The sun rose, its rays brilliant. The mountain fog wasn't very thick which allowed the penetrating rays to easily pass through.
Over a hundred 15-year-old youths gathered in front of the clan pavilion. The clan pavilion was in the middle of the village, reaching five stories and having stilted roofs; it was heavily guarded. Before the pavilion was the square, and in the pavilion was the shrine of the Gu Yue ancestor memorial tablets. Every generation of clan head had lived in the pavilion. With every major ceremony or big incident, the clan elders would gather and discuss meetings here as well. This was the entire village's authority central."Good, all of you are punctual. Today is the Awakening Ceremony; it is your life's great turning point. I won't say much, just come with me." The one responsible at the moment was the elder of the academy.
His beard and hair were white and he was in high spirits as he led the young teenagers into the pavilion. However, they did not go up but were led downstairs after going through the entrance of a great hall. Following down a constructed stone ladder, they went into an underground cave.
The group of youths made surprised noises. The underground cave was beautiful, stalactites sparkling with the colors of the rainbow. This light shone on the youth's faces, the neon hues gorgeous.
They walked several hundred steps. It got darker and the sounds of water were faintly heard. After turning around a corner, a 30-foot-wide underground river greeted them. By now the colorful lights of the stalactites had disappeared completely, yet in the darkness, the river emitted a faint blue light. It was like a star river of the night sky. The river flowed from the dark depths of the cave. Inside the crystal clear waters, one could see fish, aquatic plants, and even the sand beneath the river. Opposite the river was a sea of flowers.
This was the Gu Yue Clan's closely cultivated moon orchids. The beautiful blue and pink colored petals were shaped like a crescent moon; the flower stems were like jade, the center of the flower shining like the sort of warm brilliance that radiates from pearls under the light. At first glance, in the dark background, the flower sea looks like a huge piece of land covered in bluish green carpet dotted with countless pearls.
The moon orchid is food for a lot of Gu. This flower sea could be said to be the clan's biggest cultivation medium, Fang Yuan thought knowingly to himself.
"Wow, so pretty!"
"It is beautiful!"
The new sight opened the young teenagers' eyes. Each one of them had a light radiating from their gaze with excited and anxious feelings.
"All right, listen as I call your names. Those who are called must walk through this river to the opposite bank. Walk as far as you can, of course, the further you go, the better it is. Are all of you clear on that?" The elder said.
"Yes," the youths replied.
Before they came here, they had all heard their family members or seniors talk about it. It is known that the further you can walk, the better your talent is. Your future will also become brighter.
"Gu Yue Chen Bo." The elder held the name list and called out the first person.
The river was wide but not deep—it covered up to a youth's kneecaps. Chen Bo was serious as he stepped into the flower sea ashore. As he did so, he could feel an invisible pressure as if there was a wall in front of him that he could not see, blocking him from walking forward. During this moment, the flowers at his feet suddenly gave off a weak white light. The light gathered around Chen Bo and entered his body. For a moment, Chen Bo felt the pressure drop; the invisible wall blocking him suddenly felt softer. With this, Chen Bo gritted his teeth and mustered his strength, walking forward. He tried to force his way in stiffly, yet after three steps the wall in front of him hardened again back to the state before. Thus he could not walk any further.
As he watched this the elder sighed. While recording what happened, he said, "Gu Yue Chen Bo, 3 steps, no talent to become a Gu Master. Next, Gu Yue Zao Xie!"
Chen Bo was deathly pale as he walked past the river and back to the youths, clenching his teeth. Without the endowed talent, he could live as a normal human, holding the lowest position in the clan.
His stature was shaky; it was a huge blow to him as if reality had killed all his hopes. Many people threw him pitiful gazes, while even more had fixated stares at the second person crossing the river. It was a pity that this youth could only walk four steps forward—he did not have talent either.
Not everyone has the natural talent to be a Gu Master. Generally speaking, it is not bad if five out of ten people have talent. In the Gu Clan, this ratio is higher, reaching six people. This is because the generation—The first-generation clan leader was a famous, legendary, and powerful man. Due to cultivation reasons, his bloodline carried powerful genes, thus the average quality of talent in the Gu Yue clan was generally higher as they carried his blood in their veins.
With two consecutive failures, the other elders observing the scene in the dark started making ugly expressions. Even the clan head was frowning slightly. The next moment, the academy elder called out the third name: Gu Yue Mo Bei.
"Here!" A horse-faced youth dressed in linen robes lightly called as he came forth. He was tall in build, looking much sturdier than his peers.
There was a brave aura about him. He crossed the river in a few steps and reached the opposite bank. 10 steps, 20 steps, 30 steps; one after another small lights entered his body. He walked until he reached 36 steps before he could finally go no further.
The youths at the riverbank watched with wide-opened eyes, shocked. The academy elder happily exclaimed, "Good, Gu Yue Mo Bei, B-grade talent! Come here, let me see your Primeval Sea."
Gu Yue Mo Bei walked back to the academy elder's side. The latter stretched out his hand and put it on the juvenile's shoulder, closing his eyes as he checked with focus. Then he retracted his hand and nodded, recording down on the paper: Gu Yue Mo Bei, Primeval Sea measuring six by six, could be vigorously trained.
