Yuxuan sat at the very front of his class with his seat being the closest to the door
Initially he had wanted to sit at the back of the class but the Academy Elder did not allow it. The A Grade talents of a clan needed to be nurtured well and they needed to get the best nourishment - additionally, Yuxuan had stayed at home yesterday so he missed out on a lot and would need to be taught.
Especially since this week the elder was teaching the students how to operate their apetures and move their primeval essence
He - of cource did not need to be taught, in fact, the only reason that Yuxuan did not start cultivating right now, right here was because it was risky to do so with so many interuptions around
His soverign immortal body was extremly stong but the physical strength did nothing to affect his mortal aperure - If he were to be interupted by the elder for example he could end up damaging his aperture
He allowed his mind to move away from this extremly borning lesson towards less important things
'System?' - He called in his mind
Yes, Master?
'I was thinking about giving you a name.'
...Does Master have any in mind?
'I do actually, you said that you are essentially a combination of all my attainmets and knowledge that i possess, yes?'
The System took a second before responding - That is correct.
Yuxuan stopped speaking for the next few seconds as the Academy elder turned to him to make sure if he was paying attention - Unlike Fang Yuan who was asleep at the back of the class, Yuxuan was an A Grade talent - he needed to be educated and taught yell
Once the elder had noticed his thoughtful expression shift to a confused expression he stopped speaking and asked Yuxuan what was wrong
"What is wrong Yuxuan?"
"Ah sorry sir, you were talking about essence recovery and was wondering what the natural recovery rate of my aerture would be exactly"
"hoho don't worry, I will be getting to that in a few moments"
Yuxuan bowed his head slowly - "I will wait sir"
Yuxuan saw the elder turn his head and continue to speak to the class, other students like Mo Bei and Chi Cheng looked at him with disdain the thoughts of how such a pathetic thing, not even having gu master parents could have an higher aptitude than them all.
Some looked at him with pity almost, they had mortal parents too and even thought they had a low aptitude they at least had someone to go home to.
It was very clear that Gu Yue Yuxuan was socially inept
Outwardly Yuxuan moved his body with an idiotic smile and rested his head in his hand watching the teacher, inwardly how ever he was already back to name choosing
'In my old world there were many religions and there were many gods and goddesses of wisdom, i was wondering if maybe we could go with one of their names?'
That is a good idea, what names do you have in mind?
"There is Thoth from Egypt or Ganesha from Hinduism, also there is Athena from Greece or even Odin from Norse.... Nabu from the Mesopotamians...
Is there any that you prefer specifically?
'... Honestly? None... I don't feel right using the names of gods, especially since I don't know if they will take offence'
He had spoken to a god that sent him to this world after all, and that being had given him wishes that no one in the Gu world had been able to start their journey with in the entire history of the Gu world
Are there any other names you have in mind aside from religious-based ones?
Yuxuan started to think.
His mind flowed to the past when he was a child – was there not a show with a skill just like his system?
'...What was it called...?'
I believe the show you are thinking of is That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime – the skill within that show that has functions similar to my own is called 'Wisdom King Raphael'.
'That's right! That's what I will call you from now on.'
Technically speaking, Raphael was the name of an angel in Christianity, but he was an angel of healing, while the one that Yuxuan had chosen was from a fictional setting.
Thank you for the name, Master.
'Hmm, no problem.'
They both kept quiet for a while after.
'Hey Raphael, what path do you think I should take for my mortal aperture?'
That depends on the type of Gu master Master wishes to become – however, speaking holistically, I would recommend going with the refinement path since it is the path in which you have the highest attainment level or one of the other paths Master has a high attainment in.
Yuxuan was thinking a bit ahead.
He would soon have to choose his vital Gu; that Gu would determine the path that he would follow with his mortal aperture.
The standard Gu for those of the Gu Yue clan was the artificially created moonlight Gu – this Gu was a part of the moon path, and even though it had branches into other paths, he wanted to choose the best option.
He also did not want to choose a path in which he had any attainment levels in because if he had the opportunity to gain and grow another attainment level, he would.
