17- Extreme Physique

Special talent can be measured by four grades – A grade to D grade. A D grade talent youth who is raised for 3 years would be able to become a rank one senior Gu Master, become the foundation of the family. A C grade talent youth after two years of cultivation will usually be able to become a rank two senior Gu Master, becoming the clan's backbone. A B grade talent must be cared for. Often becoming a future clan elder, with 6-7 years of training they will become rank three Gu Masters.

And when it comes to A grade, even if it was just one, would bring great luck to the entire clan. Great care must be given; with this talent in about 10 years they can become a rank four Gu Master. At that moment they would be able to compete for the position of the head of the clan!

Awakening Ceremony continued, but the same strange thing happened to all the people who were not part of the Liu clan.

There were over 400 people not from the Liu clan, most of them failed to awaken their aperture, only ten people could awaken their aperture but all of them had D grade talent.

In fact, there were 125 people who could walk ten to nineteen steps. And 60 people could walk from twenty to twenty-nine steps. And fifteen people could walk thirty to thirty-nine steps.

This meant that there should be 125 people with Class D talents, 60 people with Class C talents, and 15 people with Class B talents. But for some mysterious reason none of them succeeded in awaken their aperture.

The young men of the Liu Clan started to look at the humans and servants in front of them with disdain.

"As expected, they are just servants and will remain servants."

"Even Heaven itself wouldn't allow them to possess an aperture despite taking the specified steps to awaken it."

"But there are ten lucky people among them to awaken the aperture. Even though they are only D grade talents."

The ten humans who could awaken their aperture were very happy even though they were just a D grade talent. At least for them they got rid of a life of slavery and could now become Gu masters.

After that, the academy elder began calling out the names of the young people of the Liu clan, and the first name he called was the daughter of the clan leader. "Liu Yin."

"Here." There was a smile on Liu Yin's face and she was not afraid of her failing to awaken the aperture.

She crossed the river in a few steps and reached the opposite bank. 10 steps, 20 steps, 30 steps; Unlike the people before her, one after another small lights entered her body. She walked until she reached 50 steps.

All the elders looked at her in shock, while Liu Liu stood with a big smile on her face, she had expected that her son and daughter possessed high talent but she did not expect that her daughter could walk 50 steps, "There is a possibility that she has Extreme Physique."

Extreme Physique is a Special A-grade talent that grants a 100% primeval essence aperture.

Liu Liu approached her daughter and examined her Primordial Sea by herself, Liu Liu happily exclaimed, "Good, A grade talent! a 99% primeval essence aperture."

In fact, Liu Yin has 100% primeval essence in aperture. But Liu Liu hid it from everyone and gave false information, Extreme Physique was something special and she didn't want this information to spread.

"As expected of the clan leader's daughter."

"Our clan will definitely rise to the strongest super force of the Southern Border."

"Congratulations, clan leader."

The clan elders started to congratulate Liu Liu, they were really happy. The clan had always wished to have someone with A-grade talent, and their wish had finally come true today.

The younger generation of the clan looked in admiration at Liu Yin, she was extremely beautiful and A grade talent, there would definitely be no one with more talent and beauty than her in the clan.

"Young lady Liu Yin is truly an amazing person."

"I really envy her, she has beauty and talent at the same time. It's unfair." Many of the clan girls were envious of Liu Yin.

"Okay, everyone shut up. Let's continue the awakening ceremony." One of the clan elders silenced the discussion among the youths of the clan.

At this moment, the academy elder shouted, "Liu Yang!"

In that moment his surroundings went quiet. Countless numbers of eyes were on him.

Under the gazes of the masses, Liu Yang walked across the river and reached the opposite bank.

He could feel a layer of pressure on him. This pressure came from the spirit spring deep in the flower sea. The spirit spring produced primeval qi – because the qi was too rich in here, it caused the pressure.

But very quickly from the flowers below Liu Yang's feet, little lights made their way up. These dots of light enveloped his entire body before finally entering him.

These are the Hope Gu, mused Liu Yang. The person in charge did not tell them, but he knew it very clearly. Every spot of light is a Gu, known as the Hope Gu.

At this moment, the Hope Gu converged into a stream of light and had already entered Liu Yang's body. Due to the outside pressure they quickly gathered into his abdomen and collected into a group spontaneously, 3 inches under his navel.

Liu Yang suddenly felt the pressure lessen. He began to walk forward. With every step he took, one after another the Hope Gu would fly out from the sea of flowers and enter his body, joining the ball of light. The ball of light grew brighter and brighter, but the person in charge opposite the riverbank frowned.

"This number of Hope Gu is lesser than expected." Many elders watching Liu Yang in the dark thought this as they saw the sight. Liu Liu frowned as well. This was definitely not the sign of an A grade talent!

Liu Yang withstood the pressure, continuing to walk forward. 'Below 10 steps it means that there is no cultivation talent. 10-20 steps means D grade talent. 20-30 steps would be C grade talent, 30-40 steps is a B grade talent. And 40-50 steps would mean A grade talent. Up till now, I have walked 6 steps.'

7,8,9

'It doesn't look like I can take any more steps. Looks like I don't have a talent for cultivation.'Although Liu Yang thought this way, he was calm.

He had expected this to happen, surely Heaven's Will had weakened the talent of all the Otherworldly Demons.

