Chapter 24: Food path master

Ning Zu sat in a lotus position, his mind entirely focused on his aperture. The quiet crackling of energy filled the room as he directed his rank 2 essence to crash against the walls of his aperture. 

*Crack... crack...*

The once sturdy rank 1 walls fractured under the assault of the dark red essence. As each fragment broke free, it dissolved into white specks that drifted down into his primeval sea, vanishing as if consumed by the air itself. 

Slowly, the crystalline wall that encased his essence was replaced by a glowing white barrier—his newly formed rank 2 aperture.

Ning Zu didn't allow himself a moment of celebration. Rising swiftly, he turned his gaze toward the large cauldron in the center of the room. Eight distinct wines bubbled and hissed, their ingredients meticulously chosen. The most precious of these: the rank 2 despair core, lay ready. With the dragon scale already melting into the mixture, he dropped the despair core in the center of the cauldron, watching as it hungrily absorbed the wine and liquefied scale.

His confidence in the process was unwavering, his thoughts focused as he monitored the reaction. But suddenly—

*BOOM!*

An explosion ripped through the room, sending Ning Zu crashing into the wall. Pain seared through his body as he felt bones crack under the impact, blood forcing itself from his lips. He collapsed onto the ground, small stones falling from the ceiling where the force of his collision had cracked it.

Ignoring the pain, Ning Zu's eyes darted toward the cauldron. The flying despair core had absorbed the materials but had taken damage, chunk of it was missing.

He could see it throbbing as if ready to explode again, this time threatening to unleash the full wrath of the boiling wines and melted dragon scale.

Ning Zu cursed under his breath, his voice low and bitter. Dragging his broken foot behind him, he limped over to the core. Without hesitation, he seized it in his hand and forced it into his aperture, bracing himself for what came next.

He felt the impact immediately his A grade talent began to fall, slipping from a 99% capacity to a 65% capacity, falling from the highest of A grade to the low tier of B grade. 

His rank diminished, but Ning Zu didn't care about the loss. The despair core was complete once again. Had he been at the  peak of rank 2 cultivation, the sacrifice would have been minor, but in his current initial stage, the price was steep.

Breathing heavily, he summoned the Wine Worm Gu. The creature slithered from its resting place and, on Ning Zu's command, slid into the despair core. Inside, it began its transformation, devouring everything whole. 

With a quiet pop, the core cracked open, revealing the Wine Worm, now a rank 2 Fine Wine Worm Gu. 

It resembled a tiny dragon cloaked in dark black scales, a crimson shimmer running across its body. The Gu floated in his aperture, immediately devouring the surrounding essence. Ning Zu watched, waiting for it to release the rank 3 essence, but nothing happened.

Instead, the Gu swam to the middle of the aperture, then his aperture began to tremble violently, sending waves of nausea through him. Ning Zu fell to his knees, vomiting everything he had this morning. When the shaking finally ceased, he glanced at his aperture, his mind dazed. He didn't understand what was happening.

Then, to his shock, his aperture began producing rank 3 essence.

Wide eyed, Ning Zu realized something profound. His mind raced as he tried to process what had just occurred. The Fine Wine Worm Gu wasn't behaving like it normal should—it had become something entirely different. He tested his theory, ordering the Gu to stop. His aperture shook again but less violently. When it calmed, it resumed producing rank 2 essence as usual.

Ning Zu tried to activated the Gu again, pushing it to consume more of the essence. But he had too little essence for it to activate, so he used some primeval stones, watching them turn to dust. The Gu then devoured 30% of the rank 2 initial stage essence, returning to the center of his aperture. The shaking resumed, and Ning Zu fought the urge to vomit, holding it in.

As the shaking stopped, rank 3 essence flowed once again.

Ning Zu's laughter filled the room, manic and triumphant. His wild theory had proven true. The Wine Worm Gu, being his vital Gu, had fused with his aperture, becoming an inseparable part of it. It wasn't just a tool, it was now integrated into his very being. The possibilities raced through his mind, his understanding of the food path expanding.

"This changes everything!" he declared, his voice echoing in the dimly lit room. His mind was already racing with new ideas, new possibilities. The Gu he had planned to create at the immortal level had evolved in concept, it would have the same effect of the normal immortal version of the Liquor Worm Gu, but now, he could forge a path no one else had walked before.

He used an extremely firm and determined yet incomparably weak voice to shout with all his strength. "From this day forward," he said while looking at the roof, pointing at what was beyond it, "I will walk the food path like no other. I will devour anything and everything that stands in my way! Be it Heaven or Earth! The five regions and 2 skies shall bear testament to my words!"

His hysterical laughter echoed through the room, though he was unaware that the molten bloodlust coursing through him was influencing every part of his mind. He couldn't see the madness creeping into his thoughts, the darkness consuming his heart.

Qing Mao Mountain would soon witness a massacre like no other in its history.

As his laughter died down, exhaustion overtook Ning Zu. His vision swam before him, and he collapsed to the ground, his consciousness slipping away. But as he lay there, he felt a subtle shift within him—one of his attainments had risen. He was now a master in the food path, the most destructive path he would one day be known for.

