Yu Sai managed to become a clan elder, surprising everyone, and also gaining massive praise.
But this change in status couldn't change who he was as a person.
No, it wouldn't change his nature as a useless bum.
If anything, the clan subsidy meant that he didn't have to work at all unlike before. Neither did Li Mei.
And this just made being a bum even easier.
Ding!
Congratulations!
You've wasted over 1500 total hours being a useless bum!
White Steel Relic Gu has been rewarded to the user!
Yu Sai soon found himself at Rank 3 Peak Stage and then Rank 4 Initial Stage.
By now people were suspecting how he was advancing so quickly, not that they could challenge him.
Soon, he began getting all manner of rare gu worms.
Some people even suggested that he challenge Fang Zheng for the position of clan head.
But Yu Sai didn't want that.
It would threaten his lifelong principle of remaining a bum for as long as possible.
Yu Sai had finally found his Dao.
That was to be a bum!
Just like him, Heaven too, he realized, was just a giant bum.
Sitting around and letting the world run itself, uncaring of what was going on.
Truly, he had stumbled upon enlightenment!
The Dao of the Useless Bum consisted of the following principles:
1. Emptiness is form, and form is emptiness. Inaction is action, and action is inaction. As such, one does not need to actually do something in order to do something! Being a useless bum is also being a productive member of society!
2. Desire is the root of suffering. And to work is to attempt to fulfil one's desire. As such, not working is the highest embodiment of the Dao.
3. Why do today what one can put off for tomorrow? Once one achieves true enlightenment, time is meaningless anyway.
4. All paths lead to the Dao. So, choosing the path of least resistance is equivalent to choosing a hard path - choose the former, not the latter.
5. No need to work hard. If hard work paid off, donkeys would be the richest in the world!
6. Don't move. Let the world carry you like a boulder being carried along with the waves of a river, the boulder does not need to move; Heaven too, shall ultimately lead you to your goal without you having to try!
7. Being called 'useless' is not an insult, because as long as you're useless, no one can use you and take advantage of you!
He did not stop at Rank 4, as can be imagined.
Soon, he was able to rival Fang Yuan at Rank 5!
Yu Sai was quickly the talk of the village.
"Ah, Gu Yue Yu Sai," Fang Zheng said to him one day. "I think that you should absolutely become clan head! You're far more worthy than I am of the position!"
"No, no," Yu Sai said, while still lounging in bed even as Fang Zheng was talking to him. "It's fine, you can remain clan head - but oh, if anyone happens to threaten the village, you can go ahead and call on me to help out."
"Yes, yes I will, thank you O generous Lord Yu Sai!" Fang Zheng said, kowtowing before Yu Sai graciously before Yu Sai dismissed him.
Yu Sai continued to follow his Dao - to lounge around.
Ding!
You have broken through Rank 5 and are now Rank 6!
The day had finally come, though Yu Sai had been expecting it for a while.
He was now the first Rank 6 member of the Gu Yue Clan!
His aperture began to fill up with Bright Orange primeval essence.
'Ah, I see, so Rank 6 Initial Stage primeval essence is Bright Orange in color,' Yu Sai thought to himself.
No one in the clan knew much about Immortals, so Yu Sai naturally had no idea about them either, or what color their primeval essence was. Only that it was very strong. Seeing that it was orange did not surprise him because he had been ignorant of what it really was like, but the truth was right in front of him so he couldn't deny that such had to be the case.
Now, he had become the first Rank 6 Gu Master in Gu Yue Village history!
He now had 98% aptitude thanks to the Useless Bum System! That meant that his aperture was filled up to 98% with Bright Orange Rank 6 primeval essence!
He continued to lounge around despite this when one day he heard screaming from outside.
Sighing, he was going to simply do nothing about it when he realized it was Li Mei.
"Fang Yuan, let go of me!"
Yu Sai walked outside and saw that Li Mei was struggling as Fang Yuan was holding onto her wrist, a lecherous expression on his face as he dragged her away.
