Chapter 44 Unravelling Shadows

Under the gazes of thousands of disciples, most of the Elders, and three Gu Immortals of the Ancient Soul Sect, Xuanyuan pushed his attainment of the Shadow Path past the Quasi Master level, becoming a Master in the Shadow Path.

While it wasn't obvious to most, those Gu Immortals, and those Gu Masters at the peak of Rank 5, who had become much more perceptible to the changes of heaven qi, earth qi and human qi, could sense Xuanyuan's human qi increase more than double its previous amount.

Human qi was a mysterious form of Qi. It related to the formation of a Blessed Land at Rank 6, but also was a measure of an individuals attainment, physique, knowledge, comprehension, mental energy, soul strength, and even experiences throughout their entire lifetime. When experiencing immense mental strain, emotional growth or some sort of extreme change in personality, human qi would increase as a result, but only by a minute amount.

Increasing attainment, comprehension, mental energy, soul strength and even the strength of a Gu Masters physique would increase human qi more effectively, leading to greater returns at Rank 6.

It would take a regular Gu Master to become a Gu Immortal to reach a Master attainment in their main path. Immortal Ascension baptized a Gu Master, allowing them to perceive Dao Marks to a certain extent, and would be much easier to increase attainment when an individual could sense a fundamental concept of cultivation.

Xuanyuan couldn't sense Dao Marks, but knew they existed in all things, even himself, despite being human. He possessed Otherworldly Dao Marks, carved into his Soul which belonged to another World.

He suspected that these Dao Marks were part of the reason why Fate Gu couldn't fully control him. They were not native to this World, meaning that he could not be influenced by them, at least to a certain degree.

It was extremely rare for a Gu Master to become a Master in a Path while they were still a Gu Master, although, geniuses, experienced old Gu Masters and those with one of the Ten Extreme Physiques could obtain such a thing with sufficient resources and time. 

It was unnatural for a Gu Master to possess the Dao Marks of Gu Immortal, but it didn't stop Limitless from doing it, causing assumption after assumption to appear within the minds of many.

Elder Kong muttered something under his breath, his eyes firmly locked on Xuanyuan's dancing shadow.

"... Comprehending Heaven and Earth, All Things In The Universe Are Shadows...", he whispered this, but all the other Elders in the room still heard him.

Elder Tai, Elder Song, and Elder Fang didn't understand the importance of Elder Kong's words, but understood what it meant for Xuanyuan to become a Master in the Shadow Path. It meant that their own children had no chance of becoming an Abyssal Child.

The young man in front of them was a literal freak of nature. Someone blessed by the Heavens with a freakishly high innate talent and comprehension. As members of the Ten Great Sects, they had all heard stories of Limitless, and the other Immortal Venerables throughout history.

Limitless had obtained the powers of a Gu Immortal as a Gu Master. He could acquire Dao Marks like a Gu Immortal despite being only Rank 4 and Rank 5, so while it was unnatural, seeing Xuanyuan become a Master in the Shadow Path, he unconsciously equated Xuanyuan on the same level as a Venerable level talent.

Someone like Feng Jiu Ge from the Spirit Affinity House, capable of fighting Rank 8 Gu Immortals as a Rank 7 Gu Immortal. Even if Xuanyuan was not as gifted in terms of combat prowess, his comprehension was freakishly monstrous for someone of his age. While it wasn't unheard of for talented disciples to become a Master in their Path before Immortal Ascension, it usually took them the better part of a decade to attain this level of understanding.

Elder Kong was the first to realize this and sent a message to several Gu Immortals in the Sect, informing them of the event. Xuanyuan was his seed for this generations Abyssal Child, but was also backed by Immortal Song, Immortal Chu, Immortal Di, Immortal Li, and to some degree, Immortal Lan.

There were other candidates, the strongest being Kong Jiu from Light Soul Hall. He was favored by Immortal Gong, in addition to Immortal Wu. The former was a Refinement Path Gu Immortal, while the latter a Wisdom Path Gu Immortal.

The others were only favored by a single Gu Immortal, and all underwent the same evaluation as Xuanyuan. Without a doubt, Xuanyuan had the strongest claim to become Abyssal Child, even to the point where the other Gu Immortals of the Ancient Soul Sect wondered why so many of their fellow Immortals believed in this young man.

