Final Year Examination (3)

As the academy elder took his place at the front of the examination hall, the students lined up nervously, waiting for their turn to be evaluated. The elder looked at each student intently, his eyes scanning their bodies for any sign of weakness or strength.

The first student, Zhang Wei, stepped forward confidently, unleashing his primeval essence. The elder watched closely, evaluating his strength and abilities before nodding in approval and moving on to the next student.

"Zhang Wei, Rank 1 Middle Stage", the academy elder shouted

The crowd looked at him in a new eye. Although it was not astonishing, reaching the middle stage in just seven months was still within the norm of C-grade and D-grade aptitude.

One by one, the students stepped forward, each showcasing their cultivation

"Chen Tao, Rank 1 Middle Stage"

"Wang Mei, Rank 1 Middle Stage"

"Li Hong, Rank 1 Middle Stage"

"Xie Qiang, Rank 1 Middle Stage"

...

Quickly, the crowd gasped as they realized that every single student had reached the middle stage.

The academy ground allowed the spectators to sit down on what seemed to be temporary seatings. The front was reserved, and it seemed like just behind them stood the most powerful Gu Masters. Among them, Gu Yue Qing Shu, the peak rank 2 Gu Master and first disciple of Gu Yue Bo, was contemplating their strength.

Next to him, Gu Yue Yao Hong, the middle stage rank 2 'prized daughter' of the Yao family, smiled and exclaimed: "This year's batch is quite impressive, isn't it?"

Another rank 2 Gu Master belonging to their team continued: "My little brother happens to be in this year's batch...You can see him in the middle with the freckles on his hair. According to him, Mo Bei is the reason why they are all so strong. As the class representative, he forbade any form of bullying and created a perfect atmosphere for learning. He also gave advice for free, hehe"

Qing Shu titled his head in acknowledgement: "It seems like you have quite the good opinion of him. If I am right, this Mo Bei you are talking about is Mo Yan's little brother? She has indeed praised him as a genius, but I thought it was brotherly love"

Yao Hong nodded: "I, too, heard that he survived an encounter with a rank 1 evil path Gu Master. He should be in the top of this year's batch!"

But then, it was Fang Zheng's turn to be evaluated. The crowd gasped in awe as he unleashed his Gu worm, showcasing his incredible strength and power. The elder's eyes widened in surprise as he watched Fang Zheng effortlessly revealing the primeval essence of peak stage rank 1.

"This...Fang Zheng is indeed worthy of his A-grade aptitude. To think he would be able to reach peak stage rank 1 in just seven months...It's been seven years since I graduated, and I am still stuck in the upper stage...", a Gu Master who had worked for the clan for the past seven years complained.

Unlike Fang Zheng, he only had upper D-grade talent, which made breakthroughs extremely challenging. He did not have a lot of primeval stones either.

The elder looked at Fang Zheng with newfound respect, impressed by his potential. It must be said that it took him one full year to reach the peak stage when he was younger, and he had B-grade talent himself! Yet, Fang Zheng managed to do it in just seven months.

But the shock was not over yet. When it was Shi Feng's turn, the crowd was excited once again.

"Shi Feng, Rank 1 Upper Stage", the academy elder shouted

Fang Zheng's eyes widened slightly, not expecting Shi Feng to reach this realm so fast. If it weren't for his C-grade aptitude, he knew that Shi Feng would be able to beat him in cultivation.

"Tang Chi, Rank 1 Upper Stage"

This time, the whole crowd started to shout. Many Gu Masters started to shout: "We need a Gu Master in our team. Please join us!"

It seemed like many sought the presence of a female Gu Master in their teams, but Tang Chi ignored them all. Be it Shi Feng or Tang Chi, they both knew which team they would join already. They would only submit to one person: Mo BEi.

Mo Bei's turn to be evaluated, the elder was even more surprised. Mo Bei had always been one of the most talented and strongest students in the clan, and the elder knew that he was hard working too. However, the gap between the upper and peak stage was very complex. Without guidance or dozens of attempts, it was very complicated to do it on one's own. He thus expected him to reach the upper stage rank 1 realm.

But to everyone's disbelief, the elder evaluated Mo Bei as...

"Mo Bei...Rank 2 Initial Stage", much to the confusion of the crowd.

The elder looked at Mo Bei with a stern expression

The eyes of countless Gu Masters fell onto him. He was the center of attention of all people in the crowd. Mo Chen's eyes widened in shock, not expecting his grandson to break through the rank 2 realm a month after his breakthrough to the peak stage rank 1 realm. Mo Yan's eyes were watery from pride, while Qing Shu's lips turned into a smile.

Yao Hong, from the side, was extremely shocked too.

Qing Shu laughed for the first time in a while: "This is a good thing for the clan, that's for sure. Reaching the Rank 2 realm in just seven months, I am afraid even an A-grade aptitude cannot contend with this monstrous growth rate!"

A Gu Master quickly sighed: "While he has shown an incredible cultivation speed, I heard he relied on a [Liquor Worm] he found in gambling rocks. Unfortunately, the liquor worm is only useful in the rank 1 realm, and is useless after reaching the rank 2 realm. I am afraid the others will quickly catch up to him"

Hearing this, the clan head Gu Yue Bo felt cheated...He had foreseen Mo Bei's talent and thought he would reach the upper stage...

However, not only did two other students reach the upper stage, Mo Bei also completely beat Fang Zheng at cultivation in spite of the talent grade difference, breaking through the rank 2 barrier! The opportunity of choosing a Gu Worm from his personal collection, which he had saved for Fang Zheng, would fall into Mo Bei's hands!

However, he could not bring himself to feel disappointed that his scheme had failed. In fact, the clan master was happy.

'With this, the balance between the Mo family and the Chi family will be established once again. After Chi Zhong's breakthrough to the rank 3 realm, the Mo family found it hard to keep its ground with only one elder. I can already picture this Mo Bei inheriting the household in a couple of years. With his influence and strength, he will naturally become an asset for the clan'

Meanwhile, everyone thought Fang Zhen would be disappointed.

However, they saw him smiling.

Fang Zheng had already received the teachings of Gu Yue Bo. He knew that he would be the one to inherit the clan, no matter what others said. In the clan, strength mattered a lot, and Gu Yue Bo was the only person who had reached the rank 4 realm. With his A-grade aptitude, he would show others that he is worthy of inheriting the clan.

'Mo Bei is so strong...He will definitely become a good subordinate in the future', Fang Zheng thought, his eyes flashing with ambition. Taming Mo Bei would be hard. He knew it would be. However, it was a fitting challenge for him.