"Brother Gu Fei's residence is truly located in an excellent place..." Gu Yao remarked with envy as he observed the dense concentration of energy on the mountain peak where Gu Fei lived.
"With Gu Fei's extraordinary talent and the clan's strong support, it's natural for him to receive such resources," Gu Qing Yang replied, not surprised. He believed Gu Fei's talent deserved such cultivation.
"I've heard that in the year we've been apart, he's already broken through to the One-Star Dou Venerate level. His speed is far beyond ours!" Gu Yao said with admiration.
"Who goes there?"
As Gu Qing Yang and Gu Yao were chatting, an elder's voice interrupted them. Soon after, two men appeared before them- one old and one young- both emanating the aura of Dou Zu-level experts. It was none other than Gu Fei and the Venerable Tian Huo!
"Brother Qing Yang, Gu Yao?" Gu Fei smiled as he recognized them. "What brings you to my place?"
The three of them had supported each other in their youth, so there was no animosity between them.
"If I hadn't come here, I wouldn't have known this was such a prime location!" Gu Yao teased.
"Are you going to keep us standing here, or will you invite us in for some tea?" Gu Qing Yang joked.
"Hahaha, I'll serve you the best tea I have!" Gu Fei said, gesturing for them to follow.
The four of them soon settled in a pavilion on the side of the mountain, where a gentle breeze blew through.
"Brother Qing Yang, Gu Yao, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" Gu Fei asked directly, knowing they must have a reason for coming.
Gu Qingyang and Gu Yao exchanged glances before the former set down his tea and spoke. "We received news from the Black Submerged Army that two of the commanders are planning to retire. We're considering competing for the open positions. Are you interested, Brother Gu Fei?"
The Black Submerged Army held a high status within the Gu Clan, with strict selection criteria. Members had to be absolutely loyal to the clan and meet certain strength levels within a specific age range. The annual assessments were rigorous, and those who failed to meet the standards were removed, which kept the army's quality exceptionally high.
The higher positions, especially the eight commanders and four generals, had even stricter requirements. It wasn't enough to have a high cultivation level; one also had to meet age criteria.
Gu Fei's grandfather, Gu Lie, was the Black Submerged King, the highest leader of the army, so Gu Fei was well aware of these matters.
"If I want to rapidly increase my strength, I need more resources... And the easiest way to get more resources from the clan is to gain influence. Relying solely on my grandfather would attract criticism."
"If I become a commander in the Black Submerged Army, it will make things much easier for me both within and outside the clan..."
After carefully considering his options, Gu Fei made his decision.
"To be honest, I've been thinking about the commander position as well. This could be a good opportunity," Gu Fei told the two.
"Great! With Brother Gu Fei joining the competition, the selection in three months will be much more exciting!" Gu Qing Yang and Gu Yao were both pleased but also aware that they now faced a formidable rival.
With only two positions available, one of the three of them- Gu Qingyang, Gu Yao, or Gu Fei- would be eliminated. Gu Fei's talent and strength made him a serious competitor.
Both Gu Qingyang and Gu Yao were One-Star Dou Ancestors, but Gu Qingyang had advanced slightly earlier and had more experience. However, both were older than Gu Fei. Their only advantage was that the competition was happening this year; if it were delayed by two years, Gu Fei's talent would likely leave them far behind.
"Let's meet at the competition in three months!"
With their business concluded, Gu Qingyang and Gu Yao didn't stay long and soon took their leave.
"As expected of the Gu Clan, those two aren't even thirty and have already reached the Dou Venerate level!" Yao Tian Huo couldn't help but express his amazement after they left, especially considering the even more monstrous talent of Gu Fei.
He recalled the long years it took him to reach Dou Venerate, and comparing himself to these younger talents was disheartening.
After seeing off Gu Qing Yang and Gu Yao, Gu Fei returned to the bamboo house, where Xiao Yi Xian, Qing Lin, and Zi Yan were playfully sparring, filling the room with laughter.
When Gu Fei entered, Zi Yan, who was lounging on the bed, looked up and asked, "Who came to see you? It wasn't your ex-wife again, was it?"
Zi Yan had taken a grudge against Xun'er for causing trouble for Xiao Yi Xian.
"No, it was just two brothers from the clan," Gu Fei explained.
"You didn't have any trouble, did you?" Xiao Yi Xian asked, concerned.
"Don't worry, they just came to ask if I was interested in competing for a commander position in the Black Submerged Army in three months. If I win, I'll become one of the eight commanders!"
"And if I become a commander, you'll have more standing in the Gu Clan," Gu Fei said, looking tenderly at Xiao Yi Xian, who blushed under his gaze.
Xiao Yi Xian feels moved. Emotional value +100
"Is your ex-wife going to participate? If she does, I'd like to join in and give her a public thrashing!" Zi Yan huffed, clenching her fists.
Gu Fei lightly patted Zi Yan's head. "Even if she does, you're an outsider, so you wouldn't be allowed to participate..."
Zi Yan deflated like a balloon, looking disappointed.
"Do you think you can win?" Xiao Yi Xian asked, still worried about Gu Fei.
"I feel like I'm on the verge of breaking through to Two-Star Dou Venerate. It shouldn't take much longer," Gu Fei reassured her.
His words earned him a glare from Zi Yan. 'He had just broken through to Dou Venerate, and now he is already talking about reaching Two-Star Dou Venerate...'
After three or four days of adjusting, Xiao Yi Xian and the others had adapted to life in the Gu Realm, allowing Gu Fei to focus on his cultivation.
Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin trained diligently every day, while Zi Yan was a bit more relaxed.
Ten days later, Gu Fei began his secluded training. He opened the system panel to check his attributes.
Host: Gu Fei
Age: 17
Cultivation: Late One-Star Dou Venerate
Aptitude: 101 (Grade 10 Dou Di Bloodline)
Constitution: 80 (Comparable to a Rank 8 Magical Beast of the Royal Bloodline)
Soul: Mid Spirit Realm
Cultivation Techniques: Great Flame Heart Sutra (Low Heaven-Tier)
Dou Techniques: Flame Devouring Cage (High Earth-Tier), Sun Finger (Mid Earth-Tier), Heavenly Star Steps (High Earth-Tier Movement Technique), Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique (High Earth Tier, can advance to low Heaven Tier by gathering four different heavenly flames), God Seal Technique (High Earth Tier, comparable to low Heaven Tier when reached complete mastery of all five seals)...
Alchemy: Eight tier, initial Stage
Merged Heavenly Flames: Sea Heart Flame, Green Lotus Core Flame, Fallen Heart Flame...
Accumulated Emotional Value: 54,352
"Enhance my cultivation!"
Consumes 30,000 Emotional Value to trigger a cultivation epiphany!
With the aid of the epiphany, Gu Fei smoothly broke through to Two-Star Dou Venerate in just five days.
(TL/n: Over a hundred chapters in, and the author still hasn't given a proper explanation of how aptitude and constitution works. For now, I've tried to explain what I think they do based on previous scattered information, so these might change as we have more info in the future.)