Chapter 130 Song Yan’s Loneliness

Chapter 130 Song Yan's Despair

Witnessing this grand spectacle, those who had dismissed Hua Diao as nothing more than a pretty face, all looks and no substance, were utterly dumbfounded.

Where was the delicate, demure wife they had expected?

What was this massive water tornado all about?

A spell of this magnitude had to be at least an advanced-level incantation, right?

After all, advanced spells weren’t something just anyone could learn. It wasn’t as simple as tearing open a Skill Scroll and mastering it—one’s mental capacity had to meet the required threshold. Some people, no matter how hard they tried, couldn’t elevate their mental capacity, much like the "talentless" in certain fantasy novels—those without any magical aptitude.

Thus, if someone could cast an advanced spell, it proved they possessed the necessary mental capacity and talent.

From this alone, the label of "useless vase" could already be stripped from Hua Diao.

Among those present, Song Yan’s emotions were particularly complicated. The confidence she had just rebuilt with Quan Yumeng’s encouragement was instantly shattered again—after all, she herself possessed only one advanced spell.

But what happened next dealt an even heavier blow to her already faltering heart.

Over there, Hua Diao unleashed a showy barrage of advanced spells one after another—"Movement of Water," "Three Thousand Water Spears," "Rainfall into Arrows," and more—as if putting on a dazzling display. The combined efforts of the thousand-strong battlefield paled in comparison to her overwhelming spectacle. It was truly mind-blowing, leaving everyone stunned, mouths agape, at a loss for words.

Having one advanced spell was already impressive, but she had so many—holy crap, that was at least five!

Not everyone could possess five advanced spells at once. Advanced spells were engraved in one’s mind, but the capacity of each person’s consciousness varied—some were large, some small, determined at birth. Unless one obtained rare elixirs that could expand the consciousness (which, given the current game progression, clearly hadn’t appeared yet), there was no way to increase its capacity.

Thus, everyone’s consciousness was still in its innate state. Some had small consciousnesses, only able to hold one advanced spell—forcing them to discard lower-level spells to make room for higher ones. Others had vast consciousnesses, capable of storing countless advanced spells. Clearly, Hua Diao’s consciousness was large, able to hold at least five advanced spells—her potential was immense.

Moreover, the observant noticed that her final spell, "Rainfall into Arrows," covered such a massive area that the entire sky began to rain. Its power surpassed even the water tornado, piercing straight through the once-majestic, flame-wreathed Firebirds. Scores of Firebirds let out piercing shrieks before plummeting from the sky like a downpour. The half of the sky previously scorched by flames cleared in an instant, revealing clear skies.

This spell seemed even stronger than an advanced one—likely a legendary-grade spell—raising their estimation of Hua Diao even higher.

Song Yan was left completely speechless, her mouth slightly agape as she stared blankly at the scene, unable to snap out of it for a long time.

How had Hua Diao become so powerful?

Before, she had been the most popular socialite in Qingcheng’s upper-class circles.

But now… she had to admit that Hua Diao outshone her completely, radiating an even greater brilliance.

This realization made her previous conviction—that she alone was worthy of standing beside Xie Tingsheng, that she would one day replace Hua Diao—seem utterly pathetic.

Song Yan’s lips twisted, the arrogance in her eyes finally replaced by melancholy.

Truthfully, her feelings for Xie Tingsheng hadn’t begun after the apocalypse, spurred by Zhu Bin’s encouragement. She had liked him long before—back when she was still in high school. Though she had been the school’s most sought-after beauty, she had never cared for the boys fawning over her. Instead, it was Xie Tingsheng—who had skipped grades to become her senior and treated her with indifference—who had caught her attention.

Unconsciously, she had been drawn to his intelligence, composure, and extraordinary handsomeness. But she knew Xie Tingsheng was just a poor boy from the slums. Given her status and family background, her parents would never approve unless he achieved great success or became new money in Qingcheng, building a fortune worth billions.

So, she had restrained her feelings, afraid her parents would discover them and cause trouble for him.

Then the apocalypse came. Her family’s status became meaningless, and when Zhu Bin invited her to join his team—even encouraging her to pursue Xie Tingsheng—her long-suppressed heart finally saw a chance to indulge.

But then she learned he had already married Hua Diao. The news left her disheartened, and she hesitated over whether to continue harboring these feelings. Later, however, she heard their marriage was merely a paper marriage—a repayment to Hua Diao’s father. Hearing it over and over, she could no longer hold back. Her love flared up within her, and even when she later learned their relationship had become genuine, her heart refused to retreat. She didn’t want it to.

Because she believed Hua Diao wasn’t good enough for him. Only she was his true match. Sooner or later, he would grow tired of Hua Diao and finally see her—standing beside him as his equal.

Yet, instead of news of their separation, today brought Xie Tingsheng to the battlefield with Hua Diao in tow. And Hua Diao’s display of brilliance was overwhelming, she stole the show, her radiance undeniable—far surpassing Song Yan’s own, shattering her pride to bits. Only then did she finally re-examine her fixation, realizing that perhaps this affection had been wrong from the start.

The day she had waited for—the day he would turn and see the exceptional woman standing behind him—would never come. It was time to move on.

Song Yan withdrew her gaze, pressed her lips together, and remained motionless where she stood.

Quan Yumeng had initially wanted to say something more to encourage her, but seeing her like this, she thought better of it and stayed quiet.

After defeating a wave of monsters came the treasure chest looting. With the second wave yet to arrive, everyone rushed forward to collect the chests.

Hua Diao was no exception, dragging along Xie Tingsheng (who hadn't pulled his weight) toward the pile of chests ahead.

"Ugh, so much running around. I shouldn’t have used that special attack. Chests can only be picked up within a three-meter range, and my Water Tornado sent the Firebirds flying far away, scattering the chests too."

Hua Diao was frustrated. Using a special attack felt awesome at the time, but collecting the chests afterward was a nightmare. For the distant ones, she’d have to pull out her car from her inventory space and drive over to retrieve them.

There wasn’t even time to open the chests now—she could only stuff them all into her spatial ring and gather them first before opening them later.

This made Hua Diao especially nostalgic for the pre-update version of the game, where there were no time limits and she could fly anywhere to collect chests. Now, it just wasn’t possible. Sigh!

Zhu Bin was equally frustrated. He had been looking forward to seeing his sister-in-law showcase her legendary, maxed-out luck in opening chests. But now, she was off in her car, beeping her horn while chasing after scattered chests. What a disaster!