Soon, a week passed.
"Humans are the spirit of all living things; Gu are the essence of heaven and earth. In this world, there exist tens of thousands, countless numbers of Gu. They live around us, in the mineral soils, in the bushes, and even inside the bodies of wild beasts."
"During the process of mankind's reproduction and survival, the ancient sages gradually discovered the mysteries of Gu worms. Those who have opened their apertures, utilizing their own primeval essence to feed, refine, and manipulate these Gu to achieve various purposes, are collectively called by us as Gu Masters."
"And all of you, during the Awakening Ceremony seven days ago, have successfully opened your apertures and condensed your primeval sea. Now, you are all Rank 1 Gu Masters."
In the academy of the mountain village, the Academy Elder was speaking with assurance.
Sitting upright opposite him were fifty-seven youths, each and every one listening with rapt attention.
The miraculousness and power of Gu Masters had long penetrated deep into the youths' hearts. Thus, everything the clan elder recounted deeply attracted them.
At this time, a youth raised his hand. After gaining the elder's permission, he stood up and asked: "Lord Clan Elder, I have known since I was very young that Gu Masters are divided into Rank 1, Rank 2, and so on. Could you explain this to us in detail?"
The Gu Yue elder nodded and waved his hand, signaling the youth to sit down: "There are a total of nine major realms for Gu Masters, from bottom to top, they are Rank 1, Rank 2, Rank 3, all the way up to Rank 9. Within each major rank realm, it is further divided into four minor realms: initial stage, middle stage, upper stage, and peak stage. You have just become Gu Masters, so you are all at Rank 1 initial stage."
"If you cultivate diligently in the future, your cultivation will naturally increase, and advancing to Rank 2 or Rank 3 is also possible. Of course, the higher the aptitude, the greater the possibility of advancement."
"With D-grade aptitude, the primeval sea occupies two to three tenths of the aperture; they can often cultivate up to Rank 1 or Rank 2 at most. With C-grade aptitude, the primeval sea is four to five tenths of the aperture; they usually stop at the Rank 2 realm, and only a very small portion can luckily break through to the Rank 3 initial stage. With B-grade aptitude, the primeval sea occupies six to seven tenths of the entire aperture; they can cultivate to Rank 3, or even Rank 4. With A-grade aptitude, the primeval sea is abundant, taking up eight to nine tenths of the aperture; such people naturally possess the highest talent, are the most suitable for Gu Master cultivation, and can cultivate up to Rank 5."
"As for Gu Masters of Rank 6 and above, every single one of them is a legend, and I am not too clear on the specifics either. Our Gu Yue clan has never produced a Rank 6 Gu Master, but there have been Rank 5 and Rank 4 Gu Masters."
The youths all pricked up their ears, listening with brightly shining eyes.
Many involuntarily looked toward Gu Yue Fang Zheng, who was sitting formally in the first row. This was an A-grade aptitude; their gazes were without exception filled with emotions of envy and jealousy.
At the same time, a portion of gazes drifted toward that corner in the very back row of the academy.
In that corner by the window, Gu Yue Fang Yuan was sprawled on his desk, sleeping soundly.
"Look, he's still sleeping." Someone said softly.
"It's been a consecutive week of sleeping, hasn't he recovered yet?" Someone curled their lips.
"More than just that. I heard he doesn't return home at night, wandering around the outskirts of the village."
"People have seen him more than once at night, hugging a wine jar, dead drunk outside. Fortunately, these past years, the surroundings of the village have been cleared out and are relatively safe." The classmates whispered to each other, and various rumors circulated rapidly.
"Sigh, the blow was indeed too great. Wearing the title of a genius for so many years, who would have thought that in the end, he was only a C-grade, hehe."
"If it was just that, it would be fine. But it had to be his own biological younger brother who tested out with an A-grade aptitude, now being the center of attention and enjoying the best treatment. The younger brother is in the heavens, while the older brother is on the ground, tsk tsk…"
Hearing the increasingly loud discussions by his ears, the Academy Elder's brows had knitted into a knot.
Within the entire classroom, none of the youths were not sitting properly, radiating vitality and vigor; therefore, Fang Yuan, slumped asleep on the desk, appeared even more conspicuously eye-catching.
"A week has already passed, and he is still so decadent. Hmph, I originally misjudged him too; how could a person like this possibly be a genius!" The clan elder coldly snorted with displeasure in his heart. Regarding this situation, he had already spoken to Fang Yuan many times. But it was of no effect; Fang Yuan continued to do entirely as he pleased. Sleeping through every class caused the clan elder in charge of teaching to feel utter headache and annoyance.
"Forget it, he's just a C-grade. He can't even endure this bit of a setback; with such a disposition nurtured, he would hardly be of great use and would instead just waste the clan's resources." The clan elder felt greatly disappointed in Fang Yuan in his heart.
Fang Yuan only had C-grade aptitude; comparatively speaking, his younger brother Fang Zheng possessed A-grade aptitude. This was the target truly worth the clan expending vigorous effort to cultivate.
