In this fanfic, Weed creates an original path — and as the title itself suggests, this would be the:
Sculpture Path
The Sculpture Path works with form, but above all with revelation.
Just as a sculptor carves wood and reveals the sculpture that already exists within it, art gains physical form. Just as the body is the vessel of the mind, the Sculpture Path seeks to become the vessel of truth and Dao itself, giving shape to the immaterial.
That is what the Sculpture Path truly is about.
The Sculpture Path is primarily a support-oriented path, but it possesses the unique quality of being capable of utilizing aspects and characteristics of other paths from the very beginning. After all, what is art without meaning and expression? And how can art be expressed without a medium or material to shape it?
Naturally, this also creates a weakness: a Gu Master of the Sculpture Path must possess understanding of other paths in order to use it properly.
This path can also interact with True Meaning similarly to Wisdom Path and Rule Path.
Utilities and Specializations Shaping and Sculpting
Just as Fire Path controls and creates fire and its derivatives (heat, burning), or Theft Path specializes in taking things from a target, the foundation of Sculpture Path lies in two concepts:
ShapingSculpting
Shaping means constructing a form by adding something, usually material.
Sculpting is the process of giving form to a rigid block by removing parts from it.
At lower levels, materials such as clay, mud, metal, and stone are used.
At advanced levels, even light and time themselves can be shaped and sculpted.
-Puppet Creation / Animated Statues
The Sculpture Path possesses the ability to give life to sculptures.
However, unlike Slave Path Gu, Sculpture Path creations do not require direct control from the user. They operate independently, similar to golems.
At higher levels, they may even develop limited consciousness.
Still, they generally possess weak combat capabilities and heavily depend on the quality of materials used in their construction.
Because they possess their own will, sculptures will not necessarily obey their creator forever.
Additionally, they retain the weaknesses of the materials they were created from.
A wooden sculpture still burns.
A clay sculpture still cracks.
A metal sculpture can still rust.
-Gu House Creation
Architecture and art naturally possess high compatibility.
Because of this, Gu Houses have strong synergy with Sculpture Path.
However, Sculpture Path alone is not sufficient to fully create functional Gu Houses. Other paths are still necessary to complete them.
Creation of Support Resources (Limited)
One of the support capabilities of Sculpture Path is the ability to create temporary support resources that assist refinement and reduce chances of failure.
For example:
Imagine a recipe involving a "Wolf Bite Gu."
A Sculpture Path cultivator could carve a sculpture of a wolf biting into the refinement materials without directly interfering with the recipe itself.
By adding artistic meaning and symbolic intent, the chances of successful refinement could increase slightly.
Or perhaps:
Using shark bones and sculpting the image of a shark may create a tiny chance of producing a "Shark Bite Gu" instead.
-Low Cost at Lower Levels
Even ordinary substances like dirt, mud, wood, and metal contain traces of Dao marks.
Because of this, Sculpture Path is relatively inexpensive at lower levels.
Even simple materials can eventually become Rank 1 materials if enough quantity and artistic intent are accumulated.
Of course, superior materials produce superior results and allow the path to reach much higher levels.
-True Meaning
In the future, Sculpture Path becomes the third path capable of directly interacting with True Meaning, after Wisdom Path and Rule Path.
Because it is the path that gives form to the immaterial, it can manipulate True Meaning in ways those two paths cannot.
However, unlike the precision of logic and rules, Sculpture Path handles meaning through interpretation and artistic expression.
It is not orderly.
It is emotional.
Chaotic.
Subjective.
Art is not always perfectly precise.
And because of that, Sculpture Path possesses both incredible flexibility and instability.
Artistic Value, Art, and Charisma
Most of Weed's original Royal Road stats would belong to other paths in the Gu World — primarily Strength Path and Wisdom Path.
However, several concepts remained uniquely suited for Sculpture Path:
Art Charisma Artistic Value Artistic Value
Exclusive to sculptures.
Each sculpture possesses a degree of Artistic Value.
Simple works generate almost none.
Masterpieces generate enormous Artistic Value.
-Art
Art functions almost like fuel for Sculpture Path.
It can be used to:
Create Gu Feed certain Gu Reinforce sculptures Empower puppet creations Strengthen artistic effects
In truth, "Art" is essentially Sculpture Path Dao marks given usable form.
-Charisma
Charisma is one way Art manifests through the body itself.
Instead of being applied to sculptures or structures, it affects the cultivator directly through specialized Gu.
-Weaknesses
Despite its versatility, Sculpture Path is extremely weak in direct combat.
Aside from living sculptures and a few specialized Gu, it possesses very limited offensive capabilities.
Among the six major aspects required for a complete path, Sculpture Path performs poorly in:
Healing
Movement
Its movement weakness is especially severe.
After all, sculptures are meant to endure through time.
Not move quickly.
-(Spoilers) Dao Marks and Compatibility
This aspect is only revealed after Weed becomes a Gu Immortal.
Because Sculpture Path seeks to become a vessel of the world itself — imitating both the Gu World and the human body — its Dao marks do not naturally conflict with most other paths.
However, this creates a dangerous side effect.
Just like insects trapped in a jar eventually try to kill each other...
Or a piece of art attempting to express too many conflicting themes at once...
Conflicting Dao marks become even more aggressive toward one another inside a Sculpture Path cultivator.
Even if they do not conflict with Sculpture Path itself.
As a result, attacks from other Gu Immortals can become especially devastating if proper precautions are not taken.
The only path initially incompatible with Sculpture Path is Heaven Path.
Heaven's Will cannot properly understand Sculpture Path at first and views it as an invasive anomaly rather than a naturally controlled system.
-Immortal Sculpture Gu
Just as:
Strength Gu is the origin of Strength Path Wisdom Gu is the origin of Wisdom Path
Immortal Sculpture Gu is the origin Gu of Sculpture Path.
Its true power remains unknown.
However, it mysteriously appeared within Weed's aperture and demonstrates intelligence and the ability to communicate mentally with him.
Its appearance resembles the doll sculpted by Zahab that Weed once saw in Royal Road.
A wooden doll with minimal details, vaguely shaped like it wears a dress and rabbit ears.
The difference is that it possesses a golden appearance while simultaneously retaining the texture of wood.
Weed's Skills That Could Become Gu Later Sculptural Life Bestowal:
Sculptural Transformation
Sculptural Destruction
Sculpture Repair
Sculptural Comprehension
Nature Sculpture
Disaster Sculpture
Summoning Sculpture
Memory Sculpture
Sculpting Blade Time
Sculpture Moonlight
Sculpting Blade
Ceramics
Resurrection Sculpture
And many others...