The cultivation check ended, and the year-end examination officially began.
3 arenas were active at the same time. Students went up one after another, some nervous, some excited, while others tried to appear calm beneath the gazes of the elders and senior Gu Masters watching from above.
The early matches passed quickly.
Most students were still Rank 1. Some had decent Gu, and some had practiced their combat skills seriously, but the gap between ordinary students and the strongest few soon became obvious.
When Fang Ming's first match arrived, his opponent was a Rank 1 middle-stage student.
The student stepped onto the arena with a pale face.
Fang Ming stood opposite him calmly.
The host Gu Master raised his hand.
"Begin!"
Fang Ming did not rush forward.
He raised his palm.
A pale blue crescent mark appeared, but the light gathering in his hand was deeper and sharper than Moonlight Gu.
Moonglow Gu.
The moonblade shot out.
It did not fly toward the student.
Instead, it struck a stone placed near the side of the arena.
The stone split cleanly.
The arena fell silent for a breath.
The student facing Fang Ming looked at the cut stone, then looked at Fang Ming's raised palm.
His face became even paler.
"I forfeit."
The host Gu Master paused slightly, then announced, "Gu Yue Fang Ming wins."
The students below immediately stirred.
"That was not Moonlight Gu."
"Moonglow Gu?"
"Rank 2 Gu…"
Many students looked at each other helplessly.
Fang Ming not only had higher cultivation; he also had a Rank 2 attack Gu.
This changed everything.
Most of them had no way to block that attack. Rank 1 defensive Gu could still handle ordinary Moonlight Gu under certain conditions, but Moonglow Gu was different. If Fang Ming released it from close enough range, many defenses would be cut through directly.
Even Fang Zheng, who had Jade Skin Gu, only had some chance. A Rank 1 defensive Gu could help at a distance or against a grazing hit, but if a Moonglow blade landed properly at close range, Jade Skin Gu would not be enough.
The Gu Masters watching from the tents also began discussing.
A Rank 2 Gu appearing in the hands of an academy student before the final assessment was not a small matter.
Among the elders, the atmosphere changed.
Gu Yue Bo turned toward Shi Lian with a stern expression.
"Elder Shi Lian, is this not a bit too much? The academy is a place for nurturing young Gu Masters. No faction should interfere with it to this extent."
Gu Yue Mo Chen also spoke.
"I agree with the clan leader. Handing a Rank 2 attack Gu to a student before the year-end assessment is excessive. Look at the arena now. The examination is supposed to test the students, yet who would willingly go up and be cut by Moonglow Gu?"
Several elders nodded.
The meaning was clear.
They suspected Shi Lian had helped Fang Ming obtain or refine Moonglow Gu.
Shi Lian's expression grew increasingly unpleasant.
Taking this blame would bring no benefit.
Fang Ming had already slipped out of his control. There was no reason for the Shi faction to carry the pot for him.
So Shi Lian said coldly, "The Shi faction did not give Fang Ming this Moonglow Gu."
The elders became quiet.
Their gazes shifted.
Shi Lian continued, his tone firm, "My Shi faction has followed the proper protocol in nurturing an A-grade talent for the clan. We did not over-reward him, nor did we secretly hand him a Rank 2 Gu. As for embezzling or misusing the sponsorship arranged for Fang Ming, that is even more impossible."
His gaze swept across the elders.
"Fang Ming had his own funds. He sold Green Blood Cockroach Gu earlier, and later sold Liquor Worm for a high price. If he used those funds to gather materials and refine Moonglow Gu himself, how can this be blamed on the Shi faction?"
The elders did not immediately answer.
Gu Yue Bo turned toward the academy elder.
"Academy elder, what do you think?"
The academy elder coughed lightly.
"Fang Ming may indeed have refined it himself."
The elders looked toward him.
Gu refinement was not simple.
Even experienced Gu Masters failed often. A student refining a Rank 2 Gu before graduation sounded difficult to believe.
The academy elder understood their thoughts and explained, "Fang Ming chose Little Light Gu as his second Gu long ago. At that time, I already found the choice strange. Looking back now, he may have been planning to refine Moonglow Gu from the beginning."
He paused, then continued, "During this academy year, Fang Ming often asked questions related to Gu fusion, refinement, and advancement. I answered some of them."
The academy elder's expression became slightly apologetic.
"At the time, I was happy to see a student asking cultivation questions so enthusiastically. As an academy elder, teaching students is my duty. I did not expect him to actually use that knowledge to refine a Rank 2 Gu before graduation and disrupt the balance of the final assessment."
