Not only was the students shocked and disbelieve, but even the elders watching was stunned.
"I'll go take a look." The academy elder could no longer stand it, and after saying so, he jumped onto the stage.
He first observed Fang Yuan and found nothing suspicious, then took a few large strides toward him and placed his hands on Fang Yuan's abdomen to inspect his aperture.
"T-This… the light red primeval essence… it's truly light red primeval essence! B-But how could this be?" Even after serving as an academy elder for so many years, he could hardly believe what he was seeing.
In the aperture, the light red primeval essence was raging like waves in the sea.
A white and fat liquor worm was swimming and playing in the primeval sea.
The light membrane aperture walls, where the light is thin and flickering. This showed Fang Yuan's Rank two initial stage cultivation clearly.
The academy elder did not look away, but continued to scan Fang Yuan's body.
Finally, he found that on Fang Yuan's palm, there was the Moonlight Gu and Little Light Gu.
"No other Gu worms, how did Fang Yuan managed to break through to Rank two initial stage?" The academy elder's eyes shone with suspicion.
Fang Yuan did not mind such a probing as he had already expected it.
He left the White Boar Gu in the secret cave, as for the Spring Autumn Cicada, with its Rank six status, if it wanted to hide, even the Rank four Gu Yue Bo would not find it if he inspected personally.
The academy elder did not find anything, and that caused him to frown. Although he was still suspicious in his heart, but in front of so many people, he did not have the proper opportunity to ask.
"Fang Yuan, you performed well, continue working hard." Finally, the academy elder patted Fang Yuan's shoulder and declared loudly
Ever since the academy elder's ascension to the stage, the audience watched quietly. After hearing his announcement, they started discussing fervently.
"To think Fang Yuan who is only a C-grade managed to reach Rank Two, surpassing two B-grades"
"He's merely a C-grade, how could he had reached Rank two, did he cheat?"
"Probably not. The academy elder personally examined him. If he didn't find any problems, then Fang Yuan most likely didn't cheat."
"Enough!" shouted the academy elder as he quickly took control of the situation.
"There are still students who haven't had their cultivation checked. We will not delay any further." Saying this, the academy elder gave an apologetic glance and a nod to the female Gu Master beside him, acknowledging that he had slightly overstepped his role.
After all, if she took it the wrong way, she might think the academy elder didn't trust her ability to assess the students' cultivation levels—or worse, that Fang Yuan had bribed her to fake the results.
All in all, the academy elder quickly apologized and stepped down from the stage, allowing her to resume the checks.
The female Gu Master once again received the instructions and called out the name from the list
"Gu Yue Fang Zheng." The female Gu Master finally said as she composed herself.
But no one walk forward to the stage
"Gu Yue Fang Zheng!" The female Gu Master yelled again
"Ah? I'm here, I'm here!" Fang Zheng snapped out of his shock and hurriedly ran forward, nearly tripping on his way.
"Sigh…" The Gu Yue clan leader sighed loudly from his seat, frowning deeply as he looked at Fang Zheng's current state.
"I truly didn't expect that lad Fang Yuan to have reached Rank Two. Hopefully, under my guidance, Fang Zheng can overcome this setback. Even if Fang Yuan has reached Rank Two, he's still a C-grade, while Fang Zheng is an A-grade. The difference in primeval essence and regeneration between them is vast. I truly hope Fang Zheng realizes this and regains his confidence." Gu Yue Bo sighed deeply once more, unsure whether to be impressed or disappointed by Fang Yuan.
But quickly the Gu Yue clan leader smiles as Fang Zheng was looking at him
"The A-grade talent?" The clan elders focused their attention to Fang Zheng.
Fang Zheng stepped out from the crowd, feeling the weight of all the gazes bearing down on him, making him slightly uneasy.
However, the moment he caught sight of Clan Leader Gu Yue Bo's reassuring smile, the tension in his heart eased.
With renewed composure, he approached the female Gu Master.
