Silence lingered between the two of them for a while.
Then Jian Long took a deep breath and placed his hands on the Researcher once more.
"Give me a list of famous Gu Masters throughout history who possessed one of the Ten Extreme Physiques, along with their age at death and cultivation rank."
However, instead of displaying the information, a new message appeared on the screen:
"To access this information, please pay five primeval stones."
Jian Long's eyes widened.
"What is this? Didn't I just pay a primeval stone a moment ago?!"
Zhou Quan sighed as though explaining something obvious.
"The primeval stone you paid earlier was for using the café."
"Now you're paying the database that owns these records."
Then he added:
"Other than basic information, most cultivation-related information and records about Gu Masters aren't free."
Jian Long frowned.
"How do I pay?"
Zhou Quan pointed toward a green frog-shaped Gu worm sitting beside the Researcher.
"Put the primeval stones into the frog's mouth."
"Fine."
This time, Jian Long neither had the time nor the mood to complain.
He quickly took out five primeval stones and dropped them into the frog's mouth.
The frog swallowed them in a few bites, and the Researcher's screen lit up once more.
Lines of information began appearing one after another.
Sun Tzu
Extreme Physique: Carefree Wisdom Heart Physique
Cultivation Rank at Death: Rank Four
Age at Death: 25
Wang Zhaojun
Extreme Physique: Great Strength True Martial Physique
Cultivation Rank at Death: Rank Five
Age at Death: 35
Sima Qian
Extreme Physique: Myriad Gold Wondrous Essence Physique
Cultivation Rank at Death: Rank Five
Age at Death: 32
"As I expected."
Jian Long leaned back in his chair as he stared at the screen.
"The Researcher said that those with one of the Ten Extreme Physiques usually explode during the late stages of Rank Three or Rank Four."
He pointed at the list displayed before him.
"But the people listed here reached Rank Five and lived into their thirties."
"That means there are methods to delay the explosion."
Zhou Quan crossed his arms.
"Perhaps."
"But they still all died in their thirties."
He shook his head.
"That's hardly reassuring."
Jian Long fell silent for a moment.
Was that really the case?
Suddenly, a thought appeared in his mind.
Perhaps they were only looking at the empty half of the cup while ignoring the full half.
The records only showed the dead.
What about the survivors?
What if some owners of the Ten Extreme Physiques had simply advanced further and become Immortals?
With that thought, Jian Long immediately asked:
"Give me a list of Immortals who possessed one of the Ten Extreme Physiques."
The Researcher responded almost instantly.
"Unfortunately, information regarding Immortals is unavailable."
Jian Long narrowed his eyes in dissatisfaction.
Then he asked another question.
"Do Immortals truly exist?"
The answer appeared a moment later.
"Yes."
Jian Long frowned.
"What is your evidence?"
"What is your source?"
"Has anyone ever met an Immortal before?"
The Researcher remained silent for a brief moment before displaying a new response.
"All cultivation texts and recognized experts affirm the existence of Immortals."
"As for direct encounters with Immortals, there are currently no reliable sources that confirm such events."
The corner of Jian Long's mouth twitched.
He turned toward Zhou Quan.
"So the evidence that Immortals exist is that books say they exist?"
"Do you really believe that Immortal Gu Masters exist?"
Jian Long asked while still staring at the Researcher's screen.
Zhou Quan looked at him in surprise.
"Of course."
"Why wouldn't I?"
"Every source confirms their existence."
"Not just in Southern Border, but across all five regions."
"And for thousands of years."
He shrugged.
"Why would everyone say the same thing if it weren't true?"
"Unless you believe that every organization and power in the world has agreed to deceive us."
Jian Long shook his head.
"I'm not saying there's some worldwide conspiracy."
"But it's possible that everyone simply arrived at the wrong conclusion."
He continued:
"Think about it."
"If Immortal Gu Masters truly exist, why don't we see them the way we see Rank Five Gu Masters?"
Zhou Quan thought for a moment before answering.
"Perhaps because they're extremely rare."
"Even Rank Five Gu Masters are incredibly rare."
"So how much rarer would Rank Six, Rank Seven, and Rank Eight Immortal Gu Masters be?"
Jian Long nodded as though accepting the explanation.
But a moment later, he asked another question.
"Fine."
"If they really exist, then why don't they rule the world the way Rank Five Gu Masters do?"
Zhou Quan froze for a moment.
In truth, this was a question that had puzzled people everywhere.
Countless theories had emerged throughout history.
Some claimed that once a person became an Immortal Gu Master, they transcended worldly desires, losing interest in power and wealth and dedicating themselves to contemplating the mysteries of heaven and earth.
Others believed that Immortals were the true rulers of the world, governing from the shadows while mortals only saw the rulers on the surface.
Some legends even claimed that after ascending, Immortals moved to a higher plane of existence altogether, leaving the mortal world behind and no longer concerning themselves with human affairs.
But there was no universally accepted answer.
And Zhou Quan himself did not know which of these stories, if any, was true.
Nevertheless, he said:
"I don't know But whether you believe in their existence or not your only chance of survival depends on them being real."
"You're right."
Jian Long let out a slow breath.
"Alright, let me ask one more question."
He placed his hands back on the black sphere and sent another inquiry to the Researcher.
"Is there any known method to save someone with one of the Ten Extreme Physiques from exploding, or at least delay it?"
The answer arrived almost immediately.
"Unfortunately, the Ten Extreme Physiques are so rare that no publicly available research exists regarding a solution to this problem."
Jian Long was not surprised.
"That's about what I expected."
In truth, he had not placed much hope in that question from the start.
If a solution were publicly available, the owners of the Ten Extreme Physiques would not have such infamous reputations for dying young.
Yet he was far from despairing.
As he sat there, his mind rapidly reviewed everything he had learned.
According to the information he had just read, the danger came from the immense pressure exerted by the primeval sea upon the walls of the Aperture.
If that was truly the cause of the explosion, then the problem could be broken down into two possible approaches.
The first was to reduce the pressure itself.
The second was to increase the strength of the Aperture walls.
A faint light flashed through Jian Long's eyes.
Reducing the pressure seemed relatively straightforward.
The pressure exerted on the Aperture walls depended largely on the size and quality of the primeval sea.
If he could somehow decrease the amount of primeval essence within his Aperture, the pressure should naturally lessen as well.
As for strengthening the Aperture walls...
That would undoubtedly be more difficult.
The Aperture was the foundation of a Gu Master's cultivation, and methods capable of directly affecting it were neither common nor easy to obtain.
Still, the existence of a problem meant the possibility of a solution.
At the very least, he now had a direction.
That alone was enough to calm his heart.