Assessment

"How'd it go... did it work?" Gao Ren had just returned from setting the fire, still visibly excited as he hurried back to the human realm side and asked impatiently.

"This Family Head's handiwork naturally leaves no room for doubt..." As Ren Jie spoke, his spiritual sense detected several powerful auras rapidly approaching. He quickly pulled the chubby Gao Ren into a hidden spot, and moments later saw two figures moving so fast they left afterimages, leaping over ten meters in a single bound as they rushed toward where Fang Qi had been.

By then, others were also converging on the area. Ren Jie made a shushing gesture and slipped into the shadows with Gao Ren. Fortunately, the lakeshore was thick with grass and trees, and it was still night. Everyone's attention was fixed on the fire, so no one noticed the two of them quietly sneaking away.

Back at their lodgings, the fat man grabbed a teacup and gulped down two big mouthfuls, then let out a long breath and patted his chest. Too tense, too thrilling.

Ren Jie, on the other hand, felt nothing much at all. He found it strange himself—if this had been his previous life, it would've been unthinkable. It seemed that the transmigration and the rise in cultivation level had greatly changed his mindset.

"What do we do next? Should we find someone to pose as a fake identity and sell them the antidote? The Fang Family probably can't find anyone to cure this poison for now, but they do have alchemists. They should be able to tell that the only way to break this poison is either with a powerful medicine pill or from the person who made it, since there are over a hundred variations, and one wrong step means death." Though Gao Ren had often helped Ren Jie scheme and brawled with other hedonistic young masters, talking a big game like he'd been out in the world for years.

But right now, Ren Jie couldn't help wanting to laugh at Gao Ren's reaction. He was acting like an ordinary person after their first fight, yet in his memory, Gao Ren had bragged about being out in the world for ages. Only the old Ren Jie would've believed that and taken him for some kind of sage.

To be fair, reaching the level of Top Tier Miraculous Apothecary at Gao Ren's age was an absolute genius feat, not just at the Jade Emperor Academy but across the entire Jade Capital City and even the whole Bright Jade Dynasty.

And for someone like that to willingly follow him, Young Master Jie, had already flattered the old Ren Jie into thinking he had some kingly aura that attracted talent, so he never bothered to question anything else. Gao Ren was indeed a genius with food, potions, and spending money, but the other things he bragged about were wildly unreliable. He himself wasn't anything close to a "sage."

"Why find someone else? Why hide?" Ren Jie said calmly. "I am the Family Head of the Ren Family. As long as I'm not caught red-handed, there's nothing to worry about. How could I pass up such a good opportunity to go myself? Knowing something doesn't mean anything. Just wait to count the money."

Though he hadn't fully taken power yet, recalling the last time he'd exploded in anger at Ren Junyang and the others, Ren Jie deeply understood one thing: using the title well was crucial. He was the Family Head of the Ren Family. In the past, neither others nor the old Ren Jie had realized this. Without power, no one cared, so they all dismissed him as the Ren Family Head. But now, things were different.

Gao Ren was slightly taken aback. Whether from their first meeting or the past year together, he'd gotten used to seeing Ren Jie as just another hedonistic young master of the Ren Family's main line. He'd completely forgotten that Ren Jie was also the Family Head. But as Family Head, even the students at the Jade Emperor Academy didn't care about him, let alone the Ren Family controlling his allowance, and even less so the other families in Jade Capital City...

Gao Ren was stunned by Ren Jie's bold words. Was this still the same Ren Jie whose legs used to tremble at the mere mention of an elder's meeting? But before he could ask more, Ren Jie had already gone upstairs to rest.

Back in his room, Ren Jie immediately began cultivating the Jade Emperor Art again, using the Qi Strength in his body to condense new Qi Strength Rings. He knew that future cultivation wouldn't be like the past few days, where he could shut himself away without distractions. As his power grew, the time needed for cultivation would only increase. Even now, condensing one hundred and forty-four Qi Strength Rings took an astonishing amount of time. And from his conversation with Gao Ren, he knew he'd have to return to Jade Capital City the day after tomorrow.

Because as the current Family Head of the Ren Family, even if everyone saw him as a puppet emperor, a figurehead, he was still the legitimate Family Head. There were many events and activities he had to attend. The day after tomorrow, it seemed he had to go to the Imperial Palace for some banquet. Gao Ren wasn't too clear on the details.

With that in mind, Ren Jie knew he had to integrate cultivation into his daily life. Fortunately, the body-tempering section of the Jade Emperor Art had that effect. Once the rings were fully condensed and formed a unique restrictive effect, his body would be like being in an independent gravity chamber, training at all times.

This time, though Ren Jie was more skilled, it still took him the entire night to condense eighty-six Qi Strength Rings. He'd wanted to push through and finish all one hundred and forty-four, but early in the morning, someone came to notify him that the school had a special announcement: all first-year students must participate in the final exam, or they'd be considered as giving up on advancing.

The messenger emphasized that the principal had personally ordered this to be conveyed. The meaning was clear: the Jade Emperor Academy was founded by the royal family in collaboration with the Ren, Gao, Fang, and Wen Families. As a member of the Five Great Families' main line, he wouldn't be expelled, but if he failed to meet basic requirements, repeating the year was unavoidable.

So Ren Jie dragged the even more reluctant fat man Gao Ren to their class early in the morning. But not long after leaving their lodgings, they were staring at each other in confusion.

"Meal Ticket Boss, we... seem to be in the wrong place?" Looking at the empty room with no one inside, Gao Ren was sure it wasn't because they'd arrived early. They were already much later than the notified time.

