The morning sun rose, casting a brilliant glow across the sky.
The mountain mist was not very thick, easily pierced by the sword-like rays of sunlight.
Over a hundred fifteen-year-old youths were gathered in front of the Clan Leader's Pavilion.
The Clan Leader's Pavilion stood at the very center of the stronghold, towering five stories high, with flying eaves and guarded heavily. In front of the pavilion was a plaza, and inside, the ancestral tablets of the Gu Yue forebears were enshrined. Each generation's clan leader lived here, and during major ceremonies or emergencies, the elders would gather here for discussions. It was the power center of the entire stronghold.
"Very well, everyone is on time. Today is the Aperture Opening Ceremony, a major turning point in your lives. Let's not waste words, follow me." The one in charge was the Academy Elder. Despite his white hair and beard, he was full of vigor as he led the youths into the Clan Leader's Pavilion.
However, instead of going upstairs, they entered through the main hall on the first floor and descended.
Following the crafted stone steps, they entered the underground karst cave.
The youths exclaimed in amazement. The underground cave was magnificent, with stalactites emitting a rainbow of colors—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet—illuminating the youths' faces in a dazzling display.
Fang Yuan stood quietly among the crowd, observing everything, contemplating silently: "Hundreds of years ago, the Gu Yue Clan migrated from the Central Plains to the Southern Borderlands and settled on Green Reed Mountain. They were drawn here by a spirit spring in the underground cave. This spring produces a large amount of primordial stones, which is the foundation of Gu Yue Village."
After walking several hundred steps, it grew darker, and the sound of water could be faintly heard.
Turning a corner, a subterranean river over ten meters wide appeared before them.
The colorful glow of the stalactites had completely vanished here.
Yet in the darkness, the river water emitted a faint blue glow, resembling a starry river in the night sky.
The water flowed from the depths of the cave, crystal clear, revealing the fish, water plants, and riverbed stones within.
On the opposite bank was a sea of flowers.
These were Moon Orchids, intentionally cultivated by the Gu Yue Clan. The petals were crescent-shaped, displaying a delicate blue-pink hue. The stems were jade-like, and the flower centers shone as if pearls were reflecting a gentle light.
At first glance, against the dark backdrop, the riverside flower sea seemed like a vast blue-green carpet adorned with countless pearls.
"Moon Orchids are the food for many Gu insects. This flower sea is the clan's largest cultivation base," Fang Yuan knew well.
"So beautiful."
"Truly stunning."
The youths were wide-eyed, both excited and nervous.
"Alright, listen up. When I call your name, cross the river to the other side. Go as far as you can, the farther the better. Understand?" The elder instructed.
"Understood," the youths responded. They had heard from family or elders that the farther one could walk, the better their aptitude, and the greater their future achievements.
"Gu Yue Chen Bo," the elder called the first name from the list.
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The river was wide but not deep, only reaching the youths' knees. Chen Bo, with a serious expression, stepped into the riverside flower sea.
Immediately, he felt an invisible pressure, as if an unseen wall was blocking his way.
As he struggled to move forward, a cluster of light points suddenly rose from the flower sea at his feet, thin and pale white.
The light gathered towards Chen Bo and entered his body.
Chen Bo instantly felt the pressure lessen. The invisible wall became softer.
He gritted his teeth and pushed forward, forcing his way through. After three steps, the pressure increased again, like a wall, preventing further progress.
Seeing this, the elder sighed, recording as he spoke: "Gu Yue Chen Bo, three steps, no Gu Master aptitude. Next, Gu Yue Zao Xie."
Chen Bo's face turned pale. He bit his lip, crossed back over the river, and returned to his place. Without aptitude, he would live as a mortal, holding the lowest status in the clan.
He staggered, the blow was too great, as if his life's hope had been crushed.
Many cast sympathetic glances at him, while more focused on the second youth to cross.
Unfortunately, this youth also managed only four steps, similarly lacking aptitude.
Not everyone has the aptitude for cultivation. Generally, if five out of ten can cultivate, it's considered good. In the Gu Yue Clan, the ratio is slightly higher, reaching six out of ten.
This is because the Gu Yue ancestor, the first clan leader, was a legendary strong expert. Due to his cultivation, his bloodline carries genes that bear power. The Gu Yue people, sharing his bloodline, generally have higher aptitude.
The consecutive lack of aptitude made the other elders watching from the shadows frown, even the composed Clan Leader Gu Yue furrowed his brows slightly.
At this moment, the Academy Elder called the third name: "Gu Yue Mo Bei."
"Present!" A tall, robust youth with a horse-like face stepped forward.
