An absolute silence enveloped the place; everyone was in shock.
One of the students spoke up, "More than one person receiving Grade A? That's truly a miracle!"
Eugene's eyes slowly widened, an indescribable joy taking hold of him.
"High talent… I may not fully understand its use yet, but since I obtained a rare grade, one thing is certain: it's extremely important to cultivators. This is a huge step toward my goal." These words echoed in his mind.
Eugene turned back toward his friends, clear signs of happiness on his face.
A mix of astonishment, joy, envy, and resentment filled the hearts and faces of most of those present.
But just as life gives, it must also take in return.
As Eugene was stepping down, the crystal began to glow once more and emitted a strange sound.
Eugene, the students, and the instructors all turned toward the crystal.
"What's happening?" one student said.
The mist began to pour out again, forcefully absorbing Eugene's Feather Energy.
"Haaah! What is this? Stop the crystal!" Moses shouted, fear and shock evident on his face.
BOOOOM!
A massive explosion shook the hall. Eugene was blasted away, feeling a searing heat burn the left side of his face.
"Aaaah!" he screamed in agony.
Everyone in the hall was stunned, then chaos erupted as people fled, screaming, while flames spread rapidly.
One of the instructors moved swiftly, releasing an extremely cold current of air toward the fire. In an instant, the surrounding waterfalls froze solid, and a snowy white color spread everywhere.
"Yuuuuugene!" Eugene heard Rin's voice fading away as his world began to sink into darkness.
Rin reached Eugene and found the left side of his body burned, from below his stomach up to the beginning of his face, partially around the mouth area.
Black mist began to rise once more from the shattered crystal.
Moses turned toward it and saw it forming into the shape of a letter…
Five hours later
Eugene woke up to find himself in a large white room with three wide windows. It was nearly sunset.
The room contained ten white beds. An IV bag hung beside him, a tube extending into his body.
"My head…" Eugene felt a severe headache.
As he was about to cry out in pain, Fred entered.
"Thank goodness, you're awake!" he said, trying to sound reassuring.
Eugene asked, "Where am I? What happened? Why does my head hurt so much?"
Fred sat down on the nearby chair.
"Well… the crystal exploded, and because you were close to the blast, the left side of your body was burned."
Shock spread across Eugene's face.
"But the burn can be treated—it isn't permanent!" Fred quickly added, trying to soften the blow.
Eugene remained stunned.
"Then… what caused the explosion?" he asked, his eyes filled with deep sorrow.
At that moment, Moses entered, wearing a long white robe.
"That's why I came. I want to know—did anything unusual happen to you this morning?"
"No, there was nothing," Eugene replied.
"But you consumed your resources raw this morning, didn't you?" Fred interjected.
"What? How does that affect the crystal?"
"Raw resources contain impurities," Moses explained. "Toxic and useless substances. That's why alchemists refine them into potions. You consumed them directly, which contaminated your Feather Energy and made it unstable. That's why the crystal couldn't read it properly."
Fred continued, "At first, it gave you Grade A talent—your true talent. But the impurities reduced the purity of your Feather Energy, lowering it to Grade C. As for the explosion… the crystal wasn't designed to absorb toxic Feather Energy, especially one as powerful as yours."
They looked at Eugene and saw shock, pain, and sorrow in his eyes.
His mind screamed, "Why… why does this keep happening to me? I lost my mother, I lost my talent, part of my body is scarred… damn it! What am I supposed to do now? Every time I think I'm closer to the truth, closer to becoming a powerful cultivator… the dream flies farther away, and I'm left here."
Seven hours later
Eugene lay quietly, staring at the ceiling in the stillness of the night. Rin, Rem, and several students visited him, but what hurt him the most were their looks: pity, hidden mockery, sorrow.
What pain it is to see yourself through the eyes of others.
Eugene turned on his bed and rested his head on the pillow.
"Ah… ah…" Tears flowed silently—tears of oppression and unbearable pain.
Outside the infirmary, directly in front of a window, a man stood hidden within the shadows of a tree. His eyes were shaped like three-pointed stars, red as blood. A hollow smile spread across his face, sending fear into the heart. A faint, dark mist escaped from his mouth.
End of Chapter Six