Chapter 55: Fang Yuan, I Appoint You as Class Leader

Everything went exactly as Fang Yuan had anticipated. Afterwards, the Academy Elder ordered a healing Gu Master to treat the two guards. Their lives were saved, but they were left with severe disabilities and were expelled from the Academy by the Academy Elder. Fang Yuan received no punishment whatsoever; in fact, he was praised at length. This outcome only deepened the other students' dread. But the matter was far from over. As time passed, the stir spread throughout the entire clan. Fang Yuan, who possessed only Grade C Aptitude, had been the first to advance to the Middle Stage, becoming a minor yet much-discussed curiosity across the whole clan. Over tea and after meals, many people were talking about it. After the initial shock subsided, people began to speculate about the mystery of Fang Yuan's breakthrough. "Actually, with Grade C Aptitude, surpassing Grade A and Grade B to advance to the Middle Stage first — it's not that strange." "Indeed. There are many methods in this world that can achieve this." "Take the She Li Gu, for example. Once used, it can refine the meridian walls, boost one's cultivation, and raise one's level by a small realm — that's a piece of cake." ...All at once, speculation ran rampant, with all manner of possible answers competing for attention. Naturally, the Wine Worm and Alien True Essence were also brought up by more than a few people. If Fang Yuan had been upfront about the Wine Worm's existence from the start, there wouldn't have been such an uproar. But by concealing it, he had inadvertently stoked everyone's curiosity. Guye Stockade appeared calm on the surface, but an undercurrent was already surging beneath. Countless pairs of eyes were fixed on the Academy, waiting for the Academy Elder's explanation. As the Academy Elder, if he couldn't even explain how his own student had advanced, that would be an extraordinary dereliction of duty. So the Academy Elder had to provide an explanation. Day by day, time slipped by. The second youth to break through the Initial Stage and successfully advance to the Middle Stage appeared. It was Gu Yue Mobei. And then, with a gap of merely three hours, Gu Yue Fang Zheng also succeeded in his advance. He had indeed been held back by the shortage of Yuan Stones, though it would be remiss not to acknowledge the blow dealt by Fang Yuan's actions as a contributing factor. The third was Gu Yue Chicheng. Even though he had Gu Yue Chilian personally infusing him with True Essence, the method was inefficient — it could only be done once every three days, and the process was fraught with danger. Still, to claim third place with Grade C Aptitude was itself a success. On the fifth day, the Academy Elder once again distributed Yuan Stone stipends. "Gu Yue Fang Yuan." He stood at the front and called out Fang Yuan's name first. Fang Yuan rose to his feet with an expression of perfect indifference and walked forward. The other students' gazes followed him, their eyes filled with jealousy, envy, suspicion, scrutiny, hatred — every emotion imaginable. "Today, the Elder isn't just handing out stipends — he's also going to appoint the Class Leader and Deputy Class Leader!" "Sure enough, the Elder called Fang Yuan first." "He was the first to advance, so the Class Leader position must be his." "I can't believe it came to this. I thought it would be Fang Zheng." "He advanced to the Middle Stage first — it's far too suspicious. There must be some huge secret, but he just won't tell us!" "Heh, even if it were me, I wouldn't tell you either. Keeping quiet and growing rich — what could be better?" As the students whispered among themselves, Fang Yuan walked up to the Academy Elder. "Gu Yue Fang Yuan, you are the first First Transformation Middle Stage Gu Master of this cohort. This is your reward." With that, the Academy Elder handed him a pouch of alternating blue and white. Fang Yuan took the pouch and opened it right then and there, peering inside. "Rest assured, there are exactly thirty Yuan Stones inside. The Academy will not shortchange you." A thin smile crept onto the Academy Elder's face. In truth, he had never expected that the first student to advance to the Middle Stage would be Fang Yuan. But Fang Yuan hadn't even heard the Academy Elder's words. He rarely trusted others and had always placed the most faith in himself. He inspected the contents carefully and confirmed there were indeed thirty Yuan Stones, not one short. Only then did he tuck the pouch into his robes. Watching Fang Yuan's behavior, the Academy Elder assumed he was strapped for cash, and the smile on his face widened a fraction. "Of course — he only has Grade C Aptitude. The Yuan Stones consumed in pushing for the Middle Stage must have been far more numerous. And with no one else funding him, he's undoubtedly running low. As long as he has a need for Yuan Stones, there's no fear of him slipping out of control. Once he enters the clan's system, even if his secret can't be investigated out of him now, someday in the future he'll have no choice but to speak." The Academy Elder was brimming with confidence on this point. In fact, ever since that day, he had dispatched people to secretly investigate Fang Yuan. Nearly every day brought new progress in the inquiry. But clearly, those people hadn't discovered it yet — Fang Yuan actually had several hundred Yuan Stones on hand and was quite well-off, thank you very much. The Academy Elder continued, "Fang Yuan, as the first to step into the First Transformation Middle Stage, the Academy's rules dictate that in addition to the thirty Yuan Stone reward, you will also have priority in selecting a second Gu insect in the near