I Am Not Convinced

The crowd's gazes snapped toward Zhang He and his companions.

Zhang He's heart skipped a beat. He hurried forward, and the crowd parted automatically, allowing him to reach the ranking list smoothly. Seeing his own name prominently displayed in the first position, he let out a long sigh of relief. The surrounding Martial Children stared at Zhang He with expressions of shock and disbelief, as if they were looking at a monster.

Zhang He's eyes swept quickly down the list; Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui had actually placed seventh and eighth. A smile bloomed on his face—the hard work of this past period had not been in vain. He felt genuinely happy for his two good friends.

Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui arrived as well, and upon seeing their rankings, both erupted into excited shouts. Fatty Tang wiggled his backside with a flourish, while the surrounding Martial Children looked at them with a complex mix of envy, jealousy, and resentment.

Zhao Feng had been quite pleased when he first saw his own ranking, but the moment he saw Zhang He sitting at the top, his excitement was instantly replaced by jealousy and spite.

"A mere commoner Martial Child, how could he achieve such results? First place! Even the number one genius of Mengyin City, Wen Liang, was suppressed by him and relegated to second! Is there something fishy going on here?" Zhao Feng gritted his teeth. Seeing his enemy ranked above him was an incredibly infuriating experience. He even harbored malicious suspicions of foul play, though he dared not voice them aloud. To question the Martial Child Assessment was to question Prince Qu and the other proctors—that was a surefire way to invite disaster upon himself. Zhao Feng was not foolish enough to go that far.

"Boss, how could Zhang He's cultivation have progressed by such leaps and bounds? Could it be... that he cheated?" Han Zhao, Zhao Feng's right-hand man, asked with a gloomy expression.

"Silence! Such things cannot be said to outsiders!" Zhao Feng's face shifted, and he immediately barked at Han Zhao to stop. If Prince Qu and the others heard such talk, he and his group would surely be doomed.

While Zhao Feng was seething with frustration, another person was equally incensed. Wen Liang looked at the ranking board with a sour expression: "I, a dignified outer-sect disciple of the True Martial Academy, am actually inferior to a common Martial Child? If this gets out, it will be a laughingstock. Is there something shady going on? Did that fellow named Zhang He cheat?"

Others dared not voice such doubts, but Wen Liang dared, for he was a disciple of the True Martial Academy.

"I must go ask Prince Qu what is going on! I do not believe Zhang He's cultivation could possibly surpass mine! How could that be? I have consumed vast amounts of spiritual elixirs and received constant personal guidance from my family elders to achieve what I have today. How could a nameless Martial Child like him stand above me? In such a grand event, if Zhang He used despicable means to cheat, he must be severely punished to purify the martial atmosphere among the Martial Children!"

Wen Liang held his breath, determined to have Prince Qu personally verify Zhang He's trial process.

In the crowd, Wang Fengjie and Wang Yingjie looked at the ranking board with unnatural expressions. Their rankings were sixth and tenth, respectively.

"I never expected Zhang He to be in first place. Phew, I wonder what our eldest uncle will think when he sees this." Wang Fengjie recalled the events of not long ago, when their uncle had ordered that Zhang He's name was never to be mentioned in the family again.

"It's truly unbelievable that he's so capable. If... if he could join us for this Family Ranking Conference, the hope of our family ascending to the ranks of the elite would be much greater." Wang Yingjie couldn't help but sigh. He had always looked down on Zhang He, never imagining he was so formidable.

"I hope that once our uncle hears this news, he can set aside his pride, visit them personally, and bring the eldest aunt and the others back. If everything in the house continues to be controlled by that little vixen, things will only get worse!" Wang Fengjie nodded.

Gan Tian'er was mixed in the crowd, watching the ranking board. While her face showed no emotional fluctuation, her heart felt strange. Through the crowd, her gaze fell upon that gentle figure ahead. When did you become like a phoenix, undergoing nirvana and rebirth? And with your first cry, you shocked everyone...

A faint sense of regret stirred in her heart. She knew that ever since she chose to distance herself from Zhang He, it would be impossible to return to the closeness they shared when they first entered the academy.

"Bastard, how is it that Zhang He is ranked first, and even Tang Risong and that Wang Dachui are in seventh and eighth place!" Zhao Wencai's expression was foul. All three of these people had been expelled, yet they had achieved such stellar results. It felt to him as if the heavens were blind.

In his heart, he believed that anyone expelled from the Martial Child Academy was destined to be the dregs of society.

