The Path of Immortality: Starts With Creating Water Bear Gu-Chapter 478: Long Dan’s Current Situation

What happened at the Holy Gu Academy was just the tip of the iceberg. At this moment, due to the emergence of the Great Celestial Immortal Sutra, the entire world had fallen into utter chaos.

In every city and alley across the Gu World, people were fighting fiercely over the scattered books in the streets, even causing bloody clashes. With the appearance of a Heaven-grade cultivation method, everyone had gone mad.

Countless individuals who happened to pick up a copy of Journey to the West were killed because of it. Long Xuan had severely underestimated the allure of Heaven-grade techniques to the world’s Gu cultivators. The release of this Heaven-grade Gu technique had plunged the entire Gu World into unprecedented disorder.

That day, a massive number of talented Gu cultivators chose to abandon their original cultivation methods in favor of cultivating the Great Celestial Immortal Sutra found within Journey to the West. Even a multitude of Gu Kings discarded their main techniques and joined the fray.

At the same time, Daoism, which was mentioned in the book, began to rise in several regions. As more people obtained copies of Journey to the West, the number of Daoist followers snowballed rapidly.

The reason Journey to the West spread so rapidly across the globe was entirely due to Long Xuan.

His invention, the Sou Gu, after years of dedicated development by the Long Clan, had already proliferated throughout the world.

The Long Clan’s delivery service had advanced to such an extent that, as long as payment was made, an item could be transported to any place on Land within days.

Of course, this only applied to inanimate objects. Transporting living beings still posed significant technical challenges for the Long Clan.

With deep pockets and bold ambition, Long Xuan invested billions into the delivery industry, which enabled Journey to the West to be distributed to every corner of the globe in a very short period.

Once it was known that the novel contained a Heaven-grade cultivation technique, the entire world lost its mind.

As more people began reading Journey to the West, a massive amount of spiritual consumption was generated. The Bookworm Gu, which thrived on this mental energy, was overwhelmed—its level increased twice in a single day.

However, a two-level leap in a day was far from its limit. With the entire world becoming fans of Journey to the West, the spiritual energy generated might not just allow the Bookworm Gu to leap two levels—it might even ascend eight levels.

The reason it had only advanced two levels wasn’t due to limitation—it was because the Bookworm Gu’s current state could only accommodate two.

A Gu insect cannot surpass its master's realm. As such, it was forcibly capped, and Long Xuan had inadvertently become a bottleneck to its advancement.

That day, as Long Xuan was still fantasizing about the strength the Bookworm Gu might reach if everyone in the world read Journey to the West, the Bookworm Gu suddenly collapsed unconscious before his eyes.

Long Xuan was completely stunned. He rushed over and cradled the Bookworm Gu in his palm, checking it anxiously.

This sudden collapse was beyond his expectations. Just moments ago, the Bookworm Gu had been fine. There had been no warning signs. Now he was utterly confused.

Recalling that every time he used elements from his past life to create new Gu methods, something unexpected occurred—whether it was the Wine Gu, Disaster Poison Gu, or Tea Gu—he began to suspect the Bookworm Gu might have suffered a similar fate due to his innovations.

After checking the Bookworm Gu for a long time, Long Xuan’s furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and his expression turned strange.

His inspection revealed that the Bookworm Gu had simply eaten too much and had collapsed from overconsumption.

Could it be that there were simply too many people reading Journey to the West, and the Bookworm Gu had been gorged to the point of passing out? Long Xuan’s face became increasingly odd.

He didn’t know what to do about the Bookworm Gu’s condition. It fed on spiritual nourishment—an invisible, intangible substance—impossible to detect.

This made it very mysterious and hard to grasp. It wasn’t physical, so normal methods like inducing vomiting were useless.

After racking his brain for a long time, even as anxiety turned his hair white, Long Xuan still couldn’t find a way to treat the Bookworm Gu. In the end, helpless, he had to let it be and hoped for the best.

“Damn! Took too big a step and pulled something. I should’ve promoted Journey to the West one region at a time.”

“Promoting it globally in an instant—how could the Book Gu not be overstuffed? Ugh, careless... I hope it doesn’t die from this.”

Long Xuan was filled with anxiety. Just as he was at a loss, a mysterious stream of information suddenly entered his mind, and he froze.

It turned out that due to the overwhelming spiritual energy intake, the Bookworm Gu had grown rapidly and had awakened a second ability from Journey to the West.