He was larger and more muscular than his peers, exuding a hint of fierceness.
In a few strides, he crossed the river and stepped onto the opposite bank.
Ten steps, twenty steps, thirty steps, as faint light continued to enter his body.
He finally stopped at thirty-six steps.
The youths on the other side were dumbfounded, and the Academy Elder joyfully exclaimed, "Good, Gu Yue Mo Bei, Grade B aptitude, come here, let me see your Primal Sea."
Gu Yue Mo Bei returned to the elder's side. The elder placed a hand on the youth's shoulder, closed his eyes to sense, then withdrew his hand, nodding as he recorded, "Gu Yue Mo Bei, Primal Sea at sixty-six percent, worthy of significant cultivation."
Aptitude is graded from top to bottom as A, B, C, and D.
A youth with Grade D aptitude, after three years of cultivation, can become a seasoned Rank One Gu Master, a cornerstone of the clan.
A youth with Grade C aptitude, after two years, can mostly become a Rank Two Gu Master, a backbone of the clan.
A youth with Grade B aptitude needs nurturing, often groomed as a future elder, becoming a Rank Three Gu Master in six to seven years.
As for Grade A aptitude, even one appearance is a blessing for the entire clan. They are to be carefully nurtured, with resources tilted in their favor, becoming a Rank Four Gu Master in about ten years, eligible to compete for the clan leader position!
This means that as long as Gu Yue Mo Bei grows, he will be a future elder of the Gu Yue Clan. No wonder the Academy Elder laughed heartily, and the elders watching from the shadows all breathed a sigh of relief, casting envious glances at one elder.
This elder, also with a horse-like face, was Gu Yue Mo Bei's grandfather, Gu Yue Mo Chen. His face was already beaming with a smile, and he provocatively glanced at his old rival: "How about that, my grandson isn't bad, Gu Yue Chi Lian."
Elder Gu Yue Chi Lian, with a head of red hair, snorted coldly, not replying, his face dark and unpleasant.
***
Half an hour later, half of the youths had crossed the flower sea, revealing many with Grade C and D aptitude, though nearly half had no aptitude at all.
"Sigh, the bloodline is thinning, and in recent years, the clan hasn't produced many Rank Four experts to strengthen the bloodline. The Fourth Generation Clan Leader was the only Rank Five expert, but he perished alongside the Wine-loving Wanderer, leaving no descendants. The aptitude of the Gu Yue Clan's younger generation is weakening," the clan leader sighed deeply.
At this moment, the Academy Elder called out, "Gu Yue Chi Cheng."
Hearing this name, the elders all looked at Gu Yue Chi Lian, as this was his grandson.
Gu Yue Chi Cheng was short, with a face full of freckles, clenching his fists, sweating profusely, appearing particularly nervous.
He stepped onto the opposite bank, light points entering his body, and walked to thirty-six steps before stopping.
"Another Grade B!" the Academy Elder shouted.
The youths stirred, casting envious glances at Gu Yue Chi Cheng.
"Hahaha, thirty-six steps, thirty-six steps!" Gu Yue Chi Lian shouted, glaring provocatively at Gu Yue Mo Chen.
This time, Gu Yue Mo Chen's face turned ashen.
"Gu Yue Chi Cheng, huh..." In the crowd, Fang Yuan rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
In his memory, he was severely punished by the clan for cheating during the Aperture Opening Ceremony.
In fact, his aptitude was only Grade C, but his grandfather, Gu Yue Chi Lian, falsified the results, creating the illusion of Grade B aptitude.
Fang Yuan had dozens of plans for cheating, some even more perfect than Gu Yue Chi Cheng's. If he showed Grade B or even Grade A aptitude, he would receive significant support from the clan.
However, Fang Yuan had been reborn for too short a time, making it difficult to prepare for cheating.
Moreover, even if he succeeded in cheating, his cultivation speed would eventually reveal the truth.
But Gu Yue Chi Cheng was different. His grandfather, Gu Yue Chi Lian, was one of the two most powerful elders in the clan, able to cover for him.
"Gu Yue Chi Lian and Gu Yue Mo Chen have always been rivals, the two largest factions in the clan. To suppress his opponent, he needs his grandson to have outstanding aptitude. It was only due to an accident in my memory that he was exposed."
Fang Yuan's eyes gleamed with sharpness, pondering how to exploit this for maximum benefit.
Exposing it now would earn some reward from the clan but would offend the powerful Gu Yue Chi Lian, which was unwise.
In the short term, extortion was also impossible. With his current strength, it would backfire.
As he pondered, he suddenly heard the Academy Elder call his name: "Gu Yue Fang Yuan!"
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