and song.
Lu Guo and Yu Xiaolong seemed to clap and cheer along with the mortal men and women, being raised by parents who were also raised as mortals. The girls kept to themselves, but chatted amongst each other loudly, smiling and giggling like everyone else.
Tai Yin, Tai Yang and Song Pei seemed somewhat out of their depth in such an environment, not sure what to do when surrounded by so many mortals. The three Elder descendants just ate their meals and drunk their drinks, listening to Xuanyuan speak.
"We'll spend ten days in Wind Blade Town exploring Wind Blade Mountain. I think for simplicities sake we should spend five days collecting Gu materials as a group and then split up into smaller groups expanding our search area. We'll be spending most of our time on the mountain itself, so before we leave for Daydream Fire Forest, we'll have to replenish our food and water".
Song Pei glanced at Xuanyuan, before speaking to the rest of the group.
"I've been to Wind Blade Mountain before, so I wanted to ask if it is alright if I lead the group for the next couple days? I know that Xuanyuan is the group leader, but while we are in Wind Blade Mountain, I wanted to know if anyone had any complaints if I put my name forward?".
Xuanyuan shook his head, knowing that it would give him more time for his own personal exploration if Song Pei led for a few days.
Tai Yin and Tai Yang naturally had no problems with it, neither did any of the other disciples from their batch.
Long Xi and Yu Zhong Er were both experienced in these kinds of missions, and knew that they had Xuanyuan's ear when it came to the decision making. They wanted to go on these chain resource missions more often, but with just the two of them, it was... difficult logistically.
Now with eight more people, things became much more flexible, and they could carry more resources and Gu materials vast distances without having to worry about primeval essence stones or food for their Gu.
They wanted this group to work, perhaps even more than Lu Guo or Xuanyuan.
The two girls nodded, causing Song Pei to smile, nodding his head vigorously. The Enslavement Path Gu Master seemed quite weak to alcohol, and smacked his chest loudly, imitating the drunk mortals around him.
"Place your trust in me, and we shall make plenty of primeval essence stones, that I promise!".
The grin on his face caused the girls to roll their eyes and giggle, while Lu Guo and Yu Xiaolong clapped at his manliness. Tai Yin scoffed but still smiled before noticing Xuanyuan still scribbling away in his notebook.
The Sword Path Gu Master raised an eyebrow before peering from across the table, leaning over to read Xuanyuan's book.
Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped as she read the words on the previous page.
"Recipe for the refinement of a Rank 2 Fracture Shark into a Rank 3 Dark Bite Shark! Three kilograms of Night Essence Shark Bones, Rank 2 Black Jaws Gu, Rank 2 Swallowing Night Toad, Rank 2 Shadow Swimming Gu, the petals of a Twilight Abyss Flower, and the heart of a shark type beast king! What the hell Xuanyuan!".
Her words were quiet, but still attracted the attention of everyone at the table. The Shadow Path Gu Master just continued scribbling away before pausing, noticing that everyone at the everyone else at the table had stopped chatting and was no looking at him strangely.
Taking a nonchalant sip from his drink, he peered at his friends, tempted to slurp loudly to break the silence.
In the end he just blinked, breaking the silence himself.
"What were we talking about sorry?".
Tai Yin slammed her jug on the table, pointing to the notebook in Xuanyuan's hands. Her eyes gleamed with delight as she tried to reach it only to see it fall back into Xuanyuan's shadow.
"Hey! What's the big idea!?", Xuanyuan shouted.
The others at the table just looked at Xuanyuan strangely, but Yu Zhong Er asked him a question.
"Was that the recipe for a Rank 3 that you were working on Xuanyuan?".
Xuanyuan blinked again, but nodded, pushing Tai Yin away from his shadow. The girl was poking it, trying to see if she could reach inside and grab the notebook in question.
"... Maybe", he turned to the side, avoiding their gazes. He sipped on his drink again, noticing that everyone had leaned in further, their gazes piercing and hungry.
Jia Yufei just smiled at Xuanyuan sweetly, fluttering her eyes at him, tapping her fingers on the table.
"Little Yuan... When we were travelling towards Wind Blade Mountain, you said that Elder Luo had given you the task of refining a Rank 1 Cracking Shark before you returned to the Ancient Soul Sect. Would I be correct in saying that Elder Luo also gave you the refinement recipe for this Rank 3 Dark Bite Shark?", her expression was full of sunshine and smiles, while her tone was sinister and menacing.
"... Maybe", he replied.
Tai Yin stood up in her seat, pointed at Xuanyuan, her cheeks slightly flushed red.
"Aha! So Elder Luo isn't as innocent as Father or Elder Song either! Giving away Gu recipes is even more valuable than the Gu itself, so Elder Luo broke the rules and resorted to nepotism just like father did!".
