The rising sun cast a brilliant, colorful glow across the sky.
The mountain mist was not heavy, easily pierced by the sword-like rays of the sun.
More than a hundred fifteen-year-old youths had now gathered in front of the Clan Head Pavilion.
The Clan Head Pavilion stood right in the center of the village. Five stories tall with upturned eaves and flying corners, it was heavily guarded. A plaza stretched out in front of the pavilion, while inside, the ancestral tablets of the Gu Yue forebears were enshrined. Every generation of the Clan Head also lived and carried out their daily life within these walls. Whenever major ceremonies took place or sudden emergencies arose, the clan elders would be summoned here to discuss and deliberate matters. This was the absolute nerve center of authority for the entire village.
"Very good, you have all arrived on time. Today is the Awakening Ceremony, a major turning point in your lives. No need for idle talk; follow me." Leading the group was the Academy Elder. With his white hair and beard, he radiated high spirits as he led the youths into the Clan Head Pavilion.
However, they did not go upstairs. Instead, passing through the entrance of the ground-floor hall, they headed downward.
Following the neatly crafted stone steps, they entered the underground karst cave.
The youths couldn't help but gasp in wonder. The underground cave was breathtakingly magnificent, with stalactites emitting a seven-colored radiance of red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple. This brilliant light reflected upon the youths' faces, making them as dazzling as neon lights.
Fangyuan mingled in the middle of the crowd, quietly observing everything while pondering inwardly: "Hundreds of years ago, the Gu Yue Clan migrated from the Central Continent to Southern Border, establishing themselves here on Qingmao Mountain. They did so precisely because they set their sights on the spirit spring located in this underground karst cave. This spirit spring produces a massive amount of Primeval Stones, which can be said to be the very foundation of Gu Yue Village."
After walking several hundred steps, the surroundings grew increasingly dark, and the sound of flowing water could be faintly heard.
Rounding a corner, an underground river more than three zhang wide revealed itself before everyone's eyes.
The colorful light from the stalactites here had completely vanished.
Yet within the darkness, the river water emitted a faint, deep blue glow, resembling a river of stars in the night sky.
The river flowed from the dark depths of the cavern, incomparably clear; one could even see the swimming fish, water plants, and the sand and stones at the riverbed.
On the opposite bank of the river lay a vast sea of flowers.
These were Moon Orchids deliberately cultivated by the Gu Yue Clan. Their petals, shaped like crescent moons, presented a delicate and elegant blue-pink hue. Their stems were like jade, and the hearts of the flowers shone with a gentle radiance, just like pearls refracting the light.
At a glance, against the dark backdrop, the sea of flowers along the riverbank looked like a massive blue-green carpet studded with countless pearls.
"Moon Orchids are the food source for many Gu worms. This sea of flowers can be said to be the clan's largest cultivation base," Fangyuan knew this like the back of his hand.
"So beautiful."
"This is truly gorgeous."
The youths were having their horizons broadened; their eyes shone one and all, filled with both excitement and nervousness.
"Alright, now listen as I call the roll. Those whose names are called shall cross this river and go to the opposite bank. Walk as far as you can—the further, the better, of course. Do you all understand clearly?" the Academy Elder said at this moment.
"Understood." The youths chorused their assent. In truth, before coming here, they had all been told by family members or seniors, knowing that the further one walked, the better the aptitude represented, and the greater one's future achievements would be.
"Gu Yue Chenbo." The Academy Elder picked up the name list and called out the first person.
Although the river was wide, it was not deep, reaching only to the youths' knees. With a solemn expression, Chenbo stepped onto the flower-filled riverbank.
Instantly, he felt a wave of invisible pressure, as if an unseen wall stood before him, blocking his progress.
Just as he found walking difficult, a cluster of light spots suddenly emerged from the sea of flowers by his feet. The light spots were very faint and appeared in a pristine white color.
The radiance converged toward Chenbo and sank into his body.
Chenbo instantly felt the pressure drastically reduce. That formless wall suddenly grew soft.
Gritting his teeth, he forced his way forward, squeezing his way in with all his might. After taking three steps, the pressure ahead surged again, becoming just like a solid wall once more, refusing to yield even an inch.
Seeing this, the Academy Elder sighed, and while recording on the spot, he announced, "Gu Yue Chenbo, three steps, no Gu Master aptitude. Next, Gu Yue Zhaoxie."
Chenbo's face instantly turned pale. Gritting his teeth, he waded back across the river to his original spot. Without aptitude, he could only live as an ordinary mortal from now on, occupying the lowest rung of status within the clan.
His body swayed; the blow was simply too heavy, effectively snuffing out the hopes of a lifetime.
Many people cast sympathetic gazes toward him, while even more focused their attention on the second youth to step onto the other shore.
Regrettably, this youth could also only advance four steps, likewise possessing no aptitude.
Not everyone possessed the aptitude for cultivation. Generally speaking, if five out of ten people were able to cultivate, that was already quite good. Within the Gu Yue Clan, this proportion was even higher, reaching about six people.
This was because the Gu Yue forefather, namely the First Generation Clan Head, was a renowned and legendary powerhouse. Due to his cultivation, his bloodline hid genes that carried power. Because the Gu Yue clansmen possessed his bloodline, their aptitude was generally higher than average.
Two consecutive instances of no aptitude made the expressions of the other clan elders watching from the shadows turn rather ugly. Even the composed Gu Yue Clan Leader furrowed his brows slightly.
Right at this moment, the Academy Elder called out the third name: "Gu Yue Mobei."
