"Wow."
Zhang Xiu opened his mouth wide, his face expressionless, then began applauding Yanqing.
"You! Are you looking down on me?!"
Seeing that Zhang Xiu paid no heed whatsoever to his challenge, Yanqing, whose mind was already under the Heliobus's influence, flew into a towering rage.
In an instant, several blades flew behind him, and the aura around him surged ever higher.
As the foremost prodigy of the Luofu, Yanqing had suffered repeated setbacks. Now, his pride had become a torment, leaving him dispirited.
It also made him doubt himself: Am I really a genius? Am I truly capable of fulfilling the duties the general entrusted to me?
That doubt drove him to seek ways to grow stronger, simmering his soul over a low flame...
"Looking down on you? Not at all. When I was your age, I was still attending that disgusting school, without a single other thought in my head."
"Compared to you, my past self was nothing."
Zhang Xiu lifted his head, his hands unconsciously rising with his palms turned toward the sky.
"What kind of person would I become? What would I do? I had no idea."
"All I thought about was how to fool the teacher over the homework I hadn't done yesterday. Scrambling to finish it while the teacher checked everyone's work was a real thrill."
"I wondered what the cafeteria would serve today, whether school would let out early, and whether we'd have tomorrow off."
"I was once as arrogant as you. I, too, imagined I could easily defeat powerful enemies..."
He slowly lowered his head until he met Yanqing's eyes. "You think I'm going to tell you to rein in your pride? No, no, no..."
"What I want to tell you is..." Zhang Xiu's expression gradually changed.
He lowered his hands, and