"Are you really a grandmaster?" The bald old man finally realized what was happening. He instantly appeared in front of Gu Yu, circled around him, and was certain that he hadn't misjudged the person in front of him; it was indeed a young man.
"Yes." Gu Yu nodded, then released a bit of his aura, which immediately stunned the bald old man once again.
"Holy crap." Who would have thought that the bald old man, who was already quite old, would actually swear? But he quickly realized what he meant and said, "I'm not cursing you. It's just that at my age, I've never seen a grandmaster as young as you."
Hearing the bald old man's words, Shi Shuai and Che Tong felt much better. To be honest, they had never seen one before. Even though Shi Shuai was in the Dragon Clan, which was full of talented people, there were no cultivators under the age of eighteen who had opened their meridians. The youngest cultivator to open their meridians was twenty-five or twenty-six years old.
That's not the most important thing. Shi Shuai could have opened his meridians when he was twenty, but he needed to fill more blood apertures. Gu Yu's most amazing achievement was not opening his meridians at eighteen, but filling all one hundred and eight blood apertures and opening his meridians at eighteen.
You should know that in the eyes of a genius, filling the blood vessels is much more difficult than opening the meridians. If the bald old man in front of him knew this, he would probably suspect that he had seen a ghost.
"Talented people emerge in every generation, each leading the way for hundreds of years." Gu Yu suddenly said. Indeed, there were very few, if any, human cultivators of his age who had opened their meridians during this period. However, in the future, when the number of open source gates is sufficient and the source energy becomes more abundant, it will become quite common.
"No, no, no!" Gu Yu's words already sounded arrogant, and they thought the bald old man would think Gu Yu was arrogant, but they never expected his next sentence to leave them speechless: "You are not just a talent, you are a monster, a monster among geniuses."
"Uh!" Gu Yu was taken aback. To be honest, he had never thought that someone would flatter him like this, which made him feel a little embarrassed.
"Little..." The bald old man wanted to call him "little kid," but after thinking about it, he felt it was inappropriate, after all, the other person was a grandmaster. "Young brother, may I ask your surname?"
"My name is Gu Yu," Gu Yu replied.
"Oh! So it's Brother Gu." The bald old man cupped his hands to Gu Yu. "My name is Shi Jian. First of all, I want to thank Brother Gu for saving my three good-for-nothing disciples. Secondly, I feel that we are destined to meet. I wonder if Brother Gu would be willing to become friends with me despite our age difference?"
"Shi Jian?" Upon hearing the bald old man's words, Che Tong was startled. "You are Master Shi, Senior Shi!"
"Do you know him?" Shi Shuai asked Che Tong. Che Tong seemed to know everyone who came, such as Zhao Zhiping and Fang Jingru, but it was obvious that Shi Jian did not know Che Tong.
"I can't say I know him, but I've heard of Senior Shi Jian's great name. Senior Shi Jian is a veteran grandmaster in Huangbei City. Although his strength is slightly inferior to Fang Jingru's, his reputation is far superior. Moreover, Senior Shi Jian has a younger brother, Shi Ying. Both of them are sixth-grade grandmasters," Che Tong said.
"You flatter me. I'm just popular." Shi Jian was initially displeased when Che Tong said he was inferior to Fang Jingru, but when Che Tong said his reputation was higher than Fang Jingru's, Shi Jian smiled happily, even with a hint of pride.
In terms of age, Shi Jian could be Fang Jingru's father, but over the years, as Fang Jingru's power has grown, he has steadily suppressed him, and Fang Jingru's actions are very despicable.
Shi Jian had thought that Gu Yu would be slightly moved after hearing his name, but he found that Gu Yu acted as if he hadn't heard anything at all.
"Brother Gu, what do you think of my suggestion?" He was thinking of becoming friends with Gu Yu despite their age difference, but Gu Yu didn't react, which was quite awkward. Shi Jian had a very good reputation, and other grandmasters were all willing to be friends with him. Why didn't Gu Yu have the same idea?
Could it be that because Che Tong said something, Gu Yu forgot what he had just said, so he emphasized it again?
"Oh!" Gu Yu nodded. "Okay."
