By Any Means Necessary!

"Oh, right."

Marcel seemed to have remembered something. With a look of surprise, he said to Li Qi, "If I remember correctly, your father is Delikur Royce, the academy's 'legendary figure' from twenty years ago."

Hearing this, Li Qi was puzzled. Father was a legendary figure at the academy?

Since his birth, his father had never once mentioned anything about Zhaoguang Academy.

Noticing the change in Li Qi's expression, Marcel knew he had guessed correctly. Li Qi knew nothing about his father's experiences at the academy.

Marcel chuckled softly. "Heh heh, your father was Zhaoguang Academy's famously notorious dropout!"

"A dropout?"

Li Qi's expression did not change, but his instincts told him that this was not a good title.

"I'm sure you've never heard that term before!"

Marcel wore a smile. "Because your father was the only person in the past century to be forcibly expelled from Zhaoguang Academy!

"So, he was the one and only expelled student in a hundred years! Very rare, you know!"

Li Qi's eyes widened slightly, his expression turning icy as anger rose in his heart. This guy!

After living in this world for fourteen years, he had already become a part of it. He had also come to regard his parents as his biological parents.

How could he not be furious when an enemy insulted his father to his face?

"Eleven! Let's go!"

Ivanko tilted his head and gave Li Qi behind him a meaningful look, telling him to calm down.

Li Qi understood. His expression settled as he suppressed his rage and turned toward the testing waiting area.

Although there were few people in the waiting area, several Stellar-rank powerhouses were still present.

"Heh! Marcel has no shame at all, personally stepping in to deal with an Apprentice-rank kid!"

A Stellar-rank powerhouse spoke softly, his words filled with disdain for Marcel.

Another Planetary-rank powerhouse shook his head. "Yeah! He has no shame at all!"

The few Stellar-rank powerhouses watching the show in the waiting area all found Marcel's actions contemptible.

Once they reached the waiting area, Li Qi could finally no longer hold back. "Third Dad! Was my father really expelled from Zhaoguang Academy by its powerhouses?"

"It's true." Ivanko sighed. "Back then, Seventh was young and hot-blooded. During a conflict, he severely injured another student and refused to admit his mistake, so Zhaoguang Academy forcibly expelled him.

"Being forcibly expelled from Zhaoguang Academy was nothing honorable, so no one ever brought it up.

"Marcel is deliberately provoking you. You need to stay calm and not let your anger cloud your mind."

"I understand."

Li Qi nodded, indicating that he knew Marcel was trying to provoke him.

At the same time, he understood why his father had never mentioned his days at Zhaoguang Academy.

Still, he remained puzzled. What exactly had happened back then?

As time passed, one examinee after another entered and exited the testing room.

Logically, as more examinees completed their tests, the number of people in the waiting area should have decreased. Yet the opposite happened. Not only did the crowd not lessen, it grew larger with time.

Several familiar Stellar-rank powerhouses sat together in groups of two or three. Surrounding them were several times as many examinees who had come for the academy test.

This formed small circles centered around the Stellar-rank powerhouses, with the academy examinees on the outside.

"The Royce Family kid is next," said a Stellar-rank powerhouse who had been watching the flow of people.

"Heh, this good show is finally starting," another Stellar-rank powerhouse said with a smile.

"Judging from how long his previous test took, he received a special admission slot to enter Zhaoguang Academy. It's just unknown why Marcel rejected him."

"That kid can kill Planetary-rank monsters and even received special admission to Zhaoguang Academy. His mental power amplitude certainly isn't low. I just wonder how many floors he can clear in the Trial Tower."

The Stellar-rank powerhouse who had spoken first said gleefully, "Heh heh, if that kid gets a good result in the Trial Tower, Marcel is probably finished."

The other replied, "That's why Marcel has thrown away all dignity and personally targeted the kid. He's trying to salvage the situation."

"Ha, who told him to court death?"

"If it had been before, using a few tricks wouldn't have mattered. But he still dares to do this at a time like this? If that isn't courting death, what is?"

"Yeah, the new Governor is about to take office, and with what happened at the United Training Camp not long ago, our days ahead probably won't be easy..."

Amid the conversations of the Stellar-rank powerhouses and the examinees who had come for the academy test, it was finally Li Qi's turn to enter the testing room.

At that moment, Marcel moved as well, heading toward the testing room.

One Stellar-rank powerhouse said in surprise, "Oh! Marcel plans to personally oversee that kid's Trial Tower assessment."

"As the chief examiner, overseeing the Trial Tower assessment is within his authority."

Another said, "But with the Virtual Universe's synchronized transmission, he can't tamper with anything. At most, he can mess with that kid's mindset."

"Mindset is important too. If his mental state goes wrong, that kid's results will drop considerably."

"All we can do is wait outside for the results. Hopefully, that kid won't be affected."

Amid the Stellar-rank powerhouses' discussion, Li Qi and Marcel entered the testing room one after the other.

As soon as he entered the testing room, Marcel said to the female examiner who had been handling the previous tests, "Leave the rest to me. Go get some rest first."

The female examiner nodded. "Yes, Chief Examiner Marcel."

Before leaving, she gave Li Qi a careful look. She was very curious about this kid with a mental power amplitude of twenty-three times. He had actually made two chief examiners personally oversee his tests in succession.

After the female examiner left, Marcel looked at Li Qi with a smile. "Since I was the one who had you come back, I'll be overseeing your Trial Tower assessment."

Li Qi narrowed his eyes. The anger he had only just calmed flared up again. "Then I'll have to thank Chief Examiner Marcel."

"No need. You just need to perform well." Marcel shook his head as he spoke. "After all, your father's combat talent was truly... tsk tsk!

"I hope you haven't inherited your father's combat talent. Otherwise, the academy will surely lose one exceptionally gifted student and gain another dropout!"

This guy is really infuriating!

Li Qi's anger intensified, but he understood that Marcel was provoking him, intending to disrupt his mindset and affect his Trial Tower assessment results.

Don't fall for it! Calm down! I have to stay calm!

Taking a deep breath, he forcefully suppressed his anger. He walked to the chair connected to the Virtual Universe and sat down. "Chief Examiner Marcel, when can the Trial Tower assessment begin?"

"It can begin immediately."

Marcel smiled. "Don't be angry. I'm only giving you a well-intentioned reminder, so you don't repeat the same mistake."

"Please begin the assessment!" Li Qi said through gritted teeth.

Although Li Qi's expression had changed greatly, Marcel felt that he had not yet achieved his goal.

However, he could delay no longer. With no other choice, he announced, "The Trial Tower assessment begins!"

With that, he pressed the button to begin the Trial Tower assessment, and the space began to change...