The Supreme Soul, Starting with Death

Leaving behind a simple math problem, Gu Shi clapped his hands in satisfaction. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he saw Erlang, who had been complaining of stomach pain, carrying a large rock and running over with a silly grin.

Erlang placed his stone next to Gu Shi's stone and, with a flourish, carved the words, "When the Double Ninth Festival arrives, I will come again to admire the chrysanthemums." He then looked at Gu Shi with delight, hoping to get some feedback from his teacher.

Looking at the string of characters that looked like earthworms crawling out, Gu Shi's lips twitched a few times. Considering that Erlang had been learning to write for less than a month and was still writing with his paws, he swallowed back the complaints on the tip of his tongue and nodded stiffly.

"Well, this time the poem was used correctly, albeit barely."

After saying that, fearing that Erlang would want him to appreciate his masterpiece, Gu Shi quickly coughed and waved his hand to change the subject.

"Alright, hurry up and say goodbye to the bat, we should be going now."

After saying that, Gu Shi took the lead and walked out of the Kylian group. Erlang scratched his head, looked at Xushan beside him, rolled his eyes, and squeezed out a sentence: "We brothers are one scholar and one warrior. When we combine our swords, we are invincible. You work hard, and when you come out, your big brother will take you to roam the world and dominate the martial arts world!"

Taking advantage of the fact that the bat couldn't refute his transformation into the eldest brother, Erlang nodded contentedly, leaving behind a "goodbye," without any sorrow of parting, and happily caught up with Gu Shi.

Gu Shi slapped Erlang on the head, making the 30-meter-tall man stumble.

"Just listen to the story, don't you feel embarrassed saying those lines in real life? 'Dominating the world and ruling the martial arts world'? What kind of martial arts world is this in Hueco Mundo?!"

"How could it be gone? Gu Shi, you said it yourself, wherever there are people, there is a world of its own!"

"Is anyone in Hueco Mundo? Are you a person, or am I?"

"I don't care! Hueco Mundo is the martial world, and I, Erlang Kuangke, will dominate it! My sword energy will traverse 30,000 miles, and my sword light will chill 19 provinces! So cool!"

"The storytelling session tonight has been cancelled."

"No, Gu Shi, I was wrong. I won't dominate the martial arts world anymore. I'll go to university, okay? You wanted me to go to university, right? I'll go! I'll go to whatever you want me to go to!"

The tall figure gradually disappeared into the distance, while the silent Xushan Mountain remained standing, utterly still.

P.S.: Please add to your favorites and recommend!

Chapter Fifty-Three: Poets, Knights-Errant, and True Lords

“Erlang, come here and look. Remember this: this is the epitome of idiocy. If you ever dare to imitate him, I’ll give you a good beating.”

Gu Shi, standing on a Killian that was even taller than himself, beckoned Erlang over to come and see the mentally challenged man.

Despite having both arms broken, the mentally challenged Killian refused to give up and continued to shout at the top of his lungs.

"You're dead! I'll kill you! I'll definitely kill you! I'm the strongest!"

Erlang, who had come over to see the mentally challenged man, was getting annoyed by what he was hearing. He kicked the man on the head to silence him for the time being, and then rubbed his chin with some confusion.

“Gu Shi, although this guy is a bit slow, he at least has independent consciousness. Compared to ordinary Killian, he should be considered relatively smart. There’s no need to call him mentally challenged.”

"Ordinary Killian don't even have brains; they're not much smarter than ants. How pathetic are you to compare your intelligence with theirs?"

Rolling his eyes, Gu Shi glared at Erlang in annoyance. Seeing that Erlang shrank back and didn't intend to continue arguing with him, Gu Shi continued.

"This is the Forest of Hollows, where there's no shortage of Hollows. You can find a bunch of brainless Killian just by walking a few steps, like eating at a buffet. And this guy still has to jump out and cause trouble for us. What do you call that if not idiotic?"

"You're the idiot! I'm a battle maniac! Do you understand?!"

Erlang's kick didn't silence him for long. Killian, who was being trampled under Gu Shi's foot, regained consciousness and shouted angrily when he heard Gu Shi criticizing him.

