By Any Means Necessary

"Put all the wine under the bed." Fang Yuan directed the four inn attendants.

Each of them carried several jars of Green Bamboo Wine. After extorting the other students, Fang Yuan had come to the inn and bought another twenty jars in one go.

At two Primeval Stones per jar, Fang Yuan had thrown down forty Primeval Stones at once for the Wine Worm Gu.

His newly swollen money pouch had instantly shriveled by half, leaving only thirty-nine Primeval Stones. Still, it was worth the price; this wine would sustain the Wine Worm Gu for quite a while.

"Right away." The attendants hastily replied. They did not dare show the slightest disrespect toward a Gu Master.

Besides, Fang Yuan had bought so much wine that he could be called a major customer of the inn. A single word from him to the proprietor could easily cost these attendants their jobs.

After the attendants left, Fang Yuan shut the dormitory door and sat cross-legged on the bed.

It was already night.

The moon shone bright amid sparse stars, while a hidden fragrance flowed through the night wind.

No lamp was lit in the room. Fang Yuan calmed his mind and sent his consciousness into his primeval sea.

The primeval sea surged and ebbed, its seawater giving off a bronze-colored gleam. Every drop of seawater was the Bronze True Essence unique to a Rank 1 Gu Master.

The primeval sea only filled forty-four percent of the entire aperture. This was the limitation of Fang Yuan's C-grade Aptitude.

The four walls of the aperture were covered by a thin white membrane of light, supporting and enclosing the aperture.

Above the primeval sea, there was nothing. Under Fang Yuan's direction, the Spring Autumn Cicada had hidden itself once more, resting and recuperating in slumber.

On the surface of the true essence sea, however, floated a plump, adorable Wine Worm Gu.

It frolicked freely in the true essence seawater, sometimes diving beneath the surface, sometimes shaking its head and flicking its tail, scattering droplets everywhere.

At a thought from Fang Yuan, the Wine Worm Gu immediately responded. It stopped playing, curled into the shape of a glutinous rice ball, and slowly floated upward to the center of the aperture, leaving the Bronze Sea behind.

"Go." Fang Yuan mobilized ten percent of his true essence, forming it into a thin stream that surged upward against the current and poured entirely into the Wine Worm Gu's body.

The Wine Worm Gu had long since been refined by him, so it accepted everything without refusal, absorbing the entire stream of true essence into its body.

At once, the forty-four-percent sea level dropped by a small amount.

Using the true essence as fuel, the balled-up Wine Worm Gu began to bloom with faint white light. Within that glow, a hazy wine vapor gradually emerged, eventually gathering into a pale white mist of wine.

The wine mist was wondrous. Rather than drifting away, it enveloped the Wine Worm Gu.

"Rise." At a thought from Fang Yuan, he mobilized another ten percent of true essence.

The Bronze Sea crashed into the wine mist. The mist merged into the seawater, growing thinner and thinner until not a trace remained. That ten percent of Bronze True Essence also seemed to vanish into thin air, leaving only five percent behind.

Yet this five percent of true essence was more condensed than before. The original true essence had been emerald green, gleaming with the luster of bronze. This new true essence had the same bronzy sheen, but its green was a shade deeper—a dark green.

Dark green true essence was the true essence possessed only by a Rank 1 Mid Stage Gu Master. The Wine Worm Gu's function was to condense true essence, raising a Gu Master's true essence by a small stage!

Gu Masters had nine great realms, from Rank 1 and Rank 2 all the way up to Rank 9. Each great realm was further divided into four small stages: Initial Stage, Mid Stage, Upper Stage, and Peak Stage.

Fang Yuan was merely a Rank 1 Initial Stage Gu Master at present, yet with the Wine Worm Gu's help, he possessed five percent Rank 1 Mid Stage Gu Master true essence!

"To refine five percent Mid Stage true essence, I need to consume twenty percent Initial Stage true essence. To convert all forty-four percent of the primeval sea in my aperture into Mid Stage true essence, I will have to consume nearly one hundred eighty percent Initial Stage true essence. If I want to achieve this quickly, I'll need Primeval Stones."

Thinking this, Fang Yuan opened his eyes and took out a complete Primeval Stone the size of a duck egg from his pouch.

Primeval Stones were semi-transparent, grayish-white oval stones. As the natural true essence within them was continually depleted, they would steadily shrink in size.

His right hand slowly closed around the Primeval Stone, gripping it tightly in his palm as he drew out the natural true essence within and continuously replenished his aperture.

The sea level that had fallen in his aperture slowly began to rise again.

Primeval Stones were meant to be used. Fang Yuan was not stingy in the slightest, nor would he save them.