This second ability was the legendary Seventy-Two Transformations. However, because of its insufficient level, the version it unlocked was a weakened version.

The weakened version could still transform into all things—but only in visual perception, not physical form.

In other words, if he transformed into a rock, his body didn’t actually become a rock. Instead, others would perceive him as one. His physical form remained unchanged.

It’s worth noting that this wasn’t an illusion technique. Even masters of illusion couldn’t find any flaws in it.

The greatest strength of the Seventy-Two Transformations was that it was nearly impossible to detect. While there were exceptions, they were extremely rare in this world.

Long Xuan nodded with satisfaction. He was extremely pleased with this ability. Though it didn’t enhance attack power, its practical applications were enormous and versatile.

What if he transformed into a powerful mythical beast? Wouldn’t that scare off a pursuing Gu King?

What if he became a heaven-defying treasure? Wouldn’t that lure an enemy in through greed, setting them up for a sneak attack?

Or if he transformed into the opponent’s teammate or even their father? Couldn’t he exploit their trust to assassinate them with ease?

Previously, the Face-Changing Gu had a major flaw: it could only change facial appearance, not clothing, making such tricks difficult to pull off.

But now, with the Seventy-Two Transformations, impersonating other Gu cultivators had become far more feasible.

Without exaggeration, the concealment ability of the Seventy-Two Transformations surpassed that of the Face-Changing Gu. With this skill, the Face-Changing Gu was practically obsolete.

As Long Xuan envisioned all the ways he could use the Seventy-Two Transformations to trick others, a sinister smile crept onto his face. He couldn’t wait to test it out.

But this was only the beginning—the potential of the Seventy-Two Transformations far exceeded this. This was merely the weakened version.

If in the future, Gu cultivators from the Spirit Realm and Divine Realm also became fans of Journey to the West, could the Bookworm Gu evolve further and remove the "weakened" restriction?

Once fully unlocked, the Seventy-Two Transformations might allow actual physical transformation into anything in the world.

If he turned into a divine beast, his body would genuinely take on the beast’s form—perhaps even its powers. That would be truly terrifying.

If his imagined version of Seventy-Two Transformations could really come true, Long Xuan couldn’t even fathom how powerful it would become. It would be utterly broken...

The mishap with the Bookworm Gu was merely a small interlude. Long Xuan’s life soon returned to its usual routine—frenziedly selling Coffee Gu each day. In his free time, he would play chess against various prodigies.

In order to lure the top-tier geniuses into a game of Go, Long Xuan spared no expense. The items sold at his coffee shop were no longer limited to just Coffee Gu.

Powerful Insect Armor, all kinds of pills he personally developed, Spiritual Wine, Spirit Tea, and even decently crafted Puppet Spiritual Tools—all became part of his merchandise.

Gradually, the top thirty geniuses on the Heavenly Pride Ranking of the Holy Gu Academy had all played chess with him. Of his 361 Go pieces, thirty had lit up.

With Long Xuan’s discerning eye, he could tell that these thirty geniuses, given the proper resources for breakthrough, had over an 80% chance of becoming Gu Kings.

Refining Breakthrough Pills was a simple task for him. Thus, the odds of these thirty becoming Gu Kings rose to a perfect 100%, without any chance of failure. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Of course, while their potential to reach Gu King level could be judged from their innate talent, how far they would go afterward—or whether they might die prematurely—was impossible to predict. Even Long Xuan could only rely on luck, as if opening a mystery box.

It was impossible for all thirty of them to survive forever. If they encountered formidable figures like the Ancestor Burning Heaven or the Ancestor Deceitful Heaven, whether they lived or died would be entirely up to fate.

“Heaven is unpredictable, and human fortunes are fickle.”

To increase this batch of geniuses’ survival chances, Long Xuan gifted each of them a Sou Gu Hut.

Although the Straw Gu Hut could not be used to escape during active combat, if they were trapped in dangerous terrain or being pursued—situations not immediately fatal—the Hut could save their lives.

In this way, the survival rate of these thirty prodigies was significantly improved.

After playing chess with the top thirty on the Holy Gu Academy’s Heavenly Pride Ranking, Long Xuan finally stopped.

He had high standards—not just anyone could gain his interest. Geniuses ranked below the top thirty weren’t even worthy of his attention.

Keep in mind, the Holy Gu Academy recruited globally, regardless of surname or background, with no restrictions. The overall quality of talent in the academy was exceptionally high.

