Spring rain fell over Qing Mao Mountain.
The rain was not heavy. It drifted down in thin threads, carried by the night wind, brushing over tiled roofs, wooden walls, mountain paths, and the quiet courtyards of Gu Yue Village.
The mountain should have been swallowed by darkness at such an hour, yet scattered lights still burned across the village. From afar, they looked like beads of fire hanging upon the mountain slope, faint but stubborn, marking the presence of men in a world filled with beasts, Gu, and death.
At the center of the village, the ancestral hall was brighter than any other place.
Inside, smoke rose from incense sticks. Memorial tablets stood in silent rows. Before them, the Gu Yue clan head knelt in ceremonial robes, his expression solemn. Behind him, the elders and important clan members also knelt, their white garments spread over the floor.
Tomorrow was the Awakening Ceremony.
For mortal families, it was a day of hope.
For the clan, it was a day of judgment.
For the elders, it was a day of profit.
A young man with high aptitude could become a pillar of the clan. A young man with low aptitude would sink into the crowd, living an ordinary life, struggling for primeval stones, struggling for Gu, struggling even to be remembered.
After the prayers ended, the elders rose and slowly left the ancestral hall.
The silence in the corridor did not last long.
"The year has passed quickly."
"Tomorrow's ceremony will decide much."
"Our Gu Yue clan has not produced a true genius in years. Bai Village and Xiong Village have been growing stronger."
At the mention of Bai Village, several elders' faces darkened.
"Bai Ning Bing," one elder said softly.
The name alone made the atmosphere heavier.
That youth from Bai clan had terrifying talent. In only a short time, he had already stepped into Rank three. Among the younger generation, he was like a blade that had already left its sheath.
If the Gu Yue clan did not produce someone capable of resisting him, then the balance of Qing Mao Mountain would slowly tilt.
"Not all hope is lost," another elder said. "There is still Gu Yue Fang Yuan."
The expressions of the elders changed.
Fang Yuan.
That child had been famous for many years. He could speak early, walk early, and recite poems at a young age. In the eyes of many clansmen, he was a born genius. His parents were dead, his background was clean, and he was still young enough to be guided.
If he awakened A-grade aptitude, every elder present would want to pull him into their faction.
The clan head heard their discussion but did not interrupt at first.
Only after a while did he turn around and say calmly, "Tomorrow is important. Rest well. No matter who shows talent, remember this: competition is allowed, but damaging the clan's unity is not."
The elders lowered their heads.
"We understand."
"We would not dare."
Their mouths agreed, but their eyes were not calm.
Talent was hope.
Talent was power.
Talent was future authority.
No elder would easily let such a thing pass by.
Soon, the corridor became empty. Only the sound of spring rain remained.
While the elders discussed the future of the clan, in an ordinary room elsewhere in the village, a young man sat motionless beside a wooden window.
His name was Gu Yue Fang Ming.
His body was fifteen years old.
But the soul inside this body did not belong to this world.
Fang Ming stared at the village lights through the rain. His face was pale, and his hands rested tightly on the edge of the window frame.
For a long time, he did not move.
Only after the cold wind struck his face did his throat shift slightly.
"Qing Mao Mountain…"
His voice was very soft.
So soft that even he almost failed to hear it.
At first, he thought it was a dream.
Then he thought it was a nightmare.
But the memories in his head were too clear. The room was unfamiliar, yet familiar to this body. The wooden bed, the rough clothes, the oil lamp, the cold rain, the faint smell of damp soil and old wood—everything was real.
He had transmigrated.
Not into an ordinary world.
Not into some gentle fantasy land where talent and kindness could bring success.
He had transmigrated into the world of Reverend Insanity.
A world where people refined Gu, cultivated apertures, killed for inheritance, betrayed for benefits, and smiled while pushing others into death.
A world where weakness was not pitied.
A world where one wrong step could become the final step.
Fang Ming slowly raised his hand and pressed it against his chest.
His heart was beating fast.
He was lucky.
This was his first thought after accepting reality.
He knew this world. He knew the general direction of history. He knew about the Gu Yue clan, Qing Mao Mountain, the Awakening Ceremony, Bai Ning Bing, Flower Wine Monk, the wolf tide, the destruction waiting in the future, and many secrets that ordinary clansmen could not even dream of touching.
Knowledge was power.
In this world, information could decide life and death.
But immediately after that, a colder thought appeared.
He was unlucky.
Very unlucky.
Because this was still the Gu World.
Knowing the story did not make him strong. Knowing danger existed did not mean he could escape it. He had no cultivation, no Gu, no primeval essence, no faction, no protector, and no guarantee that his aptitude would be good.
He was only a fifteen-year-old youth before the Awakening Ceremony.
A mortal.
Even a wild beast in the mountains could kill him.
Even a clan servant with a blade could threaten him.
Even hunger, suspicion, or a small mistake could ruin him before he ever touched the path of cultivation.
And worst of all…
Fang Ming slowly turned his gaze toward another part of the village.
