Chapter 4

As the sun rises, the sky is filled with a gorgeous glow. The mountain mist is not very thick, easily penetrated by the sharp rays of sunlight. More than a hundred fifteen-year-old boys are now gathered in front of the patriarch's pavilion.

The patriarch's pavilion is located right in the center of the mountain stronghold, standing five stories tall with upturned eaves, heavily guarded. In front of the pavilion is a square, and inside, the ancestral tablets of the Guyue clan are enshrined. Each generation of the clan leader lives and resides here. On major ceremonies or in the event of sudden important matters, the clan elders are convened here to discuss. This is the power center of the entire mountain stronghold.

"Very good, you're all here on time. Today is the opening ceremony, a significant turning point in your lives. I won't say much more; follow me." The elder in charge of this event is the school elder. With white hair and a vigorous spirit, he leads the boys into the patriarch's pavilion.

However, they do not go upstairs but instead descend through the entrance of the first floor hall.

Following the stone steps, they enter an underground cave.

The boys exclaim in amazement. The underground cave is magnificent, with stalactites emitting a spectrum of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet light. This light reflects on the boys' faces, creating a rainbow-like brilliance.

Fang Yuan, mingling in the center of the crowd, quietly observes everything, pondering to himself: "Hundreds of years ago, the Guyue clan migrated from the Central Plains to the southern border, settling on this Qingmao Mountain. They chose this place because of the spiritual spring in the underground cave. This spring produces a large amount of essence stones, which can be considered the foundation of the Guyue mountain stronghold."

After walking for several hundred steps, it becomes increasingly dark, and the sound of water can be faintly heard.

Turning a corner, a river more than three zhang wide appears before everyone's eyes.

The colorful light from the stalactites has completely disappeared.

However, in the darkness, the river emits a faint blue glow, like a river of stars in the night sky.

The river is crystal clear, and one can even see the fish, aquatic plants, and the sandy bottom.

On the other side of the river is a sea of flowers.

These are the moon orchids, intentionally cultivated by the Guyue clan. The petals are crescent-shaped, with a delicate and elegant blue-pink color. The stems are like jade, and the centers shine like the gentle light refracted from pearls.

At first glance, against the dark background, the sea of flowers on the riverbank looks like a vast blue-green carpet dotted with countless pearls.

"Beautiful."

"Truly beautiful."

The boys are wide-eyed, their eyes gleaming with excitement and tension.

"Alright, listen to me. I will call out names. When called, cross the river to the other side. Walk as far as you can, the farther the better. Do you understand?" the elder says.

"Understood," the boys respond. In fact, before coming, they had all heard from their families or seniors that the farther one walks, the better one's potential, and the greater one's future achievements.

"Gu Yue Chen Bo." The elder calls out the first name from the list.

The river, though wide, is not deep, only reaching the boys' knees. Chen Bo, with a serious expression, steps onto the flower sea on the other side.

Instantly, he feels an invisible pressure, as if an invisible wall is blocking his path.

Just as he struggles to move forward, a cluster of light points suddenly rises from the flower sea at his feet. The light points are sparse and pale white.

The light converges on Chen Bo and enters his body.

Chen Bo instantly feels the pressure diminish. The invisible wall suddenly becomes soft.

He grits his teeth and forces himself forward, squeezing through. After three steps, the pressure in front of him increases again, like a wall, preventing him from moving any further.

Seeing this, the elder sighs, records it, and says, "Gu Yue Chen Bo, three steps, no potential as a sorcerer. Next, Gu Yue Zao Xie."

Chen Bo's face turns pale, and he grits his teeth, crossing the river to return to his original position. Without potential, he can only live as an ordinary person, and in the clan, he can only be at the lowest level.

His body sways, the blow is too great, equivalent to the destruction of his life's hopes.

Many people look at him with pity, while more focus on the second boy to cross the river.

Unfortunately, this boy can only take four steps, also lacking potential.

Not everyone has the potential to practice. Generally, out of ten people, five can practice, which is already quite good. In the Guyue clan, this ratio is even higher, reaching six.

This is because the Guyue ancestor, the first clan leader, was a famous and legendary strong figure. Due to his practice, his bloodline contains genes that can carry power. Because the Guyue people have his bloodline, their potential is generally higher.

Two consecutive cases of no potential make the other elders, who are secretly observing, look grim. Even the experienced and composed Guyue clan leader frowns slightly.

At this moment, the school elder calls out the third name: "Gu Yue Mo Bei."

"Here!" A tall, horse-faced boy in a linen shirt steps forward with a light shout.

He is tall and much more robust than his peers, exuding a fierce aura.

In a few steps, he crosses the river and steps onto the other side.

