Chương 1: Chapter 1 Xuanyuan
"Ping Yu, 27 steps, C Grade Talent!".
A tall, young man, his skin tanned and coarse jumped up and down celebrating, enjoying the feeling of admiration and envy from all the others in his village.
Like the vast majority of all fifteen-year-olds, Ping Yu dreamt of being a Gu Master. His parents had told him stories and legends of Gu Masters, capable of severing the skies and destroying the mountains.
Gu Masters were those who could connect with Gu, mystical creatures capable of releasing fire and lightning, transforming coal into gold, and living for hundreds, if not thousands of years. In the eyes of mortals, Gu Masters were synonymous with wealth and glory and as of right this instant, Ping Yu himself was no longer a mortal.
Turning to the others in line, Ping Yu unconsciously raised his head, smirking while enjoying the admiration and envy he received from the others in his village. He had always thought that Yu'er, the daughter of the village Elder was quite beautiful. Maybe, if he played his cards right then he could perhaps sway her Father and convince him to marry her to him.
"Oi kid, move aside so I can continue with the Awakening Ceremony... Kids these days, thinking that a C Rank Talent is anything special...", Ping Yu jumped slightly, before bowing and moving out of the way.
His dreams of becoming a powerful Gu Master were nothing if he couldn't impress the man in front of him.
"Yes, Senior Brother! I apologize for the inconvenience!", Ping Yu bowed once more, earning a strange look from the Gu Master.
'Doesn't this kid know that the Ancient Soul Sect only recruits B Grade Talents or higher? Whatever, all the other Sects in this region are subsidiaries of the Ancient Soul Sect, he'll be given to whichever Sect is desperate enough for new disciples...'.
The Gu Master, wearing the robes belonging to a member of the Ancient Soul Sect, just let out a little sigh before shaking his head.
"Hopefully I can find at least a couple of B Grade Talents. I've almost got enough contribution points to exchange for a new Rank 3 Shifting Sands Gu. If I find just three, no, maybe even just two new members I think I should have enough...", the Gu Master gestured for the next child to step forward.
Unfortunately, he was met with only disappointment.
"Chi Fengyue, 8 steps, No Talent!"
"Long Chen, 15 steps, D Grade Talent!"
"Bing Chu, 4 steps, No Talent!".
"Xi Chao, 29 steps, C Grade Talent!".
"Chu Yueli, 31 steps B Grade Talent!".
The crowd went silent, staring at the single girl whose Talent exceeded all the others that came before her. The young girl, short, slightly stocky, with callouses around her hands and feet instantly shrunk under the gazes of all the other villagers before feeling the large hand of the Gu Master on her shoulder.
The girl, Chu Yueli, felt a small tingle on her shoulder from where he touched her and heard him breathe a sigh of relief before gesturing to the spot behind him.
"Stand over there", he whispered, "You're a member of the Ancient Soul Sect now".
Chu Yueli's eyes widened before she nodded vigorously, a wide smile adorning her face. The same sense of pride and accomplishment that filled Ping Yu, had now filled the young girl, her parents waving at her, causing her to smile and wave back, soaking up the envious gazes from the other young villagers.
The Gu Master nodded for a moment before gesturing for the next person to come forward. Glancing back towards the crowd, the man raised his brow as he watched a tall scraggly-looking young man step forward.
A slight whiff in the air sent a wave of revulsion throughout the crowd, and even the Ancient Soul Sect Gu Master couldn't help but frown, as his eyes roamed over the figure that stepped forward.
His clothes were torn, and dirtied from mud, excrement, blood, or some other substance. The boy's feet were bare, but the faint outlines of scars could be seen all over his hands and lower legs. Despite all this, he was surprisingly tall, almost the same height as the Gu Master, despite there being more than a decade between them.
'Is he a beggar? No... everyone in the village has the same reaction. They all look at this boy with revulsion and disgust. Perhaps I should inform members of the righteous... no, mortal affairs are none of my concern'.
The Gu Master watched as one of the other boys spat at the ground in front of the beggar-looking boy, seeing that the boy said or did nothing as he calmly walked through the saliva, striding forth towards the field of Hope Gu.
The member of the Ancient Soul Sect couldn't help but feel his mouth drop, as the boy strode through the field of Hope Gu, taking one step after the other, watching as the small light of Hope Gu grew brighter and brighter, swirling and gathering around the boy as if reuniting with a long lost friend.
10 steps and the glow had exceeded that of a campfire, a feeling of warmth and joy emanating from the swirling Hope Gu.
20 steps and the light of Hope Gu had become a raging fire, burning bright and with an intensity that almost seared the skin.
With every step he took, Hope Gu after Hope Gu would enter his body, gathering three inches below the navel, swatting away Predicament after Predicament. The emotions in his heart were suppressed by the sensation of Hope Gu filling up his Mind, Body, and Soul.
30 steps and the mortal crowd could no longer stare at the young beggar without covering or narrowing their eyes. The Predicaments in their heart became twisted and tore at them, trying to resist the light of Hope Gu.
