I Refuse to Accept This

I Refuse to Accept This

Everyone's eyes swished toward Zhang He and the others.

Zhang He's heart gave a thump. He hurried over, and the crowd parted of its own accord, letting him reach the posted rankings. When he saw his name sitting squarely at the top, he finally let out a breath of relief. The Martial Children around him stared as if he were a monster, their faces full of shock and disbelief.

Zhang He quickly scanned down the list. Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui had actually ranked seventh and eighth. A smile appeared on his face. All his efforts lately hadn't been in vain. He was sincerely happy for his two good friends.

Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui came over too. When they saw their rankings, both of them let out excited shouts. Fatty Tang wiggled his butt with a flourish, while the Martial Children around them looked on with complicated expressions of envy, jealousy, and resentment.

Zhao Feng had been rather pleased when he saw his own ranking. But the moment he noticed Zhang He sitting at the very top, his excitement was immediately replaced by jealousy and resentment.

"How could a mere commoner Martial Child get such a result? First place, no less! Even Wen Liang, Mengyin City's top genius among the Martial Children, was beneath him, settling for second! Could there be something fishy going on?" Zhao Feng gritted his teeth. Seeing his enemy ranked above him was infuriating. He even maliciously suspected that something was fishy, though he didn't dare say it aloud. Suspecting foul play in the Martial Child Assessment was tantamount to questioning Prince Qu and the others who had come to oversee it. That would only bring humiliation down on his own head! Zhao Feng wasn't stupid enough to go that far.

"Boss, how did Zhang He's cultivation improve by leaps and bounds like that? Could he have... cheated?" Han Zhao, Zhao Feng's right-hand man, asked darkly.

"Quiet! Don't say that where others can hear you!" Zhao Feng's expression changed, and he immediately cut Han Zhao off. If Prince Qu and the others heard such words, Zhao Feng and his men would be in trouble.

While Zhao Feng was seething with frustration, someone else was even more furious. Wen Liang stared at the rankings, his face dark. "I'm an outer disciple of the True Martial Academy, yet I can't even beat an ordinary Martial Child? If word gets out, people will laugh their heads off. Could something fishy be going on? Did that Zhang He cheat?"

Others wouldn't dare voice such suspicions, but Wen Liang did. He was a disciple of the True Martial Academy.

"I'm going to ask Prince Qu what's going on! I refuse to believe Zhang He's cultivation could surpass mine! How is that possible? I've taken countless spirit pills and precious medicines, and my family's elders have personally instructed me again and again. That's how I achieved what I have today. How could a nobody Martial Child like him end up above me? This is a grand ceremony of the utmost importance. If Zhang He used underhanded methods to cheat, he must be severely punished, so we can cleanse the Martial Children's cultivation practices!"

Wen Liang swallowed his anger. He wanted Prince Qu to personally verify how Zhang He had made it through the assessment.

In the crowd, Wang Fengjie and Wang Yingjie stared at the rankings, their expressions uneasy. One had placed sixth, the other tenth.

"I never thought Zhang He would come in first. Sigh, I wonder what Uncle will think when he sees these rankings." Wang Fengjie remembered what had happened not long ago. At the time, his uncle had ordered everyone not to mention Zhang He again at home.

"I never thought he'd be this capable. It's hard to believe. If... he joined us for the Family Ranking Conference, our family's chances of rising to become a powerful clan would be even greater." Wang Yingjie couldn't help sighing. He'd always looked down on Zhang He, and never imagined he could be so formidable.

"I hope Uncle can swallow his pride when he hears the news and go to their door himself to bring Big Aunt and the others back. If that little vixen keeps running everything at home, things will only get worse!" Wang Fengjie nodded.

Mixed in among the crowd, Gan Tian'er studied the rankings. Her face showed no hint of emotion, but she felt strange inside. Her gaze passed through the crowd and fell on that gentle figure ahead. When did you rise from the ashes like a phoenix? And with one cry, you stunned everyone...

A faint regret stirred in her heart. She knew that ever since she had chosen to distance herself from Zhang He, they could never return to the closeness they had shared when they first started school.

"Damn it, how did Zhang He end up in first place? And Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui even made it to seventh and eighth!" Zhao Wencai's face darkened. All three had been expelled, yet they'd still achieved such good results. It made him feel as if Heaven itself had gone blind.

He believed that anyone expelled from the Martial Child Academy was destined to become the dregs of society.

