Chapter 11: Two Problems
The academy elder stood beside the window on the 3rd floor, looking toward the academy grounds below.
The matter at the gambling tent had already passed, but the noise it created had not faded so quickly. Fang Ming had opened a living Gu from gambling rocks, then nearly opened another before stopping halfway. After that, he had quarreled with Jia Jin Sheng, insulted him in public, and beaten him inside the gambling den.
The incident spread through the caravan and Gu Yue Village in less than half a day.
For an academy student, it was already outrageous.
For an A-grade academy student, it was even more troublesome.
Fang Ming had been locked up for 3 days as punishment. The academy elder originally thought confinement would at least make him lower his head a little, reflect on his behavior, or show some restraint after coming out.
But when Fang Ming left confinement, there was no repentance on his face.
There was only pride.
That pride had even become sharper than before, as if the confinement had not been punishment at all, but proof that the clan could not truly do anything to him.
The academy elder's brows tightened.
Fang Ming was important.
There was no doubt about that. He had A-grade aptitude and was a key focus of the clan's cultivation efforts. In any ordinary year, such a student would be the absolute centre of attention at the academy.
But this student was becoming more difficult by the day.
When teachers advised him, Fang Ming answered properly. His etiquette were proper, and his words rarely gave others an easy handle, but the academy elder could see that those teachings did not enter his heart. Fang Ming listened only on the surface. He agreed when he should agree, responded when he should respond, and then continued doing what he wanted.
If the teacher praised him, he accepted it naturally, and If he warned him, he treated it as passing wind.
If the teacher tried to belittle him in front of the students to reduce his prestige, Fang Ming still did not care. He seemed to believe that trash opinions had no value, and since most people were trash in his eyes, their mockery, criticism, or dissatisfaction could not touch him.
This was not ordinary youthful arrogance.
A normal arrogant student still cared about how others looked at him. He would grow angry when humiliated, restless when ignored, and afraid when punished. Fang Ming was different. He did become angry, but his anger did not come from fear. He acted as if being offended by others was already a crime.
The academy elder could not forget the report from the gambling tent.
"I am Gu Yue Fang Ming, A-grade aptitude Gu Master, the most talented Gu Master the Gu Yue clan has ever had and will ever have. The future clan leader of Gu Yue Village."
Those words were absurd.
Completely out of line.
Fang Ming was only a Rank 1 student. He had not even graduated from the academy, yet he dared to call himself the future clan leader before Gu Yue Gu Masters and caravan outsiders.
But because of those words, the academy elder's feeling toward Fang Ming was complicated.
Fang Ming was arrogant, narcissistic, and difficult to discipline, but at least his arrogance still pointed toward the clan. He wanted to stand above others, but he imagined that position as the future clan leader of Gu Yue Village. He looked down on the people of the clan, yet he still placed himself inside the clan.
That meant he was not hopeless.
A prideful youth could be guided.
A narcissistic genius could be tempted with status.
A student who wanted to become clan leader could still be tied with clan honor, resources, factions, authority, and future position. Fang Ming was troublesome, but there were still ropes that could be placed around him.
The academy elder sighed.
If only Fang Ming were the only problem this year.
His gaze shifted toward another corner of the training grounds.
Gu Yue Fang Yuan stood alone.
The students had already begun gathering into small circles. Fang Zheng naturally had people around him because of his A-grade aptitude and the clan head's support. Mo Bei had the backing of the Mo faction, while Chi Chen had his own followers as well. Fang Ming's situation was more complicated. Some students admired his talent and good fortune, others feared his arrogance, and some openly disliked him. Even so, people still gathered around him. His faction was the smallest of the four, but it was a faction nonetheless.
Only Fang Yuan stood completely outside all of this.
He was alone, and it did not look forced.
It looked natural.
The academy elder's expression became heavier.
Compared with Fang Ming, Fang Yuan was worse.
Fang Ming caused trouble openly and knowingly crossed the line, but at least he could be punished, even if that did little to deter him. It still served as a warning to the other students. He also spoke arrogantly and was open about his desires, which meant they could at least be guided and managed.
Fang Yuan was different, he was so bad that a completely hopeless case like Fang Ming's no longer seemed so difficult to deal with.
This was what made the academy elder feel uncomfortable.
Fang Yuan understood the rules.
More importantly, he knew how to move within them.
The academy elder had handled many types of students over the years. Some were obedient, some were lazy, some were violent, and some caused trouble every few days. He did not fear such students. Anger, stubbornness, and rebellion were easy to deal with because those emotions always revealed weakness.
A student who feared punishment could be restrained.
A student who cared about face could be humiliated.
A student who wanted resources could be tempted.
Even Fang Ming, for all his arrogance, still had visible weaknesses. His pride was troublesome, but it was also something that could be worked around. Fang Ming looked down on everyone because he believed he was the best, but soon the other students would catch up to him and eventually surpass him. Then that pride would be crushed mercilessly by his lack of resources. When that happened, he could be guided back onto the right path by offering him the resources he desperately needed.
But Fang Yuan gave the academy elder a different feeling.
There was nothing ,no weakness, no desire, no ambition he could grasp. There was simply no opening.
That kind of person was difficult to handle.
If a student feared nothing and desired nothing, then what could the academy use to bind him?
After thinking for a while, the elder still could not come up with an answer. In the end, he simply filled out Fang Ming's section and left Fang Yuan's blank for the clan leader to decide.
Fang Ming can be guided through a setback that makes him understand the limitations of a lone Gu Master and the superior strength of teamwork and comradeship.
Fang Yuan ....