“You’re all a bunch of aimless, dreamless guys, but I’m different! I’ve found my purpose in life! I live to fight! I’ll live and die in battle! I live a far more authentic life than you self-proclaimed smart guys!”

This rebuttal made Gu Shi look at this "idiot" with new respect. He never expected that among the lower-level Great Void beings, there would be someone who would think about something like "survival goals".

"Okay, looks like I wronged you. You're not mentally challenged, just a little... stupid? Why are you glaring at me? Not satisfied? Dumb, you're not stupid, you're just dumb, okay?"

Hueco Mundo doesn't have a day-night cycle, so it's impossible to accurately judge the time. You can only vaguely guess based on your sense of touch. In Gu Shi's mind, it had been almost half a month since he said goodbye to the bat. It was rare to encounter a guy with independent consciousness who could communicate normally. Since he could make sure that the other party was not a threat, Gu Shi was happy to tease this guy and have a good chat with him.

“You fool, you’re being a bit too presumptuous to say we don’t have dreams or goals. Come on, Erlang, tell him about your dreams and broaden his horizons.”

Swish!Swish!Swish!

With a whooshing sound as his robes swept through the air, Erlang quickly struck several dashing poses, finally settling on a position where his legs were slightly bent, one hand twisted and stretched back, and the other open and held in front of him. His gaze peered through his fingers at the fool lying on the ground, and he slowly uttered a "deep, hoarse" voice.

"I, Erlang Jushi, will become the greatest poet and the most dashing knight-errant in the entire Hueco Mundo, holding the sun and moon in my hands and plucking stars from the sky. There is no one like me in this world. One day, the whole world will dance at my fingertips like a dream, a bubble, or a flash of lightning. At that time, I will be a legend!"

As he spoke, Erlang quietly released a bit of spiritual pressure to form wind pressure, causing his black robe to flutter and adding to his aura of dominance.

The simpleton lying on the ground looked up at Erlang's scarlet and domineering eyes, and for a moment he was somewhat lost in thought, feeling that Erlang Jushi's body in front of him was so majestic (thirty meters) and so awe-inspiring.

Although I don't know what poets and knights-errant are, since they can say such domineering things as "holding the sun and moon in their hands and plucking stars from the sky," I suppose poets and knights-errant must be great beings as extraordinary as gods.

That's amazing! That's incredible! That's so cool!

The simpleton was captivated by Erlang's domineering manner, while Gu Shi secretly regretted his loose tongue a few days ago when he casually mentioned a few methods for practicing vocal fry while telling a story.

Listening to Erlang recite his lines in a rough, hoarse, bubbly voice, Gu Shi felt as if ants were crawling all over his body, making him feel uncomfortable all over.

"Alright, I've stated my goals. Gu Shi, it's your turn to speak."

Gu Shi was feeling miserable, while Erlang had already satisfiedly put away his "sure-win move" and, under the adoring gaze of the simpleton, passed the ball to Gu Shi.

The idiot, still being trampled on by Gu Shi, immediately struggled and rolled over under Gu Shi's feet. His broken claws seemed to have fully recovered, but he showed no intention of getting up to fight back. He lay obediently under Gu Shi's feet, craning his neck to look up at Gu Shi. His big, watery, bloodshot eyes were full of anticipation. Erlang also looked extremely excited, clenching his claws and waiting for Gu Shi's performance.

Gu Shi originally only intended to fool them casually, but seeing the performance of these two fools, he simply gritted his teeth, flicked the wide sleeves of his black robe, put his hands behind his back, stirred the air with his spiritual power, making the robe flutter gently behind him, and slowly spoke in a leisurely and ethereal tone.

"Heaven and earth may perish, but I shall not; the sun and moon may perish, but I shall not perish. I, Gu Shi Zhenjun, am that immortal being who has lived for countless eons. The loves, hates, dreams, and ambitions of all living beings are but a fleeting illusion in the torrent of time. Only I can stand at the end of time and look down upon all living beings. When the world comes to an end, and you all turn to dust, I will alone carry the memories of the entire world to welcome the birth of the next world."

