Newbie Gift Pack and Assessment Mission

Gu Jianlin saw this title, and even with his limited understanding of the transcendent world, he could piece a few things together.

No wonder this artificial intelligence referred to him as a descendant of the Gu family.

And no wonder that in his childhood memories, the only recollections he had of his relatives were funeral halls and memorial tablets.

Back then, he was still in elementary school. Because his parents' relationship was strained, he had been cautious since he was young. He studied hard at school, never skipped class or played truant, and rarely asked for leave, all for fear of upsetting his parents.

The few times he did take leave, it was always his parents who requested it for him.

"Xiao Lin, it's your grandfather's death anniversary tomorrow, take a day off."

"Oh."

"Xiao Lin, it's your grandmother's death anniversary tomorrow, take a day off."

"Oh."

"Xiao Lin, your second uncle is gone, take a day off tomorrow."

"Oh."

"Xiao Lin, your third uncle is gone too..."

Gu Jianlin was young then, and he had almost developed a phobia of the Funing Garden on Taipei Road.

Every time he went there, there would be one more tombstone, and no one ever told him why.

Gu Jianlin's family structure was different from everyone else's. There were never any gatherings during holidays, and his relatives were like dragons that only showed their heads but never their tails; if anyone had news about them, it was a sure sign they were gone.

It turned out they were all Ascenders, and the whole family were heroes.

The whole family was wiped out, neat and tidy!

"So, when you called me a descendant of the Gu family just now, that was a polite way of putting it?"

Gu Jianlin said quietly, "Because to be more precise, I am the last seedling of the Gu family."

Taixu smiled and explained, "To avoid making you humans feel uncomfortable, and because we know you have reservations about artificial intelligence, I try to be considerate of your feelings. In your human terms, this is called emotional intelligence."

High emotional intelligence: You are the last seedling of the old Gu family.

Low emotional intelligence: Your whole family is dead.

Gu Jianlin didn't know what to say, so he could only move the mouse and click on the document.

"In the thirty-seventh year of the First Emperor, Xu Fu returned from his first voyage to the east empty-handed. The First Emperor was furious and demanded an explanation. Xu Fu lied, claiming that fierce giant sharks in the sea made it difficult for ships to approach the immortal mountains, and that skilled archers must be sent along to shoot the sharks. The First Emperor then summoned a warrior capable of battle to assist in hunting the giant sharks."

"The man was a general under the First Emperor's command. In his youth, he had campaigned across the land, suppressing rebellions and quelling disasters; he was of the Langya Gu clan. That same year, a disaster occurred on the east coast, and the giant sharks stirred up trouble. The Gu clan, left behind on the shore, successfully suppressed the maritime chaos and were rewarded by the First Emperor, becoming transcendent."

"The Gu clan weathered the rise and fall of dynasties, and their descendants followed the First Emperor's dying wish to search for the footprints of immortals within the mountains and seas. In the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties, they stumbled into the Fusang Divine Palace, and from then on, generation after generation suffered under a curse, with no peace in their twilight years..."

"This curse is bizarre and unpredictable. Without exception, every member of the Gu clan dies mysteriously between the ages of forty and fifty, suspected to be the result of some mysterious event related to the Ancient God Race. The specific circumstances remain unknown."

"In 1979, the last descendants of the Gu clan, Gu Qingcheng and Li Nianci, settled in Feng City. They attempted to break the Gu family's bloodline curse by adopting three children from an orphanage to continue the family legacy. Yet, facts proved that the Gu clan still could not escape the abyss of the curse..."

Seeing this, Gu Jianlin felt his scalp tingle.

So that was it. In the history known to ordinary people, some secret details had been erased.

If the emperor who now lay in eternal sleep at Mount Li was an Ascender who could be called a demigod, then what he pursued was definitely not some so-called elixir of immortality, but the secrets of the Ancient God Race!

Thinking about it, what Xu Fu was ordered to pursue must have been the Ancient God Race.

And the Gu clan was likely the type of scholar-official family in history that had been Ascenders since their ancestors, remaining active in the shadows for thousands of years until they were cursed at a place called the Fusang Divine Palace.

The clansmen died one after another.

This curse had continued from ancient times to the present, fulfilling itself on everyone.

Gu Jianlin had no impression of his grandparents, mainly because they had died too early.

Only today did he learn that his father and the others were all adopted.

According to this file, his grandparents must have died from the curse shortly after adopting his father and uncles.

As for his father and the others, they grew up relying on each other, and despite being adopted, they still couldn't escape the curse.

