2 Chapter 2: Confrontation

Shen Xiu was about to die from the anger, but she couldn't flare up here. She could only reply in bad mood, "What question do you still have?!"

"Teacher Shen Xiu said, 'a commoner will always remain a commoner, they can never become a noble.' I have a little question. wasn't the Legend rank Demon Spiritualist, Ye Mo, a commoner when he was still young?" Nie Li asked, blinking his eyes a few times, and looking at Shen Xiu. "Is Teacher Shen Xiu are not aware of this?"

After listening to what Nie Li said, the eyes of the commoners in the class lit up. They are all aware of Lord Ye Mo's story. He was an example to follow, when one wants to become a powerful existence. Except, the words that Shen Xiu spoke of earlier were simply too harsh. This caused them to be depressed.

"You… In the hundreds of years of Glory City, Lord Ye Mo's the only one able to climb to the peak by relying on his own ability," said Shen Xiu, showing a moment of lag. She quickly retaliated with her far-fetched reply.

"But didn't Teacher Shen Xiu say that it's impossible? Why are you being so self-contradicting?" Nie Li coldly sneered, "Lord Ye Mo is a clear cut example. No matter if it's a noble, or commoner, the future's potential is infinite. Nothing is difficult, as long as one is willing to climb."

Shen Xiu almost exploded. This guy is too spiteful. He keeps catching the loopholes in her words and constantly attacks. He has no respect for an elder! She gazed coldly at Nie Li. He dared to openly contradict her in front of so many people. She'll not let Nie Li have it easy in the coming future!

Not far away from Nie Li, Du Ze looked at Nie Li. His eyes were full of gratitude. Although Nie Li is a noble, he still ran the risk of offending Teacher Shen Xiu by helping the commoners speak up. This made him very touched. A teenager's heart is very primitive, hence, he has already saw Nie Li as his friend.

Shen Xiu sneered, "Smart mouth, you think that putting things this way could change the harsh reality? You only looked at Lord Ye Mo's glorious moment, but didn't look at how many people have failed. Not to mention being a Demon Spiritualist, even becoming a Fighter in itself is a difficult thing to achieve. Nie Li, right? You can be considered a bloodline of an Aristocratic family. Since you don't know when to come and go, I'll see what kind of talent you have."

Shen Xiu lowered her head and took a look at the parchment paper in her hands. After taking a glimpse of the contents, she mockingly laughed, "Nie Li: red soul realm, current soul force 5, strength 21. With your talent you can only reach Bronze rank Fighter in your entire life. Wanting to become a Demon Spiritualist is simply impossible. You're even inferior to some of the commoners. No wonder you dare to speak in this way. You are just trying to hide your own low self-esteem!"

A soul realm's grade is differentiated by the colours: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, azure and indigo. Of the seven different grades, red is considered the worst. It's the weakest to the lowest level. An average person would have an orange or yellow soul realm. Having a green or cyan soul realm could already be considered a genius. As for azure and indigo soul realms, they have only existed in legends.

After hearing what Shen Xiu said, the group of commoner students began to feel sorry for Nie Li. As someone of nobility, Nie Li's talent could be considered the worst. They fear that it would be difficult for him to have any achievements in his life.

Ye Ziyun looked at Nie Li and sighed gently. Although her impression of Nie Li isn't good, knowing his talent is so terrible, she couldn't help feeling sorry for him.

Shen Xiu aggressively continued, "With such talent, even within your family, you won't be able to get any attention. Yet, you act so rampant and are rude to your elders!"

Everyone was surprised that even though Nie Li was being ridiculed by Teacher Shen Xiu, there wasn't any shame shown on his face. On the contrary, his gaze was firmly locked onto Shen Xiu's and he said, "Teacher Shen Xiu, you feel that a person's soul realm decides a person's future, right? With that despicable character of yours, you'll only defend the gifted and mock the mediocre. And yet, you still speak a bunch of principles. You're just merely trying to cover your despicable character."

Hearing Nie Li's words, Shen Xiu's body quivered with anger. She had never met this kind of student. He actually dared to contradict her so badly. Nie Li's words directly hit the hidden thoughts within her heart, causing her to be enraged.

Nie Li curled his lips in disdain.

"I feel ashamed to have a teacher like you. I can guarantee that in this class, there will be a lot of commoners exceeding your imagination. They will have unimaginable achievements. Instead of coaching then patiently, you use harsh words to attack their self-confidence. You're not worthy to be a teacher! Although my talent is weak, so what? One day, I will become a Legend rank Demon Spiritualist like Lord Ye Mo and marry the most beautiful woman in Glory City!"

