Sun Lotus City

The days went by one after another.

Diligent cultivation became the norm in Sun Lotus City. A glance at the cultivation boards was all it took to realize this. The names were moving up and down, switching places almost at a constant rate.

People were gaining and spending points, exchanging them for Relic gu, Reform gu, Unprocessed Jade gu, and other miraculous rare gu worms. Of course, some still decided to exchange for primeval stones. Those could always be put to good use, even in cultivation.

Jin Ju has arrived at the city square. He came to spend his points for the first time.

He stopped and looked at the two towering slates before him.

"So massive." - He thought to himself.

"Where is my name? I wonder how much I've accumulated in the past two weeks."

He soon found his name on the list.

The ranking board stated:

"Jin Ju : 500 points"

This was already very impressive, not many people had more than two hundred and fifty points so far. Five hundred points placed Jin Ju in the upper third of the ranking.

The people have already figured out, that two hundred and fifty points were rewarded for advancing one small realm.

That's right after Jin Ju used his Relic gu he advanced to rank one middle stage. Then he used his Unprocessed Jade gu as well. It raised his aptitude. It surpassed the threshold of B grade advancing him to A grade.

Now his aperture could fill up to ninety-three percent!

His previous B grade was already praise-worthy...

With his exceptional cultivation aptitude and his relentless cultivation, he managed to break through to rank one upper stage just today!

But Jin Ju was still a newcomer to cultivation, he simply had no base to compare against. So to him, this only seemed a little special.

"Now that this is the situation, other people will also get better and better. I can't get complacent." - He reminded himself humbly.

"Let's see what I can get for this much." - He thought as he headed for the rewards board.

He noticed a familiar face among the small crowd.

"Sister Lingxin!" - He called out.

"Brother Ju. Come, come! Help me choose, I can't decide how to spend my points."

"I'll do my best to advise. How many points can you spend?"

"Two hundred and fifty. I could exchange it for a rank one Relic gu. But that is only a one-time offer for each rank. Or I could exchange for a sum of primeval stones. Both of them are tempting options."

Jin Ju collected his thoughts and remembered what Bao Zhi has told him.

"If you ask me, it is better to raise your aptitude. That is an improvement you will carry with you in the future. While primeval stones and small realms can be achieved with time and effort."

In Jin Ju's view the answer was obvious, just save up until you can get a precious gu.

"But I can't afford any of the expensive gu on the list... I'm already spending all my primeval stones to cultivate." - Yu Lingxin lamented.

"Not to mention the amount I spend on mother's medicine... I'm totally broke." - She sighed to herself in her mind.

"How about this? You can exchange for a Relic gu now, and I will exchange for an aptitude-raising gu worm. Then we swap." - Offered Jin Ju his idea.

"But that's a huge loss for you! I can't accept such a favor." - Replied Yu Lingxin justly.

"You misunderstood me. I have no use for Reform gu and such. I already used one." - He pointed at his aperture in his abdomen as he smiled widely.

"Just make sure to repay me in the future. A Relic gu is exactly what I need now." - He explained.

Yu Lingxin was speechless.

"B grade... So already at A grade?" - She had to adjust her mind as she thought about it more.

Jin Ju placed his palm on the bottom of the slate and retrieved the cheapest aptitude-raising gu worm, he could only afford this one. It was the rank two Water Source gu. It was similar to the Unprocessed Jade gu, but with a water path aspect.

The gu looked like a blue gem that was polished. There was clear liquid sloshing on the inside.

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Yu Lingxin saw Jin Ju's sincerity, he wasn't just teasing her.

"Okay, then I'll get the Relic gu for you." - She blushed at Jin Ju's kindheartedness, and couldn't look at him directly.

* * * * *

Lingering Mountains Grotto, Icy Peak Mountain

On a snow-covered floating island stood an icy mountain. Cold winds were howling around the peaks and valleys. Bare stone poked through the frigid snow and ice cover occasionally.

The place had a barren and tranquil ambiance.

A lone figure was scaling the mountain, making slow progress. He was wrapped in furs and heavy clothing, his breath coming out in clouds of steam. The figure finally reached the top of the mountain and looked around.

In every direction, there was only snow and ice. There was no sign of life anywhere. The figure let out a disappointed sigh and began the long climb back down to the other side.

A day later, the lone figure was carrying another person wrapped in thick furs on his back.

...

The only marks of habitation were the small huts sparsely scattered on the face of the mountain.

One of these huts had black smoke swirling out of its chimney.

Inside, a young man was kneeling beside a bed. He had a tall stature with wide shoulders. His long black hair covered most of his face. The dark circles around his eyes were evidence of his restlessness.

He was clearly in a distressed state.

"Please! Please, wake up." - He muttered while holding a gu worm that radiated gentle warmth.

On the bed before him lay a girl with a slender figure. Her hair was shoulder length and silver in color.

The girl's usually fair skin was covered with bruises and marks of frostbite now. Her eyes were lacking their natural spark of liveliness. They were dull and closed.

Her eyelashes were trembling slightly.

The girl's breathing was weak and irregular. Her heartbeat was barely there. She was in a critical state.

