Chapter 4 - The Princess of the City of Glory

-Wow, Xiangju, you're insane!- The boys were jumping on him, filled with an excitement they had never felt before. With such cultivation speed, it wouldn't be surprising if he really did become a Legendary Rank. Now, everyone was even more excited, fully trusting every word Xiangju or Nie Li said.

The other boys trained diligently to increase their cultivation level. The speed was frightening compared to the standard cultivation speed they would have, but it was still nowhere near Xiangju's pace. While everyone meditated to increase their cultivation, Xiangju meditated to stabilize his cultivation level. If he really tried to advance one more rank now, he would probably die.

Days went by as the boys continued attending school and training at Lu Piao's house after school. Ning'er and Xiangju grew closer and closer, both due to the treatment performed every three days and their classroom conversations. Because of this, more and more rumors began to spread throughout the Holy Orchid Institute about the nature of the relationship between the two. Nie Li tried to get closer to Ye Ziyun, but the girl still seemed indifferent.

"Ah... Today is Professor Shen Xiu's class. Let's go to the back," Nie Li said, already getting up right after lunch. Xiao Ning'er just watched. We all got up to go, but when the teacher arrived, she told us to sit back down.

When we all sat down again, three elders entered the room. "Ah, I had forgotten about this... The inscription chapter..."

Shen Xiu, that loud woman, started explaining the different types of inscriptions, and she even had time to praise the Sacred Family. It's really great she's making the most of it while she can.

I just waited for the right moment to speak until I saw the perfect opportunity: the Sacred Flame Inscription.

-This is a creation of the Sacred Family! The most powerful Bronze Level inscription. Composed of 36 basic foundations. Now we will talk about each founda–

-Professor Shen Xiu, I have a question!- Xiangju raised his hand to speak. The students around and even the elders began to pay attention to him.

"This brat really wants to cause trouble with THEM here? I can't let this happen!"

-Zhu Xiangju, you should wait for your turn to speak; questions will be addressed after the explanation.-

-But I think this question is very important!- The boy continued with his hand raised, now waving it to draw even more attention. Many students were irritated by the boy's behavior, Shen Yue cursed loudly for him to hear, Ye Ziyun seemed slightly annoyed but was more curious. Xiao Ning'er knew the boy would do something amazing, Nie Li was just analyzing the situation, while the rest of their group was confident in the boy and very curious.

-Let the boy ask... Enthusiasm for learning should be encouraged...- One of the elders said calmly. The woman didn't say anything more, just nodded and gestured for Xiangju to speak.

-You made a point of repeating many times that this is a creation of the Sacred Family, which made me very curious about your level of knowledge about inscriptions. Additionally, you explained incorrectly to everyone that there are only 36 foundations in this Red Flame Inscription: Blazing Explosion.-

The boy's words left everyone confused and even shocked. Xiao Ning'er repeatedly looked between the teacher and Xiangju, not understanding why he would be pretending to be ignorant given his level of knowledge. Nie Li seemed even more confused than the others. Why would Zhu Xiangju know about this? He wasn't wrong, but how was this possible?

-W-what? What do you mean? You tend to act very arrogantly, boy, but do not try to tarnish the quality of education at Orchid Institute!-

-Let the boy finish...- the elder said.

-Firstly, this Red Flame Inscription: Blazing Explosion does not have 36 foundations; it has 38. Moreover, what I am about to say may be quite shocking, but I believe the ancestor of the Sacred Family should be investigated for plagiarism! This inscription method originated from Volume 7 of the Holy Fire-Electric Scripture, and its original name should be 'Electric-Fire: Volcanic Explosion,' consisting of 60 foundations. Your ancestors merely removed all references to 'electric' and made some random changes, which is why this inscription has become completely useless in a real battle.-

Various conversations erupted in the middle of the room. How could a mere peasant dare speak ill of an ancestor and, worse yet, directly insult the Sacred Family?

-Know that your accusations are very serious, Zhu Xiangju! There is no such nonsense as Electric Fire! If everything you say cannot be verified, you will have to face the consequences!- Shen Yue stood up from his chair and shouted for all to hear. Indeed, what Xiangju had said would be unforgivable. Xiao Ning'er was frightened by what might happen to the boy if the Sacred Family chose to retaliate, which was a very likely scenario. Nie Li smiled excitedly; it seemed he had found a very interesting ally.

