Chapter 16: Upgrade
The breath of summer began to come lightly.
The weather became increasingly sunny and cloudless, sweeping away the sentimental breath of spring, and temperatures slowly rose. The grass and trees began to change from emerald green to dark green. The endless green mountains began to look even greener and more lush.
It had been quite some time since the merchant caravan had left, and during that time, Xiang Yao had continued to chirp non-stop in the Jade-Eyed Stone Monkey's nest. He decided to delay his cultivation until the Year's End exam, as that would be the last time they would check his aperture. Xiang Yao was fearless in falling behind in cultivation; the moment the exam was over, he would use the Green Copper Relic Gu to rise in cultivation quickly.
During the Class President selection, things were different from the original;
Since Fang Yuan didn't have the Liquor Worm to help him with cultivation, he did not win first place; Fang Zheng ended up winning, thus being named the Class President.
But that didn't stop Fang Yuan from plundering his classmates, he might not have the Liquor Worm, but he had the Black Boar Gu. So things have mostly stayed the same.
A short time later, it was the day to choose the second Gu worm; without thinking too much about it, Xiang Yao chose the Bronzeskin Gu.
An interesting fact that happened in the meantime was that of the 12 game stones that Xiang Yao sold to the system, all of them had a living Gu inside; 2 had a Gu Rank 3 inside, 4 had Gu Rank 2, 6 had Gu Rank 1. they were;
[Rank 3 – Dream Soul Gu] - [Sell-1000] - [Buy-500]
[Rank 3 – Gu Blade of Qi] - [Sell-1000] - [Buy-500]
[Rank 2 – Mudskin Frog Gu] - [Sell-600] - [Buy-300]
[Rank 2 – Crocodile Strength Gu] - [Sell-600] - [Buy-300]
[Rank 2 – Gu Water Armor] - [Sell-600] - [Buy-300]
[Rank 2 – Golden Needle Gu] - [Sell-600] - [Buy-300]
[Rank 1 – Black Boar Gu] - [Sell-200] - [Buy-100]
[Rank 1 – Fish Scale Gu] - [Sell-200] - [Buy-100]
[Rank 1 – Smooth Silk Spider Gu] - [Sell-200] - [Buy-100]
[Rank 1 – Gu Flower Wine Bag] - [Sell-200] - [Buy-100]
[Rank 1 – Gu Bamboo Spear] - [Sell-200] - [Buy-100]
[Rank 1 – Grass Root Foot Gu] - [Sell-200] - [Buy-100]
Best of all, all Game Stones only cost 50 points in the system. That greatly increases Xiang Yao's profit margin. He would be ridiculously rich if he got a Game Stone with a Gu Rank 5.
Xiang Yao has already used 4 Dream Soul Gu to increase his soul quality. The 'Dream Soul Gu' was a single-use rank 3 Gu, which enhanced the wearer's soul and increased the power of any Dream Path Gu. (That Gu exists, he was mentioned in Chapter 442 of the Novel).
And he was already finishing using the 'Gu Strength of the Crocodile,' which further increased his physical strength and Bite power. Xiang Yao was already far stronger than any Tier 1 Gu Master from Qing Mao Mountain.
The hot summer sun shines, the mountain winds blow the hot winds around, and Qing Mao Mountain steams under the hot air.
"Now, all of you have mastered your second Gu worm and reached the upper stage. For the past half year, you've all been working hard, and now that you've got the basics down, it's time to train in the wild. The real battles are not scarecrows or puppets, wooden puppets that lie there waiting for your attacks."
"The next mid-year exam will be held three days later; all students must attend! The content of the exam is hunting wild boar. When collecting wild boar teeth as results to record, those who collect more will get better scores. Each boar tooth can be exchanged for ten primeval stones at the end of the exam. Also, you can hunt in groups."
The academy elder's words caused an uproar among the students.
"The mid-year exam is finally here!"
Three days passed in a flash. Soon, the mid-year exam was here.
"Faster, faster, I lure the boar out!" A young man ran as he screamed frantically.
On both legs, there was a light green ring of swirling wind. Those two rings led him to have above-average speed at a young age.
However, the boar chasing him became faster and faster, and the distance between them was shortening.
The scorching sun penetrated the forest and reflected on the boar, causing both teeth to shine brightly.
"The boar is coming; hold the rope tight!" The four youths ambushed quickly, hid in the bushes, and pulled the ropes hard, instantly forming a tripping rope.
The swift young man skipped lightly, leaping over the road, and continued running.
