The Gu world was a strange place, filled with contradictions.
Thanks to the incredible abilities provided by the countless varieties of Gu worms, its inhabitants had developed technologies that people on Earth would have classified as science fiction.
Yet these technologies suffered from one fundamental problem.
Cost.
Take Screen Gu as an example.
It was a Rank Two Gu worm capable of displaying videos and various forms of visual content, serving a role similar to that of a television on Earth.
The problem was that a Rank Two Gu worm could cost hundreds of primeval stones.
For the vast majority of the world's inhabitants, such a sum was an enormous fortune.
After all, most people were either ordinary mortals or low-ranking Gu Masters of Rank One and Rank Two.
As for a single primeval stone, it was enough to significantly improve an ordinary person's life for a considerable period of time.
And the purchase price was only the beginning.
Every Gu worm required food and maintenance, and some consumed expensive resources on a continual basis.
Once the costs of feeding and upkeep were taken into account, owning a Screen Gu purely for entertainment became a luxury that most people could not even consider.
For this reason, such technologies were usually owned by institutions and major organizations rather than individuals.
If someone wished to watch a program or a recorded video through a Screen Gu, they would have to visit a cinema or another public facility that provided access to such Gu worms.
The same pattern repeated itself across many other technologies.
As a result, the rich and the poor lived in two entirely different worlds.
The poor lived lives that closely resembled the Middle Ages, relying on traditional tools and simple means of transportation.
Meanwhile, the wealthy and the powerful clans possessed instantaneous transportation systems, information networks that spanned entire regions, and astonishing technologies that surpassed even modern Earth in certain aspects.
If a person from Earth were to witness this gap, they would think that the rich and the poor did not belong to the same society at all.
Rather, they seemed to live in two different eras.
One belonged to the distant past...
While the other resembled a future straight out of a science-fiction world.
So the Researcher was a small Rank Two Gu House that was usually found inside what were known as Researcher Cafés, buildings that contained dozens of these units for customers to use.
The Researcher had a rectangular shape and stood slightly shorter than an average adult human.
Despite its simple appearance, it was actually a sophisticated system composed of four Gu worms working together.
The first was a Rank One Information Path Gu worm that resembled a small black sphere.
Its task was to receive questions and information from the user, temporarily store them, and then pass them on to the second Gu worm.
The second Gu worm belonged to the Wisdom Path and was Rank Two.
It functioned as the Researcher's brain, analyzing the user's request, organizing the information, and converting it into a form suitable for searching.
The processed request was then sent to the third Gu worm.
This was a specialized Information Path Gu worm responsible for transmission and reception.
Its role was to establish a connection with the nearest Rank Five Researcher Gu House.
Compared to an ordinary Researcher, a Rank Five Researcher was vastly more complex, possessing tremendous information-processing and storage capabilities.
It was also connected to other Researcher Gu Houses scattered throughout Southern Border, forming an enormous information network that spanned the entire region.
Once the requested information was located, the result would be transmitted back through the network to the local Researcher.
The third Gu worm would receive the data and pass it once more to the Wisdom Path Gu worm.
The Wisdom Path Gu would then analyze, organize, and simplify the information so that it could be easily understood by the user.
Finally, the information would be sent to the fourth and final Gu worm.
This was an Information Path Gu known as Screen Gu.
Its function was to display information directly to the user in the form of text, images, and even video recordings.
Jian Long and Zhou Quan entered the Researcher Café, where they were greeted by a young receptionist standing behind the front desk.
"How long would you like to use the Researcher?"
Zhou Quan answered without hesitation.
"Five minutes should be enough."
The receptionist nodded.
"That will cost one primeval stone."
Jian Long's eyes immediately widened.
"What? A whole primeval stone for just five minutes? Isn't that a bit excessive?"
The receptionist gave him a professional smile.
"Sir, those are the official rates."
Before Jian Long could complain further, Zhou Quan cut in.
"You have a hundred thousand primeval stones, yet you're reluctant to spend a single one?"
He waved his hand impatiently.
"Come on, pay and let's get this over with."
When the receptionist heard that, he looked at Jian Long with a meaningful expression that seemed to say:
What a miser.
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Jian Long reluctantly took out a primeval stone and paid.
As the two walked deeper into the café, he muttered:
"I still think one primeval stone for five minutes is far too expensive."
Zhou Quan looked at him as if he were an idiot.
"And you think valuable knowledge is supposed to be cheap?"
They then selected an unoccupied Researcher Gu House.
Pulling over two chairs, they sat down in front of it while Zhou Quan explained how to use it.
"It's simple."
"Place your hands on the black sphere and think about the question you want to ask."
The black sphere was the Information Path Gu responsible for receiving inquiries.
Jian Long did as instructed and asked in his mind:
"Is it possible for a Gu Master to naturally possess one hundred percent primeval essence?"
A few seconds later, an answer appeared on the Researcher's screen.
"The condition you are referring to is extremely rare, appearing in roughly one out of several million people."
"This phenomenon is known as the Ten Extreme Physiques."
"These are extraordinary physiques said to be connected to the ten children of Ren Zu, with each physique bearing the name of one of them."
Names began appearing one after another.
Verdant Great Sun Physique — compatible with the Light and Space Paths.
Desolate Ancient Moon Physique — compatible with the Moon and Time Paths.
Northern Dark Ice Soul Physique — compatible with the Ice and Snow Paths.
Boundless Forest Samsara Physique — compatible with the Wood Path.
Blazing Glory Lightning Brilliance Physique — compatible with the Lightning and Fire Paths.
...
The moment Jian Long read the last name, his eyes lit up.
"Ha!"
He pointed excitedly at the screen.
"Look! This must be my Extreme Physique!"
"I've always felt a strong affinity for both the Lightning Path and the Fire Path."
"It has to be the Blazing Glory Lightning Brilliance Physique!"
A feeling of pride and uniqueness immediately swelled within him.
Meanwhile, Zhou Quan muttered to himself in confusion.
"The Ten Extreme Physiques?"
"How have I never heard of them before?"
Jian Long continued reading.
"When using Gu worms compatible with their corresponding path, the effectiveness of the Ten Extreme Physiques increases dramatically."
"For example, a Rank Two Gu may display power comparable to that of a Rank Three Gu."
Jian Long burst into laughter.
"HAHAHAHA!"
"Didn't I tell you I was special?"
"Amazing, isn't it?"
Under the table, Zhou Quan quietly clenched his fist, struggling to hide his jealousy.
Then he said flatly:
"Keep reading."
Jian Long nodded and continued.
However, the smile on his face gradually began to fade.
"Warning."
"Due to the immense pressure exerted upon the Aperture walls, possessors of the Ten Extreme Physiques usually suffer a violent explosion that results in death."
"This most commonly occurs during the late stages of Rank Three or Rank Four."
Silence filled the room.
The smile froze on Jian Long's face.
Jian Long: "..."