He had short black hair, every strand standing stiff and straight. He was bare from the waist up, with a broad back and powerful build, his entire body covered in ruddy skin.
He stood nearly two meters tall. Though the deep autumn chill hung heavy in the air, he gave off the impression of a walking furnace — it seemed as though every breath he exhaled could raise the temperature around him.
Hanging from his waist was a cluster of wild animal carcasses. There were foxes, hares, pheasants, and even that old wolf which had just departed.
Upon catching sight of Fang Yuan, he paused for just a moment, then strode forward in long steps, brushing past Fang Yuan.
"Gu Yue Chishan." Watching the giant man's retreating back, a name surfaced in Fang Yuan's mind.
This man was the representative figure of the Chi branch, with a cultivation at the High Stage of the Second Transformation. Speaking of it, his experience bore some resemblance to Fang Yuan's own.
He too had been blessed with extraordinary talent — even as a child, his strength was remarkable. At the age of ten, he accidentally beat a grown household slave to death. By twelve, he could lift a heavy stone millstone and toss it around like a flying disc.
At the time, the clan members had widely regarded him as possessing Grade A Aptitude. But after the Opening Orifice Ceremony, it was determined that his aptitude was merely Grade B.
He had originally been arrogant and looked down on everyone. After experiencing that upheaval, his temperament shifted, becoming far more composed. Though his aptitude was only Grade B, he was the undisputed top student of his cohort.
After completing his year, he left the Academy and, through relentless effort, quickly made a name for himself. Now, several years later, he had become an elite among the clan's Second Transformation Gu Masters.
Happiness cannot teach a person the truths of life; often, only pain can.
"In the clan, a youth participates in the Opening Orifice Ceremony at fifteen and enters the Academy. At sixteen, they graduate, form a five-person team, and begin completing clan missions. They also gain the right to inherit family property and establish their own independent branch. From the age of sixteen, one starts to struggle, cultivation constantly advancing, while the missions grow ever more perilous. Position and status rise incrementally. Some die. Some live. Some are crippled, their cultivation diminished, barely clinging on. Others, after enduring tempering and hardship, become Third Transformation Gu Masters, are promoted to Elders, and join the higher echelons."
Fang Yuan's eyes flickered with thought, his mind wandering to many things.
The further one progressed in cultivation as a Gu Master, the more difficult it became; the difficulty of advancing increased geometrically. Coupled with the harsh and perilous environment, those who could reach the Third Transformation were truly exceedingly rare.
"Speaking of which, winter is almost upon us. I've been at the Academy for nearly a year now. Each cohort has two major exams. The first is the Mid-year Exam, its content varying each session. The second is the Year-end Exam, its format unchanged: always a tournament. After the tournament, I can no longer live in the Academy dormitories and must move out."
Move out. Where would he live?
It was impossible for Fang Yuan to live with his uncle and aunt. They would probably welcome that, but he had no intention of obliging.
In this world, sixteen was the age of adulthood, the age to begin one's independent life. Moreover, Fang Yuan harbored far too many secrets of his own; living alone was a necessity.
"In my previous life, I had only reached the Middle Stage of the First Transformation when I left the Academy. In this life, the situation is much better; by then, I will certainly have reached the Peak Stage. However, achieving such progress with Grade C Aptitude came at a cost. The process consumed a vast number of Yuan Stones."
Fang Yuan's brow creased quietly. His Yuan Stones were running low.
Because of his limited aptitude, the Yuan Stones he consumed for cultivation were far more than what Fang Zheng, Chi Cheng, or Mo Bei needed.
He alone was raising six Gu Insects!
Beyond that, refining the Wine Worm, nourishing his Empty Orifice, and driving the White Pig Gu to boost his strength all consumed True Essence. Once his True Essence was depleted, the recovery rate afforded by his Grade C Aptitude could never keep up with his demands. He had no choice but to burn through Yuan Stones, drawing on the natural True Essence contained within them to replenish his reserves.
Fortunately, he had the Spring Autumn Cicada, and had twice obtained Gu Insects from the Earth Treasure Flower. This meant he didn't have to spend enormous amounts of Yuan Stones on refining his Gu. That was the only thing keeping his situation remotely tolerable.
But moving forward, once he left the Academy, he would at minimum need to rent a room and purchase basic household supplies.
After reaching Peak Stage, he would then charge toward the Second Transformation. That process alone would consume a staggering number of Yuan Stones.
After the Second Transformation, he would still need to perform Gu Mergers — and every single merge was a hefty expense.
Just these items alone far exceeded what his increasingly strained finances could bear. And even if he somehow scraped through all of it, he would still need to keep feeding his Gu Insects and continue cultivating.
During the Mid-year Exam, if he hadn't traded wild boar teeth for a substantial sum of Yuan Stones, relieving a great deal of the pressure, he would have already hit his breaking point by now.
"Yuan Stones, Yuan Stones… Hua Jiu Xing Zhe's inheritance didn't come with a supply of Yuan Stones — that's truly a pity. The Yuan Stones I extorted from my classmates were my main source of support. But once students leave the Academy, the subsidies will stop, and I won't be able to keep extorting anyone either. However, the first place winner in the year-end exam apparently receives a reward of one hundred and fifty Yuan Stones." Fang Yuan turned this over in his mind.
If he could take first place and get those one hundred and fifty Yuan Stones, the crushing financial pressure on him would ease just a little.
……
Time flew by, autumn giving way to winter.
On the Academy's training grounds, three fighting stages had already been erected.
Beside the stages, set against the bamboo wall of the training grounds, shelters had been raised with long tables and chairs arranged underneath.
The Academy Elder, the clan head, and several other Elders were seated beneath the shelters.
Light snow drifted down from the sky.
The fifty-seven students stood ramrod straight in the center of the grounds. Every single one had a nose reddened from the cold, and with each breath, clouds of warm vapor rose from their mouths.
The Academy Elder called out in a loud voice: "Before we know it, a full year has come to an end. Over this year, you have trained here at the Academy and have already developed the basic qualities of a Gu Master. Tomorrow is the year-end arena exam, which will put your learning to the test! When the day comes, not only will the clan head and several Elders be present, but your seniors and predecessors will also be observing. They will select those who perform excellently and recruit them into various groups."
"Your performance tomorrow will largely determine your future! The first-place finisher will receive not only a reward of one hundred and fifty Yuan Stones, but also priority right to choose a Gu Insect! Now, begin your final cultivation assessment at the Academy!"
With those words, the Academy Elder nodded to a Gu Master standing nearby.
The middle-aged female Gu Master, receiving the signal, called out the first name from the roster: "Gu Yue Jinzhu!"
A young girl, face tight with nervousness, stepped out from the crowd and walked up to the Gu Master.
The Gu Master extended her hand and placed it on the girl's abdomen. After closing her eyes to sense for a moment, she opened them and announced: "Gu Yue Jinzhu — First Transformation, Middle Stage. Next: Gu Yue Peng."
One student after another went up to be assessed, then walked back to rejoin the ranks.
Their expressions varied — some disappointed, some delighted.
The worst result was, naturally, First Transformation, Initial Stage. Without exception, these were students with Grade D Aptitude.
Most of the students had reached First Transformation, Middle Stage. Among them, a minority had Grade D Aptitude, while the majority were Grade C.