My fingers trembled.
On the experimental platform, the energy monitor's needle had crossed the red warning line, emitting a piercing shriek.
Sweat soaked my uniform, dripping from my chin onto the metal surface, instantly evaporating into white mist from the high temperature.
"Yun Feng! Terminate the experiment immediately!" The Principal's roar exploded from the communicator.
I gritted my teeth, the taste of blood seeping from my gums.
I couldn't stop.
Just a little more, just the last bit, and I would be able to touch that legendary realm—the level of a Z-class Ability User.
"Energy infusion 98%..."
Blood vessels all over my body bulged beneath my skin, like countless blue earthworms wriggling.
My Parser ability operated frantically, attempting to deconstruct this vast and terrifying energy structure.
The laboratory's protective shield began to show spiderweb-like cracks, and the teachers and students in the observation seats retreated in horror.
"100%!"
In an instant, the world went silent.
I saw it—the most minute flaw in the energy source, a defect that shouldn't have existed.
My pupils constricted sharply.
This energy model had been tampered with.
"No—!"
The explosion came too fast, too sudden.
The moment the blinding white light swallowed my vision, I clearly felt my skin vaporizing, my muscles disintegrating, my bones shattering.
The pain was indescribable, as if every single cell was being torn apart alive.
I'm going to die.
This realization was more maddening than the pain.
I was only nineteen, an SSS-class genius rarely seen in Xinghui City for a century, just one step away from the peak!
How could I just—
Darkness swallowed everything.
......
"Cough..."
I abruptly "opened my eyes," but saw nothing.
No limbs, no torso, only a blurry consciousness drifting in the void.
Where was this?
Hell?
"Luo Qingxue, step forward for the test."
A cold, mechanical female voice suddenly pierced my consciousness.
Immediately after, like a camera lens suddenly focusing, external scenes forcibly squeezed into my perception—a pure white testing hall, an Ability Monitor suspended in mid-air, and a row of stern-faced examiners.
And I... seemed to be attached to someone's body?
"Yes, Instructor."
A clear, cold female voice emanated from the body I was attached to.
As the "host" looked up, I finally saw her reflection in the mirror through her eyes—waist-length black hair, pale skin, delicate yet indifferent brows and eyes.
The family crest pinned to the girl's chest displayed her identity: the legitimate daughter of the Luo family, one of the four great families of Xinghui City.
"Third annual test, Luo Qingxue, seventeen years old."
The chief examiner flipped through the records, "Previous assessment: no ability reaction."
I felt the girl's fingertips dig into her palm, but her expression remained perfectly still.
When her hand pressed onto the testing crystal, I instinctively wanted to probe the surroundings.
A faint energy fluctuation emanated from me—or rather, from within us.
The crystal remained motionless.
"No reaction."
The examiner's voice carried a familiar indifference, "Next."
Snickers erupted in the testing hall.
"Sure enough, zero reaction again."
"The Luo family's disgrace."
"Her parents are both S-class geniuses, how could they give birth to such a good-for-nothing?"
Every word was like a knife stabbing into the girl's heart.
Through a strange shared sensation, I could taste the blood in her mouth—she had bitten the inside of her cheek.
"According to academy regulations, students who fail the test for three consecutive years should be expelled."
The chief examiner pushed up his glasses, "But considering the Luo family's special status, the Principal has specially approved your transfer to the ordinary class.
This is your last chance, Luo Qingxue."
"Thank you for the academy's leniency."
The girl's bow was as perfect as if measured with a ruler, but I could feel every segment of her spine trembling.
As she walked out of the testing hall, a boy in an elite class uniform deliberately bumped into her shoulder.
"Oh, isn't this our noble 'Young Miss'?"
The boy bowed exaggeratedly, "I heard you're repeating a grade again?
That really brings honor to the Luo family."
I felt the host's heart suddenly accelerate in her chest, the sound of blood rushing to my eardrums hurting me.
"Get out of the way, Nangong Xiang."
Luo Qingxue's voice was as cold as ice, but I could sense the cold sweat on her back—she was afraid.
"What?
A good-for-nothing without an ability dares to speak to me like that?"
The boy—Nangong Xiang—suddenly reached out and pinched her chin, "Your parents are risking their lives for the Alliance out there, but at home, they're raising something as useless as you, truly—"
"Stop."
A majestic voice interrupted him.
Nangong Xiang immediately let go, a fawning smile plastered on his face: "Brother!"
The newcomer wore an elite class uniform embroidered with gold trim, and the SS-class badge on his chest glittered in the sunlight.
When I saw his face through Luo Qingxue's eyes, my consciousness suddenly vibrated violently—Nangong Ao!
My biggest rival when I was alive!
"Bullying someone without an ability, aren't you ashamed?"
Nangong Ao glanced at Luo Qingxue disdainfully, "She doesn't even have the qualifications to make you act."
This sentence was more cruel than any insult.
Luo Qingxue's face was almost transparently white, but her back remained perfectly straight.