"Brother Dachui, you're amazing! Eighth place! Those rich Martial Children can't hold a candle to you!"

"Exactly. I knew all along that Brother Dachui was no ordinary person. I was right, wasn't I? Brother Dachui, you have to treat us!"

"Dachui, this flower represents my feelings for you. Take it..." A flirtatiously dressed woman approached, her face shy, and held out a rose to Wang Dachui.

"Hey, that flower looks familiar. Didn't you just pick it from the flowerbed over there to give to Wen Liang? Why are you giving it to Brother Dachui now?" a girl asked, apparently surprised.

"You shameless woman! Who I give this flower to is none of your business!" The girl immediately launched into a furious tirade.

"Come, come, beautiful lady. I wonder if I might have the honor of inviting you for a drink?" Fatty Tang gazed tenderly at a pretty girl standing before him.

The girl giggled. Her slender, pale fingers lightly brushed the back of Fatty Tang's hand, and she shot him a flirtatious glance. "How could I refuse such a heartfelt invitation from Brother Tang?"

"..." Zhang He was speechless at the sight. The fickleness of human nature was on full display. Those who had looked down on Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui earlier were now swarming around them, doing everything they could to win them over. Some girls had also spotted Zhang He and were about to approach, tossing their heads and striking coquettish poses to get his attention. But right beside him stood a woman who made them all feel inferior—Lian Yunbi.

"Congratulations. Even Wen Liang ended up beneath you. He was so full of himself earlier, and now his ranking's like a slap across his face. How amusing." Lian Yunbi smiled.

"You seem to have a grudge against Wen Liang?" Zhang He asked, puzzled.

"Nobody likes someone as conceited and obnoxious as him. Besides, he may look refined, but he's really just a petty person." Lian Yunbi spoke calmly. She smoothed her hair and smiled at Zhang He. "The Martial Child Assessment is over. My birthday is in ten days. You already promised me, so don't stand me up, okay?"

Zhang He blinked, then smiled. "How could I forget an invitation from a beautiful woman?"

Lian Yunbi seemed to remember something, and her face flushed slightly. Hearing Zhang He say that made her incredibly happy, though she said, "Don't forget to bring a gift when you come. Of course, even if you bring me a goose feather, I'll gladly accept it." As she spoke, Lian Yunbi playfully winked, giving her an adorably mischievous air.

Zhang He had never seen Lian Yunbi act like this. In his mind, she had always been like a goddess, aloof and far above everyone else. Seeing her behave this way left him staring, and an odd feeling rose in his heart.

"Zhang He, Tang Risong, Wang Dachui, His Highness Prince Qu wants to see you. Come with me," a soldier said, suddenly approaching them.

"His Highness Prince Qu wants to see us? Why?" Zhang He was taken aback. He could understand why Prince Qu might want to see him, since he'd taken first place. But why Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui? Their cultivation only put them among the top Martial Children. There were even more formidable ones ahead of them, like Lian Yunbi.

The Martial Children nearby heard the soldier and their eyes lit up.

"His Highness Prince Qu wants to see Zhang He and the others. I'm so jealous."

"Strange, why does he want to see Tang Risong and Wang Dachui?" Some wondered the same thing as Zhang He.

Nearby, Wen Liang's expression shifted. Could His Highness Prince Qu have noticed something was off too? This is the perfect chance to go in and take a look. I refuse to believe a commoner Martial Child could rank first! Wen Liang was furious at having to settle for second place. What upset him even more was seeing Lian Yunbi standing with Zhang He, chatting and laughing. Anger burned in his chest. When had Lian Yunbi ever smiled at him like that? Yet now she was smiling at some commoner Martial Child!

Wen Liang was a disciple of the True Martial Academy, so no one stopped him from entering the hall.

"What's wrong, Wen Liang? You don't look too happy. Are you unhappy about coming in second?" Prince Qu took one look at Wen Liang's face and immediately guessed why he'd come. He smiled faintly.

Wen Liang felt awkward, but steeled himself and nodded. "That's right. Your Highness, I'm dissatisfied with this assessment."

"What do you want to do about it? No one cheated in this assessment. I saw it with my own eyes as the chief examiner. Zhang He's strength is no less than yours." Prince Qu looked at Wen Liang. The young man was still too impetuous. Was he so used to success that he couldn't take a setback?

Wen Liang answered without a moment's hesitation. "I want to compete against Zhang He one-on-one. Whoever wins should be first place."