"Brother Dachui, you're amazing, eighth place! Even those wealthy Martial Children can't compare to you!"

"Exactly, I knew Brother Dachui wasn't an ordinary person. My prediction was right today. Brother Dachui, you have to treat us!"

"Dachui, this flower represents my feelings, please accept it..." A woman dressed in a seductive manner approached, face flushed with shyness, and handed a rose to Wang Dachui.

"Hey, this flower looks familiar. Isn't this the one you just picked from the flowerbed to give to Wen Liang? Why are you giving it to Brother Dachui now?" a girl asked, looking somewhat astonished.

"You cheap woman, is it up to you to decide who I give this flower to?" the first girl immediately began to shriek.

"Come, come, beautiful lady, would I have the honor of inviting you for a drink?" Fatty Tang looked at a pretty girl in front of him with soulful eyes.

The pretty girl giggled, her onion-white fingers lightly brushing the back of Fatty Tang's hand as she cast a flirtatious glance at him: "Since Brother Tang has so graciously invited me, how could I refuse?"

"..." Zhang He was left speechless by this scene. The fickleness of human relationships was on full display at this moment. Those who had previously looked down on Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui were now flocking to them, trying their best to curry favor. There were also some girls who, upon seeing Zhang He, prepared to crowd around and strike poses to leave an impression. However, standing beside Zhang He at this moment was a woman who made them all feel inferior—Lian Yunbi.

"Congratulations to you. Even Wen Liang has been suppressed by you. Hehe, Wen Liang was so arrogant before; this ranking is like a slap to his own face. Truly interesting." Lian Yunbi laughed.

"You seem to have a strong opinion of Wen Liang?" Zhang He looked at Lian Yunbi, puzzled.

"No one could have a good impression of someone so arrogant and full of himself. Furthermore, while he appears to have great poise, he is actually a very petty person," Lian Yunbi said lightly. She tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and smiled at Zhang He. "The Martial Child Assessment is over. In ten days, it happens to be my birthday. You've already promised me, so don't you dare break your word."

Zhang He blinked and smiled: "How could I forget an invitation from a beauty?"

Lian Yunbi seemed to recall something, her face flushing slightly. Hearing Zhang He's words, she felt immensely 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 will gladly accept it." As she spoke, Lian Yunbi winked playfully, looking charming and cute.

Zhang He had never seen this side of Lian Yunbi. In his impression, she had always been like a goddess, high and aloof, usually cold and proud toward others. Seeing her act this way left him stunned, and a strange feeling stirred in his heart.

"Zhang He, Tang Risong, Wang Dachui, His Highness the Prince wishes to see you. Follow me." At that moment, a soldier approached and addressed them.

"His Highness the Prince wants to see us? Why?" Zhang He was stunned. If the Prince wanted to see him, he could understand—after all, he was in first place. But why summon Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui? Their cultivation was only among the top tier; there were others, like Lian Yunbi, who were ranked higher than them.

The surrounding Martial Children heard the soldier's words, their eyes gleaming with curiosity.

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

"Strange, why summon Tang Risong and Wang Dachui?" Others voiced the same confusion as Zhang He.

Nearby, Wen Liang's expression shifted: "Could it be that His Highness the Prince has also sensed something amiss? Perfect, I shall use this opportunity to go in and see for myself. I do not believe a commoner Martial Child can rank first!" Wen Liang felt incredibly aggrieved to be relegated to second place. Of course, what made him feel even worse was seeing Lian Yunbi standing with Zhang He, laughing and chatting. A fire burned in his chest—when had Lian Yunbi ever smiled at him like that? Yet she was doing so for a commoner!

As a disciple of the True Martial Academy, no one stopped Wen Liang from entering the main hall.

"What is it, Wen Liang? You look displeased. Are you unhappy about being ranked second?" Prince Qu took one look at Wen Liang's face and immediately guessed his intent, offering a faint smile.

Wen Liang felt awkward, but he braced himself and nodded: "That is correct. Your Highness, I am not convinced by the results of this assessment."

"And what would you have me do? There was absolutely no cheating in this assessment; as the chief proctor, I saw it with my own eyes. Zhang He's strength is not inferior to yours." Prince Qu looked at Wen Liang. This young man was still too impetuous. Was he unable to handle a setback after tasting success so early?

Without a second thought, Wen Liang said: "I want to have a duel with Zhang He. Whoever wins shall be the true first place."