Chapter Five: Ancestral Hope Enlightenment
In an instant, the surroundings fell silent, and countless eyes turned to fix on him.
"This is getting more and more interesting." Fang Yuan smiled inwardly. Under the watchful gaze of the crowd, he waded through the river and stepped onto the opposite bank.
Immediately, he felt a wave of pressure.
This pressure originated from the Spirit Spring deep within the flower sea. The spring generated vital energy, and because the energy was too dense and abundant, it resulted in this oppressive force.
But soon, from the flowers at Fang Yuan's feet, a shower of light particles began to rise.
The light particles drifted and swirled, enveloping his entire body before all of them poured into him.
"These must be the Hope Gu," Fang Yuan murmured to himself. The person in charge hadn't explained, but he knew it clearly.
Each light particle was a single Gu.
The Gu was named Hope.
There was an ancient legend that spoke of the Hope Gu.
The legend says that when the world was first formed, it was a wild and desolate place with beasts roaming everywhere. The first human appeared, and his name was Ancestor. He lived a harsh life, eating raw meat and drinking blood.
Especially troublesome was a group of beasts called "Predicaments," which particularly loved Ancestor's taste and wanted to devour him.
Ancestor did not have a body as strong as rock, nor the sharp teeth and claws of beasts. How could he fight against these creatures called Predicaments? His food supply was unstable, and he spent his days hiding and dodging, occupying the lowest rung of the natural food chain, nearly unable to survive.
At that time, three Gu came to him on their own and said, "As long as you offer your life to nourish us, we will help you overcome your difficulties."
Ancestor, with no other options, had no choice but to agree to these three Gu.
He first offered his youth and teenage years to nourish the largest of the three Gu, which granted him strength.
With strength, Ancestor's life began to improve. He started to have a stable food source and the power to protect himself. He became bold and aggressive, defeating many Predicaments. But he soon suffered for it. In the end, he discovered that strength was not omnipotent; it also required recovery and rest and could not be squandered recklessly.
Moreover, against the entire herd of Predicament beasts, his strength alone was far too insignificant.
After much reflection, Ancestor decided to offer his prime middle years to nourish the most beautiful of the three Gu.
Thus, the second Gu brought him wisdom.
With wisdom, Ancestor learned to think and reflect, and began to accumulate experience. He found that using wisdom was often more effective than using strength. With wisdom and strength, he once conquered many previously unattainable goals, slaying more Predicaments. He ate their meat and drank their blood to survive tenaciously.
But the good times did not last. Ancestor grew old, older and older.
This was because he had devoted both his youth and middle years to the Strength Gu and the Wisdom Gu.
When a person ages, their muscles wither, and their mind slows down.
"Human, what else can you offer us now? You have nothing left to devote to us." The Strength Gu and the Wisdom Gu, upon discovering this, heartlessly abandoned him.
Having lost both strength and wisdom, and now discovered by the Predicaments, Ancestor was surrounded by the beast herd. He was old and could no longer run; his teeth had all fallen out, and he could not even chew wild fruits or vegetables.
He collapsed powerlessly to the ground, surrounded by dense Predicaments, his heart filled with despair.
Just then, the third Gu said to him, "Human, devote yourself to me, and I can free you from your predicament."
Ancestor replied in tears, "Gu, what do I have left? Look, the Strength Gu and the Wisdom Gu have both abandoned me. All I have left is my old age. Compared to youth and middle age, old age may be worthless, but if I offer my old age to you, my life will end immediately. Though I am surrounded by Predicaments now, I will not die just yet. I still wish to live a little longer, even if only for one more second. So please leave; I can no longer nourish you."
But the Gu said, "Among the three Gu, my demands are the smallest. Human, you need only give me your heart."
"Then I will give you my heart," Ancestor said. "But Gu, what can you bring me now? In this dire situation, even if the Strength Gu and the Wisdom Gu returned to me, it would change nothing."
Compared to the Strength Gu, this Gu was the most fragile, just a tiny speck of light. Compared to the Wisdom Gu, this Gu was the dullest, emitting only a faint white light, lacking any grandeur or splendor.
But when the human gave his heart to this Gu, it suddenly burst forth with infinite radiance. In this light, the Predicaments cried out in terror, "This is the Hope Gu! Retreat quickly! We Predicaments fear hope the most!"
The herd of Predicament beasts immediately fled in disarray.
Ancestor stared in shock, and from that moment on, he knew—when faced with Predicaments, give your heart to Hope.
And now, the stream of Hope Gu had already entered Fang Yuan's body.
Due to the external pressure, they quickly gathered in his abdomen, three inches below his navel, spontaneously coalescing into a mass.
Fang Yuan immediately felt the pressure ease slightly.
He took a step forward and continued on.
With every step, more Hope Gu flew out from the flower sea and entered his body, joining the light mass.
The light mass grew larger and brighter.
But the person in charge on the opposite bank furrowed his brow.
"The number of Hope Gu seems somewhat low," thought many of the elders who had been secretly watching Fang Yuan. Seeing this, their hearts sank.
The clan leader also frowned. This was certainly not the sign of an A-grade aptitude!
Fang Yuan pressed on against the pressure, continuing forward.
"Fewer than ten steps indicates no cultivation aptitude. Ten to twenty steps indicate a D-grade aptitude. Twenty to thirty steps indicate a C-grade aptitude. Thirty to forty steps indicate a B-grade aptitude. Forty to fifty steps indicate an A-grade. So far, I have taken twenty-three steps."
"Twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six... twenty-seven." Fang Yuan counted silently in his heart. When he reached the twenty-seventh step, it was as if he heard a thunderous boom. The light mass between his kidneys in his abdomen reached its limit and suddenly exploded.
This explosion occurred only within Fang Yuan's body; outsiders could not detect it. Only Fang Yuan, in that instant, felt an earth-shattering mystical sensation.
In a flash, all his body hair stood on end, his pores tightened, and his mind became taut like a suddenly drawn bowstring.
Immediately after, his mind went blank, and his entire body felt soft, as if plunging through the clouds. His mental tension relaxed, his hair smoothed down, and all the pores of his body opened.
Suddenly, a layer of fine sweat covered his entire body.
This process, though it sounds lengthy, was actually extremely brief. It came swiftly and ended just as abruptly.
Fang Yuan lost focus for only a moment before regaining his composure.
He inwardly focused his attention inward and discovered that below his navel, between his two kidneys, an aperture had appeared out of nowhere.
The aperture opening was successful!
This was the hope of eternal life!