"Here!" A horse-faced youth wearing linen garments let out a soft cry and stepped out from the crowd.
He was tall and stouter than his peers, exuding a trace of fierce momentum.
In two or three steps, he crossed the river and stepped onto the opposite bank.
Ten steps, twenty steps, thirty steps—faint lights successively sank into his body.
Walking all the way to thirty-six steps, he finally could go no further.
The youths across the river watched in dumbstruck amazement, while the Academy Elder cried out in joy, "Good! Gu Yue Mobei, Grade B aptitude. Come here and let me see your primeval sea."
Gu Yue Mobei then returned to the side of the Academy Elder. The latter extended a hand, placed it on the youth's shoulder, closed his eyes, and concentrated on probing for a moment before withdrawing his hand, nodding, and recording on the paper: "Gu Yue Mobei, primeval sea at sixty-six percent, can be heavily cultivated."
This aptitude was divided into four grades from top to bottom: Grade A, Grade B, Grade C, and Grade D.
A youth with Grade D aptitude, after being cultivated for three years, could advance to become a senior Rank One Gu Master and become a cornerstone of the clan.
A youth with Grade C aptitude, after being cultivated for two years, could mostly become a Rank Two Gu Master and become a backbone presence in the clan.
A youth with Grade B aptitude needed to be carefully nurtured. They were usually groomed to be future clan elders, and with six or seven years of effort, could become a Rank Three Gu Master.
As for Grade A aptitude, even the appearance of a single one was the fortune of the entire clan. They had to be meticulously cared for and given prioritized resources, allowing them to become a Rank Four Gu Master in about ten years, at which point they could compete for the position of Clan Head!
In other words, as long as this Gu Yue Mobei grew up, he would be a future elder of the Gu Yue Clan. No wonder the Academy Elder laughed heartily with delight, while the clan elders watching from the shadows all heaved a collective sigh of relief, subsequently casting envious glances toward one particular elder.
That elder also had a horse face and was none other than Gu Yue Mobei's grandfather, Gu Yue Mochen. A smile had long since blossomed across his face as he cast a provocative glance toward his old rival: "How is it? My grandson isn't bad, eh, Gu Yue Chilian?"
The clan elder Gu Yue Chilian had a head of red hair. At this moment, he let out a cold snort and did not reply, his complexion dark and extremely ugly.
Half an hour later, half of the youths had already set foot across the sea of flowers. A fair number of Grade C and Grade D aptitudes had emerged, though those with no aptitude naturally accounted for nearly half.
"Sigh, the bloodline is growing thinner and fewer, and coupled with the fact that over these past few years, the clan hasn't produced a few Rank Four powerhouses to strengthen the bloodline... The Fourth Generation Clan Head was the sole Rank Five powerhouse, but in the end, he perished together with the Flower Wine Monk, leaving behind no bloodline descendants. The aptitude of the younger generation of the Gu Yue Clan is growing weaker and weaker," the Clan Head sighed deeply.
Right at this moment, the Academy Elder shouted, "Gu Yue Chencheng."
Hearing this name, the clan elders all looked toward Gu Yue Chilian; this was Gu Yue Chilian's grandson.
Gu Yue Chencheng was short in stature, his face covered in freckles. Clenching his fists and sweating profusely, he appeared exceptionally nervous.
He stepped onto the opposite bank, and the points of light successively sank into his body, walking all the way to thirty-six steps before finally stopping.
"Another Grade B!" the Academy Elder shouted.
The youths grew restless, casting envious glances toward Gu Yue Chencheng one after another.
"Hahaha, thirty-six steps, thirty-six steps!" Gu Yue Chilian roared with laughter, glaring defiantly at Gu Yue Mochen.
This time, it was Gu Yue Mochen's turn to have an iron-blue complexion.
"Gu Yue Chencheng..." In the crowd, Fangyuan rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
In his memories, because he had cheated during the Awakening Ceremony, he suffered severe punishment from the clan.
In truth, his aptitude was only Grade C, but his grandfather Gu Yue Chilian had falsified results for him, thereby creating the illusion of Grade B aptitude.
Actually, when it came to cheating, Fangyuan had dozens of schemes in mind, some of which were even more perfect than Gu Yue Chencheng's. If he had displayed Grade B or Grade A aptitude, he would inevitably have received heavy cultivation from the clan.
However, firstly, the time since Fangyuan's rebirth was too short, and given his situation, it was difficult to prepare cheating methods.
Secondly, even if the cheating succeeded, his cultivation speed in the future could not be masked, and the truth would be exposed all the same.
Yet this Gu Yue Chencheng was different; his grandfather was Gu Yue Chilian, one of the two most powerful clan elders in the clan, who was capable of covering for him.
"Gu Yue Chilian has always been hostile to Gu Yue Mochen, and these two elders are the two largest opposing factions of influence in the clan. To suppress his rival, he needed his grandson's aptitude to stand out. It was precisely because he provided cover from behind that Gu Yue Chencheng was able to conceal the truth for a time. In my memories, if not for that accident, it wouldn't have been exposed."
A sharp glint flashed in Fangyuan's eyes as he pondered how he might utilize this point to plot the greatest benefits.
Exposing it on the spot would, at best, earn a small reward from the clan, but it would offend the high and mighty Gu Yue Chilian—this was definitely not advisable.
Nor could he resort to blackmail and extortion in the short term. Because his strength was too low, he would only bring disaster upon himself instead.
Just as he was pondering, he suddenly heard the Academy Elder call out his own name: "Gu Yue Fangyuan!"