The atmosphere eased slightly.
Gu Yue Bo's expression softened.
"Academy elder, there is no need to blame yourself. You were only fulfilling your duty."
Another elder also nodded. "The academy exists to nurture students. Fang Ming being able to use what he learned only proves that he is outstanding."
Gu Yue Mo Chen smiled faintly. "Bold as well. Not many academy students would dare attempt refining Moonglow Gu before graduation."
The academy elder sighed inwardly.
Outstanding, yes.
Bold, yes.
Troublesome, even more so.
Below the elders' seats, the tournament continued.
Some students won.
Some lost.
But when students faced Fang Ming, most forfeited directly.
No one wanted to test whether their Rank 1 defense could survive Moonglow Gu.
The matches went on until another important pairing was announced.
"Gu Yue Fang Ming against Gu Yue Mo Bei!"
Mo Bei stepped onto the arena.
He did not forfeit.
His expression was serious, and fighting intent burned in his eyes.
Fang Ming stepped up opposite him.
The 2 had sparred many times during the academy year. Their relationship was not good, but it was not completely distant either. They came from different factions, often mocked each other, and had once used each other as training partners.
Mo Bei had wanted this fight for a long time.
The host Gu Master raised his hand.
"Begin!"
Mo Bei moved first.
A moonblade flew toward Fang Ming.
Fang Ming shifted aside.
Another moonblade followed.
Mo Bei did not rush close. He kept distance, using movement and positioning to reduce the lethality of Fang Ming's Moonglow Gu.
Fang Ming understood his plan.
Mo Bei had Mud Skin Gu.
At longer range, he had more time to react and defend. If Fang Ming fired Moonglow Gu from too far away, Mo Bei could reduce the danger with Mud Skin Gu or dodge the core of the attack.
Fang Ming also did not rush forward.
He had no reason to waste energy this early.
So he dodged Mo Bei's attacks and fired his own.
A Moonglow blade crossed the arena.
Mo Bei immediately activated Mud Skin Gu.
A layer of dark brown mud-like armor formed over part of his body. The Moonglow blade struck it, cutting deeply before breaking through part of the defense and forcing Mo Bei back.
Mo Bei's face changed slightly.
Even with Mud Skin Gu, blocking Moonglow Gu was difficult.
But he gritted his teeth and continued.
The 2 exchanged attacks across the arena.
Fang Ming's attacks were more dangerous.
Mo Bei's attacks were more frequent.
Mo Bei kept moving, forcing Fang Ming to adjust his aim again and again. He was not trying to win in one strike. He wanted Fang Ming to waste primeval essence.
But Fang Ming was patient.
He did not throw every time he had a chance.
When the angle was bad, he dodged.
When the distance was too long, he waited.
When Mo Bei's movement slowed, he attacked.
After several exchanges, Mo Bei's breathing grew heavier.
Mud Skin Gu had to be activated repeatedly.
Moonlight Gu also consumed essence.
He was still Rank 1 peak stage.
Fang Ming was Rank 2 initial stage.
Even though Moonglow Gu consumed more, Fang Ming's aperture and essence quality were still above his.
Another Moonglow blade flew out.
Mo Bei activated Mud Skin Gu again.
This time, the defense cracked more severely.
Mo Bei staggered.
He checked his remaining primeval essence and his expression became ugly.
After a moment, he gritted his teeth.
"I forfeit."
The host Gu Master announced, "Gu Yue Fang Ming wins!"
Mo Bei stepped down with a dark face.
He had not been cut down.
He had not been thrown out.
But he knew he could not continue.
Against Fang Ming's Rank 2 Gu, every defense cost too much.
Not long after, Fang Zheng faced Shi Cheng.
The battle followed a similar direction.
Shi Cheng used his Gu and movement to avoid direct confrontation, but Fang Zheng was already Rank 2. He did not panic, nor did he chase recklessly. He used his cultivation advantage to pressure Shi Cheng steadily.
Shi Cheng resisted for a while, but his primeval essence could not last.
Eventually, Fang Zheng forced him into a bad position and won.
"Gu Yue Fang Zheng wins!"
The crowd reacted quickly.
The next match had already become clear.
Gu Yue Fang Zheng against Gu Yue Fang Yuan.
The brothers stepped onto the arena.
One was Rank 2, A-grade, supported by the clan leader.
The other was Rank 1 peak stage, C-grade, feared by almost every student in the academy.
Many people expected Fang Zheng to finally step out of Fang Yuan's shadow.
The host Gu Master announced the start.
The result was anticlimactic.
Fang Yuan moved first.
