Section Seven: Gu Masters Have Nine Ranks, Flower Wine Leaves Behind Hidden Treasures

A week passed quickly.

"Humans are the spirits of all things, and Gu are the essences of heaven and earth. In this world, there exist thousands upon thousands of Gu, countless in number. They live all around us, in the soil, in the grass, even within the bodies of wild beasts."

"As humanity has reproduced and thrived, the sages gradually discovered the mysteries of Gu. Those who have opened their apertures, used their own primeval essence to feed, refine, and control these Gu to achieve various purposes, are collectively known as Gu Masters."

"And you, during the Aperture Opening Ceremony seven days ago, all successfully opened your apertures and condensed your primeval sea. Now, you are all Rank 1 Gu Masters."

In the academy within the village, the Academy Elder was speaking eloquently.

Facing him, fifty-seven youths sat upright, listening intently.

The magic and power of Gu Masters had long since deeply impressed the youths. Therefore, everything the Elder said captivated them.

At this moment, a youth raised his hand, and after receiving permission from the Elder, he stood up and asked, "Elder, I've known since I was young that there are distinctions like Rank 1, Rank 2, and so on for Gu Masters. Could you explain it to us in detail?"

The Gu Yue Elder nodded, waved his hand, and signaled the youth to sit down. "There are a total of nine major realms for Gu Masters, from lowest to highest, namely Rank 1, Rank 2, Rank 3, all the way to Rank 9. Each major realm is further divided into four minor stages: Early, Middle, Late, and Peak. You have just become Gu Masters, all at the Early stage of Rank 1."

"If you cultivate diligently in the future, your cultivation will naturally improve, and promotion to Rank 2 and Rank 3 is also possible. Of course, the higher your aptitude, the greater the possibility of advancement."

"With D-grade aptitude, the primeval sea occupies twenty to thirty percent of the aperture, and practitioners can typically only cultivate up to Rank 1 or Rank 2. With C-grade aptitude, the primeval sea fills forty to fifty percent of the aperture, and they usually stop at the Rank 2 realm, with only a very small portion managing to break through to the Early stage of Rank 3. With B-grade aptitude, the primeval sea occupies sixty to seventy percent of the entire aperture, allowing one to cultivate to Rank 3, or even Rank 4. With A-grade aptitude, the primeval sea is abundant, filling eighty to ninety percent of the aperture. Such individuals naturally have the highest talent and are most suited for Gu Master cultivation, capable of reaching Rank 5."

"As for Gu Masters beyond Rank 6, each one is a legend. I don't know the specifics myself. Our Gu Yue clan has never produced a Rank 6 Gu Master, but we have had Rank 5 and Rank 4 Gu Masters."

The youths' ears perked up, their eyes shining brightly as they listened.

Many couldn't help but look at Gu Yue Fang Zheng, who was sitting upright in the front row. He had A-grade aptitude, and their gazes were filled with envy and jealousy.

At the same time, some eyes drifted towards the corner of the last row of the academy.

In that corner by the window, Gu Yue Fang Yuan was fast asleep, his head on the desk.

"Look, he's still sleeping," someone whispered.

"He's been sleeping for a whole week straight, hasn't recovered yet?" someone scoffed.

"More than that, I heard he doesn't even come back at night and wanders around the village outskirts."

"Some people have seen him more than once at night, drunk with a wine jar, lying outside. Fortunately, the village surroundings have been cleared out over the years and are relatively safe." His classmates whispered amongst themselves, and all sorts of rumors quickly spread.

"Alas, the blow must have been too great. After bearing the name of a genius for so many years, to end up being only C-grade, hehe."

"If it were just that. But his own younger brother was tested as A-grade, and is now the center of attention, enjoying the best treatment. The younger brother is in heaven, while the elder brother is in the dirt, tsk tsk..."

Listening to the increasingly loud discussions around him, the Academy Elder's brow furrowed into a knot.

In the entire classroom, the youths were all sitting upright, exuding vitality and energy, which made Fang Yuan, sprawled on the desk, even more conspicuous and jarring.

"A whole week has passed, and he's still so decadent. Hmph, I must have misjudged him back then. How could someone like this be a genius!" the Elder snorted unhappily in his heart. He had spoken to Fang Yuan about this situation many times. But it had no effect; Fang Yuan remained as he was. He slept through every class, which gave the teaching Elder a great deal of headache and annoyance.

"Forget it, he's just C-grade. If he can't even handle this much of a setback, his character development will be poor, and he'll be useless anyway, a waste of family resources." The Elder was very disappointed in Fang Yuan.

Fang Yuan only had C-grade aptitude. In comparison, his brother Fang Zheng possessed A-grade aptitude, and he was the one the family should focus their efforts on cultivating.

