After settling the incident, Fang Yuan now had two paths to follow: either repeat what he had done in his previous life, or simply focus on cultivating.
It was not that he couldn't do both; rather, there wasn't enough time for him to fully commit to both.
Compared to his previous life, Fang Yuan was now far ahead in terms of the inheritance itself. If he were to explore it now, he would have to kill the Jade Eye Stone Monkey, which would consume a lot of time.
Looking at the whole scenario, Fang Yuan decided to focus on cultivating rather than exploring the inheritance. There were a few good reasons for this:
Firstly, if Fang Yuan explored the inheritance, he would obtain the Jade Skin Gu, which would make him stronger but also become a burden, as it required feeding.
Secondly, Fang Yuan already knew about the cave; therefore, in his reasoning, now was not the best time to explore it and waste time.
Last but not least, Fang Yuan predicted that the best time to obtain the Jade Skin Gu would be when he was close to rank two, or already a rank two Gu Master. The reason was simple: even if he obtained the Jade Skin Gu at rank one, he would not be able to use it outside the cave, as he had no way to explain how he obtained it. Hence, this Gu worm would be useless, offering him no benefit while only becoming a burden.
"Now is the time for me to fully focus on cultivation. If my calculations are correct, I should be able to reach Rank 2 just in time for the Final Year Examination," Fang Yuan thought as he glanced at a wine jar beside him.
"Hmm, hopefully the bitter wine comes out successfully." Fang Yuan was currently planning ahead for the advancement of the Liquor Worm. He already knew how to brew bitter wine, but since this was his first time, he was being cautious. With his immense knowledge of the five regions, merely brewing bitter wine was child's play for Fang Yuan; the only issues were the ingredients and the time needed for it. But this was easily taken care of thanks to the travelling caravan merchant, and Fang Yuan still had plenty of time left until the next time the travelling caravan merchant came again, next year.
To make it, Fang Yuan took out a jar of aged wine and added crushed bitter wood and dried bitter grass into it. He stirred the mixture until the bitterness fully dispersed, then sealed the jar tightly and allowed it to ferment. In the next few months, the bitter wine would be completed.
Fang Yuan silently closed his eyes and proceeded to cultivate.
The bright morning sun shone on Qing Mao Mountain.
In the academy, the elder spoke about important details. "Tomorrow, we are choosing the second Gu worm for refinement. Everyone here has experience in successfully refining Gu worms, and this time you can solidify your experiences. For the selection of the second Gu worm, consider it carefully. With the experience of cultivating these few days and understanding of your own body, consider it as a whole. Normally, it is best if you pair the second Gu well with your vital Gu."
A Gu Master's first Gu was known as the vital Gu, and once it was chosen it would be the footing stone of their development. After that, the second and third Gu worm would be nurtured upon this footing stone and decide the Gu Master's cultivating direction.
After hearing the academy elder's words, the youngsters began to ponder, and only Fang Yuan was sleeping soundly on the table.
These few days he had worked hard nurturing his aperture, and once every week will go out to hunt for some boars. Even with his transformed physique, he is still very tired.
The academy elder looked at Fang Yuan and frowned, but did not say anything.
Ever since the clan leader spoke to him, he had adopted a 'let Fang Yuan do as he wishes, I am not going to give a care' attitude.
"Which Gu worm should I choose?" As the students thought about it, they subconsciously looked towards Fang Yuan.
"Speaking of which, Fang Yuan already has his second Gu worm."
"Yeah, that is but a Liquor worm; to actually get a Liquor worm out of gambling rocks, his luck is off the charts!"
"If I had the Liquor worm, I would advance to middle stage first too huh?"
The students' thoughts varied, having admirers and jealous people among them.
Ever since the incident, Fang Yuan's Liquor worm was exposed.
The class continues on like normal.
The sun rose, marking the start of a new day.
Students lined up neatly, faces flushed with excitement, standing before the academy's Gu storage room.
Today, they would choose their second Gu!
As the first to advance to the middle stage, Fang Yuan had priority and stood at the front of the line.
Behind him were Gu Yue Mo Chen, Gu Yue Fang Zheng, and Gu Yue Chi Cheng.
Creak.
The Gu storage room door opened as the guards pulled it aside, and Fang Yuan was the first to step in.
The Gu room was not big, but was a sight to behold. The surrounding walls had square holes in them, some were big but others were small, holding all sorts of containers in them.