This special talent could be measured by four grades—A grade to D grade. A D-grade talent youth who was nurtured for 3 years would be able to become a rank one senior Gu Master, becoming the foundation of a family. A C-grade talent youth after two years of cultivation was usually able to become a rank two senior Gu Master, becoming the clan's backbone. A B-grade talent had to be taken care of. They often became a future clan elder, and with 6–7 years of training, they could become rank three Gu Masters.
And when it comes to an A grade, even if it was just one, would bring great luck to the entire clan. Great care must be given; with this talent in about 10 years, they can become a rank four Gu Master. At that moment they would be able to compete for the position of the head of the clan!
In other words, as long as Gu Yue Mo Bei grew to his full potential, he would eventually become one of the elders of the Gu Yue clan. That was why the academy elder laughed happily; the elders watching in the darkness also sighed in relief, and then they all turned to look at one of the elders amongst them with jealousy.
This elder was also horse-faced. He was Gu Yue Mo Bei's grandfather, Gu Yue Mo Chen. His face was already smiling. He gave his old nemesis a provocative look and said, "What do you think? My grandson isn't bad huh, Gu Yue Chi Lian."
Gu Yue Chi Lian had a head full of red hair. He harrumphed in annoyance and didn't reply. It was apparent that he wore a livid expression.
Half of the youths had already walked through the one-hour-later sea. There were quite several C and D-grade talents among them, while half of those youths had no talent at all.
"Sigh, the bloodline is getting thinner. These few years the clan hasn't had any rank four masters to strengthen the bloodline. The fourth-generation clan head was the only rank-five master, but in the end, he perished together with the Flower Wine monk and did not leave behind any descendants.
The Gu Yue clan's later-generation talents are getting weaker and weaker," the clan head said with a deep sigh.
At this moment, the academy elder shouted, "Gu Yue Chi Chen!"
On hearing this name all the elders looked at Gu Yue Chi Lian; this was Gu Yue Chi Lian's grandson.
Gu Yue Chi Lian had a small and short build with a face full of pockmarks. He was clenching his fist, his entire face sweating. It was evident that he was incredibly nervous.
As he walked onto the opposite bank, the little lights entered his body; after walking straight for 36 steps he stopped.
"Another B grade!" the academy elder yelled.
The youths started a commotion, sending Gu Yue Chi Chen envious stares.
"Hahaha, 36 steps, 36 steps!" Gu Yue Chi Lian shouted, proudly staring at Gu Yue Mo Bei. This time it was Gu Yue Mo Chen's turn to have a sour face.
"Gu Yue Chi Chen, huh…" Amid the crowd, I was thinking about what was written in the novel, In reality, Chi Chen only had C-grade talent, but because his grandfather Gu Yue Chi Lian helped him fake the results, he appeared to have B-grade talent. fang yuan extorted the shit out of them for this, maybe I could do the same after I become rank 3.
If a B-grade or A-grade talent appeared, they would receive the clan's utmost care. To be honest I wanted to see for how long those two- Mo Bei and Chi Chen would be able to keep up with me with an A grade, I remember Gu Yue Chi Chen was different; his grandfather was Gu Yue Chi Lian—one of the two elders with the most authority within the clan, Chi Lian would be helping chi Chen to cover up for his c grade aptitude.
Gu Yue Chi Lian was always hostile towards Gu Yue Mo Chen, these two elders are the clan's two biggest influential authorities. To suppress his opponent he would need his grandson to have an outstanding talent.
I had thought of exposing his aptitude, just to make the lie that I am indeed doing what gen1 is commanding me to do, and I have clan's good in mind. But, If I exposed the matter, I would receive a bit of reward from the clan, but then I would offend the highly powerful Gu Yue Chi Lian. This was not advisable for me.
As I pondered, I suddenly heard the academy elder call out THE name: "Gu Yue Fang Yuan!".
This was the moment that would be most important in my life, I knew it very well. This moment will show me if it is Fang yuans first life or second and that will lead to changes in my plans.
He walked across the river and reached the opposite bank.
I thought he should be feeling a layer of pressure on him right now. He began to walk forward. With every step he took, one after another the Hope Gu would fly out from the sea of flowers and enter his body, joining the ball of light.
The ball of light grew brighter and brighter, but the person in charge opposite the riverbank frowned.
“This number of Hope Gu is lesser than expected.” Many elders watching Fang Yuan in the dark thought this as they saw the sight. The clan head frowned as well. This was not the sign of an A-grade talent!
Fang Yuan withstood the pressure, continuing to walk forward. His aperture awakened at the 27th step in the novel, with only 44% Primeval Sea Aperture. Fang Yuan felt that the pressure before him was as thick as a wall; he could no longer walk another step forward.
“You can’t go any further?” The academy elder shouted across the river,
holding onto a small thread of hope.
"no...no I can't," said Fang Yuan with a devastated expression on his face. This face was of a man who fell from heaven to hell.
he turned around and walked back.
