The bright morning sun shone on Qing Mao Mountains. There was a heavy fog, causing the students who did not sleep at the academy dormitory to take longer than usual to arrive. This caused the elder to be a bit impatient. Once everyone arrived, the elder spoke about important details.
"Today, we are choosing the second Gu worm for refinement. Everyone here has experience in successfully refining Gu worms, and this time you can solidify your experiences. For the selection of the second Gu worm, consider it carefully. With the experience of cultivating these few days and understanding of your own body, consider it as a whole. Normally, it is best if you pair the second Gu well with your vital Gu. The value of a rank one Gu Worm is between a hundred and a thousand primeval stones, with a few exceptions. This is not a light investment made by the clan, so use it to your advantage"
A Gu Master's first Gu was known as the vital Gu, and once it was chosen it would be the footing stone of their development. After that, the second and third Gu worm would be nurtured upon this footing stone and decide the Gu Master's cultivating direction. After hearing the academy elder's words, the youngsters began to ponder.
"What Gu should I choose?", Shi Feng asked in a worried voice, knowing that this was an opportunity that only would only be granted once.
Without hesitation, Mo Bei said: "You are cunning and you already mastered the moonlight gu. Furthermore, you are quick on your feet. I recommend you take the [Light Step Gu], which will upgrade your speed. You already agreed to join my hunting party in the future, so you will take on the role of a scout. Trust me, this is the Gu that suits you the best"
Shi Feng smiled and nodded fervently. This was not the analysis made by some random student. Everything Mo Bei said had been thought and planned carefully, after making a deep analysis of Shi Feng. Of course, anyone who overheard their discussion would feel impressed. This was an analysis that veterans would make, and instructors did not know the students well enough to recommend them Gu worms.
Shi Feng exclaimed: "You really are the best...Everything you said makes sense...It feels like you know me better than I know myself. I will listen to you then, boss"
Tang Shi also felt moved by Mo Bei's words, and asked: "What about me?"
Mo Bei pondered a bit.
Shi Feng might not have great talent, with only middle C-grade talent at 50% of primeval essence. However, he possessed a hardened heart and strong accuracy when using the Moonlight Gu. He was a born hunter, which might have something to do with his parents being rank 1 Gu Masters who made a living out of hunting.
In comparison, Tang Shi was a frail girl with clumsy movements and average accuracy when using the Moonlight Gu. Worse still, she had C-grade talent, with 44% primeval essence, and thus, she would lose ten times out of ten against Shi Feng. She was not made for battle. However, she had a gentle nature and she never lost her calm, her cold bloodedness surprising Mo Bei the most.
She had the heart of someone who could probably become very evil, given the circumstances. He had seen her kill a cute rabbit without batting an eye, something that was hardly seen among fifteen years old.
"Tang Shi...I will be blunt. Although you are better than the class, I would not say you are above average in comparison to the rest of the Gu Masters. You can certainly improve, and you must, if you want to join my hunting party in the future, but I believe your strength lies somewhere else. How about taking a [Blood Stalker] Gu worm?"
The academy elder looked at Mo Bei and smiled.
'This youth is much more talented than I thought...His explanations are full of wisdom, but more importantly, he knows how to draw people to him...Look at these people flocking towards him. I am afraid he already has won the heart of his classmates. Even Fang Zheng sees him as a rival!'
"Which Gu worm should I choose?"
As the students thought about it, they subconsciously looked towards Mo Bei.
"Speaking of which, Mo Bei already has his second Gu worm."
"Yeah, that is but a Liquor worm; to actually get a Liquor worm out of gambling rocks, his luck is off the charts!"
"If I had the Liquor worm, I would advance to middle stage first too huh?"
The students' thoughts varied, having admirers and jealous people among them. Naturally, not everyone admired Mo Bei. Some felt that the world was too unfair, and his successes and luck made people envy him. Still, Mo Bei was a fair man, who would not mind giving advice during practice. Of course, those who benefitted the most were Shi Feng and Tang Shi.
Ever since he took them under his wing, they became overlords in the class. Chi Chen was already feeling threatened by Shi Feng, who possessed shocking battle instincts. Mo Bei's Liquor worm was successfully exposed. The origins of the liquor worm did not raise suspicion.
The clansmen were both enlightened and also exasperated at Mo Bei's luck.
"Why don't I have such luck, sigh!" Gu Yue Chi Cheng who was also a C grade talent sighed deeply in his heart, "If only it was I who gambled, I might be in Mo Bei's stead" Quite a while ago, his grandfather had asked around and tried to procure a Liquor worm for him.
To think that even as a family branch's inheritor, he was not able to have one. It was not a matter of the Mo Household being stronger than the Chi Household. Actually, it was quite the contrary, as the Chi family had two rank 3 elders, while the Mo Household only had Mo Chen, Mo Bei's grandfather.
Still, Liquor worms were very low in supply, and they were very rare in this region. After all, the path for advancement of the Liquor worm was extraordinary, and the higher your cultivation, the more precious it was. The difference between two sub realms was huge already, and the liquor worm basically allowed a Gu Master to leap from one sub realm to the next closest one.
Compared to Chi Cheng's envy and depression, vice chairman Fang Zheng was full of spirit. He saw Mo Bei as a worthy rival, and they had developped a superficial friendship over the days. Mo Bei respected his talent, and Fang Zheng benefitted a lot from Mo Bei's acknowledgement.
After all, his greatest weakness was his self confidence.
"Brother, I will definitely surpass you." He looked at Mo Bei and said in his heart before looking away. To him, Mo Bei was more of an older brother than Fang Yuan, who was still struggling at the initial stage rank 1 realm. These days his eyes were shining with light, and he felt a sort of excitement towards life. His face was flushing red and his forehead was glowing, even his steps were quicker and lighter. Of course, Fang Zheng's motivation was due to his newly found teacher.
Although it had not been made public, Mo Bei saw the change in Fang Zheng's skills. He was being taught by the clan leader himself. The academy elder turned a blind eye to this, the geopolitics of a class of fifteen-years-old being unworthy of his attention.