As the wolf tide swept through the village, Gu Yue Bo knew that it was his duty as the only rank 4 Gu Master of the Gu Yue Clan to protect his people. He had seen the destruction that the wolf tide could cause before, and he was determined to use all of his knowledge and power to keep his village safe.
As he was patrolling the outskirts of the village, he came across Fang Zheng. Fang Zheng was a young Gu Master who had been following his teachings over the past seven months and showed incredible potential, be it cultivation-wise or in terms of character. Using his rivalry with Mo Bei as fuel, he trained very hard and he had already gained his confidence back, while always putting the interest of the clan before his. In this way, he looked very similar to his other disciple [Gu Yue Qing Shu].
Roughly seven months passed since he began his cultivation journey, and it was time for him to break through the peak stage for some time.
Gu Yue Bo spent countless hours working with Fang Zheng, teaching him the secrets of Gu cultivation and helping him to master his techniques. Fang Zheng was a quick learner, and he soon began to make rapid progress. With Gu Yue Bo's guidance, Fang Zheng failed twice to destroy his aperture wolf, but each time, Gu Yue Bo was there to give him healing Gu, allowing the young A-grade talent to try again.
"Fang Zheng...You know I cannot give you Gu worms in secret, or else the Mo and Chi factions will use this against me in the clan meetings. However, I can set rewards for those with the fastest cultivation speed, especially in those times of uncertainty. You must have heard the news of the incoming wolf tide, right?"
Fang Zheng's eyes shined at the thoughts of earning rewards. With his peak stage rank 1 cultivation, even the genius Mo Bei would not be able to beat him. This was, after all, a realm that average C-rank talent took two to three years to reach, while B-grade talent would take at least a year. As for A-grade aptitude like him, it would take at least six months, but due to the lack of primeval stones in the beginning of the year, he had not managed to do it so fast. Still, it was more than praiseworthy to have reached this stage already.
Fang Zheng was overjoyed at the news. He knew that this was an incredible opportunity, and he was determined to make the most of it.
He quickly answered the leader with gratitude: "Yes, Master Bo. I have heard many villagers complaining about wolves attacking their homes. There has been that left their villages to seek shelter in the clan too"
Gu Yue Bo nodded: "Naturally, we have foreseen this situation and made a lot of food reserves to survive a long siege, but the wolf beast tide this year seems of unprecedented intensity. Many will die, and because we cannot afford to fall behind the Xiong and Bai clan, we need new blood to join hunting parties as soon as possible. This is why I will advance the final year competition to next week. Hide your cultivation until now, and you will only reveal it at the moment of the competition when I announce the rewards for the most talented students"
Fang Zheng nodded in understanding, knowing that this scheme would allow Gu Yue Bo to give impressive rewards in comparison to the rest of his class: "I understand, Master Bo. I will make sure to use this opportunity to serve the clan well!"
Finally, the day of the test arrived. Fang Zheng was nervous, but he was also confident in his abilities.