"Why are you struggling, Li Mei?" Fang Yuan asked. "Didn't you always want me? Well, now, we can finally be together!"
"No, Fang Yuan, my heart only pines for Yu Sai now!" Li Mei said.
"Heh- that worthless idiot who does nothing all day long? I think I can treat you far better, come with me, Li Mei," Fang Yuan said.
"Fang Yuan!" Yu Sai yelled out, stepping in between them. "This time you've gone too far! I used to respect you as Supreme Elder, but it looks like I need to teach you a lesson!"
"Hmph! Worthless trash who thinks he can beat me?" Fang Yuan said, unleashing his Rank 5 Peak Stage aura.
"I'll give you one last chance, Fang Yuan," Yu Sai said, stepping forward. "Apologize to Li Mei and leave, and I might leave you with an intact corpse!"
"Heh, frog in a well, you think you can take me on?"
"Yu Sai," Li Mei whined. "Don't fight Fang Yuan! You can't beat him!"
Yu Sai immediately revealed his Bright Orange primeval essence, marking him as a Rank 6 Gu Master.
"Wait! The Yu Sai, who we all thought was useless trash, is actually a genius!"
"He managed to reach Rank 6 cultivation!"
"The first person in the Gu Yue clan to do so!"
"Heh," Fang Yuan said. "You think you're special because you're Rank 6? I've actually been hiding my true strength up until now..."
Bright Orange primeval essence began to emanate from Fang Yuan's aperture as well.
"Rank 6!"
"Fang Yuan is also at Rank 6 Initial Stage!"
"Oh Heavens, there really are two Rank 6 Gu Masters in this village!"
"That's where you're wrong," Yu Sai said. "Because I've been hiding my true strength as well!" He used stacked bonuses from the Useless Bum System. First of all he used multiple Orange Crystal Relic Gu which he had recently received to break through the various realms of cultivation at Rank 6. Going from Rank 6 Initial Stage, to Rank 6 Middle Stage, then Rank 6 Upper Stage, and finally Rank 6 Peak Stage!
He didn't stop there, however, breaking the crystal walls of his Rank 6 aperture and breaking through to Rank 7 Initial Stage as well!
Now, Sky Blue primeval essence began to fill his aperture as he had reached Rank 7 Initial Stage!
Fang Yuan's pupils dilated. "Sky Blue primeval essence? No, that can only mean that..."
"That's right, I'm now Rank Seven Initial Stage," Yu Sai said.
"Impossible! This must be a trick!"
Fang Yuan fought Yu Sai, but was no match for the latter.
At the end of the battle, Fang Yuan was a bloody mess.
"Ah, no," Fang Yuan said, weeping. "I- please forgive me Lord Gu Yue Yu Sai! Clearly I am inferior to you and always have been! I was wrong to look down upon you!"
"Hmph! Chop off your arms and I might consider letting you go," Yu Sai said.
Fang Yuan grit his teeth but did as Yu Sai demanded, chopping off both of his arms.
"Alright, I'll let you go," Yu Sai said. "But if you ever look at Li Mei again, I'll tear your tendons out and hang you up by your entrails!"
"Thank you for sparing me, merciful Yu Sai," Fang Yuan said, tears streaking his face as snot ran down his nose.
"Now scram!"
Li Mei immediately came to hug him. "Oh, Yu Sai, you were so cool! I don't know what I ever saw in that idiot Fang Yuan!"
"Yes, Yu Sai is the true hero of Gu Yue Village!"
"Yes, we're all sorry that we ever doubted you, Lord Yu Sai! Please lead this village to prosperity!"
"We all love you Yu Sai!"
The crowd began chanting. "Yu Sai! Yu Sai! Yu Sai! Yu Sai!"
"Hmm... what's that?" Li Mei asked, pointing up at the sky.
Yu Sai glanced upwards. "Oh, that looks like some kind of comet..."
It was an extremely bright comet, bathing all of Gu Yue Village in a bright purplish-pink light that illuminated as brightly as if the sun were out.