“Mu Guili, come find me after evening class.”
Ding Chong’s voice reached her ears.
Mu Guili: As expected of an instructor. Even when he has something to discuss, I still have to finish class before going to see him.
Gong Yu’an and the others returned to Ding Class with Mu Guili.
“Compared to running into all those aggravating things just now, I’d rather stay in class and sleep.”
When Mu Guili entered the classroom, she found it in complete chaos.
Some students were laughing and playing around, some were fast asleep, some were chatting about anything and everything, and there were even a few drinking and playing leaf cards.
At the very front, Teacher Wen was lecturing with spittle flying, gesturing from time to time and drawing water from the teapot into the shape of blades that flew back and forth.
No one was listening to him. Only the few students in front of him were still paying attention, but judging by their movements, it was obvious that they had not learned it.
Mu Guili rubbed her brow. It had been a long time since she had seen a scene like this.
She also returned to her seat in the first row. Yes, she was one of those students who listened seriously.
After a moment, a girl beside her nudged her arm and whispered, “Mu Guili, how come you don’t have a missing arm or a broken leg?”
Mu Guili remained expressionless. Why was she cursing her?
The girl continued on her own. “Changyang had his leg broken, Xue Tai had his arm crippled, and Qiao Nian was so frightened that she withdrew from the competition on her own. Looks like our Ding Class won’t even have a chance to participate this time.”
Those people were among the five slots for the assessment.
Mu Guili’s brows furrowed.
The assessment included team battles. If they could not gather the minimum five people, Ding Class would have no chance of participating this time!
Someone on the other side asked, “Isn’t there still the individual competition?”
The girl laughed. “Do you think anyone from Ding Class can win an individual match against anyone?”
Before Mu Guili could speak, Teacher Wen suddenly pointed at her. “You there. Come over and demonstrate the Water Manipulation Technique I just performed!”
Students feared being called on by their instructors more than anything.
Mu Guili rose and walked over, instantly drawing jeers from everyone.
After all, every student the instructor called up would make a fool of themselves for everyone to watch. It was practically Ding Class’s entertainment.
“Hahaha, Mu Guili really is Teacher Wen’s favorite, isn’t she? We get another show to watch!”
“Why do you think Mu Guili is so beautiful? I’m already feeling sorry for her when I see that she’s about to make a fool of herself.”
“How pitiful. She came to Sacred Heaven Academy to suffer just for that fiancé of hers from Jiazi Class, Ye Chen. What does she want out of it?”
“It’s a shame Ye Chen and Chi Roushu are in love with each other. Mu Guili can only be abandoned.”
“Mu Guili, why don’t you give up on Ye Chen and choose me instead? At least I’m an equally useless good-for-nothing like you!”
As soon as he said this, another wave of laughter broke out.
Even Teacher Wen had no hope that she had learned the Water Manipulation Technique. He had merely called on her out of habit.
Gong Yu’an and the others suddenly straightened up. They were the only ones in the entire class who were not grinning and joking around; instead, their eyes burned brightly.
Amid the uproar, Mu Guili expressionlessly formed the hand seals and drew up water, then suddenly swept her hand outward.
“Boom—”
In an instant, a water dragon, seemingly like a swimming dragon, surged in from the river outside. Torrential rain poured down, splashing and drenching every corner of the classroom.
The desks overturned, and everyone was swept away in disarray. They swallowed bellies full of filthy river water and ended up looking like drowned rats.
All the laughter instantly turned into screams.
The Ding Class classroom had been flooded.
Ding Chong looked at Mu Guili, whom Teacher Wen had dragged before him.
“…”
Teacher Wen angrily lodged a complaint. “Those students are only at the second or third level of Soul Warrior, and most of them are hollow shells propped up by pills. At most, they’re only a little stronger than ordinary people. After being hit by that Water Manipulation Technique, they all froze into sick chickens, and the infirmary is packed with them.”
