Ancestral Grotto

The branch of the Azure Crown Oak Tree was bustling with excitement as the Bao clan immortals and Bao clan's immortal seeds gathered at the center of the Ancestral Grotto.

Bao Lang Chao, the supreme elder, stood at the forefront of the group, his eyes fixed on the younger Bao Deng Hong before him.

Bao Deng Hong had an oval face and was in the prime of his middle age. He was dressed in dignified robes that befitted his status as a rank five Gu master. His appearance exuded a calm and collected demeanor, as he prepared himself for the dangerous and important task of ascending to the rank of a Gu Immortal.

"Bao Deng Hong, son of Bao Deng Hai, has reached the peak of the mortal realm. Today, he will attempt to break through to the immortal realm." - Bao Lang Chao announced to the others.

Bao Yijun, the second supreme elder, nodded in agreement. "He has worked hard and has prepared well."

Bao Chi Ping, the third supreme elder, was more reserved: "But we must remember that the path to becoming a Gu Immortal is not easy. There is no guarantee of success."

The three elder used a killer move, the huge branch they stood on trembled.

The gathering of heaven and earth qi had begun, and Bao Deng Hong was the first to start his ascension process. He stood at the center of the branch, his eyes closed as he focused on the task at hand.

"Crush your mortal aperture." - The words echoed in Bao Deng Hong's mind.

Bao Deng Hong focused, his body shuddered as he shattered his rank five aperture and began to draw in the heaven and earth qi. The qi swirled around him, slowly merging with his human qi as he tried to keep the three elements in balance.

Bao Yijun, the second supreme elder, watched with a critical eye.

"Bao Deng Hong must not lose focus." - She said.

"He must keep the three qi balanced at all times, or he will fail." - Bao Lang Chao added.

Bao Chi Ping, the third supreme elder, nodded in agreement. "His understanding of his own accumulations and path must also be deep, or his human qi will be insufficient."

The immortals watched as Bao Deng Hong began to absorb the natural inspiration. He had asked a specific question during his ascension, and the heaven's will was answering it.

But suddenly, Bao Yijun's eyes twitched.

"Bao Deng Hong's human qi is running out!" - She noted, alarm in her voice.

The immortals noticed the situation and began to deliberate.

"It will soon be out of balance!"

The immortals turned to each other with concern written on their faces before turning back to Bao Deng Hong, watching as he continued to be lost in the natural inspiration. They deliberated, weighing the options before them.

If they interfered, they might be able to save Bao Deng Hong, but his ascension would fail, and he would become a mortal without even a Gu Master's aperture.

What use would a mortal be for the clan? It made little difference in their eyes.

But if they did nothing, Bao Deng Hong would face certain death.

"Should we interfere?" - Bao Yijun asked.

Bao Lang Chao shook his head.

"No, we must let him handle it himself. We cannot interfere in the process. He knew the risks he would be facing."

In the end, they decided to observe and not interfere. Bao Deng Hong was on his own.

"There is still a chance, if he discards his inspiration he has a slim chance." - Someone commented.

The young Gu master finally noticed his imminent peril and tried to finish his ascension. He threw his vital Gu worm into the swirling heaven, earth and human qi, hoping to form his immortal aperture and complete his ascension.

But he was too late. The heaven and earth qi was too much for him to control anymore, and he failed.

Bao Deng Hong's soul dissipated immediately. His damaged body fell on the ground lifelessly.

"It was a brave attempt." - Bao Lang Chao said with indifference.

"But he was not ready. We must continue to guide and teach our immortal seeds, so they may have a better chance of success." - He continued.

"We must remember the sacrifices made by those who have attempted the ascension." - Bao Yijun said solemnly.

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"He couldn't measure up to Bao Deng Hai's talent in the end." - Bao Chi Ping sighed.

"He will not be forgotten."

The immortals stood there in a moment silence. The path to becoming a Gu Immortal was not easy, but they would continue to strive towards their goal, no matter the cost.

The immortals nodded, their thoughts turning to the next Gu master who would attempt the immortal ascension.

Unmoved by the previous scene, Bao Li Mu stood there solemnly.

He took a deep breath and stepped forward. His broad shoulders adding to his imposing stature. His face was square with sharp features, his jawline prominent and chiseled. His eyes were a piercing shade of blue, seeming to glint like diamonds as he gazed upon the world with a serene expression. He had a regal aura around him, his posture ramrod straight, and his gaze steady and unwavering. He already had the bearing of an immortal.

He was dressed in a pristine white robe. The fabric was of the finest quality, flowing gracefully around him like a waterfall of snow.

His hair was black and neatly tied in a topknot, held in place by a golden hairpin. His skin was tanned and weathered, bearing witness to the years of battles and adventures he had experienced in his lifetime. Despite his age, his movements were graceful and fluid, almost as if he was gliding across the ground instead of walking.

"Bao Li Mu, son of Bao Li Tai, our hopes rest upon you. Are you prepared?" - Bao Lang Chao turned to him.

"Yes, Lord Supreme Elder." - He cupped his fists and bowed.

Bao Li Mu forcefully shattered his rank five aperture.

His body immediately had a hole, and a huge attraction force towards the heaven and earth qi burst out.

