Advancing to Transcendent required vast amounts of Gu God’s power. Seizing this power would effectively suppress the growth of Gu insects in the Extreme Abyss—indeed, a perfect solution.

However, having each tribe produce one Transcendent meant seven Transcendents. How could the birth of Transcendents be so simple?

Gu Masters also faced bottlenecks, with distinctions between geniuses and mediocrity.

A Gu Master’s cultivation speed depended on three aspects:

First was the concentration of Gu God’s power.

The Gu tribe’s power came from the Gu’s God. While other systems required absorbing spiritual power, the Gu tribe absorbed Gu God’s power. Since the Gu’s God slumbered in the Southern Borderlands, Gu Masters couldn’t leave the region for long if they wanted steady advancement.

The denser the Gu God’s power, the faster the cultivation.

But this had limitations, namely the innate Gu.

The second aspect was the compatibility between the innate Gu and its host.

Why was Xu Ling Yin, a big eater with a naturally strong physique, praised as a heaven-sent genius by the Force Gu tribe? Because her constitution was highly compatible with Force Gu. Higher compatibility meant greater potential for the innate Gu to develop.

Compatibility was what Gu Masters considered a talent.

Those with low compatibility were destined never to reach high ranks.

The third aspect was nurturing the innate Gu.

Some negative effects of Gu were part of the nurturing process, such as daily poison feeding or hiding in pits.

This was similar to how martial artists had to circulate qi and temper their bodies daily.

In this aspect, diligence could compensate for inadequacy.

Currently, the elders under fifty years old in each tribe had the best chance of breaking through to Third Rank, but the success rate was still less than ten percent. Throughout history, Gu tribe elders attempting to reach the Third Rank either died from physical collapse or their innate Gu mutating and devouring them.

The former occurred due to insufficient compatibility between the innate Gu and body, while the latter happened when the innate Gu’s potential was limited and couldn’t handle the Transcendent realm power infusion, failing to transform and instead mutating into monsters like the Gu insects in the Extreme Abyss.

“The situation is extremely dire. If we can’t disperse the Gu God’s power shrouding the Extreme Abyss, Transcendent Gu beasts will appear within half a year. When that happens, not only will the chiefs be in danger, but it will be a disaster for ordinary tribe members.”

An elder from the Heart Gu tribe said gravely.

Grandmother Gu looked around at the assembled elders:

“Who among you is willing to attempt breaking through to Transcendent?”

It was essentially sending seven people to their deaths, but there was no choice. If anyone happened to succeed against the odds, the Gu God’s power problem could be solved, and they would advance to Transcendent themselves.

Without trying, the situation would worsen.

The Gu God had slumbered in the Extreme Abyss for countless years and was finally awakening. Such a situation had never occurred in the Gu tribe’s history.

The tribal elders looked at each other, none speaking.

“Elders under fifty should prepare to attempt Transcendent breakthrough. For the Gu tribe, these risks must be taken.”

The Grand Elder of the Force Gu tribe said.

Long Tu frowned:

“I can try breaking through to Second Rank. Give the Force Gu tribe’s spot to me.”

But his proposal was immediately rejected by Grandmother Gu. The old woman leaned on her staff and said flatly:

“We can’t risk losing Transcendents. The Gu tribe cannot bear such a loss.”

If a Fourth Rank died, there would be more in the future.

But if a Transcendent fell, it might take decades or even longer for a new one to emerge.

The Fifth Elder of the Force Gu tribe stepped forward, saying loudly:

“I can attempt Transcendent breakthrough. I reached Fourth Rank ten years ago, and my age just qualifies—not much over fifty.”

With the Force Gu tribe taking the lead, after a moment of silence, elders of suitable age and cultivation from other tribes stepped forward to agree.

Grandmother Gu looked around at everyone and said slowly:

“Tomorrow we’ll gather the tribe members for a ceremony to pray for everyone’s successful advancement.”

