Chapter 24 Which Blessed Land?

Xuanyuan and Elder Luo grew much closer over the course of their Space Path lessons. The former trusted that Elder Luo had his greatest wellbeing in mind when he became his disciple, putting a roof over his head, food on his plate, and granted him access to a vast array of knowledge that most Gu Masters would spend months, or even years accumulating.

His familiarity with the Space Path exploded over the span of a few weeks. Having a Rank 5 Gu Master who had spent the majority of his entire life researching and familiarizing himself with Space Path Gu and methods allowed Xuanyuan to fully make use of his powerful comprehension.

It didn't quite... click in the same way that the Shadow Path did, however, he still progressed much quicker in comparison to his Wisdom Path classes, or his Refinement Path classes.

Xuanyuan knew that Elder Luo's attainment in the Space Path was on the level of a Master. He had already developed a slight intuition into the development of Space Path Gu and mortal killer moves relating to the Space Path.

Xuanyuan thought that his Vital Gu was Rank 5, but the feelings that Little Shadow gave him didn't support this, the Rank 5 Gu silently swimming inside his shadow. 

Elder Luo on the other hand, had seemed happier than Xuanyuan had ever seen him before. For the first time since reaching Rank 5 and becoming an Elder, Luo Yu had felt his heart race as he watched Xuanyuan devour information relating to the Space Path. He could see the improvement Xuanyuan had with his Thick Space Gu increasing day by day.

His own comprehensions and knowledge were not worthless, now that he had Xuanyuan to pass them on to. He could feel something unconsciously churn within him, a slight change in perspective, or a slight change in his emotions that made him feel more and more at peace with each passing day.

Elder Kong had visited a few times, each time the smile on his face grew as he watched Xuanyuan and Luo Yu spar, the former learning about the intricacies of the Space Path.

The Sky Soul Hall Elder had informed Xuanyuan that after the new disciple tournament, he would be allowed to cultivate in the Blessed Land of one of the Ancient Soul Sect Gu Immortals for a period of one year in the immortal aperture.

Immortal Song, the Rank 6 Shadow Path Gu Immortal of the Ancient Soul Sect had given Xuanyuan permission to stay within her Blessed Land.

Immortal Gong, the Rank 6 Refinement Path Gu Immortal had refused, currently doing a favor for another Gu Immortal, preventing him from being distracted in the short term.

Immortal Li, the Rank 7 Poison Path Gu Immortal seemed somewhat interested in having a Rank 2 Gu Master cultivate in her Blessed Land, but refused when she found out that Xuanyuan walked the Shadow Path. She said that anyone that wasn't a Gu Immortal, or walked the Poison Path had a high chance of dying within her Blessed Land, saying that it wasn't worth the risk.

Immortal Chu, the Rank 7 Dark Path Gu Immortal accepted, but wanted to test Xuanyuan first.

Immortal Di, the Rank 6 Light Path Gu Immortal also wanted to test Xuanyuan.

Immortal Wu, the Rank 6 Wisdom Path Gu Immortal refused, currently assisting another Elder with their tribulation.

Immortal Lang, the Rank 6 Space Path Gu Immortal refused, currently away from the Ancient Soul Sect.

Immortal Hui, the Rank 7 Time Path Gu Immortal also refused, currently preparing to withstand her first Heavenly Tribulation. Other Gu Immortals belonging to different paths were assisting her in that endeavor, such as Immortal Gong and Immortal Wu.

And Immortal Lan, the Rank 6 Moon Path Gu Immortal, accepted the offer, however, said that Xuanyuan must agree to a condition of hers beforehand, one that was non-negotiable. Immortal Lan had also given Elder Kong a message to hand to Xuanyuan, a brief tidbit of information regarding her condition.

"The only condition I have is that you must agree to never share what you see within my Blessed Land. The other Supreme Elders may also have this condition, but I will ask you to sign an Information Path contract in order to enforce this agreement. I will not give further information as to why, until you agree to sign it".

Elder Kong had also signed a similar agreement, but the smile on his face somewhat intrigued Xuanyuan.

"I cannot say Xuanyuan. However, Immortal Lan is a relatively young Gu Immortal, having only ascended to the position roughly fifty years ago. The reason why she became a Gu Immortal so young, was primarily due to her luck and fortuitous encounters".