He did not give Fang Zheng time to build rhythm.
Moonblade.
Step.
Feint.
Close-range attack.
Fang Zheng activated Jade Skin Gu, but Fang Yuan's timing was too sharp. He attacked weak angles, forced Fang Zheng to turn, then struck when his defense was least stable.
Fang Zheng had Rank 2 cultivation.
But he could not use it properly under Fang Yuan's pressure.
Each move Fang Yuan made seemed to cut into Fang Zheng's hesitation.
The match ended faster than many expected.
Fang Zheng was forced back again and again, then struck out of balance.
The host Gu Master announced, "Gu Yue Fang Yuan wins!"
The arena went silent for a moment.
Then discussion erupted.
Fang Yuan had defeated Fang Zheng.
Completely.
Gu Yue Bo's expression darkened.
Today had already gone badly once when Fang Ming revealed Moonglow Gu. Now Fang Zheng, who was supposed to show the clan his superiority, had lost to Fang Yuan again.
Instead of stepping out of Fang Yuan's shadow, Fang Zheng had fallen deeper into it.
And the tournament was not over.
The final was no longer Fang Zheng against Fang Ming.
It was Fang Yuan against Fang Ming.
When the final match was announced, the arena became noisy again.
"Gu Yue Fang Ming against Gu Yue Fang Yuan!"
Fang Ming stepped onto the stage.
Fang Yuan stood opposite him.
The 2 looked at each other.
Neither spoke.
The host Gu Master raised his hand.
"Begin!"
The moment the word fell, both moved.
Fang Yuan rushed forward.
Fang Ming also advanced, but he did not intend to let Fang Yuan enter close combat so easily.
Moonblades flew almost immediately.
One Rank 1.
One Rank 2.
Blue light cut through the cold air.
Fang Yuan dodged Fang Ming's Moonglow blade by a narrow margin and continued forward without slowing.
Fang Ming's eyes narrowed slightly.
Fang Yuan was aiming to close the distance.
This was expected.
At long range, Fang Ming's Moonglow Gu was too dangerous. One clean hit could decide the match. It did not need to strike the neck. A hit to the waist or torso could be enough.
Fang Yuan's Moonlight Gu was weaker.
He needed several good hits, or one critical strike.
So he chose close combat.
Fang Ming refused to give it to him.
He moved back while raising his palm again.
Another Moonglow blade shot forward.
Fang Yuan suddenly slowed, his body shifting as if he intended to retreat.
Fang Ming did not chase recklessly.
Or rather, he did not need to care.
Moonglow Gu outranged Moonlight Gu. Fang Yuan had not exposed any defensive Gu, so even from a longer distance, a clean hit could injure him severely.
Fang Ming released another blade.
Fang Yuan dodged again and advanced.
The distance shortened.
Fang Ming retreated while attacking, keeping Fang Yuan outside the most dangerous close-combat range. Moonblades crossed the arena, cutting marks into the ground and stage edges.
For a while, Fang Yuan seemed unable to get close.
But Fang Yuan's eyes remained calm.
Fang Ming was still new to Gu Master combat.
His attacks were sharp, but the rhythm behind them was too stable.
Step back.
Gather light.
Release.
Adjust.
Step back again.
It was not obvious to ordinary students, but to Fang Yuan, the pattern was already visible.
After dodging several attacks, Fang Yuan suddenly changed pace.
He did not rush during Fang Ming's release.
Instead, he entered during the brief moment after Fang Ming adjusted his stance.
The gap was small.
But Fang Yuan seized it.
In a few breaths, he crossed the remaining distance.
Fang Ming saw him already so close and threw one last Moonglow blade.
Fang Yuan twisted aside.
The blade flew past.
At this range, retreating again would give Fang Yuan his back.
Fang Ming's expression turned cold.
Since Fang Yuan had entered close range, then close combat it was.
The 2 collided.
Fists, elbows, knees, and palms exchanged rapidly.
Fang Yuan's technique was more refined. His timing was vicious, and his movements constantly attacked weak points.
Fang Ming's strength was greater.
Far greater.
He had nearly 8 boars' worth of strength, and a single full-force punch from him could be as destructive as one of his Moonglow blades. But his hands were still flesh and bone. If he truly unleashed that strength directly, he might break his own arm before breaking Fang Yuan.
So Fang Ming limited himself.
He fought with roughly 2 boars' worth of strength, still about double Fang Yuan's current strength.
Even then, each block and strike forced Fang Yuan to adjust.
The students below could barely follow the exchange.
Then Fang Yuan's palm shifted.