It wasn't until she turned the corner of the corridor and was sure no one was watching that she abruptly leaned against the wall, her legs as soft as cooked noodles.
I felt her hurried breathing and violently beating heart, a strange resonance trembling deep within my consciousness.
I, who was once a genius admired by all, was now reduced to a wisp of a ghost dependent on others; and she, the legitimate daughter of the noble Luo family, suffered endless humiliation due to her lack of an ability.
How similar we were.
Returning to the Luo family estate, she was greeted by the butler's formalized bow: "Young Miss, the Master and Madam sent word that they will not be returning for dinner tonight."
"Understood."
Luo Qingxue's expression showed no fluctuation, but I could taste the bitterness on her tongue.
Her room was in the most secluded corner of the estate, simply furnished and unfitting for her status.
After closing the door, she mechanically took off her uniform, revealing arms and thighs covered in bruises—scars left from physical training class.
Students without abilities could only rely on physical strength to gain a bit of pitiful dignity.
When the sound of water in the bathroom began, I finally had a chance to examine my own state.
I, Yun Feng, a genius with an SSS-class Parser ability, had now become a mental entity attached to a good-for-nothing young miss?
This was too absurd!
One year later · Ordinary Class Annual Test
"Next, Lin Xiaoyu."
A thin girl with a ponytail shyly stepped forward.
When her hand pressed on the crystal, a faint glow, like a firefly, lit up.
"F-class, Luminescence Ability."
The examiner recorded expressionlessly, "Next, Luo Qingxue."
The entire testing hall immediately erupted in whispers.
Over this year, I had grown accustomed to these sounds.
Luo Qingxue's life in the ordinary class was not easy—the Luo family's young miss without an ability was looked down upon more than a commoner.
Only Lin Xiaoyu, who was also ridiculed, was willing to be her friend.
"Qingxue, you can do it..." Lin Xiaoyu whispered, her fingers nervously intertwined.
Luo Qingxue nodded and walked towards the testing platform.
I could feel the despair churning beneath her calm surface; this was her last test before adulthood, and if she still didn't manifest an ability, she would lose her inheritance rights to the Luo family!
Over the past year, I had been slowly absorbing energy, but it was truly too faint, so faint that I couldn't even move a pen.
"If there's no ability reaction, hurry up and get down, don't waste—"
The examiner's words stopped abruptly.
Because the moment Luo Qingxue's hand touched the crystal, I used all the energy I had accumulated over the year, exerting my full strength.
The energy structure of the fire-elemental Ability User who tested before was clearly visible in my "eyes"; I frantically analyzed, imitated...
A faint wisp of flame shot up from the crystal, pitifully small, and vanished in an instant.
But it had indeed existed.
The entire testing hall was dead silent.
Luo Qingxue's hands began to tremble, first slightly, then violently, and finally, her whole body shook like a leaf in the wind.
Her eyes instantly reddened, and large tears rolled down, hitting the testing platform with a crisp sound.
"F... F-class, Flame Manipulation."
The examiner stammered, as if he had seen a ghost.
Luo Qingxue suddenly covered her mouth, emitting a choked sound somewhere between a sob and a laugh.
She turned and ran down the testing platform, and in front of everyone's astonished gazes, she hugged Lin Xiaoyu.
"I... I have an ability now..." She whispered into her friend's ear, her voice shaking uncontrollably, "Xiaoyu, did you see it?
I really..."
She couldn't continue, burying her face in Lin Xiaoyu's shoulder and crying silently.
I could feel the emotions churning in her chest—that was the first glimmer of hope she had seen in a year, the relief of finally being able to stand tall after countless times of being trampled, the ecstasy of her stubbornness, which led her to secretly practice physical techniques until she was covered in bruises every night, finally being rewarded.
"Congratulations..." Lin Xiaoyu also cried, the two girls hugging and weeping openly in front of everyone.
In the distance, Nangong Xiang's expression was like he had swallowed a fly.
And his brother, Nangong Ao, narrowed his eyes, staring thoughtfully at Luo Qingxue's retreating figure.
I knew that from today onwards, everything would be different.
The setting sun cast a bloody hue over the Luo family estate.
Luo Qingxue clutched the F-class ability certification, still warm to the touch, her fingertips white from gripping it so tightly.
I could feel the heart in her chest beating at an unprecedented frequency—not fear, but a suppressed anger and anticipation of many years.
"Young Miss, you're back."
The butler stood at the carved iron gate, his gaze, however, passing over her shoulder to the group of black cars that had been waiting for a long time behind her, "The Master and Madam are in the main hall... receiving guests."
Luo Qingxue's lips curled into a cold smile.
Guests?
Just vultures flocking at the scent of blood.
Before she even stepped into the main hall, a sharp female voice had already penetrated the thick oak door:
"Brother Tianxing, it's not me saying this, but Qingxue is eighteen years old and still can't manifest an ability.
According to ancestral rules, a child should be adopted from a collateral branch!"
"Exactly!
Our Luo family is one of the four great families, after all, we can't hand it over to a good-for-nothing—an ordinary person, can we?"
