Part 41: Thirst for knowledge

Ren Zu and Great Strength True Martial went through great hurdles and finally arrived before Qian Kun Crystal Wall. Qian Kun Crystal Wall was straight and stood upright in the void; it was like a huge mirror that reflected everything that happened in the world. Ren Zu and Great Strength True Martial went inside Qian Kun Crystal Wall. Numerous flowers, birds, fish, and insects converged into a colorful dazzling shadow that filled Great Strength True Martial's vision. The sound of waves, thunder, and birds’ singing rippled together in his ears; there was a fresh, sweet, exciting, spicy taste dancing on his tongue. At times, he felt like he was walking on a steep mountain path; at other times, he felt like he was swimming in the waves, and at other times, he felt as if he was falling from a great height. “Father, father! Where are you?” Great Strength True Martial shouted, but Ren Zu could not hear him, could not see him. The color of white filled his vision; it was boundless and vast. “Oh son, where are you?” Ren Zu sprinted, wanting to find Great Strength

True Martial. Ren Zu ran and ran and ran. After a long time, he saw a black dot at the furthest point within his vision. Initially, he felt happy and thought it was Great Strength True Martial. But when he approached the black dot, he found that it was actually a huge mountain. This mountain was very special; the mountain rocks and vegetation were made of white paper, the streams and waterfalls were made of black ink. This was Book Mountain. At the foot of Book Mountain, there was a village with many Inkmen living in it. Ren Zu went into the village, causing a huge commotion to arise. “This is really a rare sight,” the Inkman spoke. “When ordinary lifeforms enter Qian Kun Crystal Wall, they would get lost after a few steps. They cannot resist the allure of the material world or the countless temptations within it. They can never reach here. You are the first person to arrive here.” Ren Zu was confused, “Why so?” The Inkman elder replied, “Oh human, you are only left with a skeleton. You cannot see, hear, taste, smell, or touch. It allowed you to roam Qian Kun Crystal Wall freely without losing your life.” Qian Kun Crystal Wall existed when the world was first created; it reflected everyone and everything, containing all the secrets of the world's past and present. Once a person enters it, they would face the barrage of endless information, and after some time, they would die from information overload. After Ren Zu heard this, he felt very worried about Great Strength True Martial. He asked the Inkman elder about the way to survive, and the elder brought Ren Zu to ascend the mountain. On Book Mountain, there was the largest ink waterfall, and below it was a deep pool. The Inkmen called this pool Literature Spring. The ink waterfall continued to flow, landing on the Literature Spring, water splashed about. These black color splashes flew in the air as the water droplets formed into ink texts. “If a person wants to continue living in Qian Kun Crystal Wall, the ink text will be your best helper. The reason why we Inkmen can live here is also because of the ink text,” the Inkman elder told Ren Zu about this big secret. Ren Zu received the Inkman's advice; he collected a lot of ink texts and left the mountain. Every time he walked for some distance, he would leave behind some ink texts as reference points. In this vast world of whiteness, the pitch-black ink text

became very conspicuous. Even though ink texts faded over time, using them, Ren Zu no longer walked on unnecessary trails. He eventually found Great Strength True Martial. Great Strength True Martial received Ren Zu's ink texts. Every step he walked, he would leave behind some ink texts. The ink texts recorded the information that barraged Great Strength True Martial, turning them all into pieces of literary work. These literary pieces turned into pieces of tiles that were layered below Great Strength True Martial's feet. Great Strength True Martial was finally free; his eyes were not blurry, his ears were not buzzing, he could no longer smell the mix of countless fragrances as well. Stepping on these tiles, he followed Ren Zu back to the Inkman village. Ren Zu asked the Inkman elder again, “Oh elder, how can I find Wisdom Gu inside Qian Kun Crystal Wall?” The Inkman elder told Ren Zu, “Even though Wisdom Gu often stays within Qian Kun Crystal Wall, it is hidden very deeply. To find it, you will need to venture deep into the crystal wall. It will not be possible with just ink texts and the tiles that are formed below your feet. These tiles only record all sorts of information on the superficial level, with the endless barrage of other information the limited ink texts within the tiles will change in content. They will disappear quickly and cannot last for long.” The Inkman elder said again, “Oh human, you need to turn all the information into knowledge. Only with knowledge can you explain information clearly; you will be able to write them down in words, allowing you to create a real path instead of just tiles made of texts.” Ren Zu was troubled, “How can I turn them into knowledge?” The Inkman elder laughed, “There are many bookworms on Book Mountain; they record the knowledge that our Inkman seniors have left behind. Oh human, you can go look at them.” “It is not difficult to gather the knowledge yourself either. Firstly, you need Memory Gu to store all of this information inside your mind.” Before the Inkman finished his words, Cognition Gu appeared, saying to Ren Zu, “After that, I can help you to refine knowledge.” The Inkman elder nodded with a smile, “Indeed, cognition can produce knowledge.” Ren Zu said, “Then I will thank you all in advance.” The Inkman elder shook his head, “No need to stand on ceremony.” Cognition Gu said, “Don't say that, human. We have always been good friends,