Liu Yang knew this would happen so he prepared well a long time ago and created a huge formation around this place, and he called it the Stolen Hope Formation.

The reason for the failure of the humans and slaves to awaken their aperture was this formation. Their hope had been stolen by the formation.

The composition of this formation was very complex and contained many Gu worms, this formation was created by Liu Yang himself after he understood the theft path and human path very well.

In these fifteen years, Liu Yang was able to absorb the true meaning of five other paths, one of them being the theft path.

The function of this formation is very clear, it steals the hope of others and gives it to Liu Yang, causing Liu Yang's talent to increase.

However, there were downsides to this method but it was not related to Liu Yang. A person whose hope had been stolen would never have a chance of becoming a Gu Master.

Even if this person used Man Triumphing Heaven Gu, he would not be able to awaken his aperture.

Man triumphing Heaven Gu, it has the ability to defy heaven and change fate, forcefully awakening an aperture for those mortals without cultivating talent.

Liu Yang activated the formation, so the number of Hope Gu started to increase around and started to enter his body.

Liu Yang started walking again.

10 , 20 ,30, 40

Liu Yang counted in his heart; when he walked the 49th step he could hear a bang and in between his two kidneys the ball of light reached its limit and suddenly exploded.

This burst of energy only happened inside his body; outsiders cannot see it. Only Liu Yang alone could feel at that moment, an earthshaking reaction. Instantly the fine hairs on his body stood up, his pores shut tight, his mind stretched to a tense limit.

Soon after, his mind went blank, his entire body becoming soft as if he fell into some clouds. His heart relaxed, his fine hairs flattening and his pores re-opened again.

The Awakening Ceremony was a success!

.... .... ... ... ... ... ... ...

"The Legends of Ren Zu"

●Note: You can skip this, it's just a rewrite of The Legends of Ren Zu.

One of the oldest legends talk about the Hope Gu. In the legend, when the world was just formed it was a land of savage wilderness. Among the wild beasts that walked the earth, the first man appeared. He was known as Ren Zu, eating raw meat and drinking blood, living a difficult life.

In particular was a group of wild beasts called Predicament. These wild beasts loved the taste of Ren Zu and longed to eat him.

Ren Zu did not have a body as strong as mountain rock, nor did he have the sharp teeth and claws of a wild beast. How could he fight with the Predicaments? His source of food was unstable and he had to hide all day. He was at the bottom of nature's food chain, and could barely survive.

At this moment, there were 3 Gu that came up to him and said, "As long as you use your life to provide us, we will help you through this difficulty." Ren Zu had nowhere to go, so he could only agree to these 3 Gu.

He first gave his youth away to the biggest Gu among the three. That Gu then granted him strength.

With strength, Ren Zu's life began to change. He started to have a stable source of food and was able to protect himself. He fought bravely and ruthlessly, defeating many Predicaments. But soon he suffered and finally realized that strength was not everything. It needed to heal and be cultivated, not spent freely at his will. Not to mention when facing the entire group of Predicaments, his strength alone was too small.

Ren Zu reflected over this lesson bitterly and decided to give his prime middle years to the most beautiful Guamong the three. And thus, the second Gu gave him wisdom.

With wisdom, Ren Zu was able to learn how to think and reflect. He began to accumulate experience and found out that many times when he used wisdom, it was more effective than using strength. By relying on wisdom and strength was he able to conquer all the goals that he formerly could not, and killed many Predicaments. He ate the meat of Predicaments and drank the blood of Predicaments, surviving with tenacity.

But good things do not last and Ren Zu was old, and would only grow older and older. This is because he gave away his youth and middle years to keep the strength and wisdom Gu. When a man is old, his muscles deteriorate and his brain slows down.

"Human, what else can you give us? You don't have anything else left to provide to us," the strength and wisdom Gu said as they realized this. They left him.

Without wisdom and strength, Ren Zu was once surrounded by Predicaments. He was old and could not run, his teeth had fallen out and could not even chew wild fruits and plants.

As he fell weakly onto the ground surrounded by Predicaments, his heart was filled with desperation. It was at this time the third Gu said to him, "Human, take me up. I will help you escape Predicament."

Ren Zu tearfully replied, "Gu, I don't have anything else left. See, the strength and wisdom Gu have abandoned me. I only have my old age left! While it is not as worth my youth and middle age, but if I give you my old age, my life would immediately end. Even though I am surrounded by Predicaments right now, but I will not die immediately. I wish to live a little longer, even if just a second more. So you should leave, I have nothing else to provide to you."

But the Gu said, "Among the three I have the smallest needs. Human, if you just give me your heart, it will be enough."

"Then I will give you my heart," Ren Zu said. "But Gu, what can you give me in return? In this situation, even if the strength and wisdom Gu returned to my side, it would change nothing."

When compared to the strength Gu, this Gu looked frail and was just a tiny ball of light. When compared to the wisdom Gu, this one was only able to give out a dim white light, not beautiful in any way.

But when Ren Zu gave it his heart, this Gu suddenly gave out endless light. In this light, the Predicaments screamed in horror: "This is the Hope Gu, withdraw! We Predicaments are most afraid of hope!"

The Predicaments retreated suddenly. Ren Zu was speechless, and from that day onwards whenever he faced predicament, he would give his heart to hope.