They died one by one.

This curse didn't seem to be carried by bloodline, but was truly determined to wipe them all out.

Gu Jianlin continued to read the file, scrolling down.

"Gu Qingcheng, Tier 6 Ascender, Ancient Martial Arts path, died in a supernatural elemental turbulence, aged 49."

"Li Nianci, Tier 5 Ascender, Alchemist path, died from a drug-related malfunction, aged 46."

"Gu Cijiu, Tier 3 Ascender, Divine Priest path, died in a cliff-falling accident, aged 40."

"Gu Cixin, Tier 2 Ascender, Sword Sect path, cause of death unknown, aged 42."

This file only contained information on the modern members of the Gu clan.

Gu Jianlin's pupils flickered; every single incident was almost entirely an accident.

Coincidence upon coincidence could no longer be a coincidence.

Someone must have been manipulating it.

For no reason, Gu Jianlin thought of the terrifying silhouette he had seen before he was severely injured.

That monster-like thing that resembled a Ghost Cart.

Seeing this, Gu Jianlin's blood ran cold.

Late at night, the cool sea breeze blew in, making him shiver.

He hadn't expected that behind his family was a long-standing family of Ascenders.

What he hadn't expected even more was that his family members had all died because of a curse.

His father's constant busyness was probably to break the curse...

That was why he ignored his wife and son, and didn't even want a home anymore just to solve cases.

Perhaps when his uncles died, he already knew.

He and his father could not escape this fate either.

"In other words, if I don't break this curse, I will die too."

After a long silence, Gu Jianlin asked softly, "I won't live past forty, right?"

Taixu replied, "Theoretically, yes."

Gu Jianlin thought to himself that the little empty plot in the cemetery was really reserved for him, damn it.

He held his breath for a long time before asking, "Will it affect my current family?"

Taixu replied, "We have yet to figure out the logic of the curse, so we have no way of knowing."

Gu Jianlin put a hand to his forehead, "Could you be any more ominous?"

Taixu was silent for a second, "Yes."

Gu Jianlin: ...

"Gu Ci'an, Tier 6 Fallen, Celestial Master path."

"Suspected of being corrupted by an Ancient God, severe loss of mental control, one of the instigators of the Blood Moon Massacre!"

"Wanted range: Global."

"Danger level: Alpha."

"Target status: Deceased!"

Gu Jianlin's pupils shook.

"The Ether Association has been doing its best to help your Gu clan break the curse, but there has been no progress for many years. Your father entered the Kirin Immortal Palace in search of a way to break the curse, but his mind was eventually corrupted, and he became a Fallen."

Taixu asked in a human-like tone, "The team led by Gu Ci'an went completely out of control. Fortunately, those they slaughtered were also Fallen whose minds had been corrupted, but it still severely damaged a key project of the Ether Association. This incident is known as the Blood Moon Massacre."

Gu Jianlin was silent for a moment, "What is a Fallen?"

A file popped up on the computer screen, which was exactly the information on the Fallen.

In the process of evolution, mutations often exist; this is an immutable law of life.

Not everyone who is an Ascender has the qualifications to advance. Since ancient times, many people have lost themselves on the path forward, or were infected by the power of the Ancient Gods, leading to mental mutations and falling into monsters.

Those with great talent will not lose themselves and can resist the erosion of the Ancient Gods, unless they are willing to fall for the sake of power.

High-tier Ascenders often have a near-zero probability of falling.

However, some people have naturally weak mental willpower and are extremely prone to falling.

The Ether Association's periodic assessments are meant to screen out those at risk of falling.

"Take Li Changzhi as an example. Before he lost control, he was a public official for the Immortal Palace project, but while excavating the ruins of the Kirin Immortal Palace, due to his own desires and other factors, his mind was corrupted and he lost control severely."

Taixu paused, "Later, he was severely wounded by your father during the Blood Moon Massacre, but he managed to escape."

Gu Jianlin put a hand to his forehead and sighed quietly.

Alright, old Gu.

You've got talent, you really know how to cause trouble.

Actually, that Li Changzhi was already very dangerous.

If it weren't for the fact that he could use the power of the Kirin to be immune to mental hypnosis, he likely wouldn't have won.

And the mutation that the Magician displayed in his dying state was as terrifying as an alien.

Gu Jianlin felt that even fifty of him wouldn't be enough to satisfy the other party.

Gu Jianlin asked in confusion, "My father was a high-tier Ascender, why would he lose control?"