and this situation benefits myself as well.” If cognition did not take in new information, it would quickly get outdated. Only by receiving new information and thinking about it could cognition create useful new thoughts that were healthy and vibrant, innovative, and lively. Ren Zu gathered many bookworms on Book Mountain; he obtained a lot of new information. Next, with Cognition Gu's help, he created much new knowledge from the vast amount of information. He used ink texts to write down his knowledge, scattering them on the ground and creating a black path made of ink texts. Ren Zu and Great Strength True Martial walked on this path; they walked for a long time, far longer than any of their previous trips. “Oh no, I don't have enough knowledge left.” Ren Zu walked to the end of the path, feeling very dejected and upset. He had gathered many ink texts, but the knowledge in his mind was insufficient already. Ren Zu and Great Strength True Martial's first attempt failed; they had to return to Book Mountain. Great Strength True Martial continued to collect ink texts while Ren Zu gathered all the bookworms. With Cognition Gu's help, he refined even more knowledge from them. With more and more knowledge, Ren Zu found that his mind was getting filled up. “I have too much knowledge now.” Ren Zu was very satisfied; he said confidently, “Let's go. I am sure we can reach the deepest part of Qian Kun Crystal Wall this time.” However, they still failed in their second attempt. “Why did this happen? My mind was already filled with knowledge.” Ren Zu said dejected, “This is all the knowledge I can hold.” “No, oh human, look closely again.” Self Gu suddenly spoke to remind him. Ren Zu inspected his mind, he found a Gu hiding inside it. Ren Zu realized at once, “So you are occupying my mind, preventing me from getting more knowledge. What Gu are you?” The Gu answered, “I am Pride Gu.” Ren Zu said anxiously, “Can you hurry and get out, you are occupying such a huge area. I want to fill the place with knowledge instead.” But no matter how anxious Ren Zu was, or how he urged, Pride Gu refused to leave. When Ren Zu was out of ideas, Great Strength True Martial spoke, “Oh father, don't be anxious. Don't forget that I still have Humility Gu. I will give it to you.”

Great Strength True Martial took out Humility Gu and gave it to Ren Zu. Pride Gu was chased away by Humility Gu; it had to fly out of Ren Zu's mind and land on Great Strength True Martial instead. Strong Gu was very happy, “The strong have their own pride.” After Ren Zu chased Pride Gu away from his mind, he returned to Book Mountain to continue gaining knowledge. After Ren Zu gained Humility Gu, he realized that the more knowledge he had, the more he found that he was lacking knowledge, and the more he wanted to fill his mind with even more knowledge. Ren Zu's mind was quickly filled. Self Gu urged him, “Oh human, stop now, your mind is already full of knowledge.” But Ren Zu replied, “But I think that it is insufficient, I am certain that I still do not know a lot of things. I need to continue gaining knowledge.” Ren Zu continued to refine his knowledge; his mind was getting bloated, it was hurting and could not hold any more information, but Humility Gu made him feel like he was still lacking in knowledge. Suddenly, there was a loud boom. Eventually, Ren Zu's mind could not take it anymore; it exploded from an overload of knowledge. The knowledge scattered on the ground as a little girl stood up from within. “Father, father.” The little girl hugged Ren Zu's leg happily. “My name is Carefree Wisdom Heart; I am your daughter.” Ren Zu’s eighth child (daughter), Carefree Wisdom Heart. Grey-White Stone Slabs they are from the Immemorial Era. The Legends of Ren Zu states that in order to save Wisdom Gu, Carefree Wisdom Heart came to the Qian Kun Crystal Wall. Qian Kun Crystal Wall was straight from top to bottom; it floated in mid-air like a giant mirror. In the mirror, there was a Book Mountain. On the Book Mountain, there was an Ink Waterfall, landing on the mountain rocks to form a Literature Spring. The Ink Waterfall continued to flow, as it landed on the Literature Spring, water splashed about. These black color splashes flew in the air as the water droplets formed into words. This was the origin of the hundred clan writing system in the Gu Master world.

After Qian Kun Crystal Wall was broken, it turned into numerous Grey-White Stone Slabs. Legends say that if one gathered all of the stone slabs, they could piece back Qian Kun Crystal Wall and the Gu Master would be able to enter Book Mountain again. Inkman was also recorded in The Legends of Ren Zu. Their homeland was the Book Mountain. The Book Mountain had an Ink Waterfall which would crash down on the Literature Spring, and the raging ink would fall on the rocks, forming Inkmen.