The search for the Godstone would have to wait until Lin Yunyun regained enough awareness to cooperate and sense its whereabouts with her mind.
Right now, all Gu Nan could do was wait. Of course, he also had something else to do while waiting.
The reincarnator organization that Lu Zhanyu introduced to him finally arrived at the Ninth Region.
A group of people led by Lu Zhanyu were slowly walking up to a secluded villa. Behind her were three people from White Mist.
"Elder Qin." Lu Zhanyu stood in front of the villa. "That one is waiting for you inside, so I won't go in."
Introducing the reincarnator organization to Gu Nan was just a deal between her and Gu Nan. She wasn't interested in getting involved in the meeting.
Elder Qin nodded in greeting. "Many thanks."
Lu Zhanyu quickly disappeared, and Wei Rou, who had been stern-faced this entire way, spoke up, "We're both on Heavenly Enterprise Star, yet he wants us to come to him. He really is good at putting on airs!"
Wei Rou's father and Ye Qinglan were old acquaintances, so she had always had a bad opinion of Gu Nan and had tried her best to prevent the meeting ever since they boarded the starship.
"He has the right to put on airs." Li Leyou said lazily, "'Tempest Feng Zhuotang—not even our organization has many experts of that caliber, yet he was still defeated in a single slash. Tsk tsk…"
Wei Rou's expression turned uglier.
Over on the side, Elder Qin shook his head again. "Alright, that's enough. We're already here, so let's not talk about useless things."
With Elder Qin making the final decision, the three could only walk towards the villa.
The villa's layout wasn't complicated, and even though no servants were arranged for the sake of secrecy, they easily found the inner hall, where Gu Nan was indeed waiting for them.
It's just that an unexpected person was right next to Gu Nan.
Gu Nan sat on the main seat, and when he saw the three enter, he nodded towards the girl. "The guests have arrived. Go and pour a cup of tea for the guests."
"Yes…" The young girl's expression was slightly dark, but she still had to answer in a low voice.
"San Wei?!" Wei Rou was the first to exclaim. Their relationship with the organization that San Wei worked for couldn't be considered hostile, but it definitely couldn't be described as good either. The other party's presence here clearly wasn't a good sign.
Even Elder Qin asked with a sullen face, "Mr. Gu, what do you mean by this?"
"Eh? So you guys know this maid of mine?" Gu Nan had a surprised look on his face, seemingly completely unaware of the relationship between San Wei and the three people from White Mist.
Perhaps because Gu Nan's acting skills were too good, or perhaps because Elder Qin didn't want to immediately break off negotiations, Elder Qin answered in a deep voice, "This San Wei is an enemy of our organization, not a friend…"
Gu Nan had already interrupted before he finished speaking.
"I don't care who she used to be, but she's one of my people now. If anyone in your organization doesn't like it, he can look for me," when Gu Nan said this, he also incidentally looked at San Wei.
Classmate San Wei secretly rolled her eyes but still had to muster up a grateful expression as she gazed at Gu Nan with her pair of big eyes. However, she felt incomparably depressed in her heart.
It's true that Gu Nan kept his promise to bring her to the meeting, but the price was… for her to act as his maid!
Gu Nan's resolute and decisive words made the three guests once again cast their eyes on San Wei. The current San Wei was indeed very different from what they remembered.
Not only did she have a standard black and white maid outfit, but all the makeup on her face was also washed away, revealing her natural features and a slightly mysterious pattern on her forehead. Contrary to expectations, this getup actually brought out her unique aura.
Li Leyou had an odd expression on his face as he went up to Elder Qin and whispered, "Elder, I don't think he's lying. Moreover…"
Elder Qin knew what he was implying at the end. If Gu Nan wanted to betray them, he could've just had San Wei hide in the shadows; there was no need to make them aware of her presence.
'This matter… might really just be an unexpected mishap.'
Thinking of this, Elder Qin once again showed a smile, and after exchanging a few pleasantries with Gu Nan, he quickly got to the point.
"I heard that Mr. Gu is interested in joining our organization?"
"Yes," Gu Nan replied with a single word in a straightforward manner, then added, "Let's be direct. How about I provide protection for your organization, and you give me the method to obtain world missions?"
