The Gu True Man

The road ahead will be wonderful

The void aperture is extremely mysterious. Though it resides within Fang Yuan's body, it does not occupy the same space as his internal organs. One could say it is infinitely large, yet also infinitely small.

Some call it the Purple Mansion, others the Splendid Pond, but most refer to it as the Primordial Sea Void Aperture.

The entire void aperture is spherical, with a surface flowing with white light—a layer of light film. This is the layer of light condensed from the earlier explosion of the Hope Gu. It is precisely this light film that supports the void aperture, preventing it from collapsing.

Within the void aperture, naturally, lies the Primordial Sea. The sea surface is as smooth as a mirror,** a turquoise hue, yet extremely thick, with a bronze luster. This is the condensation of bronze true essence unique to First-Order Gu Masters, commonly known as the Bronze Sea.

The sea surface reaches less than half the height of the void aperture, only forty-four percent. This is the limitation of Grade C talent.

Every drop of seawater is true essence, representing the condensation of Fang Yuan's essence, qi, and spirit, symbolizing the life potential he has accumulated over fifteen years.

Gu Masters use this true essence to activate Gu insects. In other words, from this moment on, Fang Yuan has officially entered the ranks of First-Order Gu Masters.

The void aperture has opened, and no more Hope Gu energy flows into Fang Yuan's body. He withdraws his mind, only to feel the pressure ahead is as solid as a wall, preventing him from advancing further.

"Just like in my previous life," he smiled faintly at this result.

"Can't you go any further?" The academy elder shouted from across the bank, clinging to a sliver of hope.

Fang Yuan turned around and walked back, answering with his actions.

At this point, even the teenagers reacted. Suddenly, the crowd erupted like a boiling pot.

"What? Fang Yuan only took twenty-seven steps?"

"So he only has Grade C talent?!"

"Unbelievable—he's so talented, yet only Grade C?"

An uproar swept through the crowd.

"Brother..." Gu Yue Fang Zheng looked up from the crowd, shocked as he watched Fang Yuan wade back across the river. He couldn't believe his eyes—his brother only had Grade C talent?

He had always thought his brother would have Grade A talent.

No, it wasn't just him; his uncle, aunt, and many in the clan had thought the same.

But now, the result was this!

"Dammit, only Grade C!" The clan leader Gu Yue clenched his fists secretly, letting out a deep sigh, his disappointment evident.

Among the clan elders watching in secret, some frowned, some whispered, others sighed to the heavens.

"Could there be a mistake in the test?"

"How is that possible? This method is extremely accurate, and besides, we've been watching closely—cheating would be impossible."

"But then, how do we explain his previous performance and talent?"

"Youngsters with higher Primordial Sea talent do exhibit extraordinary traits—such as intelligence, comprehension, memory, strength, agility, etc. But conversely, these traits don't necessarily mean high talent; everything must be based on the test results."

"Sigh, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. The Gu Yue clan is declining generation after generation."

...

The icy river water soaked his socks, chilling him to the bone.

Fang Yuan walked on, expressionless. As he drew closer, he could clearly see the heavy expression of the academy elder and keenly sense the gazes of over a hundred teenagers.

Those gazes held surprise, shock, mockery, schadenfreude, realization, and indifference.

This identical scene couldn't help but remind Fang Yuan of his previous life.

Back then, he'd felt as if the sky had collapsed. He'd stumbled while crossing the river, soaking himself through, utterly dejected. Yet no one had reached out to help him.

Those looks of disappointment and indifference had felt like sharp knives, lacerating his heart. His thoughts had been a mess, and his chest had ached faintly.

It was like falling from the clouds to the ground—the higher you stood, the harder you fell.

But this life...

Facing this scene again, Fang Yuan's heart was perfectly calm.

He thought of that legend: when adversity comes, entrust your heart to hope.

Now, that hope lay within him. Though it wasn't great, it was still better than those with no cultivation talent at all.

If others were disappointed because of this, let them be—so what? What did others' disappointment have to do with him? What mattered was that he held hope in his heart!

Five hundred years of life had taught him a truth: the splendor of a person's life lies in the process of pursuing their dreams. There's no need to demand that others not be disappointed or that they like you.

Walk your own path, and let others be disappointed or dislike you!

"Sigh..." The academy elder let out a deep sigh, then shouted, "Next, Gu Yue Fang Zheng!"

But there was no response.

"Gu Yue Fang Zheng!" The elder shouted loudly, his voice echoing in the cave.

"Ah? Here, here!" Fang Zheng snapped out of his shock, hurrying forward. Unfortunately, he stumbled, falling headlong with a splash right into the river.

Immediately, the crowd erupted in laughter.

"The Fang brothers are nothing special,"**** Clan Leader Gu Yue, growing annoyed with Gu Yue Fang Zheng as well.

"What a disgrace!" Fang Zheng thrashed about in the river, but the riverbed was extremely slippery, and he couldn't stand up. His efforts only made him look more clumsy.

The sound of laughter in his ears made him more flustered. But just then, he felt a strong force yank him up—his head finally emerged from the water, and he regained his balance.

He clumsily wiped his face, then looked up to see his brother Fang Yuan holding him by the collar, lifting him up.

"Broth..." He tried to speak, only to choke on water, triggering a fit of violent coughing.

"Haha, the Fang brothers—two of a kind!" Someone mocked from the bank.

The laughter grew louder. The academy elder didn't step in to stop it; he frowned deeply, filled with disappointment.

Fang Zheng was at a loss when he heard his brother's voice in his ear: "Go on—your future will be splendid."

Fang Zheng was astonished, his mouth dropping open. Fang Yuan had his back to the crowd, so no one on the bank could see his expression. But Fang Zheng clearly felt his brother's calmness, and even detected a hint of a playful, profound smile at the corner of his mouth as he spoke.

"He only has Grade C talent—why is he so calm?" Fang Zheng couldn't help but be filled with confusion.

Fang Yuan said no more, patted Fang Zheng's back, and turned to leave.

Fang Zheng stood dazed, walking toward the flower sea.

"I can't believe big brother is so calm. If it were me, I'd probably..." He hung his head, walking forward unconsciously, unaware that he was putting on a miraculous performance.

When he finally came to his senses, he was standing deep in the flower sea, at a distance no one had reached before.

Forty-three steps!

"Heavens—Grade A talent!!!" The academy elder shouted****.

"Grade A? It's really Grade A?!"

"Three years—after three years, the Gu Yue clan finally has another Grade A genius!"

The clan elders watching in secret also shouted, losing all decorum.

"Hmph, the Fang branch originally split off from our Chi branch. This Gu Yue Fang Zheng shall be raised by our Chi branch," declared Gu Yue Chi Lian immediately.

"How dare you? You old fool Chi Lian—what qualifications do you have? You're only good at ruining promising youngsters. This child would be better off under me, Gu Yue Mo Chen!" Gu Yue Mo Chen roared like he'd been electrocuted.

"Stop arguing! No one can cultivate this child better than this clan leader. Anyone who disagrees is opposing me, Gu Yue Bo!" The clan leader's eyes were bloodshot, casting off his earlier disappointment and dejection, overcome with madness.