A few days had passed after the Awakening Ceremony.
The dim candlelight flickered against the wooden shelves of the academy's library. The scent of old parchment and ink lingered in the air as Fang Lin stood before the final book he had yet to scan.
Over the past six days, he had meticulously recorded every manuscript, scroll, and historical text within the library with the aid of his A.I Chip.
Now, only this one remained.
Flipping through its pages, he read aloud the main parts of the content in a low voice:
"A Gu Master's strength is divided into nine ranks. The primeval essence within the aperture determines their progression, with Rank 1 as the foundation and Rank 5 as the pinnacle. Each Rank is a major realm and each major realm has four minor realms which are the initial stage, middle stage, upper stage and peak stage. The higher one's rank and stage, the stronger their essence, and the greater the Gu they can refine and wield."
Fang Lin pondered.
"So Rank 5 Gu Masters are the powerhouses in most organisations. In the Gu Yue Clan's history, only a handful have reached this level, and almost all of them were clan heads."
Fang Lin's gaze sharpened.
'Rank 5… The highest realm achievable in this clan.'
He turned another page, expecting to read about Rank 6, yet the section simply ended.
A hint of amusement flickered across his face.
'So that's how it is. The Gu Yue Clan is too small. Their knowledge ends at Rank 5 because no one has ever stepped beyond it.'
He wasn't surprised. The wider world surely had experts above Rank 5—people who had surpassed the mortal realm. But for a minor clan in a remote mountain village, even a single Rank 5 Gu Master was a legendary existence.
As for Rank 6?
To these people, it was nothing more than a myth.
A faint glimmer flashed in his dark eyes as his A.I. Chip activated.
[Scanning...]
In an instant, the entire book—every word, diagram, and annotation—was recorded and stored perfectly in his mind.
Fang Lin exhaled softly.
"That's the last one."
He reached out, closing the book with a quiet thud before placing it back on the shelf. With this, he had absorbed the entirety of the library's contents. While most of it wasn't groundbreaking, it had broadened his horizons. He now had a clearer picture of Gu Masters, the Gu Yue Clan's history, and various Gu worms and beasts that inhabited this region.
—
The next day.
The forest beyond the academy had turned a vibrant emerald. Young leaves sprouted in a sea of yellow-green, stretching toward the sky with renewed life. Colorful sparrows perched on branches, their melodies blending with the soft rustling of leaves. The wind of spring carried the fresh scent of damp soil and budding flowers, filling the air with a peaceful sense of tranquility.
Unknowingly, class was coming to an end.
The academy elder stood before the gathered students, his voice calm yet firm.
"This week, I have taught you all how to check your own aperture's primeval sea, as well as how to meditate and circulate your primeval essence. Now, it is time for you all to refine your vital Gu. After this class ends, you will proceed to the academy's Gu room and choose a Gu worm. Once you have selected your Gu, return home and focus on refining it. Only when you have successfully refined your Gu may you return to the academy and continue your lessons."
He paused, letting the words sink in. Then, his next statement sent a ripple of excitement through the students.
"At the same time, this will be your first assessment. The first person to complete their refinement will receive a generous reward of twenty primeval stones."
Whispers broke out among the crowd.
Twenty primeval stones was no small sum. For young Gu Masters just starting out, it was a valuable resource—one that could greatly boost their cultivation.
Yet, amidst the eager students, Fang Lin remained calm. His thoughts lingered not on the assessment but on what lay ahead.
'Selecting my vital Gu...'
Yesterday, after he had recorded all the information in the library, his thoughts had been focusing on this.
He was in a small predicament.
For one, Fang Lin preferred to do things meticulously and making sure he had the greatest foundations. It was to pave a clear road for his ascension going forward to higher realms.
From all the information he had gathered, choosing a vital Gu was of utmost importance for all Gu Masters.
In this world, Gu exists in all forms, shapes and sizes. Gu are the essence of heaven and earth. Some can be plants, some can be animals, some can be bugs and some can simply be objects. However, each one of them contain unique abilities, utilities and specialties – the uses of Gu vary. They could be obscure and niche like merely making the air fresher while others could destroy boulders or shoot out a raging inferno to decimate enemies.
