In the spacious gymnasium, students of both genders stood frozen in stunned silence.

Zuo Tian—a Qi Refining Ninth Layer prodigy, a true rarity—how could he be labeled “useless”?

Cold sweat soaked the black-haired boy’s uniform shirt. He narrowed his eyes to hide the bloodshot veins, fingers clenched tight.

Head bowed, Zuo Tian’s gaze swept the room. Every student’s astonished stare felt like needles pricking the back of his skull.

His eyes found Su Yingsnow—the graceful, serene girl hadn’t glanced his way once.

The one watching him was…

Then he saw Luo Qingchuan.

Zuo Tian froze for a breath.

Luo Qingchuan was actually looking at him.

With… confusion?

Baffling, inexplicable confusion.

Then Zuo Tian saw a hand.

Lu Wu’s hand.

The young man in Taoist robes smiled gently. “‘Useless’? Perhaps Truthseer holds you to too high a standard. Don’t dwell on it. You’ve already excelled, Zuo Tian. Cut through the heart’s illusions, and you’ll reach the pinnacle.”

Zuo Tian grasped Lu Wu’s hand and was pulled upright.

Lu Wu patted his shoulder, voice warm. “I believe in you. Don’t lose heart. The time to ride the wind and break the waves will come…”

Lu Wu noticed Zuo Tian trembling before he staggered back alone.

A throbbing pain surged in Zuo Tian’s forehead—so fierce he wanted to split his skull open, yank out his brain, hurl it down, and stomp it to dust.

Yang Jin guided him to a bench against the wall, chuckling. “I still think your future’s boundless.”

“Mm…” Zuo Tian offered a lazy, easygoing smile. “Honestly? I don’t care. Whatever happens is fine.”

He felt sick.

He took a sip of water, head low. A single thought looped in his mind:

*I just want to quit…*

But beneath that drifting whisper lay a volcano ready to erupt—the fire of destiny and pride burning endlessly.

The aptitude assessment continued.

Students stepped forward, stood dazed, then returned—pale, shaken.

The Truthseer Mirror offered brief verdicts.

Minutes later, Luo Qingchuan’s turn arrived.

“Close your eyes,” Lu Wu said.

Luo Qingchuan obeyed. Supported by Lu Wu’s arm, he slowly approached the mirror.

“Relax,” Lu Wu smiled. “Open them.”

Su Yingsnow’s delicate hands twisted nervously.

Luo Qingchuan wasn’t calm.

*Good grief… even Zuo Tian, the fate-blessed prodigy, got shaken.*

*This Truthseer Mirror’s brutal.*

*Wait—why hasn’t Zuo Tian reached Foundation Establishment?*

*The future… is changing.*

*Since last night’s bar fight. Since seventy-three lives saw the sunrise unharmed…*

*The world is drifting from prophecy.*

Before the mirror, Luo Qingchuan’s slightly cold eyes opened.

He froze.

“You are a demon.”

Lu Wu’s gentle face twisted into a monstrous snarl, lunging like a wild beast!

Luo Qingchuan stepped back—but students pinned him from behind.

“Demon!”

“Kill him!”

“This world has no place for you!”

He struggled, strength vanishing. Powerful hands yanked him.

Lifted.

Torn apart.

*Riiip…*

The sound of flesh parting.

Not his.

Blade marks slashed across students’ bodies. Invisible steel sliced them into pieces.

Blood gushed like fountains. Young faces froze mid-scream.

*Thud. Thud. Thud.* Bodies collapsed—teens in their prime, faces twisted.

Pale limbs littered the floor. Shattered fingers scattered like beans.

Thick blood pooled across the polished wood, flowing past Luo Qingchuan’s shoes.

Lu Wu lay dead, eyes wide.

Luo Qingchuan gasped, brows furrowed.

“It wasn’t me.”

The Calamity Blade hadn’t even manifested.

“Luo Qingchuan… you… you killed them all…”

A bell-like voice trembled with fear. He turned. Su Yingsnow stood amidst crimson.

Her face deathly pale, teeth clenched. “Look what you’ve done!”

“It wasn’t me,” he stated flatly.

A faint smile touched his lips as he scanned the carnage.

“It wasn’t me,” his voice chillingly calm. “And I never would.”

*CRASH.*

Black cracks spiderwebbed through space—like shattering glass.

*Shatter…*

As if waking from a storm.

Luo Qingchuan blinked back to reality, staring at his hazy reflection.

Ethereal characters floated from the mirror:

「Well done.」

Lu Wu’s eyebrows lifted. After a pause, he laughed. “Excellent!”

Luo Qingchuan blinked. “Meaning?”

“It’s praising your goodness,” Lu Wu smiled. “It admires you.”

“So… I got a ‘nice guy’ card?” Luo Qingchuan joked.

Laughter rippled through the students.

A girl called out, “Luo Qingchuan, be *my* bad guy sometime!”

A flicker of resentment crossed Su Yingsnow’s watery eyes. She murmured, “He’s mine.”

*What a pity,* Lu Wu thought. *His heart earned Truthseer’s praise… but weak talent, foundation ruined by pills. Karmic obstacles ahead. No hope. Not like Zuo Tian—even labeled “useless,” his youth holds boundless potential.*

Noticing the regret in Lu Wu’s gaze, Luo Qingchuan smiled faintly. “Thank you.”

He turned and walked back to the boys’ line.

Lu Wu clicked his tongue.

*A good kid. A smart one. That’s what makes it sadder.*

*Such is fate.*

“Next: Su Yingsnow.”

The elegant female teacher beside Lu Wu—sophisticated, city-polished—called her name.

She watched the breathtaking girl approach. “Come.”

*So beautiful it stung.*

Su Yingsnow moved with celestial grace. Guided by the teacher, she closed her eyes demurely—a snow-dusted immortal exiled to earth. Flawless. Defenseless. Stirring twisted urges in onlookers.

Boys stared, entranced.

*They say eyes are a girl’s best feature… but even closed? Stunning.*

*Luo Qingchuan’s luck is unreal.*

From the girls’ corner, Gao Rongrong sighed softly. *I shouldn’t have offended her.*

Seconds after opening her eyes, Su Yingsnow trembled. She crouched, hugging herself, tears falling drop by drop.

Characters drifted from the mirror:

「Mortal dreams shatter easily; emotions overwhelm reason.」

Her choked sobs fell like ice crystals on every heart—cold, sharp.

She looked utterly abandoned by the world.

Silence.

Then—Luo Qingchuan stepped quietly before her.

She lifted her head. Met the gentlest kindness imaginable.

He bent, tucking a stray strand behind her ear.

Su Yingsnow smiled through tears, too shy to hold his gaze. His eyes were too close—she couldn’t see herself. Panic fluttered.

“I saw you running alone into the dark… no matter how I called, you wouldn’t turn back. Like you’d left me…” she whispered.

“Don’t imagine things.” He ruffled her jet-black hair. “Truthseer’s an illusion. I’m not your fleeting dream. I’m right here.”