Sound continued ringing in his mind, as he stood there and tried to make out to what was going on.
"System?" Timothy said as if he remembered something and before another thought would manifest itself, new notifications materialized in his vision. From this notification he understood that he awakened some kind of system called 'Gu cultivation system.'
This was rough description of system's main powers and if he would think more about them he could find to what they meant.
"This is just like in light novels" He said after reading its full description. As a person, who was dreaming about immortality since young age, he was quite familiar with this kind of books. Cultivation isekai, Xianxia, Wuxia or other type of eastern fantasy novels, there was a time when he was reading all of them with great interest. Stories about arrogant protagonists, whos are always trying to earn approval, without approving anyone for themselves.
It was strange as somehow this shy young boy could find himself in these fine assholes. He was going journey with them and greatly felt every danger, where they would find themselves in. Main reason for this, as he thought, was their undying desire to seek immortality.
"If it is as I think, there should be some kind of status window too." Timothy continued as he tried to forget his embarrassing past and sure enough new screen appeared before him.
"Hmm... I know what Faceless mantra is..." Timothy said.
Faceless mantra was cultivation technique, which previous holder of this body was using. Cultivation techniques were main guidelines for cultivators to cultivate. Gu cultivation was unique way of cultivating and every cultivator needed their own special way to cultivate. At the same time, in the world were danger was everywhere and thousands of cultivators were dying every day, from a million cultivators there were only few people, who got at that stage, where he could guide one on the mystical road of cultivation. Even in the Undead Gu sect, which was one from three great evil sect of this world it was a problem. There were more than Few millions disciples divided in seventy peak of Undead Gu sect and only seventy elder. With this kind of arrangement it was impossible for elders to handle them all and despite the fact that every now and then elders were holding lectures for sect disciples, main source of knowledge for normal disciples like Timothy Viel was were these manuals.
There were all kind of different cultivation techniques and each one had different criteriums to cultivate. For example Flame reborn mantra needed Gu, which had a fire affinity.
Because he was cultivating with Ghost Gu, Timothy didn't had a much of a variations to choose from.
Mantras were created by masters from previous generation. More popular Gu worm was and more people were cultivating with it, more mantras there were for its cultivation. Undead Gu, which was most popular Gu in the Undead Gu sect had fourteen thousand five hundred seventy two mantras to cultivate, which were created, cultivated, searched and advanced by millions of cultivators from different ages.
Sadly for Timothy, his Gu wasn't enjoying with this kind of treatment and after months of research in the main library, only suitable technique, which he found was this Faceless mantra, stored at the end of first floor of library, covered by dust and looked unused for generations.
But that doesn't mean that mantra itself was that bad. More than that Original owner of this body was quite a happy that he found this mantra. It had three volumes and each should be cultivated on their respective major realm, which meant that if one had enough talent he could cultivate even at the golden core realm. At the same time it was giving cultivator quite helpful abilities. With the first volume of mantra Timothy got ability, which was covering his cultivation from others. Even if other side had much more higher cultivation, it would be impossible for him to see his cultivation level. Timothy understood that system was calling this ability the 'Ghost Qi' after he read description of this passive skill.
"...But, what is Qi manifestation?" he finished his words and new lines appeared in his vision.
"Grade white? Does skills too, have their grade?" he asked himself as he read small description. Not thinking much about it his attention want back on the first notification, which he got.
"Should I merge or absorb it?" He said excitedly. Last few hours were quite a tiring for him. But reward after it wasn't that bad. After he awakened system it felt as if light came into eternal darkness. Now he had a hope that someday he would really became an immortal. Because of that he was on quiet a good mode and was thinking about it with his fullest attention. Task on its own was quite a hard for him, who was a new with this kind of systems. He wanted to explore both of them, but had only one skill and couldn't do it.
'I will just merge it. I can get other skills and absorb them. But it's debatable to when I will get same skill, which I already have and would have possibility to use this function.' He made up his mind and ordered his system to fulfill it.
After that notifications stopped.
"Status" Timothy said. Clear excitement could be seen in his voice as he hoped that there would be some kind of changes in the panel. But as his vision changed so did his facial features. There wasn't any change in his panel.
"What happened is this mistake? Does it need some time to show it?" Timothy looked panel with confusion, But that confusion faded as he opened up his skill tab.
From a look of it this one percent in evolution tab should have been his skill, which he sacrificed.
"What does that even means?!" Timothy said loudly without held back anger, which once again was burning him from inside.
He died all of a sudden and transmigrated in this cursed place, in a body of suicidal maniac, whom not only kill himself, but almost sacrificed him too. Then there was a pain and after that he lost his cultivation, most important thing in this world. What he got after that? Hope that someday his childhood dream would fulfilled, what's at this point shouldn't even be considered, as one would thing to what was the odds that it would become real and this damned system. At first when he transmigrated in this world he thought that this was his second chance, but now that he was thinking more about it, more likely it was that he was died and this was his hell.
"One percent? How many Gu should I kill for this skill to evolve? Hundred? If you wouldn't help me, then you shouldn't have shown yourself in the first place." Timothy screamed and once again fell on the grass. It was already night. Dark sky was shining with countless golden stars and remaining humans to how insignificants they were.
That happened with Timothy too. As he was looking this boundless celestial ocean, he felt like a young child lost in the woods. Alone, scared, powerless, longing to meet his mother's arms. This feeling, as well as current state of his mind were annoying him. He was mad that he lost control on his emotions so easily and didn't even noticed that with thinking on it more, more he was giving his emotions control on mind.
"Hah... what are you complaining about? If you should kill hundred Gu, then you should do that. If you need more, just do more." He said with low voice as he began to stand up.
"You should do everything, you should fight till...." He continued with more firm voice.
"...till you..." Volume of his voice was continuing to rise.
"...Will be an..." He looked back at the sky but now his face had completely different look. Now he looked like a tiger, which was ready to fight.
"Immortal!" he screamed at the stop of his lung as he stood up firmly with his new power. As if it felt something, Gu in his acupoint began to work. His eyes lost their color and thin lines of white mist came out from his body and surrounded him. He looked like a ghost descendent in mortal world.
He looked at the end of the sky, far away where it was merging with earth. There he could see a dark line of mountains, which was becoming more vivid from strange green light, which was shining behind of it.
"I'm coming Undead Gu sect..." Voice echoed in the darkness.