Main Text Chapter 1: The Fallen Genius

　　"Dou Qi power, third stage!"

　　Staring at the five glaringly bright characters on the test magic stone tablet, the young man’s face was expressionless, the corner of his lips curled in self-mockery. His tightly clenched fist, from the force, caused his slightly sharp nails to dig deep into his palm, bringing waves of piercing pain...

　　"Adam Bennett, Dou Qi power, third stage! Level: low!" Beside the test magic stone tablet, a middle-aged man glanced at the information displayed on the tablet and announced it in an indifferent tone...

　　As soon as the middle-aged man finished speaking, as expected, a wave of mocking commotion swept through the crowd-packed square.

　　"Third stage? Heh, just as I thought, this 'genius' has been standing still for another year!"

　　"Sigh, this good-for-nothing has really disgraced the whole family."

　　"If the clan leader weren’t his father, this kind of trash would have been driven out of the clan long ago, left to fend for himself. How could he still have the chance to freeload in the clan?"

　　"Sigh, the once-famous genius youth of Wu Tan City—how did he end up in such a sorry state?"

　　"Who knows, maybe he did something shameful and angered the gods..."

　　The scornful laughter and regretful sighs from around him fell on the youth standing like a wooden stake, stabbing into his heart like sharp thorns, making his breathing quicken slightly.

　　The youth slowly raised his head, revealing a somewhat delicate and youthful face. His dark eyes swept blankly over the mocking peers around him, and the self-mockery at the corner of his mouth seemed even more bitter.

　　"Are these people all so harsh and snobbish? Maybe it’s because three years ago, they once showed their most humble smiles in front of me, so now they want to take it all back..." With a bitter smile, Adam Bennett turned away in loneliness, quietly returning to the last row of the line. His solitary figure seemed out of place with the world around him.

　　"Next, Grace Bennett!"

　　Hearing the examiner’s call, a young girl quickly ran out from the crowd. As soon as she appeared, the nearby chatter quieted considerably, and pairs of slightly heated eyes locked firmly onto her face...

　　The girl was about fourteen years old. Though not a stunning beauty, her still-childish face carried a hint of charm. The blend of innocence and allure, a contradictory combination, made her the center of attention...

　　She stepped forward briskly, her small hand familiarly touching the pitch-black magic stone tablet, then slowly closed her eyes...

　　Moments after she closed her eyes, the dark magic stone tablet lit up once again...

　　"Dou Qi: seventh stage!"

　　"Grace Bennett, Dou Qi: seventh stage! Level: high!"

　　"Yay!" Hearing the examiner announce her result, a proud smile blossomed on the girl’s face...

　　"Tsk tsk, seventh stage Dou Qi, that’s really impressive. At this rate, she’ll probably only need three more years to become a true Dou Zhe..."

　　"No wonder she’s considered a seed-level talent in the clan..."

　　Hearing the waves of envy from the crowd, the girl’s smile grew even brighter. Vanity—this is a temptation many girls simply can’t resist...

　　Chatting and laughing with her usual girlfriends, Grace Bennett’s gaze suddenly passed through the crowd and landed on that solitary figure outside the group...

　　Frowning in thought for a moment, Grace Bennett dismissed the idea of going over. The two of them were no longer on the same level. With Adam Bennett’s performance in recent years, at most he could only become a lower-tier member of the clan after coming of age, while she, with her outstanding talent, would become a key figure cultivated by the clan, with a future full of limitless possibilities.

　　"Sigh..." She let out an inexplicable sigh, and in Grace Bennett’s mind suddenly appeared the image of that high-spirited youth from three years ago: training in Qi at four, reaching the ninth stage of Dou Qi at ten, breaking through to the tenth stage at eleven, successfully condensing the Dou Qi vortex, and becoming the youngest Dou Zhe in the clan’s hundred-year history!

　　Back then, the youth was confident and full of limitless potential, stirring the hearts of countless girls—including the former Grace Bennett.

　　Yet the path of a genius always seems full of twists and turns. Three years ago, this youth, whose reputation had reached its peak, suddenly suffered the cruelest blow of his life. Not only did the Dou Qi vortex he had painstakingly cultivated for over a decade vanish overnight, but the Dou Qi within his body also mysteriously dwindled with time.

　　The direct result of losing his Dou Qi was his strength constantly regressing.

　　From the pedestal of genius, he fell overnight to a level even lower than ordinary people. This blow left the youth utterly dejected, and the title of genius was gradually replaced by scorn and ridicule.