Zhang Xu's Collapse!

The news of Zhang Xu failing to break through to the Dark Force spread through the inner and outer courtyards of the martial arts hall like a thunderclap.

At first, it was merely a suppressed commotion and whispering within the circle of core inner-court disciples.

But soon, this shocking news grew wings, spreading rapidly alongside all sorts of embellished speculations and undisguised gossip.

"Have you heard?! Senior Brother Zhang Xu... he tried to break through to the Dark Force and failed!"

"What?! That's impossible! Senior Brother Zhang has superior aptitude and a wealthy family background; he eats medicinal pills like candy. Shouldn't breaking through to the Dark Force be a matter of course for him?"

"It's absolutely true! I saw him with my own eyes being helped out of the Hall Master's study by two people. His face was as pale as paper and his aura was incredibly unstable. It's clear he failed the breakthrough and damaged his vitality!"

"Hiss... even someone with superior aptitude can fail? It seems the Hall Master's frequent saying that 'aptitude is not everything' and 'character determines success or failure' is no empty talk."

"Heh, if you ask me, failure is only natural!"

"That guy Zhang Xu, relying on his family background and aptitude, acts like his eyes are on the top of his head. All day long, he's either dragging friends to taverns to carouse or plotting how to win people over and put on airs. I doubt he's spent much time truly settling his heart to polish his blood-qi or comprehend the transformation of force!"

"Exactly, I bet his energy has been spent on other things! Flirting with women, wine, wealth, and status—which of those doesn't drain one's essence and spirit? The Dark Force barrier is so subtle; if the heart isn't pure and the qi isn't clean, he deserves to fail!"

Although the inner-court disciples kept their voices low, the undisguised schadenfreude and biting sarcasm were like fine needles, piercing through doors and windows to prick the ears of everyone in the know.

Zhang Xu was arrogant and ostentatious, having offended no small number of people. Now that they saw him fall, most watched with cold eyes, some even feeling a hidden sense of satisfaction.

Inside the study.

The atmosphere was so heavy it felt as if it could drip water.

Liu Qingshi stood with his hands behind his back in front of the window, his back turned to Zhang Xu, who was slumped on the floor with a withered aura. His brows were tightly locked.

A moment later.

He turned around slowly, looking at the disciple whose face was as pale as paper and whose forehead was beaded with cold sweat, and finally let out a heavy sigh.

"Zhang Xu, you possess superior aptitude and a wealthy family background, and you have never lacked cultivation resources. This is a blessing that ordinary people can only dream of."

Liu Qingshi's voice was not loud, but every word was clear and carried a hint of heaviness.

"However, your mind is cluttered, and you have failed to focus entirely on the martial path. Banquets, social obligations, and interpersonal entanglements have all invisibly drained your essence and spirit, eroding your martial will."

"The Dark Force barrier requires, above all, a 'pure heart and transparent force.' Your accumulation was insufficient, and your mind was restless. To force it was to invite failure... it is no accident."

Zhang Xu sat cross-legged on the cold floor tiles, his hands clenched into tight fists until his knuckles turned white. He gritted his teeth so hard that a grinding sound could be heard.

He kept his head lowered, his messy hair obscuring part of his face, but the gloom and rage churning in his eyes were like a volcano about to erupt.

He, a genius with superior aptitude, had actually failed to break through to the Dark Force in front of everyone!

This was no different from tearing all his superiority to shreds in public and trampling it into the mud!

In truth, before the breakthrough, he had vaguely sensed that his accumulation might still be lacking by a hair's breadth.

But as it happened, Hu Tian and Shi Lei had both mastered their fist techniques today, and the entire martial hall was filled with the illusion that "today's luck is excellent."

Coupled with his deep-seated arrogance and impatience, he had gambled on a stroke of luck and forced the breakthrough...

In the end, reality gave him the coldest and most ruthless slap in the face.

Liu Qingshi looked at his state, his own heart feeling complex.

He shook his head slightly, his tone softening with a hint of exhortation.

"Fortunately, your foundation is not damaged, only your vitality is severely injured. With your aptitude and family background, go back and recuperate properly, nourish your blood-qi, and spend some time quietly accumulating strength while clearing your mind. In the future... it is not impossible that you will have another chance to attempt the breakthrough."

Having said this, he spoke no more and summoned two inner-court disciples who usually followed Zhang Xu—both of whom looked anxious—and instructed them to carefully escort Zhang Xu home to rest.

As those two disciples supported Zhang Xu—who was unsteady on his feet and exuding an aura of dejection—and carefully shuffled him out of the study.

Gazes were cast from all directions.

In these gazes, there was undisguised curiosity, suppressed snickering, naked schadenfreude, and a small amount of complex sympathy. But more than anything, it was a kind of scrutinizing satisfaction at seeing someone who had once been high and mighty suddenly fall.

"Senior Brother Zhang Xu, are you alright?"

Hu Tian didn't know when he had trotted over, his face showing clear concern.

He had just entered the inner court and had not yet fully grasped the undercurrents here; he asked purely out of a "stick close to the big brother" mentality and a bit of genuine worry.

However, he was met with a cold, gloomy, and even resentful look from Zhang Xu, who had suddenly turned his head.

In Zhang Xu's twisted mind at that moment, if it weren't for Hu Tian and Shi Lei "reporting good news" today, stirring up his restlessness and causing him to misjudge the situation, how could he have rushed the breakthrough and ended up in such a state?

These two, along with that eyesore Shi Lei, had become part of the shame of his failure, and he secretly harbored a grudge against them.

Hu Tian was stunned by this sudden cold shoulder and stood there at a loss, assuming Zhang Xu was just in a terrible mood and not thinking too deeply about it.

"Ahhhhh, damn it all!!!"

Feeling the gazes of the surrounding disciples fixed upon him, Zhang Xu felt a profound sense of humiliation.

What made him break down the most was that his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of Liu Yiyi.

On the face of the woman he cared about most, which was usually as cold as a snow lotus, there seemed to be a trace of... contempt?

And standing beside Liu Yiyi, Su Yan was looking at him with a playful expression, her beautiful eyes filled with undisguised schadenfreude.

This made Zhang Xu feel as if he were going mad.

"Did you not eat today?! Move faster!"

He whipped his head around, squeezing a low, vicious growl through his teeth at the two lackeys supporting him, the veins on his forehead bulging.

The two lackeys shuddered in fright, no longer daring to show the slightest negligence; they used every ounce of their strength to half-drag and half-carry Zhang Xu, rushing out of the inner courtyard as if fleeing for their lives, heading toward the main gate of the Martial Academy as if pursued by a ferocious beast.

Jiang Ye, sitting on a small stool outside the gatehouse, had already pieced together the general situation from the faint commotion and snatches of conversation drifting from the courtyard. Yet, when he saw with his own eyes the wretched state of Zhang Xu—his face drained of color, his spirit seemingly hollowed out, unable to walk without being propped up by others—he still shook his head almost imperceptibly.

"Superior bone structure, yet failed the breakthrough... expected, I suppose."

A flicker of mockery crossed Jiang Ye's aged eyes.

At this moment, he did not yet know that Zhang Xu's ensuing madness would cause him to unexpectedly lose the virginity he had preserved for seventy years.