Somewhere in this same village, on this same rainy night, Fang Yuan was also awake.
Fang Yuan.
The main character of the novel.
The old demon who had returned from five hundred years in the future.
Back on Earth, Fang Ming had once joked about him with other readers. They called him many things. Demon. Monster. Benefits incarnate. Some called him Great Love Venerable.
Fang Ming had another name for him.
Great Destruction Venerable.
Because wherever Fang Yuan went, peace would not remain.
Clans collapsed. Mountains were destroyed. Blessed lands were overturned. Organizations that had stood for countless years became stepping stones beneath his feet.
And now, Fang Ming had transmigrated near him.
Not in Central Continent.
Not in Eastern Sea.
Not in some remote mortal village that had nothing to do with the plot.
He had appeared in Gu Yue Village, on Qing Mao Mountain, at the same age as Fang Yuan, on the night before the Awakening Ceremony.
This was not a blessing.
This was standing beside a storm before the clouds had even gathered.
Fang Ming shut his eyes.
His breathing gradually became steadier.
Panic was useless.
Fear was useless.
Complaining was even more useless.
In the Gu World, the weak did not have the right to complain. If he wanted to live, he needed strength. If he wanted strength, he needed cultivation. If he wanted cultivation, tomorrow's Awakening Ceremony was the first gate.
He searched the memories of this body.
Gu Yue Fang Ming was not famous.
He was not like Fang Yuan, praised as a genius since childhood. He was not like Fang Zheng, hidden beneath his brother's shadow yet destined for A-grade aptitude.
Fang Ming's original body had been ordinary.
Quiet.
Not foolish, but not outstanding.
He was not foolish, but he was not outstanding either.
In the memories of this body, Gu Yue Fang Ming had always been ordinary. He did not possess Fang Yuan's reputation as a young genius, nor did he have Fang Zheng's pitiful position as the younger brother forever living under another's shadow.
His parents had died years ago.
They had not left behind a great inheritance. There were no hidden Gu, no secret resources, no special arrangement waiting for him to discover. In the Gu World, most deaths were like this. A person died, and after a short time, only a name remained.
The one who had taken him in was his uncle.
Gu Yue Shi Ren.
A Rank two Gu Master.
He was not a famous expert in the clan, nor was he a useless man struggling at the bottom. He had some ability, some connections, and enough strength to earn a decent living in Gu Yue Village. Among the countless clansmen, he could be considered stable.
To the original Fang Ming, this uncle was already someone worth relying on.
But to the current Fang Ming, it was far from enough.
Rank two sounded impressive to mortals, but in the Gu World, it was only a small step on the cultivation path. On Qing Mao Mountain, Rank two could live decently during peaceful times, but when disaster truly arrived, such strength was still too fragile.
The wolf tide would not spare a man because he was Rank two.
Fang Yuan's schemes would not avoid someone because he was harmless.
The destruction of Qing Mao Mountain would not stop because an ordinary uncle wished to protect his nephew.
Fang Ming lowered his gaze.
His background was neither good nor terrible.
That itself was dangerous.
If he was too valuable, others would watch him. If he was too worthless, no one would invest in him. If he wanted to survive, he could not depend on family affection, clan kindness, or the uncertain goodwill of others.
Fortunately, he was not completely without hope.
In the depths of his mind, there was something that did not belong to the Gu World.
A system.
At first, Fang Ming had thought it was an illusion caused by fear. But after calming himself and repeatedly testing it, he confirmed that it truly existed.
Its function was simple.
Copy.
Once every month, he could copy one talent or skill from another person.
But it was not without restrictions.
First, he had to be close.
Very close.
Within one meter.
Second, he had to maintain that distance for a period of time. The stronger or more valuable the thing he wanted to copy, the longer it would take. A simple skill might only require a short moment. A valuable talent would require much longer.
Third, he could only copy once every month.
One chance.
No mistakes.
This was not a power that could immediately make him invincible.
It could not kill for him. It could not refine Gu for him. It could not give him primeval stones, protect him from suspicion, or stop Fang Yuan from noticing something wrong.
But it gave him possibility.
And in the Gu World, possibility was already precious.
Fang Ming's fingers slowly tightened.
Talent.
Skill.
These two words carried enormous weight.
Tomorrow was the Awakening Ceremony. The entire Gu Yue clan would gather its youths and determine their aptitude. The elders were waiting for geniuses. The clan head was waiting for hope. Families were waiting for glory.
Fang Ming was waiting too.
But unlike them, he already knew who the greatest talent in tomorrow's ceremony would be.
Gu Yue Fang Zheng.
A-grade aptitude.
The younger twin brother who had always lived beneath Fang Yuan's shadow would rise into the sky after tomorrow, while Fang Yuan, the genius praised for years, would be revealed as only C-grade.
The clan's attitude would reverse overnight.
And Fang Ming, standing among the crowd, would witness it.
If he could copy Fang Zheng's aptitude…
The thought appeared, and Fang Ming's heart beat faster.
A-grade aptitude.
