Lingering Mountains Grotto, Wen Bao Academy

Qinyang has made some breakthroughs in her information path methods. With the allowance from the academy she got herself a some information path gu worms to experiment with.

"It's time to test it out." - she said to herself as she walked towards the mountains.

The mountains next to the academy were cold and misty, the air thick with the chill of winter. Qinyang took a deep breath and released her Icicle Gu. The gu sent out a flurry of icicles, piercing the air with a sharp hiss.

Suddenly, a voice broke the silence.

"Qinyang!"

Qinyang turned to see her brother, Wen Tu, coming up the path towards her. He had a wide grin on his face.

"I heard you've been experimenting with a new gu. I thought I'd come and join you!" - He said, clapping a hand on her shoulder.

"Wen Tu, are you ready to spar?" - Asked Wen Qinyang, her eyes glinting with excitement.

"Of course, sister. I've been looking forward to this all week." - Replied Wen Tu, his own gaze filled with determination.

Qinyang and Wen Tu faced each other, their eyes locked in a fierce determination. Each held an Icicle Gu, ready to unleash a barrage of icicles at the other.

Without warning, Qinyang let loose a volley of icicles, each one perfectly aimed and controlled. Wen Tu deftly dodged and weaved, his own icicles flying back in return. The crisp sound of cracking ice echoed through the mountains as Wen Qinyang and Wen Tu exchanged shots of icicles, each one skillfully aimed.

Qinyang moved with fluid grace, her movements calculated and precise. Her icicles flew through the air, slicing through the frosty mist with ease.

The two siblings moved with an effortless synchronicity, each anticipating the other's movements and reacting with lightning-fast reflexes. As the spar continued, the intensity grew, each icicle clash sending a shower of cold sparks into the air.

The icicle flew through the air, hurtling towards Qinyang with blinding speed. But she was ready, and with a swift motion, she countered with an icicle of her own.

The two icicles met in a brilliant explosion of light and sound, sending icy mist through the air. For a moment, time seemed to stand still as the two siblings stared at each other, one panting with exertion.

Wen Tu couldn't help but notice the steep improvement in Qinyang's control of the Icicle Gu.

"Sister, your control has improved greatly since the last time we practiced! Just as before, your shots are ruthlessly accurate!" - He remarked.

His heart swelled with pride for his sister, whom he had long admired for her indomitable spirit and high talent.

"I've been working hard. I'm glad to hear it's paying off." - Qinyang smiled proudly.

"But let's take a break now." - She continued.

"We were just getting started, I want to show you the new gu I bought." - Wen Tu straightened his back with a healthy grin on his face.

"You will have to wait with that, I'm out of primeval essence." - Qinyang raised her hand in protest.

"Stop joking, I still have essence as a rank two gu master. How could you have ran out of your rank three white silver essence?" - Wen Tu narrowed his eyes and tilted his head to the side.

Their training was soon cut short, as Qinyang explained that she had used an information path killer move to aid her in aiming the icicles.

"I haven't actually recovered my abilities. The extra gu worms I used has drained my primeval essence, so that's why I need to rest." - She admitted.

Wen Tu was shocked, but also impressed.

"Sister, that's incredible! Your ingenuity in overcoming your limitations is truly inspiring." - He exclaimed.

"It is still not enough." - She shook her head.

"If I want to bring out the true power of a rank three gu master, I will still need to optimize my technique to consume less essence." - She sighed.

"Oh, to optimize? That sounds important." - Wen Tu scratched his head awkwardly.

"To optimize means to improve something to its best possible state while considering various constraints and factors. It involves finding the most effective solution to a problem or goal, often through iterative processes and data analysis. My information path technique is still far from the optimum though." - She began to explain.

"But what you can't measure, you can't improve! So I used the information path killer move to log and record its own operation so later I can look for inefficiencies and improve it by analyzing the patterns in the usage of primeval essence. For that, I set the Ribbon Text gu to store the events in chronological order while iterating through the set of actions I defined for the aiming of the Icicle gu..."

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Wen Tu just blinked in silence as he listened to her. It was impressive how much thought and effort she put into this.

As Qinyang's lengthy explanation ended, Wen Tu placed his sizable hands on her shoulder encouragingly.

"I won't pretend I understood that. But I know, whatever it is, sister will find a way, haha!"

* * * * *

Lingering Mountains Grotto, Golden Peak Pagoda

Two immortals stood in the dimly-lit side hall of Wen clan's Golden Peak Pagoda, their hushed whispers echoing off the ornate walls. Wen Bo's hand trembled slightly as he spoke, his voice laced with nervousness.

"Wisdom Will, the crucial person has agreed and entered the refinement formation." - He said, his eyes darting around the room.

"But can we really trust Old Refinement's will to complete his part?"

Wen Jie, cool and collected, fanned herself lazily as she replied.

"We must have faith in his abilities, Great Formation. After all, he has generations of accumulated refinement knowledge."

Wen Bo's brow furrowed in concern.

"But refinement is never without dangers. What if he makes a mistake? With no proper vessel, his will would be destroyed in case of a backlash, no doubt... Without a refinement expert, our hands would be tied, and this opportunity would be wasted then." - He said in a low voice.

