Liu Yiyi was a little surprised.
"Oh, sure, you can, but as a Hunter, you can already use a 'Minor Ritual.' That makes you at least an Heir of the Ninth Art. Just do what you did for your previous advancement. Is there a problem?"
Han He fell silent for a moment. Shi Yu noticed that he seemed to be hesitating, something extremely rare for Han He.
At last, Han He spoke.
"I was already at the Ninth Art when I awakened. I never went through the 'Entering the Wild'* stage."
"You awakened at the Ninth Art?!"
Liu Yiyi's eyes suddenly widened. She looked like Columbus discovering a new continent.
Huo Qiuliang straightened up as well, his expression turning serious.
Liu Yiyi turned to Huo Qiuliang and said with some excitement:
"Xiao Liang, I didn't expect to find someone almost as strange as you."
As she spoke, Liu Yiyi strode over to Han He. Bending forward slightly, she carefully studied the aggressively handsome young man before her, making tutting sounds.
"We've struck gold this time..."
Liu Yiyi's reaction left Shi Yu a little stunned. He had never expected that his deskmate had not only reached the Ninth Art at such a young age, but had skipped a level to get there. No wonder there were so many things he didn't know.
Liu Yiyi's close scrutiny made Han He a little uncomfortable. He drew his tall frame in slightly and shifted his long legs closer to Shi Yu.
After circling him once, Liu Yiyi noticed her own lapse in composure. She cleared her throat, walked back to the front, and said:
"Then let's talk about advancement for Heirs. Listen closely, class."
Liu Yiyi came to a stop and tossed her head with an air of authority. This was clearly her area of expertise. She spoke confidently:
"Unlike the Gifted, Heirs theoretically have no limit to their advancement. As long as they're willing to temper their power and character, Heirs can always take another step forward."
That sounds much better than being Gifted...
Shi Yu grumbled inwardly, but Liu Yiyi immediately changed tack.
"But as I said, that's only in theory. Before we discuss advancement, let's get all the unpleasant things out of the way."
Liu Yiyi's expression became a little mocking, and her tone rose along with it.
"There's never been any fairness in this world, including between people. The simplest example is that you all sit in the same classroom, taught by the same teacher, yet even so, your grades are different.
"That's a gap, and it doesn't only show in the differences between the Staircases of the Gifted. The same applies to Heirs. When we struggle to improve any further, that means we've hit our own bottleneck.
"So Heirs only have a sliver more hope of advancement than the Gifted. That's all."
After saying this, Liu Yiyi clapped her hands. The crisp sound echoed through the room.
She looked at Han He and said:
"You can at least tell whether you've reached your limit yet, right? We can all sense it."
Han He nodded and answered concisely.
"I can still go further."
Liu Yiyi smiled and nodded before continuing.
"Then let's return to advancement... An Heir needs sufficient 'insight' to advance, insight connected to their own inheritance and their own focus."
Han He listened, silently committing Liu Yiyi's words to memory.
Liu Yiyi seemed to have grown a little warm from talking. She turned, walked over to the window, and opened it. Wind instantly rushed in, sweeping her hair behind her head.
"How you gain insight varies from person to person. Take Smelting, for example. When I advanced from 'Drying' to 'Roasting,' I gained the insight for my breakthrough while making an object. Once we have enough insight, we naturally advance... and see our own art. Just like when we become Heirs, power surges through our limbs and bodies, and skill feels like instinct."
In the afternoon sunlight, Liu Yiyi's eyes looked like a brightly burning furnace. She turned to Shi Yu and the other two.
"I look forward to seeing you climb higher..."
As Liu Yiyi spoke, even the temperature in the room seemed to rise a little. She turned toward them and said:
"Now for something else you won't like hearing... especially Han He."
Han He looked at Liu Yiyi, somewhat puzzled.
But Liu Yiyi's next words took them all a little by surprise.
"Gifted, Heirs-we're all the same, really. The higher we climb, the better we understand our own power, and the more obsessive we become.
