News that Zhang Xu had failed to break through to Dark Strength struck like thunder on a clear day, sweeping through the Martial Academy's Inner and Outer Courtyards in an instant.
At first, it was no more than a subdued stir and whispered gossip among the Inner Courtyard's core disciples.
But soon, the shocking news sprouted wings. Fueled by all kinds of embellished speculation and undisguised chatter, it spread like wildfire.
"Have you heard?! Senior Brother Zhang Xu... failed to break through to Dark Strength!"
"What?! That's impossible! Senior Brother Zhang has superior bones and a wealthy family. He eats pills like candy. Breaking through to Dark Strength should have been as easy as water flowing down a channel for him, shouldn't it?"
"It's absolutely true! I saw him with my own eyes, supported by two people as he came out of the master's study. His face was as white as paper, and his breathing was terribly weak. He'd clearly failed to break through and damaged his vital energy!"
"Hiss... Even someone with superior bones can fail? It seems the master's always saying that 'bone structure isn't everything' and 'temperament determines success or failure' wasn't just empty talk."
"Heh. If you ask me, failure was only natural!"
"That Zhang Xu fellow relied on his family and his bone structure so much, he practically looked down on everyone. Every day, he was either dragging friends off to carouse at taverns or plotting how to win people over, putting on airs and throwing his weight around. He probably spent precious little time truly settling down to temper his blood and qi and comprehend how to transform his force!"
"Exactly. I bet he was spending all his energy elsewhere. Pretty women, wine, wealth, and status—which of those doesn't drain your vitality and spirit? The Dark Strength threshold is so subtle. With an impure mind and unclean qi, he deserved to fail!"
Though the Inner Courtyard disciples kept their voices low, their barely concealed gloating and ridicule were like fine needles, piercing through doors and windows to prick the ears of everyone who knew what had happened.
Zhang Xu had always been arrogant and boastful, and he'd offended more than a few people. Now that he'd fallen, most watched coldly from the sidelines, some even taking secret pleasure in it.
Inside the study.
The atmosphere was so heavy it seemed it could drip.
Liu Qingshi stood with his hands behind his back by the window, his back to Zhang Xu, who sat slumped on the floor, his breath weak. His brow furrowed deeply.
After a moment,
he slowly turned around and looked at his disciple, whose face was as pale as paper and whose forehead streamed with cold sweat. In the end, all he could do was let out a heavy sigh.
"Zhang Xu, you have superior bones and a wealthy family. You've never lacked cultivation resources. That's a blessing most people can only dream of."
Liu Qingshi's voice was quiet, but every word was clear, and there was a hint of heaviness in it.
"But your thoughts are scattered, and you haven't devoted yourself fully to the martial path. Banquets and social obligations, entanglements with people—whether you notice it or not, they drain your vitality and spirit and wear down your martial will."
"At the Dark Strength threshold, the most important thing is 'a single-minded heart and transparent force.' Your reserves weren't sufficient, and your spirit was restless. Forcing the breakthrough... your failure was no surprise."
Zhang Xu sat cross-legged on the cold brick floor, both hands clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white. His jaw was clenched so tight that his teeth ground together with a faint, grating sound.
His head hung low, disheveled strands of hair obscuring part of his face. But the venom and fury churning in his eyes were like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
He was a genius with superior bones—and he'd failed to break through to Dark Strength in front of everyone!
It was as if all his superiority had been torn to shreds in public and then ground into the mud!
Truthfully, before attempting the breakthrough, he'd vaguely sensed that his reserves might be just a hair short.
But Hu Tian and Shi Lei had both made breakthroughs in their boxing techniques today, and the entire Martial Academy was steeped in the illusion that "today was a lucky day."
On top of that, his deep-seated arrogance and eagerness to succeed had led him to take a chance and force the breakthrough...
In the end, reality had slapped him with the coldest, cruelest blow.
Liu Qingshi looked at him and felt conflicted too.
He shook his head slightly, his tone softening as he offered a few words of advice.
"Fortunately, your foundation is intact. You've only suffered a severe loss of vital energy. With your bone structure and family wealth, you can go home, recover properly, and replenish your blood and qi. Then, spend some time quietly building up your reserves and clearing away distracting thoughts. In the future... you may yet have another chance to attempt the breakthrough."
With that, he said no more. He called over two Inner Courtyard disciples who usually followed Zhang Xu and were now looking anxious, and instructed them to escort Zhang Xu home carefully so he could recover.
When the two disciples emerged from the study, one on either side of Zhang Xu, they practically had to carry him. His steps were unsteady, and an air of dejection clung to him.
Immediately, gazes shot toward him from every direction.
Those gazes held undisguised curiosity, suppressed snickering, and naked gloating. A few carried complicated sympathy, but most were tinged with the vindictive satisfaction of watching someone who'd always stood above them suddenly fall.
"Senior Brother Zhang Xu, are you all right?"
Hu Tian came trotting over at some point, his concern plain on his face.
He'd only just entered the Inner Courtyard and hadn't yet figured out all the undercurrents there. He'd asked simply because he wanted to "stick close to Big Brother," along with a measure of genuine concern.
But Zhang Xu met him with a sudden, icy, gloomy glare, edged with resentment and disdain.
In Zhang Xu's twisted mind, if Hu Tian and Shi Lei hadn't both "brought good news" today and stirred him into impatience, making him misjudge the situation, he wouldn't have rushed into the breakthrough and ended up like this.
Those two, along with that irritating Shi Lei, had become part of the shame of his failure. He secretly bore a grudge against them.
Hu Tian was stunned by the sudden cold shoulder. He stood there at a loss, assuming Zhang Xu was simply in a terrible mood and giving it no further thought.
"Ahhh! Damn it!!!"
Feeling the gazes of the surrounding disciples fall upon him, Zhang Xu was overcome by humiliation.
What pushed him closest to breaking down was the glimpse he caught of Liu Yiyi from the corner of his eye.
This was the woman he cared about most. On her usually snow-lotus-cold face, he thought he saw a trace of... contempt?
Meanwhile, Su Yan stood beside Liu Yiyi, watching him with amusement. Her beautiful eyes held undisguised glee at his misfortune.
Zhang Xu felt he was about to go mad.
"Can't you move any faster? Did you forget how to walk?!"
He abruptly turned his head toward the two lackeys supporting him and ground out a low, vicious growl through clenched teeth, the veins at his temples bulging.
The two lackeys flinched in fright. Daring not delay any longer, they summoned every ounce of strength they had and practically dragged and carried Zhang Xu out of the Inner Courtyard, fleeing toward the Martial Academy's main gate as if a flood of ferocious beasts were chasing them.
Jiang Ye sat on a little stool outside the gatehouse. He'd already pieced together what had happened from the faint commotion and snatches of conversation drifting out from inside. But when he saw Zhang Xu with his own eyes—his face bloodless, his vitality and spirit seemingly drained, unable to walk without others supporting him—he still gave a nearly imperceptible shake of his head.
"Superior bones, failed breakthrough... I suppose it was only to be expected."
A trace of amusement flickered in Jiang Ye's old eyes.
At the time, he didn't yet know that Zhang Xu's madness to come would accidentally cost him his seventy-year-old virginity.
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