Chapter 49 Incomplete Rank 2 Gu Recipe

Ever since Xuanyuan won the new disciple tournament for the year, his name had become commonplace throughout the Ancient Soul Sect. Disciples, five, six, seven, even ten years older than him chatted about his performance during the tournament, particularly, about his final fight against Tai Yang.

"Damn that kid must have a high pain tolerance. Flash Burn Gu is no joke. The Gu instantly burns away several layers of skin, and cooks the flesh with an extremely high temperature flame. Yet he managed to defeat his opponent, and give a speech after it as well".

"What did you think about the speech though? It seemed as though it wasn't really directed as us, but heaps of other disciples joined in as well. Almost all those guys from the Burning Soul Hall all stood up, telling the world what they would do if they ever became a Venerable".

"It was... it wasn't that bad. I mean, he did have a point. Every Gu Master has a dream about becoming Venerable. It is dishonorable to discredit someone's dream, just because the possibility to close to zero. If anything it made him somewhat more likeable. Even if he is some sort of genius, even geniuses too must dream of something?".

"I guess you're right. But still, what did he say again? Something about creating an Extreme Physique? The Ten Extreme Physiques are remnants of the Immemorial Antiquity Era. They are unique existences which manifest themselves in one Gu Master at any given point in time. For whatever reason, they increase the strength of Gu relating to the physique".

"How would you even go about trying to create such a thing? Xuanyuan uses the Shadow Path right? Wanting to create a Shadow related Extreme Physique is akin to wanting to reach the Heavens. It is even more unlikely than his desire to become Venerable!".

Most just gossiped about him, not even remembering the rumors that once spread about him. The Golden Soul Hall had become awfully quiet, especially after the Elder Soul Hall met to discuss with Elder Kong.

While news about the Abyssal Child selection hadn't been released yet, the other candidates suddenly took a much more vested interest in a certain Rank 2 Gu Master's achievements...

Said Gu Master spent ten days recovering after the tournament, spending his time researching Shadow Path Gu, using his new Master level attainment to decipher and analyze incomplete Shadow Path Gu recipes. 

Using Shadow As Thoughts Gu in tandem with his Master level attainment made completing these Gu recipes significantly easier. Every time Xuanyuan tried to deduce what was missing from the Gu recipe, his attainment helped push him in the right direction, his intuition guiding him towards the correct refinement methods or complimentary materials.

Xuanyuan had tried to create a method which used shadows during refinement, but only felt a splitting headache as his intuition pushed back against him, even with the help of Shadows As Thought Gu.

Xuanyuan wanted to create a method which somehow relied on the shadow of a Gu in order to be refined. Fang Yuan had created a method to preserve Immortal Gu and refine them the moment that they were destroyed, using methods completely foreign to him.

It required a Venerables comprehension and foundation, so the idea was shelved for the time being. In the end, Xuanyuan had completed the recipes of three Rank 1 Shadow Path Gu within the time he was supposed to be recovering, smiling as he gazed down at them.

"Rank 1 Dancing Shadow Gu... Rank 1 Splitting Shadow Gu... Rank 1 Forging Shadow Gu. With my remaining primeval essence stones, I should be able to purchase all of the materials needed to refine them in Earth Soul City".

Dancing Shadow Gu was a movement type Gu which specifically accelerated the shadow of a Gu Master's legs. It provided a localized enhancement which paled in comparison to something like Chasing Wind Gu or Thunder Tread Gu, but the primeval essence cost was significantly lower in comparison.

Splitting Shadow Gu could duplicate the effects of another Shadow Path Gu, but only on Gu who required primeval essence each time it was used. For example, it could be used on a Rank 1 Shadow Blade Gu mid-air, splitting a single Shadow Blade into smaller parts, increasing the chances of hitting a target, while decreasing its overall damage.

It didn't have any effect on Xuanyuan's Shadow Stinger Gu, incapable of letting him summon two Shadow Stingers at once.

Forging Shadow Gu on the other hand, possessed similar qualities to another Gu that Xuanyuan was familiar with.

Xuanyuan stared at the recipe for a moment, understanding if what he created was completely correct.

"Forging Shadow Gu should be able to refine a Gu Master's Shadow somewhat. The effect shouldn't be anything as remarkable as Guts Gu, however doesn't add qualities to the shadow like Lion Shadow Gu, or Fire Shadow Gu. Forging Shadow Gu should make a shadow more malleable, and then subsequently grant a Gu Master a greater flexibility. It should be a one time use Gu... I think".

It was an interesting Gu, considering that Shadow Path enhancement type Gu were what Xuanyuan was most interested in. 

Xuanyuan wanted to get his hands on a complete set of enhancement Gu, transforming his bones, muscles, organs, tendons, meridians and even heart to be more compatible with the Shadow Path.

The existence of these enhancement type Gu benefited Xuanyuan greatly in the long run. Even if the enhancement wasn't as complete as the Ten Extreme Physiques, increasing the power of a Gu by an entire realm, he should be able to reach a similar effect albeit with other Gu like Shadow Qi Gu and Shadow Breath Gu.

His identity as an Abyssal Child candidate was mostly assured. Xuanyuan wasn't sure how many Gu Immortals had decided to back him as a candidate, but if he were to receive first pickings at the Limitless inheritance, at the very least, it was Immortal Chu, Immortal Song, and probably one or two more other Gu Immortals.