And with that, Ning Zu drifted into unconsciousness, unaware of the havoc that lay ahead.

——

Far from the chaos within Qing Mao Mountain, in a realm shrouded in ethereal mist, the Door of Life and Death stood towering and ominous. Spectral Soul Demon Venerable, a figure of unparalleled terror, hovered at its threshold. His main head, dark and twisted, suddenly snapped toward the sky, his gaze filled with unsettling intensity.

His eyes, once as calm and calculating as a predator stalking its prey, now trembled. The thick fog around him shifted uneasily, reflecting the disturbance in his soul.

Nearby, his split soul, an eerie mirror of the Demon Venerable but slightly smaller, halted mid-action. The soul in its hand, faint and struggling, was forgotten as the split soul turned toward his main body, its face marred by confusion. "What's happening?" the split soul's mind echoed, and without wasting a moment, it contacted a will not fair away.

Old Man Yan Shi's will stirred in response to the call, the ancient figure's presence crackling with energy. His voice, distant but commanding, filled the split soul's mind.

"My main body is engaged with the Dream Path extreme physique research and is near a breakthrough," Yan Shi's will conveyed. "He cannot be disturbed. Keep a close watch on our master. Be vigilant for any signs of disruption."

The split soul obeyed without hesitation. It drifted closer to the main body, the weight of a new and unknown threat pressing down on the demon's domain.

---

Meanwhile, in Qing Mao Mountain, the world had descended into a different kind of chaos.

Elder Zi burst through the door of the cultivation room, his face pale and his heart hammering in his chest. The sight before him nearly stopped his breath: his son, Ning Zu, lay crumpled on the floor, bruised and unconscious. The room was filled with the acrid smell of burnt materials, scattered fragments of the exploded cauldron lying in broken heaps. The elder's mind raced with fear and confusion.

"Servant!" he barked, his voice hoarse with urgency. "Fetch the medical staff from Elder Weis, now!"

His command echoed through the hallway, and footsteps quickly scrambled away. Elder Zi knelt beside his son, trembling fingers hovering over Ning Zu's battered chest. Reaching for a healing Gu from his aperture, he activated it, trying to channel its power to mend Ning Zu's broken body. But the moment his hand touched Ning Zu's chest, he froze.

A cold, paralyzing realization settled over him.

He could feel it, a power coursing through his son's body. The unmistakable aura of a rank 3 Gu Master. His eyes widened, disbelief gripping him. This was impossible. His son, not even sixteen yet, lay before him with the same power he had fought years to attain. How could this be?

His hand moved to his own aperture instinctively, as though confirming the reality of his son's rank. The dread solidified into a crushing weight on his chest. He didn't want to believe it, didn't want to accept that his son had somehow achieved something that defied all logic.

But the truth was undeniable. Ning Zu had become a rank 3 Gu Master.

"How…?" Elder Zi's voice was barely a whisper, his mind frantically searching for answers that didn't exist.

The door creaked open, and the medical staff rushed in, moving with well-practiced precision. They quickly surrounded Ning Zu, their hands working methodically as they examined his injuries.

Ning Zu's mother, Elder Er, entered the room, her eyes wide with worry as they locked onto her son's motionless form.

"I need to see him—please," she pleaded, stepping forward, her motherly instincts overpowering her fear. But the head of the medical team stopped her with a firm hand.

"Lady Er, we need space to work," the healer said gently but with authority. "He's in a delicate condition, but we will take it from here. Please, give us time, and we'll do everything we can."

Elder Er hesitated, torn between her desperate need to help her son and the knowledge that interfering could worsen his condition. She swallowed her fears and stepped back, her trembling hands clasped in front of her. She turned to her husband, searching for reassurance, for anything to ease the terror gripping her heart.

But Elder Zi stood frozen, his face still pale, his mind far from offering any comfort. His disbelief held him captive, unable to process the reality before him. He had raised a son he thought he understood—a son with great potential, yes, but not this. Not a rank 3 Gu Master so soon. The achievement that had taken him years, through countless trials and immense danger, now stood before him in the unconscious body of his child.

The medical staff carefully lifted Ning Zu and carried him to his room, their movements swift but gentle. They placed him on the bed and immediately began using a series of Gu worms to assess the damage, sending healing energies through his battered body. Each healer worked with silent concentration, their expressions grave as they tried to stabilize the young Gu Master.

Elder Er hovered near the door, her anxiety radiating in waves. She wanted so badly to be near her son, but the seriousness of the situation kept her rooted in place. She glanced at Elder Zi again, hoping he might have found some explanation or at least some reassurance. But he was still lost in his own thoughts, his eyes staring blankly as though trapped in a distant nightmare.

Time seemed to stretch painfully as the medical team worked. The only sounds in the room were the soft hum of Gu worms and the occasional whispered instructions between healers. The tension was unbearable for Ning Zu's parents, each passing moment filled with the weight of uncertainty.

Finally, one of the head healers turned to the couple, his expression somber but with a hint of hope.

"He's stable, but the extent of his injuries is severe," the healer reported. "It will take time, but he should recover fully."

Relief washed over Elder Er, though the heaviness of unanswered questions still hung in the air. What had happened in that room? How had Ning Zu advanced so quickly?