The sound of footsteps grew closer. Soon, the dark green bushes at the edge of the steep slope were forcefully pushed apart, and a tall, burly man stepped onto the slope, appearing in Fang Yuan's line of sight.
He had short black hair, each strand standing stiff and straight. Bare-chested with a back like a tiger and a waist like a bear, the skin all over his body was a deep, fiery red.
He was nearly two meters tall. The late autumn chill was heavy, but he gave off the feeling of a moving furnace. It seemed as though every breath he exhaled could raise the surrounding temperature.
Around his waist hung a bunch of wild beast corpses. There were foxes, wild rabbits, pheasants, and even the old wolf that had just left.
Seeing Fang Yuan, he froze slightly for a moment, then took large strides, brushing past Fang Yuan.
"Gu Yue Chi Shan." Watching the giant man's receding back, a name surfaced in the bottom of Fang Yuan's heart.
This person was the representative figure of the Chi faction, possessing a Rank Two upper stage cultivation. Speaking of which, his background bore some resemblance to Fang Yuan's.
This person was also remarkably gifted, possessing great strength since childhood. At the age of ten, he accidentally struck and killed an adult male servant. At twelve, he could lift a heavy stone mill and play with it like a flying disc.
At that time, he was widely favored by the clansmen, who believed he had an A grade aptitude. However, after the Awakening Ceremony, it was tested that his aptitude was only B grade.
He originally had an arrogant and defiant temperament, but after experiencing this turn of events, his disposition shifted, becoming exceptionally steady and calm. Though only a B grade, he was the indisputable number one student of his year.
After completing a year in the academy, he came out and continuously fought his way up, quickly making a name for himself. Now, several years later, he had already become an elite among the clan's Rank Two Gu Masters.
Happiness cannot teach people the truths of life; only pain often can.
"In the clan, youths participate in the Awakening Ceremony at fifteen and enter the academy. At sixteen, they graduate from the academy, form five-person groups, and complete clan missions. At the same time, they gain the qualifications to inherit family property and establish their own households. Starting to fight for survival from sixteen, their cultivation continuously progresses, the danger level of missions constantly escalates, and their status steadily rises. Some die, some remain alive. Some are crippled, their cultivation drops, and they linger on with their last breath of life. Some undergo tempering and become Rank Three Gu Masters, advancing to elders and entering the higher-ups."
Fang Yuan's eyes flickered, making many associations.
The further a Gu Master cultivated, the more difficult it became; the difficulty of advancement surged exponentially. Coupled with the harsh and difficult survival environment, those who could advance to Rank Three were truly few and far between.
"Speaking of which, winter is almost here. It has been almost a year since I entered the academy. Every batch of students has two major examinations. The first is the mid-year exam, the contents of which differ every year. The second is the year-end exam, and the content remains unchanged; it is an arena tournament. After the arena tournament, I can no longer live in the academy dormitories and must move out."
Move out? But where to live?
It was impossible for Fang Yuan to live with his uncle and aunt; they would wish for nothing more than that.
In this world, sixteen was considered an adult, the age to become independent. Moreover, Fang Yuan himself had too many secrets, so he had to live alone.
"In my previous life, when I left the academy, I was only at Rank One middle stage. In this life, the situation is much better. By then, I will definitely be at Rank One peak stage. However, achieving such results with a C grade aptitude does not come without a price; a massive amount of primeval stones has been consumed in this process."
Fang Yuan frowned silently; the primeval stones on hand were already running low.
Limited by his aptitude, the primeval stones consumed for his cultivation were far more than what Fang Zheng, Chi Cheng, and Mo Bei used.
He alone was feeding six Gu!
Aside from that, refining primeval essence with the Liquor worm, nourishing the aperture, using the White Boar Gu to increase strength, and so on, all required the consumption of primeval essence. Once the primeval essence was depleted, solely relying on the recovery speed of a C grade aptitude would definitely not meet his demands. He had no choice but to use primeval stones to extract the natural primeval essence within them to replenish himself.