A moonblade flashed at close range.
It cut across Fang Ming's arm, tearing through skin and biting near bone.
Blood splashed.
Fang Ming did not freeze.
He did not even react much.
During the past year, he had trained his pain tolerance repeatedly. This pain was sharp, but it did not take his focus away.
He struck toward Fang Yuan's chest.
Fang Yuan twisted aside and countered with another attack.
The fight became more dangerous.
At close range, Fang Yuan sneaked Moonlight Gu attacks between physical exchanges. Each one came from a difficult angle, forcing Fang Ming to defend, dodge, or take the wound.
One cut opened his shoulder.
Another tore across his ribs.
A third struck near his thigh.
Blood spread across Fang Ming's robe.
Fang Ming gritted his teeth slightly, but his eyes remained steady.
His close combat had improved rapidly. His superior strength gave him an edge, and his body could pressure Fang Yuan in ways ordinary students never could. But he was still losing in technique.
Fang Yuan's experience was too deep.
Every combination carried traps.
Every retreat hid a counter.
Every opening seemed real for only half a breath before becoming dangerous.
Fang Ming had tested enough.
He seized a small opening and pulled away, intending to shift the fight back to mid-range.
But that opening was not accidental.
Fang Yuan had left it there.
The moment Fang Ming retreated, Fang Yuan's palm lit up.
A moonblade shot directly toward Fang Ming's chest.
The timing was too sharp.
Fang Ming could not dodge.
Stone Skin Gu.
A gray layer immediately spread across his chest.
The moonblade struck.
Crack.
The stone skin cracked slightly, but it did not break.
A single Moonlight Gu attack, even at close range, was not enough to break Stone Skin Gu when Fang Ming activated it with Rank 2 primeval essence.
Fang Ming's eyes flashed.
Moonglow Gu activated.
A crescent blade flew toward Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan had already begun pulling away the instant he launched his attack, as if he had expected Fang Ming might block or counter.
Even so, the Moonglow blade still grazed his shoulder.
Blood gushed out.
The wound was deep.
The 2 finally separated.
Fang Ming stood with blood on his arm, shoulder, ribs, and thigh. His chest was covered by cracked gray stone skin. His breathing was steady, and his eyes remained fixed on Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan's shoulder bled heavily, but his expression did not change.
Fang Ming raised his palm again, preparing to resume mid-range attacks.
At this moment, Fang Yuan raised his hand.
"I forfeit."
The host Gu Master froze for a moment.
Then he announced loudly, "Gu Yue Fang Ming wins!"
The arena erupted.
The winner stood covered in blood, with several wounds that looked serious.
The loser only had one deep wound and a few scratches.
Yet the result was clear.
Fang Ming had won.
Fang Yuan lowered his hand calmly.
He saw no path to victory.
His primeval essence was running low.
Fang Ming was still energetic despite having used far more moonblades during the fight. That was the advantage of A-grade aptitude and Rank 2 cultivation.
Stone Skin Gu also complicated the situation.
Fang Yuan had barely created an opening to land a decisive hit, but Stone Skin Gu neutralized it. More importantly, Fang Yuan could tell that Fang Ming's strength was superior to what he had shown earlier. Now that Fang Ming had exposed Stone Skin Gu, the next close exchange would be even more dangerous.
Fang Ming could rely on the defensive Gu to unleash more destructive attacks without worrying as much about injuring himself.
Fang Yuan sighed inwardly.
As expected, Fang Ming was truly troublesome.
Those who made it to Gu Immortal were special Gu Masters. Even in their youth, they were outstanding among their peers.
Fang Yuan did not continue an unwinnable fight.
Winning and losing were part of life. Knowing when to give up and admit defeat was also a skill. There was no one who never lost.
Fang Ming had been extorted by him throughout the academy year.
Did Fang Ming know he was no match for Fang Yuan back then?
Of course he knew.
But he used those fights to temper himself and learn.
Fang Yuan had seen through that from the first day.
Others could not see through Fang Ming, but Fang Yuan could.
Fang Ming was meticulous and deeply scheming.
Fang Yuan had never believed the arrogant act Fang Ming was putting up. Instead of acting smart and being praised by the masses, Fang Ming chose to hide his edges behind pride, arrogance, childish anger, and bad temper.
He willingly degraded his own image until people avoided him.
No one wanted to associate with him.
No one wanted to talk to him.
Even the Shi faction Gu Masters, who were supposed to get close to him and slowly influence him, quickly gave up on that idea.
