Scorching Heat

For a period in high school, he had been exceptionally anxious. Chasing after geniuses was an agonizing process. When he had finally mastered the high school curriculum, he discovered that his classmates had already set their sights on calculus, TOEFL, and IELTS. Some particularly formidable people had even begun publishing papers in domestic journals.

Chasing others, even chasing a better version of oneself, became an intensely self-draining process once it crossed a certain line. Wen Xu was not like Chen Zui. Though both were kings of the grind, the latter only pushed himself and never internally drained himself.

Wen Xu-Xu himself should have understood this clearly. It was precisely because of that that Bian Chunchou could not find the words to console his friend—but he still had to say something.

Before he could open his mouth, Wen Xu-Xu spoke first. "I'm fine. I know what you want to say, but I don't care about breaking the record for the fastest Foundation Establishment."

"Of course I know that, but you want to break the record for the youngest Golden Core cultivator, don't you?"

Excellent. That hit the nail right on the head.

Wen Xu smiled. "As expected, I can hide nothing from you. It seems all my thoughts are written on my face."

"Not really. Other people can't see it. They've always thought Little Granduncle was as radiant as the wind and clear as the moon." Bian Chunchou chuckled. "But we're friends. In front of us, you rarely hide your true emotions anymore."

Wen Xu was startled. He had not noticed it himself.

"So don't care so much. Maybe when you truly figure it out, I'll be the first one to notice it. After all, I'm your best friend. I pay super close attention to you. Scared?"

Bian Chunchou himself felt