After Gu Shi finished speaking, he put his hands behind his back, looked up at the dark sky above the void, and remained silent. While maintaining his composure, he was a little uneasy. He had tried to be as straightforward as possible. He wondered if these two fools who were obsessed with the romance of martial arts could understand the romance of fantasy.

A silence spread, with only the low howls of the Kyrian race in the distance reaching Gu Shi's ears intermittently on the dry, hot winds of the Great Hollow Forest.

The more silent Gu Shi remained, the more embarrassed he became. He couldn't help but wonder if he hadn't acted well enough, leaving the two idiots next to him feeling awkward.

Just then, Erlang suddenly pounced like a tiger, his big claws tightly gripping Gu Shi's thigh.

"No! Waaaaa, Gu Shi, don't leave me alone! I want to go to the next world too! Take me with you!"

Gu Shi watched helplessly as Erlang's snot and tears streamed down his face, smearing all over his black robe. Before he could react, the simpleton under his foot suddenly wailed and hugged his other leg.

"Gu Shizhenjun, please take me with you! I want to see the new world too!!"

Two massive creatures, each over thirty meters tall, clung to Gu Shi's legs, howling and screaming. As the hem of his robe grew increasingly wet, Gu Shi's expression slowly twisted and contorted into a ferocious grimace.

P.S.: The second update will be tonight, please vote and add to your favorites!

Chapter 54 We're So Clever (Second Update)

"Gu Shi Zhenjun, how can this world be so unfair? When monsters become stronger, they can transform into human form and use all sorts of cool and powerful weapons and magical artifacts. But if we Gillian evolve into Adjuchas, we will transform back into various animal forms and will no longer be able to use weapons. Sigh, just thinking about it makes me feel sad."

"Don't call me True Lord!"

"Okay, okay, I have a bad memory and I forget things easily. If I forget again, I'll have to trouble you to remind me. By the way, True Lord, do you think that when I evolve into Adjuchas in the future, I can evolve into a monkey? A monkey's claws are similar to human hands, so it should be able to hold weapons, right?"

"Don't call me True Lord!"

Gu Shi glared fiercely at the idiot in front of him, then slapped him on the head, knocking him to the ground. Still not satisfied, he kicked him again.

"How would I know what you'll evolve into? If you're really capable, then evolve into a Vasto Lorde. I've heard that Vasto Lordes are all humanoid."

Killian was thick-skinned and tough. The simpleton was knocked to the ground and kicked again, but after getting up, he was still as if nothing had happened. He wasn't worried about getting slapped again and shamelessly rubbed against Gu Shi. This time, Gu Shi didn't make a move, but Erlang disdainfully slapped him to the ground.

"Don't get so close, it's like we're old friends. And what are you doing following us around? It's been so many days and you're still bothering us. Be careful, one day we'll get too lazy to go out and find food, and we'll just eat you as our food supply."

The simpleton remained unperturbed, got up, dusted himself off, and shamelessly approached Erlang. He put his paw around Erlang's shoulder, leaned close to his ear, and whispered something.

“Erlang Jushi, I know what you’re worried about. Don’t worry, I just admire Gu Shizhenjun’s knowledge and want to learn from him how to become an immortal. I have no intention of competing with you for a friend.”

Erlang frowned, disdainfully swatting the claw off his shoulder, but his attitude softened somewhat, and he no longer directly knocked the idiot over.

"Why are you getting so close when you're just talking? Besides, Gu Shi already said that all that talk about gods and immortals is just something he made up, didn't you hear him?"

The simpleton rubbed his paws, not minding Erlang's attitude, still wearing a silly grin, nudged Erlang with his shoulder, and asked in a low voice.

"Hehe, Erlang Jushi, that's not very kind of you. Zhenjun even said that the martial arts world and the Jianghu were made up by him. Do you believe that heroes like Yang Guo and Guo Jing were made up?"

"Of course not!"

Erlang shook his head vigorously without hesitation, then lowered his voice and chuckled a few times with a hint of smugness.

"Haha, think about it yourself. Gu Shi recounted the experiences of those heroes in great detail. He could even clearly explain which hero inherited which hero's martial arts. How could this be made up?"