"We don't know."

Taixu replied, "Perhaps your father violated some taboo in the Kirin Immortal Palace in order to break the curse and fell voluntarily."

Gu Jianlin instinctively felt that something was wrong.

It was raining heavily that day, and he was waiting for his father to return at the airport.

Although his father was in a hurry that day, he still bought him a few pieces of clothing and a brand-new Switch.

He was talking and laughing the whole way; he didn't look like someone who had lost control at all.

Back when his parents weren't divorced, that man would mutter for half a month just from killing a fish.

His mother often complained that he was useless, and now he had become a Fallen who had lost control.

The most contradictory part was that the Fallen were all crazy and aggressive.

Taking Li Changzhi as an example, that guy went crazy after only a few words, his IQ dropping straight down.

But on the day his father had his accident, he was no different from usual.

This was very suspicious.

"I want to see the evidence."

He said in a deep voice, "If possible, I want a detailed incident report."

Taixu said politely, "Searching for entries, please wait."

After a while, she replied, "Sorry, Reserve Investigator Gu Jianlin. Your clearance is insufficient, and you do not have the right to view the relevant incident."

Gu Jianlin wiped his face hard and slumped in his chair.

It seemed that anything related to old Gu was top-secret within the Ether Association, and ordinary people couldn't access it.

"What kind of clearance is required to be eligible to view this?"

Gu Jianlin asked weakly.

Taixu searched for a moment again and replied, "Sorry, your clearance is insufficient, I cannot disclose that."

Gu Jianlin took a deep breath, his blood pressure rising.

Taixu smiled and said:

"As you can see, this is the world of Ascenders. According to instructions from above, I will confirm your personal opinion on whether to include you in the Kirin Immortal Palace Project. If you agree, you will become the last batch of Ascenders, and after assessment and training, you will obtain a quota to enter the Kirin Immortal Palace to pioneer, competing with Ascenders from all over the world for the opportunity to advance. If you refuse, you can train in the real world."

Gu Jianlin pondered for a moment, "Is there any difference?"

"The resources of the Ascender world are all obtained from the Ancient God Realm, while the resources of the real world are almost zero."

Taixu explained patiently, "Take your uncles as an example. They awakened very early, their talent was slightly insufficient, and they always trained in reality, failing to advance to Tier 4 by the time they passed away. But your father awakened after marriage, and even so, he relied on his own talent to fight for the opportunity to advance in the Ancient God Realm, infinitely close to the Tier 7 Sanctuary."

Gu Jianlin nodded slightly, "In layman's terms, the strong are in the Ancient God Realm, and the weak are in the real world."

Taixu replied, "Yes."

Gu Jianlin said seriously, "I agree to join the Kirin Immortal Palace Project."

There was nothing to discuss; people move upward, and water flows downward.

If his life were a book, then once he chose not to enter the Ancient God Realm, no one would probably read it.

Taixu confirmed, "Are you sure? You awakened late, and whether competing with your peers or venturing into the Ancient God Realm, you will be slightly disadvantaged. And you have no generous resource background to improve quickly; this is a life-or-death matter."

Gu Jianlin asked calmly, "Will I die?"

Taixu replied, "That possibility cannot be ruled out. Living is a matter for one person alone; no one can protect you forever."

Living is a matter for one person alone—that was well said.

Gu Jianlin said again, "I agree to join, there's nothing else to say."

At this moment, he thought of one thing.

When he traveled to the Kirin Immortal Palace, he was imprisoned in a coffin.

If he entered in another way, he didn't know if he could get rid of that tomb and the shackles of the Candle Dragon Venerable.

"Very well, the tutorial for beginners ends here."

Taixu returned to her official tone, "Then next, your information will be registered in the database."

"Name: Gu Jianlin."

"Gender: Male."

"Blood type: O."

"Date of birth: August 13, 20xx."

"Talent classification: Autonomous Ascender."

"Inheritance path: Divine Priest."

"Rank: Tier 0."

"Merit: 100."

"The Newbie Gift Pack will be delivered to you shortly."

"Ding, the Newbie Gift Pack is ready, please click to download."

"The assessment trial is about to begin, mission dispatching."

"Ding, your assessment trial is a high-risk hunting mission—target, Tier 1 Fallen, codename Joker!"

"This mission is a multi-person collective mission. You can participate through investigation, assisting in the pursuit, assisting in the kill, etc. Deep Sky will judge your merit based on your performance. The current number of participants is 72."

"Good luck."