"That's impossible." Elder Qin didn't even need to think about it as he immediately shook his head. "The method to translate a world's will into missions—this is the very foundation of a reincarnator organization. Only the two commanders know the method. It's impossible to use it as part of a deal."
Gu Nan wasn't disappointed either. He had anticipated this possibility a long time ago. He continued, "I can change my condition. I need a large number of missions to pick from."
Even if he couldn't get the translation method to obtain missions himself for the time being, as long as he could find enough missions, Gu Nan could still travel to mid-sized planes and complete a large number of missions.
After calming down from the elation of seeing an EXP stone, Gu Nan also realized that dungeons and events were still the foundation to his growth. EXP stones were merely a shortcut at best.
And this shortcut couldn't even get him directly to the next level. It could only bring him halfway there. He'd still have to walk the other half by himself.
Even if he finally obtained the EXP stone, Gu Nan would still have to grind dungeons to earn enough points for advancement, so he couldn't afford to miss the opportunity to join White Mist.
Elder Qin fell into a pensive mood after hearing Gu Nan's new condition.
Taking out a large list of missions for Gu Nan to pick from wasn't a problem. Even their elders had this kind of authority.
'But the question is, will the other party really be satisfied with just this?'
Beside them, Wei Rou suddenly spoke up at this point, "Mr. Gu, you said you can provide protection. I wonder just how much protection you can provide?"
After a pause, she sneered again, "Our second commander is someone who can fight one of the Nine Stars to a draw."
The so-called Nine Stars referred to the nine people recognized as the strongest on the Star Ranking.
It's said that everyone on the Star Ranking has an equal chance of defeating other Star Rankers, and the Star Ranking only selects people based on talent and battle performance. However, there were always busybodies who wanted to rank the Star Rankers to see who really was the strongest Prodigious cultivator.
After a few of these busybodies were killed by those experts, they finally stopped courting death and trying to rank the strongest Prodigious cultivator. But the public gradually launched the Nine Star candidates, representing the nine strongest Star Rankers.
Of course, there were also many powerhouses not on the Star Rankings, such as this White Mist's second commander, who was both terrifyingly strong and relatively unheard of by the public.
Gu Nan looked indifferent as he casually said, "Words can't prove anything. Why don't you test my strength yourself?"
He was too lazy to bicker with these NPCs. If these three didn't agree, he would simply kill two and kidnap the remaining one, and when he concluded his matters on Heavenly Enterprise Star, he'd have the single survivor lead the way to the Sixth Region.
"That's precisely my intention!" Unexpectedly, Wei Rou laughed aloud and stood up.
"Are you crazy?!" Li Leyou looked at her in shock. He had anticipated that Wei Rou would try to sabotage this meeting in various ways and had prepared several countermeasures, but he never expected her to do this.
'What kind of person is this Gu Nan? Someone who defeated a Star Ranker with a single slash. At best, Wei Rou's strength is on par with my own. Isn't she simply courting death right now?'
Wei Rou got up and took out a scroll from her clothes and opened it. "This painting contains a single sword intent from my father. Mr. Gu, please try to receive this attack!"
On the painting that Wei Rou unfolded, there was a swordsman dancing with the sword in the snow.
A hazy sword intent enveloped it, making the swordsman appear to be moving. He swung his sword gracefully, just like a beautiful dance.
At the last strike, he suddenly stabbed out of the painting, making all the observers feel a cutting intent pressing down on them.
And Gu Nan, who was facing the painting, saw a sharp sword burst out of the painting and stab directly at him.
Wei Rou's lips curled into a light smile. Her father was the third most powerful expert in the organization and was an experienced Domain Stage cultivator. 'His sword intent is incomparably condensed. I'd like to see just how Gu Nan can block it!'
'This sword intent has already locked onto the target's spirit, so it's impossible to dodge. The only way to block this strike is to draw his own blade.'
Wei Rou had already designed a plan for Gu Nan in her heart. Once he gave his all to block a single strike from her father, who wasn't even here, wouldn't that mean that his Dao attainments are lacking?
However, when faced with this attack, Gu Nan unexpectedly didn't make a move to dodge or draw his own blade. He simply let the sword fall.
The condensed sword of light stabbed directly into Gu Nan's heart, and then as if it was blocked by something, wobbled endlessly.