While thinking, the Academy Elder verbally continued the topic from just now: "In the history of our clan, many powerhouses have emerged. Among them, there were two Rank 5 powerhouses. One was the First Generation Clan Head, our old ancestor; it was he who established Gu Yue Village. The other was the Fourth Generation Clan Head. He possessed outstanding natural talent and cultivated all the way to the realm of a Rank 5 Gu Master. Had it not been for a sneak attack by that despicable and shameless demon, the Flower Wine Monk, perhaps he could have advanced into a Rank 6 Gu Master, who can say. Sigh…"
Speaking up to here, the Gu Yue elder let out a deep sigh.
Below the podium, the youths all shouted out with righteous indignation.
"It's all because of that Flower Wine Monk, too sinister and cunning!"
"It is a pity that our Fourth Generation Clan Head was kind and benevolent, yet died prematurely."
"I only hate that I wasn't born a few hundred years earlier, otherwise, if I met that demon, I would definitely risk my life to expose his ugly true colors."
There wasn't a single Gu Yue clansman who didn't know the story between the Fourth Generation Clan Head and the Flower Wine Monk.
The Flower Wine Monk was similarly a Rank 5 Gu Master, an infamous flower-picking bandit who had committed evil for many years, possessing a resounding reputation in the Demonic Path of that time. Several hundred years ago, he fled to Qingmao Mountain, attempting to commit crimes within Gu Yue Village, but was seen through by the Fourth Generation Clan Head. After an earth-shattering grand battle, the Flower Wine Monk was beaten until he knelt and begged for mercy. Out of mercy and benevolence, the Fourth Generation Clan Head intended to spare his life. As a result, the Flower Wine Monk suddenly lashed out in a sneak attack, heavily injuring the Fourth Generation Clan Head.
The Clan Head was furious and killed the Flower Wine Monk on the spot, but afterward, his heavy injuries were incurable, and he passed away.
Therefore, in the hearts of all the Gu Yue clansmen, the Fourth Generation Clan Head was a heroic figure who sacrificed himself for the mountain village.
"The Flower Wine Monk, huh…" Wakened by the vocal condemnations in the academy, Fang Yuan opened his bleary, sleepy eyes in the corner.
He solidly stretched a large lazy stretch, feeling no small amount of resentment in his heart: "Just where exactly did this Flower Wine Monk die? Why is it that I have scoured the entire surroundings of the village and still haven't found his legacy?"
In his memory, about two months later, a clan Gu Master, who was drunk due to being lovelorn, lay dead drunk outside the mountain village. Ultimately, the overflowing aroma of wine unexpectedly attracted a Liquor worm.
The Gu Master was overjoyed and wanted to capture it. The Liquor worm fled in a panic, and the Gu Master pursued relentlessly. Following the tracks of the Liquor worm, he discovered a hidden cave entrance leading underground.
The Liquor worm is a very precious type of Gu. Driven by liquid courage, this Gu Master risked entering the cave and arrived at the secret underground cavern. Then, he discovered the remains of the Flower Wine Monk, as well as the legacy left behind.
After the Gu Master returned to the mountain village, he reported all his discoveries, which immediately caused a massive sensation throughout the entire clan.
And that Gu Master also benefited from this; his cultivation became increasingly outstanding, which ironically attracted that lover who had once abandoned him to change her mind. He became a prominent figure of the time.
"Unfortunately, I only heard a general outline of this news and do not know the exact location. At that time, I never expected there would be a day of rebirth either. Flower Wine Monk, where exactly did you die?"
Over these past few days, he had bought a lot of wine and strolled around the outskirts of the mountain village at night. He wanted to use the radiating smell of wine to lure the Liquor worm into showing itself. Unfortunately, he simply could not see that Liquor worm; the result was extremely disappointing.
"If I find that Liquor worm and refine it into my vital Gu, it will be much better than the clan's Moonlight Gu. In the blink of an eye, it is already the fourth lunar month; time waits for no man." Fang Yuan sighed and turned his gaze out the window.
He saw that beneath the blue sky and white clouds, the lush, green mountains stretched endlessly outward. Nearby, there was a bamboo forest.
These were the Spear Bamboos unique to Qingmao Mountain; each one was as perfectly straight as a line, while their tips were exceptionally sharp, like spear points.
The woods not far away had already flushed with new green. The unfurled tender buds were patchy with yellow and green. Occasionally, pretty colorful sparrows would land on the branches.
The spring wind assailed, wrapping the fresh breath of the green mountains and clear waters, blowing and sprinkling across the human realm.
Unknowingly, this class approached its end. The Academy Elder gave his final notice: "Over this past week, I have taught you how to meditate and observe the primeval sea in your own apertures. How to sit in meditation and mobilize the primeval essence within your bodies. Now it is time to refine your vital Gu. After this class ends, you will go to the Gu room in the academy to pick out Gu worms. After picking out your Gu worms, return home and cultivate in seclusion. Only after you have refined the Gu worm will you return to the academy to continue attending classes. At the same time, this is also your first test. Whoever can claim the top spot will receive an abundant reward of twenty primeval stones."
Woah!
The next moment, the entire academy cheered.
"Finally, we are going to refine Gu worms, so what Gu worm should I pick?" A sharp glint flashed and vanished in Fang Yuan's eyes.