In his previous life, Fang Zheng had suppressed Fang Yuan, disregarding their close blood ties and whatever Fang Yuan had done for the former. Even in this timeline, Fang Zheng had shown great opposition to Fang Yuan.

And yet, Fang Yuan had no qualms whatsoever in taking him back or even supporting him. What were minor feelings of grudges and anger before the vast benefits he could obtain? The Green Copper Relic Gu was merely the appetizer when it came to what he could get.

New Main Mission!

Equality Between Twins

Description: Help Fang Zheng reach Rank 2

Reward: Rank 5 Equality Gu (x 1)

Fang Yuan wasn’t sure of Equality Gu’s effects, but a Rank 5 gu was more than worth the effort needed to nurture Fang Zheng to Rank 2. it would cost some primeval stones, but the output was well worth the investment. If needed he could even inject Fang Zheng with his own primeval essence to make it easier. Knowing what the system did, however, Equality Gu was likely a Human Path gu worm.

But it was the second one which made him truly wish to give it his all when it came to nurturing Fang Zheng.

New Main Mission!

Equality Is A Beautiful Thing

Description: Help Fang Zheng reach Rank 3

Reward: Rank 6 Beauty Gu (x 1)

Fang Yuan had to check and double-check this over and over again to make sure that his eyes were not deceiving him.

An Immortal Gu!

This was the greatest reward he had been offered as of yet by the system.

Immortal Gu were invaluable, and most Gu Immortals did not have even a single Immortal Gu. The reason was that Immortal Gu were unique- there could only be one of each in the world. Such as the Spring Autumn Cicada- now that Fang Yuan possessed one, even if someone tried a million times to refine it, they would fail every time.

Because they were unique, they could not be replicated and spread like mortal gu among clans. The best example was the Moonlight Gu- once it had been devised by the first generation clan head, it could be spread throughout the clan. Any recipe that involved it, from Rank 1 to Rank 5 would not just benefit the discoverer but also anyone who was given the recipe- though naturally it would have to be hidden and kept mostly with clan members. There could be thousands if not millions of the same kind of mortal gu.

But, say if someone somehow managed to find a way to create a Rank 6 Moonlight Gu, only they could benefit from the recipe. That was why Immortal Gu were rare even among sects and super-force clans- while they could be handed down, there could only be one of each. They could also not be traded freely – usually only Immortal Gu could be exchanged for Immortal Gu.

To be given one for raising someone to Rank 3 was a bargain. Even if Beauty Gu was not useful for him, he could always trade it for another Rank 6 Gu Worm that was more suitable for him or he could use it as a core or accessory for a killer move.

It was a bit of a hassle though now that Fang Zheng only had 46% aptitude. This was the most difficult mission the system had given him, as it had given him no way to raise Fang Zheng’s aptitude like he could his own. Should he try to refine the Man-Beast Life Burial Gu? For the former leader of a demonic sect, it was an appropriate method, though Fang Zheng would likely not agree to it and it would be difficult to accomplish such a thing without his cooperation. Alternatively, he could drag Fang Zheng with him when he left the village, though he would be left babysitting a Rank 2 Gu Master then which was somewhat of a burden.

If he was still a Rank 6 Gu Immortal it would’ve been child’s play to get a few aptitude-raising gu worms to fix this problem, but alas, this is all that he had to work with.

The allure of a Rank 6 Gu Worm was strong, but not overpowering to the extent that Fang Yuan was blinded by greed. He was someone who knew when to cut his losses.

News of him reaching Rank 1 Peak Stage soon spread throughout the academy- Mo Bei and Chi Cheng who had been in high spirits prior to this now had their moods sullied. ‘No wonder he didn’t bother giving up the Liquor Worm- now that he’s at Rank 1 Peak Stage it won’t be of much help to him!’ both of them thought.

Thing somewhat returned to normal within the academy after that, though Fang Zheng’s fallen status was still a sore point for him.

Fang Yuan was cultivating one evening when he was called by the clan leader. He sighed, while this was an unwelcome interruption he very well couldn’t refuse the summons.

He already had a good idea what this was about, but as had become his wont since he had gotten the Goody Two-Shoes System, he was pretending to be a mostly ignorant but vibrant young man in order for his behavior to not come across as suspicious.

The clan head had taken an interest in Fang Zheng before – he was more of a ‘neutral’ party and wanted to back Fang Zheng secretly as a counter to the Mo and Chi clans. However, after being crippled, that was a pipe dream.

However, Fang Yuan was still in the running in the clan head’s eyes. Fang Yuan had accomplished much already, and though B-grade talent was not as good as A-grade, it was still something, and at least Fang Yuan had some hope of perhaps going on equal footing with Mo Bei and Chi Cheng for the time being. Outside the academy, those two would be able to more freely use their resources to pull ahead.

That was why he intended to back Fang Yuan secretly for now – and had to at least give the impression that he was impartial.

“Fang Yuan,” he asked. “I wanted to ask you what was the second gu worm that you chose.”

“The Little Light Gu.”

“Not a bad choice- and your reasoning for the same?”

“There are many evil and wicked people in this world,” Fang Yuan said. “And I want to have the power to vanquish them, so that the righteous can live in peace and harmony. What better way to do that than with a strong offense? With it, I can smite any wicked demonic cultivators I come across. When I get older and stronger, I want to wander the whole world. I want to put an end to evildoers, I want to taste the finest foods and wine, bring justice to the poor and destitute and eheh… maybe even court a fair jade beauty or two! I’ve heard the mermaids of the Eastern Sea are especially enchanting!” These words might’ve even been Fang Yuan’s heartfelt feelings at one point, and so they sounded quite genuine coming from him.

The clan leader had noted that Fang Yuan was a bit more politically astute than he let on, but after all, he was still a youngster and it was not out of the norm for him to have such lofty ideals. He would need to grow out of them though. “A good offense is useful yes, but there are times when defense is needed as well.” He held out a gu worm in his hand.

“Is that the Jade Skin Gu?” Fang Yuan asked, though he already knew the answer.

“Indeed it is, its quite a wonderful defensive gu worm.”

“And you’re giving this to me?”

The clan leader chuckled. “No, this is the reward for whoever reaches Rank 2 first of all.” That was him being impartial.

‘This Fang Yuan is talented, but he is too kind and generous for his own good. To the point he will easily be taken advantage of- just see how he handed over the Liquor Worm to Fang Zheng,’ the clan head thought. For now, this wasn’t a problem as he was just Rank 1, but once Fang Yuan became an elder, he would need to be more careful. Being class president hadn’t really molded him as much as he would’ve hoped, but with time, the clan head felt that he could reach out to Fang Yuan and teach him to be more pragmatic.

New Main Mission!

Rank 2 At Last

Description: Get to Rank 2.

Reward: ???

The system also wanted him to get to Rank 2 as well. Fang Yuan was planning to do so since the beginning anyway, he was able to chip away at the walls of his aperture but needed a few days of seclusion and lots of primeval stones to break through in one go.

“I will do my best,” Fang Yuan said obediently.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep