"Are you really Wei Yi?"
"Weren't you born with severed meridians that kept you from cultivating?"
"Have you already solved the problem with your severed meridians?"
When Wei Yi first met Zhu Ling'er, he had thought she was a quiet girl, but after actually spending time with her, he discovered that was not the case.
One question followed another. She was a curious baby who acted familiar with everyone.
Of course, Yang Qingqing was not much better.
"Wei Yi, what brought you here?"
"Wei Yi, you've already advanced to the Martial Master Realm, haven't you?"
"How did you manage to beat that Blackwater bandit leader?"
Yang Qingqing kept asking questions beside him as well.
The two chattered like a pair of tireless larks. Judging by this alone, they certainly deserved to be called close friends with shared interests.
Wei Yi suddenly felt a little regretful about returning to the academy with them.
He really could not judge people by their appearance alone. He had assumed that, as renowned beauties at the academy, they would surely be proud and reserved. He had never expected them to be nothing of the sort.
"Say, you two young ladies, where do you get so many questions?"
Wei Yi asked helplessly.
"All right, just one last question. As long as you answer me, I'll shut up and stop asking."
Zhu Ling'er and Yang Qingqing exchanged a glance and immediately closed their mouths at the same time. But after thinking for a moment, Zhu Ling'er still could not resist holding up her little finger and pleading pitifully.
"Ask!"
Wei Yi turned to stare at her.
"Um, why do you walk so strangely?"
Zhu Ling'er asked a question entirely outside Wei Yi's expectations.
Wei Yi breathed a sigh of relief and explained, "Because I'm practicing a movement martial technique."
Indeed, Wei Yi had been practicing his newly acquired movement martial technique-the Blackwater Movement Technique-the entire way.
Unlike combat martial techniques, movement martial techniques could be practiced during ordinary activities to gain experience.
Over the course of their journey, his originally LV1 Blackwater Movement Technique had already reached LV3. Not only was it easier and more natural to use, but its power had also increased considerably.
Zhu Ling'er and Yang Qingqing exchanged a glance and nodded in understanding.
Then they left Wei Yi aside and began discussing it in low voices.
"No wonder he's so strong. So he works this hard."
"I think it has something to do with Zhao Xueqian. I heard she dumped him back then. He must have been enduring humiliation and shouldering that burden for the past year. This is what they mean by 'don't bully a youth for being poor,'" Yang Qingqing said with certainty.
"..."
Listening to their muttering, Wei Yi really did not know what to say.
After some thought, he wisely kept his mouth shut. Ignoring the two goofy girls, he walked on alone with his head down.
When Wei Yi returned to the academy, he heard a piece of news that took him completely by surprise.
He had been forcibly expelled!
That was right. The final deadline had not yet arrived, and the end-of-month assessment had not taken place, yet he had already been ordered to leave the academy.
They had not even asked for his opinion before issuing him an ultimatum.
"Instructor Qian announced it."
"He told me to notify you that you have three days to move out of the academy and return your student ID and other identification documents."
"He also said... starting today, you no longer count as a student of True Martial Academy."
Lu Xing found Wei Yi and spoke with a dejected expression.
At the news, Zhu Ling'er and Yang Qingqing exchanged looks, unsure what to say for a moment, then both turned toward Wei Yi.
They found him perfectly calm, as though the person being discussed were not him.
"Did your Instructor Qian really say that? Could there have been a mistake...?"
Yang Qingqing could not help asking.
In her view, Wei Yi was so strong that he was no worse than the academy's very best geniuses. There was no way he should have been forcibly expelled.
"Exactly. Wei Yi, you can cultivate now, and you're so strong that neither of us can compare. How could they expel you?" Zhu Ling'er agreed.
"Why don't you ask your uncle what's going on, Ling'er?"
Yang Qingqing suddenly suggested.
"Right, Zhu Ling'er, your uncle is the academy's vice dean. He must know the reason."
Lu Xing's eyes lit up.
