"Come on, it's coming!" someone on Gu Yue Qing Shu's team shouted, their voice a mixture of nervousness and excitement.
A large Blue Wind Deer charged toward them, its speed as fast as lightning, appearing like a blue blur in the forest. The members of Qing Shu's team didn't dare to be negligent; they chased closely, utilizing a relay drive method to keep the deer running along their predetermined route toward Qing Shu.
"Good !" Gu Yue Qing Shu stood in front, his gaze calm. He was not intimidated by the beast's speed, nor did he rashly attack with a Moon Blade. Instead, he quickly flicked his wrist, and a Gu resembling a ball of blue hair emerged from his aperture.
This was the Rank 1 Green Vine Gu, which Qing Shu had selected as his primary auxiliary tool. As he poured his primeval essence into it, the ball of hair immediately expanded, growing into a massive, thick green net that wove itself directly across the deer's escape route.
The Blue Wind Deer, caught off guard, stepped into the green vine net without any defense. The moment it touched the mesh, the vines tightened as if they were alive, securely binding the creature's legs. The deer lost its balance and hit the ground with a loud bang.
"Great, now!" the other team members shouted. They jumped from their hiding places, Moon Blades condensing in their hands.
Several silver blades of light cut through the night sky like lightning, all striking the body of the trapped deer. Severely injured, the Blue Wind Deer let out a shrill whine before eventually losing its vitality.
"Qing Shu, your plan was perfect! This is the fifth Blue Wind Deer we have successfully hunted!" The team members couldn't hide their excitement as they began sawing off the antlers, praising their leader's humility and tactical skill.
Qing Shu smiled slightly and responded modestly, "This is not all my fault. Without our concerted efforts, I'm afraid it would be difficult to achieve such a result." His words made the others admire him even more.
From the periphery, the Clan Leader and the elders observed the scene. "This Gu Yue Qing Shu really did an excellent job," one commented. "He understands teamwork and guides his team with skill. Such a humble attitude is very rare."
"Gu Yue Chi Shan's group is also performing well," another elder noted. "Chi Shan has a clear advantage in physical strength. Whenever they hunt, he leads the charge bravely, showing the demeanor of a general."
"And Gu Yue Mo Yan, she is extremely talented in reconnaissance, always finding targets earlier than the other teams."
It was undeniable that Gu Yue Qing Shu, Gu Yue Mo Yan, and Gu Yue Chi Shan had become the focal points of the entire class. As the three most talented students, they received extraordinary attention and protection from the clan elders. Currently, their scores were neck and neck, making the mid year assessment increasingly intense and gripping for the onlookers.
In stark contrast, Liu Chen had chosen to form a team of one. His performance hovered consistently at a middle to lower level compared to his peers. In a class of nearly forty students, there were many like him, mediocre performers who were easily overlooked. This anonymity allowed Liu Chen to feel completely at ease, free from the crushing weight of expectation.
Every day, Liu Chen went out to hunt the Blue Wind Deer. However, despite his great efforts, he had only successfully captured six deer by the end of the assessment. This score was the definition of average, not high enough to be noticed, but not low enough to invite scolding. It was a stable, unremarkable result.
The final rankings were a surprise to many: first place was claimed by Gu Yue Chi Shan. On the last day, he had been struck by a stroke of luck, hunting three wild deer in rapid succession to surpass the other two genius led teams. This result left Mo Yan furious, her pride wounded. Qing Shu, while appearing calm on the surface, had secretly resolved to avenge this humiliation and reclaim the top spot in the upcoming year end assessment.
As the mid year assessment drew to a close, the village returned to its usual routine. However, within the depths of the Flower Wine Monk's inheritance cave, Liu Chen was not practicing as usual. Instead, he had devoted all his energy and focus to a difficult Gu refinement.
This specific Gu was of immense significance to him. Its success would not only determine whether he could maintain his cover within the village during the year end re evaluation but would also fundamentally shape his future path. He dared not slacken for even a second.
Surrounded by a swirl of dark green copper primeval essence, Liu Chen meticulously threw various Gu materials into the vortex. Under the constant smelting of the purified essence, refined to a higher quality by his Liquor Worm the materials transformed into a slime like mass, blending together in a complex alchemical reaction.
Finally, as the last auxiliary material was incorporated into the essence, the fusion reached its climax. The mass converged into a Jade Cocoon, emitting a faint, pulsing light that suggested the nurturing of a new life.
However, just as Liu Chen began to feel the relief of a successful refinement, disaster struck without warning. Tiny, jagged cracks suddenly appeared on the surface of the Jade Cocoon. Like a rapidly spreading spider web, the fissures multiplied across the delicate shell, threatening to shatter the Gu before it could truly be born.
