Night descended.
The moon emerged from between the clouds like a silver disc. Sparse stars dotted the sky around it.
Gu Yue Mobei stood in the courtyard, craning his neck to gaze up at the moon, his eyes gleaming bright.
"Little brother, I heard you were injured today." His sister Gu Yue Moyan's voice came from behind him without warning.
"Sister, are you worried that being beaten until I coughed up blood today will leave me traumatized?" Mobei turned around, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
Seeing her brother smile, Moyan immediately felt a wave of relief. Although she truly harbored that concern, she said: "Not at all. Your sister knows you best. My dear brother, you have an indomitable fighting spirit. You're the future head of our Mo branch. How could a little injury like this scare you?"
"Hehehe, I knew Sister loved me most." Mobei scratched his head and grinned.
"Do you know, Sister," the fifteen-year-old said under the bright moonlight, his eyes shining with a luminous intensity, "although I failed again this time, during our clash I heard Fang Yuan's rapid, labored breathing. Before, I would be knocked flat after just a few moves while he was always calm and composed. His panting already revealed his weakness. He is nowhere near as strong as most people imagine. One day, I will defeat him fair and square!"
"Good! You're worthy of being a fine man of our Mo line!" Moyan laughed and ruffled her brother's hair, a caring look on her face. "But you've taken internal injuries, so don't practice martial arts for the next few days."
"Sister, stop patting my head like that. I've already grown up." Mobei shook his head with a hint of displeasure in his tone. "I know everything you're saying. I already have a plan. I'll use these days to nourish the walls of my Empty Orifice and complete my advancement from Initial Stage to Middle Stage. First I'll secure the position of Class Leader and steal all of Fang Yuan's thunder. I'll let him know that what Gu Master cultivation truly values is Aptitude!"
"That puts my mind at ease. I was only Deputy Class Leader back then. If you become Class Leader, you'll be making up for my regret."
"Rest assured, Sister. That position of Class Leader is mine!"
At almost the same time, in the Chi family compound.
In a secret chamber, a single torch burned in a notch carved into the dark stone wall.
The fire blazed fiercely, illuminating the cramped room.
Gu Yue Chilian, one of the two ruling Elders, sat facing his own grandson, Gu Yue Chicheng. Both sat cross-legged on meditation cushions, their shadows cast upon the floor, swaying with the flickering flames.
Gu Yue Chilian extended his large palm and pressed it flat against Chicheng's lower abdomen. Thread after thread of Silver True Essence flowed from the old man's will, pouring directly into Gu Yue Chicheng's Empty Orifice.
Gu Yue Chicheng's face was taut with tension, his entire consciousness poured into his own Empty Orifice as he strained to suppress the surging of his Yuan Sea.
In this world, no two leaves are identical. For different Gu Masters, neither are their True Essences ever exactly alike.
Once Alien True Essence entered an Empty Orifice, it would naturally provoke resistance from the True Essence already residing within.
If Gu Yue Chicheng did not hold it down and allowed the True Essence to clash freely, it would inevitably trigger a violent confrontation of essences. The turbulent fluctuations from such a clash would damage the Empty Orifice.
The Empty Orifice and Yuan Sea were the foundation of a Gu Master's entire cultivation — of paramount importance.
Once the Empty Orifice sustained damage, the lightest consequence was a drop in cultivation, and the worst was a degradation of Aptitude. If the Empty Orifice shattered completely, the Gu Master would simply die.
A long while passed before Gu Yue Chilian finally ceased the infusion of True Essence and slowly withdrew his hand.
Gu Yue Chicheng let out a long, relieved breath and relaxed his taut body. "Thank you, Grandfather. You have to infuse me with True Essence and nourish my Empty Orifice every three days. You've exhausted yourself!"
Gu Yue Chilian was drenched in sweat. He sighed and said: "There's nothing to be done. Your Aptitude is only Grade C. If left to your own strength, advancing to Middle Stage would take an enormous amount of time — typically twice as long as Grade B, four times as long as Grade A. You'd be exposed before then. So this method, dangerous as it is, cannot be helped."
"Grandson understands Grandfather's good intentions."
"Good that you understand." The old man sighed again. "This method also carries a significant side effect. The walls of your Empty Orifice are being nourished by my Silver True Essence. Silver True Essence is remarkably effective, but to you it is Alien True Essence after all. In the future, even after the walls of your Empty Orifice transform from a Light Film into a Water Film, they will be tainted with traces of my aura. As the Alien aura accumulates further and further, the Empty Orifice will deteriorate. It's an act of pulling up seedlings to help them grow — it will shrink your future potential."
Gu Yue Chicheng pressed his lips tightly together. "Grandfather, for the future of our Chi family, grandson is willing to sacrifice his own prospects!"
Gu Yue Chilian was immensely gratified, nodding as he stroked his beard. "To have such resolve — good, very good. However, heaven always leaves a thread of hope. You are not without all chance. If in the future you can find a Jing Shui Gu, it will be able to cleanse your Empty Orifice walls, dissolve all traces of Alien aura within the Yuan Sea, and eliminate this side effect entirely."
"Furthermore, Grandfather has already pulled strings to have people search everywhere for a Wine Worm on your behalf. This Gu can assist a Gu Master during First Transformation cultivation to refine their True Essence and elevate them by one minor realm. The True Essence refined this way is your own native True Essence, not Alien True Essence. When used to nourish the Empty Orifice, it carries no side effects whatsoever, no risk, and produces even better results!"
Gu Yue Chicheng was overjoyed. "Thank you, Grandfather!"
"However, Wine Worms are exceedingly rare. Among First Transformation Gu, the Wine Worm, the Pig Gu, the Book Worm, and others like them are among the rarest of all Gu. Once one appears on the market, it is almost always snapped up immediately. Of course, there are certain Gu in this world said to be able to alter a Gu Master's Aptitude. But in all my years, I have only ever caught vague rumors — never seen one with my own eyes." The old man's voice trailed off wistfully.
A night breeze drifted through the window into the room.
Gu Yue Fang Zheng sat cross-legged on his bed, eyes shut tight, each hand gripping a Yuan Stone.
The Bronze Yuan Sea surged without wind, wave after wave crashing against the white walls of his Empty Orifice.
He possessed Grade A Aptitude. His True Essence sea occupied more than eighty percent of his entire Empty Orifice. His native True Essence recovery speed was a full twice that of Fang Yuan!
Such an extraordinary advantage had brought him nearly to the threshold of First Transformation, Middle Stage.
Huu.
After a long time, Gu Yue Fang Zheng exhaled a mouthful of turbid air and slowly opened his eyes.
Outside the window, the moon shone bright among sparse stars. Verdant bamboo buildings stretched away into the distance.
All was quiet and serene.
"During cultivation, time always passes in the blink of an eye. Before I knew it, it was already deep into the night," Fang Zheng murmured softly under his breath. He slowly loosened his hands, and two fistfuls of grayish-white stone powder spilled from his palms onto the floor before the bed.
Once the natural True Essence within a Yuan Stone was fully absorbed, it turned into nothing but a pile of stone dust.
Watching the powder cascade down, Fang Zheng furrowed his brow slightly.
He pulled a money pouch from inside his robe. The pouch was already completely flat.