As such, some Gu were naturally better for certain things and worse in other. However, none, in theory, were useless.
Despite this, for Gu, some would still hold more value than others. After all, this was a world frought with danger. Naturally, Gu worms which raises an individual's combat prowess would be much higher in value than one which simply made life more convenient.
Why was this a predicament for Fang Lin?
Well, the academy elder had instructed the students to choose a Gu from the Gu room and refine it as their vital Gu as soon as possible.
But how valuable could those Gu truly be?
The answer – close to none.
The academy wouldn't stock rare or powerful Gu for first-time practitioners. At best, the selection would consist of cheap or mid-tier Gu, practical but ordinary. After all, why would a clan with generations of history freely distribute high-quality Gu to mere novices? Precious resources were reserved only for the truly deserving, not handed out to children just beginning their cultivation.
Of course, this wouldn't be as much of an issue, if not for one crucial fact; the first Gu refined becomes your vital Gu.
Vital Gu that had been refined would usually stick with the Gu Master until they die. Only under special circumstances would a Gu Master change their vital Gu, and the price is rather steep. From the information he had gathered, it wasn't uncommon to become heavily injured or die due to the backlash of changing your vital Gu.
As such, it would be best to choose a vital Gu which has good potential. After all, like Gu Masters, Gu also have ranks which corresponds to a Gu Master. Similarly, they can also be upgraded through fusing other Gu.
Thinking deeply for a few seconds, Fang lin let out a calm breath.
'No matter. It's not too big of an issue.'
His gaze soon wandered out of the window.
Verdant mountains could be seen stretching beyond Qing Mao mountain, and gorgeous plants flourished. Fang Lin smirked faintly, taking in the view.
'The scenery is quite pleasant.' A fleeting thought emerged in his mind.
He then closed his eyes.
'For now, I can simply select a Gu from the Gu room. I can try exploring other options before I begin the refinement process.'
With that decision, his thoughts began drifting to other matters.
—
Soon, it was the end of class. Excited teenagers quickly rushed out of the classroom, all heading towards the Gu room.
Fang Lin also began heading out. However, it wasn't before he shot a casual glance at his eldest brother, Fang Yuan, who had just woken up from his nap in class. He yawned and stretched nonchalantly.
'From the gossiping, I heard my brother had become a drunk, wandering in the middle of the night like a zombie,' Fang Lin thought.
He pondered, finding it strange.
'Was his act of indifference previously merely a facade?'
Although all his life he had been labelled as a genius destined to be an A grade talent, only to become a C grade whilst having both of his younger siblings surpass him, it wasn't as if he had no talent to become a Gu Master.
Fang Lin had thought Fang Yuan also understood that. After all, from his expressionless face at the results of the Awakening Ceremony, one would believe he still hadn't given up. It was only the beginning after all.
Fang Lin's eyes soon drifted away, not that bothered. Whether Fang Yuan was merely acting previously or simply faking being a drunk, it didn't concern him.
As Fang Lin exited the room, Fang Yuan briefly glanced at where Fang Lin had previously stood, his demeanor subtly shifting. He then lazily retracted his gaze and leaned back slightly.
"This younger brother of mine… he hid himself quite deeply in my previous life. It's best not to drop my guard around him."
With that passing thought, his mind quickly focused elsewhere, his thoughts concentrating on a similar topic to Fang Lin – vital Gu.
"A week had passed and it's already time to choose my vital Gu. My ideal choice is the Liquor Worm from the Flower Wine Monk, but there are still no leads on his skeleton. I have no way of knowing when—or if—I'll find it before someone else does. For now, I have no choice but to settle for a Gu from the Gu room in case fortune doesn't favor me. At my current pace, I can only afford a few more days' worth of wine jars to lure out the Liquor Worm..."
Fang Yuan sighed inwardly as he got up, making his way towards the Gu room.