013. Narrow Escape and Calculating Gains; Qitian's First Arrival at Shang Clan City
013. Narrow Escape and Calculating Gains; Qitian's First Arrival at Shang Clan City
"That was close!" Qitian felt fortunate for having escaped with his life.
At this moment, the cyan-green Bì Kōng Gu poison on his body slowly converged towards his finger. At his fingertip, Xiao Qing was biting him, absorbing the Bì Kōng Gu poison.
The Blue Bamboo Snake originally lived in Blue Heaven, feeding on the Jade Bamboo of the Azure Sky, which was essentially Bì Kōng Gu. It could be said to be the nemesis of Bì Kōng Gu.
Qitian owed his survival to it. Previously, Qitian had tried using the Poison Swallowing Toad for detoxification, but the toad couldn't withstand the Bì Kōng Gu poison either; after consuming some toxins, it dissolved into azure light.
Xiao Qing had grown considerably since swallowing a large amount of Jade Spider eggs last time. After consuming this Bì Kōng Gu poison, it would likely molt and advance to the myriad beast king level. Speaking of which, he actually had Long Qingtian to thank for this.
"His penetration deep into Murky Cloud Swamp is likely related to that inheritance. It's also possible his Bì Kōng Gu came from there. No wonder he pursued me; he probably didn't want me to discover his secret."
Qitian held no resentment for Long Qingtian's pursuit. The strong preying on the weak was the norm in this world. It wasn't like some web novel protagonists where 'if you offend me, I'll kill your whole family,' that cliché plotline of killing the young only for the old to appear.
Those who achieve great things don't sweat the small stuff. Like Han Xin in Chinese history, who suffered the humiliation of crawling between someone's legs in his youth but didn't seek trouble with the person who humiliated him after achieving success and fame.
In this world, everything was based on benefits. Just like Feng Jin Huang, whose early duels with Fang Yuan were out of momentary anger, but later matured into conflicts driven by benefit.
After escaping this danger, Qitian began to sort through his gains from this venture.
Liu Rulong's core Gu was the Rank 4 Strength Qi Gu, which could turn strength path phantoms from illusory to substantial, forming Qi of Strength.
It was a bridge connecting Strength Path and Qi Path.
Liu Rulong supplemented with Strength Path. Among these Gu worms was one Strength Path Gu, the Rank 4 Biao Strength Gu. According to his biography, he possessed at least five Biao strength, implying he had used at least five Biao Strength Gu and corresponding Beast Bestowal Gu, but only this one remained.
For defense, there was the Rank 4 Qi Armor Gu, capable of forming transparent qi armor, a classic Qi Path defensive Gu.
If used in conjunction with his other Gu worm, the Qi Explosion Gu, it could instantly cause the qi armor to explode, generating explosive power comparable to Strength Path, making the Qi Armor Gu a versatile tool for both offense and defense.
For support, there were the Rank 4 Qi Source Gu and Rank 4 Lock Qi Gu. The former reduced the primeval essence consumption of Qi Path Gu worms by half, while the latter made the emitted Qi of Strength more condensed.
For movement, there was the Rank 4 Dragon Walk Tiger Step Gu.
Among these Gu worms, the most useful for Qitian currently were the Qi Source Gu and Lock Qi Gu. Both could be incorporated into his killer move, Qi Yuan Slash.
Qi Source Gu reduced primeval essence consumption, but although it didn't consume essence itself, being a Rank 4 Gu, it placed a significant strain on the mind.
Lock Qi Gu wasn't hard to find nowadays, but those on the market usually had too low a rank and were commonly used for masking scents. Rank 4 Lock Qi Gu was still hard to come by. Although it was Rank 4, it consumed relatively little primeval essence, and adding it to Qi Yuan Slash could make the blade qi more condensed.
Additionally, there was the Biao Strength Gu. Qitian currently possessed one boar and one wolf strength. Because his body had been modified, he was far from his limit and could add one Biao strength. Furthermore, Biao had wings and could fly; since Qitian's current main movement Gu was the Eagle Wing Gu, Biao strength could increase his flight speed.
As for the Strength Qi Gu, although precious, it was less useful for Qitian. Firstly, Qitian's Strength Path foundation was insufficient; even adding the Biao Strength Gu would only result in one strong and two weak phantoms (three phantoms total). Secondly, Strength Qi Gu consumed too much primeval essence, which Qitian currently couldn't afford. Thirdly, without the All-Out Effort Gu, he couldn't ensure the consistent generation of beast strength phantoms, leading to unstable output.
As for Qi Armor Gu and Qi Explosion Gu, both were excellent Rank 4 Gu worms, but their primeval essence consumption was too high for Qitian at present, making them unsuitable for current use.
