A week passed.
Inside the village academy, dozens of youths sat in neat rows while the academy elder stood before them.
"Humans are above all creatures, Gu are the essence of heaven and earth," the elder said. His voice was steady, carrying clearly through the classroom. "Those who open their aperture, use primeval essence to feed, refine, and control Gu. Such people are Gu Masters."
The youths listened with bright eyes.
Seven days ago, they had still been ordinary children waiting for fate to judge them. Now, those with aptitude had opened their apertures and taken the first step into cultivation. Even the least talented among them could no longer be considered the same as mortals.
Fang Zheng sat in the first row, his back straight and his expression tense.
Ever since the Awakening Ceremony, his treatment had changed completely. The clan head personally sponsored him, the academy elder paid him special attention, and the surrounding youths looked at him with envy that could not be hidden.
A-grade aptitude.
Those words had already become a halo above his head.
Yet Fang Ming was also an A-grade talent.
Logically, he should have been sitting near Fang Zheng, receiving attention from the front row under the academy elder's eyes. The Shi family head had already made arrangements for his cultivation resources, and many people were watching him.
But Fang Ming did not sit in the front.
He sat in the back row.
Right beside Fang Yuan.
The seat was close to the window. Sunlight entered from the side, and outside the classroom, spear bamboo swayed gently in the spring wind.
Fang Yuan leaned against the desk, sleeping soundly.
Fang Ming sat beside him with a calm expression, looking as if he was listening to the elder's lesson.
In truth, most of his attention was on the youth beside him.
Fang Yuan.
To the clan, he was now a disappointment.
To the students, he was a fallen genius.
To the academy elder, he was a C-grade youth who could not withstand the blow of failure.
But to Fang Ming, Fang Yuan was the greatest treasure in the entire classroom.
Not because of aptitude.
Fang Yuan's aperture was only C-grade. Compared to Fang Zheng's A-grade, it was far inferior. In the eyes of the clan, Fang Yuan's value had fallen sharply.
But Fang Ming knew better.
Fang Yuan's true value was not in his aperture.
It was in his five hundred years of experience.
Combat experience.
Refinement knowledge.
Cultivation understanding.
Scheming ability.
Survival instinct.
Knowledge of opportunities, inheritances, dangers, Gu recipes, future events, and human weakness.
If Fang Ming could copy even a portion of that, it would be worth more than an ordinary Gu worm.
His copy system could be used once every month.
The first copy had been used on Fang Zheng's aptitude. That decision had already changed his fate. But Fang Ming's next target had been decided from the beginning.
Fang Yuan.
The only problem was what to copy.
Fang Ming's gaze lowered slightly.
Could he copy Spring Autumn Cicada?
The thought had appeared more than once.
Spring Autumn Cicada was Fang Yuan's greatest trump card, one of the legendary mystical Gu, the reason Fang Yuan could return to the past. If such a thing could be copied, Fang Ming's foundation would change beyond imagination.
But he did not let greed blind him.
Even copying Fang Zheng's A-grade aptitude had taken so long. And that was merely mortal aptitude.
Spring Autumn Cicada was not something on the same level.
It might take days.
It might take months.
It might not be copyable at all.
Even if the system allowed it, how could Fang Ming remain within one meter of Fang Yuan for that long?
Impossible.
At least for now.
So the realistic choices were Fang Yuan's experience, fighting skill, cultivation knowledge, or perhaps his ability to read people and act ruthlessly.
Those things might not sound as dazzling as a legendary Gu, but they were far more useful to the current Fang Ming.
A-grade aptitude gave him speed.
Fang Yuan's experience could give him direction.
Together, they could become a path to survival.
This was why Fang Ming sat beside him.
Not for friendship.
Not for curiosity.
But to place himself within copying distance.
If he sat beside Fang Yuan every day, there would be no need to approach him deliberately next month. The classroom itself would become the excuse. As long as Fang Yuan remained sleeping beside him, Fang Ming could stay within one meter naturally, quietly waiting for the copy cooldown to end.