Bao Li Mu closed his eyes and focused on gathering and balancing the three qi - heaven, earth, and human. His body gradually rose to the air. The other immortals watched in silence, detached and indifferent to the outcome of the ceremony.

"This one doesn't seem very promising." - Said Bao Lang Chao.

"I agree, his human qi is rather mediocre." - Bao Yijun added.

"Still, we can't be too sure. Remember, Bao Deng Hong was one of the strongest mortal Gu masters we've seen recently and yet he failed his ascension." - Bao Chi Ping said.

"Should we decrease the amount of heaven and earth qi?" - Bao Yijun turned to Bao Lang Chao.

"No, continue to draw in the qi through the tree's roots. If he succeeds, he will need this amount to have a stable foundation." - Bao Lang Chao replied.

The Bao clan also had their own methods to deal with the requirement of heaven and earth qi in this grotto heaven. The roots of the Azure Crown Oak Tree could be extended outside the grotto heaven. These roots would draw in the qi which the immortals could use.

This was a secret, only the higher ups knew about it!

The immortals watched in silence as Bao Li Mu's aura grew stronger. The qi of heaven and earth swirled around him, balancing with each other. And then, the human qi appeared, equal in strength to the other two elements.

"He's doing well, but the true test is yet to come." - Bao Lang Chao remarked.

As Bao Li Mu concentrated, he could feel the heaven qi and earth qi flow into him, nurturing his body and soul. He made sure to keep the balance between the two qi and added his own human qi to the mix. This was the most critical part of the ascension, as the three qi must be perfectly balanced in order to advance.

As Bao Li Mu succeeded in balancing the qi, he felt a new inspiration enter his mind. He opened his eyes and saw the immortals observing him with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism.

"Not bad, not bad." - Bao Lang Chao praised.

So far everything was going smoothly, Bao Li Mu was ready to refine an immortal Gu, but he was not prepared for what was to come next.

Suddenly, a tribulation formed overhead and attacked Bao Li Mu while he was refining the Gu.

The immortals watched in awe as he struggled against the backlash of the heaven and earth qi, holding on to his refinement even as his mortal Gu worms began to perish. Bao Li Mu gritted his teeth and let the refinement be guided by his new inspiration.

"Release more heaven and earth qi for his refinement." - Bao Lang Chao ordered.

The immortals complied, sending more qi to Bao Li Mu as he struggled against the tribulation. Bao Li Mu grit his teeth, his eyes shining with determination as he refused to give up. He held on to his inspiration and kept refining the Gu, despite the painful backlash of the qi.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Bao Li Mu succeeded. He landed on the ground, his clothes tattered and his body exhausted. All his mortal gu had perished, but he held a new immortal Gu worm triumphantly in his palm.

Bao Li Mu approached the immortals, his expression humble.

"Congratulations!"

"Well done, junior!"

"Seniors, I have succeeded." - He stated as he released the Gu worm's unmistakable rank six aura.

The supreme elder, Bao Lang Chao, stepped forward and spoke.

"Well done, Bao Li Mu. You have become a Gu Immortal. Congratulations."

"It doesn't have a wood path aura." - Someone snickered.

"What gu is this?"

"Why didn't you advance your core gu worm?" - They questioned him.

Bao Li Mu had a strange expression.

"This gu worm's recipe came to me in my natural inspiration. I decided to refine this because my core immortal gu got damaged and died." - He explained.

"I offer this Gu worm to the clan, I hope seniors can find a good use for it. It is called Perception Warp Immortal Gu." - He lowered his head and handed the Immortal Gu to Bao Lang Chao.

Bao Lang Chao inspected the Gu worm closely.

The Perception Warp Immortal Gu was a small, intricate insect that resembled a beetle. Its body was made of a translucent, iridescent material that shimmered and changed color in the light. The wings of the insect were delicate and filmy, almost as if they were made of shifting light. The eyes of the Perception Warp Immortal Gu were large and glisten like gems, reflecting the light in a way that seems to mesmerize those who look upon it.

The longer Bao Lang Chao studied the gu the more changes he noticed. At first its eyes seemed large, but when he looked at them its whole head seemed to shrunk in half. He could not get an accurate feeling of the thing on his palm. He felt the Gu worm crawl on his palm, yet it was stationary.

"Quite peculiar. Is it an illusion path Gu worm?" - He wondered as he never encountered such Gu before.

The immortals were fascinated by the Perception Warp Immortal Gu and its ever-changing appearance. They felt as if they were observing a living puzzle, and the more they tried to understand it, the more mysterious it became. They noticed that the gu worm's size seemed to change depending on perspective or closeness, sometimes appearing tiny and at other times appearing to grow to a massive size. The colors on its surface were always shifting, creating a mesmerizing display of light and hues.

"Good gu, good gu." - Bao Lang Chao came to his senses and put the gu worm away.

"How long were we studying this gu?" - He thought to himself, unsure of the exact duration.

"Your contribution will not go unrewarded. You can select a fitting gu worm for yourself from the immortal treasury." - He turned back to Bao Li Mu.

The other immortals nodded in agreement, still detached and indifferent to the outcome of the ceremony. But they knew that they had gained a new member in their ranks, and that was what mattered most to them.

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