As Ye Fan moved with his meticulously crafted humble demeanor towards the line of Qualification Test Stones, his mind was a vibrant tapestry of future glories. He saw himself, a peerless figure, standing atop the Tianshang Holy Land, the beauties of Fairy Peak and other peaks vying for his attention, their once proud eyes now filled with adoration or fearful respect. He envisioned trampling so-called geniuses underfoot, seizing legendary inheritances, and ascending to heights of power that would make the entire Tiaxu Continent tremble before his name. He was so lost in these intoxicating daydreams, so certain of his heaven-ordained destiny, that he was utterly oblivious to the fact that his future, the one he so vividly imagined, was already being meticulously deconstructed and rewritten by a quiet observer on a high platform.
His approach, however, did not go unnoticed by everyone in the sprawling crowd. As he neared the testing area, a ripple of recognition, quickly followed by sneers and derisive whispers, emanated from a particular cluster of youths. These were scions of other prominent families from Azure Sky City, families that had long-standing rivalries or, at the very least, competitive relationships with the Ye Family. Among them were prominent young masters from the Wang, Shen, and even distant branches of the Aan family, though Aan Chinner herself was, thankfully, far away.
"Well, well, if it isn't the former genius, Ye Fan!" a sharp voice, dripping with sarcasm, cut through the general murmur. It belonged to Wang Que, a youth with a haughty expression and robes that spoke of considerable wealth. He nudged the young man beside him, Shen Yun, whose own face was a mask of arrogant amusement. "Brother Shen, what do you think? Can our great Young Master Ye, the pride of Azure Sky City, even manage to light up that little test stone? Or has his 'mysterious ailment' finally turned him into a complete mortal?"
Shen Yun threw his head back and let out a boisterous laugh, deliberately loud enough to draw attention. "Hahahaha! Brother Wang, you jest! Who knows? Perhaps three years of being a renowned piece of trash has unlocked some hidden, trash-tier talent! Maybe he'll become the Holy Land's first official floor-sweeping prodigy!"
Their voices, unsuppressed and laced with undisguised mockery, carried clearly across the nearby sections of the plaza. Heads turned. Whispers intensified, morphing into snickers and outright laughter as more and more aspirants recognized the target of their derision. Ye Fan, the fallen genius of Azure Sky City, was a rather infamous tale, a source of schadenfreude for many.
On the Fairy Peak viewing platform, Su Chan observed this unfolding drama with a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on his lips. Ah, the classic cannon fodder mockers. Right on schedule. They serve their purpose, stoking the protagonist's anger, setting him up for a face-slapping moment later. Predictable, but effective for Ye Fan's narrative.
Beside him, Fang Xin frowned slightly at the overt rudeness, though she said nothing. Ning Youxi winced, feeling a pang of secondhand embarrassment for Ye Fan, despite everything Su Chan's diary had revealed. Lin Ruo'er simply watched with a curious, neutral expression.
Further afield, among the other heroines who were privy to the diary, a few suppressed smiles of their own. To see the "Son of Destiny," the supposed future overlord, being publicly humiliated was a small, satisfying appetizer given the grand schemes his diary counterpart had detailed.
Ye Fan, suddenly the unwilling center of this humiliating spectacle, felt his carefully constructed composure crack. His head snapped up, his eyes, no longer feigning humility, blazing with a vicious, almost feral glare directed squarely at Wang Que and Shen Yun. The disdain he usually kept hidden was now nakedly apparent.
Wang Que, far from being intimidated, bristled, his own arrogance ignited by Ye Fan's defiant look. "You! Ye Fan! What in the blazes are you glaring at, you loser? Your ability to cultivate vanished for three whole years, reduced to nothing, and you still dare to look at us like that? You're a dead man walking!"
Shen Yun chimed in, his voice even louder, "That's right! Even your own fiancée, the beautiful Aan Chinner, had the good sense to withdraw from the marriage! A piece of trash like you doesn't deserve a fairy like her! Did you really think she'd tie herself to a cripple for life?"
The mention of Aan Chinner and the broken engagement was like a dagger twisted in Ye Fan's pride. The crowd erupted in a fresh wave of murmurs and laughter. Aspirants who hailed from Azure Sky City or nearby towns began to eagerly share gossip about Ye Fan's notorious past – his arrogance when he was a genius, his alleged debauchery, his fall from grace, and the subsequent scandal of his broken engagement. He was being painted as a clown, a cautionary tale.
"Did you hear? They say he used to frequent brothels even when he was the top genius!"
"And his temper! Apparently, he thrashed a servant half to death for a minor offense!"
"Aan Chinner is lucky to be rid of him. What a disgrace."
Ye Fan's face contorted with a furious flush. His fists clenched so tightly his knuckles were white. The humiliation was a burning brand on his soul. He was about to unleash a torrent of furious retorts, to vow bloody vengeance, when a subtle, almost imperceptible pulse of soft blue energy, unnoticed by anyone, emanated from the simple black ring on his left hand. The energy flowed into his body, a cool stream that doused the raging fires of his anger.
"Little Fan," a calm, ancient voice echoed directly in his mind – the voice of his master, the remnant soul. "Patience. These are merely ants on your path, insignificant gnats. Their words are meaningless. Do not let their pathetic taunts derail your focus. True strength lies not in immediate, petty squabbles, but in enduring, in biding your time until you can crush them effortlessly. Your future is boundless. Use their mockery as fuel for your ascent. Opportunities for revenge will be plentiful once you have power."
Ye Fan took a ragged breath, the ancient soul's words a calming balm on his wounded pride. "Thank you, Master. You are right. I must endure this for now. When I become powerful, I will make them pay a thousand times over for this humiliation. I will grind them into the dust beneath my feet!"
With his master's guidance, Ye Fan's raging fury subsided, replaced by a cold, simmering resolve. His handsome features, moments ago twisted in anger, smoothed out, his expression returning to a semblance of calm, though his eyes still held a deep, icy glint when he briefly glanced at his tormentors. Without uttering a single word, he turned his back on Wang Que and Shen Yun and strode towards the designated Qualification Test Stone.
His master's voice hummed with satisfaction in his mind. "Good. To achieve greatness, one must possess not only talent but also a mind that can endure, a heart that can conceal its killing intent until the opportune moment. You learn quickly, Little Fan." The ancient soul then fell silent, retreating into the ring.
Wang Que and Shen Yun, seeing Ye Fan walk away without a retort, exchanged triumphant, sneering glances. "Hah! See, Brother Wang?" Shen Yun crowed. "He's afraid! The coward doesn't even dare to speak! He's running away with his tail between his legs!"
Their laughter followed Ye Fan, but he ignored it, his focus now entirely on the task at hand. He reached the testing platform, offered a perfunctory bow to the presiding Outer Sect Elder – an expert whose accumulated spiritual power and profound understanding far outstripped anyone in Ye Fan's current or recent past – and then, with a steady hand, placed his palm flat against the cool, crystalline surface of the Qualification Test Stone.
For a moment, the stone remained its usual milky white. The sneers on Wang Que's and Shen Yun's faces widened. Some in the crowd held their breath.
Then, it began.