In Fang Yuan's previous life, when he first set his sights on the Refining Grand Assembly, only a little over a decade had passed since the last Gu Refining Assembly.
To participate in the Gu Refining Assembly, Fang Yuan in his previous life had begun preparing more than eighty years in advance.
Every day he carved out time to practice diligently, without rest, day and night.
During this training process, Fang Yuan drew upon the spirit of those high-school students in his life before that—one on Earth—facing mountains of exam questions and seas of practice problems. He collected every past exam topic from previous assemblies and buried himself in rote practice, all while attempting to discern the intention behind the question-setters' choices.
He obtained all the topics with ease. In the Central Continent, there were actually people who specialized in selling this kind of information, and such merchandise had always been fairly popular. Clearly, clever people were a dime a dozen.
Recalling those sunless, grinding days of practice was truly hard to dwell on. But then again, Fang Yuan's real foundation in the Refining Path was forged during precisely that period. Without that stretch of time, his current realm of quasi-Grandmaster in the Refining Path would have been impossible.
So Fang Yuan not only remembered this assembly's exam content—he also remembered many from before it, and even several from the future!
With such an enormous advantage, so what if his Refining Path realm fell short of Huogong Longtou's?
Of course, this method had one drawback.
The butterfly effect.
Fang Yuan's rebirth had altered the original trajectory of countless developments. Light a single tree on fire, and the flames might consume an entire forest.
The best swimmer drowns, the best rider falls. Could the advantage Fang Yuan relied upon become the very cause of his downfall, altered as the exam topics were in this life?
That was entirely possible.
But it was only a possibility.
Based on Fang Yuan's calculations, the likelihood was slim.
Fang Yuan decided to take the risk.
He won his gamble. The exam content had not changed!
Time marched forward at a steady pace, neither rushed nor slow.
The intense Gu refining spectacle gradually became clearer.
Fang Yuan surged into the lead, outpacing the second-place Huogong Longtou by a wide margin. An aura of absolute confidence radiated from his entire being as he refined with methodical precision, maintaining a commanding lead that drove the desperate competitors behind him toward despair.
Among the Gu Masters watching from outside the arena, some began to grasp what was happening. They couldn't help but praise aloud: "Fang Yuan is remarkably quick-witted. He didn't even have to think—he simply designed this Gu refining plan on the spot. Remarkable! Not only does this plan guarantee refining speed with fewer steps, but it also has a high tolerance for error. Even if he fails a few times, the surplus materials will let him try again."
Of course.
The plan Fang Yuan adopted was the one that, after this assembly in his previous life, countless Refining Path Gu Masters had pondered, experimented with, and ultimately distilled into the most outstanding Gu refining methodology.
Even more people marveled at Fang Yuan's refining technique: "Fang Yuan's refining technique is simply outstanding. At this speed, it's almost like a natural instinct. This kind of skill absolutely demands a thousand hammerings and a hundred temperings! This refinement of the Silence Gu involves many techniques rarely used in normal times, yet he handles them all with complete ease. One can only imagine how effortless his usual methods must be."
This too was only natural.
Fang Yuan had been preparing for this eighth round for a long time.
Inside the Fox Immortal's Blessed Land, he had conducted a special training session dedicated to refining the Silence Gu. The entire procedure, over and over again—he had practiced it at least two hundred times!
"Even more critical is the air of confidence he exudes, from the inside out. He is utterly certain of his success, as if the probability of failing to refine the Gu simply does not exist in his mind. This is the bearing of a Grand Artisan of the Refining Path. The famous Three Elders of the Refining Path in history were exactly like this."
"Yes, watching him refine is like watching a dazzling performance!"
"How powerful his resolve must be—as though victory is already tucked safely in his pocket."
"The advantage is too overwhelming. Even if Fang Yuan fails once or twice, he could still battle Huogong Longtou for the final victory."
Under the witness of countless eyes both on and off the field, Fang Yuan secured victory in this round without any scares, by a commanding margin.
Throughout the entire process, Fang Yuan utterly overshadowed every other competitor. Even Huogong Longtou was left trailing far behind.
"Lord Huogong Longtou has failed…?"
"This means he's eliminated?"
The Ten Thousand Dragon Pool crowd could barely believe the result before their eyes, murmuring in a daze.
"Fang Yuan! Fang Yuan!" The Immortal Crane Gate members rose to their feet, crying out and cheering without restraint!
Only Fang Zheng remained seated. He stared at his brother on the field, the black-robed figure that had now shrouded his entire mind and soul.
"I'm afraid that for the rest of my life, revenge will be beyond my reach!" In that moment, Fang Zheng's despair reached its absolute nadir—he could no longer muster even the faintest shred of fighting spirit.
Though he harbored a deep and abiding grudge, Fang Zheng looked upon Fang Yuan and felt his entire body go limp, powerless to reverse his fate.
Huogong Longtou glared with a pair of bull-like eyes, fixed unblinkingly on Fang Yuan.
He refused to accept this! He would not submit!
He hadn't even unleashed his strongest killing move yet. Damn these exam topics—they had tied his hands and bound his feet.