Reverse

He had thought leaving Thunderclap Manor would let him escape that place, but perhaps... his heart had never left it at all.

Wen Xu noticed that the darkness around them had grown deeper. Wu Fang had not let go; if anything, he had sunk further into it.

"Isn't that a good thing?"

Wu Fang looked up. "What is?"

"If you're gold, then of course you belong among gold. Do you think you could succeed surrounded by grains of sand?"

No. Wu Fang shook his head inwardly. He had once imagined cultivating out in the world for years, then returning after reaching Nascent Soul to quietly astonish everyone. In truth, he could not even reach Core Formation.

Perhaps he was not gold at all. Perhaps he was only a golden grain of sand.

"You're so pessimistic. If I were you, I'd never dare make friends with these two." Bian Chunchou poked the two friends beside him. "You have no idea how awful they are. They work themselves to the bone cultivating every day—one practices swordsmanship, the other the blade. They're already so talented, but they still keep pushing and pushing. If I weren't optimistic by nature, I'd be hiding under my covers crying every day!"

Wu Fang: ...

"You don't believe me? My talent will scare you to death!"

His sorrow momentarily forgotten, Wu Fang asked, "What's your talent?"

Bian Chunchou planted his hands on his hips. "Ha! I have a Water-Fire Dual Spiritual Root. How would you feel if you had one of those?"

What? Water and fire? Wasn't that... a Waste Spiritual Root?

Wu Fang's eyes widened. But Bian Chunchou clearly...

"I wouldn't lie about that. Stop eating yourself up inside! By my calculations, your talent must be great. I'm not crying, so what are you crying for? I