future. Furthermore, I hereby appoint you as Class Leader!" "So he's really appointing Fang Yuan as Class Leader!" The moment these words left his lips, a collective sigh rose from the students. "Despicable." Gu Yue Mobei gritted his teeth, unwilling to accept it. "Hmph!" Gu Yue Chicheng folded his arms and watched coldly from the sidelines. The one hit hardest of all was Fang Yuan's own brother, Gu Yue Fang Zheng. His face had gone somewhat pale, his gaze flickered uncertainly, and a shadow clouded his heart: "Even ordinary students have to bow and greet the Class Leader and Deputy Class Leader when they see them. With my results, I'm certain to secure the position of Deputy Class Leader. But from now on, whenever I encounter my brother, I'll still have to bow to him." "Wait." But just then, Fang Yuan suddenly spoke up. He offered the Academy Elder a slight smile and said in an unhurried tone, "Elder, this student is lacking in talent and learning, and is quite unfit for the position of Class Leader. Such a role should be left to someone more capable." "What? You mean — you don't want to be Class Leader? As Class Leader, you'd receive a stipend of ten Yuan Stones each time. Are you really refusing? Are you certain?" The Academy Elder's brows immediately knotted into a tight furrow. In decades of teaching, he had never seen anyone voluntarily reject this position! He had, in fact, considered the matter beforehand. Having Fang Yuan serve as Class Leader would have its benefits. Once made Class Leader, Fang Yuan would be incorporated into the clan's system. He would have to fulfill obligations alongside his privileges. Whatever the specific duties of a Class Leader might be, at the very least he would have to stop extorting and robbing his fellow students. That was absolutely not something a Class Leader could do. Just as before, even when the Academy Elder had his pride thoroughly wounded by Fang Yuan, he still had to praise him for his cultivation results. Under the system, one could not handle things entirely as one wished — often, one was bound by circumstances beyond one's control. Of course, it wasn't that the Academy Elder couldn't stand Fang Yuan extorting so many Yuan Stones each time. He was thinking of all the students as a whole. Once Fang Yuan became Class Leader, he could no longer use violence to oppress his peers. This would give the other youths some breathing room under Fang Yuan's oppressive weight. Then, by guiding the situation accordingly, he could foster an atmosphere of vigorous competition. As long as he could cultivate hopeful seeds like Fang Zheng, Mobei, and Chicheng, what did sacrificing a mere Class Leader position matter? However, the Academy Elder's calculations, however sound they may have been, diverged wildly from how events actually unfolded. Fang Yuan refused! He actually refused!! The position of Class Leader was a small one, but among these hot-blooded young students, it represented the glory of being first. It wasn't just glory — as Class Leader, one received a stipend of ten Yuan Stones each time! No student had ever been able to resist such temptation. But Fang Yuan had refused. Seeing the Academy Elder frozen in astonishment, Fang Yuan posed a question in return: "Does the Academy have a rule that only the first-place student can serve as Class Leader? Can the position of Class Leader not be refused?" The Academy Elder's face was dark as iron: "Of course there is no such heartless regulation." Fang Yuan laughed aloud. "I appreciate the Elder's understanding." With that, he cupped his fists, descended from the stage, and returned to his seat. The students who had witnessed this entire exchange burst into an uproar. In an instant, the Academy was in a frenzy! "Fang Yuan actually refused? Are you kidding me?!" "Has he lost his mind?" "I don't know what's gotten into him, heh heh — he'll regret this soon enough." ... "Fang Yuan gave up the position of Class Leader — which means I'm the Class Leader now?!" The surprise came too fast, and Gu Yue Mobei, who held second place, couldn't quite process it. Gu Yue Chicheng's face was a mask of disbelief. He simply couldn't comprehend that someone had voluntarily given up the Class Leader position — what an absolute fool! "Brother..." Gu Yue Fang Zheng stared wide-eyed, his gaze vacant as he watched Fang Yuan walk step by step back to his seat. With his results, Fang Zheng was certain to hold the position of Deputy Class Leader. But when Fang Yuan voluntarily surrendered the Class Leader position, Fang Zheng suddenly felt that his own Deputy Class Leader title was utterly meaningless. The Academy Elder's face had turned an ashen shade of iron — truly ashen this time. When Fang Yuan had skipped class before, his expression had been ugly too, but that had all been a show for others' benefit. His mood now was far worse than last time. Fang Yuan's refusal of the Class Leader position meant a rejection of the clan's system. In all his decades presiding over the Academy, the Academy Elder had never encountered a student like this — one who could resist such a tremendous temptation! He had originally intended to lure Fang Yuan into the fold, but Fang Yuan simply would not enter, and the Academy Elder could do nothing about it. The stipend distribution concluded. In the end, Gu Yue Mobei, with his second-place ranking, secured the unprecedented position of Class Leader. Fang Zheng and Chicheng each became Deputy Class Leaders. The Class Leader's stipend was ten Yuan Stones. The Deputy Class Leaders' stipends increased to five. Some students from less affluent families stared at the three of them and their stipends with envy so intense they were practically salivating.