At this moment even the young teenagers started reacting. The crowd suddenly buzzed with chatter.
“What? Fang Yuan walked 27 steps?”
“So he was just a C-grade talent?!”
“Unbelievable, only a C for such a genius like him?”
A great disturbance erupted from the crowd
“Everything has happened the same way as the novel described” Among them, I looked up, watching with shock as Fang Yuan returned across the river with a very sad face.
The shock was due to the excitement I felt, "I hit the jackpot, it was Fang Yuan's first life, he wouldn't be sad if it was his second life and it can't be his third life because l remember reading River of Time being turbulent because of fang yuan destroying the fate gu. Fang Yuan was a moral and normal person in his first life and it was only after the harrowing hardships he went through in his 500 years of life, that he became a demon."I thought to myself.
“Damn, he was only a C grade!” The Gu Yue clan head clenched both his fists, drawing a deep breath, disappointment in his voice.
The elders watching from the darkness had mixed reactions. Some were frowning, some lowering their head in discussion, some looking up with a sigh.
“Could the results be wrong?”
“How can that be? This method is accurate beyond reasoning, not to add that we were watching the entire time, even cheating is hard.”
“But all his actions and intelligence previously, how do you explain those?”
“Youths with a higher quality of primeval sea would indeed display characteristics that surpass the ordinary man. Such as intelligence, perception, memory, strength, agility, and so on. On the other hand, these characteristics do not mean that the primeval talent is high.
Everything will still be determined by the results.”
“Sigh, the bigger your hopes the bigger the disappointment. The Gu Yue clan’s generation now is no longer like the first generation.”
—
“Sigh…” The academy elder let out a deep breath and shouted, “Next, Gu Yue Fang Zheng!”
“I’m here!” I said walking out.
“The Fang brothers, nothing special.” The Gu Yue clan head scoffed, feeling a sort of annoyed boredom towards Fang Zheng.
I walked across the river and reached the opposite bank. As I walked.
I could feel a layer of pressure on me. This pressure came from the spring deep in the flower sea. The spirit spring produced primeval qi –because the qi was too rich in here, it caused the pressure.
But very quickly from the flowers below My feet, little lights made their way up. These dots of light enveloped my entire body before finally
entering me. The ball of light grew brighter and brighter,
“Below 10 steps it means that there is no cultivation talent. 10-20 steps means D grade talent. 20-30 steps would be C grade talent, and 30-40 steps is a B grade talent. And 40-50 steps would mean A-grade talent." I thought to myself.
Up till now, I have walked 40 steps.” 41,42,43... 44. I counted in my heart; when I walked the 44th step I could hear a bang and in between my two kidneys the ball of light reached its limit and exploded.
This burst of energy only happened inside my body; outsiders cannot see it.
I could feel at that moment, an earthshaking reaction. Instantly the fine hairs on my body stood up, my pores shut tight, and my mind stretched to a tense limit.
Soon after, my mind went blank, my entire body becoming soft as if I had fallen into some clouds. My heart relaxed, my fine hairs flattened and my pores tingled.
These are the Hope Gu, interesting!
The person in charge did not tell them, but I knew it very clearly. Every spot of light is a Gu, known as the Hope Gu.
At this moment, Hope Gu converged into a stream of light and had Already entered my body. Due to the outside pressure, they quickly
gathered into my abdomen and collected into a group spontaneously, 3 inches under my navel.
I suddenly felt the pressure lessen. I began to walk forward. With every step I took, one after another the Hope Gu would fly out from
the sea of flowers and enter my body, joining the ball of light.
I kept walking forward, I was already deep in the sea of flowers, standing in a distance that no one else had reached before me.
This felt great.
This feeling of relaxation I felt right now, could not be understood by anyone else here, The constant anxiety that I felt - the novel could be wrong,- me not being an A-grade aptitude, And this life being Fang yuan's second life.
I have read how harsh this world can be to the weak and I want to live an easy and good life, so being strong is a must.
44 steps!
“Oh my god, A-grade talent!” The academy elder screamed, seeming to
have lost my mind.
“A grade, really an A grade!?”
“It’s been 3 years, and an A-grade talented genius has finally appeared in the Gu Yue clan!”
The clan elders who were watching in the darkness were also screaming out
at the same time, losing their composures.
“Well, the Fang bloodline originated from us Chi bloodline. So we the Chi family will adopt this Gue Yue Fang Zheng,” Gue Yue Chi Lian
immediately announced.
“How is that possible? You old bag Chi Lian, your morals and abilities are out of order, but you’re good at misleading young boys. It’s better
to pass this kid to me, Gu Yue Mo Chen to raise!” Gu Yue Mo Chen roared back instantly.
“Stop arguing. No one is more qualified to raise this child than the current clan leader. Whoever has any objections is to go against me, Gu Yue Bo!” The Gu Yue clan head had gone crazy and swept his fiery red gaze over the disappointed and discouraged looks.
“To think he would be an a-grade while me being a C-grade, and me being praised as a genius all the while him being the real talented one, how ironic.” thought Fang Yuan with deep sadness in him.
