Soon, a week passes.
In the academy classroom, the atmosphere crackles with electric tension, yet remains razor-sharp as the academy elder delivers his lecture on Gu worms, Gu Masters, and the enigmatic Gu World. The air is thick with palpable anticipation, every student hanging onto the elder's words like lifelines. Their eyes are glued to him, rapt in unwavering concentration—everyone except Fang Zheng. He feigns attentiveness, but his true focus burns elsewhere: Fang Yuan, seated in the corner of the first row beside Gu Xianer. As he observes Fang Yuan from afar, Fang Zheng's lips curl into a cruel smirk, satisfaction pooling in his chest like venom.
"Ah, how utterly satisfying it is to see you broken," Fang Zheng muses, his face twisting into a cold, predatory grin."Just one look at that hollow shell of yours tells me everything. You're drowning in despair, aren't you? Seething with jealousy, cursing fate for its cruelty. I can almost hear your thoughts screaming: 'Why me?!' Ha! You have to feel what it's like to be utterly powerless, rejected by everyone around you—even by the world and fate itself. This pain? It's nothing compared to the torment I endured because of you in my past life, Fang Yuan. And now, I'll make sure your suffering eclipses mine tenfold. By the time I'm done, death will seem like mercy."
Fang Yuan sits slumped in his seat, looking utterly shattered. His skin is ashen, his eyes sunken, making him resemble a living corpse more than a human being. Over the past week, he has lost control of his body multiple times—each episode fleeting, lasting no longer than a heartbeat—but enough to leave him gasping for sanity. With each loss of control, he feels it more vividly: an insidious presence lurking within him, dark and malevolent, clawing at the edges of his mind. Sometimes, he sees beautiful visions filled with love and warmth, only for them to twist into suffocating nightmares where he becomes the destroyer, annihilating everything he holds dear in the most merciless, brutal ways imaginable. Now, despair consumes him entirely.
He senses something—or someone—trying to tamper with his memories, his soul, his very essence. It's subtle but undeniable, like whispers threading through the fabric of his consciousness, attempting to rewrite who he is. Bit by bit, he feels himself slipping away, becoming someone else—or perhaps something else. The realization sends waves of terror crashing over him, dragging him deeper into hopelessness. Is this… his own demonic nature surfacing?
His wide, tear-filled eyes dart toward Gu Xianer, seeking solace in her unwavering faith. But as his gaze shifts, it collides with Fang Zheng's. For a single, suffocating moment, their eyes lock—Fang Yuan's brimming with raw vulnerability, Fang Zheng's gleaming with triumphant malice. Both quickly avert their gazes, but the tension between them lingers, heavy and oppressive.
Fang Zheng's devilish grin stretches wider, his thoughts ablaze with sadistic delight. "Those teary, desperate eyes—they're intoxicating. Ha ha ha. Why stop here? Let's twist the knife a little deeper."
Suddenly, Fang Zheng raises his hand, cutting through the elder's lecture like a blade. "Elder," he calls out, his voice smooth yet laced with mockery, "may I ask a question?"
The elder nods curtly, granting permission. Fang Zheng rises to his feet, his posture confident, almost theatrical. "Is it truly impossible for someone without talent to advance in cultivation? Why does talent matter so much? Surely hard work can overcome any obstacle. If my brother works hard enough, couldn't he become a rank 5 Gu Master?"
Before the elder can respond, Gu Xianer leaps to her feet, her voice ringing out with fierce conviction. "Fang Zheng is absolutely right!" she declares, her tone unyielding. "My brother isn't ordinary. I'm certain he'll surpass even rank 5 and achieve immortality! Don't—" Before she can finish, Fang Yuan grabs her arm softly but urgently, silencing her mid-sentence. His movements are frantic, almost panicked, as though he fears what might come next. "Xianer, stop," he whispers hoarsely, his voice trembling like fragile glass.
The elder lets out a bitter, awkward laugh, tinged with thinly veiled anger. Immortality? Achievable through mere hard work? The notion stings like salt on an open wound. He knows better than anyone how futile such dreams are. Despite decades of relentless effort, he barely reached rank 3—and now, no matter how hard he tries, advancing to rank 4 feels like chasing shadows, let alone achieving immortality. To him, immortality is nothing more than a distant star, a legend whispered about in awe.
With a sigh, the elder speaks, his voice carrying a faint edge of frustration. "Without talent, it is impossible to advance even a single realm. Even with D-grade talent, the best you can hope for is rank 2 in your lifetime. C-grade talent might take you to rank 3, while B-grade offers a chance at rank 4. A-grade talent gives you a slim shot at reaching rank 5—but rank 6, immortality? That's a dream reserved for those chosen by heaven itself."
He pauses, his gaze shifting to Fang Yuan, his expression softening slightly—but only slightly. "I don't want to crush your hopes, Fang Yuan, but your situation… is dire. After thorough examination and experimentation, I've concluded that your primeval aperture is both normal and abnormal. While it possesses the structure of a typical aperture, it lacks primeval essence entirely—it produces none naturally. Primeval essence is vital for using Gu worms effectively. Though there is another method—you could use primeval stones to activate Gu worms—it would be inefficient and impractical. Based on my understanding, advancement is simply impossible for you."
His tone hardens, delivering the final blow. "I am telling you this because I recognize your strength and intelligence. Intelligence alone can still lead to greatness. You may never become a powerful Gu Master, but you can excel elsewhere. Perhaps you can become a great scholar."
Each word lands like a hammer strike, driving Fang Yuan further into the abyss of despair. Whispers ripple through the room, sharp and mocking, slicing into his already fractured spirit.
"No talent, yet he dares call himself a Gu Master? What arrogance!" one student sneers, his voice dripping with venomous disdain.
"I'd bow to him if he advanced even a single realm. Ha ha ha!" another jeers, laughter echoing cruelly.
Every comment pierces Fang Yuan like a dagger, carving deeper wounds into his soul. Tears stream down his face unchecked, blurring his vision until the world dissolves into a haze of anguish. The weight of failure presses down on him, crushing him under its unbearable load. He feels as though he's plummeting into an endless void, consumed by darkness, with no light in sight.