Chu Linfeng stayed in the Martial Arts Training Ground for a moment before returning to his room. Only here could he find a little bit of his dignity, where no one laughed at him or looked down on him, and only Lin Yanran's attentive care was present.
"Second Young Master, did you go to the Martial Arts Training Ground again today?" Lin Yanran asked as Chu Linfeng entered the room. From his face, she could tell he'd been mocked by others.
Chu Linfeng sat down at the desk, and after Lin Yanran poured him a cup of tea, he said, "Yanran, am I really a useless person? Why can't I absorb the Star Power even now? Am I not even as good as Chu Linhai? I used to call him a waste all the time, and now I find it laughable."
Lin Yanran was also aware of Chu Linfeng's pain. It was hard to accept going from a recognized genius to a waste, but with the truth laid bare, he had no choice but to accept it.
"Second Young Master, are you losing heart? That's not like you. Bring out the determination you had when you practiced before; I believe you can surpass the Third Young Master in no time." Lin Yanran could only comfort him this way, having repeated these words countless times.
Chu Linfeng forced a bitter smile, "Thank you, Yanran, I know my situation. You don't need to comfort me. Leave me alone, I want some peace."
Lin Yanran obediently left the room, gently closing the door behind her, "For the Second Young Master to go from a genius to a waste, if it were me, I wouldn't know how to face it either."
Chu Linfeng lay down on the bed, his mind full of questions but without answers. Unknowingly, he fell asleep, and by the time he woke up, it was already late in the evening.
"I can't believe I slept so long; it's really a rare thing!" Chu Linfeng muttered to himself after getting up.
Seeing the meal Lin Yanran had prepared on the table, he started eating voraciously without a second thought, "Once I've replenished my energy, I refuse to believe I cannot absorb the Star Power."
By now, it was late, and going to Liuyun Mountain was not practical. Chu Linfeng opened the window, saw the starry sky, and smiled, "I can absorb the Star Power just as well outside this room."
He'd heard that absorbing Star Power at the highest point achieved the best effect, as being closer to the stars made them more accessible. Therefore, Chu Linfeng always went to the top of Liuyun Mountain to absorb it.
Chu Linfeng chose an open spot in the courtyard to sit down. The Chu Family's Purple Nether Star Technique began to circulate within him, and gradually bits of starlight appeared on his body, then entered and coursed through his meridians.
This discovery immediately delighted Chu Linfeng; it had been so long since he'd felt this. The long-missed Star Power reappeared on his body, and he was so happy he almost cried out.
An hour later, Chu Linfeng's body was covered with starlight, and the Star Power he'd absorbed within was growing more substantial, with everything progressing positively.
Suddenly, a sharp pain struck his mind, and the Star Power within vanished without a trace as if it had suddenly been emptied.
Despite the intense pain, Chu Linfeng didn't faint, feeling profoundly shocked. Why did the Star Power he painstakingly absorbed suddenly disappear, and why did his mind erupt in pain? These baffling questions tormented him.
The pain quickly subsided, but Chu Linfeng didn't give up. Previously, he couldn't circulate the Star Power within him, but today he managed, indicating progress. Although it vanished again, it was far better than having nothing.
When the Star Power reappeared within him again, Chu Linfeng felt no joy, afraid it would disappear as before. This fear proved correct, as the Star Power quickly vanished without a trace once more.
He didn't give up and continued absorbing the Star Power. By the third time it appeared within him, it was already midnight. "Disappear then, I dare you to keep vanishing without a trace every time," Chu Linfeng shouted into the endless starry sky.
The Star Power disappeared again, but this time was different from the previous two; it didn't vanish entirely, leaving a small amount within him.
Though faint, Chu Linfeng noticed and kept absorbing, and every time it reached a certain level, it was emptied but retained a little. This situation repeated several times.
A night's time was short for absorbing Star Power. By the time almost none remained again within Chu Linfeng, dawn was near.
"I guess I really am a waste. No matter how much I absorb, it all disappears, like my body has a bottomless pit. When will this end?" Chu Linfeng said to the ceiling while lying on his bed back in his room.
"Persist for another three days, and you will be able to fully absorb Star Power!" A faint voice suddenly appeared in his mind, indistinguishable whether male or female.
This voice startled Chu Linfeng to the point he sat up from his bed, "Who? Who is speaking?"
Looking around, seeing no one, Chu Linfeng lay back down with a bitter smile, "I startled myself. It seems the pressure in my heart is truly great, imagining I can fully absorb Star Power."
