Volume One, Chapter 18: A Promising Start

“Alright, from now on, no more noise. The examination officially begins; anyone caught making noise will be warned.” The proctor’s imposing presence silenced the room instantly.

“I’m really curious—how would Rou Xue’s expression look if she saw you being expelled from the Gu Master Academy in front of the entire school?” Cheng Ying said with a sinister grin, unable to contain his inner malice any longer.

“I’m sure she’d be regretful, realizing she ran away with a scoundrel like you back then. Hahaha!”

“Sorry… please keep your distance. I can’t stand the smell of garbage,” Chen Tianming said, pinching his nose.

Cheng Ying’s lips twitched as he struggled to keep his anger in check.

“Heh, I wonder if you’d still be so arrogantly proud if you were expelled in front of Rou Xue and the whole school.”

“In this world where Gu is supreme, Chen Tianming, what kind of suffering will you endure? How will Rou Xue look down on you then? When you crawl like a dog to your old man, how will you explain yourself to him—the same man you bought a house for and supported through school?”

He was eager, truly eager. The thought of that moment arriving made his whole body tremble with excitement.

Normally, expulsions are not announced school-wide; the school protects the basic dignity of its students.

Yet exceptions always exist. There is one such situation where the school does make a public announcement.

That is when a Gu Master’s Spirit Sea shows no growth in their Gu jar over an entire academic year.

This not only warrants a public announcement but also results in being used as a negative example in the school handbook for warning purposes.

Under normal circumstances, once a student awakens their Gu jar, consistent daily refining, even if slow, will gradually enlarge and brighten the jar—unless the student is utterly lazy.

To punish those who waste awakening energy, school resources, and teacher efforts, and to warn all students that Gu refining is no trivial matter, gaining admission to a prestigious Gu Master high school does not mean one can rest easy.

Gu refining is like rowing upstream: you either advance or fall behind.

Especially for those who remain stagnant.

At the start of this semester, their class took a baseline test that nearly fainted Zhang Kai out of disbelief. How could he have expected that Chen Tianming, who possessed a rare Gu, would show no progress after an entire semester?

Now, the academic year had ended, and it was time for the solemn annual assessment.

It was time for the mule to show its strength.

As expected, Chen Tianming’s cultivation was dangerously close to the school-wide announcement threshold.

Of course, to avoid surprises, Cheng Ying, along with his uncle, prepared a special ‘gift’ for him—a blow so devastating it would plunge Chen Tianming into an abyss with no chance of recovery.

Even better, this scene would be witnessed by the head of the Li family, Yun Tian, and his precious daughter, Rou Xue.

Suddenly, he found that figure surprisingly less detestable. After all, as someone from the lower strata, pleasing those in power left no reason to hate them.

With that thought, Cheng Ying brushed away his earlier displeasure, his mood lifted.

He glanced excitedly at Chen Tianming not far away; at that moment, Chen Tianming’s upright figure even seemed somewhat endearing to him.

The annual assessment officially began!

All twenty classes across the school participated simultaneously.

The test itself was straightforward. Under the watchful eyes of the proctors, students placed their hands lightly on each side of the testing Gu, then sank into their Spirit Sea to activate the Gu jar’s power.

The testing Gu would then emit light proportional to the energy released.

The proctors would score based on the light’s intensity.

Each student had three attempts, with the strongest light recorded as their final score.

Achieving even a D grade would prevent expulsion.

The testing order was random, and the first to step forward was Niu Dali, who had just been wiping away tears.

He walked forward with a mournful expression, like a soldier marching to certain doom.

“You may begin,” the proctor said kindly, sensing his poor spirits, “Just place your hands lightly on both sides of the testing Gu.”

“Niu Dali, come on!” Zhang Kai cheered from behind. “Believe in yourself—you’re the best!”

“Even if you fail, it’s okay,” Ji Ba patted his chest. “Once I’m up, I’ve got your back.”

Niu Dali seemed resigned, placing both hands on the Gu jar.

The classroom fell silent, all eyes fixed on him, as if they themselves were standing on that stage.

For some reason, Chen Tianming felt that Niu Dali’s aura changed the moment his hands touched the Gu jar.

Though visibly nervous, he showed no panic.

The sandy-colored Gu jar began to glow, as if a tiny sun burned within it, casting warm golden rays through its cracks.

As Niu Dali furrowed his brow, the light not only covered the jar’s surface but grew so strong it almost obscured its original color.

Unfortunately, the next moment Niu Dali seemed unable to sustain it—the light vanished in the blink of an eye, as if it had never appeared.

“B!”

“A!”

“A!”

The lights flared suddenly as three proctors simultaneously pressed their corresponding buttons.

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