“The little kid’s willpower isn’t bad—he actually didn’t get scared enough to jump off.” A teasing laugh echoed from within the ring.

“Who are you? Why are you in my ring? What do you want?”

After a brief silence, Adam Bennett clearly asked the key questions.

“Don’t worry about who I am for now. Anyway, I won’t harm you. Sigh, after so many years, I’ve finally met someone with a soul strong enough. Truly lucky, hehe. But I still have to thank you, little kid, for your offerings these past three years. Otherwise, I’d probably still be asleep.”

“Offerings?” Blinking in confusion, after a moment, Adam Bennett’s young face suddenly darkened, and with a chilling tone, he forced the words out through gritted teeth: “The mysterious disappearance of my Dou Qi—was that your doing?”

“Hehe, I had no choice, little kid, don’t blame me.”

“Fuck you!”

Usually proud of his calm and composure, Adam Bennett suddenly erupted like a madman, his face twisted with rage. Without caring that this was a keepsake from his mother, he yanked the ring off his finger without a second thought and hurled it forcefully off the steep cliff…

The moment the ring left his hand, Adam Bennett’s mind suddenly cleared, and he hurriedly reached out to grab it, but the ring had already fallen straight down the cliff…

Staring blankly at the ring disappearing into the mist, Adam Bennett was stunned for quite a while. His face gradually calmed, and he slapped his forehead in frustration. “Idiot, too reckless, way too reckless!”

Having just learned that the culprit behind his three years of humiliation was the ring he’d always worn, it was no wonder Adam Bennett lost control like that.

After sitting at the edge of the cliff for a long time, Adam Bennett finally shook his head helplessly, got up, turned around—and his eyes widened in shock, his finger trembling as he pointed at what was in front of him…

Floating before Adam Bennett was a pitch-black, ancient-looking ring. What shocked Adam Bennett even more was the transparent, elderly figure drifting above the ring…

“Hehe, little kid, no need to get so angry, right? I just absorbed your Dou Qi for three years.” The transparent old man smiled as he looked at the dumbfounded Adam Bennett and spoke.

Adam Bennett’s mouth twitched, his voice laced with suppressed anger: “Old man, since you’ve been hiding in the ring, you should know how much ridicule I’ve suffered because you absorbed my Dou Qi, right?”

“But haven’t you grown through those three years of ridicule? Do you think you’d have the same endurance and maturity you have now if it weren’t for those years?” The old man smiled ambiguously and spoke lightly.

Frowning, Adam Bennett’s mood gradually calmed. After his outburst, joy followed—now that he knew the mystery behind his missing Dou Qi, his talent must have returned!

Just thinking about finally having the chance to shed the label of “useless,” Adam Bennett’s body felt almost reborn with relief. Even the hateful old man before him didn’t seem quite so annoying anymore.

Some things are only truly valued once lost! Regaining them makes one cherish them even more!

Stretching his wrist lightly, Adam Bennett let out a long breath and looked up. “I still don’t know who you are, but let me ask: do you still plan to stay in the ring and absorb my Dou Qi in the future? If so, I suggest you find another host—I can’t afford to feed you.”

“Hehe, no one else has a soul perception as strong as yours.” The old man stroked his beard and smiled. “Since I’ve chosen to reveal myself, I naturally won’t absorb your Dou Qi again without your permission.”

Adam Bennett rolled his eyes and sneered in silence. He’d already decided—no matter how sweetly this old thing talked, he wouldn’t let him stay by his side again.

“Little kid, do you want to become strong? Do you want to be respected by others?” Even though he’d already decided to keep his distance from the old man, Adam Bennett’s heart still skipped a beat at these words.

“Now that I know why my Dou Qi disappeared, with my talent, do I still need you to get stronger?” Taking a slow breath, Adam Bennett replied coolly. He knew there was no such thing as a free lunch—accepting favors from a mysterious stranger was hardly a wise choice.

“Little kid, your talent is indeed good, but you have to realize—you’re already fifteen, and your Dou Qi is only at the third stage. I think I heard you’ll have your coming-of-age ceremony next year, right? Do you think you can reach the seventh stage of Dou Qi in just one year through hard work alone? And you made a three-year bet with that girl—her talent isn’t much lower than yours. Do you think catching up to her and surpassing her will be that easy?” The old man’s wrinkled face now looked like a blooming chrysanthemum.

“If you hadn’t absorbed my Dou Qi, would I have been humiliated by her like this? You old bastard!” Stabbed where it hurt, Adam Bennett’s face darkened again, and he cursed through gritted teeth.