"Here's your payment," Fang Yuan said, handing over the five primeval stones to Yu Sai.
"Hey- uh, Fang Yuan, it's okay, y'know," Yu Sai said, being able to feel his Rank 3 aura from where he was standing. Now, Fang Yuan was Elder Fang Yuan, and even if Yu Sai knew he had no future it would turn into having 'no future' in a different context if he offended someone like Fang Yuan. "I mean, we were both friends in school, right? So what's a small favor between friends when you get down to it? Matter of fact, feel free to stay a few more days if you want to. I uh, was actually thinking of getting some meat tonight so you could stay by at least for dinner..."
"Thank you for the offer," Fang Yuan said. He most definitely did not think of Yu Sai as a 'friend' and only knew his name because he had been class president and their transaction on the final exam day. "I'll be taking my leave." Although he did want to rest, he could do so at his own apartment.
It was a few hours before sunrise as he walked back home, noticing that the door to his room was broken down. 'It looks like my little trick paid off...' he thought before going to sleep, making a mental note to charge Qing Shu for the cost of fixing the door.
He woke up to see that Fang Zheng was waiting for him excitedly. "Brother! You did it! You're at Rank Three now!"
Fang Yuan got up. By now, the story of him getting to Rank 3 had probably spread all over the village.
Qing Shu and his other former teammates came by as well, bearing happy expressions and even carrying gifts for Fang Yuan. They were pretending as if their antics had not happened at all or were just a misunderstanding between parties.
Now that Fang Yuan was at Rank 3, he was an elder, and no longer needed to go on regular missions. Naturally he was not a member of their group anymore.
"With that said, I hope you will remember the times spent with out group fondly," Qing Shu said, smiling and ignoring the frosty looks that Fang Zheng, who was standing in the corner of the room, was giving them and his group.
"Of course, without senior's guidance how could I have come so far in my journey in the first place?" Fang Yuan asked.
"What senior-junior separation are you talking about now, Fang Yuan? Heh- you are now technically my superior!" Qing Shu said. His battle strength may have been equivalent to or even greater than many Gu Masters at Rank 3, but he was still not Rank 3 yet.
"Ah, how could I, your junior who lacks the experience you do, ever think of myself as your superior?"
"Oh, Fang Yuan, you are too kind," Qing Shu said. "I can see that as an elder, you will bring great prosperity to the clan and its people. And before I forget- we had brought a little present for you. Consider it a congratulatory gift."
Qing Shu took out a Rank 2 gu worm.
"Is this- Tusita Grass?" Fang Yuan asked. It was a Rank 2 storage type gu worm that could store up to 200 kilograms. He had been lacking such a gu for some time, and it could be fed using only water and sunlight and was quite low maintenance. "I thank Qing Shu for his kindness!"
"Any time you need something, feel free to remember this former senior of yours," Qing Shu said. "Ah- but Fang Yuan, you must know that you also have to report to the elder's hall as well?"
"Indeed, give me some time to freshen up and I'll be there this afternoon," Fang Yuan said.
With that, Qing Shu and his gang took their leave.
Fang Zheng snorted. "They were really being intrusive before- to think that they're pretending like none of that happened at all!"
Fang Yuan, though, was not obsessed with taking revenge. So what if Qing Shu had decided to obstruct him? Someone else might've felt betrayed that someone who pretended to be like a mentor on the one hand had tried to trip them up, but Fang Yuan did not care about the actions of such a minor character in the grand scheme of things.
"Let it all go, brother, anger is like acid within a vessel- it damages its container the longer you hold onto it. It is time that we become unburdened by what has been," Fang Yuan said. "Think about it now- I am an elder, and you now have a Rank 2 vital gu. Give me some time and I will help you continue to boost your aptitude, and you'll soon be a true Rank 2 Gu Master!"
"Of course, right," Fang Zheng said, the discomfort in his heart somewhat eased now that he had heard those words.
Truth be told, he had always been a bit anxious that Fang Yuan might abandon him in the future, though it looked like he had no such intentions even after becoming an elder.
"But older brother, please be careful," Fang Zheng said. "Now that you're an elder, there's going to be various people looking to take advantage of you- some of the woman are especially going to try to honeypot you or something like that. You musn't fall for those vile seductress's ways!"
"Relax, I won't," Fang Yuan said, not needing this kind of lesson from Fang Zheng of all people.
Fang Yuan, for that matter, had several things to take care of now. For one, he would be allowed to check the clan's underground cavern for gu worm recipes up till Rank 3. Secondly, he could pick any Rank 3 gu worm of his choosing from below there- he was hoping to either get an investigative or defensive Rank 3 gu worm. As for an offensive Rank 3 gu worm, he already had some idea on what he would choose.
Before all of that though, he had to fulfil his formalities of walking into the clan hall and making himself known.
At the clan hall most of the elders were already present.
All of them had warm expressions towards Fang Yuan, with the biggest smile among them belonging to the clan head. Even if he had instigated Qing Shu to try and slow Fang Yuan down, he would not openly admit to that and if anyone asked Qing Shu the man would say that he had done all of that on his own.
"It's good that we have another elder right before the wolf tide starts to get worse."
"Fang Yuan- you're an excellent example for the coming generation. If only they all worked as hard as you!"
Fang Yuan got several offers and invitations for dinner and the like, though he tactfully declined all of them.
Main mission complete!
You've become an elder- now you can get 5 Human Path dao marks for every week that you remain an elder!
Fang Yuan still had not used any of his Human Path dao marks and stored them away in his inventory- so this was not much of a benefit for him. As it was he did not have many Human Path gu worms to be enticed by something like this.
New main mission unlocked!
To become Hokage is my dream! Dattebayo!
Description: Become clan head of the Gu Yue clan, and the leader of Gu Yue village.
Reward: Gain 5 Human Path dao marks for every day that you are clan head.
Even if Fang Yuan had no idea what the system meant by words like 'Hokage' and 'Dattebayo' he could do some quick maths and noted that it was promising him over 1,600 Human Path dao marks for serving as clan head. That was nearly double what one would gain from a heavenly tribulation on average, and with a simple six or seven years one's dao mark accumulation would exceed that of a Rank 6 with ease.