Fang Ming acted his role of smelly dog shit to the extreme. Whoever talked to him or wasted his time would be cursed and humiliated. It did not matter who they were. The outcome was always similar.
People had self-esteem.
They did not want to be cursed and humiliated.
So they eventually isolated him.
Did Fang Ming lose something by doing that?
Yes.
He became hated and looked down upon as a childish, arrogant kid whose only positive trait was talent.
But did Fang Ming care?
No.
If he cared, he would have changed his way instead of continuing on this path and acting even more arrogant by the day.
Fang Yuan could analyze Fang Ming so easily because he had never looked down on him from the beginning.
He knew what Fang Ming would become in the future.
He knew how formidable this person would be.
So from the start, Fang Yuan treated Fang Ming as someone formidable.
After that, connecting the dots was easy.
Fang Ming really did look down on others, but he did not need to show it so openly. He did that so people would leave him alone and not waste his cultivation time.
Fang Yuan himself was the same.
The 2 of them had simply become dog-shit existences that others avoided.
Because of that, they preserved time others wasted on socializing.
The result was here in this competition.
Fang Ming and Fang Zheng had similar starting points.
Fang Yuan could defeat Fang Zheng in many different ways.
But against Fang Ming, he could not see a path to victory.
Same starting point.
Different paths.
Different prices.
Different outcomes.
Fang Yuan understood that he had lost not simply to Rank 2 cultivation or a Rank 2 Gu, but to a ruthless person who was willing to turn himself into a dog-shit existence just to squeeze out a few more hours of cultivation every day.
But this was only the start of the road.
Right now, Fang Ming had clear advantages over him in many aspects, but the road was still long. Fang Yuan believed the advantages from his rebirth would quickly accumulate.
As for perseverance and self-sacrifice, Fang Yuan did not look down on Fang Ming.
He respected him.
But in this aspect, Fang Yuan believed he was still superior.
Fang Ming was still too tender to compete with him in perseverance and ruthlessness toward oneself.
On the arena, Fang Ming sat while the academy elder healed his wounds.
The academy elder's expression was ugly.
"You had Stone Skin Gu, yet you did not use it earlier? Why allow yourself to be injured like this?"
Fang Ming gave his usual lackluster reply.
"Yes."
His words agreed, but the defiant look on his face made it clear he had not truly listened.
The academy elder's eyebrow twitched.
Inwardly, Fang Ming was sighing.
With so many advantages over Fang Yuan, he still struggled to snatch the win.
Yes, he had not fought with everything from the start. He wanted to test himself against Fang Yuan in close combat without relying on defensive Gu.
But the same applied to Fang Yuan.
Fang Ming knew Fang Yuan had Jade Skin Gu, a defensive Gu superior to Stone Skin Gu.
In an all-out life-and-death fight, this match could have gone either way.
That was shameful.
Fang Ming's strength was nearly 8 boars, roughly 4 times Fang Yuan's. His rank was higher, and his primeval essence reserve was far greater because of aptitude and cultivation. Based on raw stats alone, he should have smashed Fang Yuan directly.
But that was not what happened.
He had trained for so long, accumulated advantages step by step, and even rushed to buy Stone Skin Gu in the final days before the competition as a measure against Fang Yuan, yet he was still pushed this far.
It was somewhat disheartening.
Fang Ming knew too well that as time passed, Fang Yuan would rank up and gain access to Gu he was more familiar with. His strength would leap greatly. Fang Ming, on the other hand, would still need to train and get accustomed to every new Gu.
Keeping up with Fang Yuan in the short term would not be easy.
But Fang Ming quickly shook away those thoughts.
Fang Yuan had his advantages.
Fang Ming had his own.
In the long run, Fang Ming's advantages were even greater.
He had a Rank 9 Gu residing in his body, and it allowed him to use it.
What more could he ask for?
Experience was valuable, but it was not unattainable. Sooner or later, Fang Ming would make up for it.
At the end of the day, strength was king.
Even if an inexperienced Rank 6 Gu Immortal appeared here, even if he had never fought before in his life, he could still bulldoze all these experienced Gu Yue Gu Masters who had decades of experience.
But Fang Ming did not have that strength yet.
So he still had to behave himself.
As for his future as a Gu Master, if he had the opportunity, Fang Ming would rather go solo like Fang Yuan.
Given the chance, he would definitely do it.
He understood that unlike Fang Yuan, he lacked 500 years of experience.
He also understood that joining a team was safer than going solo so early.
But his belief remained firm.
He would rather be ridiculed for failing missions, lack experience, and face dangerous situations than be slowed down from cultivating.
To Fang Ming, strength was always above all else.