Reverend Insanity: The Gacha System

The Mengyuan Mountain Incident sent shockwaves across the entirety of Southern Border. Seven clans annihilated in a single day, their territories scorched and their Gu Masters reduced to ashes—it was an event so catastrophic that even the most battle-hardened veterans felt a chill run down their spines. The superforces, the dominant powers of the Southern Border, were quick to take notice.

Meanwhile, the causer of the incident is presently in the Eastern Sea.

On Xuanliu Island near Poetic Sea, there was a city called Xuanliu City. As Li Tian approached the city gates, he noticed the intricate carvings of dragons and clouds adorning the wooden arches.

He walked with purpose toward the "Jade Refinement Pavilion," a renowned establishment offering private rooms equipped for Gu refinement. The building itself was a masterpiece of traditional design, with multi-tiered roofs, golden edges, and wooden pillars painted in deep vermillion. Incense smoke curled around the entrance, creating a serene yet imposing atmosphere.

At the counter, a middle-aged man in a flowing green robe greeted him with a polite nod. "Welcome to the Jade Refinement Pavilion. How may I assist you today?"

"I need a private room for refining," Li Tian said, his tone calm yet firm.

"Of course," the man replied. "The cost is 20 primeval essence stones for a single session."

Li Tian reached into his storage pouch and retrieved the required stones, placing them on the counter without hesitation. "Here."

The man's eyes gleamed as he counted the stones, then gestured toward a hallway. "Room 7 is prepared for you. Please proceed."

Li Tian nodded, taking the key offered to him. As he walked down the corridor, the faint hum of Gu refinement echoed through the walls, mingling with the scent of burning herbs. When he entered Room 7, he found a spacious chamber with a reinforced cauldron at its center, flanked by shelves stocked with essential refinement tools. The room's walls were adorned with minimalistic floral patterns, a calming touch amidst the precision of the workspace.

"Perfect," Li Tian murmured, setting his materials down and preparing to begin his work.

Li Tian closed the door behind him, shutting out the hum of the corridor, and sat cross-legged on the smooth wooden floor of the refinement room. Before him stood a cauldron, modest in height but wide in diameter, its surface adorned with intricate phoenix engravings that seemed to shimmer in the flickering firelight. The steady flame beneath cast dancing shadows around the room, adding a sense of solemnity to the atmosphere.

Li Tian took a large amount of materials, carefully arranging them in front of him. Many of these were Rank 5 and Rank 4 resources, meticulously chosen for the Gu he was refining.

Li Tian carefully unsealed a vial containing the Whispering Water, a translucent, shimmering liquid that glowed faintly with an ethereal blue hue. Alongside it were the Whispering Leaves, delicate and translucent with veins that pulsed faintly as though alive. Slowly and methodically, he controlled the flow of the Whispering Water, letting it drip into the cauldron. Before the droplets could reach the cauldron's bottom, he activated the Information Gathering Gu.

The Information Gathering Gu, shaped like a small orb with spinning concentric circles etched into its surface, darted beneath the water, capturing the faint voices hidden within the essence of the Whispering Water and Leaves. These whispers coalesced into intangible sounds. The remaining water fell into the cauldron, starting to boil under the steady heat.

As the Information Gathering Gu completed its task, it began to shine, condensing the whispers into a small, glowing light ball. Without hesitation, Li Tian retrieved the Arrow Gu, a sleek, metallic Gu worm shaped like an arrowhead with a sharp gleam, and threw it into the glowing sphere. The ball of light pulsed and expanded, radiating a faint hum of power.

Next, Li Tian brought out the Reality Anchor Gu, a black, crystalline Gu worm that emitted a steady, grounding aura. This Gu was a key component, capable of detecting and anchoring onto things that were real or true amidst layers of illusions or falsehoods. As he threw the Reality Anchor Gu into the expanding sphere, its effect became evident: the glow stabilized, and the sphere's size increased once more, radiating a balance of clarity and power.

"Now, this is coming together perfectly," Li Tian murmured, his expression calm but focused, as the refinement process reached a critical stage.

Li Tian threw the Reality Domain Gu, a Rank 4 Reality Path Gu, into the glowing light sphere. The moment the Gu entered, the light began to expand gradually, casting long, shifting shadows against the walls of the chamber. The air hummed with escalating intensity as Li Tian continued to add a steady stream of Information Path materials into the cauldron.

He carefully added materials ranging from Rank 1 to Rank 5: Whispering Threads, Echoing Crystals, and Truth Seeker Vines, each radiating a distinct glow as they dissolved into the boiling concoction. Each material strengthened the foundation of the refinement, causing the sphere to swell further, its brilliance almost blinding.

Finally, Li Tian reached into his inventory and retrieved a Gu worm that released an overwhelming aura—a Rank 6 immortal Gu. "This is the Steal Gu," he murmured, observing the worm's sleek, black carapace and faint red glow. It was a Theft Path Gu renowned for its ability to steal even the most well-guarded Dao Marks. Following it, he pulled out another Rank 6 Gu: the Ink Dao Gu, an Information Path Gu with translucent, flowing patterns that seemed to shift like living ink.

"These two are results of exploiting the system," he mused. "Four times I could do this, but now that option is gone as the system removed the store option."

With a sharp exhale, he took out a shimmering bead from his inventory—one of the three immortal beads he had obtained from the Gacha. With practiced ease, he activated a killer move: Steal Dao Marks using Steal Gu and Ink Dao Gu. The air grew heavy as ten Otherworldly Dao Marks was stolen from himself and got materialized, glowing faintly with an alien light. The marks, caught in the killer move's power, coalesced into a singular entity—a materialized Otherworldly Dao Fragment.

Without hesitation, Li Tian cast the fragment into the glowing sphere. The sphere trembled, its light gradually dimming as it absorbed the fragment. The process was slow but deliberate, the radiance shrinking into a concentrated core. Moments later, the light vanished entirely, and a new Gu worm emerged.

Li Tian gazed at the product of his work, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Rank 5 Otherworldly Demon Detector Gu, even though I can make a Rank 6 Immortal Gu but the resources needed are not enough and I don't have enough Immortal essence beads," he said softly, marveling at the worm's shifting silver and black patterns that seemed to reflect glimpses of distant, unseen worlds. "But it's enough for now to hunt Otherworldly Demon Gu masters or mortals"