1 The Aperture Awakening Ceremony
A new day has just emerged over the gu world as a whole, causing the desolation and calm of a dimly illuminated night to be quickly replaced by the vibrant and lively aura of dawn.
In the midst of the gu world, a mountain that would be completely insignificant to most people from the southern border, being just one among thousands, is also bathed in the radiant light of the sun, which proudly remains in the sky, acting as the eternal pillar of the world.
And for those who know this mountain, called Longhua Shan, it stands out mostly for an interesting event that occurs when the sunlight hits the mountain, causing its rocks to glow and resemble dragon scales when seen from the sky.
But this is not a desolate and wild mountain unknown to human life, as three proud clans inhabit it.
And in one of these clans, called the He An clan, a 15-year-old boy looks out from the window of his room at the newly rising sun, showing itself to the world as its proud sovereign.
If anyone saw the boy, they couldn't describe anything special about him except his appearance, which is above average, as well as his clothing and room, which are luxurious. But in his heart, this boy holds a secret that could shock the world.
"It's been 10 years since I arrived in this world; will I ever be able to go back home?" Chen Wei looked out from his room towards the morning sky of Longhua Shan Mountain with a complex gaze, lost in deep thoughts as he reminisced about the past.
His secret is that he didn't originally belong in this world; he was a transmigrator from Earth or, as it was called in this world, an otherworldly demon. Normally, transmigrating to a world of fantasy and cultivation would be a cause for excitement and enthusiasm, but Chen Wei knew all too well the world he found himself in. This was a world of killing, where the strong intimidated the weak, and justice was nothing more than words thrown to the wind.
"Well at least I was born in a peaceful era for this world..."he said with a relieved expression, letting out a sigh. The first thing he did upon arriving in the Gu World was to check which continent and era he was in.
"Southern Border... who would've thought I'd end up in the same place as in the novel... at least it's not during Fang Yuan's era." Chen Wei transmigrated between the Thieving Heaven and the Giant Sun eras, but he didn't know exactly when, as the novel didn't provide details about dates.
"Young Master Chen Wei, your bath is ready," A servant comes to inform him before bowing elegantly and servilely, making a point of showing plenty cleavage in order to attract Chen Wei's desire.
"Thank you, Sui Ye. Please inform my grandfather that I won't be long," Chen Wei replied. While he relaxed in the bathtub, he was deep in thought. "Chen Wei... it seems that no matter how many times I hear this name, I never quite get used to it."
After bathing and allowing the maids to dress him, he headed to the clan pavilion with a retinue of servants. Along the way, he saw several youths of his age heading in the same direction, some alone, others with friends.
"The Awakening Ceremony has finally arrived," Chen Wei said this, but with a deep apprehension that he might share the same fate as Fang Yuan – having low aptitude.
As he walked, several youths pointed at him and whispered to each other, some not even bothering to disguise their conversations about him. Chen Wei had grown accustomed to this treatment, as he was the grandson of one of the clan's principal elders, who was also the leader of one of the clan's four major political factions.
"Indeed, if I do have low aptitude, my fall will be even greater than Fang Yuan's," he thought with a calm smile on his face, mentally preparing himself for this outcome over the years. Of course, he didn't have a defeatist or failure attitude; he was just prepared for the worst-case scenario, even if it meant being a mortal without the ability to cultivate.
Lost in deep thoughts, he quickly arrived at the clan pavilion. The pavilion was filled with excited and hopeful 15 year old youths about the bright future they could have, but Chen Wei focused his attention on two in particular – Liu Zhao and Xu Shang, the former being another grandson of an important elder of the clan, and the latter a talented youth from a common family of Gu Masters.
Suddenly, applause rang out as the academy elder stood on a platform in front of the crowd of 15 year old youths, calling for silence.
"Alright, alright, I know you're all excited, but please be silent so you can hear me clearly," the academy elder spoke calmly, not raising his voice, but all the youths in the grand pavilion heard him clearly as he used a Gu worm to transmit his voice.
"Well, my young ones, you're right to be excited because today is the most important moment of your lives," he spoke while looking at the crowd, assessing the new generation of the clan. "This will be the moment that determines whether you'll be mere mortal servants or proud Gu Masters acting as the pillars of the Glorious He An clan."
The youths roared excitedly in unison, showing their hope for their futures.
However, not all of them would become Gu Masters; in fact, only 5 out of every 10 would, much to the dismay of those who failed to become Gu Masters.
Chen Wei listened without paying much attention as the academy elder repeated the same rules he had heard thousands of times from his father and grandfather.
"Seriously, even mortals know these rules by heart, so why do we need to stay here in this boredom?" Chen Wei heard a youth with a common appearance but expensive clothes complaining.
"Hey, shut up and pay attention to the words of the academy elder," a youth with a stern appearance scolded angrily, one of the few paying attention to the academy elder.
Chen Wei listened to the exchange between the two, wondering why they were arguing over something so trivial.
After the academy elder finished his explanation, he, followed by the academy guards, led the students to the clan's Spirit Spring for their Awakening.
"Wow, it's so beautiful!"
"The foundation of our He An clan is truly profound!"
"So, this is the legendary Spirit Spring!"
The youths spoke excitedly among themselves as they saw this fantastic place for the first, and for many here, the last time.
"Alright, as I explained before, I'll call your names, and you'll come forward and walk as far as you can along the river," the academy elder said.
"Yes!" The youths responded. They already knew this from the explanations of their parents and the previous explanation of the academy elder.
"He An Xu Jin," the academy elder called the first youth.
A youth with a common face but a strong body stepped out of the crowd confidently and began to walk along the river, but after just 5 steps, he couldn't walk any further and had to return with an expression of despair and sadness.
"What do I do now? My family is depending on me?!" He looked at the ground with a desperate look, holding back tears.
"He An Liu Bei," the academy elder called again, not caring about Xu Jin, who was kneeling on the ground.
Liu Bei, a skinny boy with long braids, walked nervously towards the river.
"1, 2, 3... 8... 16!" Liu Bei counted in his head as he walked until he couldn't walk anymore and returned to the academy elder to inspect his aperture.
"Hmm, Liu Bei, D-grade aperture with the potential to be rank 1 for life, maybe rank 2 if lucky," despite the academy elder's words, Liu Bei was excited since he came from a mortal family, so becoming a Gu Master was already a dream come true for him.
"He An Xu Shang," a tall youth with an aura of high confidence walked forward and entered the river without hesitation.
"Come on, you can do it, prove to everyone what you're capable of," Xu Shang self-motivated as he began to walk along the river. "1, 2... 7... 23... 38!" After taking the last step, he felt his aperture being awakened, and he returned to the academy elder with an excited look.
"Xu Shang, 38 steps, B-grade aperture, to be nurtured rigorously, with the potential to become an elder in the clan... maybe even reach rank 4," the academy elder said with high expectations for the young man.
"He An Chen Wei," Chen Wei inwardly sighed, preparing himself for this important moment, and walked forward from the crowd towards the river.
Along the way, he felt everyone's gaze, especially from the elders and clan leader. He saw his grandfather, Chen Wang, looking at him expectantly, while the elders Shu Yang and Peng Du looked attentively at the grandson of their political rival, and Wang Xi, the clan leader, looked calmly, with a gaze that didn't reveal his true emotions.
'1, 2, 3... 14,' he counted mentally as he walked slowly, feeling relieved that he wasn't just a mortal. "23... 36... 45!" After taking his last step, he returned to the academy elder, who looked at him with a big smile on his face.
"Chen Wei, 45 steps, A-grade aperture, truly a blessing for the clan with great potential, to be greatly nurtured, and could reach rank 4, even rank 5 if trained rigorously and with abundant luck," the elder said to Chen Wei with a smile on his face.
Chen Wei returned to the crowd of youths, where many came to congratulate and flatter him. He remained calm but politely thanked everyone for their congratulations.
He saw his grandfather flaunting his grandson's talent to his rivals, and then he sent his congratulations to Chen Wei with a big smile on his face.
Although he didn't show it, Chen Wei was very excited since he had prepared himself for low talent, so having an A-grade was like a blessing.
While Chen Wei reviewed his plans in case he had an A-grade mentally, Liu Zhao had just had his aperture checked by the elder, who announced that he had a B-grade after walking 35 steps.
The rest proceeded without many surprises, with most of the students having D and C grades and only 2 more having a B-grade. One of them was Su Ah, the daughter of a famous rank 2 peak stage Gu Master from the clan, while the biggest surprise was the other B-grade, a young man named Jin Gu, who was the son of two mortals in a family that hadn't produced Gu Masters for generations.
