In the morning, Mo Bei put on the same elegant robes as before.
Last time he had hardly slept as he was making plans most of the night, but this time he was fairly rested.
In the villa lobby, he met up with Mo Yan and then headed out for the Awakening Ceremony again.
Nothing was different. Same old scenes.
Once again, Mo Bei awakened a 70% Aperture. No change.
Back at the Mo family villa, he shared a casual breakfast with Mo Yan and exchanged polite words with his grandfather.
After that, he retreated to his room and began cultivating.
He cultivated for twelve hours straight, only breaking occasionally for food, water, and some light stretching.
Honestly? Cultivation was quite boring. It was understandable, while not everyone went hard with cultivation.
Aperture cultivation was a lot like ordinary mindful meditation - slow, silent and extremely repetitive. Just him sitting still, guiding internal energy like he was trying to push fog through a coffee straw.
But he didn't hate it.
In fact, compared to boring old breath-watching back on Earth, this was awesome. He was a dude with mysterious energy inside his body, drawing mystical essence out of ancient rocks. That was metal as hell!
And every second he spent doing it, he grew just a little bit stronger.
It was addictive.
That afternoon, he only emerged from his room to do some strength training in the villa's exercise area, lifting stone weights with enthusiasm. Even if Gu Worms were the main power system here, he still believed in basic fitness.
And in the evening, he went for a run through the village. He jogged at an even pace to the Gu Academy's open square, which was perfect for sprinting laps.
He ran until his legs and lungs burned, then exhausted, walked back to the villa while catching his breath.
"Little brother is working hard!"
"Haha…"
After being complimented by Mo Yan, Mo Bei showered, ate, and called it a night.
This time around, the first day had been pure, uninterrupted training. And he felt good about it.
…
The next morning was the first day of Gu Academy.
Mo Bei wasn't in a rush. When he arrived, most of the other 50-something students were already seated.
'Guess everyone's excited. Everyone came early.'
Still, cool guys come last.
Mo Bei walked into the classroom with a relaxed swagger and headed straight for the front seats.
There were three desks in the first row. Two were already taken; the third was empty - clearly reserved for him, one of the class's so-called three geniuses.
One seat was occupied by Chi Cheng, who stared at Mo Bei like a rival NPC waiting to be unlocked.
The other seat had a very serious-looking teen sitting up stiff and straight, face all bright-eyed and painfully earnest.
Mo Bei recognized him instantly. Fang Zheng.
Same DNA as Fang Yuan. None of the menace.
Ignoring Chi Cheng's glare, Mo Bei dropped his leather bag on the desk and sat down.
While the other students chatted, he simply closed his eyes and began meditating.
Eventually, the Academy Elder arrived and started the lecture.
"Man is the spirit of all living beings, and Gu are the essence of Heaven and Earth—the essence of the world itself."
"In this world, there are thousands of species, countless kinds of Gu. They live everywhere—beneath the soil, in the bushes, even on wild beasts."
"As humans propagated, scholars gradually uncovered the mysteries of the Gu. Those who open their Aperture and use their Primeval Essence to feed, refine, and manipulate Gu are what we call... Gu Masters."
The elder spoke with authority. In front of him, 57 students listened with varying degrees of attention.
Bang!
Suddenly, the elder slapped his desk with a wooden ruler.
Several students jumped in their seats.
"Fang Yuan, pay attention!"
Everyone turned around.
Fang Yuan was slumped over his desk at the back, head resting on his arms like he'd checked out of reality. He lifted his head slightly to look at the elder, then dropped it again without a word.
"What's wrong with him?" someone quietly whispered.
"Hehe. Probably depressed. Everyone said he was a genius, but he turned out average. Just a C-grade talent."
"I saw him yesterday wandering around the village… drinking wine."
The elder's frown deepened. "Silence! And you – Fang Yuan! Sit up straight and listen!"
"..."
Fang Yuan didn't respond.
As the lectures continued, the Academy Elder scolded Fang Yuan several more times, but he didn't react. Just kept napping.
And yet, whenever he was asked a question related to the lecture, he still answered it correctly.
The elder looked increasingly helpless, and Mo Bei enjoyed seeing that – Fang Yuan trolling the Academy Elder again and again was one of the most fun parts of the early novel.
Each lesson lasted an hour, followed by a break. Some short, some long.
Mo Bei's so-called lackeys tried to chat with him during the first break, but he waved them off quickly. He spent his breaks stretching and pacing around, quietly moving his Primeval Essence around his Aperture.
The first day of class passed without incident.
He didn't learn anything directly useful. Not yet, anyway. As Mo Yan had warned, a lot of Gu Mastery depended on talent, experience and practice.
Still, he walked away with a deeper understanding of the fundamentals.
Back home, he ate a healthy dinner full of vegetables to keep his body fueled, then reviewed his notes and reflected on his knowledge.
Cultivating. Reviewing. Strength training.
That became his routine.
And that's how the next seven days passed for Mo Bei.
Until, one afternoon, the Academy Elder announced:
"This week, I've taught you all how to sense and inspect your own Primeval Sea, and how to meditate and shift around the Primeval Essence inside your body. Now it is time to refine your Vital Gu."
"After this class ends, you will all go to the Academy's Gu room and pick a Gu Worm. After choosing your Gu, please go home and focus on refining it. When you have finally refined your Gu, then you can come back to the academy and continue attending class."
"At the same time, this is your first assessment. Whoever can finish this assessment first will be rewarded a generous sum of 20 Primeval Stones!"
Hearing what the Academy Elder said, the teenagers looked excited.
Mo Bei's heart also stirred.
He'd get to choose his first Gu.
He raised his hand.
"Yes, Mo Bei?" the Academy Elder asked.
"Sir, what's the fastest time anyone's ever refined their first Gu Worm?"
"Hm?" The elder looked mildly surprised, but answered with composure. "Two days. It was done by an A-grade talent, the 4th Clan Head."
"I see…" Mo Bei murmured.
The elder's expression turned stern. "However, let me warn all of you: no cheating! This is your individual assessment. If it's discovered that you had help from your parents or anyone else, the punishment will be severe. Understood?"
"Yes!"
"We understand!"
...
After lessons ended, the students rushed to the Gu Room next to the Academy.
"Form a line! Enter one by one!" the guards barked.
The students quickly fell into formation.
Gu Yue Fang Zheng was first.
Chi Cheng tried to muscle his way to the front as well, but after getting casually shoulder-checked by Mo Bei and nearly face-planting, he gave up and settled for third, grinding his teeth all the way.
No one else dared challenge the pecking order. It's as if hierarchy ran deep in their bones. They sorted themselves instinctively – according to talent.
Fang Zheng entered first, face glowing with anticipation.
He emerged not long after, looking determined.
'He definitely picked Moonlight Gu,' Mo Bei thought.
Then it was his turn.