Ten steps, twenty steps, thirty steps, light points continuously enter his body.

He walks until the thirty-sixth step, finally unable to move any further.

The boys on the other side watch in amazement, and the school elder exclaims joyfully, "Good, Gu Yue Mo Bei, B-level potential, come here, let me see your essence sea."

Gu Yue Mo Bei returns to the school elder's side. The elder extends his hand, places it on the boy's shoulder, closes his eyes, and concentrates to investigate. He then withdraws his hand, nods, and records on the paper, "Gu Yue Mo Bei, essence sea sixty-six percent, can be cultivated with great effort."

The potential is divided into four levels from top to bottom: A, B, C, and D.

A D-level potential boy, after three years of cultivation, can advance to a first-level senior sorcerer, becoming a cornerstone of the clan.

A C-level potential boy, after two years of cultivation, mostly becomes a second-level sorcerer, becoming a pillar of the clan.

A B-level potential boy needs to be nurtured. Often, they are cultivated to become future clan elders, and after six to seven years, they can become third-level sorcerers.

As for A-level potential, even the appearance of one is a great fortune for the entire clan. They need to be carefully nurtured and given resources, and within ten years, they can become fourth-level sorcerers, then they can compete for the position of clan leader!

In other words, if Gu Yue Mo Bei grows up, he will become a clan elder of the Guyue clan in the future. No wonder the school elder laughs heartily, and the other elders who are secretly observing all sigh in relief, then look at one of the elders with envious eyes.

This elder also has a horse face, and he is Gu Yue Mo Bei's grandfather, Gu Yue Mo Chen. His face is already filled with joy, and he provocatively glances at his old rival, "How about that, my grandson is not bad, Gu Yue Chi Lian."

Elder Gu Yue Chi Lian, with red hair, coldly snorts and does not respond, his face dark and gloomy.

After half an hour, half of the boys have crossed the flower sea, and several C-level and D-level potentials have emerged, but those with no potential make up almost half.

"Alas, the bloodline is becoming thinner. In recent years, the clan has not produced several fourth-level strong figures to strengthen the bloodline. The fourth clan leader was the only fifth-level strong figure, but he died in a mutual destruction with a flower wine wanderer, leaving no bloodline descendants. The potential of the Guyue clan's younger generation is becoming weaker," the clan leader sighs deeply.

At this moment, the school elder calls out, "Gu Yue Chi Cheng."

Hearing this name, the elders all look at Gu Yue Chi Lian. This is Gu Yue Chi Lian's grandson.

Gu Yue Chi Cheng is short and has a face full of freckles. He clenches his fists, sweating profusely, and looks particularly nervous.

He steps onto the other side, and light points enter his body one after another. He walks until the thirty-sixth step before stopping.

"Another B-level!" the school elder shouts.

The boys become restless, looking at Gu Yue Chi Cheng with envious eyes.

"Ha ha ha, thirty-six steps, thirty-six steps!" Gu Yue Chi Lian shouts, glaring at Gu Yue Mo Chen in defiance.

This time, it is Gu Yue Mo Chen's turn to look grim.

"Gu Yue Chi Cheng..." In the crowd, Fang Yuan strokes his chin thoughtfully.

In his memory, he was severely punished by the clan for cheating in the opening ceremony.

In fact, his potential is only C-level, but his grandfather, Gu Yue Chi Lian, falsified it, making it appear as B-level.

Actually, Fang Yuan has dozens of cheating methods in mind, some of which are even more perfect than Gu Yue Chi Cheng's. If he were to show B-level or A-level potential, he would certainly receive strong cultivation support from the clan.

However, first, Fang Yuan's time of rebirth is too short, and his situation makes it difficult to prepare cheating methods.

Second, even if he cheats successfully, the speed of his future cultivation cannot be hidden, and he would still be exposed.

Gu Yue Chi Cheng is different. His grandfather is Gu Yue Chi Lian, one of the two most powerful elders in the clan, who can cover for him.

"Gu Yue Chi Lian has always been in opposition to Gu Yue Mo Chen. These two elders are the two largest factions in the clan. To suppress his rival, he needs his grandson to have outstanding potential. It is precisely because of his cover that Gu Yue Chi Cheng can hide for a while. If not for that accident, he would not have been exposed."

Fang Yuan's eyes flash with a sharp light, pondering how to use this to gain the greatest benefit.

Revealing it on the spot would earn him some rewards from the clan, but it would also offend the powerful Gu Yue Chi Lian, which is absolutely not advisable.

In the short term, he cannot extort or blackmail either, as his strength is too low, and it would bring disaster upon himself.

Just as he is pondering, he suddenly hears the school elder call out his name, "Gu Yue Fang Yuan!"