5 Academy Competition and Political Maneuvers

"...well, to conclude, I'd like to inform all of you about the second academy competition." When the students were starting to prepare to leave, the academy elder announces.

"As you already expect, the competition will be for those who reach the rank 1 middle stage, with the first place winning 50 primeval stones," the academy elder speaks with enthusiasm, wanting to provoke the competitive spirit of the youth.

"But it doesn't end there. The one who achieves second place will win 25 primeval stones, and the third place will win 10." The young students converse excitedly among themselves, with great anticipation for the competition; even those with low innate talent are determined to do their best.

"And to conclude, those who place first, second, and third will be rewarded with the positions of chairman and vice-chairman of the class, respectively." The elder announces, which for Chen Wei and other heirs of elders throughout history, is the most important aspect of this second test.

"I bet young master Chen will be first again." A boy near Chen Wei speaks, trying to gain his favor.

"But of course, these mere B grades will never compare to a great genius like young master Chen!" Another student around Chen Wei quickly adds, not wanting the other to outdo him in flattering Chen Wei.

In no time, the seven students around Chen Wei are praising him fervently.

He's used to this because he's the grandson of an elder, so he doesn't let it inflate his ego to feel greater or more than he is.

In fact, he's known these seven since he was a child, as they are the children of gu masters who belong to his grandfather's faction.

It could be said that among the responsibilities given to him by his grandfather for the academy, apart from being diligent in his cultivation and gu practice, making political connections, and arranging capable subordinates, was the most important.

Since the stronger someone is, the more they need to delegate their tasks to capable subordinates to do in their place.

So, that's why he was given the responsibility of recruiting talented students with fervor.

Of course, these seven around him now would have joined his faction anyway, but this doesn't apply to the rest of the students.

In fact, this is what he and the other heirs of elders mostly do when they're at the academy, as they've been taught this basic knowledge a long time ago.

The position of chairman is extremely important for him to obtain actually it's several times more valuable than the 50 primeval stones to him.

You see, although he plans to leave the clan when it becomes a burden to him as an immortal, he still has many years, decades for sure, as a mortal.

And during this period, he plans to live in the clan using its conducive environment for cultivation to develop to rank 5 and achieve master attainment in blood path, as well as develop a mature combat system.

And during this period, he cannot and does not plan to act like Fang Yuan, who plans to leave the clan when he reaches rank 3.

Chen Wei plans not only to enter the clan system but also to use it to strengthen himself and eliminate his political enemies, reaching the position of clan leader, where he will have access to the greatest benefits.

This would obviously require a coup against the current leader since unlike the clan leader Gu Yue, the clan leader He An has several heirs, some of whom may even have an A grade when they awaken their aperture.

After that, he plans to use his advantage to gradually create an opportunity to conquer the other two clans of Longhua Shan Mountain.

Among the two, the strongest is Clan Feng Zhi, located in the eastern part of the mountain, which mainly cultivates Wind path with its vital gu, the Wind Whip Gu.

And the second and weaker of the two is Clan Xiong Mao, located in the northern part of the mountain, which mainly cultivates strength path with its vital gu, the Panda Strength Gu.

"Zi Fei and Wan Gu, please inform my colleagues that I'll be holding a training session after class," Chen Wei tells two of his followers as he puts his thoughts in order after his reverie.

"The rest, follow me now for our practice." Chen Wei stopped training in gu usage and martial arts alone a few days ago and now does it together with his followers.

This is good for both comparing his skills with others and increasing his influence, as he constantly teaches them what to do to improve and gives them tips to get better.

"Besides, I feel my own attainment of gu usage increasing as a result of spending time teaching them personally," Chen Wei thinks as he sees a little over twenty students, some training, some resting to recover their primeval essence. Of course, it's not a big increase in attainment, but it still counts.

"Since I started cultivating, I understood how talented I am in the blood path. Along with applying concepts from earth in my use of blood path, I feel my attainment is increasing rapidly." Despite his attainment still being at the common level, there's a difference between someone who just started cultivating and a rank 5, even if both have common attainment in the same path.

One of the greatest aids for him was the scientific method, which seems not to exist in the Gu World, well, not at least in his clan from what he saw.

In fact, most of the research done by people in the clan involves more superstition and trial and error, as well as trying to gain experiences through practice or knowledge from other sources or people.

"Very well, but you should focus more on a smooth and malleable strike rather than what you're doing now," Chen Wei tells a student who asked for tips from him.

"Hmm, he is one of those who came willingly" Chen Wei looks at the boy who just asked him for tips and thinks since of the more than twenty students here, less than ten came on their own will.

The rest were forced by their parents to train with the heir of the most influential elder of the clan, which would be a great opportunity for their futures, especially if they managed to become friends with Chen Wei.

"They must resent me now that they've lost their leisure time, but I guarantee that by the end of the year, when they join a team, they'll be thanking me on their knees." Not that he cares about their gratitude or anything, but his grandfather was very clear about Chen Wei's responsibility to bring talented people to his faction.

"I bet when I become chairman, the number of young people will increase to between forty or fifty," Chen Wei notices that almost all the young people are men; in fact, there are only three girls, and they didn't even try to get close to him, but Chen Wei knows why.

"Being engaged is really something," Chen Wei thinks with a complicated expression since his grandfather engaged him for political reasons when he was just ten years old. In fact, he's just waiting for his fiancée, who is fourteen, to reach the appropriate age for them to marry officially.

"Although this is the best political decision on the part of my grandfather, which will allow me great help for my future plans, I still don't like having my life determined by others." Chen Wei cut off these thoughts from his head as he continues to train in combat with the other students.

After a whole day of training, Chen Wei arrives home and enters his private experimental room while he starts using the scientific method to research and explore more about the blood path.