"Gu Shi, he must be just like those old sect leaders and masters, worried that I am not strong enough and that if I rashly enter the martial arts world, I will not become a great hero but will become a foot soldier to highlight the great heroes. That's why he lied to me and said that the martial arts world does not exist."

"Just you wait and see. When I become Adjuchas and stronger than I am now, Gu Shi will definitely tell me where the real martial arts world is."

By the end, Erlang was so excited that his eyebrows almost flew off, and his voice unconsciously rose a little. His eyes were full of longing for the martial world and chivalrous heroes. Hanhuo nodded in agreement, his voice revealing a hint of excitement.

“That’s right, that’s right, that’s what I think too. If Gu Shizhenjun had never seen a deity, how could he explain the affairs between deities so clearly? He must have really seen deities. Maybe Gu Shizhenjun was a deity in the past.”

As he spoke, the simpleton's voice unconsciously rose a little due to his excitement.

“The True Lord must be testing me, that’s why he’s unwilling to teach me the immortal classics. Look at Sun Wukong, he only had the chance to learn skills after seven years of training. I’ve only been with the True Lord for a few days, so it’s only natural that he doesn’t trust me.”

"However, sincerity is key. I believe that as long as I am sincere enough, the True Lord will definitely be moved and accept me as his disciple."

Seeing how determined the simpleton was, Erlang was deeply moved and patted him hard on the shoulder.

"I underestimated you. I didn't expect you to see things so clearly. Since you have the perseverance and don't intend to compete with me for the title of great hero, I'll teach you a little trick."

At this point, Erlang stopped, staring expectantly at the simpleton. The simpleton paused for a moment, then realized what he meant—

This is Jianghu!

So, the simpleton quickly put on an admiring expression, awkwardly clenched his two paws together, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Erlang, and recalled the tone that Gu Shi used when telling stories of the martial arts world.

"As expected of Erlang Jushi, who often serves Gu Shizhenjun, his information is indeed very good. I am ashamed of my inferiority and would like to ask Jushi for some guidance."

Although Erlang felt that the simpleton's performance was not "Jianghu" enough, he couldn't help but be happy that someone was finally talking to him like this. He quickly put on a nonchalant look and waved his hand with the air of a chivalrous hero.

"There's no need for that. It's our responsibility to mentor the younger generation. Just listen carefully."

"Gu Shi is known as the All-Knowing Scholar, and he knows everything in the world. All sorts of things that happen in the martial arts world can be kept from the Six Doors and the Kaifeng Prefecture, but they cannot be kept from him."

"This person seems ordinary in his speech, but he often reveals secrets that only martial arts masters know. I learned the secret of the Dugu Nine Swords from my casual conversation with him. If you are fortunate enough to talk to him, you might as well carefully ponder every word he says, and you will surely gain something."

Having finally satisfied his craving to be a senior expert, Erlang felt incredibly comfortable, even more so than if he had devoured a whole Gillian in one go. If the simpleton had been a little smarter, he might have said something like, "Thank you for your guidance, sir. I am deeply grateful," or "I admire you for revealing such a secret so frankly."

However, when Erlang eagerly awaited the fool's reaction, he saw the fool staring wide-eyed, looking completely bewildered as if he hadn't understood anything. Erlang's chivalrous spirit vanished instantly, and he shook his head helplessly.

"That is to say, when Gu Shi tells a story, he sometimes casually mentions some hidden things. If you think about it carefully, you might be able to find a useful sentence or two."

The simpleton suddenly realized what was going on and thanked Erlang repeatedly. Erlang had lost interest and waved him off before going off to study the Dugu Nine Swords.

The simpleton didn't care whether Erlang was disappointed or not, and stared wide-eyed as he began to recall what Gu Shi had said in the past few days, trying to find one or two secrets of cultivation.

Gu Shi sat to the side, gnawing on Killian's thigh meat. Looking at this obsessed guy, he seemed to see himself back then, addicted to online novels, finding a whole bunch of "cultivation methods" online. He practiced yoga and life chakra one day, magic visualization the next, for almost a year before finally giving up under the threat of the college entrance exam monster.