Click!
The sound was sharp and brittle. To Liu Chen's ears, it was the sound of a shattering dream. The Jade Cocoon, which had been pulsing with the promise of a concealment Gu, suddenly gave way under the unstable pressure of the refinement. In an instant, the light membranes disintegrated into jagged shards of spiritual energy.
"Puff!"
Liu Chen's body jerked violently as if struck by a massive hammer. A mouthful of blood erupted from his lungs, splattering across the cold cavern floor in a gruesome scarlet pool. The backlash of the refinement was not merely physical; his very soul felt as if it had been slammed into an iron wall, leaving him with a blinding, unbearable agony. He clutched his head with both hands, groaning through gritted teeth as his vision swam.
He stared at the remains of the failed refinement, a pile of useless, grey debris. A wave of exhaustion and bitterness washed over him. He had invested months of painstaking effort and a significant portion of his primeval stones into this Gu, all to have it vanish in the blink of an eye.
Time ticked by slowly. It took nearly an hour for Liu Chen to regain enough strength to simply sit upright. He knew he was in trouble. The soul injury was severe, and in the short term, he would be unable to attempt another refinement. His cultivation progress would also be forced to stagnate while his body healed.
Looking at the crushed remains, Liu Chen sighed. This Gu was supposed to be his mask, a tool to hide his aura and avoid detection by the clan elders. Without it, his rapid growth would be as obvious as a lighthouse in the dark. I cannot stay in the village like this, he thought grimly. I must find a solution before the year end assessment.
The next two months were a blur of recovery. Liu Chen focused entirely on nursing his injuries, and it wasn't until the Golden Autumn of October that his body finally felt whole again.
Despite the setback, he had not abandoned his basic practice. Through unremitting effort, his cultivation had reached the absolute peak of the Rank 1 peak Stage. His aperture was filled with 90% dark green copper primeval essence, purified to its limit by his Liquor Worm.
Today was the day.
Sitting in the dim light of the inheritance cave, Liu Chen took a deep breath. He mobilized his dark green essence, sending it surging like a tidal wave against the aperture walls. The sea surface of his primeval essence was turbulent, forming a massive vortex that hammered against the stone wall.
In the Gu World, the transition from Rank 1 to Rank 2 is a trial of endurance. Under the relentless impact of his 90% A grade essence, the flickering light membrane began to show fine cracks. These cracks spread rapidly like a spider web.
Crack!
With a final, resounding snap, the crystal walls of the Rank 1 aperture shattered completely. The fragments turned into streams of light that swirled and gathered together, eventually solidifying into a thin, shimmering light membrane.
Liu Chen felt a powerful force surge through his heart. He had successfully broken through to the Rank 2 Initial Stage! Within his body, the original green copper essence was replaced by a faint, light red hue, Red Steel Primeval Essence.
"Finally... Rank 2," he whispered, a satisfied smile touching his lips. In a small mountain village like the Gu Yue village, a Rank 2 Gu Master was already considered an elite fighter.
However, a new worry immediately surfaced. As a Rank 2 Gu Master, his Rank 1 Liquor Worm would lose its effectiveness. To continue enjoying the benefits of purified essence, he had to elevate the worm to its Rank 2 form: the Four Flavor Liquor Worm.
He had the recipe from the Flower Wine Monk's memories. But the previous failure in refining Gu still left a lingering fear in his heart. Nevertheless, to continue his path, he had to bite the bullet.
Fortunately, Liu Chen had prepared. He had been hoarding the necessary materials: large quantities of specialized wine and auxiliary herbs. He even used the Wine Sack Flower Gu within the cave to produce the base spirits.
First, he refined a second Rank 1 Liquor Worm using his new Rank 2 cultivation, which was an easy task. This second worm was intended to be the primary sacrifice for the upgrade.
When everything was ready, Liu Chen placed the two Liquor Worms into a sour wine jar. He wrapped them in his Red Steel Primeval Essence and threw in a hundred primeval stones. As the essence energy was absorbed, a faint light began to bloom within the wine altar.
He then poured in sweet wine, followed by bitter and spicy varieties, adding another hundred stones with each step. The energy began to fluctuate violently.
Suddenly, a loud bang echoed through the cave. The wine altar cracked open before the fusion could conclude.
Liu Chen's heart stopped. He looked into the jar and saw two Liquor Worms lying weakly at the bottom. One was already dead, its body turning grey; the other was extremely weak, its light flickering as if it could die at any moment.
He was stunned. He had done everything according to the recipe, yet refinement had failed at the final moment. This was the cruel reality of the Gu World: even with an inheritance and a system, success was never guaranteed.