For Gu Yu, making friends is no big deal; after all, having more friends makes life easier.
"Sigh! I'm so envious!" Che Tong looked at this scene with envy. If Shi Jian were willing to be his friend despite the age difference, he would be more than willing.
"That's great! Fang Jingru will have to think twice before he gets involved. Our side has gained another Grandmaster." Hearing Gu Yu's expressionless reply, Shi Jian burst into laughter. "Since you agree, we can't skip the ceremony. Let's go, let's drink two big bowls of wine."
Shi Jian pulled Gu Yu along, and under Gu Yu's somewhat disdainful gaze, they walked away into the distance. The others remained silent; in front of the two grandmasters, they were superfluous.
Inside the tent, there was a roasted snow wolf leg and a large pot of heated wine. Shi Jian and Gu Yu sat facing each other, while Shi Shuai and Che Tong sat on either side. The two were in an awkward situation because Shi Jian was the one doing all the talking, while Gu Yu only said two words, "Hmm, oh!" The two of them, especially Che Tong, wanted to speak but couldn't get a word in edgewise, which made them feel very uncomfortable.
"Brother Gu Yu, I'm very curious about how you cultivated. You've already reached the Grandmaster level at such a young age. Could you share your experience with me?" Looking at Gu Yu, who hadn't spoken, Shi Jian felt a little awkward, but he still asked the question that had been on his mind.
"You want to know?" Gu Yu suddenly looked mysterious.
This surprised Shi Shuai, who was sitting to the side. He had asked the same question, and Gu Yu seemed to be in the same state at the time. Che Tong, on the other hand, pricked up his ears to listen. Judging from his expression, he was afraid that he might miss Gu Yu's words.
"Brother Gu, do you really have a method?" Upon hearing Gu Yu's words and seeing his expression, Shi Jian immediately became serious. If Gu Yu's method was effective, he might be able to break through his cultivation level in his lifetime.
"It's very simple. Start cultivating in the womb. It's best to let the mother eat more foods high in Origin Qi, so that cultivation will be faster," Gu Yu said softly. Little did he know that as soon as he finished speaking, everyone looked at him with strange expressions.
Especially for Shi Shuai, a similar scene happened. This time, it wasn't just him who suffered a setback, but several people. Thinking of Shi Jian, who was almost a hundred years old at the moment, Shi Shuai had to hold back his laughter.
"Brother Gu, you really know how to joke, haha..." Shi Jian was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized what was going on and laughed. The main reason was to ease the awkwardness. Even if what Gu Yu said was true, he couldn't go back to the drawing board! He didn't have that ability!
"It's not exactly a joke. As far as I know, this method works." Gu Yu said seriously. The descendants of alien invaders can indeed do this. Of course, they have the conditions, so some aliens are very powerful from birth, and some have even broken through the limits.
“Theoretically, it is indeed feasible, but unfortunately, we no longer have the chance.” Seeing Gu Yu’s serious expression, Shi Jian said, but then his expression changed as he looked at Gu Yu. Could it be that Gu Yu really started cultivating while still in his mother’s womb? It’s possible.
"The path of cultivation requires three things: talent, opportunity, and hard work. None of these can be lacking. Even if you have a good foundation in the womb, it will all be in vain if you don't work hard or have the right opportunity later," said Shi Shuai.
"Yes, young Shi, you see things very clearly at such a young age!" Shi Jian nodded in agreement upon hearing Shi Shuai's words.
"By the way, why doesn't Master Shi go deeper into the snow mountain? With your strength, you shouldn't be staying here," Shi Shuai asked. Now that he had a chance to join the conversation, he had to ask.
"Sigh! Don't even mention it. I was originally going to go deeper into the area, but recently a lot of things have happened here, and many martial artists have died." Shi Jian took a sip of wine, stroking his bald head with one hand, looking melancholy.
"Did he die at the hands of the mutated snow wolf?" Shi Shuai asked, though he had some other guesses, but none of them were certain.
“If they had died at the hands of the mutated snow wolves, that would be understandable, since killing a mutated snow wolf would inevitably lead to death,” Shi Jian said. “However, judging from the examination of the corpses, they died at the hands of their own people, and according to the survivors, someone was trying to steal the mutated snow wolf’s source core.”