"Why? Oh, why?" - The young man started to sob quietly. He tried his best to save the girl on the bed for two days in total. He could not come to terms with this failure.

"This is the last Warming gu I brought. I don't care! I use it now!" - He intensified the heat that the gu produced. He did not care about his palm getting burned either. He held the gu adamantly.

After a short while, a sudden change occurred.

The girl opened her eyes widely and took a sharp breath! But just as quickly as it came she jolted back into a still posture, now with her eyes fully closed. Her breathing returned to normal!

"Qinyang!" - The man wiped off his tears, but the tears of joy wet his eyes again.

The girl's skin gradually recovered its natural tone. Not much later her lips started to move. She was clearly trying to say something.

"Co..."

The man leaned closer to not miss it.

"Cold." - She formed the word with difficulty.

The man increased the warmth of the gu worm, not sparing its remaining uses.

After an incense stick of time the girl's lips twitched, she was trying to say something.

"Cold." - She said with a hoarse voice.

"Don't worry Qinyang, I'll protect you." - With that said he turned the heat up to the limit. He gritted his teeth to endure the searing pain.

A short while later the girl awoke from her dazed state. Her body shook and she groaned loudly.

"Give... me... COLD!" - She fainted.

"..."

The young man was stunned. He extinguished the source of heat. Then he placed his palm on the girl's forehead.

"You have a fever. No wonder, no wonder..."

Three hours later the girl finally awoke. Her forehead was covered with a wet towel.

Next to him, her savior was sitting as he was keeping vigil.

"Where... am I?" - Asked the weak voice.

"This is our family's mountain hut. Do you not remember?" - He asked jokingly.

"..."

The girl's eyes were darting left and right in panic, she couldn't even turn her head to look around.

"What is going on? Mountain hut? ... Ah, my head is killing me. What the heck happened?" - She thought to herself in a confused state.

"What... happened?" - She asked.

"You really don't remember? You really shouldn't have gone against the patriarch's order... He has sent you up the mountain as punishment. But then there was an avalanche three days ago... It engulfed the whole cave where you were staying."

"I came here as soon as I could! It took me a whole day just to dig you out!"

The girl's eyes opened wide as she listened.

"Huh? Patriarch? Staying in a mountain cave? No, don't tell me... Is this a different world?" - Her inner voice was erratic.

"I don't remember... Who are you?"

The young man's face was horror-stricken as he heard the question.

"I'm your little brother, Wen Tu!" - He gulped as he said.

"..."

"Don't worry you have just woken up, your memories will surely return a while later..." - He tried to console his sister, and himself as well.

"This is definitely it. I have transmigrated to another world! Keep calm, keep calm... I have fantasized too much about this scenario. I can't wait... But first, I have to gather some information. I have no clue about this place at all. What kind of world have I landed in?"

"Tell me more. It might make me remember." - She said in a hoarse voice before listening expectantly.

Wen Tu started to explain their situation. His face had a pained expression as his sister didn't seem to recall anything he mentioned.

...

Wen Tu laid down to get some well-deserved rest after his lengthy explanation.

Now Wen Qinyang was left to her own thoughts.

"I see, people of my clan live on the foot of this frozen mountain. I was banished to cultivate in seclusion because I offended another clan's elder. But it seems like it was also to protect me as well? Maybe I wasn't in the wrong, based on what this guy told me. Right, Wen Tu. I have to memorize these names to blend in... Why did I not inherit the original body's memories? So unfair!"

"Wait! I haven't even tried the most important thing yet!"

"Status menu!" - She called out in her mind excitedly.

Nothing happened.

"..."

"Inventory!"

"..."

"Item store!"

"..."

"No system? What the f**k! I've been cheated!" - She thought with a frantic expression.

"How will I cultivate now? How will I defy the heavens and slaughter deities?"

"Wait, wait! There is still a chance! Maybe the system is only activated after a certain condition?" - She guessed blindly.

There was nothing she could do now, she was unable to move her body. Trying to do so was only met with pain and futility.

"First and foremost I have to recover." - With that thought, she closed her eyes to get some sleep.

...

Clank!

The next morning she was rudely woken by Wen Tu dropping a pot while he was preparing food for both of them.

"Ah, I'm sorry Qinyang! I didn't mean to wake you. You should rest a bit more. I'll prepare breakfast." - He said with a flustered expression.

"Since you've already woke me, now you have to entertain me. Tell me about cultivation."

"Don't mock me, sister, you know how much I struggle with cultivation... Oh, you forgot this as well?"

"Just tell me."

"Fine, fine. In total there are nine ranks in cultivation. Each rank has its own corresponding primeval essence. The ranks are also divided into small realms. There are four small realms for each." - He stopped to scratch his head.

"But I don't know much. You see, I'm only a rank two gu master now... Oh no! The food caught on fire!" - Wen Tu hastily turned back to the pot to put out the fire.

Wen Qinyang's face drained of all life as she heard this.

"Did- did you say gu master?!"

"Oh no! Am I in the f*****g GU WORLD?"

* * * * *