That end bit interested Xuanyuan, but wasn't sure if this "fortuitous encounter" was worth giving up a years worth of comprehending the Shadow Path, under a Shadow Path Gu Immortal. 

'But then again, if I win the tournament, I will have the chance to discuss the Shadow Path with Immortal Song. I can always have the discussion first, and then decide if I want to meet with Immortal Lan'.

All Gu Immortals must've had some sort of fortuitous encounter or great luck in their youths. If not, they wouldn't of had the potential, the attainment, the physicality or the comprehension to become Gu Immortals. 

But if Immortal Lan wanted Xuanyuan to sign an Information Path agreement before even seeing her Blessed Land, then her Blessed Land must contain, even a portion at least, her fortuitous encounter. 

Xuanyuan didn't suspect an Immortal Gu, considering that some Gu Immortals could refine a Rank 6 Gu the moment they became Gu Immortals. It had to be some sort of inheritance, rare resource point, or something relating to a Path banned by the Righteous Path.

Xuanyuan wasn't that concerned considering that Immortal Lan was only a Rank 6 Gu Immortal. Even if she did possess an inheritance, even a completed one, she still walked the Moon Path, while he walked the Shadow Path.

Although Xuanyuan needed to make a decision soon, he first needed to win the Outer Sect new disciple tournament before anything else. He was going to have to fight Gu Masters at the Peak Stage Rank 2, while only being a Middle Stage Rank 2 Gu Master himself.

Even if his grasp on his Paths exceeded that of his opponents, Xuanyuan knew that they would be able to fight for longer, their primeval essence at a much higher purity than his own!

Although Xuanyuan wanted to sigh, he knew for sure that the array of Gu he had at his disposal, more than likely equaled that of his opponents. Gu Masters had to be self-sufficient in regards to feeding and nurturing their Gu, and the Sect Elders would only be damaging the futures of their descendants if they provided everything for them.

In that regard, it was unlikely they they possessed more than a dozen Rank 1 Gu or couple Rank 2 Gu. 

Xuanyuan possessed Rank 2 Dense Shadow Blade Gu and Rank 2 Bright Red Light Gu. Elder Luo had given him Rank 2 Thick Space Gu, which brought the total number of Rank 2 Gu in his possession to three. 

There was one more thing that Xuanyuan wanted to do before he entered the tournament. He hadn't fully taken this into account, considering it was his Vital Gu, but knew that it was protected from being destroyed during refinement.

Xuanyuan wasn't completely sure that he trusted himself in the beginning, and wanted to obtain some experience in Gu refinement and Gu recipe deduction before trying to refine his Vital Gu. Even if Shadow Eyes Gu wasn't destroyed if the refinement failed, Xuanyuan would receive a heavy black lash instead.

It could severely damage his internal organs, or damage a portion of his soul or aperture, potentially reducing the size of his primeval essence sea.

But now, after an entire year, Xuanyuan felt as though the initial refinement recipe that he theorized and subsequently refined and developed had some merit to it.

Using Shadow Eyes Gu as a refinement material and infusing it into Shadowless Sword Gu. Shadowless Sword Gu was a Rank 1 Sword Path Gu and not what Xuanyuan wanted as his Vital Gu. For Xuanyuan, a valuable supportive type Gu was the best choice for his Vital Gu. He initially picked Shadowless Eyes Gu because of its supportive nature, but found it insufficient for his future needs.

"The recipe I initially deduced was immature and had only about a 3% chance of success. I couldn't even tell if the new Gu was of the Shadow Path or not. Using the Shadow Eyes Gu as the core material for the Gu recipe, it should be possible to refine it into something new, a new Rank 1 Gu'.

Xuanyuan had thought long and hard about what type of Gu he wanted. He didn't need a cultivation type Gu. He didn't need offensive type Gu. He didn't need storage type Gu and while investigative Gu were interesting, Xuanyuan had Shadows As Thought Gu, which could be used in a myriad number of ways.

What Xuanyuan was lacking, was a movement type Gu, and a defensive type Gu.