Although he did not know how Wei Yi had ended up with the two great beauties, Zhu Ling'er and Yang Qingqing, he wholeheartedly supported the suggestion.
Zhu Ling'er did not refuse. Wei Yi had just saved her life, so what was this small favor? She immediately patted her chest and promised, "Wait here for a moment. I'll go ask my uncle and be right back."
"Sorry for the trouble."
After some thought, Wei Yi also felt it would be best to get to the bottom of things first.
Every grievance had its source, and every debt its debtor. That way, he would not go after the wrong person!
"It's nothing."
Zhu Ling'er smiled sweetly, revealing her breathtaking beauty, then pulled Yang Qingqing along and ran toward the academy instructors' offices.
"Wei Yi, how did you end up walking with Zhu Ling'er and the others? From the looks of it, they seem pretty close to you..." Lu Xing waggled his eyebrows at Wei Yi and asked curiously.
Wei Yi looked at him.
He put on a deeply troubled expression.
"I couldn't help it. They thought I was handsome and insisted on pledging themselves to me. I refused, so they shamelessly followed me around."
At those words, Lu Xing's brain froze. He failed to react for a long while.
"I'm kidding."
Seeing his foolish expression, Wei Yi did not know whether to laugh or cry.
"Oh, oh, oh. You scared me to death." Lu Xing patted his chest and let out a heavy sigh of relief.
"Was that really necessary...?" Wei Yi could not help rolling his eyes.
"You have no idea how popular Zhu Ling'er is at our academy. Not only is she the Zhu Clan's eldest young lady, with an uncle who's a vice dean, but her cultivation talent is also top-notch. On top of that, she has beauty like flowers beneath the moon, and she's gentle and quiet..."
"Wait. Never mind the rest. Did you say she's gentle and quiet?"
Wei Yi asked with a strange expression.
The image of Zhu Ling'er goofily asking endless questions along the way surfaced in his mind. Were they talking about the same person?
"Of course. Zhu Ling'er is famous at our academy for being gentle and quiet!"
Lu Xing nodded firmly, his expression certain.
As though afraid Wei Yi would not believe him, he rattled on endlessly, recounting her virtues like treasures in his own home.
After Zhu Ling'er, he moved on to Yang Qingqing.
In short, his general point was how incredibly popular the two girls were at the academy, how well-liked, how perfect in every way, and how Wei Yi must have stepped in dog shit to be lucky enough to walk with them.
Only when Zhu Ling'er and Yang Qingqing returned did he close his mouth, still wishing he could go on.
Wei Yi glanced at Lu Xing, then could not resist giving Zhu Ling'er and Yang Qingqing several long, searching looks, which left both girls feeling rather creeped out.
"What is it? Why are you looking at us so strangely...?"
Zhu Ling'er could not help asking with a frown.
"Nothing. What's going on with my situation?" Wei Yi was loyal enough not to sell Lu Xing out.
"How strange," Zhu Ling'er muttered.
Then she explained,
"My uncle said this wasn't a decision made by the academy."
"Instructor Qian from your class submitted a recommendation for your withdrawal, asking the academy to expel you early. Considering that the one-year period promised to your father hasn't ended yet, the academy hasn't made a final decision."
"As for why your Instructor Qian announced it ahead of time, that's unclear."
At this point, Yang Qingqing stepped forward and said,
"I think that Instructor Qian of yours might have something against you, so he's deliberately trying to get you out of the academy early. Once the raw rice has been cooked, you'll have been expelled whether you were meant to be or not. The academy certainly won't call you back."
"So it really was that fellow Qian Tonghe stirring up trouble."
"Maybe the Sun brothers had a hand in it too."
Wei Yi could not help sneering.
As soon as he finished speaking, he headed straight toward the academy's martial training rooms.
At the same time, a system notification sounded in his mind-
"Ding! Player Wei Yi has triggered the quest [Stay at the Academy]." "Quest requirement: Have the academy revoke the expulsion order." "Quest duration: Three days." "Quest rewards: Cultivation experience +5000, martial technique experience +5000, one bronze treasure chest."