Fortunately, he had the Spring Autumn Cicada, and he had extracted Gu from the Earth Treasure Flower twice, so refining the Gu worms did not require spending a large amount of primeval stones. This made things slightly easier for him.
But moving forward, after leaving the academy, he would at least have to rent a house and buy some household supplies.
After peak stage came the charge towards Rank Two. This process would consume a massive amount of primeval stones.
After Rank Two, he would still need to fuse Gu worms; every fusion was a considerable expense.
Just these aforementioned things alone, his increasingly strained financial situation could no longer afford. Not to mention, even if he scraped through all of this, he still had to continue feeding the Gu worms and continue his cultivation.
Earlier, during the mid-year exam, if he had not exchanged the wild boar tusks for a sizable amount of primeval stones to relieve a large portion of the pressure, he would have been unable to hold on by now.
"Primeval stones, primeval stones… There was no supply of primeval stones in the Flower Wine Monk's inheritance, which is truly a pity. Extorting primeval stones from my classmates has been the main pillar of support. But once the students leave the academy, the academy allowances will stop, and I won't be able to continue extorting them either. However, taking first place in the year-end exam seems to award a prize of one hundred and fifty primeval stones." Fang Yuan pondered in his heart.
If he could get first place and acquire these one hundred and fifty primeval stones, his tremendous financial pressure could be slightly alleviated.
…
Time flew by, autumn passed, and winter arrived.
On the academy's martial arts arena, three tournament rings had already been set up.
Beside the rings, leaning against the bamboo wall of the martial arts arena, a tent had been erected, furnished with long tables and armchairs.
The academy elder, the clan head, and several other elders were currently seated under the tent.
A light snow was falling from the sky.
Fifty-seven students stood completely straight in the field. Their noses were all red from the cold, puffing out breaths of hot air as they respired.
The academy elder spoke in a loud voice, "In the blink of an eye, a year has ended. Through the training you have received in the academy over this year, you already possess the preliminary qualities of a Gu Master. Tomorrow will be the year-end arena examination, which will test the results of your studies! At that time, not only will the clan head and several elder lords personally attend the scene, but your seniors and upperclassmen will also be observing the examination, picking out those with outstanding performances to be absorbed into different groups."
"Your performance tomorrow will to a large extent affect your future prospects. The first place in the examination not only gets a reward of one hundred and fifty primeval stones, but also has the priority right to select a Gu worm! Now, begin your final cultivation inspection in the academy!"
Having said these words, the academy elder nodded to a Gu Master standing to the side.
The middle-aged female Gu Master received the signal and, following the name list, called out the first name: "Gu Yue Jin Zhu!"
A young girl stepped out from the crowd with a face full of nervousness, walking up to the Gu Master.
The Gu Master reached out a hand, placed it on the young girl's abdomen, closed her eyes to sense for a moment, and then opened them to announce, "Gu Yue Jin Zhu, Rank One middle stage. Next, Gu Yue Peng."
One by one, the youngsters went up to be inspected, then walked down and rejoined the ranks.
Their expressions varied; some were disappointed, others joyful.
The worst grades were naturally Rank One initial stage. Without exception, all were youngsters with D grade aptitude.
The cultivation of the vast majority was Rank One middle stage. A small number among these were D grade aptitude, while most had a C grade aptitude.
"Gu Yue Chi Cheng." The middle-aged female Gu Master called out the name.
Gu Yue Chi Cheng, the shortest among all his peers, puffed out his chest and walked out.
After inspecting for a moment, the middle-aged female Gu Master opened her eyes: "Gu Yue Chi Cheng, Rank One peak stage!"
Of the inspections so far, this was the very first Rank One peak stage Gu Master.
The seated elders could not help but lightly nod their heads.
An elder recognized him and said softly, "This is Gu Yue Chi Lian's grandson, he has B grade aptitude, so it's no wonder."
Outside the tent, the youths were also whispering amongst themselves.
"Chi Cheng has reached Rank One peak stage, I wonder if Mo Bei has? Those two are sworn rivals."
"Those who can advance to peak stage are all B grade and A grade folks. Sigh, us poor D grade and C grade wretches can't envy them."