To a mortal youth of the Gu Yue clan, this was a ladder to heaven. With A-grade aptitude, the clan would invest in him. Resources, primeval stones, Gu, protection, elders' attention—all of these would become much easier to obtain.
But after only a breath, Fang Ming forced himself to calm down.
It would not be easy.
The problem was time.
Fang Ming did not know how long the copy would take.
The system's rule was simple, but simplicity did not mean safety. He had to remain within one meter of the target, and the copying time depended on the value of what he wanted to copy.
A simple skill might only take a short while.
But Fang Zheng's aptitude was different.
A-grade aptitude.
In the Gu Yue clan, such talent was enough to shake the hearts of the elders. It was enough for the clan head to personally value him. It was enough to change a youth's fate overnight.
Could such a thing be copied in a few breaths?
A few minutes?
Or would it take hours?
Fang Ming did not know.
And not knowing was dangerous.
His brows tightened.
If the copying process failed because he did not have enough time, then he would lose the greatest opportunity placed before him. Waiting another month was impossible. By then, Fang Zheng's A-grade aptitude would already be exposed, and he would be surrounded by attention, protection, and expectations. Getting close to him would become much harder.
Tomorrow before the Awakening Ceremony might be the only chance.
Fang Ming leaned against the window, his eyes dark.
There was also Fang Yuan.
If Fang Ming copied Fang Zheng's aptitude successfully, then during the ceremony there would be not one A-grade talent, but two.
In Fang Yuan's previous life, there had only been one A-grade talent in the Gu Yue clan that year: Fang Zheng.
If another appeared, Fang Yuan would definitely notice the abnormality.
But so what?
Fang Ming's gaze gradually became firm.
Fang Yuan was terrifying. Fang Ming knew this better than almost anyone in the village. He knew how ruthless Fang Yuan was, how patient he could be, how deeply he understood human nature, and how little morality could restrain him.
But that was the future Fang Yuan.
Right now, Fang Yuan had just returned.
He had no cultivation.
No Gu.
No primeval essence.
No faction that truly belonged to him.
No strength to kill whoever he wanted.
Even if he noticed that something had changed, what could he do?
At most, he would become suspicious.
At most, he would observe.
At most, he would remember Fang Ming as someone who did not exist in his previous life's expectations.
That was a risk.
But compared to death, it was nothing.
Fang Ming had no intention of hiding his talent just because he feared Fang Yuan's attention.
That would be foolish.
Qing Mao Mountain had less than three years left.
In less than three years, this village would be dragged into disaster. The Gu Yue clan, Bai clan, and Xiong clan would all be swallowed by schemes, beasts, blood, and death. If Fang Ming remained weak, then no amount of caution would save him.
To survive, he needed strength.
To gain strength quickly, he needed resources.
To gain resources, he needed the clan to value him.
And for the clan to value him, he needed aptitude.
C-grade?
D-grade?
That kind of result would only throw him into the mud.
Even B-grade would not be enough to guarantee that he could keep pace with Fang Yuan's terrifying advancement. Fang Yuan had five hundred years of experience and knew where opportunities were hidden. If Fang Ming wanted to avoid falling behind, he could not start from an ordinary position.
He needed A-grade aptitude.
He needed the elders' attention.
He needed primeval stones, Gu, cultivation support, and protection.
Only then could he reach Rank three before Qing Mao Mountain became a grave.
Fang Ming slowly exhaled.
There was no need to hesitate.
His first copy had to be Fang Zheng's aptitude.
As long as he succeeded, his foundation would change completely.
Even if Fang Yuan noticed, Fang Ming would accept it.
Even if the clan paid attention to him, Fang Ming would accept it.
Even if danger came with talent, Fang Ming would accept it.
Because without talent, there would not even be a future to fear.
The rain outside continued to fall.
Fang Ming closed his eyes and began arranging tomorrow's plan.
He could not wait until the Awakening Ceremony itself.
By then, there would be too many people. The youths would gather together, elders would watch from above, and the ceremony would proceed under clan supervision. Trying to stay within one meter of Fang Zheng for a long time in such a place would be difficult.
He had to start earlier.
Very early.
Before the village fully woke.
Before the crowd gathered.
Before Fang Zheng reached the ceremony grounds.
Fang Ming would go to the area near the Fang brothers' house and wait.
Fang Zheng was cautious and obedient. On such an important day, he would not be late. He would most likely leave early, perhaps even earlier than Fang Yuan.
As long as Fang Ming timed it well, he could walk beside him naturally.
They were the same age. They belonged to the same clan. They were both going to the Awakening Ceremony. Walking together would not be strange.
One meter.
That was the limit.
Fang Ming only needed to stay within one meter of Fang Zheng and activate the copy.
Every step toward the ceremony grounds would become time gained.
Every breath would matter.
If the system needed minutes, he might succeed before arriving.
If it needed longer, he would continue during the gathering.
If it required even more time, then he would find another excuse to remain near Fang Zheng until the ceremony began. He had to use every moment.