"Quick, it's coming!" someone from Gu Yue Qingshu's team shouted, their voice a mix of tension and excitement.
A plump Qingfeng Deer was seen charging, its speed like lightning, galloping as if carried by the wind. Gu Yue Qingshu's team members dared not slacken, pursuing it relentlessly, constantly herding the wild deer towards Gu Yue Qingshu's position.
The Qingfeng Deer's speed was truly too fast. Although Gu Yue Qingshu's team members exerted all their strength, they could only barely keep up with its pace. To ensure the Qingfeng Deer wouldn't escape, they had to resort to a relay chase, one after another, making sure the Qingfeng Deer always ran along their predetermined route.
"Excellent!" Gu Yue Qingshu stood at the front, his gaze calm and composed. He wasn't intimidated by the Qingfeng Deer's speed, nor did he rashly use his Moonlight Gu to attack.
Instead, he quickly retrieved a Gu from his Aperture. This Gu resembled a green furball, appearing unremarkable.
This Gu was called Rank One Green Vine Gu, a Gu Gu Yue Qingshu had chosen as his first-place reward. He continuously poured primeval essence into the Green Vine Gu, and the Green Vine Gu immediately activated, spreading rapidly. In the blink of an eye, the Green Vine Gu had grown in front of the Qingfeng Deer's escape path, weaving into a massive net, awaiting the Qingfeng Deer to fall into it.
Indeed, everything unfolded as Gu Yue Qingshu had envisioned. The Qingfeng Deer, completely unprepared, stepped into the Green Vine Net. The moment it stepped in, the Green Vine Net, as if alive, quickly tightened, binding the Qingfeng Deer's legs tightly. The Qingfeng Deer was caught off guard, losing its balance due to the sudden restraint, and crashed to the ground with a thud.
"Fantastic, now's the time!" The other team members cheered excitedly at the sight. They leaped out from their hiding spots, their hands forming crescent blades.
Several crescent blades streaked across the night sky like lightning, all hitting the Qingfeng Deer's body. The Qingfeng Deer suffered heavy injuries, letting out a mournful cry, and finally collapsed, completely losing its life.
"Qingshu, your plan is simply perfect! This is already the fifth Qingfeng Deer we've successfully hunted!" The team members couldn't hide their excitement, praising Gu Yue Qingshu profusely while cutting off the antlers of the recently felled Qingfeng Deer.
Judging by the current progress, their team would surely stand out in this mid-year assessment and seize the first-place position.
Gu Yue Qingshu smiled faintly, responding humbly, "This isn't entirely my credit. Without your concerted efforts, I alone would probably find it difficult to achieve such results."
His words made the other team members admire him even more. Everyone deeply felt Gu Yue Qingshu's humility and team spirit.
However, there was one young man in the crowd who didn't seem to buy into it. He felt Gu Yue Qingshu's low-key demeanor was a bit too humble. If it were Moyan or Chishan, they would probably be smug and carried away by these successive victories, wouldn't they?
"Qingshu, you're too modest!" the young man couldn't help but interject, "With your strength and wisdom, you're fully qualified to be more prominent! Being so unassuming, even I'm getting anxious for you!"
"This Gu Yue Qingshu indeed performed excellently. He not only understands teamwork but also skillfully guides other team members, and he doesn't boast after completing tasks. This humble attitude is very rare," the Elders and Clan Chiefs outside the venue observed the assessment situation carefully, commenting on the students from various Schools.
"Gu Yue Chishan's group is also quite good. Chishan has a clear advantage in the Strength Path style. Whenever he hunts wild deer, he always takes the lead and charges forward bravely, demonstrating the demeanor of a great general," someone else commented.
"And Gu Yue Moyan, she has an exceptional talent for reconnaissance. She can always spot targets earlier than other teams, which is undoubtedly very important for the entire team," another Elder also nodded in praise.
It's worth mentioning that Gu Yue Qingshu, Gu Yue Moyan, and Gu Yue Chishan, as the outstanding students of this cohort, naturally became the focus of attention and received extra scrutiny and protection.
Currently, the scores of these three were evenly matched, making it difficult to determine a winner, which made the assessment even more intense and thrilling.
It is worth noting that Liu Chen formed a team by himself, and his results were in the lower-middle range among all students. There were many students like him, almost everywhere, so no one paid him any attention. This, in turn, made Liu Chen feel relaxed and at ease, without any pressure.
Every day, Liu Chen would hunt wild deer with all his might. However, despite his tremendous efforts, by the end of the mid-year assessment, he had only successfully hunted six wild deer. This score was neither high nor low, landing squarely in a stable, middle-of-the-road position.
It is worth mentioning that the first place in this mid-year assessment actually went to Gu Yue Chishan! On the last day, he seemed to have a stroke of luck, hunting three wild deer consecutively, instantly surpassing the other two teams. This result infuriated Gu Yue Moyan, and while Gu Yue Qingshu appeared relatively composed on the surface, he had secretly resolved to redeem himself in the year-end assessment and completely win back this defeat.
The mid-year assessment finally concluded, and within the Flower Wine Inheritance Cave, Liu Chen did not continue to Cultivate diligently as usual. Instead, he devoted all his energy to refining Gu.
This Gu was of extraordinary significance to Liu Chen. It not only concerned whether he could remain in the Mountain Village at the end of the year but also related to his future path of cultivation. Therefore, he dared not be negligent in the slightest, dedicating himself wholeheartedly to it.
In the dark green primeval essence, Liu Chen sequentially added various gu materials. Under the refining of the primeval essence, these gu materials gradually transformed into a viscous substance, intermingling with each other.
When the last portion of gu materials was also added to the dark green primeval essence, the Fusion of the gu materials was finally complete. The gu materials in the dark green primeval essence gradually converged into a jade cocoon, emitting a faint glow, as if nurturing new life.
However, just as Liu Chen joyfully thought that the Gu refinement was about to succeed, something unexpected happened. Fine cracks suddenly appeared on the jade cocoon without warning, spreading rapidly like a spiderweb.