In the somewhat heavy atmosphere, everyone nodded silently and dispersed under their chiefs’ leadership.

On the way back to the Force Gu tribe, Long Tu looked at the white-haired Fifth Elder, his gaze deep, and said:

“When you get home, settle everything that needs to be settled.”

The Force Gu tribe’s people always spoke directly.

The Fifth Elder snorted, “When a man dies, his eggs face the sky—what’s there to settle? Besides, I might not die. Maybe I’ll succeed in reaching Transcendent.”

But along the way, the Fifth Elder remained extremely quiet.

…

Boom!

A deafening sonic boom rang out above the great plains. The Force Gu tribe members “working hard” in the fields all looked up at the sky.

A figure descended from the heavens, landing beside the field ridge and stirring up strong winds.

“Where are the tribe’s experts?”

Xu Qi An’s divine sense swept out, revealing that the Force Gu tribe’s experts weren’t at their base.

An old man with white hair, plowing faster than livestock, pointed toward the Extreme Abyss and said:

“The chiefs and elders are clearing out Gu beasts in the Extreme Abyss.”

Then he pointed in another direction, saying:

“Other tribe members are building a dam in the mountains. The Southern Borderlands get a lot of rain. We must finish the dam before the rainy season, or mountain floods will destroy the farmland.”

The Force Gu tribe’s great plains were situated at a lower elevation. The advantage was easy water access; the disadvantage was that after several days of heavy rain, water would accumulate. If mountain floods came, they would submerge the farmland.

The Force Gu tribe lived at a subsistence level, valuing farmland even more than hunting prey.

“How’s the situation at the Extreme Abyss?” Xu Qi An asked another question.

The old man shook his head:

“Not good. The elders and chiefs are constantly frowning, saying Transcendent Gu beasts might appear. The Gu God’s power in the Extreme Abyss is increasingly concentrated.”

As they spoke, a middle-aged woman carrying several sandbags walked over and joined the conversation:

“Every time Gu beasts appear from the Extreme Abyss, many people die.”

Her dark, rough face showed anxiety and worry.

Although the last Gu beast appearance was long ago, before their generation’s experience, the Gu tribe passed down stories, and tribe members feared the terrifying madness of Transcendent Gu beasts.

After asking about Xu Ling Yin and Li Na’s whereabouts at the dam construction, Xu Qi An soared into the sky, flying toward the back mountain amid piercing sonic booms.

In just about two seconds, he saw the Force Gu tribe’s reservoir, nestled in a higher elevation mountain hollow, its water tinted light green from algae.

Over a hundred Force Gu tribe members busied themselves on the dam. Some held sledgehammers and chisels, shaping irregular stones, while others mixed mud.

Xu Qi An’s gaze swept the area and found the little bean and Li Na on a rugged mountain path, mining stones with over a dozen tribe members.

Ding ding ding!

Amid the hammering, a long iron chisel freed some stones. Li Na picked up a boulder weighing six or seven hundred jin and placed it on the little bean’s shoulders:

“Go on!”

After the boulder was placed, Xu Qi An could no longer see the little bean’s upper body, only two short stubby legs, as if the stone had grown them itself.

“Master, when can we eat? I’m hungry.”

Xu Ling Yin’s voice came from under the stone.

“We can eat when the sun sets.”

Li Na spoke while hoisting up a stone weighing over a thousand jin, and master and disciple bounded along the rugged mountain path like flying.

A daughter of the Xu family comes of age, pulling mountains with world-covering might… Xu Qi An silently covered his face. How would Aunt feel if she knew her young daughter, whom she had hoped to raise as a refined lady, had become a mighty hero who could shoulder cauldrons?

“Heave-ho! Heave-ho!”

Xu Ling Yin moved her short legs while giving herself a rhythm.

Suddenly, a familiar voice reached her ears:

“Are you tired?”

Xu Ling Yin froze for a moment, her short legs stiffening. Then, the six or seven hundred jin stone was tossed aside, revealing a round-faced little bean.