Once Xuanyuan had access to the Sect Treasury, he knew it would be like letting a fox into the hen house.

The otherworldly demon just chuckled darkly, thinking of all the Gu contained within the Sect.

Even if he was limited in terms of how many Rank 5 Gu he could take out, Xuanyuan was more interested in recipes and creating Gu himself, trying to enhance his comprehension of the Refinement Path.

For extremely important Gu like the Heavenly Essence Treasure Lotus, Cloud Essence Gu, Beggar Worm or even the Third Watch Gu, Xuanyuan would let the experts refine it. But for other Gu, it was best to refine himself, allowing him to better keep his secrets and improve his skills at the same time.

Stretching his once burned arm, Xuanyuan glanced at one of his numerous notebooks, seeing the incomplete Gu recipe contained with.

The incomplete Gu recipe caught his eye every since he read it in the Forgotten Soul Hall, and the description that was left behind instantly caused his intuition to tingle, pushing him in some unknown direction.

"Twin Shadow Gu... Regulations are the mandate of the Heavens, while Rules are the laws which govern the Land, Sea and Sky. For Life to flourish, Death must have its due. Shadows are the reflection of all living beings, while the Soul is the essence of all living creatures. Using Blood and Moon, Light and Darkness must converge, giving rise to twin reflections".

Xuanyuan broke down the boring parts, examining just how many steps were involved in the creation of this Rank 2 Gu.

"Rules and Regulations relate to the Rule Path, while the Land, Sea and Sky possibly relate to the Earth, Water and Wind Path. Life and Death possibly the Wood Path, but potentially could mean Poison or maybe even Transformation. Soul and Shadows are self explanatory, while the Blood, Moon, Light and Darkness are all used by name. That is a total of thirteen different types of Paths, probably multiple materials from each one as well".

"Even as Rank 2 Gu go, this one must be pretty complex to use so many different materials. But still, the wording it what confuses me".

For Life to flourish, Death must have its due.

Did that mean that Xuanyuan's shadow would... have to die? Or did it mean that he had to sacrifice another Shadow Gu? Did it mean that he had to sacrifice the shadow of another Gu Master? Of another living being?

Not only that, but even if he wanted to try such a thing... how could he do it, under the watchful gazes of countless Righteous Path Gu Masters? He was fine with experimenting on people, even if he would never admit it, so long as it allowed him to reach his goal.

There was also the whole thing about how the Blood Path, Light Path and Dark Path were involved, causing him to groan, thinking about how he needed to research another Path.

The only problem regarding the remnant Gu recipe which Xuanyuan had obtained was to with a particular Path which was mentioned by name. 

"... Blood Path. Even with Elder Luo as my Master obtaining knowledge and information related to the Blood Path is extremely unlikely. The Ten Great Sects suppress the vast majority of knowledge relating to the Blood Path, and actively oppress all Blood Path Gu Masters from developing and becoming stronger".

"Blood Path Gu materials are some of the easiest to come across in the Five Regions. And with an extraordinarily high combat power, even compared to the Sword Path or the Fire Path, the Blood Path is an excellent choice for Gu Masters whose talents fall behind that of A Grade or even B Grade Talents".

"Trying to access knowledge, even just supplementary knowledge relating to the Blood Path may prove difficult. Even if I say that it is to assist my research and development of the Blood Path, the Sect may deny me access to certain Gu materials or related knowledge...".

Xuanyuan hummed for a moment before shaking his head.

He hadn't even determined how many Blood Path Gu materials were necessary, or if this Gu refinement recipe was possible in the first place. 

It was completely possible that there were other methods of refining the Twin Shadow Gu, perhaps one that he could discern from researching the recipe in greater detail, and possible substitutions he could make when it came to supplementary materials.

Letting out a sigh, Xuanyuan started to mentally tally all of his goals for the time being. 

"Twin Shadow Gu will be the focus of my short term goals. Even if I spend all of my primeval essence stones on materials in order to practice Gu refinement, a Heavenly Essence Treasure Lotus should be able to replenish them over the course of a month".

"To sum it up. Practice Gu refinement. Learn how to fight beasts. Learn more about the Central Continent. Cultivate to a Rank 3 Gu Master. Become the Abyssal Child. Go through the Limitless inheritance and then see where things go from there... What were the responsibilities of the Abyssal Child again?".

Xuanyuan grimaced thinking about having to discuss politics with the Elders and Leaders of other Sects. As a Gu Immortal seed, it would help to have contacts in the other nine of the Ten Great Sects, allowing him to get in contact with Gu Masters or even Gu Immortals whom possessed rare and valuable resources. 

Xuanyuan still had a chance to enter a Blessed Land of his choice for up to a years worth of time. Without a Rank 2 Liquor Worm, Xuanyuan didn't think he would become a Rank 3 Gu Master before then, but would allow him to greatly close the distance potentially allowing him to refine a Rank 3 Liquor Worm before he himself reached Rank 3.

He would have to discuss with Long Xi and Yu Zhong Er about it, in addition to a few other people he had in mind.

Letting out a sigh, Xuanyuan just shook his head clearing his mind. He had better things to do than think about stuff like that.

Calling out Little Shadow, the Rank 5 Shadows As Thought Gu hummed within Xuanyuan's shadow, producing dozens of Shadow Thoughts with every passing moment. Smiling, Xuanyuan continued his deductions, trying to discern substitutions and possible refinement methods to refine a Rank 2 Twin Shadow Gu.