"Gu Yue Liu Chen."
Hearing his name, Liu Chen's heart skipped a beat. Finally, his turn had arrived. He took a deep, steadying breath, and without the slightest hesitation, stepped into the mysterious underground river.
The moment he entered the water, an immense, crushing pressure rushed toward him. It felt as if an invisible hand were intent on buckling his knees, making it difficult to even draw breath. Yet, Liu Chen gritted his teeth, hardening his heart as he forced his legs to move forward through the freezing current.
His mind was a storm of anxiety. He knew that if he possessed no aptitude, all his years of effort and struggle would be for nothing, and he would be relegated to the status of a common mortal a mere blade of grass in this ruthless world.
Despite the mounting doubt, he did not stop. Step by step, he fought against the invisible weight of the heaven and earth qi. As he pushed forward, specks of faint, white light Hope Gu rose from the Moon Orchid sea like drifting stars and attached themselves to his body.
"Eleven!"
As he crossed the eleventh step, a massive weight finally lifted from his mind. He had proven he possessed Gu Master aptitude; he would not be discarded by fate like those talentless wretches.
"Twenty one!"
His excitement flared as he reached the twenty-first step. This confirmed a solid foundation for his future cultivation. Perhaps, he thought, there were even greater heights he could reach.
"Thirty one!"
Finally, as he reached his thirtieth step, the Hope Gu clustered around him seemed to receive a mystical call. They swarmed forward, boring into his body like tiny projectiles.
The Hope Gu transformed into a concentrated surge of warmth, rapidly tunneling through his flesh to gather at the dantian, three inches below his navel.
In that instant, his soul felt as if it had been struck by a powerful shockwave. A muffled boom echoed within his mind.
The warmth from the Hope Gu exploded outward, tearing through the internal void. This light expanded rapidly, forming a spherical, translucent space with thin, flickering light membranes as its walls. Within this void, a massive whirlpool began to absorb the heaven and earth qi from the nearby Spirit Spring, refining it into pale green copper primeval essence. Drop by drop, it gathered until it formed a verdant sea.
The sea expanded until it occupied exactly 45% of the aperture's volume. Then, it ceased.
C grade aptitude.
Just as he processed this, Liu Chen's eyes were drawn to a sight that defied logic. Two translucent treasure boxes had materialized in his vision, floating in the air as if held by a divine force. One radiated an iridescent, seven-colored glow like shimmering crystal; the other emitted a soft white light like polished jade, sitting right at his feet in the river.
Overwhelmed by shock, he reached out instinctively to touch them. The moment his fingers brushed the surfaces, two electronic voices rang out sharply in his mind:
"Obtained Newbie Treasure Box x1. Open?"
"Obtained White Jade Treasure Box x1. Open?"
Liu Chen jumped in surprise, but he quickly regained his composure. A wave of wild joy flooded his heart. This was the "cheat" of a transmigrator! However, he took a deep breath, silently selecting "No" for both. With so many eyes on him, this was not the time for experiments.
His earlier look of ecstasy did not go unnoticed, inviting immediate ridicule from the other youths.
"A mere C grade, yet he's that happy?" someone sneered. "What is there to be proud of?"
"Exactly. Just a C grade," another mocked.
"What do you know!" a third voice countered. "C grade aptitude is already as rare as phoenix feathers. It's enough for the kid to be self-sufficient. What about your talent?"
As Liu Chen walked back to the riverbank, he was stunned to see that among the waiting clansmen from the Clan Leader to the youths his own age, they all had treasure boxes on them. Most gave off a silver light, appearing as if cast from solid silver.
His gaze landed on the boxes belonging to Mo Yan and Chi Shan. Theirs were a deep, rustic red, like weathered iron.
"Gu Yue Liu Chen, thirty steps. C grade aptitude."
Gu Yue Zhi announced the result in a low, heavy voice. Liu Chen walked back toward the bank with light steps. As he passed by the Academy Elder, he reached out and casually "swiped" the silver box floating near the old man.
"Obtained Silver Treasure Box x1."
The movement seemed natural, and the Elder didn't even blink; he clearly couldn't see the box. Gu Yue Zhi merely marked a "Good" next to Liu Chen's name and called the next youth.
Liu Chen returned to the group, scanning the room. He noted that while silver and red boxes were common, he could see a few faint green ones scattered among the crowd as well.