In the blink of an eye, it was already late June.
"Fang Zheng!" The Academy Elder called out a name.
Fang Zheng rose from his seat and walked up to the Academy Elder.
Under the envious gazes of his surrounding peers, Fang Zheng accepted a heavy bag of Yuan Stones.
"Fang Zheng, you're the first to advance to the High Stage. This is all your reward. You've done well — keep it up." The Academy Elder smiled with satisfaction and patted Fang Zheng on the shoulder.
Fang Zheng gave a small hum, his face brimming with excitement.
Heart pounding with elation, he took the money pouch and returned to his seat.
"I finally did it. I'm the first to reach the High Stage. Brother, did you see that? I've finally surpassed you once!"
His eyes gleamed with light as his gaze swept toward Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan was still slumped over his desk, snoring away. Last night he had hunted down another wild boar, and after returning to the dormitory, he had used his White Pig Gu to map his body, absorbed the natural True Essence from Yuan Stones, then refined it with his Wine Worm. Finally, he had used his High Stage True Essence to nourish the walls of his orifices. He had busied himself until dawn.
He had wolfed down breakfast and then collapsed onto his desk the moment class began. He was simply exhausted — the cultivation of a Gu Master could not replace sleep.
"Hmph, even if you won't admit it and just pretend to sleep, it's still a fact. Brother, I've finally overtaken you! This is only the first time. There will be a second, and a third!"
Fang Zheng clenched both fists. This success meant the world to him. He had finally torn a hole in the heavy shadow that Fang Yuan had cast over his heart for so long, letting a sliver of light shine through.
Though that sliver of light was faint and thin, it gave Fang Zheng boundless hope and encouragement!
"Hmph, so I actually lost to Fang Zheng." Gu Yue Mobei sat in his seat with arms crossed, unwilling to accept it.
"So this is the advantage of Grade A aptitude? How infuriating..." Gu Yue Chicheng's face was dark and sullen. As he cultivated, he came to deeply appreciate the benefits of superior aptitude. Even with his grandfather Gu Yue Chilian backing him and his own tireless efforts, he had still been left behind by Fang Zheng.
"If I had a Wine Worm too, and with Grandfather's help, I could have beaten Fang Zheng! Those wretched Fang brothers! The younger one is Grade A, keeping us all under his thumb. The older one is only Grade C, but he has a Wine Worm. How come all the good things in this world go to them?" Gu Yue Chicheng seethed with resentment.
"Fang Zheng was the first to break through to the High Stage this time."
"Of course — he has Grade A aptitude, after all."
"Exactly. Even Mobei, Chicheng, and Fang Yuan all lost to Fang Zheng. Now Fang Zheng stands entirely above us."
"Fang Yuan has a Wine Worm and yet he's so useless. Slacking off all day long, sleeping through class — he might as well give his Wine Worm to me."
The surrounding students chattered amongst themselves, voicing their unwillingness, helplessness, or envy.
The Academy Elder called out names one by one, and students continuously stepped forward to collect their Yuan Stone stipends before returning to their seats.
"Everyone, settle down." After the stipends were all distributed, the Academy Elder tapped the lectern. In an instant, the entire Academy fell silent.
"In the blink of an eye, you have all mastered a second Gu Insect, and some have even broken through to the High Stage. Over the past half year, you have studied diligently and trained hard, building a solid foundation. Now it is time to temper yourselves in the wilderness. Real combat is nothing like fighting those lifeless Straw Man Puppets and Wooden Man Puppets."
"Next, I have a notice regarding the Mid-year Exam. In three days, the Mid-year Exam will be held, and all students are required to participate! The exam content is hunting wild boars. You will be graded on the number of wild boar tusks you collect — the more tusks you gather, the higher your score. After the exam, each wild boar tusk can be exchanged for ten Yuan Stones. Additionally, team hunting is permitted."
The moment the Academy Elder said this, the entire Academy erupted like a pot boiling over.
"Finally, it's time for the Mid-year Exam!"
"Every cohort spends a year at the Academy and has one Mid-year Exam and one End-of-year Exam. By my calculations, it should be time for the Mid-year Exam."
"The content of each exam is different. I never expected our cohort's Mid-year Exam would be hunting boar tusks."
"What am I going to do? My aptitude is only Grade D, and my Life Gu isn't an offensive type like Moonlight Gu. How am I supposed to hunt wild boars?"
"Didn't you hear? The Elder said team hunting is allowed. Those of us with poor aptitude or inadequate Gu can help each other and work together! When we've collected the tusks, we just split them up."