"I have no backer and no aid from friends or family, so I can only rely on robbery and extortion. Today was only the first time. From now on, whenever the academy hands out Primeval Stone subsidies every seven days, I'll keep blocking the academy gate."

How could one act of robbery and extortion possibly satisfy Fang Yuan's appetite? Primeval Stones were the one thing Gu Master cultivation could not lack.

As for the consequences of this robbery, Fang Yuan was not worried in the slightest.

This world was different from Earth.

On Earth, schools often prohibited fighting, placing stability and harmony above all else. But in this world, battle was the central theme.

Whether Gu Masters or mortals, all had to fight to survive. Sometimes they fought terrifying wild beasts, sometimes they struggled against harsh and violent weather, and sometimes they fought other Gu Masters over resources.

Thus, restrained fighting and brawling were instead encouraged and advocated.

From childhood to adulthood, from brawls to life-and-death Fierce Battles—this was the portrait of most human lives.

This world was vast beyond measure. Southern Border alone, where Fang Yuan lived, was broader than the combined area of seven or eight Earths. The living environment here was exceedingly harsh. Humans typically formed Lineages, built villages, and huddled in one corner like turtles shrinking into their shells.

Every so often, a Beast Tide or exceptionally vicious weather would strike the villages.

Gu Masters formed the backbone of village defense, and their yearly casualties were quite severe.

Life needed people with powerful fighting wills. A Lineage needed battle Gu Masters; the more, the better.

Besides, Fang Yuan had exercised restraint when he made a move.

He never attacked the chin, because that could easily fracture the base of the skull and cost someone their life. Nor did he strike the back of anyone's head. When fighting, he used neither fists nor elbows, nor did he jab with his fingers. He used his palms instead. The number of times he kicked could be counted on one hand.

The students who had fallen suffered no serious injuries, only minor ones at most.

Fang Yuan was not bloodthirsty. He merely treated killing as a means.

Every time he acted, he had a clear objective. Whichever method was the shortest path to reaching that objective, that was the one he used.

In other words, he did things by any means necessary.

Dark clouds drifted over, covering the moonlight.

A layer of shadow enveloped Gu Yue village.

The night watchman beat his clapper—knock, knock, knock—warning people that it was deep into the night: beware of fire, guard against wild beast attacks, and watch for Gu Masters from other villages who might infiltrate.

Quite a few lights in the village remained unextinguished.

Within the Chi Branch, the lights in Gu Yue Chi Lian's study burned brightly.

This high-ranking old man spoke in a gentle tone as he asked after his grandson, Gu Yue Chi Cheng. "I heard Fang Yuan beat you today?"

A dark circle ringed Gu Yue Chi Cheng's right eye. He said angrily, "Yes, Grandfather. Fang Yuan is only C-grade, yet he dares to be so arrogant. He blocked us all at the door and ignored the bond between classmates, robbing us of our Primeval Stones. What's even more infuriating is that the academy turned a blind eye. The guards only arrived after Fang Yuan strutted away. Grandfather, you must help your grandson vent this anger!"

But Gu Yue Chi Lian shook his head. "This is a matter between you juniors. You were only extorted of one mere Primeval Stone, and you did not even suffer serious injury. Your grandfather has no grounds to intervene. Besides, even if you had been beaten badly, your grandfather would not stand up for you. Do you understand why?"

Gu Yue Chi Cheng froze. He thought bitterly for a long time before hesitantly saying, "Grandfather, I think I understand what you mean. You want me to rely on my own strength to win back my honor, don't you?"

"You have only understood one side of it." Gu Yue Chi Lian nodded. "Remember, you represent not only yourself, but also the image of our Chi Branch. Our Chi Family and the Mo family have faced off for many years. Your every action represents the future hope of the Chi Family. Grandfather can help you in secret, but you must establish an image of self-reliance and self-improvement. Otherwise, the lineage elders supporting us will see no hope for the future and abandon our Chi Family."

At this point, Gu Yue Chi Lian sighed. "That is also why Grandfather helped you cheat and impersonate someone with B-grade Aptitude. Our Chi Family needs a powerful heir so those who support us can continue holding on."

Only then did Gu Yue Chi Cheng suddenly understand. "Grandfather, your grandson understands."

Gu Yue Chi Lian shook his head. "Understanding alone is useless. You must work hard and strive forward. Fang Yuan's matter is a small trouble. From now on, you must diligently train your basic fists and footwork and win back your honor. At the same time, do not forget to cultivate hard and be promoted to the Mid Stage as soon as possible. It would be best if you seized the position of class leader. That would be tremendous glory, and it would also help our Chi Family."

"Yes, Grandfather!" Gu Yue Chi Cheng answered loudly.

"Heh heh heh, now that spirit looks like the heir of our Chi lineage. Grandson, work hard. Grandfather will do everything in his power to help you."