"I remember coming here once at the start of the semester. It should be here." Ren Jie had fully accepted his past memories now. In his memory, he'd only come to the classroom once when he first entered the Jade Emperor Academy. This should be it.

"That was almost a year ago. And we came here after drinking together. I've completely forgotten. What now?" Gao Ren had forgotten even more thoroughly than Ren Jie. But he clearly didn't care much about advancing or not. He yawned. "Ah! I'm dead tired. I've been working on the Hundred Illusions Poison antidote since last night and haven't slept yet. How about we just go back? Staying in first year isn't so bad. Meal Ticket Boss, didn't you always want to be with the new freshman girls every year?"

"I just chewed out the Second Elder and the other elders. If word gets out that I can't advance, do you think they'll let that slide and not come after me? Besides, don't you want to hear about our results from yesterday?" This little problem couldn't stump Ren Jie. He just asked someone for directions and quickly found their current classroom.

It turned out they were at the open Martial Arts Arena today. All first-year classes had gathered there. It was one of the academy's three major arenas. The Bright Jade Dynasty valued martial prowess. Though the Jade Emperor Academy was called a hedonist academy, that mostly referred to the students' backgrounds. A few, like the old Ren Jie, were true good-for-nothings who learned nothing. But the vast majority still worked hard. Princes, imperial grandsons, main and branch lines of the great families, and children of Great Powers all strove to improve their strength and build their networks at the academy.

This arena could seat over five thousand people, but it wasn't the academy's largest. The true Martial Arts Arena of the Jade Emperor Academy was one of the three great arenas in Jade Capital City, capable of holding over a hundred thousand people.

"That's all for today. Anyone who didn't show up today will repeat the year. Everyone else, prepare for the final exam in one month. Those who fail will also repeat..." At that moment, Li Jun, the teacher of Class A1, stood in the arena. His voice was crisp and forceful, clearly audible to the nearly two thousand people seated there.

The entire arena was dead silent. Most people even controlled their breathing, listening intently.

"Over here, over here..." Just then, Ren Jie and Gao Ren walked in. Seeing them, Tie Ta from Class A5 grinned to himself. These two big shots were only showing up now, right as things were wrapping up. He waved low, signaling them to come over quietly. But his "low" voice was almost as loud as someone shouting.

"Shh!" Within a radius of several dozen meters, at least a few hundred people turned to look at Tie Ta. Oh heavens, someone actually dared to break the rules while Teacher Li Jun was speaking! Last semester at the opening ceremony, a group of hedonists had chatted during the principal and vice principal's speeches and gotten off lightly. But when Li Jun spoke, they chatted again and were punished with ten times the training. Three of them couldn't complete the punishment and were expelled.

Tie Ta's father was now a deputy general of a prefecture, commanding local troops—a deputy general over ten thousand men. But at the Jade Emperor Academy, with just that status, he'd be lucky to get into Class D1, let alone Class A5. The first-year classes were divided into A, B, C, and D, each with five classes, and the resources each class received were different. Not to mention the chance to build connections. Many people at the academy struggled to get in, not just to study, but to use the environment to build networks for their families' next generation.

However, Tie Ta's father had once followed Ren Tianxing. Though he'd only been an ordinary squad leader in Ren Tianxing's Guard Squad, he was definitely a loyalist of the Ren Family. When Tie Ta was about to come to Jade Capital City for school, his father ordered him to pay respects at the Ren Family. At that time, Ren Tianxing had happened to return and pass the family head position to Ren Jie. He'd met Tie Ta as well, and because of Ren Tianxing's words, Tie Ta was placed in Class A5.

So no matter what others thought, Tie Ta firmly remembered his father's words: always protect Ren Jie.

"I just announced that when I'm speaking..." The five-thousand-person arena was no small space, but Li Jun's cultivation level was high. Though Tie Ta had lowered his voice, Li Jun frowned the moment he spoke.

Everyone at the Jade Emperor Academy knew one thing: the teacher of Class A1 was always a member of the royal family, to keep the hedonists and students in line. Li Jun was actually the current emperor's cousin. His original name was Li Haijun, but after the emperor ascended the throne and used the character "Hai" in his name, Li Jun changed his.

The academy had three grades. Besides the special classes, the teacher of Class A1 was the grade's head. Apart from the vice principals and principal, he was the highest authority in the grade. Ren Jie immediately recalled some memories of Li Jun. His strictness was notorious throughout the academy.

Oh no. If Li Jun kept talking, Tie Ta would be in trouble.

"Great! Teacher speaks well! Teacher Li Jun is the best! Well said! Clap clap clap..." When Li Jun spoke, the arena was dead silent. Even princes, imperial grandsons, and children of the Five Great Families didn't dare act out. Suddenly, Ren Jie shouted in praise, and even without using any secret technique, he immediately drew countless eyes. Then he clapped vigorously, leaving many stunned.

"What are you looking at? Don't you think Teacher spoke well? Clap!" Ren Jie didn't care how people looked at him. He clapped as if genuinely excited.

This was going too far. Gao Ren immediately joined in clapping. Clapping was contagious. Most people hadn't even figured out what was happening. Hearing Ren Jie say it was to cheer for the teacher, many started clapping too. Soon, applause flooded the entire arena. Those who didn't understand thought it was over, and some even cheered along.

"Well said, Teacher! Teacher Li said it wonderfully!"

"We'll work hard! We'll achieve great results in the exam next month!"

"Win glory for the academy! Win glory for our grade! Win glory for Teacher Li!"