Qin left the storage room at a leisurely pace, acknowledging his classmates with nods and smiles as he made his way back to the classroom. As he moved, the green copper primeval essence within his aperture coalesced like water, building up with a force akin to a gathering of tidal waves. The waves relentlessly surged against the confines of the aperture walls, imbuing them with vitality. Each rise and fall of the primeval sea sent forth a shimmering green copper glow, illuminating the aperture with its radiance.
Unlike others, he didn't need to devote excessive attention to his aperture while cultivating. This was one of the benefits of possessing a ten-man soul. Though not a significant advantage, it did enhance his mental capacity compared to that of an ordinary individual.
However, this didn't alter the replenishment rate of primeval essence, nor did it enhance Qin's cultivation speed. Whether he consumed the essence immediately upon generation or allowed it to accumulate in his aperture before utilization like the others did, the outcome remained the same. This small trick simply spared him the need to spend hours in a meditative pose daily like his peers.
His aperture capacity now stood at 98%, the pinnacle of the A grade, achieved by consuming 50 of the 58 hope gu he had devoured during the awakening ceremony a week ago. As a result, his recovery speed had increased to approximately 9% primeval essence per hour, a rate he deemed acceptable for the current circumstances.
As for why Qin didn't attempt to raise his aptitude even higher using his 8 remaining hope gu... the truth was that he couldn't, even if he desired it.
'At least for now, it's impossible,' he pondered as he entered the academy classroom and sat in his seat near the front of the class, ignoring the excited chatter of the monkeys discussing the new toys they had just picked from the gu storage room.
'The gap between a 98% talent and a 100% talent may appear slight, but the disparity I sensed could be more significant than that between a talentless mortal and Fang Zheng...because a 100% talent equates to having one of the 10 extreme physiques, which bring extreme benefits along with considerable risks...Each of them has the potential to become a formidable force, provided they endure the trials on their path to the immortal ranks.'
'Bending the laws of Fate so much to turn what was originally a measly D-grade talent into one of the 10 extreme physiques...' Qin contemplated with a wry smile. 'Let alone 58 rank 1 hope gu, not even 1000 of them might provide enough fuel to do such a thing...still, opportunities are sure to arise in the future...' Reflected Qin in the solitude of his mind as he closed his eyes, patiently awaiting someone's arrival.
The next moment, the vision of his aperture appeared in his mind. Positioned inside his body in a well-defined area, this structure was intriguingly paradoxical: limitlessly expansive, yet infinitely compact.
The four walls of his aperture were delineated by a thin layer of white light, providing structure and containment, and upon closer inspection, one could barely discern a mist-like purple substance gently swirling around the aperture's periphery.
Gu Masters had 9 great realms of cultivation, from the bottom – Rank One, Rank Two, all the way to Rank Nine. Every great realm was split into four smaller realms, which were the initial stage, middle stage, upper stage, and peak stage. If a Gu Master wished to advance their cultivation level, they had to expend their primeval essence to nurture their aperture, just like Qin did for every moment ever since awakening this body's aperture.
Initial stage Gu Masters had light barriers as their aperture walls, while middle stage Gu Masters had water barriers, and for the upper stage, they had stone barriers. To advance from the initial stage to the middle stage, Qin would have to nurture the light barrier until it transformed into a water barrier, a process he estimated would take another 7-8 weeks, provided he didn't utilize any primeval stones to hasten the process.
'Now, let's assess the condition of this Moonlight Gu' thought Qin, directing his focus towards the small piece of blue quartz gently floating in his mostly depleted primeval sea.
Unfortunately, Qin's observations had to be halted as Gu Yue Chi Chen, the grandson of one of the village's most influential elders, approached him after only a few more minutes of waiting. He had a small and short stature, with a face marked by pockmarks, and his expression typically bore a hint of nervousness. However, on this occasion, he seemed to have shed his inhibitions, sporting a proud smile as he tightly clenched a gu in his fist.
Instantly, Qin rose from his chair and bowed before Chi Chen. "This servant greets Young Master Chen," he spoke with utmost seriousness and respect, adopting a tone akin to that of a mortal addressing a Gu master.
"Oh, shut up, Qin, you bastard..." Chi Chen spoke, pushing his friend's shoulder as Qin attempted to embarrass him in front of the classroom. Qin simply grinned in response, allowing himself to be shoved, falling on his chair once more.
"So, what Gu did you choose?" asked Qin, throwing an inquisitive glance towards the boy's clenched fist, his earlier respectful tone nowhere to be seen.
At this, Chi Chen merely grinned and turned away.
"Let's go to the family compound. Grandpa said he wanted to explain to us how to refine our fist gu," said Chi Chen as he began to walk away, completely ignoring the question. Qin rose from his chair and followed behind his "young master" happily, showing no sign on his face of the true thoughts swirling around his mind.
The sunset painted the eastern sky in shades of red as the two boys left the academy and strolled through the village toward the Chi family compound. Despite the brightness of the sky, a subtle gray hue seemed to cast a pall over everything. In the distance, the mountains loomed, their once vibrant colors muted to a somber black.
On this particular day, at precisely the same moment, two demons were lost in profound contemplation.
One of them was deliberating over the whereabouts of a specific Liquor Worm, a valuable gu that could significantly enhance his cultivation, while the other was meticulously reviewing the upcoming stages of his scheme, ensuring that every detail was accounted for, scrutinizing for any overlooked flaws or variables.
'I've been feeding these sheep for a week now... I think it's about time they start yielding some wool...' mused Gu Yue Qin with a grin, eyeing the wiry figure of Gu Yue Chi Chen.