Days passed, and light snow fell over the academy training field.
The year-end examination had arrived.
Three arena stages had been built in the training field. Long tables and chairs were arranged beneath temporary covers. Senior Gu Masters, clan elders, and faction representatives would come to watch the battles.
For the academy students, this was not only a final test.
The results would affect which teams noticed them after graduation, which senior Gu Masters were willing to take them, and how smoothly their first steps outside the academy would go.
The academy elder stood before the students and spoke in a clear voice.
"This year-end examination will be held through arena battles. First place will receive one hundred and fifty primeval stones."
The students' eyes changed.
One hundred and fifty primeval stones.
Even Fang Ming cared about this amount.
His expenses were no longer small. Moonglow Gu, Liquor worm, Heavenly Essence Treasure Seed Lotus, Bookworm Gu, White Boar Strength Gu, and Jade Skin Gu all had to be maintained. The academy allowance would end after graduation, and the Shi faction's support would not remain simple after today.
Once Fang Ming revealed his Rank two cultivation, the Shi faction's previous arrangements would most likely be scrapped.
Before this, they had wanted to keep him close, make him depend on them, and slowly build bonds between him and Shi faction descendants. But once Fang Ming stepped into Rank two before graduation, that plan lost much of its value.
They would not be happy.
Under clan rules, they could not openly suppress an A-grade Rank two Gu Master. But economic suppression was different.
After graduation, they could arrange long, low-paying missions for his team. They could waste his cultivation time, lower his income, and slowly squeeze his finances until he had no choice but to rely on them again.
After that, they could appear as benefactors.
Marriage.
Adoption.
Deeper faction ties.
Fang Ming did not care much about those outcomes if they brought him profit. But the process before that would be long and troublesome. The Shi faction would first have to drive him into difficulty before extending a helping hand.
For them, spending a year or more to rope in an A-grade talent and future Rank four Gu Master was worth it.
For Fang Ming, wasting a year like that was seeking death.
So he needed to break free financially.
One hundred and fifty primeval stones were not enough by themselves. But added to the hundred or so stones he had saved during his academy year, it could support him until the next caravan arrived.
At that time, he could sell Liquor worm and White Boar Strength Gu.
Both were becoming less useful to him.
Both were feeding burdens.
He might even copy more Gu before then and sell them later.
This reward was small compared to what he truly needed, but it was still a step toward financial independence.
Fang Ming lowered his gaze slightly.
He had to take it.
After the academy elder finished explaining the examination, a female Gu Master stepped forward for the final cultivation check.
One by one, the students were called.
Most were Rank one middle stage.
The better students had reached upper stage.
Then the key names began.
"Gu Yue Fang Yuan."
Fang Yuan walked forward calmly.
The female Gu Master checked him and announced, "Gu Yue Fang Yuan, Rank one peak stage."
A slight commotion rose among the spectators.
Fang Yuan was only C-grade aptitude, but with Liquor worm, this result was no longer impossible to explain. Some Gu Masters looked at him with envy. A Liquor worm at Rank one was enough to change a student's cultivation speed greatly.
Fang Yuan returned to his place without expression.
"Gu Yue Fang Zheng."
Fang Zheng stepped forward.
Many gazes gathered on him.
He was the clan head's A-grade seedling. During this year, Gu Yue Bo had invested heavily in him. If Fang Zheng failed to show results, that would be strange.
The female Gu Master checked him.
Her expression changed slightly.
"Gu Yue Fang Zheng, Rank two initial stage."
The training field stirred.
Rank two before academy graduation.
This was rare.
Some Gu Masters immediately turned to look at Fang Ming.
Fang Zheng was A-grade.
Fang Ming was also A-grade.
If Fang Zheng could reach Rank two, could Fang Ming do the same?
Among the elders, Gu Yue Mo Chen smiled and looked toward Gu Yue Bo.
"Clan leader nurtured Fang Zheng well. This A-grade talent has already begun to bloom."
Gu Yue Bo smiled faintly. "It is mostly Fang Zheng's own effort."
The Shi faction leader, Shi Lian, also followed with a few words of praise.
"Fang Zheng's talent is indeed excellent. The clan is fortunate."
On the surface, the atmosphere was harmonious.
Fang Zheng returned to his position, but his eyes briefly moved toward Fang Ming.
He had reached Rank two.
But he still wanted to know where Fang Ming stood.
"Gu Yue Mo Bei."
Mo Bei walked forward with his head raised.
The result came quickly.
"Gu Yue Mo Bei, Rank one peak stage."
There was another small commotion, but not as large as before.
Mo Bei was the next heir of the Mo faction. With his backing, reaching peak stage before graduation was within expectations.
Mo Bei returned, his gaze still sharp.
"Gu Yue Shi Cheng."
Shi Cheng stepped forward.
The female Gu Master checked him and announced, "Gu Yue Shi Cheng, Rank one peak stage."
The reaction was similar.
As the descendant of the Shi faction leader, this result was not surprising.
Shi Cheng walked back, but his expression was not relaxed.
His grandfather had analyzed many possible opponents for him before the competition. He had even given him pointers on how to deal with Fang Ming.
But if Fang Ming had reached Rank two, would those pointers still work?
Finally, the female Gu Master called out, "Gu Yue Fang Ming."
The surroundings quieted.
Fang Ming walked forward.
The snow fell lightly around him as he stopped before the female Gu Master.
