“Is he Fang Yuan or Fang Zheng?” some students muttered, still unable to tell the twin brothers apart.
“It’s Fang Zheng. Fang Yuan is always cold-faced. He would never look nervous,” someone explained.
“Oh, then this is interesting. Fang Zheng is the only grade-A genius our village has seen in three years.” Everyone turned their gazes toward him.
Fang Zheng felt the pressure in those gazes, which made him even more nervous.
Standing on the field, his fingers trembled slightly.
He fired the first Moon Blade, aiming at the strawman's chest, but due to his nervousness, he missed. The Moon Blade ended up striking the strawman puppet's neck.
A slight gasp of surprise immediately came from the youths.
They thought Fang Zheng had done it on purpose. He didn't aim for the easiest target, the chest, but instead the neck. This was a sign of confidence in his own attacking technique.
Unconsciously, they grew more expectant of Fang Zheng's performance.
Gu Yue Mo Bei and Gu Yue Chi Cheng also darkened their expressions.
The only ones in the field who could see that Fang Zheng had made a mistake were the Academy Elder and Fang Yuan.
“That was close!” Fang Zheng exclaimed inwardly when he saw the Moon Blade, secretly feeling lucky.
He took a few deep breaths to forcibly calm himself down, then fired two more Moon Blades. This time, he made no mistakes. Both blades struck the strawman puppet's chest accurately.
This result made the Academy Elder nod. Mo Bei and Chi Cheng also calmed down. Fang Zheng's performance was comparable to theirs; it all depended on how the Elder would score him.
The other students let out sighs. Fang Zheng's subsequent performance was not outstanding, which disappointed them somewhat.
The remaining groups had nothing worth watching. No one performed better than Mo Bei, Chi Cheng, or Fang Zheng.
The youths began to whisper amongst themselves.
“At this rate, the top scorer in today's exam will come from among the three of them.”
“They all hit the strawman puppet. I wonder who the Academy Elder will favor more.”
“Wait, it's the last group. Fang Yuan is up.”
“Oh, that grade-C 'Cold Genius'? Heh.”
Fang Yuan only walked leisurely onto the field when it was the last group's turn.
“That Fang Yuan...” Gu Yue Mo Bei lifted his head to glance at Fang Yuan, then lowered his eyelids, not too concerned.
“You lucked out last time and picked a weak-willed Moonlight Gu, which let you snatch first place. Let's see how you perform this time!” Gu Yue Chi Cheng folded his arms, waiting to see Fang Yuan make a fool of himself.
“Big brother... this time is different from last time. I practiced so hard. I will definitely surpass you.” In the crowd, Gu Yue Fang Zheng bit his lip, his fists unconsciously clenching.
Last time, in the assessment for refining the Lifebound Gu, he had an A-grade aptitude but ended up second. Naturally, he was not convinced. Especially when he learned that the reason Fang Yuan won was purely due to luck. This made him even more resentful.
For Gu Yue Fang Zheng, defeating his brother Fang Yuan held a special, significant meaning.
Quite a few gazes focused on Fang Yuan. The Academy Elder's gaze also fixed upon him.
Fang Yuan was unmoved, his expression cold.
Once he stood still, his true essence surged into the Moonlight Gu in his palm. With a chop of his hand, he launched the first Moon Blade.
The Moon Blade flew very high, not only over the strawman's head but also over the bamboo wall. It flew for almost fifteen meters before its light dimmed and it disappeared into the air.
“Pfft...” Someone couldn't help but laugh.
“That's way too far off,” someone sneered coldly.
“Truly a genius. No wonder he got first in Gu Refining,” someone said sarcastically.
Years earlier, when Fang Yuan composed poems and showed early intelligence, he had already aroused discontent among these people. Later, relying on “luck” to get first in Gu Refining only added a dose of envy to their dissatisfaction.
Many were waiting for the show, waiting for this “genius” Fang Yuan to embarrass himself. Fang Yuan's Moon Blade did not disappoint them.