How Can Someone Like You Criticize the Jiang Human Emperor?!

"Kong Li, right? I vaguely remember you." Dean Li spoke coldly, his attitude worlds apart from how he had treated the Pure Heart Saintess.

"Why am I ranked last from the bottom?" Jiang Li asked, suppressing his anger. If he had failed the mission by placing second from the top, he could have accepted that—but what was this last-from-the-bottom nonsense?

Was he the one without a brain, or was Dean Li? "And you still have the nerve to ask?" Jiang Li's question made Dean Li laugh in anger. He pulled out Jiang Li's exam paper and used a spell to project it into the air for everyone to see.

"Let everyone see what kind of garbage you wrote!"

Even the Pure Heart Saintess had not expected the dignified Jiang Human Emperor to score last from the bottom when over half his answers were related to books he himself had written.

Like everyone else, the Pure Heart Saintess wanted to see how Jiang Li had answered.

Yet after reading it, everyone felt that Jiang Li had written very well. His arguments were sound and well-supported, every word concise, and he had even mentioned much knowledge they had never heard of. It was enough to show how vast his learning was, unlike them, who only knew how to memorize texts.

Seeing everyone's confusion, Dean Li explained, "At first glance, there seems to be nothing wrong with this exam paper, but in truth, the problems are considerable."

"The answers to most of these questions can be found in the books. In other words, as long as one studies diligently, one's score should not be too poor."

"But although Kong Li's answers aren't exactly the same as the book, they aren't wrong either." The Pure Heart Saintess voiced everyone's doubts.

Dean Li shook his head. "Close enough? These books are the Jiang Human Emperor's life's work. Every word is a pearl, their implications boundless. How can you casually replace them with your own words?"

"I have studied the Jiang Human Emperor's theories for my entire life. Even now, when I reread the General Outline of Cultivation, I still gain new insights."

"With your current abilities, you are still incapable of comprehending the profound meanings in the Jiang Human Emperor's books. That is why you must memorize them by rote—first commit them to memory, then understand them." Dean Li wore the air of someone thinking entirely for his students.

Jiang Li truly wanted to say, I wrote the General Outline of Cultivation for cultivators from Qi Refinement to Golden Core. It's basically an introductory textbook. What the hell could an Body Integration Realm Cultivator like you possibly gain from it? Dean Li continued, "For example, this question asks for the definition of cultivation. The General Outline of Cultivation uses an entire page to define cultivation, yet Kong Li sums it up in one simple sentence. Is that even possible?"

Jiang Li asked, "Could it be that the General Outline of Cultivation was not written for Body Integration Realm Cultivators, but for those at Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment? Since it was written in great detail, it can actually be summarized in one sentence?"

"Absolutely impossible!" Dean Li declared without the slightest hesitation. "How great is the Jiang Human Emperor? Naturally, the books he wrote are not limited by age or cultivation level. Everyone can read them."

"I have studied the Jiang Human Emperor's theories for over a hundred years. Every time the Jiang Human Emperor came to give a lecture, I was the one who received him. No one understands the Jiang Human Emperor's thoughts better than I do!"

The vice dean standing not far away neither agreed nor disagreed. Dean Li could not tolerate anyone saying even the slightest bad thing about the Jiang Human Emperor. His study of the Jiang Human Emperor's theories was also rigid to the extreme—he insisted on picking apart every word and every sentence, claiming the Jiang Human Emperor's theories were pearls of wisdom in every word and that not a single character could be altered.

"And this reading comprehension question! You actually said that day was simply sunny, with no other meaning behind it. Is that possible? How could anything written by the Jiang Human Emperor lack deeper meaning?"

"It had rained for days on end, yet that day happened to be sunny, and the Jiang Human Emperor happened to write an essay that day? The Jiang Human Emperor must have meant that there will be many hardships in cultivation, like those endless days of rain, but there will always come a day when the rain passes and the sky clears. We, too, will surely overcome our difficulties and continue cultivating."

"This was the Jiang Human Emperor encouraging us!"

Jiang Li frowned. "Why must the Jiang Human Emperor's words have deeper meaning?"