When the time came, he would not need to create an opportunity.
He would already be sitting inside one.
Fang Yuan slept quietly.
Fang Ming listened quietly.
The academy elder continued explaining cultivation ranks.
"Gu Masters are divided into nine ranks. Rank one to Rank five are mortal ranks, and each rank is divided into initial stage, middle stage, upper stage, and peak stage."
The students listened eagerly.
When the elder spoke of aptitude, many eyes turned toward Fang Zheng. A-grade talent could cultivate quickly and had the greatest chance of reaching higher ranks. Fang Zheng lowered his head slightly, not yet used to such attention.
Some eyes also turned toward Fang Ming.
Their gazes were different.
Fang Zheng was the younger brother who had suddenly risen.
Fang Ming was the ordinary youth who had become extraordinary overnight.
Two A-grade talents in one ceremony had shaken the entire clan. Even now, the students still felt it was unreal.
But soon, some whispers drifted toward the back.
"Why is Fang Ming sitting there?"
"Shouldn't he be in the front row?"
"He is sitting beside Fang Yuan…"
"Maybe he feels pity for him?"
"Pity? Fang Yuan used to be the famous genius. Now both his younger brother and Fang Ming surpassed him."
Fang Ming ignored them.
Pity?
He nearly laughed.
Feeling pity for Fang Yuan was one of the most dangerous thoughts a person in Qing Mao Mountain could have.
The academy elder's gaze also swept over the back row. When he saw Fang Yuan sleeping, his brows tightened. When he saw Fang Ming sitting beside him, his expression became more complicated.
Fang Ming was A-grade.
An A-grade talent had value even when acting strangely.
So the elder did not scold him casually.
This was the difference aptitude brought.
A C-grade youth sleeping in class was wasting clan resources.
An A-grade youth sitting quietly in the back row might have his own reasons.
Fang Ming understood this clearly.
This was why he needed the clan to see his talent.
Without A-grade aptitude, even sitting where he wanted might become troublesome.
The lecture continued.
Soon, the academy elder mentioned clan history.
"The first generation clan head established Gu Yue Village. Later, our clan also produced the fourth generation clan head, a Rank five expert of remarkable talent."
The youths became more attentive.
Then the elder's voice became heavy.
"Unfortunately, he was harmed by the despicable demon, Flower Wine Monk."
The classroom immediately stirred.
"Flower Wine Monk…"
Fang Ming's eyes flickered.
Beside him, Fang Yuan opened his eyes.
The movement was subtle, but Fang Ming noticed it.
Of course he would wake now.
Flower Wine Monk.
Liquor worm.
Hidden inheritance.
This was one of Fang Yuan's earliest opportunities.
The academy elder began telling the familiar story. In the clan's version, the fourth clan head was righteous and benevolent, while Flower Wine Monk was a shameless demonic thief who sneak-attacked him and died in the end.
The students were angry.
"What a despicable demon!"
"If I had lived in that era, I would have helped the fourth clan head!"
"Such a person deserved death!"
Fang Ming listened without expression.
The clan's story was propaganda.
He knew that.
Fang Yuan knew that too.
But the truth did not matter to these youths. They were clan members. They had grown up hearing the same story. Their anger was real because their knowledge was incomplete.
Fang Ming's thoughts moved elsewhere.
Should he try to take the Flower Wine Monk inheritance?
The idea was tempting.
Very tempting.
The Liquor worm alone was precious. For a Rank one Gu Master, it could purify primeval essence and greatly improve cultivation speed. To Fang Yuan, whose aptitude was only C-grade, it was extremely important.
For Fang Ming, who now had A-grade aptitude, the Liquor worm was not as necessary, but it was still useful.
And the Flower Wine Monk inheritance contained more than just one benefit.
If Fang Ming could seize it first, he could weaken Fang Yuan while strengthening himself.