Yet Long Xuan only selected the top thirty. His standards for "genius" were evident.

Across the entire Gu World, very few could catch his eye. Lighting all 361 Go pieces in the Gu World was likely an unachievable feat.

After sweeping through the geniuses of the Holy Gu Academy, Long Xuan began to ponder which other prodigies to play Go with next, and where to find them.

Truthfully, he knew quite a few top-tier geniuses, ones who fully satisfied his standards—such as Long Dan, Long Yuyao, Di Xin, Qian Jinjin… These individuals were among the absolute elite in the entire Gu World, possibly even surpassing those of the Holy Gu Academy.

Moreover, he had prior connections with all of them. Playing Go with them would be effortless. The Fate Go Pieces tied to their destinies were his for the taking.

As for Long Ziyan, Little Medicine Boy, Zhu Jiuge... they were unfortunate cases. Their rise had been too swift—they were already Gu Kings. And the Go Gu had no effect on Gu Kings.

These were eternal regrets in Long Xuan’s heart. He had no choice but to give up on them.

Turning his eyes, Long Xuan pondered for a while before finally deciding to start with Long Dan. He wondered whether that monstrous genius, who also possessed an Innate Spirit Gu, was still alive after all these years.

Logically speaking, the Limit-Breaking Gu within Long Dan was on par with the Tribulation Gu. As long as he was alive, his future achievements were bound to be impressive.

Long Xuan took out the Communication Talisman he and Long Dan had exchanged long ago. He couldn’t use the Sou Gu, as his own had only established diplomatic contact with Long Ziyan’s. Without mutual consent, he couldn’t instantly teleport to others' Sou Gu Hut.

Besides, Long Dan’s Sou Gu had already been destroyed by that genius surnamed Bai during the Mortal Kingdom battle.

Although the Sou Gu could be refined again, finding Long Dan’s newly forged cottage in the vast Void Realm would be like fishing a needle from the ocean.

Long Xuan wrote directly on the Communication Talisman:

“You there? You didn’t die in that Blackwind Nation battle, did you? Long time no see, I truly miss you. Where are you now? I’d like to visit and catch up—maybe share a drink.”

After inscribing those lines, the talisman turned into a stream of light and disappeared into the distance.

Meanwhile, in the imperial palace of the Dragon Soaring Empire, deep in a secret chamber, Long Dan, who was in seclusion, slightly furrowed his brows and slowly opened his eyes.

He retrieved a Communication Talisman from his storage ring. Upon reading the message, his face instantly changed with shock.

“It’s you?! You’re actually still alive! What is this lunatic looking for me for?”

A deep fear surfaced in Long Dan’s eyes. He was clearly unsettled.

After a long pause, he finally picked up a new Communication Talisman and wrote:

“Thanks to your blessing, I narrowly escaped that battle only because you shattered the city’s defensive barrier. I barely survived and, after evading endless pursuit, managed to return to the Western Lands.”

“I will never forget your lifesaving grace. If you wish to see me, feel free to come. If there’s anything you need, just ask.”

“To be honest, thanks to my Innate Spirit Gu, the Dragon Soaring Empire recruited me into the palace and entrusted me with great responsibilities. I am now the empire’s top-ranked genius and will soon be sent to participate in the Western Region Genius Tournament hosted by the Xuanyuan Empire.”

“This grand competition will gather all geniuses from the Western Region. Do you intend to participate? If you do, I’m afraid I’ll have to yield the championship to you.”

“One month from now, I’ll be going with the Dragon Soaring Empire’s geniuses to the tournament. You can wait for me at the competition grounds.”

As his brush fell, the Communication Talisman transformed into a streak of light and flew off.

Watching the talisman vanish into the distance, Long Dan rose to his feet with a heavy look in his eyes.

Long Xuan was the only genius he had ever truly feared—without exception.

Regardless of how much Long Xuan had grown over the years, just that forbidden technique he once used in battle was more than enough. If he deployed it again, there was no way Long Dan could withstand it. The championship would inevitably go to him.

“Will Long Xuan really join this Western Region Genius Tournament?” Long Dan took a deep breath, feeling intense pressure.

At the same time, Long Xuan felt his storage ring tremble slightly, and his face lit up with joy.

“So Long Dan’s still alive. Guess he’s got good fortune. Since he’s alive, I’ll definitely count him in.”

He took out the returned Communication Talisman and frowned slightly at the long message.

“He wrote so much? Is he a chatterbox?”