Southern Border, Wu family residence.
Over fifty Gu Masters had gathered together.
"Greetings to the Supreme Grand Elder! Greetings to Supreme Elder Wu Qiao, greetings to Supreme Elder Qushan!" The Gu Masters saluted in unison, their expressions solemn yet unable to conceal their excitement.
Wei Shenjing was among them.
He had finally triumphed in the cruel competition and obtained the opportunity to ascend to immortality, becoming one of this group.
Besides him, there was also Saint Hand Divine Doctor, and Wu Shentong — the latter two had been resurrected through the Death Sea Fate-Fishing Formation. There was also Zhong Yi, that Gu Master from the Western Desert, the lucky inheritor of the Fire Lightning True Legacy.
All fifty-odd individuals were outstanding talents of their generation, the carefully selected Gu Master elites of the Wu family.
"Rise, all of you." Wu Yong sat in the main seat. To his left sat Qushan Lao Guai. And to his right sat the Wu family's Seventh Transformation Gu Immortal, Wu Qiao.
"How to ascend to immortality, and the matters to pay attention to during ascension — all of this has already been given to you. For the next period of time, you will enter closed cultivation. When you feel you are ready to ascend, you may come out. Our Wu family Gu Immortals will do everything in our power to help you resist the ascension calamities. You are dismissed." Wu Yong waved his hand.
The fifty-odd Gu Masters withdrew.
Wu Yong smiled and said to Qushan Lao Guai: "The matter of these Gu Masters' ascension tribulations will be left in Supreme Elder Qushan's hands."
Qushan Lao Guai was not a Wu family Gu Immortal. His surname was Qin and his given name was Jingsheng — he had originally been an independent Gu Immortal.
During the period when Fang Yuan had disguised himself as Wu Yihai, the Snail Mountain incident had occurred, which ultimately led to an alliance with Qushan Lao Guai. Qushan Lao Guai had obtained the majority of Snail Mountain's profits, but in name, Snail Mountain still belonged to the Wu family.
However, later on, Fang Yuan's identity was exposed and he was hunted down by Wu Yong.
Qushan Lao Guai's position became very awkward.
Wu Yong was a formidable figure of the current era — how could he let such an opportunity slip? He immediately took action, pressuring Qushan Lao Guai with both soft and hard measures, and ultimately forced him to become a guest Supreme Elder of the Wu family.
Now, facing Wu Yong's appointment, Qushan Lao Guai hastily agreed: "The Supreme Grand Elder is truly magnanimous — this subordinate is deeply impressed. I will spare no effort in this matter and guarantee that not a single person will be harmed by the calamities."
"Good." Wu Yong laughed heartily. "I, Wu Yong, give my word here — so long as I lead the Wu family, I will ensure that rewards and punishments are dealt fairly."
"This subordinate takes his leave. I will begin preparations immediately upon return." Qushan Lao Guai departed.
He understood the deeper meaning behind Wu Yong's actions.
He was a guest elder of the Wu family — a guest elder of a clan power would inevitably face ostracism.
But what Wu Yong had done now was truly extraordinary. He had arranged to cultivate so many Gu Immortal seeds all at once. What struck Qushan Lao Guai the most was that the majority of these fifty-odd Gu Masters were outsiders — not even members of the Wu clan.
By appointing Qushan Lao Guai to oversee this matter, Wu Yong was partly afraid that if a Wu family Gu Immortal were placed in charge, they might secretly favor the clan members. But equally, this was meant to reassure Qushan Lao Guai — a concrete demonstration telling him: I, Wu Yong, am nothing like ordinary leaders!
After Qushan Lao Guai left, Wu Yong turned his gaze to Wu Qiao.
Wu Qiao had been sitting in silence throughout, and under Wu Yong's gaze, he grew restless.
Wu Qiao had once been one of the Wu family's Three Great Elders, holding a position of great power and influence. But the Qiao family had infiltrated the clan, and when Fang Yuan disguised himself as Wu Yihai, it was Wu Qiao who had arranged his reception. That act alone had been a betrayal of the Wu family's interests!
Later, Wu Qiao had been assigned to guard the Corpse Emperor Yu Dingtian, but he had failed to hold the position, and the target was lost. That failure became a huge stain on his record.
After Wu Yong rose to power, he had suppressed Wu Qiao relentlessly. Wu Qiao's situation had gone from bad to worse, and by now his position as one of the Three Great Elders had long been stripped away. His situation was truly pitiful.
"Wu Qiao." Wu Yong spoke. "I am cultivating so many Gu Immortal seeds this time. What are your thoughts?"
Under Wu Yong's scrutiny, Wu Qiao was already drenched in sweat. He took a deep breath, rose to his feet, cupped his fists and bowed, replying with the utmost sincerity: "Reporting to Lord Wu Yong — this subordinate believes that this undertaking will benefit generations to come, and the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. This subordinate fully supports this initiative!"
Wu Yong smiled. He picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and asked in a measured tone: "Then tell me — how exactly do you intend to fully support this initiative?"
Wu Qiao took a deep breath and spoke the words he had prepared long ago.
Wu Yong listened without comment, merely nodding. He set down his cup. "Go ahead, then."
Wu Qiao was overjoyed and hastily took his leave. Unlike Qushan Lao Guai, who had simply turned and walked away, Wu Qiao backed all the way to the door, bowed deeply to Wu Yong, and only then slowly turned and retreated.
This display of deference could be called the very pinnacle of respect.
The hall was now empty save for Wu Yong alone.
His expression was blank, but inside, he sighed.
This time, he had poured all of the Wu family's resources into vigorously cultivating over fifty Gu Masters for their ascension. The scale of this endeavor was nothing short of insane.
Even with the prestige he currently held, this had still provoked discontent among many of the Wu family's Gu Immortals.
The main reason was that of the fifty-odd Gu Immortal seeds Wu Yong was cultivating, less than half were members of the Wu clan — the rest were all outsiders.
Many of the Wu family's Supreme Elders, including Wu Bachong, believed that Wu Yong's actions were undermining the very foundations of the Wu family!
"Short-sighted fools." Recalling how these people had, over the past days, offered their advice both openly and covertly, Wu Yong could not help but let out a cold snort.
The Wu family's greatest challenge lay in the scarcity of Gu Immortals. Simply holding their current territory already left them stretched thin, to say nothing of future expansion.
Yet the Wu family's pool of Gu Immortal seeds was woefully small.
Even with the standards already lowered, and even after resurrecting some of the Wu family's Gu Master elites, the total number of Wu family candidates for ascension amounted to a mere eighteen.
Gu Immortals could deal with calamities, but the ascension itself hinged above all on the harmonization of three qi. This was something outsiders could not assist with — it could only be accomplished by the Gu Master alone.
Of the eighteen Wu family seeds, following historical precedent, perhaps only one or two would successfully ascend.