Chapter 4: Mediocre Aptitude
After the Awakening Ceremony, the crowd gradually dispersed.
Fang Yuan walked home, and the whispers of the villagers drifted to his ears along the way.
"What a pity. Gu Yue Fang Yuan was so precocious, yet he only has B-grade aptitude."
"B-grade isn't bad, but it's far from what we expected."
"It seems no one can compete with Bai Ning Bing of the Bai Clan."
These words—some regretful, some disappointed, some mocking—lingered around him.
An ordinary teenager would have felt frustrated or enraged upon hearing such remarks.
But Fang Yuan's expression remained calm, as if he had heard nothing at all.
After five hundred years of storms and trials, what kind of mockery had he not endured? What kind of blow had he not suffered?
Such trivial gossip was not even enough to scratch him.
In the eyes of the world, the difference between high and low aptitude was like heaven and earth. But to Fang Yuan, it was merely a starting point.
So what if one had A-grade aptitude? Since ancient times, countless A-grade geniuses had died trapped in low ranks.
So what about B-grade? He had started with B-grade in his previous life and still carved a path of blood to dominate the world.
"Aptitude represents the upper limit, but it cannot decide the lower limit—let alone how far I can go." Fang Yuan sneered inwardly.
He knew full well that this world belonged to Gu Masters, where strength reigned supreme, the weak were prey to the strong, and cruelty was everywhere.
Good aptitude only meant faster cultivation and greater potential.
What truly determined one's height was temperament, ruthlessness, scheming, opportunities—and above all, incomparable experience!
And these were exactly what he possessed in abundance.
When he returned home, he saw a simple wooden hut with plain furnishings: only a bed, a table, and a chair.
His parents had died young. Now he lived with his younger brother Fang Zheng, raised by his uncle Gu Yue Mo and aunt Liu Shi.
His uncle and aunt treated him fairly well, but not with particular affection—they merely fulfilled their familial duty.
In this clan, without strength, there was no status, no dignity, and no right to speak.
In his previous life, he had grown up in such a cold environment, seeing through the fickleness of human relationships early on.
"Brother!" A thin figure ran out—it was Fang Zheng, Fang Yuan's younger brother.
Fang Zheng was only ten years old, his eyes pure and innocent. At the sight of Fang Yuan, he broke into a bright smile.
Looking at that young, tender face, a faint ripple stirred in Fang Yuan's icy heart.
In his previous life, he had sacrificed this brother for the sake of cultivation and power.
It was one of the very few regrets in his five hundred years of life.
"In this life, you will not die again." Fang Yuan vowed silently to himself.
It was one of the few bottom lines he had set after rebirth.
Just then, Aunt Liu Shi stepped out of the house. Seeing Fang Yuan, she forced a polite smile.
"Fang Yuan, you're back. How did the Awakening Ceremony go? What aptitude did you get?"
Neighbors nearby poked their heads out, casting curious glances.
Fang Yuan said flatly, "B-grade."
"B-grade, I see…" The smile on Liu Shi's face faded, her tone laced with disappointment. "Not bad, though. You still have a promising future."
The neighbors echoed her with polite words, but the disappointment in their eyes was plain to see.
Once, they had regarded Fang Yuan as a genius and placed high hopes on him.
Now that he was only B-grade, their attitudes turned cold instantly.
Fang Yuan watched it all without the slightest fluctuation in his heart.
Such was the fickleness of the world.
If you had no strength, you could not blame others for looking down on you.
If you had no value, you could not demand others to value you.
"I'm tired. I'm going back to my room." With that, Fang Yuan turned and walked into his small hut.
He closed the door, shutting out all the stares and gossip.
Silence filled the small room.
Fang Yuan sat on the bed, his eyes deep with thought as he mapped out his next plan.
The Awakening Ceremony was over, and his B-grade aptitude meant the clan would not focus on training him.
Resource allocation, elder guidance, Gu worm supplies—none of these benefits would fall to him.
But this suited Fang Yuan perfectly.
He never wanted to draw attention or become a target.
A tree that stands out from the forest will be destroyed by the wind.
The lessons of his previous life were still fresh: excessive brilliance would only bring disaster.
Keeping a low profile, developing quietly, and secretly accumulating strength was the wisest choice.
"The top priority is to obtain my first Gu worm and become a Rank 1 Gu Master." Fang Yuan thought to himself.
Only by becoming a Gu Master would one truly step onto the path of cultivation.
To reach Rank 1 Gu Master, three conditions must be met:
First, awaken one's aptitude. He had already done this.
Second, capture a wild Gu worm and successfully refine it.
Third, open the Hollow Aperture and store True Yuan.
Aptitude determined the size of the Hollow Aperture and the recovery speed of True Yuan.
B-grade aptitude meant a medium Hollow Aperture and medium True Yuan recovery.
It was not outstanding, but it was more than enough.
"On Qing Mao Mountain, the easiest Gu to catch and best for beginners to refine is the Moonlight Gu."
A sharp glint flashed in Fang Yuan's eyes.
Moonlight Gu was a Rank 1 offensive Gu, shaped like a cicada, pure white all over. It was born absorbing moonlight and appeared only at night.
Its power was not strong, but it was the most basic and easiest to control.
In his previous life, Moonlight Gu had been his first Gu worm.
"Tonight is a full moon—the perfect time to catch Moonlight Gu."
Fang Yuan stood up and walked to the window.
Outside, the sun set, and night was about to fall.
The path of cultivation that belonged to him alone was about to begin quietly.
No one knew that inside this mediocre teenager, in the eyes of the world, lay the soul of a five-hundred-year-old demon.
Even less did anyone know that Qing Mao Mountain—and eventually the whole world—would be engulfed in a monstrous storm because of his rebirth.