“This student of yours caused trouble. She caused enormous trouble!”
Ding Chong pondered for a moment. “When Teacher Wen says ‘enormous trouble,’ do you mean that my student can casually invoke a high-level Water Manipulation Technique?”
The water techniques of Sacred Heaven Academy were divided into several levels. High-level water techniques were part of Jiazi Class’s curriculum.
Teacher Wen abruptly froze.
That was right. The entire river had been drained of water. If Mu Guili had hidden some killing move within it, who knew how many students in the classroom would have been killed or injured?
At this thought, Teacher Wen stared at Mu Guili in delight. “Little girl, how did you learn it?!”
What he had taught was only a low-level Water Manipulation Technique.
Mu Guili said casually, “It was just luck.”
She had only been weak because she had neglected her cultivation; it was not that she lacked talent.
Moreover, she had read countless books in the Mu Family Library since childhood. She had seen an unknown number of water techniques.
It could be said that her mind itself was an enormous library.
And her actions had only one purpose.
Mu Guili looked at Ding Chong. “Instructor Ding, what exactly is going on with this assessment? Am I qualified to know?”
The scene suddenly fell silent.
Ding Chong abruptly said to Teacher Wen, “Leave first.”
Then, after a long silence, he looked at Mu Guili. “Ding Class is going to be abolished.”
Mu Guili’s pupils contracted slightly. “Why?”
Ding Chong said, “After this assessment comes the Academy Grand Tournament, which is also a stage for the various academies to display their strength to the Four Great Sects. People from the Four Great Sects will appear to watch the competition so that they can select promising talents.”
“Every class in every academy will have an equal number of slots to participate. The selection will be based on overall strength.”
Mu Guili frowned.
Ding Chong remained very calm. “Let me ask you this: How many people are in Jiazi Class?”
“Six hundred and eighty.”
“And Yi Class and Class C?”
“One thousand two hundred and two thousand eight hundred.”
“Then how many people are in our Ding Class?”
Mu Guili was silent for a moment. “Forty-two.”
Because Ding Class would drag down Sacred Heaven Academy’s overall strength, they had been abandoned!
No wonder the people from Jiazi Class could injure the students from Ding Class at will. The academy had tacitly permitted it.
And Instructor Ding had been doing everything he could to fight for them, refusing to give up on them, yet he could only helplessly fail to stop it.
Ding Chong looked at her. “The most important point is that people like Gong Yu’an, who have an aristocratic family behind them, will all be merged into Class C. But people like you, who come from humble families…”
The unspoken meaning was clear. Ding Chong had assumed that she would be upset or relieved.
Yet she merely asked calmly, “Where did the Crimson Sun Shield awarded for the assessment come from?”
Ding Chong was stunned for a moment. “It should have been obtained elsewhere by the Grand Elder. I don’t know anything else. People are usually very wary of others asking about it. I don’t care what you’re thinking, but absolutely do not go asking around recklessly!”
“I understand.”
Mu Guili said, “How can I participate in this assessment?”
Ding Chong looked at her solemnly. “Are you serious?”
“I’m serious.”
“Good!”
Ding Chong suddenly rose to his feet. “With me as your guarantor, go challenge the Mystic Ice Stairway. Once you reach the tenth step, you can participate in the assessment as an external student of Yi Class!”
The Mystic Ice Stairway had been personally forged by the headmaster of Sacred Heaven Academy using the strongest power of the ice element.
It had a total of four hundred and forty-four steps. The fifth step captured the mind, the tenth corroded the bones, and the hundredth froze the soul. Beyond that, even high-level cultivators had to proceed cautiously.
The highest record belonged to Wen Ze, Chief of Jiazi Class. His record of reaching the one-hundred-and-third step had occupied first place ever since, and no one had broken it to this day.
And what Ding Chong was guaranteeing was Mu Guili’s life!
“So—”
Ding Chong asked once more, “Can you make it out alive?!”