“Big Bro~~”

Xu Ling Yin shouted, her simple face blooming with smiles. She put her hands behind her waist and lowered her head, charging at Xu Qi An like a wild bull.

Thump thump thump… Two strings of small footprints were left on the ground.

“Did you miss your big brother?”

Xu Qi An grabbed the little bean’s nape, holding her in mid-air.

“Mm!”

Xu Ling Yin nodded her head vigorously, adding:

“I also miss Father and Mother, and Sister, and, and…”

“And Second Brother!” Xu Qi An reminded.

“And Second Bro.” Xu Ling Yin followed along obediently.

On the other side, Li Na put down the boulder on her shoulder and said in surprise:

“So fast?”

She had exchanged messages with Xu Qi An around lunchtime, and now before sunset, he had already arrived from the capital to the Southern Borderlands, crossing tens of thousands of li.

Xu Qi An put the little bean down. She had no problems—both body and consciousness showed no abnormalities, and her innate Gu was the same as when he left, at most having grown stronger.

She didn’t seem to be corrupted by the Gu God.

The little bean’s innate Gu resembled a miniature python, one finger long with bulging muscles.

“Ling Yin, you said the big insect in your dreams was teaching you to fight?”

“Mm!”

“How did it teach you? Show Big Brother.”

“I forgot!”

“…”

Xu Qi An thought to himself, if the Gu God really wanted to take you as a disciple, it must be blind.

Concerned about his young sister’s safety, he wasted no time. He immediately put on the Scholar’s Crown and took out two pieces of paper, using his qi to ignite one of them.

Hiss~~

As the paper recording Words Become Law burned, Xu Qi An lightly flicked the Scholar’s Crown and chanted:

“Let no power of ‘Moving Stars and Changing Constellations’ exist at this moment.”

The moment the words left his mouth, ripples of clear light emanated from the Scholar’s Crown, filling the moment with overwhelming righteous qi, reinforcing the power of Words to Become Law.

Xu Qi An felt a pain in his neck as he sensed the Seven Absolutes Gu cowering, suppressed by the power.

At that moment, he saw Xu Ling Yin cry out “Ouch!” and press her neck, shouting:

“Something bit me!”

She feels it too… Xu Qi An’s heart sank. He picked up Xu Ling Yin again and pressed his palm against her nape. This time, he saw that the little bean’s innate Gu had become abnormal.

It had changed from a miniature python into a blood-red seven-segmented worm.

Identical to the Seven Absolutes Gu!

The difference was that the Seven Absolutes Gu was jade-white, while the seven-segmented worm in Ling Yin’s body was blood-red, symbolizing vital essence.

Moreover, the red seven-segmented worm only had the form, without the other six Gu arts.

Damn… Xu Qi An cursed internally. Was the Gu God trying to cultivate Ling Yin as a vessel?

Hiss!

The second paper burned as Xu Qi An used the shaman’s “Divination Art” along with Xu Ling Yin’s birth time to divine her recent fortune.

The divination showed that Xu Ling Yin’s luck would flow smoothly for the foreseeable future.

This slightly relieved Xu Qi An. He knew the Gu God could block divination, and the timeframe shown wasn’t very long, but this was enough. As long as nothing would happen in the near term.

He would take Xu Ling Yin away soon.

However, to be safe, he needed to consult an expert.

“How is it? How is it!”

Li Na asked repeatedly. After not seeing her for so long, her fair skin showed signs of darkening again.

“Come, hold tight to Big Brother!”

“It’s not something I can explain in a few words…” Xu Qi An shook his head:

“I’ll take Ling Yin to see Grandmother Gu first, then explain the details to you later.

“Come, Ling Yin, hold tight to Big Brother.”

Xu Ling Yin was no longer the child who had to climb up his leg. With a light jump, she wrapped her arms around Xu Qi An’s neck, hanging herself on her big brother’s chest.

With a “boom,” Xu Qi An shot toward the sky like a cannonball, disappearing in an instant.