But the boar behind him tripped over the rope and fell sharply to the ground, crashing five to twenty feet before stopping.
"Oww!" The rope pulled the four young men, and they fell to the ground along with the boar.
"Strike!" The young man running ahead turned around and shouted.
The few people lying on the ground frantically got up and surrounded the boar.
Kacha!
A small sprouting tree, under the impact of the wild boar, broke in half, and the top of the tree fell to the ground.
"Good job, guys." A young man in the group spoke.
Xiang Yao took a deep breath while showing a tired expression, he was hunting boar with a group of three people, and they had already caught their second boar.
Xiang Yao was doing his best to keep himself average and not hunt more wild boar than he should and ended up drawing some attention. Because with his strength of a Boar and a Crocodile, he could take this whole test alone on his back without any problems.
Unbeknownst to him, a man watches his group from the shadows; "You are ideal prey for my current self, I am low on resources to farm, and if I kill these young, I can take all of their prime stones." Wang Da said in his heart.
Even though it was an idiotic move to try to kill the young Gu Masters of the Gu Yue clan right under the instructors' noses, he still wished to continue with this suicidal plan. Anyone with half a neuron would know that this is an extremely idiotic and dumb move on his part; it even looks like he's being influenced by someone to do such a retarded action.
As Xiang Yao's group moved forward, looking for more boars to hunt, he had a bad premonition, so every hair on his body stood on end instantly.
Without thinking too much about the consequences, Xiang Yao activated the Jade Skin Gu and leaped to the right extremely fast.
Shwosh!
In the place where he was before, a black claw appeared that pierced the nearby tree, and from it appeared the body of an adult man with a slender body and the face of a madman and maniac.
"hehe, you have very sharp reflexes, young man," Wang Da laughed uncanny as he removed his clawed hand from the tree and looked at Xiang Yao and his group.
"Demon Cultivator! Run away, run away quickly." The Young Man, who was the group's leader, said as he started to run in one direction, waiting for the instructors to save him.
"Ahhh! Help!" The others also ran as they called for the instructors' help.
Everyone was so afraid they would be killed that they ignored that Xiang Yao used a Jade Skin Gu.
Xiang Yao was quick and looked around and saw the bodies of two instructors lying on the ground. And looking at Wang Da more calmly, I could see his left shoulder bleeding as if injured.
Quickly Xiang Yao ran in the same direction as the other youths while Wang Da gave chase.
"What the fuck is going on right now? I'm sure Fang Yuan didn't kill any of Wang Da's relatives. Before the exam, I checked this myself, so why is this crazy bastard doing this? What's the point? Xiang Yao was in great doubt about the recent events but continued to run.
"Haha, give up, kids; if you are obedient and hand me all your Gu and primordial stones, maybe I will let you live." Wang Da said as he activated his Shadow Follower Gu and attacked the other Xiang Yao group members.
"No, please don't kill me! Help!" The youths screamed as Wang Da's claws stabbed them.
Seeing an opportunity in this, Xiang Yao quickly approached Wang Da and used his vital Gu on him, the 'Ten Dream Moth Gu.'
Woshhh!
As soon as Xiang Yao activated the effect of his vital Gu, Wang Da immediately became paralyzed; unfortunately, this Gu has a very limited effect on a Rank 2 Gu Master being a Rank 1 Gu, so he had to be quick and decisive.
Xiang Yao was quick and approached Wang Da and activated his system.
[Ding! It is detected that the host is using the system on a human for the first time]
[Conditions completed to unlock new system function]
[New System Function: Scan]
[The 'Scan' function can search and analyze anything the user touches, thus adding the scanned item to the System store for purchase. Each time an item of the same type is scanned, its price in the system drops considerably.
[Sell Rank 2 – 'Shadow Follower Gu' – For 600 points?]
[Sell Rank 2 – 'Love Life Separation Gu' – For 600 points?]
[Level 2 Scan – Body of a Gu Master with Grade C Talent – 50% – For 1000 points?]
[Scan Level 2 – Fate of Wang Da – For 2000 points?]
[Scan Level 2 – Memories of Wang Da – For 500 points?]
[Scan Level 2 – Wang Da Attainment– For 10 points?]
These prompts surprised Xiang Yao, but he calmed his mind, decided to think about it later, and immediately sold everything to the system.
Immediately afterward, Wang Da woke up from the dream imposed by the Moth of Ten Dreams because of the Gu effect of consuming the victim's soul - Wang Da was extremely weak, and the fact that his vital Gu was taken away from him harmed him.