This time, including Wei Rou, the three guests were all flabbergasted.
'Is Gu Nan… actually this weak?'
The air seemed to freeze for a moment, and only after a moment did the expressionless Gu Nan reach out his hand and instantly pull out that sword of light, throwing it at Wei Rou's feet.
He touched his chest, which had completely healed up already, and looked at the scroll still floating in mid-air in the distance. The human figure inside still hadn't dissipated.
"A clone? Since you're already here, why don't you stay?" A fierce smile appeared on Gu Nan's face.
Devotee's Game System Inspired Note
» This section of the chapter is a Fan based created system to mock-up or simulate the 'Status Information' of our MC - Gu Nan. This implies that you are free to skip reading this and continue your journey onto the next chapter.
» All catalog data below is a summary of various information achieved by Gu Nan that corresponds till the end of the related chapter and is compiled into a singular 'Status Screen.' Additionally, the invented system below would continue to evolve as we progress and learn more about the novel itself.
MC's Status Information
Name: Gu Nan
Current Location: Inside the villa given by Lu Zhanyu's family, Heavenly Enterprise Star
Current Soul Location: N/A
Status: ⟪ Evil God ⟫
Advancement Direction: Agility Type
Current Evil God Rank: Tier 3
Equivalent/Current Martial Art: Prodigious Realm
◈ Comprehension of Innate ability: Domain Stage
Chosen Core Skill: The Law of Shadow
Current Evil God Temple Quest:
→ Main Mission Objective/s:
-— Evil Event: Lan Si's Fall - Evil God Temple Issued
◈ Status: On Going
→ Side Quest Objective/s:
-— None. - N/A
◈ Status: N/A
Current Evil Points: 100
Overall Evil Points: 3875, Overall Evil Value: 130
Core Skill Acquired
— Shadow. ｢Also known precisely as 'The law of Shadow' - its one of the highest-ranked laws in the game. Skill 'Power of Shadows' LVL +1｣
Normal Skills Acquired:
— Resistance. [ Passive Ability ] ｢Your body will resist damage, and any damage taken will be reduced by 50%｣
— Locked ｢N/A｣
— Locked ｢N/A｣
Exclusive Skills Acquired:
— Deceitful Steps. [ Passive Ability ] ｢Movement Speed increased by 30%. Attack Speed increased by 50%｣
— Power of Shadows. [ LVL 3 ] ｢Allows the players to activate the skill "Hidden Shadows" at LVL 1 and unlocks the skill "Shadow Form" at LVL 2. If the 'Power of Shadows' reached LVL 3, the player will be able to use the 'Law of Shadow' to a much finer degree.｣
▸Hidden Shadows. ｢The power to manipulate shadows to a fine degree.｣
▸Shadow Form. ｢An incomparable handy skill that allows the player to manipulate shadows to create things, like weapons and armor. At the highest level of mastery, it could even create a humanoid clone.｣
Equipment being worn
→ Armor
-— Dawn Sage's Robe. ｢Basic level defense. If you are not attacked within 3 seconds, you will receive the "Praise of Dawn" effect.｣
→ Weapon
-— Blade of the Sanguine King. ｢High attack. Ignores external defense. Enhanced sharpness. Triggers the effect "Curse of Blood" on hit.｣
◈ Curse of Blood. ｢This is a cursed divine weapon. Whenever your attack hits your opponent, you will take equal damage.｣
→ Accessories - Facial Accessories, Necklace, Earrings
-— Observer Eyepiece. ｢An eyepiece that have a fixed Tier 2 magic 'Insight' inscribe in it.｣
-— Dragon Heart Pendant. ｢Allows players to activate the skill "Dragon Power". This skill cannot be upgraded｣
-— Shadow Earrings. ｢Skill 'Power of Shadows' LVL +1｣
Equipment Skills Acquired:
-— Insight. [ Passive Ability ] ｢Ability to obtain high-precision data analysis when looking at people or objects.｣
-— Dragon Power. ｢Greatly enhances the player's strength and physique. Duration: 5 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes｣
-— Praise of Dawn. [ Passive Ability ] ｢Increases self-healing ability by 300%｣
Item/s owned:
→ Four Element Crossbow. ｢Was used in Chapter 9-104.｣