It's already been three days since Fang Yuan killed those hunters.
The sky was blue and clear, looking pure as if it had been washed clean. The sun was shining golden.
The spring breeze blew over the whole mountain's green grass, while the wild flowers bloomed eagerly, and the bees and butterflies danced around together. Life was surging all around; it was the wonderful beauty of spring.
This training field occupied 1332 meters². The ground was flat, paved with a layer of thick and wide grey graphite. Its four sides were planted with green spear bamboo; these green poles were placed closely together side by side, straight and tall, forming a circle of green high walls.
While below the wall corners were stone as well, clumps of green grass emerged from many areas. In between the bamboo were also some wild roses, poking in from the outside, a few even climbing the wall.
Fifty-seven young teens at the age of fifteen were standing in the midst of the training field right now, formed in a semi-circle around the academy elder who was in the center, putting their focus on him.
This was a lesson to teach the students on how to use the Moonlight Gu.
"The Moonlight Gu is our Gu Yue clan's symbolic Gu, just like the Xiong House's Bear Strength Gu, and the Bai House's Stream Gu. The majority of you on the field have chosen the Moonlight Gu as your vital Gu, so you must all watch properly. Soon I will demonstrate personally how to use the Moonlight Gu to attack. Students whose vital Gu is not the Moonlight Gu must also concentrate on me, as this classical long-distance attacking method can also be used on other Gu; the spectrum of methods one can use is very wide."
As he spoke, the academy elder stretched out his right hand, his five fingers opening wide. He lowered his palm so that the young teens could see the center of it.
"Firstly, you use your mind to mobilize the Moonlight Gu, moving it to the center of your palm." Following his voice, the crescent mark that represented the Moonlight Gu moved down the elder's arm and into his palm.
"Then, you mobilize the primeval essence in your aperture, pouring it into the Moonlight Gu." A thread of white silver coloured primeval essence gushed out from the elder's body, so fine it was almost impossible to see. It entered the Moonlight Gu in his palm.
The academy elder was of a Rank three realm, and only Rank three Gu Masters could produce white silver coloured primeval essence. Rank one Gu Master's primeval essence was commonly known as green copper primeval essence, while Rank two Gu Masters had theirs called red iron primeval essence. When they reached Rank three, it becomes white silver primeval essence.
Once it absorbed the thread of white silver primeval essence, the crescent-shaped mark in the elder's hand instantly glowed brighter and brighter. Although it was daytime, it still issued a brilliant pale-blue light.
"That's awesome!"
"How beautiful." The youngsters could not help but let out praises of surprise and amazement when they saw it.
The pale blue light was clear like water. It flickered faintly in the elder's palm. At first glance it would seem as if the academy elder's hand was scooping a handful of moonlight. The academy elder smiled a little. "Now watch carefully, the last step is just like how I will do it, launching it out."
As he said this, his widely opened five fingers slowly closed together, then he lifted his arm up and slowly moved it forward, his arm straight. Finally he waved his palm lightly in a cutting motion.
The entire movement was steady and powerful.
Swoosh.
The young students could hear a light brushing sound beside their ear.
Following the academy elder's movement, the condensed water-like pale blue light in his palm was thrown out like that.
The light transformed into a small moonblade in the air, the faint blue moonblade only the size of a wide-open hand, the shape just like the crescent moon in the night sky. It drew a straight line in the air before it hit a grass puppet ten meters away.
A tearing sound was heard, and the grass puppet's neck that was about thirty centimeters thick was cut clean by the moonblade. The puppet's body swayed about, the huge head suddenly falling onto the floor.
After cutting the grass puppet into half, the moonblade immediately appeared dimmer. However it continued flying about another six meters in the air before the crescent began to gradually fade away, finally dissipating in the air.
Looking at the grass puppet's neck again, one could see that the cut area was extremely flat, as if it was cut away by the sharpest sickle.
The youngsters were all shocked as they saw this, their eyes wide-open. A few of them even touched their own necks involuntarily, astonished by the attacking power of the moonblade.
After a short silence, the sounds of exclamation began. The teenagers had shining eyes as they stared at the grass puppet, some of them staring at the elder's palm. A few of them were looking at their peers, talking and whispering excitedly.
Only Fang Yuan stood hidden in the crowd with a cold expression, his stature calm.
Just a few days ago, Fang Yuan killed those hunters using the Moonlight Gu. This small trick was just child's play to him.
"All those of you who have refined the Moonlight Gu, step out. Each one of you shall take a grass puppet and follow the way I just did it, throwing out the moonblade, practice attacking."
Once the academy elder was finished, very quickly thirty-five students stood in a row. Each of them faced forward, standing ten meters away from a grass puppet on the opposite.
Fang Yuan stood in the middle of the row, but he did not garner any attention. The practice began.
For a time in the training ground, pale-blue coloured moonblades flew about everywhere.
Fang Yuan kept condensing the blue light in his hand. He waved his palm a few times cutting the air, but he did not release the light, pretending and acting.
The sun had already set.
The sunset glow was still burning in the sky. The mountains far away in the distance were covered in a thick layer of grey ash, gradually turning to black.
In the academy, a day's class was over. The students walked out from the academy in groups of twos and threes.
Fang Yuan walked to the building beside the Gu room – it was a small store.
In the store there were seven students, each of them negotiating over the counter with the store owner for buying grass puppets.
"It's you, junior." The Rank one Gu Master responsible for the store was in his twenties. When he saw Fang Yuan, he automatically greeted him while bargaining with his customers.
Fang Yuan was taken by surprise, finding out that this Gu Master was Jiang Ya.
"Ah, it's you senior." Fang Yuan nodded his head, his face expressionless.
Three days ago, he had raided Old Wang's home and found five and a half primeval stones, so he left a surprise for his son. Next day at the academy, he used them to purchase five Moon Orchid petals from Jiang Ya.
"Does my junior also want to buy a grass puppet?" Jiang Ya laughed as he asked, "It seems like they were being sold out."
Fang Yuan shook his head and pulled out a piece of primeval stone, putting it on the counter. "I want to buy ten moon orchid petals."
Jiang Ya was stunned. He looked Fang Yuan deep in the eye, taking away the primeval stone and pulling open the counter drawer. Then he took out a paper bag, saying, "Ten pieces of moon orchid flower petals, not one less. Please make sure."
Fang Yuan checked the goods on the spot and found no mistake with it. Finally he left the small shop.
Gu have to be fed.
A Gu Master refines Gu, uses Gu, and at the same time needs to raise Gu.
Refining a Gu is difficult; there is the risk of counterattack. Using a Gu is not easy; one needs a lot of practice. The knowledge of raising a Gu is even more extensive and profound, because there are all kinds of Gu worms and their food are exceedingly strange.
Afterall, to feed the Liquor Worm, he had hidden five jars of Green Bamboo wine beneath his dormitory bed.
Just by taking Fang Yuan's current three Gu for example, the Moonlight Gu requires moon orchid petals, two meals a day. In the morning and night one meal, every meal two pieces of flower petals. Meanwhile for the Liquor worm, it needs to drink wine. A jar of green bamboo wine could support it for four days. As for the White Boar Gu, it needs a complete boar meat every five days.