Dean Li bristled, his eyes wide with fury as he shouted, "Insolence! How can someone like you criticize the Jiang Human Emperor?!"

"Could it be that the Jiang Human Emperor is some sage, whose every word cannot be changed, whose every piece of writing must contain immense hidden meaning, whose conduct must be flawless and dignified, and whom no one is allowed to discuss?"

Dean Li snapped, "Based on your attitude toward the Jiang Human Emperor alone, you cannot be admitted to this academy!"

"The Jiang Human Emperor is an honorary graduate of our academy. For someone like you to attend the same academy as the Jiang Human Emperor is a stain on the academy's name! A smear upon the Jiang Human Emperor's face!"

Dean Li released the pressure of an Body Integration Realm Cultivator, intending to force this fellow who disrespected the Human Emperor into submission. How could the students below withstand the pressure of an Body Integration Realm Cultivator? They instantly felt as if a mountain had been placed upon their backs, making even breathing difficult.

The Pure Heart Saintess's delicate brows furrowed, anger stirring in her heart as she prepared to use her own Body Integration Realm pressure to offset Dean Li's.

But she quickly realized that someone was even angrier than she was.

"A smear upon the Human Emperor's face? I think you're the one smearing my face!"

Jiang Li's fury soared to the heavens. Behind him, ancient gods seemed to dance, his pressure overwhelming the world like the waters of the five lakes and four seas pouring forth—yet it targeted Dean Li alone.

Jiang Li could no longer endure Dean Li's crooked logic and heretical nonsense. He directly revealed his true identity, and the crowd below erupted in uproar.

A massive statue of the Jiang Human Emperor stood within the academy. Who present did not recognize Jiang Li? Laughter immediately broke out, one mocking snicker after another. This was a blatant slap across Dean Li's face.

They, too, felt that blindly memorizing books was no good. But Dean Li was the dean, and an Body Integration Realm Cultivator besides. Since he said rote memorization was right, then anyone who wanted admission had no choice but to memorize by rote.

Now that the Jiang Human Emperor had publicly slapped him in the face, who knew how many people had long disliked the way Dean Li constantly invoked the Jiang Human Emperor's name.

They finally held their heads high.

"When I first came to this academy, its academic atmosphere was open, and its students were free. All kinds of academic theories competed and flourished."

"And now? It has practically become Jiang Li Academy. You take an introductory text I wrote for Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment cultivators as a classic, and you claim to have gained insights from it? Then I would like to ask you: what exactly have you gained?"

Jiang Li questioned him sharply, his expression solemn. The academy's current state filled him with grief and indignation. The dean was the academy's weather vane—if someone like this served as dean, it was easy to imagine what the academy would become!

A stagnant pool of dead water! How laughable that he had even come to give a lecture.

He was only giving lectures for two days. What could he teach in two days? Naturally, he meant to inspire the students, guide them to think deeply about cultivation, and broaden their minds. Looking at the academy now, all those lectures had likely gone down the drain! Cold sweat streamed down Dean Li's face. He had never imagined that the Kong Li he had berated for so long would turn out to be the Jiang Human Emperor.

How ridiculous. Right before the Jiang Human Emperor himself, he had said the man's writing was poor, accused someone of altering the Jiang Human Emperor's original intent, and insisted that the Jiang Human Emperor's words must contain profound meanings.

"J-Jiang Human Emperor, it was all a misunderstanding. I didn't know you were Kong Li. If it were you, then naturally this exam paper would receive full marks."

"Dean Li Hengshan, this is not a matter of who I am. You still have not realized your mistake. I am very disappointed in you!"

Jiang Li no longer paid Dean Li any attention. He walked over to the excited vice dean and said, "Vice Dean Meng, notify all the students currently enrolled. Tell them that Jiang will be giving a lecture."

Vice Dean Meng hurriedly nodded, bowed deeply to Jiang Li, and went to notify the students.

At last—at last, they would no longer have to endure Dean Li's rigid theories! That day, Jiang Li sat atop his own statue and gave a lecture titled "Authority Must Not Be Trusted Completely."