"You aren't wrong; you indeed can absorb Star Power. Once you're truly able to absorb it, you'll find they call a waste is actually a rare genius!" The strange voice echoed in his mind once more.
This time, Chu Linfeng truly and clearly heard it. The voice seemed to be speaking from within his own mind, causing him to ask in shock, "Who are you? Why are you appearing in my mind?"
After a long while, the voice in his mind answered, "Me? I am the Sword Spirit of the most powerful being in this world, the all-powerful Sword Spirit!"
"Sword Spirit? What is a Sword Spirit? I've never heard of such a thing," Chu Linfeng found this title to be rather novel.
"Oh heavens! You don't even know about the all-powerful Sword Spirit? Just how backward is this place? Why did I choose you?" The Sword Spirit's voice in his mind began to roar, sounding quite aggrieved.
"Hey, you still haven't told me why you're in my mind. What exactly do you do? You won't harm me, will you?" The thought of something that could speak residing in his mind made Chu Linfeng feel afraid.
After a brief silence, no voice appeared in his mind, leaving Chu Linfeng somewhat disappointed. Such an event occurring to him felt like a dream, yet it was a real existence.
For three days, Chu Linfeng wildly absorbed Star Power through the nights, with the same scenarios happening each time.
When the Star Power within him was nearly full, it would disappear without a trace. He knew that this phenomenon was undoubtedly related to the mysterious entity in his mind.
Absorbing Star Power at night and sleeping during the day, Chu Linfeng spent his days in such a manner. As he was sleeping soundly, Lin Yanran rushed in from outside the house.
Seeing that Chu Linfeng was still sleeping, she anxiously said, "Second young master, get up quickly, the Patriarch has been waiting for you for half a day. How are you still asleep?"
Awakened by Lin Yanran's voice, Chu Linfeng rubbed his eyes and asked, "Yanran, what's the matter? You look quite anxious."
"Second young master, today is the day of your betrothal to the third miss of the Lin Family. How could you forget? The mansion has been decorated for the past two days, haven't you noticed?" Lin Yanran felt worried seeing Chu Linfeng's indifferent demeanor.
Chu Linfeng spent his nights absorbing Star Power and slept during the day, having no time to pay attention to the mansion's state. Betrothal wasn't marriage, and having the title of waste, despite being the Patriarch's son, wasn't going to change his circumstances.
After freshening up, Chu Linfeng slowly made his way to the main hall of the Chu Mansion, receiving quite a bit of gossip along the way, filled with unpleasant words.
He had long since grown accustomed to such remarks. As he arrived at the hall, he found many people were already present, including several key figures of the Chu Family.
His father, Chu Yuanba, was seated in the center of the hall. Seeing Chu Linfeng enter, his face showed a slight hint of anger.
"Lin Feng, you have quite the posture, making so many people wait for you. Do you still think you're the genius of the Chu Family you once were? Now, in my eyes, you're nothing but a waste, a disgrace."
Chu Yuanba's voice was loud, and everyone in the hall heard it clearly. Chu Linfeng felt a pang in his heart. Was this really the father he used to know?
They hadn't seen each other for over two months, and this was the first thing his father said to him. If someone else had said such words, it might have been easier to bear, but his own father's words felt like a stab to the heart.
It made him question whether he truly was his father's son, leaving Chu Linfeng slightly lost.
At this moment, Chu Yuanba's voice rang out again, "You unfilial son, what are you doing standing there? Today is your betrothal day with the third miss of the Lin Family, hurry up and pay respects to Lin Family's elders!"
Chu Linfeng slowly walked to the front of the hall, carefully observing the strangers seated there. The people of the Chu Family he naturally recognized; the unfamiliar ones must have been from the Lin Family.
There were three men and two women, an old man and a middle-aged man, as well as a young man slightly older than Chu Linfeng. Among the women, there was a beautiful one in a blue dress, whose appearance indeed rivaled that of a nation's beauty, yet her eyes bore an arrogant gaze.
The other woman wore a pink long dress, had an excellent figure, and could be described as graceful and charming, but her face was covered with a veil, concealing her true appearance.
Chu Linfeng vaguely sensed that this veiled woman must be the third miss of the Lin Family, rumored to be exceedingly ugly.
The thought of being betrothed to her filled him with anger. However, Chu Yuanba's orders were not something he dared defy, so he reluctantly stepped forward and said, "Chu Linfeng greets Elder Lin and Uncle Lin!"
To the three peers, he merely gave a token smile. In his mind, he had already decided that no matter what, he would not agree to this marriage today; marrying an ugly wife was worse than death.