Without hesitating, Xiang Yao used the Moonlight Gu and the Little Light Gu to kill Wang Da immediately.
Slash!
Soon Wang Da's head flew off his body, splattered blood everywhere.
Looking around, Xiang Yao saw that only he and the group leader had survived, so he approached him slowly.
"Xiang Yao! How did you do it? It was amazing, you saved my life, thank you very much." the leader of the group could have been saying that, but from his face, you could see that he was scared and thinking about other things, things that Xiang Yao doesn't want others to think about either.
Xiang Yao drew a Love Life Separation Gu from the system and instantly refined it. He then approached the group leader and plunged his claws into his chest, poisoning and killing him.
"Blargh! Why?" The group leader asked with shock in his eyes as he spewed purple blood from his mouth.
"It's nothing personal, group leader; the point is, you've seen more than you should." Xiang Yao's white eyes, which had previously glittered with the clouds in the sky, were now as cold as winter ice without showing compassion for having killed a youth her age.
Xiang Yao never liked killing people needlessly, but there were times when sacrifices had to be made, especially now that his plan was so close to success; he couldn't take the chance that this guy spilled the beans and spoiled his plans.
"Rest in peace, mister group leader… Thinking about it now, I never bothered memorizing his name before; well, now it doesn't matter anymore." Xiang Yao said as he looked at his former groupmate's body.
Looking at the radiant afternoon sky, Xiang Yao calmed his emotions and returned to his bright eyes. He started to purposely injure himself, after which he adjusted the scene to look like Wang Da died, along with exam instructors who fought with him to death.
And then he made a panicked face and started to run away, calling the instructors.
"Help! Someone help me!" Xiang Yao started screaming as he ran in the direction he knew would have people.
Approaching a group of students who were hunting, an instructor jumped out of a tree and asked what happened to him.
"Sniff, Sniff. He is a demonic cultivator, he cornered us and killed my classmates, and now he is fighting with the instructors; I got scared and ran away to seek help." Xiang Yao said as tears and snot flowed from his eyes and nose.
"Alright, I understand now. Calm down; it's alright now; go to the tent and rest. I'll let the others know." The instructor made a serious face and immediately left. Meanwhile, Xiang Yao ran out and reported what happened to the academy's Elder.
Right after Demon Gu Master's death was confirmed, the exam was already over. Fang Zheng took first place, Mo Bei second, and Chi Cheng third.
...
The atmosphere in the main family room was heavy.
Gu Yue Bo sat in the main seat, and the other twelve elders sat in two rows beside him, their faces filled with rage; "Has the situation of the possible assassin been assessed yet?"
The punishment hall elder was a middle-aged gentleman with stiff moths; he stood up, lowering his head, "Yes, thirty-five years old, male, identity unknown, possibly a Gu Master demon faction. He has two Gu worms, Shadow Follower Gu and Love Life Separation."
Gu Yue Bo nodded: "It looks like a killer, Love Life Separation… the second number one poison, no wonder it could kill two of my Gu Masters."
"Clan head, we have to investigate further! Is it the Bai clan or the Xiong clan!" Gu Yue Chi Lian shouted, his eyes nearly bursting into flames.
"Shadow Follower Gu, Love Life Separation… this is unlike the Bai or Xiong clan pawn pieces. He may be an external demonic faction Gu Master, wanting to affiliate with the clans, being instructed to assassinate Fang Zheng to prove his loyalty. Still, he got distracted and caught the instructors' attention in the exam, consequently being killed. Regardless, this matter concerns the two clans," Gu Yue Mo Chen coldly deduced.
Although these two ruling clan elders didn't get along, they would discard their hatred once an external enemy appeared and strongly unite.
Gu Yue Bo nodded, thinking the same.
Wang Da disappeared for three years without a trace. All the villagers thought he was dead, so his identity became a mystery. Gu Yue's superiors didn't know this; they wouldn't worry about a servant's death. They set all their sights on the Xiong and Bai clans.
After a short silence, Gu Yue Bo couldn't see any more reason to wait, so he spoke, "An eye for an eye; since the other party has started targeting Fang Zheng, our Gu Yue clan is not to be trifled with, let's show them off! Elder of the Dark Hall, formulate a plan for this matter and report to me later."
"Yes, sir, clan leader." The Dark Hall Elder immediately nodded.
...
Arriving home Xiang Yao sat on the bed and opened the system to study more about the new function he had unlocked.