The moment the door was pushed open, the clamor in the hall ceased abruptly.
Over twenty pairs of eyes shot towards her, like knives ready to flay Luo Qingxue alive.
I counted them; all the aunts and uncles were present, each with a boy or girl of similar age beside them—what perfect successor candidates.
On the main seat, Luo Tianxing's tightly furrowed brow relaxed for a moment when he saw his daughter, then quickly tightened even more.
Beside him, the beautiful woman—Luo Qingxue's mother, Su Wan—had her knuckles clenched white, yet still maintained a dignified smile.
"Qingxue is back?"
A middle-aged woman with permed hair quickly stepped forward, intimately reaching for Luo Qingxue's hand, "Just in time, we were discussing the family's future..."
Luo Qingxue sidestepped, and the woman's hand hung awkwardly in mid-air.
"Second Aunt."
Luo Qingxue's voice was as cold as ice, "Bringing so many people here, are you preparing to see my parents off?"
One sentence instantly ignited the stifling air.
"How can you speak like that, child!"
"Ill-mannered!"
"Indeed, without an ability, you're good for nothing!"
I felt the anger surging within Luo Qingxue, the blood vessels at her temples throbbing.
But she merely walked calmly to her father, took out the neatly folded certificate from her embrace, and presented it with both hands.
"Father, your unfilial daughter has made you wait too long."
Luo Tianxing took the certificate in confusion, and the moment he unfolded it, the hand of this SS-class powerhouse actually trembled slightly.
He suddenly looked up, his eyes blazing with a piercing light: "This is...?"
"Annual test results."
Luo Qingxue turned to face the room full of relatives, her voice not loud but every word like a knife, "F-class fire-elemental ability, certified by Xinghui Academy."
Dead silence.
"Impossible!" Second Aunt was the first to shriek, "You clearly didn't have one for three years—"
"Bang!"
Luo Qingxue slapped the certificate onto the coffee table, the academy's anti-counterfeiting seal glowing with a faint blue luster under the light.
"This, it can't be faked, can it?"
This sentence was like a resounding slap, making everyone in the room turn pale.
Several relatives who had brought their children had already begun to quietly retreat, while the "successor candidates" they had brought showed expressions of disappointment.
As long as Luo Qingxue had an ability, even the weakest F-class, she would be qualified to inherit the Luo family!
"Fake!
It must be fake!"
A bald man jumped out, "Who doesn't know that Luo Qingxue is a notorious good-for-nothing—"
"Boom!"
A terrifying pressure suddenly filled the entire hall.
Luo Tianxing slowly stood up, surrounded by visible silver energy currents—the manifestation of his SS-class ability, Star Control.
"Did you not hear my daughter's words clearly?"
A simple sentence, yet it made the bald man immediately fall to his knees, cold sweat soaking his back.
"Brother Tianxing, we are also thinking for the family..." Second Aunt was still struggling.
"Get out."
This time, it was Su Wan who spoke.
The usually gentle S-class Healer condensed a dangerous ball of white light in her hand, "If I hear anyone say another bad word about my daughter, I don't mind letting him taste the 'Holy Light Burn'."
The relatives scattered with astonishing speed, the last one even forgetting to close the car door.
When the hall finally returned to silence, Luo Tianxing hugged his daughter tightly, the voice of this iron-blooded tough guy actually choked with emotion: "Good child... Dad knew..."
Su Wan embraced them both from behind, tears silently falling.
At this moment, I felt the tremor deep within Luo Qingxue's soul.
For the first time in eighteen years, she was no longer the family's disgrace, but a daughter who made her parents proud.
After returning to her room, Luo Qingxue locked the door and finally allowed herself to collapse onto the floor.
She trembled as she stretched out her finger, trying to summon that wisp of flame again.
But no matter how hard she tried, only sporadic sparks flickered at her fingertips.
"Why... it was clearly there this morning..." She bit her lip, panic appearing in her eyes.
I knew why—that had already used up all the energy I had accumulated for a year.
But now, I could finally try to communicate with her.
Concentrating all my energy, I condensed a few faint sparks in the air in front of her, arranging them into simple words:
【Need energy】
Luo Qingxue's eyes widened abruptly, she instinctively wanted to scream, but immediately covered her mouth.
She cautiously looked around, lowering her voice: "Who?"
The sparks rearranged: 【Your ability】
"My... ability?" She frowned in confusion, "How can an ability have consciousness?"
【SSS Special Ability · Parser】 I continued to spell with sparks, 【Original owner: Yun Feng】
The name made her gasp.
As a student of Xinghui Academy, no one didn't know about that fallen genius.
"You are... Cloud Maple Senior's soul?
Why are you in my ability?" Her voice trembled, yet surprisingly, it didn't carry too much fear, but rather a strange anticipation.
【Experimental accident】 I explained briefly, 【Need energy to recover】
Luo Qingxue was silent for a long time, so long that I thought she would refuse.
But finally, she looked up, her eyes shining with determined light:
"What do you need?"
At this moment, I knew that our destinies were truly intertwined.