As the Academy Elder thought this, he continued his previous topic: "In the history of our clan, many strong individuals have appeared. Among them, there were two Rank 5 experts. One was the first generation clan leader, our ancestor, who founded the Gu Yue village. The other was the fourth generation clan leader. He had exceptional talent and cultivated all the way to the Rank 5 Gu Master realm. If it weren't for the sneak attack by that despicable and shameless demonic cultivator, the Flower Wine Wanderer, he might have even been able to advance to Rank 6 Gu Master. Alas..."

Upon saying this, the Gu Yue Elder sighed deeply.

Below the podium, the youths all cried out indignantly.

"It's all that Flower Wine Wanderer, so insidious and cunning!"

"It's a pity our fourth generation clan leader was kind-hearted and died young."

"I only regret not being born a few hundred years earlier, otherwise, if I had met that demon, I would have fought to expose his ugly face."

No member of the Gu Yue clan was unaware of the story of the fourth generation clan leader and the Flower Wine Wanderer.

The Flower Wine Wanderer was also a Rank 5 Gu Master, a notorious womanizer who had caused trouble for many years, and was famous in the demonic path at the time. Hundreds of years ago, he roamed Qing Mao Mountain and attempted to commit crimes in the Gu Yue village, but was discovered by the fourth generation clan leader. After a world-shattering fierce battle, the Flower Wine Wanderer was beaten to his knees begging for mercy. The fourth generation clan leader, being kind-hearted, intended to spare his life. However, the Flower Wine Wanderer suddenly launched a sneak attack, severely wounding the fourth generation clan leader.

Enraged, the clan leader killed the Flower Wine Wanderer on the spot, but subsequently succumbed to his own severe injuries and passed away.

Therefore, in the hearts of all Gu Yue clan members, the fourth generation clan leader was a heroic figure who sacrificed himself for the village.

"Flower Wine Wanderer, huh..." Awakened by the condemnation in the academy, Fang Yuan in the corner opened his drowsy eyes.

He stretched his body thoroughly, and couldn't help but feel a sense of grievance: "Where exactly did this Flower Wine Wanderer die? Why haven't I found his inheritance even after searching all around the village?"

In his memory, about two months later, a clan Gu Master, drunk from a breakup, lay in a stupor outside the village. The overflowing aroma of alcohol accidentally attracted a Wine Bug.

The Gu Master was overjoyed and wanted to capture it. The Wine Bug frantically fled, and the Gu Master pursued it closely, following the Wine Bug's trail to discover a hidden cave entrance leading underground.

The Wine Bug was a very precious Gu. The Gu Master, still tipsy, ventured into the cave and arrived at a secret underground chamber. There, he discovered the remains of the Flower Wine Wanderer and his remaining inheritance.

After returning to the village, the Gu Master reported all his findings, which immediately caused a sensation throughout the entire clan.

The Gu Master also benefited from this, his cultivation becoming even more outstanding, which in turn attracted the lover who had abandoned him to return. He became a prominent figure for a time.

"It's a pity that I only heard the general details of this news and don't know the exact location. I never expected to be reborn on this day. Flower Wine Wanderer, where exactly did you die?"

For the past few days, he had bought a lot of wine and wandered around the village outskirts every night. He wanted to attract the Wine Bug by releasing the scent of alcohol. Unfortunately, the Wine Bug never appeared, which was very disappointing.

"If I could find that Wine Bug and refine it as my life Gu, it would be much better than the Moonlight Gu in the clan. In the blink of an eye, it's already April, and time waits for no one," Fang Yuan sighed, his gaze shifting to the window.

Under the blue sky and white clouds, the mountains stretched out in lush green waves. In the foreground was a bamboo forest.

These were the unique Spear Bamboo of Qing Mao Mountain, each as straight as a line, with extremely sharp tips, like spearheads.

The nearby woods had already turned a fresh green. The new buds that had emerged were a yellowish-green. Occasionally, beautiful colorful sparrows would land on the branches.

The spring breeze swept in, carrying the fresh scent of green mountains and clear waters, spreading it across the land.

Unknowingly, this class was nearing its end. The Academy Elder announced the final instruction: "This past week, I have taught you how to meditate and observe your own apertures and primeval sea. How to sit in meditation and circulate the primeval essence within your bodies. Now it is time to refine your life Gu. After this class ends, you will go to the Gu room in the academy to select Gu worms. After selecting your Gu worm, you will return home to cultivate in seclusion until you have refined the Gu worm, and then you will return to the academy to continue your studies. This will also be your first assessment. Whoever achieves the top position will receive a generous reward of twenty primeval stones."

The next moment, the entire academy erupted in cheers.

"Finally, we're going to refine Gu worms. I wonder which Gu worm I should choose?" Fang Yuan's eyes flashed with a sharp glint.