She shut her eyes, and then abruptly opened her eyes, saying in shock, "Gu Yue Fang Zheng, cultivation level — Rank two initial stage!"
Boom.
The youngsters erupted into a wave of discussions.
"What, he reached Rank two as well?!"
"As expected of the A-grade talent genius."
"Incredible, he left Mo Bei and Chi Cheng in the dust."
"But he's still the same rank as Fang Yuan."
"This Fang Zheng!" At once, Mo Bei and Chi Cheng stared at Fang Zheng in shock.
"It is the same as my previous life." Fang Yuan was not surprised, and after observing Fang Zheng's expression earlier, he could guess the result.
"A-grade talent after all."
"Pretty interesting—both twin brothers are at the same rank."
"This is the credit of clan leader's nurturing…"
The clan elders praised.
At once, Fang Zheng became the center of attention.
Half a year ago, Gu Yue Bo gave him a Jade Skin Gu and asked him to be the first person to advance to Rank two. He did it!
Gu Yue Bo obviously wouldn't take back the Jade Skin Gu just because Fang Yuan had reached Rank Two. The promise was only meant to motivate Fang Zheng to push himself and strive to reach Rank Two.
"Clan leader, I won't disappoint you! Even if my brother has reached Rank Two, he's still a C-grade with only 44% primeval essence, while I have over 80%! He doesn't stand a chance!" Fang Zheng shouted inwardly, trying to reassure himself, his eyes shining with a determined brilliance.
This brilliance, is called confidence!
The clan leader, Gu Yue Bo, saw this and was quickly pleased with Fang Zheng.
The sun was bright after the snow passed.
Gu Masters streamed into the academy in the morning.
"The annual year end exam has begun again. Hehehe, I wonder if the scene I saw from more than a decade ago when I graduated will be seen again." A middle-aged Gu Master with long green hair cascading down his back stood outside the academy, reminiscing.
"Leader, get in, you love reminiscing." The young female Gu Master beside him had blood red lips, her hands placed in the pockets of her pants. There was a blade of grass in her mouth, and she rolled her eyes.
"Hehehe, Yao Hong, don't rush. We have to get in anyway. Since the clan leader had arranged it already, our new members have been decided long ago." The green haired Gu Master laughed.
"The A-grade talent Fang Zheng?" The female Gu Master Gu Yue Yao Hong tutted in her mouth, saying unhappily, "The clan leader's idea is to get us to babysit him!"
"But this babysitting mission is not easy to accomplish." The green haired male Gu Master sighed, "Nevermind, let's go in."
As time went on, more and more Gu Masters passed through the academy gates and gathered in the arena.
They included both men and women—some young, others middle-aged, and even a few elderly figures.
After graduation, Gu Masters typically formed small teams to carry out clan missions. The ones arriving at the arena were representatives of those teams, here to evaluate the students and recruit promising newcomers.
For these teams, recruiting meant bringing in fresh blood and strengthening their ranks.
For the students, joining a seasoned team meant receiving guidance and mentorship from experienced members, allowing them to adapt quickly to their new roles and complete missions more efficiently—with fewer casualties.
As the sun steadily climbed higher in the sky, the battles among the students officially began.
"So many people today." The youngsters proclaimed.
"Quickly see, that is Lord Qing Shu. He is our Gu Yue clan's number one person among the Rank two, and he is known for his mild and amiable temper." A person pointed at the green haired male Gu Master and shouted.
"Chi Shan senior is here too."
"That is the Mo family's little miss Mo Yan!"
Qing Shu, Chi Shan, and Mo Yan were the rising stars of the Gu Masters, known by all students.
"Sigh, their teams are too hard to get in. I am only D-grade, and my vital Gu is a Gentle Silk Spider, I am meant to be a support staff." A youngster sighed, then asked his friend, "You?"
"Oh, I got it settled with relationships. Through the godson of my uncle's cousin's sister."