Things Had Changed

A Gu room had been set up beside the academy. It was not large, only sixty square meters.

For Gu Masters, Gu worms were the key to strength.

As soon as class ended, the excited youths surged toward the Gu room.

"Line up! Come in one at a time!" A furious shout suddenly rang out. Naturally, people stood guard outside the Gu room.

The youths entered one by one, then came back out.

It was Fang Yuan's turn to enter the Gu room.

He saw that the room held a world within itself. Its four walls had been made into compartments, with embedded square slots packed side by side. Some were large, though none exceeded the size of a sandpot; others were small, no bigger than a fist.

The densely packed slots held all kinds of containers: gray stone basins, verdant jade plates, exquisite grass cages, and ceramic warming furnaces.

All manner of Gu worms were kept within these containers.

Some Gu worms remained silent, while others were extremely noisy, making chirping, clucking, rustling, and all sorts of sounds that gathered into a symphony of life.

"Gu worms are also divided into nine great ranks, corresponding to a Gu Master's Rank 9 Realm. These are all Rank 1 Gu worms." Fang Yuan swept his gaze around and immediately understood.

Generally speaking, a Rank 1 Gu Master could only use Rank 1 Gu worms. If they forcibly activated a higher-ranked Gu worm through level advancement, they would often have to pay an extremely terrible price.

Moreover, Gu worms needed feeding. The cost of feeding higher-ranked Gu worms was often beyond what lower-ranked Gu Masters could bear.

For novice Gu Masters, unless there were special circumstances, they would all choose a Rank 1 Gu worm for their first refinement.

The first Gu worm refined by a Gu Master carried immense significance. It was called the Destined Gu, cultivated alongside its master's life. Once it died, the Gu Master would surely suffer severe damage.

"Alas, I had originally hoped to obtain Flower Wine Wanderer's Wine Worm Gu and refine it into my Destined Gu. But there is still no clue about Flower Wine Wanderer's remains. Who knows when I'll find them, or whether someone else will discover them first? To be safe, I should choose a Moonlight Gu."

While sighing inwardly, Fang Yuan walked straight toward the wall on the left-hand side.

On one of the higher rows of compartments in that wall sat a line of silver plates. Each plate held a Gu worm.

The Gu worm was crystal clear, curved like a crescent moon, as though it were a piece of blue crystal. Against the silver base, it gave off a tranquil, secluded air.

Its name was Moonlight. It was the Gu Yue Clan's clan-protecting Gu worm, and the vast majority of clan members chose it as their Destined Gu. It was not a natural Gu worm, but had been cultivated through the Gu Yue Clan's secret methods. It could not be found elsewhere and could be said to symbolize the Gu Yue Clan.

They were all Rank 1 Moonlight Gu, with only minute differences between them. Fang Yuan casually chose one and held it in his hand.

The Moonlight Gu was light, comparable to a thin sheet of paper. It occupied only a small part of his palm and was about the size of an ordinary jade pendant. Holding it in his hand, Fang Yuan could see the lines of his palm through it.

After giving it one last look and finding no issue, Fang Yuan put it into his pocket and left the Gu room.

A long queue still waited outside the Gu room. The next youth saw Fang Yuan emerge and immediately rushed inside in high spirits.

If it were anyone else, their first reaction after obtaining a Gu worm would have been to take it home and refine it at once. But Fang Yuan was in no hurry. His mind was still fixed on that Wine Worm Gu.

The Wine Worm Gu was more precious. Though the Moonlight Gu was a specialty of Gu Yue village, it could not help a Gu Master as much as the Wine Worm Gu could.

After leaving the Gu room, Fang Yuan went directly to the tavern.

"Shopkeeper, two jars of aged wine." Fang Yuan dug through his pockets and placed his remaining fragments of Primeval Stone on the counter.

These past few days, he had come here every day to buy wine, then wandered around and searched the outskirts of the village, intending to lure that Wine Worm Gu into appearing.

The shopkeeper was a short, fat middle-aged man with a full face slick with oil. After these past few days, he had already remembered Fang Yuan.

"Customer, you're here." At the same time as he greeted him, he stretched out his thick, stubby hands and smoothly swept away Fang Yuan's Primeval Stone fragments.

He weighed them in his hand again. Finding the amount satisfactory, the shopkeeper's smile grew a little warmer.

Primeval Stones were the currency of this world, used to measure the value of all goods. At the same time, they were condensed essences of Heaven and Earth, and could themselves be used to help Gu Masters cultivate better.

They possessed both the nature of currency and the nature of merchandise, making them extremely similar to gold on Earth. Earth had once had a pure gold standard; this world had a pure Primeval Stone standard.

Compared to gold, Primeval Stones therefore possessed equally astonishing purchasing power.

However, no matter how many Primeval Stones one had, they could not withstand Fang Yuan's continuous consumption like this.

"Two jars of wine every day. It has already been seven full days. The Primeval Stones I had saved up are almost all spent." Carrying the two jars of wine out of the tavern, Fang Yuan slightly furrowed his brow.

Once one became a Gu Master, one could directly draw pure primeval essence from Primeval Stones to replenish the primeval sea within the Aperture.

Thus, to Gu Masters, Primeval Stones were not merely currency, but also aids to cultivation.