Xu Ling Yin’s vision blurred, and she found herself in a somewhat dilapidated old mansion with a square courtyard above.

Then she felt her internal organs shifting, her stomach acid churning.

“Big Bro, I’m gonna throw up…”

The little bean announced, then promptly vomited acid water all over Xu Qi An’s chest.

After throwing up, the little bean looked at the acid water covering her brother’s chest and loudly said:

“Eh, how did the meat I ate turn into this?”

She deliberately made an exaggerated expression, trying to distract her brother’s attention from the fact that she had vomited on him.

Xu Qi An patted her head while looking at Grandmother Gu walking out of the house.

“Congratulations!”

Grandmother Gu smiled:

“The Central Plains hasn’t seen a First-Rank martial artist since the Martial Ancestor.”

Xu Qi An nodded in acknowledgment and casually tossed the little bean over. “Grandmother, please examine her again!”

Grandmother Gu used her walking stick to guide the little bean slowly to the ground, then her wizened right hand touched the child’s neck. Her expression immediately changed.

“Is this the Seven Absolutes Gu?”

Xu Qi An asked.

Grandmother Gu said gravely:

“The Gu God wants to cultivate the Force Gu in her body into a Seven Absolutes Gu, like the one in your body. However, this is just laying the foundation. It’s far from complete.”

It only has the form, essentially still a Force Gu, but with the foundation to accommodate six types of Gu arts… Xu Qi An flicked away the filth on his chest and said:

“Grandmother didn’t notice this before?”

Grandmother Gu shook her head slightly:

“The Gu God’s rank is higher than mine. I couldn’t see through its concealment. How did you discover it?”

Xu Qi An briefly explained his method, then asked:

“What does It want to do?”

He had initially guessed that the Gu God wanted to cultivate Xu Ling Yin as a vessel, as a carrier for its consciousness to descend.

But thinking about it later, something seemed wrong. What was it?

First, what good would consciousness descent do? Such a vessel couldn’t withstand even one slap from a First-Rank martial artist. What was the point?

Also, why did It choose Xu Ling Yin as the vessel?

No matter how good Ling Yin’s talent was, she was still a child, far inferior to those adult Force Gu tribe warriors, like Li Na, a genius in Force Gu cultivation.

“I can’t give you the answer.”

Grandmother Gu shook her head, then continued:

“However, if this Gu in Ling Yin’s body continues to grow, it will become the genuine Seven Absolutes Gu, the Gu God’s true inheritance.”

“What do you mean?” Xu Qi An frowned.

Grandmother Gu’s fingertip gently stroked Ling Yin’s tender nape, saying:

“The Seven Absolutes Gu in your body is based on the Sky Gu, with the other six types of Gu led by the Sky Gu. That’s why when you first received the Seven Absolutes Gu, the combat enhancement wasn’t high.

“Only the high-level technique ‘Moving Stars and Changing Constellations’ could be used. This is because when the old man found the Seven Absolutes Gu in the Extreme Abyss back then.

“He changed the Seven Absolutes Gu. The true Seven Absolutes Gu’s foundation isn’t the Sky Gu.”

She looked at Xu Qi An and said slowly:

“Among the Gu God’s seven great abilities, if you had to choose one as the foundation, which do you think it would be?”

Xu Qi An’s mind flashed to the Gu God’s enormous body, like a mountain of flesh, and his heart stirred:

“Force Gu!”

Grandmother Gu nodded, confirming his answer.

She withdrew her finger and patted Xu Ling Yin’s head:

“Take her back to the capital first. Once away from the Southern Borderlands, no matter what schemes the Gu God has, they won’t reach her. We’ll deal with future matters in the future.”

That’s all we can do… Xu Qi An moved past this topic and brought up another purpose for his visit:

“I heard from Li Na that the Gu God’s power in the Extreme Abyss is unusually concentrated. I came this time wanting to advance the Seven Absolutes Gu to the Transcendent realm.”