Nexus Grandmaster

Meeting Fellow Disciples

Within the space tunnel created by his teleportation divine art, Gao Weiguang cast a fog spell around Fang Yu to isolate his sensory perception, making his view appear quite hazy and distant.

"As a mortal, observing chaotic space with your naked eye can throw you into epileptic spasm," Gao Weiguang's voice appeared in Fang Yu's mind. "Actually, if it wasn't for the Mind Stabilizing Pill I gave you to consume earlier, you would be puking your guts out by now."

Hearing this, Fang Yu sharply restrained his curiosity and waited quietly until they exited the spatial tunnel.

The first view that Fang Yu saw was a large, black tree that had an exceptionally thick trunk but no branches at all. It towered high up in the sky with a vast stretch of empty space on all sides.

Fang Yu turned to Gao Weiguang and asked, "Master, where is this place?" He noticed there was nothing in the sky where the three suns and five moons were supposed to be.

"This is not the main world you're used to," Gao Weiguang seemed to understand the reason behind Fang Yu's query and replied patiently. "Think of it as a subsidiary space, called a divine plane. You'll slowly learn about the intricacies of details like this now that you've entered the cultivation world."

As he spoke, he poked a finger in the trunk of the tree and a door suddenly materialized from it.

"Magical, right?" Gao Weiguang chuckled at the dazed expression on Fang Yu's face and pulled him with him through the door. When Fang Yu regained his vision, he found himself in the most breathtaking room he had even seen. The walls were made of some lustrous material that looked as otherworldly as it was beautiful, with the floor paved with translucent tiles. The decor was both regal and simple at the same time.

"Magical, right?" Gao Weiguang said again, grinning widely like a kid showing off his painting. "I designed this room myself."

"It's indeed magical," Fang Yu nodded while looking around curiously. He noticed a closed door to the far left and was about to ask about it when it flew open.

Three people came walking through the door with light footsteps. Two of them were girls and the last was a boy, all teenagers around Fang Yu's age.

The first girl was tall, with simple features that gave her a lacklustre presence. But her eyes were completely cold; she had the most rigid look seemingly etched permanently on her face.

The second girl was the complete opposite; she was exceptionally beautiful with soft, delicate features and a warm aura around her. She gave Fang Yu a kindly smile upon seeing him.

The boy among them was handsome-looking and had long, flowing hair. With the pristine white robe he was wearing and the jade ruler by his waist, he looked like a young, bright scholar. Fang Yu took one look at him and found him extremely pretentious.

"These are your fellow disciples," Gao Weiguang said to Fang Yu, introducing them. "Pei Xue, Ting Lanyue and Yue Ruhuo."

Yue Ruhuo looked at Fang Yu from head to toe and spoke disdainfully, "Country bumpkin?"

Fang Yu was pissed but maintained a smile as he looked straight at the pretentious fellow. In the same tone, he said, "Cosplayer wannabe?"

The atmosphere turned awkward as the two glared at each other. Beside Fang Yu, Gao Weiguang coughed.

"Your robe looks so exotic, where did you get it from?" The beautiful girl, Ting Lanyue, asked Fang Yu curiously.

"You can exchange pleasantries among yourselves later, there really is no time right now," Gao Weiguang killed the budding discourse before it progressed further and walked off in large strides. "Come with me."

"This sister, what's going on?" Fang Yu whispered to Ting Lanyue as they followed Gao Weiguang. "What's Master in a rush about?"

"Oh, you don't know?" Ting Lanyue exclaimed softly in surprise. "He wants to carry out the God Refinement Plan before those bad guys come over to claim it for themselves."

'God Refinement Plan?' Fang Yu was not dumb and quickly put two and two together, "Does this have something to do with the crystal?"

"Yes," Ting Lanyue nodded. "The crystal is called a godshard and contains the remnant essence of a fallen god. Master created a method that integrates this essence into mortals. Now that he has all four Godshards with him, he wants to integrate them with the four of us."

In front of them, Yue Ruhuo suddenly turned around to say maliciously, "Junior Sister, don't forget to tell the country skunk that while Master's method perfectly grafts the potential and essence of a godshard to the mortal body, there is also a ninety-nine percent chance of being assimilated by the latent Will of the god residing within it."

Ting Lanyue's expression darkened and she berated Yue Ruhuo furiously, "For the umpteenth time, you're not my senior brother. Master took the both of us in at the same time. Also, mind your damn business!"

Fang Yu was silent. He was more concerned about the information Yue Ruhuo had just let slip.

'Integrating godshard essence into mortal bodies.....this is basically a lab rat case,' the realization made Fang Yu's heart turn cold. 'How the hell are they all cool with this?'

Yue Ruhuo seemed to read Fang Yu's thoughts as he said next, "If you're wondering why we're going through with it, Ting Lanyue is Master's adopted daughter and foolishly volunteered. Pei Xue is fine with it because her cultivation qualifications were snatched away by her clan and she's power hungry for revenge, while I have my own reasons."

At this point, they came to a halt in front of four thick pillars that had runes inscribed all over them. Gao Weiguang activated an ocular spell first and started tinkering with them.

"It's not too late to tell Master you're not interested," Yue Ruhuo said to Fang Yu in low tones. "I'm sure he'll understand."

"Keep quiet," Gao Weiguang suddenly turned to Yue Ruhuo. Clearly, the side talks hadn't escaped his hearing all along.

"I apologize, Master," Yue Ruhuo wisely shut his mouth and put on a sorry face.

Gao Weiguang ignored him and turned to Fang Yu instead, "You heard what they said. Are you in or out?"

Fang Yu hesitated and asked, "What happens if I opt out?"

"If you opt out, I'll cut off our ties and send you off with a cultivation inheritance enough to excavate your potential to the limit," Gao Weiguang employed an ocular spell to observe Fang Yu's physique before speaking. "In a couple hundred years, you should be able to enter the demigod realm with it."

A frown involuntarily appeared on Fang Yu's face when he heard these words. Apparently, the idea of spending centuries to achieve a cultivation realm did not sound appealing in the slightest to him.

Actually, his reaction was a product of his clueless horizons; any rookie divine practitioner on the planet would burst into tears of joy if they were told that they could reach the demigod realm in a few hundred years. Less than 3% of the residents possessed the qualifications to even pursue that realm, much less reach it.

"But if you choose to assimilate a Godshard, your potential will be marginally increased to at least godhood level and you'll have the additional opportunity to stand on the shoulders of giants to forge your own path," Gao Weiguang continued. "Besides that, the special identity affiliated with assimilating a godshard will allow you come in contact with certain mysteries and secrets that you'll normally be unqualified to know about."

"And the risk?" Fang Yu asked. "The godshards contain remnant Wills....isn't assimilating one just opening oneself to the risk of getting imprinted and possessed?"

Gao Weiguang gave a smile that wasn't quite a smile as he replied, "Nothing good comes easy. The risk of possession is exactly the price to pay for this opportunity."

After all was said, Fang Yu fell into a brief spell of silence, carefully weighing the pros and cons. Finally, he opened his mouth to speak.

"I need more information."