"Cut the crap. You think you’re so tough now that you’ve found a helper? You’re still a spineless coward!" Ye Wen Ni sneered at the young noble, her voice dripping with contempt. "I put you in the sick ward for two months, and it looks like I went too easy on you. Maybe I should’ve put you away for half a year to really make you remember your place!"

"Such an ignorant woman!" The young noble seemed to be a natural-born masochist; the more Ye Wen Ni insulted him, the more excited he grew. He let out a sly laugh. "Did you really think I’d come for payback without making any preparations? How naive!" He then turned to a quiet, reserved man in his thirties standing behind him. "Subdue this woman for me. Be careful not to hurt her, though. I would be heartbroken!"

Just then, someone next to him offered a reminder, "Young Master Li Qiang, Ye Wen Ni is one of Teacher Shangguan’s..."

"Hmph." Li Qiang grunted coldly, shooting the person a look. "I don’t know about all that. What I do know is that this woman—this *commoner*—injured me, and nothing happened to her. According to the laws of the Empire, a commoner who dares to harm a noble can be disposed of by that noble as they see fit! So, stay out of it! Piss me off, and I’ll go have a little chat with His Majesty the King himself. You think someone with my Royal Family status has to stand here and be insulted by some wild wench?!"

Some of the other noble students secretly sneered. ’Even when the Crown Prince and the Southern King attended the Imperial Academy, they were never as obnoxious as you, constantly throwing your royal status in everyone’s face. You’re just a distant relative from a minor branch of the family. What’s there to be so arrogant about?’

But the person who had warned Li Qiang fell silent. He was right. Strictly speaking, Li Qiang was indeed a member of the Royal Family. No matter how distant a relative, he at least had royal blood in his veins.

The man behind Li Qiang appeared silent and impassive. Upon receiving the order, he took a single step forward, and a powerful aura instantly erupted from him. The surrounding students gasped, and their gazes toward Li Qiang shifted. ’That guy might be a loser,’ they thought, ’but the helper he found is the real deal.’ Some of Ye Wen Ni’s admirers had already sent someone to fetch Teacher Shangguan. Otherwise, it seemed unlikely she could defeat this man on her own.

The man came to a stop in front of Ye Wen Ni and said in a low voice, "Pardon the intrusion." He slowly drew an ordinary sword of refined steel and pointed it at her. "Draw your sword. I don’t fight unarmed opponents."

The crowd of onlookers was now several layers deep. Someone in the throng shouted, "Shameless! A grown man picking on a woman, and you have the gall to tell her to draw her sword? Why don’t you just go kill yourself?!"

Many others chimed in with their agreement. While many nobles disapproved of Ye Wen Ni’s barbaric and ruthless nature, they had an equally poor opinion of the insufferably arrogant Li Qiang.

Ling Xiao stood silently within the crowd. Those around him were too engrossed in the spectacle to notice that one of the Imperial Academy’s most prominent figures was in their midst. Ling Xiao sensed the powerful aura emanating from the man, and his expression grew solemn. He didn’t rush to intervene, however. He wanted to see how long Ye Zi could hold out. Now that her strength had surged and she had mastered the Jade Maiden Sword Skill, how would she fare against an opponent slightly stronger than herself?

The man in his thirties facing Ye Zi was at least a Mad Sword Master!

Ever since she began practicing the Jade Maiden Sword Skill, Ye Wen Ni’s figure had become even more shapely. Yet the man across from her seemed to completely ignore her beauty, just as he was deaf to the crowd’s jeers. He repeated, his voice flat and wooden, "Draw your sword."

"Hmph. If it’s a fight you want, it’s a fight you’ll get! Don’t think for a second I’m afraid of you!" Ye Wen Ni’s short sword slid from its scabbard with a flash of cold light. She sneered at the man. "A shame to see someone with your skills serving a dog. You’re an absolute disgrace!"

The man’s eyes were as still as a stagnant pool, completely unruffled. He replied coolly, "The same could be said of you."

Ye Wen Ni’s anger flared. He was clearly mocking her for relying on a noble benefactor to attend the academy. But she quickly caught herself. ’This man isn’t as simple-minded as he looks. I tried to provoke him, but he just tried to provoke me right back.’ She let out a cold laugh. "Enough with the pleasantries. A dog’s hired hand is still just a dog!" With a flash of cold light, her short sword struck out more than twenty times in a single instant, the attacks covering every vital point on the man’s body.

The crowd gasped, clearly stunned by Ye Wen Ni’s swordsmanship. Strands of Sword Qi hissed from her blade, whistling as they tore through the air.

The man’s expression flickered, his demeanor growing more cautious. ’Clearly,’ he thought, ’this girl isn’t as simple as Li Qiang made her out to be!’

Without panicking, he took a step back and leaned to the side, evading Ye Wen Ni’s assault. Simultaneously, his own sword shot out a long jet of pale blue Sword Qi.

Even Ling Xiao was taken aback. ’This man is also practicing a High-level Technique,’ he realized. ’And an extremely rare Water Element Sword Skill, at that!’

But Ye Wen Ni remained unruffled, her eyes calm. After so many years of struggling at the bottom of society, she had long since learned how to handle all kinds of people. ’This wooden-faced man seems stronger than me, but I’m not scared,’ she thought. ’I’ll use this rare opportunity to test the results of my training. Besides, if I can’t beat him, I can always run, can’t I? The Cultivation Technique Ling Xiao taught me is perfect for escaping!’

It had to be said that Ye Wen Ni held so-called "noble dignity" in complete contempt. When your life was on the line, only a fool wouldn’t run. This was why she could never become a true noble. Of course, she couldn’t care less about that.