40 steps and the boy had started to slow down. Hope Gu swirled around him, a veritable hurricane of light and warmth. Their strain on his Mind, Body, and Soul had started to accumulate, but he could feel that he hadn't reached his limits yet.
45 steps...
46 steps...
47 steps...
48 steps...
The breath of the Gu Master hitched, his eyes already wide from the sheer amount of Hope Gu floating around him. It was as if the Predicaments of the Earth and Sky were being pushed away by the light of Hope Gu.
Wind and Rain were facets of the Heavens and the Earth, but Predicaments were maladies of the heart...
A certain line from the Legend of Ren Zu popped up within the Gu Master's mind, and a bubble that had plagued him for so long had suddenly... popped.
49 steps...
'There is no way... There is no way that one of "them" is here. The chances of someone finding them, through the Three Worlds, is...'.
50 steps...
The Gu Master dropped the jade board in his hands, watching as the young man suddenly fell to his knees, the Hope inside his heart extinguished, and the limits of reality had started to return.
Shaking his head, he couldn't help but let out a small chuckle before activating one of his Gu and instantly appearing by the side of the young beggar-looking boy.
His eyes were drawn to his limbs, as well as the torn clothes and faint scars across his extremities. A frown suddenly marred his expression.
Turning back towards the crowd, the Gu Master narrowed his eyes, not at all hiding his Rank 3 Gu Master cultivation.
"Where is this boy's family?", he questioned.
The crowd went silent, each of the villagers lowered their heads slightly, not daring to look up at the Gu Master. Watching their squirming figures and twisted expressions, the Gu Master felt his emotions soar, glancing back for a moment at the young beggar.
"Where is your family young man?, he asked.
Raising his head, the young man gazed up at the older Gu Master, his eyes not once blinking, nor once faltering from the direct eye contact.
The young boy's eyes were dark, colorless almost. They weren't devoid of emotion or desire, but the color was so dark, that he could almost completely make out his reflection own reflection in the boy's eyes.
"They're all dead, honored Gu Master. I buried them myself", the boy replied.
"And these scars, who gave them to you?".
The crowd could instantly feel the burst of emotions that the Gu Master let out. His anger simmering, almost towards its breaking point as the young boy pointed towards the crowd.
"They did, honored Gu Master", pointing directly at the boy who spat at him.
The boy in question froze, a pale sweat covering his back as he looked toward the others in the crowd.
"He's lying! He's just a lowly beggar! A wild vagrant! He could have gotten those scars from anywhere! Are you seriously going to believe him over all of us!?".
The Rank 3 Gu Master narrowed his eyes, focusing the brunt of his cultivation base on the single young boy. The boy immediately fell to his knees, a formidable, invisible power pushing him deeper into the ground.
The other villagers immediately retreated several steps, their eyes fearfully gazing at the Gu Master more than a dozen paces away. His expression twisted as if he had tasted something foul and rotten.
"Of course, I believe him! A single finger of this young man is more valuable than the entirety of this village! The most talented of you is a single girl with a 60% primeval essence aperture! That is a barely B B-grade talent! On the other hand, this young man here", he pointed towards the tall, beggar-looking boy.
"His Talent is the peak of A Grade! A 99% primeval essence aperture! Do you know what this means!? His Talent is only exceeded by the Ten Extreme Physiques! There are only ten people in this World whose Talent is greater! And you all... and you all tried to-".
"Please stop, honored Gu Master".
A single voice pierced through his anger, causing his expression to become aggrieved as he turned back toward the young man.
"Is something the matter? Do you have any injuries or other grievances you would like to air out?", his tone was polite, the same way an older brother would dote over their younger sibling.
The young man shook his head, his eyes still dark, yet clear.
"There is no point in wasting your time with them. You are a Gu Master of the Righteous Path, unable to interfere with the affairs of mortals. You will only be punished for attacking them".
The Gu Master paused for a moment before smiling and shaking his head.
"You're more than worth the effort young man. If I informed the Elders after arriving at the Sect about this, then I would surely be punished for not doing more. Exacting justice is the duty of the Ten Great Sects, and as a member of the Ancient Soul Sect, I cannot ignore evil in this World".
The young man opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by the Gu Master.
"Do not worry about them, I will not harm them. But I will definitely inform the mortal authorities of their actions".
The Gu Master watched as the young man nodded, smiling slightly at his words.
"Thank you honored Gu Master".
"Please, there is no need for such formalities. My name is Tang San, please, call me Senior Brother Tang".
The boy's smile grew larger, making his appearance seem much more tolerable, despite his abhorrent clothing.
"Thank you Senior Brother Tang. Just call me Xuanyuan".
"No family name?".
Xuanyuan shook his head, replying softly.
"My family is gone. There is nothing left but my memories and the name they gave me".
Tang San nodded, not understanding the meaning behind his words. The fifteen-year-old just smiled at the older man, before gazing inwardly toward his Primeval Essence Sea. The 99% Primeval Essence Sea, filled to almost the brim with flickering faint copper green primeval essence.
'I wonder who will come out on top, with another Otherworldly Demon in existence?'.
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