Man, the Martial Union sure missed out on some nice bonuses.....I wonder if Rui will still give them at a low price for good will....

What happened to Master Gurren?

I guess the first step is to become the strongest Martial Master......

Thanks a lot, I really love this story. This clearly explained why Rui felt this way and why suddenly changing to a scientific explanation mattered. Keep on writing the best story I've read on this platform

I guess I felt that previously he was OK being Rui and 'inheriting' John. I also personally don't see a difference between 'magically' implanting a soul into a pre born baby, and doing the same with science. In both cases the baby isnt made to be John. Wouldn't he still feel this way even if his soul was magically transferred. The science would still hold either way considering what you said about identity? In both cases he still thinks he was 'implanted' but he was somehow OK when it was pure magic? He knows that there must be something strange about 'earth' so there is still a chance of something weirdly esoteric. He also wasn't entirely convinced it was magic in the first place wasn't he? So I think I missed why having it be defined as science changes anything since I feel the same logic about identity holds either way.

That's not what I'm saying at all! I'm saying that he can have a breakdown, but the way it happened seemed contrived. Logically he was always John, there wasn't anyone to replace as a baby in the womb. Rui was supremely logical originally and you had his emotions dulled and portrayed him as even more machine like. It would be different if he reincarnated into an adult but he didn't. So based on his current character he shouldn't have taken it that extremely. It seemed you wanted it to be this huge dramatic moment and you made him act unlike his character.

It seemed you made him act out of character just for the drama.

Look here is how I thought it would happen. Rui would be shaken, he would yell at the doctor and move to be alone. He would sit down to meditate. He would be confused, shaken and severly upset. There would be a mental battle of "Who am I really?", and he would conclude that earth definitely existed in some way. But then he would question if he was Rui, or John who has taken over what should have been Rui. This wouldn't have a conclusion. Then you can set up the arc of Rui finding out who he truly is.......I didn't expect him to basically collapse to the ground , his martial drive nearly collapsing.

Look I'm not talking about anything scientific. In your mind it probably all makes sense. All we readers have to go on is what is written in the story. To me and others it seems contrived because there hasn't been an explanation written in the story which makes it all make sense. Additionally, it seems to go against other things written, and it appears to come out of nowhere. Rui is said to have one of the strongest drives ever. He had a mental breakdown due to some words from a dude he just met? From a readers point of view, it seemed Rui was fully confident in who he was. He also seemed to have proof that the doctors' words couldn't be fully trusted. He also seemed to have evidence contrary to what the doctor said. The doctor also said it should have been impossible for the ritual to have occurred. Rui shouldn't have had this immediate breakdown. This is a story thing. You can't just go " well actually it's all explained by science", you're writing a fantasy novel for people who like to read said novels.

Look none of this is based on definite science. I love how you weave science into this story, but be real here, this story is a work of fantasy. I feel the breakdown is contrived. Others do too, looking at the other comments. I feel this way because the reasons stated for the breakdown in the story seem to go against previous things you have established. There didn't seem to be enough of a build up. Rui is established as an extremely intelligent man, and he just seemed to breakdown due to some words from a crazy person. He has enough evidence that there is something else happening rather than just this ritual. Sure it should have shocked him, but i can't see how it could basically nearly shatter his drive?

Also saying there is no evidence he hadn't experienced it is a cop out. There is also no evidence he had experienced the method apart from the doctor saying he saw signs. He also said that it was probably impossible he had experienced it as well...

OK I see the mother angle now. But still based on how the hypnosis stuff has been established previously in the novel I can't see how it was performed on a baby in the womb?

He's ignoring so many things. His mother clearly loved him dearly, evidenced by the Silas clans' extreme focus on family. She also left his father to make sure Rui grew up loved. I doubt she would be willing to implant some strange adults mind into her son. Secondly how would she get a mind from another world? He states he knows earth is real....so it must have been from another world. Furthermore, is he just going to ignore the life he lead up to now? Assume he is only John Falken? That should have been the struggle instead...combining both his previous life and current one into one identity. Not suffer a random mental breakdown due to the words of a crazy doctor who described a method you obviously couldn't have experienced.

This feels a bit contrived...

It shouldn't matter. He knows that he's from another world, that can't be explained by merely copying memories. Especially him knowing the Tree of Life of Gaia, which adds more evidence that he's from another world.

Maybe the breakthrough to the Master realm will reset his brain?

Whew, Rui isn't as bad emotionally as I feared he would be....

Rui's love and excitement for his martial art made this story exceptional to me. That he was still a caring person, even with his drive, made me love his character even more. Having his character gutted for a long time would honestly kill the story for me....

The transcendent interfered? Maybe trying to get Rui to acknowledge being the antithesis?

Probably something to do with his unique martial path. Lifespan is a physical condition I suppose.