Chapter 38: Rank Two Middle Stage
THE RELIC GU BIDDING WAR (IT'S GIVING BLACK FRIDAY CHAOS)
The second floor of the treehouse was packed like a Walmart on Black Friday. Everyone was glazing over the Red Steel Relic Gu like it was the last PS5 in stock.
NPC Chatter:
"Mo Yan or Chi Shan definitely won this!"
"Nah bro, I saw Elder Yao Ji drop a bid—she's prepping for her granddaughter's Awakening Ceremony!"
"Must be nice having rich family... I'm out here looking like a F2P player."
Fang Yuan stood there with his Sigma Face™, listening to the copium-fueled speculation. Nobody even side-eyed him—just a "lucky noob" who inherited some assets.
Perfect. The less attention, the smoother his glow-up arc would be.
THE BIG REVEAL (IT'S GIVING PLOT TWIST)
The counter's branches suddenly WRAPPED around the Relic Gu like it was protecting its gyatt. When they unfurled—PLOT TWIST—the Gu was gone, replaced by a Revert Gu (which looked like a sassy stone rolling its eyes every 2 seconds).
Twitch Chat Reactions:
👀 "xX_GuInvestigator_Xx: WHO GOT THE RELIC GU??"
💸 "BidOrQuit: Bro the auction house drama is BETTER than the actual plot"
🤡 "CluelessNPC: It was definitely Mo Yan! I saw her smile!!"
Meanwhile, Fang Yuan got secretly DMed by a caravan employee:
"Young master Fang Yuan... Lord Jia Fu wants to chat."
JIA FU'S PRIVATE MEETING (IT'S GIVING RECRUITER INTERVIEW)
Fang Yuan entered a hidden room (because apparently, the treehouse had secret boss fight arenas). Jia Fu sat there like a mob boss, scar gleaming under the dim light.
Jia Fu: "Your bidding skills... impressive. Every quote was 10 stones away from the winning bid. How about you join my caravan?"
Fang Yuan (internally): "Lmao, I could've won EVERY bid if I wanted. This was just bait."
Outwardly: "Sorry, I'm a clan loyalist." (Biggest lie of the century.)
Jia Fu copium'd hard, giving him a VIP token anyway: "If you change your mind..."
Fang Yuan left with:
✅ Red Steel Relic Gu (instant power-up)
✅ Caravan Token (future plot armor)
✅ Sigma Cred (maxed out)
NPCs MALDING (IT'S GIVING SALT MINES)
Outside, Chi Shan looked like he lost a gacha pull. Chi Cheng was seething when he saw Fang Yuan:
Chi Cheng: "Ugh, why is HE here?" (Still pressed over past L's)
Fang Yuan just nodded with a subtle smirk, walking away like:
"Stay mad. I'm built different."
MONKEY KING BOSS FIGHT
Location: Rock Forest (aka Jade Monkey Grindspot)
Fang Yuan was farming EXP like it was a part-time job.
Combat Stats:
Moonglow Gu: OP AoE damage (but drains 10% primeval essence per shot)
White Jade Gu: Tank build (monkey headbutts = no damage, just vibes)
Primeval Essence: 44% left (4 moonblades max)
Deep in the forest stood the Thickest Rock Pillar™, housing:
500+ stone monkeys (trash mobs)
1 Monkey King (mini-boss with Gu worms inside it)
Fang Yuan's Analysis:
Wild Boar King = Thousand Beast King (needed 3 teams to kill)
This Monkey King = Hundred Beast King (solo-able... maybe)
Problem: Even with middle-stage cultivation, success rate = 25%.
Solution: "Time to pop the Red Steel Relic Gu."
RED STEEL RELIC GU ACTIVATION
The aperture scene was vibing like a nightclub:
Two Liquor Worms doing kegstands in the primeval sea
Black Boar Gu buzzing around like it just did a line of coke
White Jade Gu sleeping at the bottom like that one friend who passes out early
Then—BZZT—the Red Steel Relic Gu went supernova, blasting glow-up rays like a TikTok filter on steroids. The light membrane thickened faster than a Sigma male's grindset spreadsheet.
Key Details Added:
The relic's energy didn't just boost him—it reforged his foundation like a blacksmith hammering out impurities
That single scarlet primeval thread in his sea? That's the Sigma Seed™, the foundation of his future dominance
Spring Autumn Rizz twitched in its sleep during the process (foreshadowing much?)
MONKEY KING BOSS FIGHT (SOULS-LIKE SWEATFEST)
Fang Yuan returned to the rock forest looking like a speedrunner about to break the WR. But the Monkey King had other plans:
The Setup:
500+ stone monkeys (trash mobs with aggro mechanics)
Monkey King rocking a Stealth Rock Gu (basically wallhacks)
Fang Yuan's 11% primeval essence (two moonblades or bust)
The Play-by-Play:
Phase 1: Fang Yuan kites monkeys like a WoW hunter, but the King stays invis
Phase 2: He removes his shirt (ultimate power move), baiting the King's aggro
CLUTCH MOMENT: Spring Autumn Rizz vibrates—Fang Yuan whips around and parries the invis attack
FINISHER: Moonblade slices through the floating shirt, critting the Monkey King for 69420 damage
Twitch Chat Loses It:
👕 "FashionSouls: SHIRT OFF = +50% CRIT RATE"
🩸 "BloodTrailAndy: MONKEY JUST GOT RATIOED BY A HANES T-SHIRT"
🧠 "SigmaGamer: 500 IQ audio cue gameplay"
Key Details Added:
The shirt wasn't just a meme—it caught wind resistance, revealing the King's position
That 5% primeval essence drain per hit? That's why middle-stage was mandatory
Monkey King's blood trails led to the biggest lore drop...
💎 STEALTH ROCK GU LOOT & INHERITANCE DISCOVERY
The dying Monkey King coped hard as Fang Yuan yoinked its Gu:
Stealth Rock Gu (Rank 1, turns user into John Cena mode)
New Monkey King watching like 👁️👄👁️ (already malding about its predecessor's L)
But the real prize was under the central pillar:
Hidden cave with suspiciously clean stairs (who's maintaining these?!)
Ancient carvings showing a drunk monk (Flower Wine Monk lore)
Faint wine aroma (bitter wine copium?)
Twitch Chat Theorizes:
🏺 "LoreAndOrder: BRO FOUND THE SECRET DLC"
🍷 "WineMom: That bitter wine ain't gonna find itself"
⚠️ "TrapWarning: Those stairs are 100% booby-trapped"
Fang Yuan sniffed the air—that bitter wine might FINALLY be here
The carvings showed nine specific drinking poses (future cultivation hints?)
Spring Autumn Rizz twitched again near the entrance (it KNOWS something)
☀️ SUMMER GRINDSET ARC
By summer, Fang Yuan's sigma routine was locked in:
Vitality leaf farming (passive income maxxing)
Four Flavors Liquor Worm prep (still missing that damn bitter wine)
Stealth Rock Gu fusion experiments (invisibility + White Jade Gu = OP?)
Meanwhile, the clan:
Called him "short-sighted" for selling assets (NPCs stay poor)
Didn't notice his middle-stage aura until he flexed it (zero observational skills)
Still malding about the Relic Gu (cope harder)
💥 RANK 5 GU DROP (OHIO FINALE)
As autumn began, the earth shit itself:
Wild Rank 5 Gu spawns near village (devs really said "fuck your pacing")
Clan leader pissing himself (not in the budget)
Wolf Tide countdown still ticking (double boss fight?!)