"Just as I suspected," Shi Shuai said upon hearing Shi Jian's words, confirming his suspicions.
"Alas! The country originally intended to encourage martial artists to take action and provide them with some cultivation resources, but unexpectedly it has become the cause of martial artists killing each other. It's really a difficult situation!" Shi Jian sighed.
The biggest problem for martial artists is the lack of resources. In fact, some people may not have the talent, but their cultivation has not reached the bottleneck. They just don't have enough source energy to break through. As for why the country doesn't provide resources for free, it's simple: some people, even if they become powerful, are unwilling to protect others. Moreover, the country doesn't have enough source stones to support the cultivation of too many people. Therefore, they resort to this last resort, but it has created another undesirable situation.
Hearing Shi Jian's words, Gu Yu suddenly thought of his system. The reason he didn't need resources was because of the system, but the system also had requirements, namely contribution points. Only by helping others or killing aliens could he gain contribution points. This seemed to be somewhat similar to the requirements of the country, which helped him cultivate but was afraid that he would not help others.
Gu Yu had previously made such a guess, but he rejected it himself. If that were the case, it would be too terrifying, proving that the system had its own ideas, both helping him and restraining him.
"Master Shi, do you know who did this?" Shi Shuai asked. Since Shi Jian wasn't going to investigate further, he must be here to find out something. He might have already found out something.
“If my guess is correct, Fang Jingru did this,” Shi Jian said. “Over the years, Fang Jingru has been trying to break through to the eighth-grade Grandmaster level. To break through to the eighth-grade Grandmaster level, he needs a lot of Origin Qi. This time, if he kills enough mutated snow wolves, he can accumulate enough Origin Qi to meet his needs.”
"Fang Jingru?" Shi Shuai's face turned cold. If what Shi Jian said was true, then Fang Jingru was indeed too selfish. As the number one person in Huangbei City, he actually killed his own compatriots for resources. This behavior was extremely shameful and despicable. He was simply a scum of humanity.
"It's a pity I couldn't find any evidence," Shi Jian said in a deep voice.
"If it really was Fang Jingru who did it, then he deserves to die." Gu Yu said calmly. If it weren't for the avalanche, Gu Yu, with his triple amplification, would have been able to kill Fang Jingru.
"Sigh! On the one hand, there's no evidence, and on the other hand, even if Fang Jingru did it, no one can kill him for now. He's a seventh-rank grandmaster, and he might become an eighth-rank grandmaster soon." Shi Jian sighed and said. Over the years, he and his brother were able to stand up to Fang Jingru, but once Fang Jingru reaches the eighth rank, they will no longer be able to contend with him, which will be a very troublesome matter.
"If there's no evidence, then we'll create it." Gu Yu's face was icy cold. In his past life, he had a very important partner who died because someone stole his spoils. Therefore, Gu Yu would never let such behavior go unpunished.
“Brother Gu, even if we have evidence, we can’t do anything to him. He’s a seventh-grade grandmaster,” Shi Jian said.
"What about the government? Doesn't the government care?" Gu Yu frowned.
“Fang Jingru has done many bad things over the years, and the government has long wanted to take him down, but unfortunately, Fang Jingru has powerful backers,” Shi Jian said helplessly.
"Someone's backing you?" Gu Yu frowned even more. "Who? A high-ranking official or a powerful figure?"
“It’s a conglomerate,” Shi Jian explained. “This may be a secret to others, but it’s not a secret to us. There is a conglomerate in our Huangbei City, the Zhao family.”
"The Zhao family, a powerful conglomerate?" Gu Yu was taken aback. He was familiar with the name. Although he had no personal grudges against the Zhao family in his previous life, they had done some outrageous things, such as colluding with invaders and vigorously promoting the idea of humanity's surrender. Gu Yu in his previous life had scoffed at this.
"Brother Gu, have you heard of the Zhao family?" Shi Jian asked immediately upon seeing Gu Yu's expression.
"I've only heard a little about it," Gu Yu replied. In the later period of his previous life, humanity was divided into three major camps: the national camp, the financial and aristocratic camp, and the sect camp. The national and sect camps were in agreement, but the financial and aristocratic camp advocated surrender, instigated internal strife, and believed that ordinary people should be abandoned, so they devised an elite plan.