As he spoke, Nie Li's gaze fell on Ye Ziyun, who was sitting far away. His eyes shined with an absolute resolve.

Ye Ziyun, looking at the way Nie Li looked at her couldn't help feel shy. 'This guy, not only is he boastful, he is also audacious! What gives him the courage to utter such words?!'

At this moment, Shen Yue suddenly raised his hand and asked, "Teacher Shen Xiu, may I speak?"

"Go ahead." Shen Xiu frowned but still allowed it. She was afraid that her nephew would worsen the situation, but she was also worried that she would lose it if she continued to argue with that red soul realm kid.

"Nie Li, right? I won't refute lord Ye Mo's achievements. But you still haven't answered the question: Without being as talented as lord Ye Mo, how will one rise through the ashes? Without a good enough Cultivation technique, one wouldn't be able to compensate for their lack of talent. Since you claim with great confidence that you will be able to reach Legend rank and marry the most beautiful woman in Glory City, then you must have a method, no?" Shen Yue stood up as he confronted Nie Li. This was the only opening he found so far, he could only hope to exploit this and create more.

The commoners felt like they were, again, doused with cold water. 

'That's right. With my talent, could I even reach the Silver Rank?' Was the common sentiment they shared.

Ye Ziyun, hearing this, also nodded. Although her grandfather was an excellent idol to strive for, not everyone could be like him. What Nie Li spoke of was a good dream that will remain a dream. Though, she could not help but feel shy at Shen Yue's emphasis on "marry the most beautiful woman in Glory City" part. 'Was he defending me from Nie Li?'

Nie Li frowned as he looked at Shen Yue. He can't just say that he has pill formulas and cultivation techniques that can achieve this, right? It's not like he can't reveal it but now is not the time. He just woke up and hasn't even thought of how his future plans, yet. 'I can only mitigate the backlash now.'

"I know your heart is full of contempt, but one day I will shut your mouth with hard facts. Aptitude cannot determine a person's achievement! We use the weak to defeat the strong, to overcome the heavens! We practitioners are already challenging the impossible by going against the way of the heavens!"

Nie Li enunciated powerfully, "Without a continuously fighting heart, without the courage to turn the impossible possible, even possessing extraordinary talent would be useless. Since I, Nie Li, was born into this world, I shall challenge the impossible! Shen Yue, how about a bet with me?"

'I was originally aiming for Shen Xiu, but you just had to deliver yourself to my door. If successful, I could have him switch seats with me, or even better, expelled.' Nie Li thought to himself as he waited for Shen Yue's response.

Being challenged, Shen Yue sneered inwardly, 'As expected. The original Shen Yue might have accepted, but I know of your capabilities. What a pity, although the chances were slim, if he dished out a cultivation technique in response, although, I might have lost the argument, I could have enriched my database and improved my cultivation technique.'

Shen Yue looked at Nie Li and replied, "What bet?"

"We'll bet that on the coming test in two months time, I will be able to reach Bronze rank. If I fail to do so, I will resign from the institute. If I reach Bronze rank, then you will resign, how about it?" Nie Li said unyieldingly, looking at Shen Yue.

"Not interested." Shen Yue replied with a tone as if he didn't care to argue with Nie Li anymore.

Hearing this, Nie Li was surprised. He actually refused with such a perceived guaranteed win? 'I remember this guy to be impulsive and arrogant, could I have remembered wrong? No way! Even if it's been a long time ago, I could still remember the arrogance he always wore on his face. Moreover, this guy likes to show off, such a perfect opportunity and he wasted it!'

Although Nie Li was confused, he pressed on with his taunts, "Heh! What? Is the great Sacred family's young master afraid of a measly bet?"

"Afraid? Let's not talk about qualifications. You, Nie Li, have not only continually disrupted the class with your absurd claims, but also nearly harmed your fellow students. Do you know the effect your attempts to inflate their hopes would have had had it been successful? With such a beautiful picture of their future, some of them might work hard to the point of extreme exhaustion, some getting crippled or killed as a result. Some of them might even take out loans or steal from their family believing it to be an investment for their future, eventually leading to bankruptcy. These claims may sound absurd, but there have been cases like that. Nie Li, while I appreciate your attempts to raise everyone's hopes, there should be a limit to it. Too much of something is often bad."