The So-Called Inheritance Paths

Gu Jianlin was silent for a long time before suddenly laughing.

"What are you laughing at?"

Lu Zicheng asked curiously.

Gu Jianlin said softly, "For a long time, everyone thought I was crazy, that something was wrong with my head. They said I had post-traumatic stress disorder and believed everything I saw was fake."

Lu Zicheng patted his shoulder and comforted him. "Fallen flowers cannot return to their branches, and a broken mirror cannot be made whole again. Once someone awakens, they can never truly return to the mundane world. You were chosen by another world, so naturally normal people cannot understand you. It is a gift, but also a curse; fortunate, yet equally tragic."

Gu Jianlin felt that he was quite fortunate. If he had not come into contact with the supernatural world and learned of Ancient Gods, Ascenders, and the secrets of another spacetime dimension, he would never have known how his father died.

Some things simply passed by without ever being explained.

Perhaps he would never see that terrifying monster on the highway again for the rest of his life.

Nor could he seek justice from anyone.

He hesitated for a long time before finally asking the question he wanted to ask.

"So my father's death wasn't just a car accident."

He raised his head. Faint daylight reflected in his eyes, which were empty and still. "He was murdered."

Lu Zicheng's hand holding the cigarette paused slightly, then he slowly nodded.

"Yes."

After a long silence.

Gu Jianlin silently clenched his fists and stared into the other man's eyes. "Can you tell me the exact reason?"

This time, Lu Zicheng unusually avoided his gaze.

"Although every child has the right to know how their parents died, I'm sorry, but I can't tell you. This matter involves an extremely highly classified secret, and I cannot leak it."

He hesitated before saying, "Besides, this is very complicated."

"If possible, I want to know what it would take for me to be qualified to learn the truth."

Gu Jianlin said expressionlessly, "Joining the Ether Association?"

Lu Zicheng took a deep drag on his cigarette and scratched his head. "You're pretty smart. I do want to invite you to join the Ether Association. For a genius like you, the Ether Association won't just leave you wandering outside."

"But regarding your father, I can't guarantee that you'll receive an answer anytime soon. I need to seek approval from my superiors, and you'll also need to complete some assessments and tests before you can officially become a member of the Ether Association."

He paused. "Of course, if you're strong enough, you can ignore all those rules."

Gu Jianlin was stunned.

"What's so surprising about that? This world has always followed the law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak. If you were a ninth-rank Ascender right now, having crossed the wall of cognition to become a demigod, you could stand above every rule in this world. No one would dare tell you no, including those old fogies in the Ether Association."

Lu Zicheng shrugged and joked, "Because you could blow their damn heads off whenever you wanted. The rules they set would be bullshit to you. Of course, they wouldn't dare offend you. From what I know of them, they'd line up to pay their respects, falling over themselves to grovel at your feet. You'd become the emperor among Ascenders..."

Gu Jianlin pondered for a moment. "That sounds pretty great."

"Of course it's great."

Lu Zicheng laughed. "Even the useless teammates you meet in games know who to cling to. They'd give you all the minions, monsters, and kills. The world of Ascenders is the same."

Gu Jianlin asked, "Do people like that really exist?"

Lu Zicheng said with a smile, "Interested? I can only tell you that several have appeared in history. The most famous one is probably in your middle school history textbook. He's now at the northern foot of Mount Li in Lintong District, Chang'an City."

Gu Jianlin froze. "That First Emperor?"

"Mhm. There are a few still alive in the present day too."

Lu Zicheng glanced at him. "And you haven't even chosen your inheritance path yet."

Gu Jianlin was somewhat puzzled. "The problem is, no one ever asked me to choose."

Lu Zicheng curled his lip. "Tsk. You're a noble self-awakened Ascender, unlike mediocre people like us, who need the Ether Association's ascension ritual to help us choose an inheritance path. Once you fully recognize the true nature of this world, you'll naturally choose the inheritance path that belongs to you."

Gu Jianlin stroked his chin and fell into thought.

Inheritance paths—he had heard that term many times already.

If he had guessed correctly, they were like the different classes in online games. Ascenders could choose different inheritance paths to change classes, and their abilities and traits were all different.

So far, he had learned of four inheritance paths.

Alchemist, Magician, Witch, and Ancient Martial Arts.

Each inheritance path had extremely obvious class traits in his profile, making them easy to identify at a glance.

Gu Jianlin did not know whether it was because he had entered the Kirin Immortal Palace, but his profile could actually analyze other people's inheritance classes. That was even more absurd than the personality portraits he had seen before.

No one would believe it if he told them.

He also wondered whether his father's profile could show the same scenes he saw.

An Alchemist, as the name implied, was probably a healer.

He had already fought a Magician. At the lowest level, they could only use illusions, and those had no effect on him.

As for Witches, they were support-type classes. He did not yet know their exact abilities.

