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"Dean, Zhao Feng provoked Zhang He first. Zhang He wasn't at fault!" Fatty Tang immediately spoke up for his friend.

"Who can testify?" Dean Zhao gave a cold snort, sweeping his gaze around the room, eyes full of menace.

The Martial Academy students who had been about to step forward and testify felt their hearts skip when they saw the dean's expression. They suddenly remembered that Dean Zhao was Zhao Feng's own uncle! Keen to avoid trouble, they fell silent at once. Some simply slipped away, planning to pretend they hadn't seen anything.

"You people are so disloyal!" Fatty Tang shouted angrily at the scene before him. He turned to Wang Dachui beside him. "Dachui, you saw it too. Zhao Feng was in the wrong, wasn't he?"

Damn it, Fatty!

Wang Dachui's expression shifted. He didn't want to offend Dean Zhao, but he still couldn't bring himself to go against his conscience, so he gave a slight nod.

"You three are all good friends. Your testimony can't be trusted," Dean Zhao said with a cold laugh. A cruel glint flashed in his eyes. "No one's going to testify for you today, so you'd better get ready to be punished."

"Dean, I saw what happened with my own eyes. Zhao Feng went too far today." Lian Yunbi stepped forward, brushed back her hair, and said calmly.

Dean Zhao was instantly at a loss for words. Lian Yunbi—damn it, didn't she usually barely speak to the Martial Academy students? Why had she stepped forward today?

Still, he didn't dare do anything to Lian Yunbi. The Lian Family was a first-rank noble family!

Zhang He gave Lian Yunbi a grateful smile. She smiled back and nodded.

Gan Tian'er, who had already reached the doorway, happened to see the scene. Her expression grew even more peculiar. What was going on between Zhang He and Lian Yunbi? How had he gotten her to testify for him?

But even with Lian Yunbi's testimony, Zhao Wencai still wouldn't let Zhang He off.

Zhao Wencai snapped, "Even so, punishment should be handled by the Martial Child Academy. You took matters into your own hands, seriously violating the academy's rules and setting a terrible example. You've committed a grave offense! According to the academy's rules, brawling that causes injury or death must be severely punished. Although there were special circumstances this time, you still broke the rules. You may be spared the death penalty, but you won't escape punishment. Zhang He, from today onward, you are no longer a student of the Martial Child Academy!"

Everyone understood that Zhao Wencai was blatantly distorting the facts and taking revenge. After all, Zhao Feng, whose arm had been broken, was Zhao Wencai's nephew!

Zhang He's expression shifted. "Dean Zhao, you're clearly twisting right and wrong. I only acted because I had no choice. And now you're kicking me out?"

"Hmph! Those are the Martial Child Academy's rules. Fighting is wrong, no matter what!"

"Dean, Zhao Feng was obviously the one who went too far. How can you refuse to distinguish right from wrong?" Fatty Tang shouted, indignant on his friend's behalf. His brother was being thrown out like this—wouldn't that destroy his chance to take the Martial Child Assessment?

Dean Zhao flew into a rage. How dare a lowly student speak to him like that?

"Your name is Tang Risong, right? I haven't dealt with you yet. When this happened, you were egging them on from the sidelines. You were an accomplice in the brawl, and you'll be punished just as severely. From today on, you're stripped of your Martial Child status too!"

"Damn it! You bastard! You think I even want to stay in a filthy place like this?" Fatty Tang roared. He tore off his clothes and flung them hard to the ground. "Having a dean like you makes me sick!"

Zhang He and Fatty Tang couldn't be swayed. When they heard their Martial Child status had been stripped, they didn't wail or beg. Dean Zhao felt as though he'd punched a wad of cotton, leaving him with nowhere to vent his frustration.

Zhao Wencai trembled with anger. His vicious gaze suddenly landed on Wang Dachui. The fear on Wang Dachui's face gave him the perfect outlet. "You're Wang Dachui, right? You were an accomplice too. You're stripped of your Martial Child status as well!"

Wang Dachui stared at him in shock. "Dean, I didn't do anything!"

"You watched your fellow students fight and didn't step in to stop them. That's the crime of standing by and doing nothing!" Dean Zhao sneered. Seeing Wang Dachui's look of utter despair lifted his spirits.

"Dachui, wake up! Dachui!" Fatty Tang cried in alarm as Wang Dachui collapsed limply. He hurried over and caught him, then realized he'd fainted.

"He's fine. He's just overcome with anger. He'll wake up soon." Zhang He checked Wang Dachui's eyelids and breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Turning to Dean Zhao, Zhang He said coldly, "Dean Zhao, the Martial Child Academy isn't a place for you to run amok. You can distort the truth and kick the three of us out today, but you'll only have your moment of triumph. What goes around comes around. I won't let this go. I'll appeal what happened today to Luowang Prefecture! If that doesn't work, I'll appeal to the Capital! I refuse to believe there's no one who can deal with you!"

Dean Zhao's expression shifted.

"And don't think stripping us of our Martial Child status can crush us. Don't forget, you're only a lowly dean. You can take away our status, but you can't stop us from taking the Martial Child Assessment! Even outside the Martial Child Academy, we can still take the assessment—and still achieve excellent results!"

Zhang He laughed coldly. He was utterly fearless, and his spirited words made the eyes of several students who hadn't yet left light up.

