Cao Xiaochun stood frozen, staring at the two large characters on the stone stele. His expression grew even more bitter.
"Gu Master?"
This profession was indeed a hidden one, and in the novels he'd read in his previous life, it was the exclusive identity of a ruthless powerhouse.
But this profession was rather unusual.
In this world, only one Gu Master could appear in any given era. It could be said that this was a truly one-of-a-kind role.
Because of how exceptional it was, when the first Gu Master appeared three hundred years ago, not only the Nine Provinces but the entire universe was shaken. The myriad races even thought he was the chosen one of fate. They not only returned the dungeons that originally belonged to the Nine Provinces, but retreated nearly a hundred thousand miles!
But the Gu Masters' subsequent development had been less than satisfactory. This unique profession could be cultivated, and while its speed wasn't particularly fast, it wasn't slow either—it was about what you'd expect from a middle-tier profession.
But Gu Masters were weak. They couldn't use spells, and their bodies were pathetically frail—not even as strong as priests. Their only means of attack was controlling Gu!
But in the past three hundred years, no one had known what Gu even were. Even after pouring all their efforts into researching them, they couldn't find the slightest clue.
As a result, the three Gu Masters who had appeared over the years had all faded into obscurity.
The only information people had about Gu Masters now was that the third Gu Master had spent his entire life researching and developed a Gu called the Pinch-Pinch Worm.
This Gu's only use was healing, but its effect was truly disappointing. Ten Pinch-Pinch Worms could barely treat a wound a few centimeters long. They were no match for even a single cast of a priest's Holy Light!
Besides, Pinch-Pinch Worms were expensive. For the price of one, they could hire a Silver Tier priest to help them, couldn't they?
So everyone's assessment of Gu Masters was that they had no strength, no magic, and no healing ability. They were trash, not even as useful as a common profession!
That was all this world knew about the profession—a piece of garbage the textbooks could barely be bothered to give a few extra lines.
Because of this, Cao Xiaochun felt as if someone had doused him with cold water. The dizzying rise and fall of his hopes was hard to take. In his previous life, he'd just been a corporate drone. He'd heard of Gu, but he had no idea how to cultivate them!
[ Ding! The host has successfully changed class to Gu Master. ] [ The Divine Gu Master Support System is officially activated! ] [ The system's primary mission is to train the host into a divine Gu Master! Hold fast to the purity in your heart and spread great love throughout the universe! ]
"Voice announcement complete. Please explore the system's functions on your own."
" Soul-Shaking Gu Insect Store opened! " " Lost Soul Gu Insect Store opened! " " Against the Current Gu Insect Store opened! " " Beginner's gift pack successfully delivered! " " Beginner's currency successfully delivered! " " Congratulations, host! You received 5,000 souls! "
The sudden voice in his mind made Cao Xiaochun freeze. Then he was overcome with excitement!
"This is a cheat ability?"
Sure enough, as someone who'd transmigrated, how could he not have a unique cheat ability?
And this Divine Gu Master Support System sounded like a perfect fit for the profession he'd awakened!
With the system's help, even if Gu Masters were weak in this world, Cao Xiaochun believed he could still climb step by step to the very top!
[Cao Xiaochun. Black Iron Tier. Level 0] Strength: 8 Speed: 12 Mental Strength: 100
He glanced at his status panel, and a flicker of shock appeared in his eyes. The other stats were perfectly normal. Only his mental strength was astonishing—it had reached 100. Even a mage who'd advanced to Bronze Tier could have a maximum mental strength of only 89!
A Gu Master's mental strength was terrifyingly high!
He forcibly suppressed his excitement. There were too many people around; he needed to find somewhere quiet to examine things properly.
Coming back to himself, Cao Xiaochun let out a soft breath and left the magic array with an easygoing expression, slowly returning to the group.
When he rejoined them, the envy in everyone's eyes had turned to sympathy.
Gu Master was indeed a hidden profession, and he could even receive the subsidy stipulated by the school.
But he'd actually become a Gu Master. Honestly, life really did have its ups and downs. The immortal couple everyone had thought they'd make had just lost one of its immortals right on the spot.
Even Pan Yuanyuan, who had awakened as a Tailor, generously walked over to comfort Cao Xiaochun.
"Cao Xiaochun, don't do anything rash. Heaven's just blind and jealous of us. Don't worry. We may both be combat trash, but I'll take you along when we level up!"
"Thanks, but it's just a little hardship. I'm fine!"
"No need to thank me. We're classmates, after all!"
Although the incident had caused quite a stir, the awakening ceremony continued, with only the principal being carried away.
Two more high-tier professions appeared during the rest of the ceremony: a Beast Tamer and a Card Maker. There were also over three hundred people with professions from the three major systems, but most had ordinary professions.
Judging by the 10-to-3 ratio, this year's class-change ceremony could be considered a success—if not for Cao Xiaochun's unexpected result.
With the principal unconscious, the planned speech and words of encouragement were canceled. Instead, each class was given seven days off to get familiar with their abilities. Afterward, there would be a major exam that would affect their upcoming college entrance exams.
Cao Xiaochun ignored everyone's gazes. By the time he left school and returned to his apartment complex, it was already seven in the evening.
"Mm... hm... mm... mm..."
Hearing the noise from next door, Cao Xiaochun's mouth twitched as he wondered whether he should raise their rent again!
The entire building where Cao Xiaochun lived belonged to him. After selling off all the shares in his company, his only remaining real estate was this twelve-story building.
It was also his main source of income.
Since it was close to the school, many young couples who didn't want to live in the dorms chose to rent apartments here. So every day, these energetic little rascals vented their excess energy by making the whole building shake.
After casually brewing himself a pot of tea, Cao Xiaochun opened the system panel. This was his only path to becoming stronger, so he had to seize this opportunity with both hands!
The system panel was simple. Aside from his basic stats, there were three stores containing all kinds of Gu.
"Spring Autumn Cicada: Price—3 billion souls."
"Fate Gu: Price—5 billion souls."
"Inch of Time: Price—10 billion souls."
"Immortality Gu: Price—30 billion souls."
Looking at the countless divine Gu listed on the screen and the strings of zeroes beneath them, Cao Xiaochun's eye twitched. Gu could only be exchanged for souls, and there weren't many restrictions on what counted as a soul. Anything with a spark of life counted as one if you killed it.
But that was still an absurd amount!
Aside from the stores, there was also a huge prize wheel. Each draw cost 1,000 souls. But when he saw that five of the ten spaces said "Better luck next time," Cao Xiaochun knew the odds weren't very good.
He let out a long breath. He remembered that he still had a beginner's gift pack, and without hesitation, silently said in his mind:
"Open the beginner's gift pack!"
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