Chapter 2770 - 2765: Bullying (Part 2)

But he was too naive, unable to deny the words the overseer had spoken. The path of Arcane Arts indeed required a massive amount of time and energy for research before any discoveries or inventions could actually serve a clan. Given An Jiao’s frail physique, even running was difficult, let alone undertaking long-term arcane research!

A heartbroken An Jiao, holding the blueprint of a new power Array he had just devised, slowly turned back. This was originally meant to be presented to the examiners of the Abyss of Darkness, but he never imagined he wouldn’t even get to enter the door.

An Jiao slowly turned around and walked towards home. As for what to do after returning home and how his life would proceed, An Jiao himself didn’t know.

As An Jiao walked with his head low, leaning on a cane and watching the road beneath his feet carefully, a piercing laughter suddenly reached his ears.

"Let me see, who is this? Why does a waste from the lower tier have the guts to come to the Abyss of Darkness? Do you actually intend to study in such a Holy Ground?"

An Jiao looked up and saw a young man in luxurious attire, followed by two lackeys. On the collar of the lavishly dressed youth was the emblem of a golden two-headed snake.

Suddenly, An Jiao’s mind trembled; he recognized this emblem. It was the coat of arms of one of the notable families in the Clan of Darkness, whose founder had once braved life-and-death battles alongside the Grand Chieftain, the Great General who had fought everywhere.

The weapon the General was best known for was a giant axe forged from Dark Gold. Legend held that he had used it to behead one hundred thousand enemies, numerous times breaking through encirclements with the then Clan Leader and had even saved the Clan Leader’s life on multiple occasions.

Thus, after the war had ended, the General, for his great military exploits, conspicuous fame, and his willingness multiple times to wager his life saving the Clan Leader, received reward from the Grand Chieftain.

The Grand Chieftain promised that the General’s descendants would have priority in accessing clan resources and Cultivation Techniques, and if any descendants excelled, they could directly enter the core leadership of the Clan of Darkness, bypassing the cumbersome assessment process to gain immense power.

This was a commendation for the Great General’s many contributions to the Clan of Darkness. Naturally, his descendants could enjoy the ancestral shade, and the Great General’s family within the Clan of Darkness is considered to be Nobles, especially with such privileges.

Moreover, this gold two-headed snake mark was the General’s coat of arms, the same one engraved on his massive axe.

Therefore, An Jiao recognized such an emblem. It could be said that the entire clan recognized the golden two-headed snake mark.

Within the Clan of Darkness, there are also stratified classes of Ninth Rank, with families like the Two-headed Snake Clan being Nobles, akin to the core personnel of the Clan of Darkness, self-proclaimed upper class.

An Jiao’s family didn’t even qualify as a family. Although his father was a renowned Samurai within the Clan of Darkness, he was merely a Samurai, destined to be ever-prepared to sacrifice his life for the Clan of Darkness in warfare.

If the Clan of Darkness were in danger, Samurais like An Jiao’s father would rush to the forefront, rewarded with scant cultivation resources, and rarely reaping significant rewards, forever residing at the lowest tier among the Clan of Darkness personnel.

They naturally couldn’t compare with the high-ranking individuals managing everything behind the scenes, whereas it was obvious that the family of this noble youth had someone orchestrating many things at the upper levels of the Clan of Darkness, benefiting their family.

An Jiao had seen this noble youth before during the selection at the Abyss of Darkness. Back then, he was brought by family, seemingly friends with the leaders of the Abyss of Darkness; either that or the people there wished to forge connections with the Two-headed Snake Clan’s influential figures within the Clan of Darkness.

In case anything happened subsequently, they could seek aid from these formidable figures. An Jiao remembered that this noble youth entered the core of the Abyss of Darkness without participating in the selection, directly enjoying resources and Cultivation Techniques for which An Jiao and others might futilely vie.

An Jiao still remembered the overbearing expression of this noble youth on the high platform, having heard his name whispered by those around him—An Hao, a direct descendant of the Two-headed Snake Clan, holding significant status.

It was surprising to see that he already had two lackeys in such short order. It seemed even those within the Abyss of Darkness followed the external aristocrats’ methods, currying favor with influential figures.

An Jiao heard the ridicule in An Hao’s words, but he didn’t intend to respond, nor did he want to argue. He merely wished to return home directly.

After all, An Jiao hadn’t mingled with any peers for so many years. He didn’t know how to interact with them, yet he internally believed he should just quietly walk home without further response.

An Jiao lowered his head and brushed past An Hao and the other two, trying to completely disregard it all. Yet, An Hao didn’t seem to be planning to let An Jiao go. He shot his lackeys a glance, and the two boys beside him immediately closed in on An Jiao with malicious grins.

Then, a rather chubby youth gripped An Jiao’s arm directly, while the other who looked like a lanky monkey snatched the papers from An Jiao’s hand, passing them to An Hao.

Seeing his papers taken, An Jiao immediately shouted, "Give them back! Quickly, give them back! Don’t take my papers!"

Ignoring An Jiao’s cries, An Hao spread open the roll of papers and casually glanced over them, mocking, "So this is your path? A sickly cripple like you wants to be an Arcanist? What can you achieve with that worthless body?"

"You’re just useless. What’s the point of these papers if you’re dead? Can you still research?" An Hao sneered disdainfully.

An Jiao didn’t respond, struggling desperately, trying to break free from the chubby boy’s grip to reclaim his papers. But how could his frail body possibly break loose from the grasp of this hefty boy?

No matter how hard An Jiao struggled, he couldn’t escape the chubby boy’s hold.

An Hao continued disdainfully, "Just obediently go home. Stop dreaming of impractical things. This is the Abyss of Darkness, the Clan of Darkness’s Holy Ground, not a place for lower people like you!"

"Riiiip—" An Hao casually tore the roll of papers into shreds with a few swift moves, tossing them into a muddy puddle on the ground.

An Jiao’s eyes instantly lost their luster. The chubby boy released An Jiao’s arm, but by now An Jiao was utterly desolate, collapsing to the ground. He watch as his papers got gradually soaked in the muddy puddle, countless indescribable emotions welled up within him.

He recalled the countless days and nights spent at his desk, poring over texts, drawing Array patterns, continuously refining his research, even when his deformed foot pained him sleeplessly. He persisted in his research amidst the vast sea of patterns and drafts.