Fang Yuan socks were soaking wet from the icy cold waters, the coldness is piercing into his bones.
Yet, Fang Yuan walked with the same emotionless face, his distance getting closer and closer towards the crowd. He could clearly see the academy elder's heavy expression, and was aware of the stares thrown at him from over a hundred youths.
The glares ranged from awe and disbelief to mocking, with a few finding amusement in the misfortune, while others remained completely indifferent.
Unlike his previous life here, which made Fang Yuan unwillingly remember his first life, this time, he simply observed his surroundings. Most importantly, he was still, without a doubt, making plans in his head. If someone were to know what was in he thinking, they would no doubt call him mad or insane.
But what's even crazier is that Fang Yuan is currently cultivating.
Yes, you've seen and read that correctly. He is currently cultivating.
The moment he managed to awaken his aperture, he immediately began cultivating it. Now, some might say, how is he cultivating in this situation and at this time?
Firstly, Fang Yuan's wisdom path attainments at the Great Grandmaster level truly helped him here, not only did it greatly improve his thoughts, will, and emotions, but it significantly boosts Fang Yuan's mental prowess, allowing him to process complex information quickly and simultaneously. This makes multitasking much easier, as he can handle multiple streams of thought without overwhelming himself. For instance, right now, he is able to perform basic movements, plans ahead, and cultivate his aperture simultaneously. In his previous life, he wasn't able to multitask to this extent. He could only manage up to four tasks at once, and even then, they had to be interrelated—such as refining a Gu or performing a killer move. Had he attempted this maneuver in his previous life, he would have failed miserably due to the fact that he had to focus 100% on his aperture in order to nurture it. He could at most plan some things ahead, but there was no way he could move around the way he is currently. Of course, if he had a supporting Gu, such as the Multitasking Gu or others, it would be a different story.
Secondly, Fang Yuan's inheritance—technically speaking, he had too many to count, and many of them could benefit his cultivation experience, hasten it, and simplify it.
To finish off, Fang Yuan's experience: Simultaneous Refining, Combat and Strategy, and Manipulating Situations. He had managed to refine multiple Gu simultaneously while also being engaged in combat. While in battle, he could execute complex killer moves and plan ahead, controlling the flow of the fight, reacting in real-time, and maintaining strategic awareness for future moves. Fang Yuan's strategic genius allows him to manipulate multiple situations simultaneously, even when he's not directly involved in them. For example, while dealing with one crisis, he might orchestrate another series of events in the background, furthering his plans without direct intervention.
All of this had made him capable of performing tasks that almost no one could without the help of a Gu. Taking all of that into account, it is no surprise that Fang Yuan is able to nurture his aperture even in this situation. On that note, when a Gu master is cultivating, it is almost impossible for anyone to detect it unless they have a special Gu for it.
As Fang Yuan reach near the riverbank, the academy elder let out a sigh, took a deep breath, and shouted, "Next, Gu Yue Fang Zheng!"
But no answer came.
"Gu Yue Fang Zheng!" The elder yelled again, the sound of his voice reverberating inside the cave.
"Ah? I'm here, I'm here!" Fang Zheng snapped out of his shock and ran out hurriedly. Unfortunately he tripped over his own foot and fell, hitting his head with a groan and tumbled into the river.
Instantly the entire cave was filled with huge laughter.
"The Fang brothers, nothing special." The Gu Yue clan head scoffed, feeling a sort of annoyed boredom towards Fang Zheng.
"This is such a huge embarrassment!" Fang Zheng struggled and splashed in the water. The bottom of the river was just too slippery, he couldn't get up properly. Trying his best only made him look more stupid and clumsy. His heart increasingly flustered as the sounds of laughter filled his ears.
But right at this moment, a powerful force yanked him upward. His head broke free from the water, and his body regained its balance.
In a rush, he wiped his face and focused his eyes. To his surprise, it was his older brother, Fang Yuan, who had grabbed his collar and pulled him up.
"Big brother…" He opened his mouth to say. But instead he started choking on water, ending up triggering a violent cough.
"Haha, the difficult older and younger brother of the Fang family!" Someone laughed at the riverbank. The laugher grew louder, yet the academy elder did not come out and stop it. He was deeply frowning, disappointment filling his heart.
Fang Zheng was completely at a loss on what to do, and then he heard his brother say to him, "Go on. The road to the future will be interesting."
Fang Yuan had repeated the same words he had spoken to his younger brother during his previous life.
Fang Zheng couldn't help but gape in surprise. While Fang Yuan's back was to the crowd, obscuring their view, Fang Zheng could clearly sense the calmness emanating from him. As his older brother spoke, a faint, thoughtful smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.
It was clearly just a C-grade talent, so why was big brother so composed? Fang Zheng thought to himself, his mind full of questions. But Fang Yuan said nothing more. He gave Fang Zheng a reassuring pat on the back before turning and walking away.
Fang Zheng wore a stupefied expression as he walked towards the flower sea. "I never thought big brother would actually be so calm. If it was me, I'd…"
He lowered his head, walking forward absent-mindedly. Yet he did not know that he was playing out a miraculous scene. When he finally snapped out of his reverie, he was already deep in the sea of flowers, standing in a distance that no one else had reached before him.
43 steps!
"Oh my god, A-grade talent!" The academy elder screamed, seeming to have lost his mind.
"A-grade, really an A-grade!?"
"It's been 3 years, an A-grade talented genius has finally appeared in the Gu Yue clan!"
The clan elders that were watching in the darkness were also screaming out at the same time, losing their composures.
"Well, the Fang bloodline originated from us Chi bloodline. So we Chi family will adopt in this Gue Yue Fang Zheng," Gue Yue Chi Lian immediately announced.
"How is that possible? You old bag Chi Lian, your morals and abilities are out of order, but you're definitely good at misleading young boys. It's better to pass this kid to I, Gu Yue Mo Chen to raise!" Gu Yue Mo Chen roared back instantly.
"Stop arguing. No one is more qualified to raise this child than the current clan leader. Whoever has any objections is to go against me, Gu Yue Bo!" The Gu Yue clan head had gone crazy and swept his fiery red gaze over the disappointed and discouraged looks.
Fang Yuan is observing and listening closely to everything, afraid that things might turn out differently from his previous life. But it seemed that everything played out exactly the same, with no minor or major changes whatsoever. The only difference was Fang Yuan himself, knowing that the road this time to the future would truly be an interesting one.