He had in his possession Formless Shadow Gu, but had incorporated it into his refinement process. In fact, Xuanyuan had included numerous Shadow Path Gu and Shadow Path Gu materials into the refinement recipe, even though the end result was only a Rank 1 Gu.

Knowing what Xuanyuan wanted, he even adjusted a couple materials with Space Path Gu materials that he had recently researched. They needed to be both compatible with Shadow Path Gu materials, but also Light Path, Dark Path and Moon Path, which greatly affected his range of choices.

Xuanyuan even asked Elder Luo what he thought of his completed Gu refinement recipe, not wanting to leave anything to chance.

Seeing Elder Luo raise an eyebrow as he read the steps of the Gu refinement, he unconsciously furrowed his brows by the time he reached the bottom, reading the name that Xuanyuan had given the Gu.

"Isn't this a little bit... over the top? There is close to seventy Gu materials involved in this Gu recipe, and more than a dozen different Gu. The precision required in each step, not to mention the ratio between different ingredients, alongside using Gu to increase the ambient primeval energy, specifically those relating to the Shadow Path. And... what is this? You actually want to refine the Shadow Eyes Gu while it is still within your body!?".

Xuanyuan nodded, seeing the dumbfounded expression on Elder Luo's face.

"The main Refinement Path technique taught within the Ancient Soul Sect is the Human Isolation Style. It excels in controlling all facets of external influences and internal possibilities in order to increase the likelihood that the refinement will be an success. It is much harder to increase the likelihood of success this way, however provides a greater control over the processes in comparison to other styles".

"Shadows are born from Darkness and Light. There exists different types of both. Heart Light Gu is only a Rank 1 Light Path Gu, but the light it produces doesn't rely on primeval essence. The stronger the Gu Master's "heart", the stronger the light it produces, potentially even exceeding that of a Rank 2 Light Path Gu in volume".

"Black Bones Gu is a Rank 1 Gu which transforms the bones in the body into Black Bones, capable of increasing the physical durability of a Gu Master's bones. It locks a Gu Master into only elevating the qualities of their bones into future refinements of Rank 1 Black Bones Gu, however uses qualities of the Dark Path in order to transform the bones".

"When these two Gu interact within the body, it casts shadows within the blood vessels, organs and nervous system. Shadows dance wildly within the Gu Master's body, some nurturing, others violent, while the vast majority only seek expand if the light of Heart Light Gu is strong enough, allowing for a greater comprehensive transformation".

"Rank 1 Lunar Light Gu shines from the outside, limiting the expansion of shadows from inside the body. Rank 1 Shadow Hand Gu can allow a Gu Master to physical grab shadows. Rank 1 Push Gu can be used to forcefully compress shadows into a certain point. Rank 1 Moon Prison Gu can be used to trap living things within a cage made of moonlight. Rank 1 Formless Shadow Gu increases the speed of a Gu Master, increasing the movement of their shadows, reflecting back at them".

"Night Blood Essence can be used to nurture the blood vessels. Crackling Light Flower can be used to break down light, making it more malleable and controllable. Silver Star Sap can be used to increase the vitality of the heart. The bones of a Argent Rabbit can be grind into dust and combined with the blood of a Night Hunter Rabbit to nurture the flesh. The eyes of a Blinding Anglerfish can be used to temporarily blind even a Rank 3 Gu Master...".

There were so many materials which were used to refine the body, that Elder Luo almost thought that this was a Strength Path Gu recipe.

What Xuanyuan wanted to do was... refine a Gu that imitated the effects of other Paths. There existed Gu, such as White Boar Gu which could permanently increase the physical strength of a Gu Master, and Gu such as Wind Strength Gu which gave a Gu Master an increase to the effects of their Wind Path Gu.

Xuanyuan wanted something similar, but something that combined both effects. It was an extraordinary jump from deducing Gu recipes to refining something like this, but Shadows As Thought Gu assisted in the deductions immensely.

White Boar Gu could increase the Gu Masters strength, and once they completely made the strength their own, they could produce White Boar Phantoms. A ranged attack which perfectly mimicked the powers of a White Boar. It didn't belong to the Phantom Path, but mimicked their abilities perfectly.

The Gu that Xuanyuan wanted to refine was called...

"Nine Eyes Shadow Gu".