The others looked at Xuanyuan strangely, seeing him as calm and collected as he usually was. Tai Yin hesitated, but saw Xuanyuan nod, tapping the table as well.
"It would be nepotism is the recipe belonged to the Sect. However, Master developed the recipe for the Rank 3 Dark Bite Shark all on his own, and as its creator is able to freely hand out recipes to any disciple should he see fit. Other than Master and myself, there shouldn't be anyone in the Five Regions in possession of the Rank 3 Dark Bite Shark".
"My Master, or Elder Luo, has spent the better part of his two decades as a Rank 5 Gu Master. He has spent those two decades refining a single Gu, over and over again, creating variations and new Gu recipes for it. The Rank 1 Cracking Shark is a powerful Space Path Gu, and in the Refinement Soul Hall, a disciple can find the recipe for a Rank 2 Fissure Shark and a Rank 3 Shattering Tail Shark".
"Other variations of this single Gu probably only exist in Elder Luo's hands. This is his legacy. This was the inheritance that he was going to leave behind after his death. Now that I am here, technically it is my legacy".
His words were fair and just, especially if it was true that Elder Luo created the refinement recipe for the Rank 3 Dark Bite Shark himself. Jia Yufei and the others could only grumble, jealous of their friends status as the personal disciple of an Elder.
Xuanyuan reached into his robes before pulling out his notebook from his shadow. Tai Yin's eyes bulged, seeing the notebook disappear through his shadow in the table before reappearing in his hands, her face still flushed from the liquor.
Taking out a single page, he folded it before placing it on the table.
"None of you are Space Path Gu Masters, so it doesn't particularly matter if you know this recipe or not. It will benefit you all in the long run, and have little consequences for myself considering its Rank. A Rank 1 Cracking Shark is quite a powerful offensive Gu, so perhaps you can all test your refinement skills by trying to create one".
"It doesn't assist in cultivation like the Liquor Worm, nor can it transform primeval energy into primeval essence like the Cloud Essence Gu. It does not strengthen the foundations of a Gu Master like Ice Muscles Gu or Jade Bones Gu, nor does it increase physical abilities like Shark Strength Gu or Rabbit Strength Gu".
Xuanyuan put his finger on the folded piece of paper, glancing at the others with a smile on his face.
"Let's have a friendly wager shall we? We are all friends here, and in the spirit of competition and rivalry, I will give the person who can refine a Rank 1 Cracking Shark a reward before anyone else... hmm, let's say a the Gu recipe for the Rank 2 Fissure Shark? You all can test your refinement skills, and potentially gain a new Gu out of it? What you do with that Rank 1 Cracking Shark is completely up to you as well, I won't say a word should you decide to sell it or trade it away".
Long Xi and Yu Zhong Er's eyes widened, the latter blinking for a second before narrowing her eyes. She gave Xuanyuan a once over, seeing through his handsome face and gentile expression.
"Why? You have no reason to do such a thing Xuanyuan. Are you trying to pit us against each other?".
Xuanyuan just shook his head, gesturing to the notebook in his shadow.
"Not at all. But I find having someone to look up to and compare oneself towards is a great method of stoking the spirit and nurturing the heart. I want this group to work more than anything Yu Zhong Er, and as the leader, I should lead by example".
Tai Yin and Tai Yang shared a look, one that was noticed by Jia Yufei and Long Xi.
They knew that Xuanyuan was the greatest candidate for the position of Abyssal Child, and that as Abyssal Child, he had access to everything that the Sect had to offer. The wealth and power at his command exceeded almost anything else in the entirety of Central Continent.
The Abyssal Child was a Gu Immortal seed, so it was expected of him to at they very least, become a Peak Rank 5 Gu Master. Perhaps even the Supreme Elders of the Sect would personally assist him during his Immortal Ascension.
Regular disciples might not know this, but as the descendant of an Elder, Tai Yin and Tai Yang were naturally privileged enough to know this.
Perhaps Xuanyuan too knew this, as was already playing the role of Abyssal Child...
"My strength is your strength, and your strength is naturally my strength. We are stronger together than against each other. Knowledge is nothing special in comparison to human life. If this makes you stronger in the long run, then sacrificing knowledge is just a small price to pay".
Xuanyuan grinned.
"... And besides, I have a bet going with Elder Gong to see which one of you can refine it first. He says all of you are too dumb to succeed in refining the Crack Shark!".
His grin grew larger, feeling the insults and pieces of food thrown at him bounce off him using his Strong Push Gu. The expressions on their faces regaining their light and smiles as they continued to laugh and shout alongside the mortals around them.
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