There was rock pots, jade pots, cages made of weaved grass, and some porcelain ware.
All sorts of Gu worms, being all Rank one, were stored in these containers. The academy probably spent more than 1000 primeval stones every day just to feed these Gu worms.
Fang Yuan merely glanced around; the purpose was to see if anything had changed, but unsurprisingly, nothing had. It was the same as in his previous life.
Without wasting any time at all, Fang Yuan walked to a corner of the wall and retrieved the Little Light Gu.
This Gu was oddly shaped, looking like a pentagram, and only half as large as a fingernail.
The Little Light Gu was mainly paired with the Moonlight Gu, a common assistance-type Gu worm for the Moonlight Gu. To Fang Yuan had chosen this Gu, it was merely an average option, but at least it suited his development path.
"Fang Yuan is out."
"Wow, that was fast."
"I wonder what Gu he chose?"
"He already has the Liquor worm, this is his third Gu, maybe he won't be able to raise them properly. Hehe."
Fang Yuan leisurely walked out of the storage room. The students were outside for such a long time and had started to become restless.
"It's my turn! I wonder what Gu has Fang Yuan chosen?" Once Gu Yue Mo Chen saw Fang Yuan stepping out he hurriedly took big steps and entered the storage room.
He checked and found that the sole Yellow Camel Longhorn Beetle was still there.
Mo Chen could not refrain from becoming overjoyed, immediately taking it away.
Afterwards, Fang Zheng went in.
"I have the Moonlight Gu for offense, but I lack a defensive-type Gu worm."
Gu Yue Fang Zheng, after long consideration, decided to choose a Bronze Skin Gu.
Gu Yue Chi Cheng was the fourth to enter.
"I need an evasion ability, so in future battles I will be able to hit others, but others cannot hit me. I'll be virtually unbeatable."
He looked left and right, and finally chose a Dragonpill Cricket Gu.
After all the students have chosen their second Gu, the sun lowers and the moon rises, the signal of the arrival of nightfall.
This was one of the concealed courtyards in the Gu Yue Village.
A locust tree stood tall with intricate branches and dense, vibrant leaves. Its broad canopy, reminiscent of a jade imperial umbrella, covered the entire courtyard. Gentle moonlight filtered through the leaves and branches, casting a soft glow across the ground. A light breeze rustled the leaves, making the tree's shadows sway gently. Beneath this serene scene, two figures stood quietly under the tree.
Gu Yue Bo used a gentle gaze and looked at Fang Zheng. "Fang Zheng, today you chose your second Gu, I wonder what it is?"
"Reporting to clan leader sir, today I chose a Bronze Skin Gu." Gu Yue Fang Zheng stood rigid, saying with a look of admiration.
Gu Yue Bo nodded, and after pondering he replied, "Not bad, it is a good choice."
Gu Yue Fang Zheng stood before Gu Yue Bo, his body tensed and tightened. Hearing Gu Yue Bo's praise, he did not know how to reply for a while, so in the end he only laughed, "Clan leader, I chose randomly."
"You think I'm not serious in praising you? No." Gu Yue Bo stared at Fang Zheng, a smile on his face, "Do you know? From choosing a Gu, it shows a person's disposition."
"You chose the Bronze Skin Gu for defense. Paired with the Moonlight Gu, it is both offense and defense. This shows your pure nature. In this world, offense and defense are like frontal and ambush, yin and yang, soft and hard, this is the king's path."
"Gu Yue Mo Bei chose the Yellow Camel Longhorn Beetle, this Gu grants stamina and allows him to sustain battle. This shows his stubborn and strong attitude."
"As for Gu Yue Chi Cheng, he chose the Dragonpill cricket Gu, allowing him to increase his dodging ability. This shows he does not like frontal attacks, being a witty person, good at tactics, but also showed the weakness in his character."
Gu Yue Fang Zheng was stunned after listening, for he did not expect that such a simple matter could reveal that much information and logic.
Consequently, his attitude towards Gu Yue Bo became even more respectful.
"Clan leader, what did my brother choose?" Fang Zheng thought of Fang Yuan and immediately asked.
Gu Yue Bo laughed, "He chose the Little Light Gu, this Gu is used to assist the Moonlight Gu and can make the moonblade attack stronger. This shows his extreme, active and invasive personality."
"Indeed, big brother seems to be like that." Fang Zheng muttered.