And finally, Ancient Martial Arts—that was truly ferocious.

The enormous, burly phantom of an ancient warrior had possessed the oppressive presence of a demon god. Its terrifying might and icy killing intent were as overwhelming as a storm. Even after two hours, the memory remained vivid.

Gu Jianlin had nearly suffered cardiac arrest from just one glance.

"The one who fought you was called a Magician. At the beginner stage, they have no special abilities apart from Hypnosis. It's widely recognized as the weakest class in the early stages. They can't even deal with ordinary people with sufficiently strong wills. Chen Qing, meanwhile, follows the Witch Path. Their main abilities are perception and support—purifying the mind and providing psychological counseling."

Lu Zicheng gave a brief introduction. "I'm an Ancient Martial Arts practitioner. As the name suggests, it's the best combat class. We wield the power of qi. Blowing that man's head apart with a snap earlier was an advanced application of qi."

He continued at length, "There are many other inheritance paths too, such as the Western Priests, the Eastern Sword Sect, the unfathomable Ghost Slayers, and the Paladins who are naturally suited to being meat shields..."

They really were quite a motley assortment.

"The essence of inheritance paths can be understood as classes in a game. Every path has different abilities."

Lu Zicheng reminded him, "Of course, different classes have different levels of strength. The older an inheritance path is, the more foundation it has accumulated, the more thoroughly it has been developed, and the more powerful its abilities become."

Gu Jianlin thought for a moment. "Then Magicians?"

"Right."

Lu Zicheng nodded. "Inheritance paths like Magicians appeared rather late, so their foundation is too weak. In fact, most Western inheritance paths are not as ancient as those of the East."

Gu Jianlin asked, "How did inheritance paths come about?"

Lu Zicheng answered frankly, "I don't know."

Gu Jianlin was taken aback.

"No one knows the exact principles, but the process of Ascenders advancing through inheritance paths is the process by which humanity gains the power of gods. Some say this is a gift from the gods to humanity."

Lu Zicheng glanced at him and paused. "In Greek mythology, Prometheus stole fire for humanity, and from then on, humanity learned how to make fire."

"The vast majority of Ascenders gain an inheritance path after seeing that world, using complex mystical rituals and the residual wills left behind by past sages to pry open power from another world. That is also why rogue Ascenders cannot survive."

"Because they cannot obtain inheritance paths. Even if they become Ascenders by chance, they have no methods or resources to advance. That other world is dangerous too, and they receive no protection."

Gu Jianlin roughly understood. The Ascender resources in this world were basically controlled by certain organizations.

Using a game analogy, the pioneering phase had already ended.

"Every deceased Ascender's remaining consciousness returns to the other world, and through the accumulation of history, inheritance paths are formed."

Lu Zicheng said with a smile, "The earliest Ascenders were people like you, exceptionally gifted individuals capable of awakening on their own. In other words, without anyone guiding you, you can seek out power that suits you in that other world."

"For example, if you camped in a forest for two months and threw away some food every day, then one rat happened to eat that meat and became the strongest among the rats."

"Of course, Ascenders aren't rats. We genuinely possess the potential to evolve. As for the theory behind it, and why this happens, no one knows."

Gu Jianlin commented, "That world sounds like it's full of treasures."

"It is, but only if you have the aptitude to observe treasures from another world."

Lu Zicheng's tone became slightly more serious. "And that world is accompanied by endless dangers."

Gu Jianlin understood that deeply.

He asked, "Are self-awakened Ascenders the most gifted?"

Lu Zicheng scratched his temple and explained, "Not exactly. Above you, there are Divine Servants directly chosen by gods. And above Divine Servants, there is another kind."

Gu Jianlin waited quietly for him to continue.

"Ancient Gods, of course."

Lu Zicheng spread his hands. "But you don't need to worry about that. Self-awakened Ascenders are definitely more gifted than ordinary Ascenders, but they're still living beings. Divine Servants and Ancient Gods exist on a different level from us. You wouldn't be wrong to call them carbon-based life forms, but in truth, they really are something else..."

For no reason, Gu Jianlin thought of the Qilin in his mind, but he cautiously kept it to himself.

Because he had a premonition.

Once this was spoken aloud, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Then what inheritance path will I have?"

He asked.

"There's no rush. You'll know tonight."

Lu Zicheng said seriously, "For now, what you need to do is deal with your family..."

"Family?"

Gu Jianlin stared in astonishment and turned to look out the window.

Outside stood a very familiar girl in a white casual outfit. Her hair was tied into a bun, a face mask covered her face, her hands rested on her hips, and she wore a pair of slippers.

Su Youzhu.

Gu Jianlin took out his phone and discovered that the screen already showed dozens of missed calls.

Thanks to the boss Shenqi Hailuo Ya for becoming a league leader! You're so generous, boss! I'll stay up late and post an extra chapter tonight!