With sufficient Primeval Stones, one's cultivation speed could increase considerably. This could more or less make up for shortcomings in aptitude.

"Tomorrow, I won't have any Primeval Stones left to buy wine, yet the Wine Worm Gu still refuses to show itself. Do I really have to refine the Moonlight Gu into my Destined Gu?" Fang Yuan felt somewhat unwilling.

Leaving the tavern, Fang Yuan carried two jars of wine, walking while pondering. "The Academy Elder said that the first person to refine their Destined Gu in this assessment would receive twenty Primeval Stones as a reward. By now, I'm afraid many people are exerting every ounce of strength at home, refining their Gu worms and fighting for first place. Unfortunately, refining a Destined Gu tests aptitude greatly. Those with good aptitude hold an enormous advantage. With my C-grade Aptitude, no matter what other methods I use, I have no hope of winning."

Just then, Gu Yue Fang Zheng's voice sounded behind him. "Brother, you really came to the tavern again to drink yourself into a stupor! Come with me. Uncle and Aunt want to see you."

Fang Yuan stopped and turned around.

He discovered that his younger brother no longer spoke with his head lowered as he had in the past.

The brothers' gazes collided.

A gust of wind howled past, lifting the elder brother's disheveled black hair and fluttering the younger brother's robe hem.

In just one short month, things had changed beyond recognition.

The Aperture Opening Ceremony one week ago had brought tremendous changes to both elder brother and younger brother.

The elder brother, Fang Yuan, had fallen from the clouds, and his halo as a genius had been ruthlessly stripped away. Meanwhile, the younger brother had begun to shine, rising slowly like a new star.

For Gu Yue Fang Zheng, this change held an even more earth-shattering significance.

At last, he had tasted the feelings his elder brother had once known: having others place their hopes on him, having them look upon him with envy or jealousy.

He felt as though he had suddenly been moved from a gloomy corner into a heaven filled with light.

Every day when he woke, he felt as though he were living in a beautiful dream. The worlds-apart treatment still felt somewhat unbelievable to him, while also bringing a powerful sense of discomfort.

He was unaccustomed to it.

All at once, he had gone from being unknown to being closely watched and pointed at by others.

Sometimes, when Fang Zheng walked down the road and heard passersby discussing him and praising him, his face would burn. He would be at a loss, his eyes darting away, nearly forgetting how to walk!

After the first ten-odd days, Gu Yue Fang Zheng had inexplicably become thinner by a full circle, yet his Essence, Qi, and Spirit had only grown more vigorous.

From the deepest part of his heart, something called "confidence" began to sprout.

"So this was how Brother felt before. It's wonderful and painful at the same time!" He inevitably thought of his elder brother, Gu Yue Fang Yuan. How had his brother dealt with such discussions and attention in the past?

Subconsciously, he began to imitate Fang Yuan and put on an expressionless face, but quickly discovered that he was not cut out for it.

Sometimes at the academy, a girl's shout alone would make his face turn bright red. On the road, the teasing of older women made him flee in disarray time and again.

Like a baby learning to walk, he stumbled and staggered as he adapted to his new life.

Throughout this process, he inevitably heard rumors about his elder brother—despondent and decadent, becoming a heavy drinker, staying out all night, and sleeping through academy lessons.

At first, he was extremely shocked. His elder brother, someone so powerful and so gifted, had actually become like this?!

But gradually, he began to understand a little. His brother was human too. After suffering such setbacks and blows, becoming despondent was inevitable.

Along with this understanding, Fang Zheng vaguely felt an indescribable pleasure.

This feeling of pleasure was something he desperately did not wish to admit, yet it truly existed.

His brother, praised as a genius, his brother who had once suppressed him like a shadow, was now so bedraggled and dejected. From the other side, did that not prove his own growth even more?

He was outstanding. That was the truth!

Thus, when he saw Fang Yuan carrying wine jars, his hair disordered and clothes unkempt, Gu Yue Fang Zheng let out a fierce breath inwardly. For some reason, his breathing became much easier.

Yet his mouth said, "Brother, you can't keep drinking. You can't go on like this. Do you know how worried the people who care about you will be? You need to pull yourself together!"

Fang Yuan remained expressionless and said nothing.

The brothers exchanged looks.

Gu Yue Fang Zheng's eyes gleamed, revealing a sharp edge. But Fang Yuan's eyes were dark and deep, like an ancient secluded pool.

Those eyes made Fang Zheng feel an inexplicable pressure. Before their exchange looks had lasted long, he subconsciously shifted his gaze to the other side.

But when he came to his senses, anger instantly surged within him.

Anger toward himself.

What was wrong with him? Did he not even have the courage to exchange looks with his brother?

I have changed. I have changed completely!

Thinking this, his gaze sharpened as he swept it back toward Fang Yuan.

But Fang Yuan was no longer looking at him. Carrying a jar of wine in each hand, he walked past him, his calm voice drifting over. "What are you standing there for? Let's go."

Fang Zheng's breathing faltered. The breath he had built up inside him no longer had anywhere to vent, leaving him with an inexpressible frustration.

Seeing that his elder brother had already gone far away, he could only follow with quick steps.

Only this time, his head was no longer lowered. Instead, he raised it to face the setting sun.

His gaze, however, rested on his own feet, stepping one after another onto his elder brother Fang Yuan's shadow.