Eldritch Horror Theatre

A melee mage. A practitioner of martial-magic dual cultivation.

Though Eldest Miss Wen usually preferred talking through her feelings, she knew a thing or two about throwing punches when dealing with someone who refused to listen.

Once she realized Professor Fu wasn’t joking about this seminar and genuinely wanted her to strike with all her might, she clearly held nothing back.

Hum—

Even the sound of the impact was extraordinary. When her earnest punch slammed into Fu Qian’s chest, it rang out like a struck bell. The resounding tone cleared the mind and lifted the spirit—if this wasn’t what it meant to have one’s soul purified, nothing was.

Yet that was only the initial taste. Savoring the aftershock revealed something akin to a demonic hum piercing the ears, stirring up a swirl of tantalizing thoughts...

Beyond that, the sheer physical force behind it was staggering. It wasn’t the least bit weaker than a Demigod Level Air Bullet.

Eldest Miss Wen’s claims were evidently far from empty. An ordinary entity of the Demigod Realm would likely struggle to take that punch head-on.

”Not bad—you pass.”

Having just taken a hammer-like blow to the chest, Fu Qian appraised Wen Li as she stepped back to nervously await his critique. He nodded, offering his approval before appending an utterly baffling remark.”You, try again.”

Before either of the two could voice their confusion, Fu Qian turned to his Laboratory assistant, providing the context for that baffling remark.

The implication was clear: Classmate Liushuang was only ”not bad.” She had not yet passed.

”Mm... alright.”

Though she couldn’t quite fathom his reasoning, Ji Liushuang offered no objections. Her hand dropped to the hilt of the Sword in the Stone she had just sheathed.

”Hold on a second.”

Professor Fu signaled that he wasn’t quite ready. Under the watchful eyes of the two young women, he unwound a Ribbon from his hand and tied it over his face, completely covering his eyes.

...

That was right—the Eldest Son’s Vision.

The special reward he had just acquired was already proving useful.

The true purpose behind this little stunt naturally had nothing to do with testing how much they had improved. The core focus remained the hidden danger he had noted earlier.

Both Wen Li and Ji Liushuang had made substantial contributions during their recently completed mission. Naturally, that meant they had shouldered significant risks as well—especially Wen Li, who had deliberately triggered pleasure.

That was why, after waiting briefly in Shangjing without a visit from Chief Yuan, Fu Qian had used his newest method of transit to seamlessly cross over and check on the situation here.

From the looks of it, things seemed rather ideal.

For one thing, they possessed no memory of their experiences within the Dark Sanctuary. The ”guests” who had appeared during the mission were essentially constructs formed from his own cognition, rather than their true selves being pulled into a dream.

Furthermore, perhaps due to completing the mission so efficiently and the brief window of exposure, those constructs—which still maintained a conceptual link to their true selves—hadn’t transmitted anything harmful back to them.

Yes, it wasn’t just Eldest Miss Wen; both of them were perfectly fine.

He naturally had a solid reason to be so certain.

Aside from his pierced finger bleeding onto the seat earlier, Fu Qian had also let a single drop of blood seep into the Burial Scroll on his person while chatting with the two young women.

After a long wait, the item’s cooldown had finally reset, allowing it to temporarily restore his Transcendent Perception.

His demand that they go all out was entirely due to the passive nature of this perception.

The higher the power they directed at him, the easier it might be to inversely use Insight on any lurking hidden dangers.

The two participants had been perfectly compliant. They followed his instructions to the letter and held absolutely nothing back in their strikes.

Ultimately, under the power of that Insight, it seemed there truly were no hidden dangers.

As for why only Eldest Miss Wen had passed?

The answer was simple. With an opportunity that only came around once every twenty-four hours, how could he afford to use it too luxuriously?

Beyond this safety check, Classmate Liushuang—as the theoretical next family head of the Ji Clan—was undeniably a core figure in the previous Transcendent bloodline project.

Even if he wasn’t preparing to conduct a test, taking the chance to use Insight a bit more was completely justified, to say nothing of his newly acquired item—

Naturally, he wasn’t planning on pulling off the legendary blindfolded dart-catching trick.

While the Eldest Son’s Vision lacked any particularly direct effects, his earlier experience with it proved it possessed a certain profound mystique.

Considering all he needed to do this time was ”look,” there was nothing wrong with adopting a novel perspective, right?

Given the two young women’s keen observational skills, they had naturally noticed the item wrapped around Professor Fu’s hand ages ago.

Yet it was obvious that its specific application still managed to startle them.

Unfortunately, Professor Fu was in no rush to clear up their confusion, quietly waiting for Classmate Liushuang to make her move.

...

Truly excellent.

Only when the back of his hand was entirely stained crimson did Fu Qian reach up to remove the Ribbon.

Despite her Rank being slightly lower, Classmate Liushuang’s strike appeared even more fruitful than Wen Li’s.

At this moment, Professor Fu’s left palm had been cleanly pierced by another sword that had answered her call, its tip stopping mere inches from his brow.

As for how she managed it?

Unfortunately, just like the first time he wore the Ribbon, the entire process was skipped over, rendered ”indescribable.”

It could only be said that right before Fu Qian removed the Ribbon, aside from clearly feeling the sharp blade slicing through flesh and fascia, he could also feel the ”beauty” of life within it... and even the beauty of that very aesthetic being torn asunder.

In short, it almost gave him the distinct impression of rushing over to conduct a checkup on others, only to end up with pleasure rushing straight into his own brain.

”Professor Fu?”

Classmate Liushuang’s tentative voice rang out beside him, evidently shocked by the results of her own attack.

But Fu Qian gave no response. He was even admiring the wound with an intoxicated expression, leaving her momentarily afraid to make another move.

”I’m perfectly fine, don’t worry.”

Having no desire to put psychological strain on his volunteers, Fu Qian casually offered a word of comfort upon realizing her distress.

To help her realize he was perfectly fine, he even gave his impaled hand a slight flex, further savoring the shape of the blossoming wound.

...

Neither of them spoke, and neither of them moved. As empathetic as the two young women usually were, they clearly could not relate to this kind of behavior.

”Where were you aiming to stab me just now?”

Not that Fu Qian required their empathy; after toying with the blade for a moment, he suddenly asked.

It was a strange question to hear at first. After all, it clearly looked like the strike had been aimed squarely at his brow exactly like her first attempt, only to be blocked again.

”Your brow... your chest, and your eyes.”

Yet disbelief swelled in Classmate Liushuang’s eyes in that moment, and she actually listed three distinct locations in succession.

It could only be said that she was still far too obedient to leadership... To think she had woven three hidden variations into her strike against a stationary target?

”So it really was three...”

Fu Qian gave a slight nod, looking completely unsurprised.

”How did you know, Professor Fu?”

For a moment, even Wen Li voiced her curiosity.

”Because I saw three swords.”

Recalling the sensations under the Eldest Son’s Vision, Fu Qian did his best to clumsily describe them with words.