Particularly Immortal Chu, but that was something else entirely.

But this... this was undeniable.

Xuanyuan was a Master in the Shadow Path, at only sixteen. Kong Jiu was a Master in the Light Path, and he was twenty five this year. The difference was... akin to the distance between the Earth and the Sky. 

Xuanyuan would become the Abyssal Child, and have first claim over the Limitless inheritance. Even if he didn't obtain it, his attainment in the Rule Path would sky rocket, reaching at least a Master level.

Elder Kong continued to message the other Gu Immortals in the Sect, while Elder Luo, Elder Hu and Elder Gong next to them just watched as Xuanyuan flicked his fingers, trapping Fang Kai in a dense net of shadow strings. Elder Luo's disciple didn't hold back either, strings instantly severing his carotid, radial and femoral arteries.

Fang Kai instantly fell to his knees, his clothes and the platform beneath him quickly being dyed red under the immense amounts of blood leaking out from his wounds.

The referee called the match, and Elder Fang flicked from his position on the platform, letting a green light envelop his grandson, glancing at Xuanyuan for a moment before giving him a small nod.

"... It is a shame that my grandson was born during this Era", with those words, Elder Fang carried Fang Kai off the platform, towards the Light Soul Hall, forcing him to drop out of the tournament.

Xuanyuan was left standing on the platform alone, his pupils returning to their previous size, as a wave of exhaustion washed over him. For a second, he had become lost in that world of shadows, dancing, flickering, each telling a story about their reflection.

He thought he could almost hear them, but there was no rational explanation for it, and Xuanyuan was only left with a slight tingle on the back of his neck. It wasn't unpleasant, and in fact, made him much more aware of the shadows around him.

Xuanyuan didn't even have time to blink before the entire crowd burst into cheers, some screaming, others cursing his name.

"Nice! You've been holding out on us! If you keep this up, you'll win the tournament!".

"It was like bam, then kapow, then smash, then bang and then you won!"

"Holy shit! You absolutely destroyed him! What the hell were those movements! Wait, I just lost forty primeval essence stones!".

"Haha! I just won thirty primeval essence stones! This kid is my lucky star, whose disciple did you say he was again?".

Xuanyuan just walked off the stage towards the participant stands. Both Tai Yang and Fang Chen giving Xuanyuan a wide berth, seeing his movements and reflexes suddenly improving. The pair thought that he had suddenly undergone enlightenment or something, and neither suspected that Xuanyuan had reached a level where the execution and management of his Shadow Path Gu could be considered an "art".

He only needed Nine Eyes Shadow Gu and Silhouette Strings Gu in order to beat Fang Kai. And that was with the latter using his Corrosive Shadow Gu.

Tai Yang and Fang Chen just shook their heads, standing up and ignoring their injuries as they both walked up to the platform. Xuanyuan was the least of their problems in this moment, neither one wanting to waste time fighting the other, hoping that their bout wouldn't be dragged out continuously draining their endurance.

Xuanyuan too ignored them for a moment, and just closed his eyes focusing on himself, entering a meditative state. He knew that he had just become a Master in the Shadow Path, and that slight tingle on the back of his neck was more than just a "feeling".

Thinking back to the first ever Gu recipe he thought of, Xuanyuan instinctively knew that using the Shadow Eyes Gu, Charcoal Gu, Shadowless Sword Gu and Ebony Stallion Bones would produce an explosion, resulting in the destruction of all the materials involved in the refinement.

Somehow, Xuanyuan just knew that if he added Black Sand, Whispering Night Coke, Black-Green Bronze, Air Purifying Gu, Shadow Breath Gu and Rain Blade Gu, Xuanyuan could complete the Gu recipe. 

The Gu recipe had suddenly become much more complex, adding in numerous other steps, Gu and Gu materials in order to complete the recipe. All of the Gu and Gu materials were used to refine Shadowless Sword Gu, including Rain Blade Gu, a Blade Path Gu which could "quench" the Shadowless Sword Gu during the refinement process.