If he chose the Moonlight Gu as his vital Gu, he would definitely change its path to another for the simple reason that the Moon path was a terribly underdeveloped path; in the entire story, he only knew of two Gu immortals in this path.
Half Moon Brutemaster and Yin Wu Que, who gained his inheritance.
So he would not choose to remain in Moon Path; he would definitely move to another path when he evolved the Gu to rank 2 or 3 and above.
The Blood Moon Gu was an option and a good one at that; the moonblades remained at the same strength and range level but with the ability to induce a bleeding effect – but then he would simply be choosing a path that he already had quasi-supreme grandmaster attainment in.
'Aside from the paths I have attainment in, what would you recommend?'
Raphael paused for a few seconds as if it were thinking.
Of the paths the master has no attainments in, I would recommend one of the standard paths in the Gu world.
There were a few standard paths that existed – Water, Fire, Earth, Metal and a few more.
Of those standard paths the one with the highest battle strength and area of effect attack would be the fire path.
'Fire path, huh...'
As far as he knew, none of the advancement paths of the moonlight Gu had any fire path routes.
But so what?
He was a refinement path supreme grandmaster!
There was no mortal Gu he could not comprehend and none he could not refine.
Yuxuan had decided on the fire path; it would be the path he chooses after reaching rank 2.
Fire Path is a good choice; there are many fire path Gu, Immortal Gu and killer moves that one can develop.
Yuxuan allowed a smile to appear on his face as he watched the elder speaking.
...
Yuxuan was sitting at the tavern and waited.
On his table was a jar of green bamboo wine that he purchased, leaving him with only two and a half primaeval stones – but he was not worried.
Right now as he looked around, there was no one following him or paying him any attention.
He was waiting here for a while now, watching patiently.
'Raphael, can you give me the specifics on Endless Servitude Gu?'
He needed to know how to use the Gu and if he even should – a rank 10 undoubtedly had an incredibly powerful aura, and he did not want to bring a Gu immortal here.
Endless Servitude Gu is a rank 10 expendable Gu. Place the hand on the target for 10 seconds without removing it to take effect.
That was good.
If it did not leave his aperture in the physical aspect, the chance of a gu immortal coming here was 0.
He would need to wait for a few more minutes for Fang Yuan to come into the tavern.
When that happened, Fang Yuan would buy wine and sit down to drink. When that was done, he would walk out of the tavern and wander around the village edges in hopes of drawing out the liquor worm.
Everyone would assume that he was depressed due to his C-grade aptitude, and so they would not follow him – but that gave him the opportunity to 'check up on his classmate'.
Then he would follow Fang Yuan into the outskirts of the village and out of the gate into the mountain; there, he would be alone, and Yuxuan could easily deal with him and implant the immortal gu.
After he implanted the Gu, Fang Yuan's plans would begin.
And soon the time came.
Fang Yuan walked into the tavern; his back was hunched, and he looked tired, as if he did not sleep, but his eyes were still endlessly black.
'Huhu He really is an old crafty demon.'
The bastard was using the idea of being a depressed kid who only got a C-rank aptitude after he was praised by the village for so long that way people wouldn't follow him. Yuxuan was doing the same thing but for a seemingly different reason.
He was just a poor kid who now had money and wanted to enjoy the pleasures of life.
Yuxuan watched Fang Yuan go and sit down at one of the tables; soon after that, he ordered 2 jars of green bamboo wine, and after that, he sat and drank one.
He then pretended to have fallen asleep after drinking the first jar, and then after one of the waiters came to him, he 'woke' and, with a slurred voice, yelled at her, grabbed his remaining jar and started to walk out.
And then so did Yuxuan.
The darkness of Qing Mao Mountain was silent – eerily silent.
The only sounds that came from this place outside the village were the sound of the swaying leaves in the wind, the sounds of the crickets, the sounds of Fang Yuan's footsteps and the sloshing sound of the wine in the jar.
The fragrance really was strong.
Yuxuan was following behind a decent distance; his heart was cold and calm – his steps even more calm.
