"Actually, I don't quite agree. This kind of wild imagination and grand creativity is really likable. Although most novels write about one man and many women, that's actually closer to reality—haven't you seen how those high officials and wealthy people all have mistresses? As for the educational consequences, that's not lacking either. Even Confucius said, 'Among any three people walking, I can find my teacher.' Even the worst novel has its own experiences and worldview. When you read enough of these novels, your knowledge naturally won't be too lacking. This isn't fundamentally different from those older generation novels that only know how to write about the hardships of going to the countryside, eating tree bark and grass roots back in the day. The real difference just lies in the level of writing and the quality of the works, that's all.

Similarly, in the martial arts genre, Jin Yong's 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils' can be included in textbooks; in the fantasy genre, 'Journey to the West' is one of the Four Great Classical Novels. As long as the writer's skills are deep, the subject matter of the work itself is not really something to criticize!"

Sarah Scott was expressing her own opinion, and this opinion gave Ethan Bolton quite a shock.

"Haha, what you said really makes sense. Actually, that's exactly how I think!"

Ethan Bolton smiled and sent a grinning emoji to express laughter.

"Alright, it's done. You can check it now. Cheer up—even though many friends didn't help you, that's just how the world is. If others help you, it's their kindness; if they don't, that's their duty. In this world, just because you put in effort doesn't mean you'll definitely get a reward. You understand these truths even better than I do, so keep working hard. I believe you'll soon stand up again and make those people in the group who look down on and insult you realize just how short-sighted they are.

Also, even if you see the messages in the group, don't get angry. Get some good rest, and starting tomorrow, face your new life!

I'm logging off now, goodbye, don't reply to me. I have to work overtime for a while and won't be able to get online."

A moment after this message was sent, the avatar of '淡心浅蓝' dimmed.

Ethan Bolton let out a deep breath, lit another cigarette, took a light puff, then raised his hand to close the chat window, and directly moved this classmate, '淡心浅蓝', from the classmates group into the 'Friends' group.

After this chat, Ethan Bolton continued deleting people from his contacts. When he couldn't delete any more, he opened the junior high and high school classmates groups.

He glanced at Grant Harris inside, boasting about his monthly income being only 18,000, and sneered.

"18,000 a month? That's just your family's store income, right? Didn't your mom say to your dad when they were doing the accounts that the best month only brought in 8,000? When did it become 18,000? Even if it is 18,000, is that your own income? And you claim to have a house and a car? You have the nerve to brag in the group? Isn't it just a second-hand Santana your uncle didn't want! As for the so-called house, it's just a two-story, two-room house in town with decent renovations, worth less than 100,000—does that count as owning a house?

If you're so rich, why haven't you paid back the 8,500 you borrowed from me?

You damn bastard, all you do is eat, drink, whore, and gamble, and you claim to have a monthly income of 18,000? Even male escorts don't make that much!"

Ethan Bolton snorted coldly, couldn't be bothered to keep looking at the group chat, exited all the groups, deleted a few more friends until he couldn't delete any more, and then directly closed QQ.

After finishing his cigarette, Ethan Bolton thought for a moment, reopened QQ, contacted his editor Ruby, sent over 20,000 words of the manuscript for "Castle in the Sky" for review, and then, deep in thought, started searching online for information about the pineal gland (the third eye).

After searching for a while, he found nothing, but when he opened the Qidian Chinese website, he saw a novel called "God and Demon Breeding Ground," which was about killing monsters and mutations, and his eyes immediately lit up.

In the past ten days, Ethan Bolton had tried many methods—cultivating, dripping blood onto his brow, eating plants, tree bark, grass roots, or killing mosquitoes and ants—but nothing changed. However, the images transmitted by that crystal space were vivid and detailed, not some kind of scam.

This left Ethan Bolton quite confused. He knew that as long as he could crack this devouring method, he would definitely become a true powerhouse!

Even though he didn't know what abilities would come with more halos after the crystal evolved, Ethan Bolton believed that this evolution would definitely go in a good direction! Definitely!

"Di di di—"

Suddenly, the QQ message alert sounded, and a handsome guy's avatar flashed in the lower right corner of the computer.

"Yeah, I read the manuscript. This time, the subject and concept are really refreshing and eye-catching—very good! Your progress is quite obvious, keep it up! Especially the sense of fast-paced upgrades that draws people in, as well as your handling of suspense and emotion—make sure to keep those strong!"

"Okay, thank you, boss! I've been planning this book for a long time, and I think it will definitely succeed!" Ethan Bolton replied with a message, adding a confident emoji.