Eldritch Horror Theatre

It was perfectly normal to be displeased.

Fu Qian completely understood Ni Huayuan’s reaction.

For one, the provocations had continuously escalated. For another, his own earlier question had been a blatant admission that their encounter at the Benevolent Curse Institute hadn’t been a coincidence.

Instead, he had seen right through their petty schemes and gone over deliberately to mess with them.

In that regard, Old Man Weilong had been wise not to come in person.

Nobody liked being played for a fool, especially not when the person who did it then told them straight to their face.

”Of course it caused a disturbance. I almost misread the situation and rushed all the way over to the Benevolent Curse Institute without a moment’s rest.”

Understanding their feelings was one thing, but that didn’t mean Fu Qian planned to cater to them.

”Still, it was worth it to discover such a fine seedling.”

He shook his head with a sigh, his expression incredibly natural before he abruptly shifted his tone.It was obvious that the two consecutive performances by this young woman named Wen Li had made it hard for even the notoriously strict Professor Fu to hide his appreciation.

”At first, you held back your strength so as not to offend, merely demonstrating your ability’s effects. Then you went all out, proving that it wasn’t just unique, but possessed true power... You have manners, and your train of thought is clear.”

Sizing Wen Li up, his tone softening considerably, Professor Fu seemed eager to test this young person’s limits.

”Do you have anything else interesting? You can use it all.”

...

”In the transcendent world, Rank naturally dictates high and low, but the flexible application of one’s abilities is far more important than one might imagine.”

While Wen Li stood there somewhat at a loss, Professor Fu didn’t waste the opportunity to offer guidance.

His speech even sounded excessively serious, entirely lacking the arrogant attitude of someone using their Rank to oppress others.

”This is because of a very simple truth. When you can utilize your abilities with greater precision and logic, you can also handle the backlash with greater ease. More often than not, the transcendent is not without a price... I’m sure Chief Yuan over there deeply understands this point.”

Not only did he offer a concrete explanation, but Fu Qian even gestured to Yuan Fang beside him, inviting this fighter who stood on the front lines against the dark side of the transcendent world to share his experiences.

”The nature of that price can even exceed your imagination.”

Everyone cherished talent. Although he could faintly tell that the young woman before him wasn’t much lower in Rank than he was, Yuan Fang didn’t mind the awkwardness. He shared his experience with the solemn demeanor of someone guiding a junior.

It was clearly no perfunctory remark. Though it was just a simple sentence, it was likely forged from countless tragedies.

”Thank you for the reminder. I will carefully reflect on it to ensure I dominate my abilities rather than letting them dominate me.”

Even though Wen Li’s feelings were complicated in that moment, she still earnestly expressed her gratitude for the teaching.

”Regarding special application techniques, I did test one in the past...”

Turning back to Fu Qian, she finally responded to his earlier question.

”In the past? You figured it out yourself without the guidance of Professor Ni and the others? Not bad. Let’s try it now.”

Her statement seemed to spark even more interest from Professor Fu, leaving him almost eager to see it.

”...Alright.”

Since things had reached this point, Wen Li first turned to look at Ni Huayuan. Only after confirming he didn’t explicitly object did she agree.

She took another deep breath.

However, she didn’t close her eyes this time. Instead, she stared straight at Fu Qian’s face.

A continuous surge of agitation washed over him.

...

This was the epitome of grandmaster-rank repeated side-stepping.

Amidst the dead silence, Fu Qian once again carefully savored the rich emotions welling up in his heart.

Mixed feelings were far from enough to describe it. It was maneuvering with sweeping control to the point where it felt like all his worldly sins were raving in place, shaking his brains into a smooth paste.

Beautiful Girl Kaleidoscope.

Just as he had expected, for her third demonstration, Wen Li chose this original skill that he had personally named.

Compared to the last time he had acted as a testing dummy, the effects simply could not be mentioned in the same breath.

Not only were the emotional shifts unhinged, with contrasts so stark they could snap synapses, but there was even a faint sense of a central theme.

To describe it specifically: while it tortured a person to their absolute limits, it truly felt like a song.

Very nice. As expected of the young person he favored.

Although for a Tier 2, these effects were limited to an evaluation; they were still far from enough to inflict real torture.

However, Eldest Miss Wen’s comprehension and diligence still earned Fu Qian’s heartfelt appreciation.

”Very good.”

He expressed it directly without any hesitation, even clapping his hands a few times.

”A very interesting method. It has much more technical substance than simply emphasizing power.”

Drawing everyone’s attention with his applause, Fu Qian delivered an unreservedly high evaluation. He pondered for a brief moment, seemingly making up his mind about something.

”I wonder if student Wen Li... would be interested in transferring to the Apocalypse Branch for an exchange? Please believe me, it will ensure that you don’t waste your talents in the slightest.”

...

Incredible... The legends were actually true!

Although Professor Fu was always known for his shocking quotes, his words still astonished everyone present.

Amidst the silence, Brother Yuan Fang even forgot to drink his tea for a moment, his heart filled with nothing but admiration.

He naturally knew about the friction between Fu Qian and the Linghui Courtyard. There was no need to even mention the student he had abducted from the Sword Comprehension Institute; that person was currently standing to the side pouring tea for everyone.

Although the atmosphere today was a bit strange, he could somewhat understand Ni Huayuan’s purpose in bringing people over.

It was probably to show that despite their setbacks, the mental and spiritual faction still had no shortage of rising geniuses.

It was indeed very much in their style.

Yet the man next to him didn’t even bat an eye, poaching someone right to their face in this kind of situation?

His excuse for abducting someone over to Apocalypse was even more shameless.

Even with heavy bias, it was hard to imagine how much guidance this type of ability could receive at Apocalypse.

Of course, Yuan Fang wouldn’t be bored enough to voice any opinions on this matter. He calmly drank his tea, quietly watching for Linghui’s counterattack.

”Is Professor Fu trying to say that our Linghui would lead students astray—”

Sure enough, no matter how good his composure was, it was finally impossible to maintain.

Ni Huayuan simply stood straight up, not caring at all about interpreting Fu Qian’s critique in the most blunt terms, escalating the discordant atmosphere even further.

Unfortunately, even such intense emotions were ruthlessly interrupted in the next moment.

The interim spokesperson of Apocalypse, who was sitting there calmly, reached out a hand without a word and slowly opened his palm.

At some unknown point, a sparkling object had appeared in the center of his hand.

Was that... an Ear Stud?

”Feel it with your ability. I believe you’ll understand its value to you.”

Just as the group reached this unbelievable conclusion, Fu Qian looked at Wen Li and gently prompted her.