Wen Jie's smile was enigmatic.

"You worry too much, Great Formation. I have already deduced everything. The moment the crucial person entered the formation, our plan was headed for success."

Wen Bo stroked his beard, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. "And what if you are wrong? What if this all blows up in our faces?"

Wen Jie's expression remained unchanged.

"Old Refinement has his formation set up. If there is a mishap, it will take the burden off of him. But I am confident that he will succeed."

Wen Bo looked unconvinced, but he nodded nonetheless.

"I trust you are right, Wisdom Will. The stakes are too high to leave anything to chance."

Seeing his reaction Wen Jie's lips curled into a provocative smile.

"Great Formation, how much have you understood of the Wondrous Inspiration Pagoda?"

Her question took him by surprise, a shameful expression appeared on his face.

As a formation path great grandmaster he did not have a complete understanding of the gu house they owned!

"I'm humbled to admit it, but in the last hundred years I still couldn't uncover the final profundity of it. It eludes my understanding to this very day." - He admitted honestly.

"Mmm. This is a secret passed on only to the first supreme elders. But, I will make an exception now." - Wen Jie said, her voice low but full of conviction.

She took a deep breath and began to explain.

"The original Wondrous Inspiration Pagoda was a gu house among the finest, a rank eight gu house in its complete form." - She began.

Wen Bo nodded, this was in line with what he knew and uncovered.

"Wen clan's ancestor found this gu house by chance and established the foundation of Wen clan with it. She became the first Wisdom Will, and passed down this memory to each subsequent first supreme elder." - She paused, to look into Wen Bo's eyes.

"She tried to deduce the origin of this gu house all her life, but it was in vain. A renowned rank eight wisdom path immortal, failed to deduce an object she possessed! What did this mean?" - Her voiced turned serious.

"It means... It means it is related to something beyond her power." - Wen Bo gulped and nodded, his face grim.

"Precisely! And that narrows it down very much..." - Wen Jie put together her fingers, and her eyes gleamed with fervent excitement.

"A venerable!"

A cold shiver ran through Wen Bo's spine.

"Which one?" - He asked, his voice trembling.

"That, I cannot tell. This is all we can deduce from the gu house itself. But what I am certain of, is that the crucial person we have chosen, is a part of a venerable's plan and the beginning of the two grotto's unification." - She said, her voice turning somber.

Wen Bo's face blanked. This was more serious than he thought.

Wen Jie looked at Wen Bo with concern in her eyes.

"And what of your condition? Has it worsened?" - She steered the topic back.

Wen Bo's face darkened with realization, and he sighed deeply.

"Yes, it has. I keep hallucinating images, and my nerves are shaky once again. But worry not."

Wen Jie's expression softened.

"We cannot have you in this state when the crucial moment arrives, Great Formation. You must be in top form."

Wen Bo nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation.

"I assure you, my vessel can hold on until I am needed in our plan."

Wen Jie shook her head.

"No. As you said, we cannot take any chances. I will use Clear Mind Unity to stabilize your condition once again."

Wen Bo looked at her in disbelief. "But you just used it not long ago. It's too risky."

Wen Jie's eyes flashed with determination.

"We have no choice."

Without another word, Wen Jie closed her eyes and focused her gu worms. A powerful aura emanated from her, and the room was filled with ripples of light. Wen Bo felt the energy flow through him, cleansing his mind and body.

After what felt like an eternity, the light dissipated, and Wen Jie opened her eyes.

"There, you should be fine now. But we must be careful."

Wen Bo breathed a sigh of relief, feeling stronger and more alert than before.

"Thank you, Wisdom Will. I will stand by until the annual competition begins."

Wen Jie nodded.

"Good. The time is drawing near. We must prepare for what is to come."

* * * * *

Lingering Mountains Grotto, Wondrous Inspiration Pagoda

In the depths of the Wondrous Inspiration Pagoda, Xu Lian, lay suspended in mid-air within a powerful and intricate formation. His body was limp, his eyes rolled back into his head, and his mouth hung agape, as though he were in a deep and unbreakable slumber.

Lord Old Refinement approached the suspended Xu Lian with a steady and measured gait. He wore robes of deep red, embroidered with silver and gold, and his eyes glinted with a fierce and ancient intelligence.

As he drew near, he examined the suspended immortal with a critical and knowledgeable eye. Wisps of refinement light flickered and danced across Xu Lian's body, moving in and out like the tides of a great ocean.

Old Refinement nodded his head slowly, a small and satisfied smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Everything was proceeding according to plan.

He reached out a hand, fingers like gnarled and ancient roots, and gently touched the immortal's cheek. Xu Lian's body twitched at the contact, but remained suspended, caught fast in the formation.

With a flick of his fingers, Old Refinement unleashed the formation's power, and the refinement light grew brighter and more intense. Xu Lian's body writhed and twisted, and a low and unearthly moan escaped his lips.

After hours of careful progress, Old Refinement stopped at the midway point to prepare for the rest that was to come.

Just as his attention was waning, a slit appeared in the space behind him and a blur of figure slipped out.

Killer move: Concealed Human Qi!

* * * * *