Volume One, Chapter Four: The Fire Gu Master—Li Chengying

The awakening ceremony began. Chen Tianming was number 50, the last person in their class to participate in the awakening.

The homeroom teacher, Zhang Kai—the Great Gu Master—stood at the front of the classroom. The awakening would take place openly, in full view of everyone.

The students only needed to place both hands on either side of the Gu jar and quietly sense it.

“Hey, you’re just a dead last who got in through connections. You’re not going to fail your awakening, are you? I heard some people with weak abilities actually do fail. For someone like you at the bottom, it’d be better not to even try. It’s a waste of the Gu jar’s energy, and if you do fail, you’ll completely strip away the last shred of dignity your family has left,” teased a dark-faced man wearing glasses who stood nearby.

His name was Yang Debiao, a lackey of Li Chengying. He usually hung around Li Chengying, bullying classmates by wielding Li’s name. Chen Tianming used to be one of his targets, but since Tianming knew a bit of martial arts, the bullying had lessened.

If Chen Tianming really failed his awakening today, the consequences would be dire...

“Tian Ge, don’t mind that idiot. Just wait—when you awaken a fire-type Gu, show him what it means to look down on others,” said Hou Longtao, who was in the same class as Chen Tianming.

At this moment, Chen Tianming felt terrible. He worried deeply about what he would do if he failed the awakening.

After all, entering this school had cost his family everything. Now, he had no margin for error.

Restlessly, he touched the bracelet on his left wrist. For some reason, the bracelet felt unusually cold today. Along with the chill came a tingling sensation, making his left wrist feel numb and prickly—something that had never happened before.

He had bought the bracelet on a whim from a street stall. It had a small green bead, lustrous and beautiful. Chen Tianming had been drawn to it and couldn’t resist purchasing it.

When he crossed over to this Gu-dominated world, he still wore the bracelet while doing his homework. He once suspected the bracelet was somehow responsible for his arrival here.

“Li Chengying!” The homeroom teacher Zhang Kai called out.

“Wow, that’s Li Chengying! Not only is he top of the class, he’s also so handsome—he’s literally my dream guy.”

“I just don’t know which Gu type he’ll awaken. As long as it isn’t a weak early-stage water or wood type, I’m sure he’ll be selected as a seed student and receive strong support from the academy.”

With a single step forward, Li Chengying instantly attracted the attention of many girls.

He looked indifferent, brushed his bangs that nearly covered his eyes, and strode confidently to the front beside the homeroom teacher.

“Chengying, you’re from the Li family, a clan known for fire-type Gu, correct?” Zhang Kai asked with a smile.

“That’s right.”

“Good. If you awaken a fire-type Gu, your starting point will be far higher than others. But don’t forget, talent isn’t everything. Always keep a humble heart. Sometimes enduring hardship can be a good thing.”

It was clear that Li Chengying’s life had been smooth and untested. If he awakened a strong talent but lacked character, his future achievements would be limited. So Zhang Kai earnestly advised him, though whether he would listen was another matter.

“I understand, teacher,” Li Chengying nodded without contesting, though whether he truly agreed was unknown.

With Zhang Kai’s nod, Li Chengying slowly placed both hands on either side of the awakening Gu jar, lifting it gently.

The jar was pure black, covered with many mysterious and obscure runes and patterns. These markings seemed stamped with the weight of time, like a pair of eyes watching everyone who held the jar.

Whether one could successfully awaken depended on the first step of holding the awakening Gu. A small white Gu jar would form in their spiritual sea, and then a white Gu would slowly crawl out from the mouth of the awakening jar. If both these conditions were met, congratulations—you were a qualified “apprentice Gu master.” From there, it was about study and training to refine your Gu and Gu jar. The stronger both became, the stronger you would be.

The moment Li Chengying lifted the jar, a small Gu jar appeared inside him. After a few seconds, the runes on the jar glowed with an orange-red light, and a pristine white Gu crawled out slowly. It glanced around, then suddenly leapt and embedded itself into Li Chengying’s forehead, quickly fusing with him.

Li Chengying stood motionless, as if sensing something deeply.

All Gu that emerge from the jar are white at first. Once inside the body, they enter the internal Gu jar and begin to fuse with it. After successful fusion, the Gu helps the host awaken a suitable Gu type.

Soon, the Gu inside Li Chengying began fusing with his internal jar. He felt waves of heat surging through his body. The once white Gu and jar gradually changed color from white to red.

“Whoosh... whoosh...”

Suddenly, a faint red glow radiated from Li Chengying’s palms. The air seemed to warp. Nearby students instinctively stepped back, overwhelmed by the intense heat emanating from him.

Fear of fire is instinctual for living beings; humans are no exception.

“Fire-type Gu! It really is a fire-type Gu!!!” someone shouted excitedly, accompanied by screams from some girls.

Li Chengying awakening a fire-type Gu meant everything to those who understood.

It meant he would not only receive priority support from the academy but also enjoy resource advantages from the Li family.

Moreover, as a collateral branch member, he had the chance to be integrated into the main branch. Once that happened, his rise would be meteoric.

“Next, Ji Ba!”

Before the homeroom teacher finished, a freckled-faced man stepped forward.

“Not bad—a wood-type Gu. With proper training, he’ll achieve something in the future.”

“Next, Liu Changming!”

“Light-type Gu. Decent. Could take the healing or support path,” Zhang Kai said, trying to console.

“Ah! Why did I get light type? At least give me water type!” Liu Changming said in frustration.

Light-type Gu are very weak early on. They lack strong offensive Gu techniques and have poor survival ability. They can’t really be damage dealers, so they become support, but their control and support skills are mediocre. The only redeeming quality is their healing ability, which is passable.

However, if a light-type Gu master reaches level seven or above, they can learn the “Judgment of Light,” a distinctive and powerful offensive skill—but how many light-type Gu masters ever reach that level?

Thus, the initial awakening is crucial. A slow start means slow progress; a fast start means rapid advancement.

Gu masters with powerful techniques grow far faster than their peers. By the time you reach level seven, others may have already advanced to level nine or beyond.

The gap is immense—worlds apart.

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