Theoretically, it could give birth to a new Gu which possessed the likeness of Rain Blade Gu and Shadowless Sword Gu. Rain Blade Gu was actually a supportive type Gu which enhanced other ranged Blade Path Gu channeled through it. While Shadowless Sword Gu lacked a shadow but could still touch and harm other shadows like a regular mortal blade.

Xuanyuan didn't stop there either, thinking about the other incomplete Gu recipes in his mind.

He had seen a couple other incomplete Gu recipes while discussing refinement with Elder Kui. Most were only incomplete Rank 1 Shadow Path Gu recipes, but the vast majority had huge sections destroyed, the spoils of war from Demonic Path Gu Masters or Sects or Clans that have tried to wage war against the Ancient Soul Sect.

There was even one, who only had a name left behind. The entirety of the Gu recipe was destroyed, lost, possibly for the rest of time.

Rank 1 Fake Shadow Gu...

Rank 1 Dancing Shadow Gu...

Rank 1 Lion Shadow Gu...

Rank 1 Umbral Spike Gu...

Rank 1 Black Shroud Gu...

Rank 1 Shadow Spear Gu...

Rank 1 Splitting Shadow Gu...

Rank 1 Forging Shadow Gu...

Even two incomplete Rank 2 Gu recipes.

Rank 2 Wandering Shadow Gu...

Rank 2 Twin Shadow Gu...

The last one in particular caught Xuanyuan's eye.

'Twin Shadow Gu... does it split the Shadow into two, or does it somehow give birth to another Shadow? It has to be the former right? A mortal Gu shouldn't be able to create a shadow from nothing... But even then, what could I do with twin shadows?'.

'Could I somehow use them separately? Strengthening one with the power of a Lion Shadow Gu, and the other with an Eagle Shadow Gu? Or could I have one strengthened by a Nine Eyes Shadow Gu, and the other with another theoretical Gu, like Nine Hearts Shadow Gu, or Nine Meridians Shadow Gu?'.

'Could each shadow act independently from the other? Both are reflections of myself, not each other. They should act in a way that reflects different aspects of my personality, my desires, my secrets, and even my memories'.

'Since Twin Shadow Gu are possible... Can Triple Shadow Gu be possible too? Or even Quadruple Shadow Gu? Or Quintuple Shadow Gu?'.

Xuanyuan tried to think of how a Triple Shadow Gu would be possible, but was met with a piercing headache, the limit of his intuition reached in a matter of seconds. Opening his eyes, Xuanyuan just smiled, knowing he had a clear direction for the path of his research once the tournament was over.

Lately, he was too busy thinking about things he could do as a Gu Immortal that he had started to neglect his Shadow Path. It was fine to think and worry about the future, but his actions in the present shaped his future achievements. 

Xuanyuan needed to purge any excess thoughts of Second Aperture Gu, Primordial Domain, or cultivating other Paths, until after he became a Rank 5 Gu Master. They distracted him from the things that were directly in front of him, and his Master level attainment focused his attention solely on the Shadow Path.

Moving his gaze towards the sole platform in the arena, Xuanyuan could see Tai Yang and Fang Chen launch a flurry of kicks and punches towards each other, Tai Yang clearly wanted to reserve his primeval essence for Xuanyuan, while Fang Chen continuously lost more and more blood with every movement he made.

The young man's legs wobbled where he stood, and the referee unconsciously moved closer, waiting for the exact moment when Fang Chen's body and endurance couldn't keep up with willpower and perseverance. 

It happened barely thirty seconds later went Fang Chen's body started spasming, going into shock from the lack of blood. The referee announcing Tai Yang as the victor while Fang Chen was personally escorted by Elder Li to the Light Soul Hall, the older man unconsciously nodding at Fang Chen, praising his perseverance despite the overwhelming difference in strength.

All eyes in the arena landed on one of two figures. Tai Yang lifted his head to look up at Xuanyuan, while Xuanyuan stood up, tilting his head downward to look at Tai Yang. The cheers of thousands of disciples echoed throughout the Strength Soul Hall, yet Elder Chang's voice cut through the screams of the crowd.

"Platform 1, Tai Yang vs Xuanyuan!".