“Young Master Jia, what is troubling you?
Why not tell me?”
Just then, someone patted his shoulder.
Jia Jinsheng turned around and saw Lin Feng, one of the caravan’s vice leaders and a Gu Master from the Zhang family.
Lin Feng was about the same age as him, but his life was completely different.
He was originally an ordinary mortal from Ziyou Mountain Village, but by chance he obtained a Rank 3 inheritance and stepped onto the path of cultivation.
There were no other Gu Masters in Ziyou Mountain, so he could only cultivate alone.
Later, a beast tide broke out and destroyed the village.
With only Rank 2 Peak strength, he could not resist and could only protect his younger sister as they struggled to survive.
In the end, they were rescued by a passing Zhang family caravan.
The caravan leader, Miss Zhang, showed kindness and took the two siblings in.
Miss Zhang discovered that Lin Feng was a Gu Master, and already at Rank 2 Peak.
She began to support him, giving him resources and guidance.
Not long after, Lin Feng broke through to Rank 3 and became an external elder of the Zhang family, becoming her trusted aide.
Watching Lin Feng walk over, Jia Jinsheng felt bitterness rise in his heart.
Even an ordinary person who found a chance encounter could have B-grade aptitude.
Yet he himself was born with D-grade.
It felt like a cruel joke.
Speaking of aptitude, it was the key difference between Gu Masters and ordinary people.
It determined their potential and future path.
The aperture was formed when Hope Gu entered the body.
It was located near the navel, between the two sides of the waist, and became the foundation of a Gu Master’s cultivation.
The aperture is extremely mysterious.
Although it exists within a Gu Master’s body, it is not part of the internal organs, but exists in a separate space.
It is both real and unreal, able to become vast or shrink to almost nothing.
The aperture is round in shape, and its surface is covered with a dense white light.
This is the light membrane, formed when the aperture is created by Gu worms.
It supports the structure, keeping the aperture stable and intact..
Inside the aperture lies the primeval sea, which contains primeval essence.
This essence is formed from the Gu Master’s essence, energy, and Soul.
It is used to activate Gu worms.
The size of the primeval sea inside the aperture is what determines a Gu Master’s aptitude.
Jia Jinsheng and Lin Feng were both vice leaders of the caravan, so neither could act carelessly.
They greeted each other warmly, and while talking, Jia Jinsheng avoided his earlier worries and instead brought up the topic of aptitude.
In this world, aptitude could be seen clearly through the size of the primeval sea.
D-grade aptitude meant the primeval sea only filled around twenty to thirty percent of the aperture, and such people could usually only reach Rank 1 or Rank 2.
C-grade aptitude allowed forty to fifty percent, and most would stop at Rank 2, with only a few managing to step into Rank 3.
B-grade reached sixty to seventy percent, making Rank 3 common and Rank 4 possible.
As for A-grade, the primeval sea filled eighty to ninety percent of the aperture.
Such people had outstanding talent and could steadily cultivate to Rank 5, standing at the peak of the mortal world.
This was why Jia Jinsheng had always been stuck at Rank 1, unable to move forward no matter how hard he tried.
“Brother Jia, why are you so troubled?” Lin Feng said as he patted his shoulder.
Jia Jinsheng looked thin and drained from wine and women, as if even a light push could knock him over.
“You’ve stayed in Jia Family Village for too long, so you may not know.
I’ve traveled across the Southern Border with caravans and have seen many Gu Masters with poor aptitude.
There are always ways to deal with it.”
Lin Feng continued, “There are Gu like Golden Essence Gu, Root Gu, Source Water Gu, and Earth Embryo Gu that can improve aptitude.The Liquor Worm can refine primeval essence, making it stronger and more efficient, while the Beggar Moth Gu can store primeval essence, allowing you to save more for later.”
“Alas, Brother Lin Feng, how could I not know about these Gu you mentioned?
Golden Essence Gu, Root Gu, Source Water Gu, and Earth Embryo Gu can all improve a Gu Master’s aptitude.
But even my Jia family finds them hard to obtain, and even if we do, they are only kept as part of the caravan’s reserves.”
Jia Jinsheng was not unfamiliar with these Gu, but how could he get them so easily?
Even within the Jia family, such rare Gu were not used casually.
They were usually kept as the most valuable part of the caravan’s goods, used to show wealth and status.
There was also another reason he did not say out loud.
The Jia family did have Gu that could improve aptitude, but his two older brothers, Jia Fu and Jia Gui, would never allow such things to fall into his hands.
Powerful families have always been ruthless.
The Jia family was no exception.
The stronger the family, the fiercer the internal struggle.