The Path of Immortality: Starts With Creating Water Bear Gu-Chapter 458: Heaven-Defying Go Gu

[TL: Saint Gu Academy will be translated as Holy Gu Academy]

A fierce battle had just taken place here. Long Xuan, fearing it might attract unwanted attention, chose not to linger. He quickly cleared the battlefield of the spoils of war and departed swiftly.

Hua An’s storage ring was clearly of very high grade—it had actually not been destroyed in the explosion. Given Hua An’s wealth and status, this came as no surprise. Within the ring, Long Xuan discovered a trove of valuable items—he had made another small fortune.

Half a month later, within the territory of the Xuanyuan Empire, a massive city came into Long Xuan’s view.

He pulled out a map and muttered to himself, “So this is the famed Holy Gu City?”

“The Holy Gu Academy is located within Holy Gu City. After a month of travel, I’ve finally arrived.”

A faint smile appeared on Long Xuan’s face. Just as he was about to enter the city, an elderly man with a head full of white hair suddenly appeared before him, looking benevolent and kindly.

The old man's gaze first fell on Zhu Jiuge, who was on Long Xuan’s back, and then shifted to Long Xuan himself. After sizing him up for a few moments, a satisfied smile crept across his face.

“Young friend, I am her master. Please hand her over to me. Thank you for taking care of her on the journey,” the old man said, stroking his beard with a gentle smile.

Seeing that Zhu Jiuge had no visible reaction, Long Xuan carried her forward and placed her in front of the elderly man.

Although Zhu Jiuge could not move, her consciousness was still intact, and she could hear what others were saying.

Since she didn’t react negatively, it was likely this elderly man truly was her master.

“Senior, may I ask if there is still hope of fully healing Zhu Jiuge’s injuries?” Long Xuan inquired after handing her over.

“No worries. As long as the divine might left in her body by the artifact is removed, there are at least a hundred ways to heal her,” the elder replied.

He placed a pill into Zhu Jiuge’s mouth and then handed her to a beautiful woman behind him, without another glance.

Long Xuan was stunned—were such grave injuries really so easily resolved? Just a pill was enough?

“I go by the surname Qi, and my name is Qi Luoyou. In my life, I’ve most enjoyed playing Go. I find you pleasing to the eye—how about a game with me?”

As he spoke, before Long Xuan could even respond, Qi Luoyou waved his sleeve, and a stone table along with a pair of stone stools appeared between them. A chessboard was carved into the table, and a box for holding the pieces was set in the center.

Seeing this, Long Xuan instantly understood—his opinion didn’t matter. One way or another, he would be playing this game today. Refusal was not an option.

He couldn’t help twitching at the corner of his mouth. What kind of eccentric old man forces people into a game of chess?

Qi Luoyou? That name rang a bell. Long Xuan’s heart stirred.

Although he was not very worldly, he had heard of some of the most powerful figures in the Central Lands.

Qi Luoyou was a renowned name across the entire Gu Realm—in the entire Western Region, his combat strength ranked among the top ten.

Qi Luoyou possessed a heaven-defying type of Gu insect known as the Go Gu, which required over ten million materials to create.

The Go Gu was a type of Mother-Child Gu—the child Gu resembled a Go piece exactly. Black pieces were male (yang), white pieces female (yin).

Those who possessed the Go Gu enjoyed playing matches with talented individuals from all over. If they won a game, the fate of the defeated genius could be bound to one of the Go pieces.

The more extraordinary the genius's future achievements, the stronger the corresponding Go Gu would become.

However, this ability only worked on the weak, not the strong. Additionally, the number of pieces was limited—once a piece was bound to someone’s fate, it could never be changed for life.

This meant the possessor of the Go Gu couldn’t take shortcuts by playing against already-peak Gu Kings. Instead, they had to roam the world in search of promising young talents and attempt to bind their fate through Go.

This tested the vision of the Go Gu owner—they had to be able to recognize talent amidst the masses.

Otherwise, if that genius failed to reach the peak of Gu cultivation in the future or had a tendency to court death and perished prematurely, then that particular child Go Gu would be rendered completely useless.

Thus, the strength of the Go Gu is entirely dependent on the host’s ability to judge people. If every Go piece is bound to the destiny of a monstrous genius, and all these geniuses manage to grow to their full potential, then the owner of the Go Gu would be invincible under heaven.

However, if most of those he plays Go with are mere mediocrities, then the Go Gu would become pathetically weak—so weak that it wouldn’t even have a lower limit.

In this world, no one dares to pound their chest and guarantee that a certain person will definitely become a mighty powerhouse, nor can anyone ensure that a genius will not perish prematurely.

Since Go pieces are limited, Qi Luoyou dared not wager their finite slots on the unpredictable destinies of others. Hence, he infiltrated the Holy Gu Academy, becoming a mentor and recruiting disciples on a large scale.

Rather than searching the world for unfamiliar geniuses, it was clearly much more reliable to personally train them from scratch.

He first assesses a person’s personality, then evaluates their talent. Those with a reckless, self-destructive streak are absolutely not accepted. Over time, he gathered a batch of geniuses who embodied the essence of “cautious survival”—each one an expert in staying alive against all odds. Under his guidance and example, every one of his disciples became exceedingly adept at “lying low to survive.”

These geniuses had a high survival rate. Coupled with Qi Luoyou’s reckless investment of resources, it was no surprise that all of them eventually reached maturity and greatness.

It is said that 108 of his disciples have already become Gu Kings, and after becoming famous, they scattered across the world, each possessing formidable combat power.

Given this, one can easily imagine the combat strength of Qi Luoyou's Go Gu.

Putting aside his other Gu insects, just his Go Gu alone contains at least 108 sub-chess Gu, each one an extremely powerful elite Gu.

Even the most talented of others could at best have a dozen elite Gu insects, yet this man’s single Go Gu carries 108 elite Gu. Who could possibly defeat him?

With so many elite Gu insects at his disposal, Qi Luoyou was practically invincible. Armed with this collection of supreme Gu, he effortlessly ascended into the ranks of the Top Ten Powerhouses of the Western Region, becoming the center of attention for a time.

And the most recent disciple Qi Luoyou accepted was none other than Zhu Jiuge. With her Doom Gu, even dying becomes difficult for him. His future greatness is virtually guaranteed, and by taking her as a disciple, Qi Luoyou has essentially secured yet another elite chess piece Gu.

At this moment, Long Xuan couldn't help but marvel. Qi Luoyou really had a sharp eye for talent. How could he so accurately recognize that Long Xuan would surely become exceptional in the future? He insisted on playing Go with him—such perceptiveness was downright terrifying. No wonder he had cultivated so many elite sub-Go Gu.

This Go Gu has clearly found its destined master. In his hands, its future holds limitless possibilities.

Upon hearing Qi Luoyou’s words, the beautiful woman standing behind him was stunned. Qi Luoyou usually only gambled on his own disciples and rarely played chess with geniuses from outside.

Go pieces were limited. Qi Luoyou was reluctant to waste even one. Therefore, every time he chose to play chess with an outsider, it was only after he was absolutely certain of their potential. Just what kind of capability did this person possess to make Qi Luoyou so optimistic about his future?

“Master, we have plenty of time. To be safe, should we observe him a bit longer first? Although he's already in the late stage of the Spiritual Sea stage at such a young age and has exceptional talent—what if he’s the kind that loves courting death?”

She frowned slightly and sent a soul transmission to Qi Luoyou.

Qi Luoyou shook his head and replied with a smile through a soul transmission, “No need. One who can so effortlessly kill Hua An must be an extraordinary freak. Looking across the entire Gu Realm, there are few geniuses who can match him.”

“A genius of such a monstrous level should have already shaken the Gu Realm with his name. Yet I’ve never heard of him. It’s as if he appeared out of thin air, with no trace of his existence anywhere in the world.”

“This only proves one thing—he’s extremely low-key, treats fame and fortune like dirt, and is as stable as an old dog.”

“There are very few geniuses who can stay under the radar to this degree. His survival rate must be incredibly high.”

“I have great expectations for his future! This elite Go piece is as good as mine. He might even become the brightest star on my chessboard!”

Qi Luoyou’s lips curled up into a confident smile.