-Xiangju, today you have gone too far! There is no such thing as the Holy Electric Fire Scripture!- Shen Xiu shouted, agreeing with her relative.

-The professor is truly impressive; she knows all the books in the world!- Nie Li said jokingly to Shen Xiu, which irritated her even more.

An even bigger argument would have started if one of the students hadn't revealed that he had indeed borrowed that book from the library and had it in his backpack.

-Read page 30, diagram 6,- Nie Li said. A group of students gathered around, and... there it was, exactly as Xiangju had described.

An even greater commotion began. Shen Xiu grew even more irritated, Xiao Ning'er was extremely impressed, and Ye Ziyun found Nie Li's words amusing, so she laughed discreetly.

One of the elders had left the room to find a copy of the same book the student possessed. When he finally arrived, he confirmed the truth.

-He is right... This is a major scandal for the Sacred Family, without a doubt...- The eldest of the elders thought.

-What is this boy's talent?-

-According to the records, he has a red soul realm, sir.-

"It's a pity, so much knowledge and such poor talent... But I am sure he can still bring great rewards to us... Ye Sheng, find him a place in the library!"

After this announcement was made for the whole room to hear, the respect that other students had never shown Xiangju grew exponentially. Even after Shen Yue tried to refute the truth and defend his family, his arguments fell apart when Nie Li intervened, countering each one with a clause of the law that made the actions of the Sacred Family's ancestor even more vile.

After class ended, Shen Xiu ran to the principal to request the immediate expulsion of the boy, but he vehemently refused.

Following this event, Xiangju quickly accepted the job, giving them a quiet place to stay, allowing them to skip classes and focus on cultivation. Additionally, Xiangju would receive 300 coins per month.

-Dude, I think you went a bit overboard today... You shouldn't have insulted the Sacred Family like that,- Du Ze said with a worried look.

-Nah, that was pretty funny, so it's all good!- Lu Piao said, starting to laugh.

-Don't worry about it. They won't be able to bother us afterward. We just have to become strong enough,- Nie Li said nonchalantly, as if everything was going according to his plan, perhaps even better than his original plan.

-Just like Brother Nie Li said, with the techniques Nie Li gave us, it won't be long before we surpass them all in strength!- Everyone agreed with Xiangju's words and quickly began to cultivate, except for Xiangju, who stayed reading library books. Since they started training earlier than originally planned, some were already close to breaking through to Bronze 1-star.

In the following days, the classes at Holy Orchid Institute became much quieter. Many students were uncomfortable with Professor Shen Xiu's lectures, but no one dared to be as bold as Zhu Xiangju or Nie Li. Xiao Ning'er often thought about Xiangju, wondering if he had forgotten about her and the treatment.

Ye Ziyun was paying close attention to the redhead; she had seen through Ning'er's expressions, and it was obvious the girl had developed feelings for Xiangju, which shocked her completely. But deep down, she missed Nie Li's audacity in class and how he could risk himself for his friends without worrying about the consequences.

-My life force has increased to 95 points. I feel that with a few more days of training, I'll break through to 1-star Bronze!- Du Ze said excitedly, and everyone congratulated him.

-I have a strong feeling that all of us will reach Bronze level by the end of these two months! We just need some elixirs to boost our cultivation... Do you have any ideas, Nie Li?- Xiangju asked excitedly. It was accepted within the group that Xiangju was the leader while Nie Li was the advisor.

-Hmm... I have a certain plan, but I'll let you know once I've sorted everything out,- Nie Li replied. Xiangju gave him a thumbs up, and they continued their way down the library corridor until Nie Li suddenly stopped, looking at one of the aisles in surprise.

-What is it, man?- Lu Piao asked, throwing his arm around Nie Li's neck in a friendly manner. When all the boys looked in the direction Nie Li was staring, they understood his reaction. Ye Ziyun was there, standing and reading a book.

Nie Li hesitated. He hadn't done anything particularly noticeable since he was reborn, so the chance of her ignoring him was high. Various thoughts raced through his mind as he pondered what to do.

"This is hard to watch."

Xiangju slapped Nie Li on the back to snap him out of it.

-What are you afraid of? Don't you know how amazing you are? Go talk to her.-

Nie Li smiled; that really helped. He then walked confidently toward the girl.