"The Zhao family, a powerful conglomerate, was very low-key in previous years, but after the opening of the Source Gate, they stopped being so. They began to expand, both politically and in terms of plundering resources. In recent years, several conglomerates have joined forces, and they have also recruited many reclusive families to form an alliance. They have even united with some small countries overseas. Their power is so great that even countries have to be wary of them," Shi Jian said.
"Why worry about all that? Let's deal with Fang Jingru first," Gu Yu said.
"Alas! Currently, without the use of firearms, no one in Huangbei City can kill Fang Jingru, which is the most difficult thing to do." Shi Jian sighed. If it were really possible, Fang Jingru would have been killed long ago. Why wait until now? It's precisely because he can't be killed that he's so difficult to kill, and it will become even more difficult once Fang Jingru reaches the eighth rank.
"Leave it to me!" Gu Yu said. In his previous life, Gu Yu had fought with many wealthy families, and he was bound to do so again in this life. It was not for any other reason than that he had to become a traitor and harm others for his own benefit.
"Brother Gu, this is no joke. A seventh-grade Grandmaster is too strong, and Fang Jingru is a seventh-grade Grandmaster with seventy blood apertures filled." Shi Jian was startled when he heard Gu Yu's words. In his eyes, Gu Yu should indeed be proud, but he should not be arrogant. Arrogance will cost him his life.
"Don't worry, I would never risk my life if I wasn't confident," Gu Yu said. "I've already fought Fang Jingru, and I'm confident I can kill him."
"What?" Shi Jian was shocked. Gu Yu said that he and Fang Jingru had already fought. How could that be? No matter how talented Gu Yu was, he couldn't possibly be a seventh-grade grandmaster! If Gu Yu was a seventh-grade grandmaster, how could Shi Jian have the face to live? He was almost a hundred years old and was still a sixth-grade grandmaster.
“Gu Yu and Fang Jingru did indeed fight.” Seeing Shi Jian’s incredulous look, Shi Shuai explained from the side, “Che Tong and I witnessed it with our own eyes. The previous avalanche was also caused by their fight.”
"Young Brother Gu, forgive my poor eyesight, but I don't know what rank of Grandmaster you are now?" Shi Jian asked. His heart was about to give way because what he heard was too astonishing.
"First rank," Gu Yu replied. "However, I have a way to temporarily boost my strength, so defeating Fang Jingru won't be a problem."
"A temporary boost to strength?" Shi Jian was taken aback, then his brows furrowed. "As far as I know, secret techniques that temporarily boost cultivation can have severe side effects, and what kind of secret technique can boost it by that much?"
"You don't need to worry about that." Gu Yu didn't answer Shi Jian's question; he couldn't very well tell Shi Jian that he had a system.
"Young Brother Gu, could you be from some sect?" Gu Yu truly shocked Shi Jian's worldview. He had never seen such a young Grandmaster before, which was shocking enough. And then the other party told him that he could temporarily increase his cultivation level and fight a seventh-grade Grandmaster with a first-grade Grandmaster. Is this even human?
“We need to get Fang Jingru to submit, so we need to gather evidence against him first.” Gu Yu didn’t answer Shi Jian’s question, but changed the subject.
"How do we get him to comply?" Shi Shuai asked.
"Isn't he stealing other people's spoils? Then let's play along..." Gu Yu began to explain his plan.
"I see."
"I understand now."
The group began their plan, unaware that Fang Jingru and his group were also sitting in the tent. Fang Jingru's expression was grim, as his eldest disciple was injured, which greatly affected his plans.
And most importantly, Gu Yu escaped, which is the biggest threat to him.
He was already wary of Gu Yu's talent, but Gu Yu suddenly unleashed even greater strength than him, which made him even more wary.
The feud has already been formed. If Gu Yu is allowed to grow stronger, Fang Jingru will surely die. Therefore, he must find Gu Yu and kill him as soon as possible. He believes that Gu Yu suddenly became stronger by using a secret technique. Since he used a secret technique, he is probably extremely weak at the moment, which is the best time to kill him.
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