Then he clicked on the two items he had scanned from Wang Da for more detailed information. Every item for sale in the store has a description explaining everything about the item, so he decided to use that function.
[Body of a Gu Master with Grade C Talent – 50%]
[A body of a Gu Master with a C-grade Awakened Aperture]
[Lifeless body, soul, or will, very useful for refinement material or to create a clone]
[Appearance of an adult male, with a below-average face with long black hair and brown eyes]
[Without any special lineage]
[Buy – Body of a Gu Master with Grade C Talent – 50%] ---> {$500}
"This is incredibly interesting; you mean now I can scan people's bodies to buy a copy on the system later?"
[Memoirs of Wang Da]
[35 Years of Wang Da's Memories and Life Experiences]
[Without any level of Attainment in any Path]
[Buy – Memoirs of Wang Da] ---> {$250}
[Wang Da's Attainment]
[No Attainment in any Path]
"This will be very useful shortly." Xiang Yao was delighted with the new function, finding it useful. So he clicked on the most mysterious option and the one he was most curious about.
[Fate of Wang Da]
[Destined to be killed by a Gu Master of the Gu Yue clan during the mid-year exam while trying to kill Fang Zheng. Making Fang Zheng more motivated by his weakness and fear of death]
[Cannot be killed until he fulfills his destiny, being protected by Gu Fate himself until he fulfills his objective]
[The user will inherit Wang Da's Fate and will be protected by the Fate Gu until the goal is completed, thus deceiving the will of Heaven]
[Buy - Fate of Wang Da] ---> {$1000}
"This is stupid, OP. So does that mean I can cheat Heaven's will to have someone else's destiny?" Xiang Yao was ecstatic, as this would ease his plan immensely.
"Wait, according to the item's description in the shop – Wang Da was supposed to be killed while chasing Fang Zheng, so why did I manage to kill him?" Xiang Yao calmed down and started thinking about the reason behind it. Until something snapped in his mind, and he understood.
"The system's main function is not the store, but its effect of blinding the will of Heaven over my existence. So I was able to kill Wang Da because Heaven's will doesn't even know of my existence, so it can't defend itself against my actions." Having understood the motive behind all this, Xiang Yao couldn't help but smile. For now, he could shorten his plan.
Earlier, he had planned to reach Level 3 and refine his third Dream Path Gu, and only then would he use his Dream Path killer move to steal Fang Yuan's memories and get rid of him.
He feared Heaven's will in the Spring Autumn Cicada would send Fang Yuan back to the past, destroying his plans completely. But with the Path of Dreams Killer Movement, not even the will of Heaven within the Spring Autumn Cicada could do anything.
But now that he has the assurance that he can steal Fang Yuan's memories and accomplishments without the Path of Dreams killer move, he no longer needs to wait until he reaches level 3; he can go to Fang Yuan's side now and use the Moth of Ten Dreams to knock him unconscious and then scan his entire body.
"So it's decided – today is Fang Yuan's death day. Finally, I can get rid of this unknown in my life." Xiang Yao thinks it over as he formulates a plan to get rid of Fang Yuan without arousing suspicion.
But before that, he has to test the system's last function, which is that scanning several items of the same type lowers their price in the store. Xiang Yao then scanned his tens of thousands of Primordial Stones.
[Scan – Primal Stone – for 50 points?]
Xiang Yao nodded and then tried to scan the same primordial stone again.
[The same item cannot be scanned twice]
Waiting for that answer, Xiang Yao handed another primordial stone to the system to scan.
[Scan - Primal Stone - for 40 points?]
[Congratulations! The price of primordial stone in the system store has dropped to 49 points]
Being enthralled by this, Xiang Yao decided to scan all the primordial stones he had. He received a system alert when he scanned the 50,000th Primal Stone.
[Scan - Primal Stone - for 0 points?]
[Congratulations! Primordial stones can now be taken for free in the system]
[As a penalty, no primordial stone has a sale value in the system anymore]
[Buy - Primal Stone] ---> {$000}
Xiang Yao was amazed; he now had infinite primordial stones and no longer needed to worry about that. But to confirm the penalty, he decided to sell a primordial stone to the system to find out if it had no value.
[Sell – Primordial Stone – For 0 points?]
"So they don't have value to the system anymore, but that's good for me; now I don't have to carry this bunch of primordial stones in my pocket; I can just get them for free in the system." If resolving, Xiang Yao sold or gave the system his primordial stones.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone