The schoolhouse was speechless
Great joy did not cloud Fang Yuan's mind; he quickly calmed down and began to think about the impact the Spring Autumn Cicada would have on him:
"The ability of the Spring Autumn Cicada is to reincarnate. But it's extremely weak now, and using it means death. However, it is a Rank 6 Gu insect, and I can fully utilize its aura. This does no harm to it at all."
"Hehehe." With this thought, Fang Yuan withdrew his mind and opened his eyes.
In front of him, the Wine Insect hovered, shrouded in the smoke-like bronze primeval essence, trembling.
Earlier, it had staked everything for survival, resulting in its will being easily crushed by the Spring Autumn Cicada's aura. It was severely damaged, with less than one percent of its will remaining.
"Spring Autumn Cicada," Fang Yuan thought, releasing a trace of the Spring Autumn Cicada's aura.
The aura pressed onto the Wine Insect, which immediately froze, not moving at all, like it was dead. Its remaining will, sensing the Spring Autumn Cicada's aura, shrank like a mouse encountering a cat, cowering and not daring to move an inch.
Fang Yuan laughed heartily, seizing the opportunity to mobilize his primeval essence.
At first, the bronze primeval essence expanded with great difficulty, meeting strong resistance from the Wine Insect's will. But now, Fang Yuan's bronze primeval essence advanced rapidly, facing no obstacles at all.
The bronze hue on the Wine Insect's surface expanded swiftly. In a few blinks of an eye, it turned the pearly white Wine Insect into a green one.
The situation was dire; the remaining will of the Wine Insect was easily dispersed by Fang Yuan's will.
Thus, the Wine Insect was refined!
Compared to the previous arduous process, this time was as simple as drinking water.
A close and mystical connection linked the Wine Insect and Fang Yuan.
The refined Wine Insect felt like a part of Fang Yuan's body. When he commanded it to curl up, it did so, and when he told it to form a ball, it complied like moving a finger.
Fang Yuan withdrew his primeval essence, and the Wine Insect returned to its plump, white form.
It then leaped into Fang Yuan's aperture. In the aperture, it stayed far away from the Spring Autumn Cicada, diving into the bronze primeval sea. On the sea's surface, it stretched out comfortably, occasionally twisting its chubby body, looking as if it was soaking in a hot bath.
"With the Spring Autumn Cicada, I need to adjust my plans." Fang Yuan withdrew his mind from his aperture and took out the Moonlight Gu.
Following the same method, he released a trace of the Spring Autumn Cicada's aura, pressing it onto the Moonlight Gu.
Sensing the Spring Autumn Cicada's aura, the will of the Moonlight Gu immediately surrendered, cowering in the farthest corner of its body.
Fang Yuan's primeval essence surged down, quickly turning the Moonlight Gu into a piece of jade.
Finally, with a slight thought, the Moonlight Gu's will was effortlessly obliterated.
Afterward, he withdrew his primeval essence, and the Moonlight Gu returned to its previous transparent blue crystal appearance.
He put away the Moonlight Gu.
Instead of entering the aperture, the Moonlight Gu fell onto Fang Yuan's forehead, forming a faint blue crescent mark.
The entire process, from refining the Moonlight Gu to completion, took less than five minutes.
This speed was a stark contrast to the previous arduous process.
Not only was it faster, but it also consumed far less primeval essence.
In the past few days, Fang Yuan had consumed six primeval stones to refine the Wine Insect. But tonight, he used none, only depleting his bronze primeval sea.
"Haha, with the Spring Autumn Cicada in hand, it's like having divine assistance! In the future, I can suppress any Rank 1 Gu insect using its aura. Even with my C-grade aptitude, I won't need primeval stones. The difference is like night and day."
Fang Yuan felt joyous, as if he had broken through the clouds to see the sky.
Though the Spring Autumn Cicada was extremely weak, it was still a dignified Rank 6 Gu insect. A tiger, even when down, still had its majesty. A broken ship still had nails; its aura alone was a tremendous aid to Fang Yuan's cultivation.
At this moment,
Outside, the stars were sparse, and the moonlight shone on Fang Yuan's face through the window.
"I initially thought I wouldn't get first place, but who would have thought the situation would turn around? Time waits for no one; I must go to the academy now to claim the top prize!" Fang Yuan's eyes gleamed with determination.
With a thought, the Spring Autumn Cicada vanished from his aperture, entering slumber again. He summoned the Wine Insect and hid it in the corner of his bed.
This was to prevent unnecessary inspections from the academy.
A quarter of an hour later, at the clan academy,
The elder had long fallen asleep but heard someone knocking on the door in a half-dream.
The elder was awakened by the knocking and opened his eyes, feeling a bit displeased. "Who's out there in the middle of the night?"
A respectful voice immediately responded from outside the door, "Reporting to the esteemed elder, it's one of this year's students. He has successfully refined the Moonlight Gu. You had instructed us earlier that whenever the top student appeared, we should report to you immediately, regardless of the time."
"Ah... that's right." The elder of the academy frowned slightly, got out of bed, and began dressing while asking, "Which student achieved first place this year? Is it Gu Yue Fang Zheng?"
The subordinate outside replied, "It seems so. I hurried to report to you as soon as I heard the news. It appears to be someone from the Fang family branch."
"Hmm, it's about time." The academy elder chuckled softly to himself, "Who else could it be but that A-grade genius? Those B-grade students, even with the help of primeval stones, still fall short. That's why aptitude is so crucial in cultivation."
With that, he opened the door and stepped outside.
The subordinate respectfully took two steps back, bowed, and agreed, "You're absolutely right, sir."
In the hall, a dozen candles burned brightly, illuminating the room.
The person who had received Fang Yuan had already clarified the situation. Under the bright lights, his face showed a heavy expression of astonishment. "Wait, what did you say? You're Gu Yue Fang Yuan, not Gu Yue Fang Zheng?"
Fang Yuan nodded, and at that moment, the academy elder walked in from outside.
Both Fang Yuan and the receptionist turned and bowed.
Seeing Fang Yuan, the academy elder's face was full of smiles. He walked up to Fang Yuan and patted his shoulder kindly. "Well done, Gu Yue Fang Zheng. You did not disappoint me. Truly an A-grade genius! No matter how hard those B-grade and C-grade peers work, they can never match you. Hahaha."
Fang Yuan and Fang Zheng were twins, looking very much alike, so much so that even the academy elder mistook them.
Fang Yuan, neither humble nor overbearing, took a step back, letting his shoulder slip out from under the elder's hand. He looked at the elder, hands behind his back, smiling faintly. "Elder, you are mistaken. I am Gu Yue Fang Yuan; Gu Yue Fang Zheng is my younger brother."
"Uh?" The academy elder's mouth opened slightly, a hint of surprise appearing on his face.
He looked at Fang Yuan in confusion, frowning. After a few breaths, he finally spoke, "You are Gu Yue Fang Yuan?"
"Indeed, I am," Fang Yuan replied.
"You refined the Moonlight Gu?" The elder was extremely astonished, his eyes fixed on the crescent mark on Fang Yuan's forehead, already knowing the answer.
"That's right," Fang Yuan confirmed again.
"So, you're the top student this year?" The elder's question seemed a bit silly, but it wasn't his fault. The situation was too unexpected.
It should be noted that he had managed the academy for decades and had vast experience. He had seen C-grade students come out on top before, but never this early. Moreover, this cohort included A-grade and B-grade students.
"Unless someone did it earlier than me..." Fang Yuan pretended to ponder, touched his nose, and then continued, "It seems so."
The academy elder was speechless.