Two days had swiftly passed, and with that came the coming of age Awakening Ceremony for the Gu Yue clan.
Over a hundred youths around the age of fifteen had gathered in front of the clan pavilion. Elders of the clan could also be seen standing around.
The one overseeing this Awakening Ceremony was the elder of the academy. His hair and beard were white and his expression seemed joyous – each year, the awakening ceremony was an event that held extreme importance for the clan.
"Good, everyone here is punctual. Today would be a great turning point for your life as the Awakening Ceremony will decide your potential and future. I will not say much – just come with me," the elder said.
With those words, the youths soon followed the elder through the pavilion where, surprisingly, they went underground using a constructed stone ladder.
'The Awakening Ceremony will be held in an underground cave?'
Fang Lin was deep in thought as he continued following the group.
After arrivimg in the cave, what they saw was quite the spectacle, causing many youths to make sounds of amazement.
Around them, the azure blue shining off the stalactites of the cave sparkled with gorgeous colours. The soft hues of the colours shone on each of the youth's shocked faces. Even Fang Lin found himself rather impressed.
As they went deeper into the cave, the sounds of water could soon be heard, where eventually, the youths found themselves standing before a crystal blue river.
"Wow! So pretty!"
"So cool! This place is really amazing!"
The gazes of the youth's shone with amazement.
"Alright, listen as I call your names. Those who are called must walk through the river to the opposite side. Walk as far as you can – the further you can walk, the better the results. Is that clear?" The elder said.
The children all agreed in unison.
Naturally, they are all likely already aware that the further you can walk in the river the better the results. They would likely have heard it from family members and clan members speaking countless times.
"Gu Yue Fang Lin." The elder held out the list of names and called out the first name.
'I am already first?' Fang Lin strained a smile slightly before taking a step forward. Although he didn't mind, being first always felt rather nerve-racking. He also would have liked to use his A.I Chip to gather some data from the other participants first.
'Well, I can only see how it goes now. Whether I get a high or low aptitude depends on how many steps I can take...'
With that thought, Fang Lin approached the river.
After both his kneecaps had fully submerged under the crystal clear waters, he found himself feeling a strange pressure suddenly envelop him. With that pressure, he also saw tiny specks of light underneath him flying towards his chest, before it mysteriously entered his body.
'Hm? I feel heavier... and these dots of light? What are they?'
Fang Lin was perplexed.
'A.I Chip, scan the strange pressure, the specks of light and also compare it to other forms of energy,' Fang Lin quickly ordered. This was a perfect time to gather some new data. In his previous life as an acolyte Magus, one's aptitude depended on your affinity with an element. He was simply curious about what kind of energy had entered his body and what was the criteria to becoming a Gu Master.
[Beep! The specks of light are scattered yet are slowly gathering into a ball near the host's navel due to the outside pressure. Through thorough analysis, the specks of light are reducing the external pressure on the host. Next, comparing the specks of light and outside pressure to other sources of energy... Beep! No similarities to any form of energy found – insufficient data gathered!]
'Not even light elemental particles? How strange...'
After musing for a moment, Fang Lin soon took his first step forward and began making his way through the river leisurely.
With each step, more specks of light gathered inside his body, however, the pressure also began increasing bit by bit with each step.
"There is a good amount of Hope Gu. This child shows some promise," the clan head remarked. Many other elders who were standing by and watching also nodded in agreement.
"He must be the brother of that young lad, Fang Yuan – creating poems and having such intelligence at that early of age. Although not as good, this boy also seems to have some potential."
Oblivious to their words, Fang Lin continued to walk forward, resisting the pressure.
10 steps.
22 steps.
30 steps.
38 steps.
As of right now, Fang Lin found that each step felt like he was pushing against a heavy boulder in hopes of moving it. With one final push, he took his last step when suddenly!
The ball of light that had gathered near his navel suddenly exploded.
This burst of energy only happened inside his body and outsiders can not see it. Only Fang Lin could feel the burst from the specks of light and the strange sensation that followed it. Instantly, he felt each of his hairs stand on end as his mind simply went blank.
This instance of time that he was in this state only lasted briefly before Fang Lin's mind cleared and his senses quickly returned. However, he felt that a profound transformation had occured within his body.
'A success.'
Fang Lin's lips curved into a smile. Deep down, he understood that he had taken his first step as a Gu Master.
Fang Lin instinctively tried to move forward but it was as if there was an invisible wall in front of him preventing him moving any further.
'I can't go any further.'
With that thought, he turned around and began walking back.
The academy elder who watched exclaimed joyously, "Good! A wonderful start to this ceremony. Gu Yue Fang Lin, 39 steps – B grade talent!"
'B grade talent, huh?'
Fang Lin pondered.
He knew that a Gu Master's talent was separated into D, C, B and A grade. It represented one's potential and ability to cultivate themselves.
'B grade is good. A step below A grade. It means the clan will nurture me accordingly. If I remember, they have a good chance of becoming an elder for the clan.'
Fang Lin smirked inwardly. Although he wouldn't have grieved if he got D grade talent or even no talent. Naturally, he was still satisfied at the prospect of having a good amount of potential to make his life easier. With these results, the clan would gladly share some benefits with him and focus their attention towards him in hopes of cultivating another strong Gu Master for the clan.
'A.I Chip, scan for any changes in the body.'
[Scanning... beep! A core can be found slightly below the navel. It seems to be a separate dimension containing a foreign energy source. There is 98.23% chance that the energy source is primeval essence. Apart from that, there are no other abnormalities detected in host!]
'Primeval essence... Uncle explained briefly how it can be used to nurture Gu...' Fang Lin contemplated.
Fang Lin then prompted, 'A.I Chip, scan the quantity of primeval essence.'
The A.I Chip loyally answered.
[Beep! The core is filled with 79% of primeval essence.]
'Not bad.'
After his scans, Fang Lin eventually arrived back onto the river bank where all the other youths were gathered, and the Aptitude Ceremony soon continued once again.