She placed her hand near his aperture area and checked carefully.
A few breaths passed.
Her expression changed.
"Gu Yue Fang Ming, Rank two initial stage."
The training field erupted again.
A second Rank two student had appeared.
Another A-grade talent had reached Rank two before graduation.
The students immediately began whispering. Many looked between Fang Zheng and Fang Ming, their eyes full of expectation. Tomorrow's final examination now had a clear focus.
Two A-grade Rank two Gu Masters.
Who would stand higher?
Among the elders, Gu Yue Mo Chen was the first to speak again.
"Elder Shi Lian, it seems your faction has also nurtured a good seedling for the clan."
His tone was warm, but his thoughts were not as simple.
Mo Chen believed he understood Shi Lian.
In his view, Shi Lian should not have invested heavily in Fang Ming so early. At least, not before fully binding him to Shi faction interests. Letting Fang Ming reach Rank two too soon would only make him stronger, more confident, and harder to rope in later.
This did not match Shi Lian's usual style.
Gu Yue Bo also smiled, though his expression was slightly stiff.
"This year's academy truly gave the clan a pleasant surprise. Two Rank two students before graduation. Good, very good."
His words were proper.
But inwardly, Gu Yue Bo was not pleased.
This was supposed to be Fang Zheng's stage.
Fang Zheng reaching Rank two before graduation should have shown the clan that the clan head's chosen seedling was the most outstanding of this generation. It should have prepared the ground for Fang Zheng's future position.
But Fang Ming had appeared beside him.
Equal in aptitude.
Equal in cultivation.
And standing behind the Shi faction.
This reminded everyone that the clan did not have only one A-grade talent.
To Gu Yue Bo, the Shi faction had overstepped.
Fang Ming could become an important expert of the clan, even a future supreme elder if he reached high enough.
But the next clan head should naturally come from Gu Yue Bo's faction.
The person most unsettled, however, was Shi Lian himself.
His expression was even stiffer than Gu Yue Bo's.
Inwardly, he was cursing Fang Ming.
This was not the script.
Fang Ming had advanced to Rank two on his own without notifying him in advance. If Shi Lian had known earlier, he could have delayed him, persuaded him, or used the excuse of clan stability to make him wait.
But Fang Ming had jumped out directly.
Not only had he ruined the plan to bind him while he was weaker, he had also delivered a direct provocation to the clan head's faction on behalf of the Shi faction.
And Shi Lian had not even ordered it.
This made him furious.
Below the stage, Fang Yuan looked at Fang Ming with interest.
Fang Zheng reaching Rank two was not a big issue to him.
Fang Zheng was straightforward.
Predictable.
Even with Rank two cultivation, Fang Yuan was confident he could handle him.
Fang Ming was different.
Fang Ming's use of Moonlight Gu had always been better than Fang Zheng's. His close combat was even more troublesome. Fang Yuan had fought him many times during this year and knew this clearly.
Fang Ming was not only skilled.
He had monstrous natural strength.
Even after Fang Yuan used White Boar Gu to increase his own strength, Fang Ming's raw power had become superior. Worse still, Fang Yuan had not fought him recently. He did not know how much Fang Ming's strength had grown now.
If Fang Yuan used all his Gu and methods, he was confident he could win.
But in the academy examination, under the eyes of elders and spectators, he could not reveal everything.
With only Moonlight Gu and ordinary means, fighting Fang Ming would be tricky.
Approaching him for close combat was not safe.
At the same time, Fang Yuan also noticed something strange.
Fang Ming reaching Rank two now was politically peculiar.
Fang Yuan had lived five hundred years. He had led a sect before. He understood how factions operated.
The Shi faction most likely did not want Fang Ming to advance this early.
If that was the case, Fang Ming had probably forced his breakthrough on his own.
That meant there was still a chance.
A newly advanced Rank two Gu Master who had advanced alone might not have a Rank two Gu yet. If Fang Ming only had Moonlight Gu and Little Light Gu, then he was still beatable.
Fang Yuan's gaze became calm again.
There was no need to decide now.
The arena would show the truth.
Fang Zheng's reaction was simpler.
He was surprised, but not shocked.
He knew Fang Ming worked hard. He had also heard from the clan leader that the Shi faction supported Fang Ming. Since Fang Ming was also A-grade, reaching Rank two was within expectation.
But even so, Fang Zheng felt pressure.
He was not alone at the top.
Mo Bei's eyes burned with fighting intent.
Fang Ming was one of the people he wanted to fight most.
Their relationship was not good. They came from different factions and often threw sarcastic remarks at each other. But they had also sparred many times and trained together for a period.
That had stopped later, when Fang Ming began preferring wild boar hunting over sparring with him.
Mo Bei wanted to know how strong Fang Ming had become.
Shi Cheng's expression was more complicated.
He was jealous of Fang Ming's talent.
In his view, Fang Ming was being sponsored by his grandfather, so he should have been more respectful toward him. But Fang Ming had never fawned over him. Instead, he maintained that prideful, hot-blooded persona, making Shi Cheng dislike him even more.
Now Fang Ming had reached Rank two.
Shi Cheng felt even more uncomfortable.
As for the other students, most of them were not politically sharp.
Their thinking was closer to Fang Zheng's.
If Fang Zheng could reach Rank two, then Fang Ming, who was also A-grade and supported by the Shi faction, could naturally do it too.
The cultivation check ended soon after.