Right now they were a safe distance from the village, and Yuxuan could definitely attack and suppress Fang Yuan easily; the strength and speed of the sovereign immortal aperture were not something a mortal could withstand, especially a mortal who didn't even have any Gu.
Well, he did, but Fang Yuan didn't know that yet.
I have to be careful, Yuxuan thought, his eyes locked on the back of Fang Yuan's head. If I move at full speed, I'll crack the ground beneath me. The elders will feel the tremors.
That was the reason he didn't strike with his overwhelming power yet – he would need to use mortal strength.
Deciding to make his presence known, Yuxuan stepped out from behind the green bamboo and walked up, making sure his steps were heard.
He made himself appear drunk; his steps were wobbly.
Fang Yuan's eyes narrowed ever so slightly – of course it did.
To the rest of the village, Yuxuan was the orphan boy who now had an A-grade aptitude; Fang Yuan was from the future – to Fang Yuan, Yuxuan was supposed to be one of the people who did not awaken an aperture.
"It's a fine night for a stroll, Fang Yuan – you drank so much already; can I have the wine in your hand?"
Fang Yuan's movement stalled for a second as he turned around.
Looking into his eyes, Yuxuan was glad that he had the advantages that he did – he was glad that Fang Yuan would become his eternally loyal servant.
'This bastard's eyes...!'
Yuxuan stared into those abyss-like eyes and shivered – ' He knows.'
It does seem that Fang Yuan knows Master has been following him.
"I know you are not drunk." His voice was smooth, as if he felt the situation was within his control.
"Why are you following me?"
Fang Yuan is probing the master; he is attempting to determine if his memories are unclear and he forgot you or if you are an immortal too that regressed – it is best to strike now.
'Fuck'
"I'm not looking for trouble," Yuxuan said, closing the distance by a few steps.
Fang Yuan's body shifted slowly, and Yuxuan didn't even need the system to tell him.
Fang Yuan wants to dispose of the master.
Yuxuan lunged.
Even suppressed, his movement was a blur.
Fang Yuan's combat instincts—honed by five centuries of slaughter—screamed a warning. He dropped low, attempting a sweeping kick to trip Yuxuan, but it was like hitting a pillar of iron.
Yuxuan grabbed Fang Yuan by the throat, slamming him against the damp earth. He had to consciously hold back his strength to keep from crushing Fang Yuan's ribcage instantly. He pinned Fang Yuan's wrists with his left hand and pressed his right palm flat against Fang Yuan's chest.
"One."
Fang Yuan didn't waste breath shouting. He twisted his body with serpentine agility, trying to bite Yuxuan's wrist, then hooked his leg around Yuxuan's neck to pull him off balance.
"Two... Three..."
Yuxuan felt the incredible technical skill of the old demon. Fang Yuan was using every leverage point, every trick of mortal wrestling, to break the contact. But Yuxuan's body, forged by the Sovereign Immortal Foetus, was an immovable mountain. He took a sharp elbow to the jaw and didn't move an inch.
"Four... Five..."
"What... are you... doing?" Fang Yuan hissed, his voice strained as he realised his physical strength was utterly useless. He looked up into Yuxuan's eyes and saw a terrifying certainty there—the look of a man who knew his secrets.
"Six... Seven..."
'Prepare the Endless Servitude Goo!'
Yuxuan yelled to Raphael in his mind; the rank 10 Gu seemed to come alive – it lacked form like the other Gu and was invisible, but Yuxuan could feel it stirring.
"Eight... Nine..."
Fang Yuan's pupils dilated.
A primal dread, something his five-hundred-year-old soul hadn't felt in centuries, gripped him. He brought his head up and smashed it into Yuxuan, but it did nothing.
"Ten!"
The entire world seemed to still
The invisible mist flowed from Yuxuan into Fang Yuan, and it flowed even further – it branded Fang Yuan's soul, his will, his very existence.
Through time – past, future and present
His goals had not changed, nor had his personality or cunning, but there was something above both of those things
Yuxuan let go of Fang Yuan and sat on the ground.
The greatest threat of this world that could have affected him – the pawn of the venerables that became a king himself
Gu Yue Fang Yuan was under his control.