Days passed.
The rain had long stopped, giving way to cool, misty mornings and quiet evenings. The Liu Tribe's encampment, nestled between steep hills and groves of hardy trees, bustled with life. Gu Masters, hunters, children, and elderly moved like the flow of an ecosystem built on tradition, discipline, and quiet strength.
Ethan—now known to everyone as Zhang Wei—was slowly becoming part of that rhythm.
He helped carry supplies, clean gear, and assist with tending to the livestock. He learned to properly bow when elders passed, when to speak and when to keep quiet. His muscles ached each night, but the work grounded him. It gave structure to the chaos in his heart.
No longer a boy lost in a strange world.
Not quite a man of it, either.
But something in between.
Still, Ethan wasn't blind. He noticed how the Gu Masters—those with their apertures awakened and their Gu worms refined—stood apart from everyone else. Mortals gave way to them, lowered their heads, and deferred without question.
There was no mistaking it: Gu Masters ruled here.
Their presence was marked not by wealth or glamor, but by pressure—a subtle, coiling intensity in the air. Even a glance from a low-ranked Gu Master could make a common man's breath hitch.
Ethan had seen it himself. A single glare from Liu Tieshan had stopped a brawny tribesman mid-sentence. Liu Lan's calm voice could silence a dozen quarreling guards.
Power. Respect. Fear.
That was the order of things.
And Zhang Wei—Ethan—was still on the outside of it.
Until one morning, when everything changed.
It started over breakfast.
Liu Lan and Liu Tieshan were seated in their home—a sturdy wooden lodge near the center of the clan's outer ring. Xiaofan, as always, was busy munching on grilled roots with sticky fingers, occasionally trying to sneak bites off Ethan's plate.
"Young man," Liu Tieshan said suddenly, his tone low and direct. "How old are you?"
Ethan paused, a half-eaten bite of flatbread in his mouth.
"…Thirteen."
Liu Lan looked up, her eyes narrowing slightly. "You said your village was destroyed recently, yes? From one of the western raids?"
"Yes," Ethan said, sticking to the cover story they'd accepted. "I survived and wandered until I ran into… all this."
Liu Tieshan grunted. "Thirteen is a good age."
"A very good age," Liu Lan added, her voice quieter but more thoughtful. "You're just in time for the Awakening Ceremony."
Ethan blinked. "Wait—me?"
"You live here now," she said simply. "You've helped, shown discipline, and saved our son. It would be wrong to deny you the opportunity."
Xiaofan lit up. "Big Bro Zhang Wei's gonna be a Gu Master too?!"
Ethan's breath caught.
He hadn't expected this. He'd known awakening existed—heard about the Hope Gu and the ceremony—but he didn't think he'd be allowed to participate, let alone invited.
"But I'm not even from the tribe," he said slowly.
"You carry no blood feud with us," Tieshan replied. "And you've shown no deception. In this world, loyalty and results matter more than blood. And its not sure whether you will awaken an aperture or not."
Liu Lan added, "There are many in this camp who were once outsiders. The Liu Clan is strong because we recognize potential but we severely punish any betrayal. Whether you succeed or fail will be up to the will of Heaven… and your own."
Ethan looked down at his hands.
He wasn't ready. Not really. He didn't know how to refine Gu, how to use them, how to cultivate…
But the Status Menu glowed faintly in the back of his mind.
[Soul Path.][ Luck Path.][ Dream Path.]
This world hadn't rejected him.
It was calling to him.
"…I'll do it," he said quietly.
Liu Tieshan nodded once. "Thank YOu."
That night, long after most of the camp had gone quiet, Ethan found himself staring into the low embers of the fire, deep in thought. The warmth didn't reach the chill in his chest. Not tonight.
He had a lot to think about.
The Awakening Ceremony.
His cover identity—Zhang Wei—was being processed just like any other village youth, and come the next moon cycle, he would kneel with dozens of others and receive the Hope Gu's help in awakening the aperature.
He opened his Status Menu, eyes flickering over the entries.
________________
Status: Ethan
Rank: None
Cultivation Talent: ???Affinity:[Expand]
__________
"Still no rank…" he muttered. "Looks like I really have to awaken first before it shows anything."
He leaned back against the wooden pillar of the sleeping hut and began whispering to himself, piecing together what he had learned so far.
"In this world, every Gu Master begins by awakening their aperture. That's a special space inside their body—specifically, in the lower abdomen. It's where your primal essence is stored... and where your Gu live and are nourished."
He drew a small circle in the dirt with his finger, then another one next to it—slightly smaller.
Primarily a person's talent is what determines which rank they will be able to reach as a Gu Master. The most common knowledge among Gu Masters is that there are only four talent grades corresponding to the maximum capacity of primeval essence being stored inside the aperture. They range from A grade (best), B grade, C grade, to D grade (worst). It is to be noted that the rank a Gu Master can achieve is not exclusive to their aptitude, for example, even a Gu Master with C grade aptitude can potentially become a rank 5 Gu Master and even a Gu Immortal.
There are some rare Gu which can increase one's aptitude but they are so rare that most cant even find one in their whole life.
And so its better to have hope of advancing your rank than wishing for an aptitude type gu.