"Hmph!" Gu Yue Mo Bei snorted coldly. Seeing Chi Cheng's triumphant look, he felt displeased.
Gu Yue Fang Zheng secretly clenched both his fists, his lips pressed tightly together, seeming to hold in a breath of air.
"Gu Yue Mo Bei." Soon, the inspecting Gu Master called out.
Mo Bei, with his long face, walked out with quick steps.
"Gu Yue Mo Bei, Rank One peak stage." Under this announcement, he walked back, not wanting to be outdone as he shot a glance at Gu Yue Chi Cheng along the way.
The inspections continued. The snow in the air fell lighter and lighter, eventually stopping.
The air was freezing cold yet fresh.
"Gu Yue Fang Yuan." The middle-aged female Gu Master called out at this moment.
Expressionless, Fang Yuan walked up.
A moment later, the female Gu Master opened her eyes, sizing up Fang Yuan with some surprise, and declared loudly, "Gu Yue Fang Yuan, Rank One peak stage!"
"Rank One peak stage, did I hear that right? Fang Yuan actually cultivated to such a level?" The youths were momentarily astonished.
"Sigh, he got dog-shit luck, having the help of a Liquor worm to nourish his aperture. Even though he's only C grade, compared to B grade and A grade, he still doesn't fall behind." Some youths said out of jealousy.
Especially some youths who likewise possessed C grade aptitude, comforting themselves with sour tones, "This is nothing much. The Liquor worm can't refine Rank Two primeval essence; Fang Yuan won't have this advantage in the future."
"Although he is at the peak stage, he is ultimately just a C grade aptitude, nothing to worry about." Mo Bei and Chi Cheng glanced at Fang Yuan, then quickly shifted their gazes to look at Fang Zheng, who was still standing in the ranks.
In their hearts, Fang Zheng, who possessed an A grade aptitude, was the true competitor.
"Big brother, you really do surprise me a little. But next, you'd better watch closely…" Fang Zheng looked at Fang Yuan stepping down step by step, his eyes shining brightly, revealing an extremely expectant expression.
"Gu Yue Fang Zheng." The female Gu Master's voice arrived belatedly.
"Is that the A grade genius?" For a moment, the elders all gathered their gazes onto Fang Zheng's body.
Fang Zheng stepped out of the crowd. He could feel the pressure conveyed by these gazes, causing him to involuntarily become slightly nervous.
However, when he saw the clan head, Gu Yue Bo, smiling at him, the nervousness in his heart instantly melted away like ice.
He walked over to the middle-aged female Gu Master.
The female Gu Master closed her eyes, then abruptly opened them, shouting in an astonished tone, "Gu Yue Fang Zheng, cultivation—Rank Two initial stage!"
Boom.
The youngsters suddenly erupted into a clamor of noisy waves.
"What, he actually reached Rank Two?!"
"As expected of an A grade aptitude genius."
"Amazing, this way Mo Bei, Chi Cheng, and Fang Yuan have all been left behind by him."
"This Fang Zheng!" For a time, both Mo Bei and Chi Cheng looked at Fang Zheng in shock.
"Hehehe, actually a notch higher than in the previous life…" Fang Yuan lowered his eyelids and chuckled. He wasn't too surprised; he had paid attention to Fang Zheng's expression just now and had vaguely guessed this inspection result.
"As expected of an A grade aptitude."
"The hope of our clan."
"It is still the merit of Lord Clan Head's nurturing…"
The elders praised continuously.
In a flash, Fang Zheng became the focal point of everyone's attention.
Half a year ago, Gu Yue Bo handed him a Jade Skin Gu, telling him to become the first person to advance to Rank Two. He had done it!
"Lord Clan Head, I did not betray your expectations, I did it! From now on, I will accomplish even more, gain more recognition from the lord elders, and win more approval from the people around me. Big brother, you have already been left behind by me, you are no longer the shadow in my heart. I, Gu Yue Fang Zheng, am no longer the Gu Yue Fang Zheng of the past!"
Fang Zheng shouted excitedly in his heart, a brilliant radiance flashing within his eyes.
This kind of radiance was precisely called confidence!