"Even if we never advance, our own desires will eventually begin to chase us down and gnaw at us.
"As we rise, we perceive our desires ever more clearly. When we fail, we hate our own inadequacies. On the path of our focus, we grow ever more stubborn.
"In the end, we develop our own 'Heart Nightmare,' and its influence is hard to escape... But we must always try to restrain or resolve it. Otherwise, we'll die by our own hands before we die at the hands of Evil Sin."
As she spoke, Liu Yiyi raised a hand before her and slowly turned it over. Gazing at her slender hand, she said:
"The stronger we become, the madder we grow... But the madder we grow, the more obsessive we become, and the higher we can climb.
"That's also why almost everyone can only become either Gifted or an Heir.
"Desire and madness each seek their own path, tearing mortals into shattered bones.
"My good boys, I hope madness comes to you a little later."
The weather had gradually cleared that afternoon. Light split the clouds into a few scattered wisps from behind and poured down without restraint.
Yet as Shi Yu sat in the brilliant sunlight, he felt cold gradually creep up from the soles of his feet.
Maybe winter's coming...
Beside them, Huo Qiuliang watched Liu Yiyi. He hesitated, but still chose to interrupt her.
"Yiyi!"
Liu Yiyi froze for a moment, then turned to look at Huo Qiuliang. Then she laughed a few times.
Confusion appeared on the faces of Huo Qiuliang, Shi Yu, and the others.
Liu Yiyi also sensed that the mood had fallen flat. She stopped laughing and said a little awkwardly:
"I haven't gone mad... I was just trying to scare you..."
"That wasn't funny, sis..."
Huo Qiuliang looked utterly speechless. In a rare show of apology, he glanced back at Shi Yu and the others.
Liu Yiyi was embarrassed again, but this time she chose to steer the conversation back.
"But everything I just said was true. Never dismiss anything unusual about yourselves. We must keep our desires and power in balance, or we really will lose ourselves."
Shi Yu and the others nodded.
To be honest, it really wasn't funny, and it was frightening.
Shi Yu's chill had yet to fade. If not for the words "even if we never advance," he would have given his career plans some very serious thought.
"I'm coming in."
Just as Liu Yiyi looked at the three below her, each wearing a different expression, and considered whether to say something else to salvage the situation, Shen Bai's voice came from the doorway.
Then Shen Bai pushed the door open and entered. The first thing he saw was the serious expressions of Shi Yu and the others, and Liu Yiyi's embarrassed face.
"..."
Shen Bai didn't need to think to know that Liu Yiyi had spoken without thinking again. He closed his eyes briefly, then let out a breath and said:
"All right, forget whatever unpleasant things the captain just told you. Next, we can discuss some other questions relatively freely and openly."
Shi Yu looked up at Shen Bai, who was watching him.
Huo Qiuliang spoke from the side:
"Everything sent out?"
"Yes, everything, including the files containing the 'replay.'"
As Shen Bai spoke, his posture relaxed a little more. He loosened his collar and said:
"The reviewers upstairs will see some of our footage from earlier, but that's not a problem. They actually understand that no one will fully reveal their powers. Compared with abilities on paper, the higher-ups may care more about what you said and did at the time. In short, don't worry about it."
Even someone as serious as Shen Bai has complaints about the people upstairs... Just what is going on with those higher-ups?
Shi Yu pondered as he listened to Shen Bai.
But Shen Bai had no intention of resting for long. Soon, he spoke:
"All right, once we finish today's final question, we can wrap up."
Hearing this, Shi Yu and the other two all raised their heads to look at Shen Bai and Liu Yiyi at the front.
Shen Bai adjusted his glasses and said slowly:
"Your Staircases and focuses... We can talk about them now."
*Note
The Hunter inheritance: the Tenth Art, "Entering the Wild"
"Return to the embrace, grasp the crook of an arm. Honey and meat both await somewhere. What we must do is already clear: survive."
"Don't be afraid, darling. There's no need for the timid here. If this doesn't suit you, you'll be leaving soon."
Before you continue