Now that was a real man!

"We'll be back for the Martial Child Assessment in a month! Fatty, let's go." With that, Zhang He and Fatty Tang helped Wang Dachui along and strode away.

Dean Zhao stood there, trembling with rage. They were unbelievably arrogant! Three lowly commoner students, and they dared to act so brazenly!

Lian Yunbi glanced at Dean Zhao with contempt in her eyes. Seeing Zhang He leave, she followed right after him. She still had to thank him.

The night was cool as water, stars twinkling across the sky. Everything was silent.

"Thanks for stepping in just now," Zhang He said to Lian Yunbi.

"I only told the truth." Lian Yunbi smiled faintly. "But you're in a bad spot now. Zhao Wencai abused his authority to kick you all out."

Fatty Tang stared blankly at Lian Yunbi and Zhang He, grumbling inwardly. When had that brat Zhang He gotten so close to the goddess Lian? He used to fantasize about her with me! So he'd been playing the fool to catch the tiger!

Zhang He smiled faintly. "Actually, I'd wanted to leave for a long time. My mother wouldn't allow it. This is even better—it saves me the trouble."

Lian Yunbi giggled. "I didn't expect you to take it so well. But honestly, with your cultivation, why are you still here? Just wait for the Martial Child Assessment. With your cultivation, you have a great chance of taking first place this time. I can tell you're already about on par with Wen Liang."

Wen Liang was from the Wen Clan, one of the three great families. He was elusive, and his cultivation had already reached the peak of the Brute Force Realm. After that, he stopped showing up at the Martial Child Academy. Rumor had it he'd gone out to train and seek a breakthrough.

"Your cultivation is good too. You have a chance of taking first place as well," Zhang He said with a smile.

"You're too modest. I'm still a little behind you, but I'll work hard to close the gap. Don't let me catch up." Lian Yunbi's expression turned serious. "Oh, right, I wanted to thank you for the medicine. I didn't expect it to really work."

"You're welcome. I'm glad it really helped your younger brother. Otherwise, I'd have felt terrible." Zhang He made a face.

Lian Yunbi burst out laughing and shot him a playful glance. "You're such a smooth talker. I'm not talking to you anymore." She had the coy charm of a young woman, and the sight left both Zhang He and Fatty Tang with parched throats!

Noticing their reactions, Lian Yunbi blushed. Just then, the bell rang again from the Dormitory Garden, signaling that the gates were about to close. "It's closing time. I'd better head back. If you need help with anything, you can come find me."

"Sure. If you need anything, you can come to me too. I know a thing or two about alchemy." Zhang He smiled back.

Lian Yunbi's eyes lit up. She nodded solemnly, waved to Zhang He, and returned to the Martial Academy.

"Zhang He, when did you get so close to my goddess? I'm so jealous I could die!" Fatty Tang shouted as he watched Lian Yunbi walk away.

Zhang He knew that Lian Yunbi was Fatty Tang's dream girl. He could only smile wryly. "It's a long story. I've only known her for a little while..."

Before he could finish, Wang Dachui slowly came to. The moment he opened his eyes, he burst into tears. "It's over! Everything's over!" He wept as if the heavens were falling, utterly devastated.

Wang Dachui came from an ordinary family. His family's greatest hope was that he'd pass the Martial Child Assessment, earn the favor of some influential person, and eventually make something of himself. But now, that last glimmer of hope had been crushed.

Seeing this, Zhang He felt even more hatred for the Zhao Family. They had casually crushed someone's hopes just like that!

"Ah!" Fatty Tang scratched his head. He didn't know how to comfort Wang Dachui, so all he could do was sigh. He took it in stride, though. He'd never had much hope of passing the Martial Child Assessment anyway. Even if he did poorly, he could always go home and take over the family business as a tailor.

Zhang He remembered the plan he'd come up with a few days earlier. After thinking it over, he said slowly, "Fatty, Dachui, don't despair. Now that you've left the Martial Child Academy, you won't get any more Body Tempering Liquid, and you won't have such good training conditions. But that doesn't mean you have no hope. If you trust me, starting tomorrow, train with me. I can greatly improve your cultivation over this last month and help you achieve results at the Martial Child Assessment that will leave everyone stunned!"

Fatty Tang looked at Zhang He in astonishment. Wang Dachui lifted his head too, his eyes swollen and red.

"A while ago, I wanted you to train with me, but I never found the right chance to tell you. There were too many eyes and ears in the Martial Child Academy. If we showed anything unusual, we'd immediately draw attention, which wouldn't be good for either of us. But now that you've been kicked out, we have the perfect opportunity!" Zhang He spoke, his gaze sweeping over Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui. "I can guarantee that if you train with me and follow my instructions, you'll shine at the Martial Child Assessment and make everyone who looks down on you choke on their surprise! What do you say?"

A confident air radiated from Zhang He.

Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui exchanged a glance. They were still a little skeptical, but a glimmer of hope shone in their eyes. They'd seen Zhang He's strength with their own eyes. With such a living example right in front of them, his words were naturally persuasive.

The two nodded firmly and said in unison, "From now on, we'll train with you!"

Zhang He smiled. He looked back toward the Martial Child Academy, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes. I'll show you that real talent can thrive even outside the Martial Child Academy!

At the Martial Child Assessment a month from now, you'll be in for a shock!