But after thinking for only a short while, he rejected the idea.
Not worth it.
He was different from Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan was C-grade. The clan's expectations of him had dropped. If he wandered around the village at night, people might gossip, but they would not guard him like a treasure.
Fang Ming was A-grade.
He was watched.
The Shi family had paid a price to sponsor him. The academy elder paid attention to him. Other elders also kept their eyes open. If he moved strangely, someone might ask questions.
Leaving the village often would not be as easy for him as it was for Fang Yuan.
More importantly, Fang Ming did not know the exact location.
He only knew the rough event. Fang Yuan himself was searching through liquor aroma and future memory. If Fang Ming rushed out without precision, he might waste time, attract suspicion, or meet danger.
And there was another issue.
Fang Yuan.
Right now, neither of them had Gu. In pure cultivation, neither had yet advanced far.
But Fang Yuan had five hundred years of fighting experience.
If Fang Ming encountered him in the wild and tried to fight for the same inheritance, who would win?
Fang Ming did not overestimate himself.
A-grade aptitude did not make him invincible.
A system did not make him a warrior.
He was still learning how to survive.
If Fang Yuan noticed his intention, the danger would become unpredictable.
The Flower Wine Monk inheritance was valuable, but not valuable enough to risk death before his path had even begun.
Let Fang Yuan take it.
Fang Ming's eyes became calm.
If Fang Yuan obtained the Liquor worm, that did not mean Fang Ming lost all chance.
Fang Yuan himself was a treasure.
If the inheritance strengthened Fang Yuan, then Fang Ming might later copy something connected to that strength. Knowledge, methods, experience, perhaps even Gu-related skill—there were still possibilities.
A benefit that could not be seized directly might be harvested indirectly.
That was safer.
And safer meant living longer.
Beside him, Fang Yuan gazed out of the window, his expression unreadable.
Fang Ming also looked forward again, as if the matter had nothing to do with him.
The class continued.
Outside, the spring wind passed through the bamboo grove. The spear bamboo stood straight, their tips sharp like blades. Birds flew between branches, and the mountains stretched green beneath the blue sky.
Inside the classroom, the academy elder finally reached the end of the lesson.
"This week, I have taught you how to observe your aperture, how to move primeval essence, and how to begin your foundation. Now, it is time for you to refine your vital Gu."
The students immediately became excited.
The academy elder raised his hand, suppressing the noise.
"After class, all of you will go to the academy's Gu room and select a Gu worm. Once you have chosen, return home and focus on refining it. Only after refining your Gu may you return to continue lessons."
His gaze swept across the classroom.
"This is your first assessment. Whoever refines their vital Gu first will receive a reward of twenty primeval stones."
The classroom erupted.
Twenty primeval stones!
To newly awakened students, this was not a small sum.
Fang Ming's eyes sharpened slightly.
So it began.
The first academy assessment.
Vital Gu selection.
Fang Yuan would choose the Moonlight Gu on the surface, but his true target was still the Liquor worm.
As for Fang Ming, this was not merely an opportunity.
It was also a fight he had to take.
If he could refine his vital Gu faster than Fang Zheng, then his value in the clan's eyes would rise again. Fang Zheng was personally sponsored by the clan head, while Fang Ming had been taken in by the Shi family. The two of them were both A-grade talents, and from the moment their results were revealed, comparison between them had become unavoidable.
If Fang Zheng won, it would be natural.
But if Fang Ming won, the meaning would be different.
It would prove that he was not only equal to Fang Zheng in aptitude, but perhaps even better in comprehension, willpower, and refinement speed.
More fame meant more attention.
More attention meant more resources.
And resources were exactly what Fang Ming lacked most.
Twenty primeval stones were not a small number to the current him either. With them, he could reduce his dependence on the Shi family and gain more freedom in his early cultivation.
In the Gu World, even one primeval stone could decide progress. Twenty could widen the gap between students.
Fang Ming's eyes grew calm.
This assessment had to be won.