Furthermore, Qitian already had the Eagle Wing Gu as his primary means of movement; the Dragon Walk Tiger Step Gu wasn't suitable for him.
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Half a year later.
Shang Liang Mountain, before the main gate of Shang Clan City.
"Everyone line up properly, one by one. To enter Shang Clan City, each person pays ten primeval stones. Inside the city, indiscriminate use of Gu worms is forbidden. Violators will be imprisoned for at least seven days!" shouted the guard stationed outside the city gate.
Qitian followed the flow of people, gradually approaching the city gate.
"Young Master, please halt." A guard at the gate approached Qitian.
Qitian was well-dressed, clearly not an ordinary person, so the guard was quite polite.
"Here are twenty primeval stones." Qitian tossed over a money pouch.
After the guard checked and found no issues, he immediately cleared the way.
The Shang Clan prioritized profit; as long as one could afford the primeval stones, they could enter the city.
Every day, large numbers of demonic path Gu Masters came to Shang Clan City to sell their plundered goods. At the same time, Shang Clan City was also the best choice for them to replenish their Gu worms.
It could be said that demonic path Gu Masters were a huge pillar supporting the prosperity of Shang Clan City.
In the past half year, Qitian had explored several more inheritances. Although the gains couldn't compare to the Liu Rulong venture, added together, they still amounted to considerable wealth.
After all, Rank 4 was the level of clan leaders, very rare. Only a minority left behind rich inheritances, and even fewer were easily accessible to Qitian. Therefore, these few inheritances were mostly Rank 3, with only one Rank 4, which didn't leave many Gu worms.
Many things from the secret inheritances he had opened now were useless to him. Only through trading could their great value be realized, and Shang Clan City was a good place to sell these 'hot' goods.
Qitian walked through the tall city gate. What met his eyes was an extremely wide avenue.
The street thronged with people. Tall, straight green trees lined both sides. Sunlight shone down, creating shade under which various food stalls – selling flatbread, tofu pudding, vegetables – and small vendors selling jewelry huddled, displaying a dazzling array of goods on their ground stalls.
After walking some distance, tall bamboo buildings began to appear on both sides of the street, along with yellow adobe houses or brick houses with white walls and grey tiles. Shops, restaurants, inns, and blacksmith shops came into view.
Four Seasons Restaurant.
An hour later, Qitian stopped before a five-story tall building.
This building had white walls and black tiles, vermilion doors and large pillars. The aroma of wine drifted out, mingling with the enticing smell of food. It was a famous restaurant in Shang Clan City.
"Esteemed customer, please come inside." The waiter was adept at his job; seeing Qitian, he quickly came over to invite him in.
"Esteemed customer, may I ask if you are a Gu Master? If so, you may dine on the second floor," the waiter led the way, inquiring cautiously.
"Naturally."
The waiter quickly bowed: "Respectfully invite Your Lordship upstairs!"
Reaching the staircase, the waiter stopped. A young, beautiful, sweet-looking girl immediately came over and said sweetly, "Esteemed Lord, may I know which floor you wish to ascend to? Our Four Seasons Restaurant has five floors. The first floor hall is for mortals. The second floor is for Rank 1 Gu Masters. The third floor is for Rank 2 Gu Masters, with a 20% discount on meals. The fourth floor is for Rank 3 Gu Masters, with a 50% discount. The fifth floor is for Rank 4 Gu Masters, who are served free of charge."
Qitian smiled, "Let's go to the fourth floor then."
Hearing this, the waitress's expression immediately became even more respectful. She performed a curtsy and said, "Respectfully request the esteemed guest to reveal your primeval essence."
A moment later, Qitian was seated in a private booth on the fourth floor, a large table filled with dishes laid out before him, each appealing in color, aroma, and taste.
While enjoying the delicacies, Qitian planned his affairs in Shang Clan City.
'It has now been two and a half years since my rebirth. My cultivation has risen from initial stage Rank 2 to peak stage Rank 3. Including the year before rebirth in this body, it totals only three and a half years. Such speed is comparable to the Ten Extreme Physiques.'
'But this is mainly due to my repeated use of Relic Gu. Because of my past life experience, there are no drawbacks even if I use Relic Gu extensively for advancement. It can be said that Relic Gu are the most suitable upgrade method for someone like me.'
'Especially after reaching Rank 4, advancement is very slow, and even slower towards Rank 5. Normally reaching Rank 5 peak often takes decades. Even for disciples of super clans with abundant resources and cultivation in blessed lands, the required time is not short.'
'However, Golden Relic Gu are controlled by the major clans and won't appear on the market, let alone Purple Crystal Relic Gu. Therefore, I must prepare early and head to Central Continent as soon as possible after advancing to Rank 4.'
'With blessed land resources, it's much better than struggling for a few mortal Gu in Southern Border. Resources should be fully utilized.'