Six months flew by in the blink of an eye.
It had now been nine months since the awakening ceremony.
No one seemed to pay any attention to Gu Yue Li Yao's disappearance. And even if they did, they simply brushed it off as part of the "reckless age of youth."
Rumors swirled—some claimed she had run away, others speculated about different reasons—but in the end, no one knew the truth from fiction.
Inside his dormitory, Fang Yuan sat cross-legged on his bed, cultivating in silence.
He had already used the three White Silver Relic Gu to push his cultivation to the peak of Rank 3.
Currently, he was using Rank 3 peak-stage snow silver essence to nurture the crystal walls in his aperture. But despite his efforts, he found himself unable to break through to Rank 4.
Fang Yuan understood the reason why—so he deliberately avoided using primeval stones, choosing instead to rely solely on his own primeval essence.
He knew that advancing to Rank 4 wasn't just a matter of resources or effort; it was fundamentally a matter of innate talent.
Over the past six months, he had sensed his aptitude dropping by about 1%. He knew his limit was approaching.
For now, all he could do was wait—for the arrival of the caravan.
Despite having reached the peak of Rank 3, Fang Yuan didn't possess a single Rank 3 Gu worm.
His current set of Gu worms included the Rank 1 one Liquor Worm, two Moonlight Gu, two Little Light Gu, one Stealth Rock Gu, Rank 2 White Jade Gu and Seventeen Rank 3 Tusita Flowers.
Although he had acquired a portion of the Flower Wine Monk's inheritance, it had offered him no offensive Gu, and the ones he did have were no longer compatible with his cultivation level or suited to his needs.
At this point, his Gu arsenal was outdated and insufficient for someone of his rank.
...
Time flies, autumn leaves and winter comes.
On the arena in the academy, three stages had already been built.
Beside the stage, near the bamboo walls of the arena, there were tents and long tables and chairs.
The academy elder, clan leader and a few other clan elders were sitting below the tentage cover.
There was a little snow in the sky.
Fifty-six students stood straight on the arena. Each of their noses were bright red from the weather, and every breath they took had steam coming out of their noses.
The academy elder spoke loudly, "In a flash a year has ended. During this year you were trained in the academy and have started to grasp the qualities of a Gu Master. Tomorrow, you will have the year end examination to test the fruits of your hard work! Not only will the clan leader and clan elders come personally to watch, your family elders and seniors will also come to observe to pick excellent performing students to join their small teams."
"Your performances tomorrow, will to a large extent affect your future. Getting first place, not only is it a hundred and fifty primeval stones, but you also get an advantage in picking Gu worms! Now, start the final cultivation check in your academic life!"
Saying so, the academy elder nodded to a Gu Master beside him.
The female Gu Master received the instructions and called out the name from the list, "Gu Yue Jin Zhu!"
A young girl walked towards the Gu Master with a nervous expression.
The Gu Master stretched out her hand, touching the young girl's abdomen. She closed her eyes to feel, then opened her eyes and declared, "Gu Yue Jin Zhu, Rank one middle stage. Next, Gu Yue Peng."
One after another, youngsters went up to check. Then they walked back down and returned to the group.
Their expressions varied, some were happy while others were upset.
The worst result was naturally Rank one initial stage, all being the D grade talents.
A large number of the students were Rank one middle stage, and little of them were B grade, mostly C grades.
"Gu Yue Chi Cheng." The middle-aged female Gu Master called.
From the group, the shortest Gu Yue Chi Cheng puffed his chest and walked out.
After checking, the female Gu Master opened her eyes, "Gu Yue Chi Cheng, Rank one peak stage!"
Up till now, this was the first Rank one peak stage Gu Master.
The clan elders present turned their heads.
Some elders recognised, saying lightly, "This is Chi Lian's grandson, having B grade talent, no wonder."
Outside the tent, the youngsters also commented.
"Chi Cheng is Rank one peak stage, I wonder if Mo Bei is too? They are rivals after all."
"Being able to advance to peak stage, they are all A and B grades. Sigh, we C and D grades encounter bitterness that cannot be envied."
"Hmph!" Gu Yue Mo Bei snorted, seeing Chi Cheng's proud expression, he was annoyed.
Gu Yue Fang Zheng clenched his fists, his lips tightly shut, as if he was stifling in his emotions.
"Gu Yue Mo Bei." Soon, the examiner called.
The horse-faced Mo Bei quickly walked out.
"Gu Yue Mo Bei, Rank one peak stage." With this declaration, he walked back and stared defiantly at Gu Yue Chi Cheng when returning.
The examination continued, and the snow in the sky became smaller, until it vanished.
The cold chilly air was rather refreshing.
"Gu Yue Fang Yuan." The middle-aged female Gu Master called.
Fang Yuan walked up expressionlessly.
Soon after, she opened her eyes, before declaring, "Gu Yue Fang Yuan, Rank one middle stage!"
"Sigh, still at middle stage." Elders above shook their heads.
"Brother, watch me carefully…" Fang Zheng looked at Fang Yuan walking down, his eyes shone and revealed an proud and anticipating expression.
"Gu Yue Fang Zheng." The female Gu Master finally said.
"The A grade talent?" The clan elders focused their attention to Fang Zheng.
Fang Zheng walked out from the crowd, he could feel the pressure that these gazes were bringing him, causing him to become slightly nervous.
But when he saw the clan leader Gu Yue Bo's smile, the nervousness in his heart melted.
He walked in front of the female Gu Master.
She shut her eyes, and then abruptly opened her eyes, saying in shock, "Gu Yue Fang Zheng, cultivation level — Rank two initial stage!"
Boom.
The youngsters erupted into a wave of discussions.
"What, he reached Rank two?!"
"As expected of the A grade talent genius."
"Incredible, he left Mo Bei, Chi Cheng, and Fang Yuan in the dust."
"This Fang Zheng!" At once, Mo Bei and Chi Cheng stared at Fang Zheng in shock.
"Hehehe, same as my previous life…" Fang Yuan's eyelids drooped down as he laughed. He was not surprised, and after observing Fang Zheng's expression earlier, he could guess the result.
"A grade talent after all."
"The hope of our clan."
"This is the credit of clan leader's nurturing…"
The clan elders praised.
At once, Fang Zheng became the center of attention.
Half a year ago, Gu Yue Bo gave him a Jade Skin Gu and asked him to be the first person to advance to Rank two. He did it!
"Clan leader, I did not disappoint you, I did it! From now on, I will achieve even more, getting the approval of the clan elders and the people around me. Brother, I've left you behind, you are no longer the shadow in my heart. I, Gu Yue Fang Zheng, am no longer the one from back then!"
Fang Zheng yelled in his heart, his eyes shining with a kind of brilliance.
This brilliance, is called confidence!