Yue Shiyin sat cross-legged on her bed, her room dimly lit by the soft glow of a fire lamp. Her eyes were closed, her breathing steady, as she delved into meditation, her mind swirling with unanswered questions and lingering thoughts.
"Destruction," she murmured, her voice barely audible in the stillness. What is destruction? How is it formed? Her thoughts spiraled deeper into these questions, probing the essence of decay and obliteration.
Her mind drifted to the natural world. "Destruction," she thought, "is the force that ends the old to make way for the new. When a tree falls, it decays and nourishes the soil, allowing fresh growth. It is not merely an end but a transformation." She considered the destruction wrought by fire—how it consumes but leaves behind fertile ash. "Destruction is not chaos," she realized. "It's order reshaped. It's a force of balance, unyielding yet purposeful."
Her thoughts deepened as she examined human conflict. "Wars and battles," she pondered, "tear apart kingdoms and lives, yet they pave the way for new rulers, new systems, and sometimes, progress. Without destruction, stagnation festers. Without the fall, there is no rise."
She clenched her hands, her breathing quickening. "But destruction is also cruel," she admitted to herself. "It is painful. It breaks not only the weak but sometimes the strong. Yet, through that pain, strength is born. Isn't that what cultivation is? Destroying limitations to ascend to greater heights?"
Her mind's eye conjured the image of collapsing mountains, cities engulfed in flames, and the desolation left behind. "But even mountains crumble over eons," she mused, "and cities rebuild upon their ruins. Destruction shapes reality, molding it into something new."
For a moment, she smiled bitterly. "Does this mean destruction is a tool? A weapon? Or is it a law, a truth that governs existence itself?" Her thoughts turned inward, questioning her own journey. "If I seek to master destruction, am I mastering myself or submitting to a greater truth?"
As the fire lamp flickered, Yue Shiyin's mind reached clarity. "Destruction," she concluded, "is neither good nor evil. It is power. It is the will to change, to end stagnation, and to rewrite reality itself. To wield it is to accept its duality—the pain and the growth, the end of the new beginning. Now, I get the destruction path but still it takes time for me to fully comprehend it, I am still incomplete now."
As she said, she got up from her bed and walked out of the room, heading toward the Contribution Hall, a grand structure where disciples could exchange contribution points for Gu worms, materials, and other valuable resources earned through missions. Upon entering the hall, Yue Shiyin made her way to the section dedicated to Rule Path Gu worms.
There, her eyes scanned the list until they settled on a Gu worm called the "Breaking Edge Gu." The Breaking Edge Gu was a sleek, jagged-shaped worm with a metallic black sheen, its edges shimmering faintly with a silver aura.
This Gu worm was uniquely attuned to the essence of destruction, capable of breaking down the flow of primeval essence within an opponent's aperture. It is a rule path Gu worm and an essential component for Yue Shiyin's plan to create a Destruction Path Gu worm.
The other Gu worm required for this endeavor was a Dark Path Gu worm known as the "Eclipsing Shade Gu." This Gu worm manifested as a swirling, shadowy entity with tendrils of black mist that flickered like dying embers. Its primary ability was to corrupt and destabilize energy fields, introducing decay into any system it touched.
By combining the precise, structural dismantling of the Breaking Edge Gu with the pervasive corruption of the Eclipsing Shade Gu, Yue Shiyin could forge a Destruction Path Gu worm that embodied both break and chaoy effects. For now it can only be formed as a killer move between two different paths but once Yu Shiyin has enough materials and Gu worms she perfectly created a Gu worm.Yue Shiyin walked over to the counter and spoke to the attendant, her tone steady and firm. "I would like to purchase the Breaking Edge Gu," she said, handing over her contribution token.
The attendant nodded, retrieving a sleek, metallic box from the shelves behind them. Inside lay the Breaking Edge Gu, shimmering faintly with its silver aura. "That will be 200 contribution points," the attendant informed her.
Yue Shiyin handed over the necessary points without hesitation. "Thank you," she said, taking the box carefully in her hands. With this acquisition, she felt one step closer to mastering the Destruction Path. Her mind buzzed with possibilities as she left the Contribution Hall.
She didn't stop there. Yue Shiyin turned her steps toward the Mission Tower. The building loomed high, each floor representing a different tier of missions for cultivators. As a Rank 2 Upper Stage Gu Master, she ascended to the second floor, where missions suited to her cultivation level were displayed.Scanning the mission board, she spotted a task that immediately drew her attention. The parchment read:
Mission: Kill the Demonic Gu Master Rank: 2 (Upper/Peak Stage) Reward: 50 Contribution Points Details: A rogue Gu Master, known for cruel and demonic practices. Eliminate them.
"This will do perfectly," Yue Shiyin thought, pulling the parchment from the board. She turned to the mission attendant to formally register her acceptance.
The attendant, an older woman with sharp eyes, glanced at her. "Be careful. The demonic Gu Master is Peak Stage. Even for you, this won't be easy."
Yue Shiyin offered a confident smirk. "It's okay, I can fight."
With the mission secured, she exited the tower and returned briefly to her room to prepare. She packed essentials—healing Gu, primeval stones, and a few auxiliary tools—before heading out. The outskirts were dangerous, but Yue Shiyin's eyes gleamed with anticipation becasue she was eager to test her killer move.
The sun had dipped low on the horizon by the time Yue Shiyin reached the outskirts of the forest where the rogue demonic Gu Master was rumored to be hiding. The forest was dense, with gnarled trees casting long shadows that seemed to dance under the pale moonlight. In the clearing ahead, she spotted her target, a middle-aged man with an unkempt beard and wild eyes.
The man noticed her presence immediately, a sinister grin spreading across his face. "Oh it's girl" he sneered. "You have such a good body, I am gonna make you mine once I defeat you."
Yue Shiyin's blood boiled with excitement. She didn't bother with a plan; her battle-hardened instincts urged her forward. "Fu*k off, you talk too much," she replied coldly.
Without hesitation, she activated her killer move, Obliteration Bloom. Combining the Breaking Edge Gu and Eclipsing Shade Gu, the move unleashed a burst of shadowy energy laced with sharp, metallic edges. The dark aura radiated from her like a storm, shattering the stillness of the night.
Her primeval essence reserves stood at 95%. The activation of the killer move drained 25%, leaving her with 70% as the battlefield erupted into chaos. The rogue Gu Master retaliated with a wood path defensive move, summoning massive roots and vines that coiled around him, forming a natural shield. However, Yue Shiyin's killer move targeted weak points in the organic structure, causing the vines to wither and break under its relentless assault.
The demonic Gu Master, skilled in wood path, summoned a thick barrier of roots and vines to defend himself. However, Yue Shiyin's killer move, Obliteration Bloom, proved to be a perfect counter. The corrosive energy from her attack sapped the life force from the roots and vines, and also breaking their connection to the demonic Gu Master's primeval essence. Deprived of his ability to maintain the barrier, the demonic Gu Master struggled to defend against Yue Shiyin's relentless assault.
With one final burst of energy, Yue Shiyin drove him to the ground. Her killer move dissipated as she stood over his defeated form, her chest heaving from exertion. Her primeval essence reserves had dropped to 55%, but she had victory.
"The killer move still needs improvement; my attainment in the destruction path is just ordinary, and it will take at least 5 years to reach Grandmaster level." she muttered, her voice low and disdainful. She took away the lifeless body into the stoarge Gu, she wiped the blood from her hands and began her journey back to the sect.