Watch out! Something's wrong with this guard.

The two walked out of the bamboo forest that belonged to Lu Yunxi, one after the other.

If you look closely, you'll see that some students glanced over when the two appeared. When they saw Lu Yunshi, who was covered in dust, had a bruised and swollen face, and looked dejected, they all showed knowing expressions of not expecting it.

This show has been going on for several years, but people still love to watch it, and some even time it perfectly, waiting to see this scene every day.

"Tsk, getting beaten up like this every day, it's amazing how this guy can keep going. With that kind of willpower, why doesn't he just focus on training and go up the mountain sooner?"

"Come on, he has that talent. He probably just wants to latch onto a powerful figure and live off a woman. I heard Lu Yunxi is the daughter of some great general. If she takes a liking to someone, he'll never have to worry about money again."

"Ha, why would she be interested in him? He's just a tool Lu Yunxi is using as a shield. Does he really think he has a chance?"

"Look at that guy, he's already been beaten up and he's still not behaving himself, still following behind them. Isn't he afraid of getting beaten up again?"

"It's so pitiful. If you don't love someone, you don't love them. Why hurt them like this? Lu Yunxi is going too far. If it were me, I would never do that."

"What's wrong with that... wait, buddy! You're a man!"

Amidst the whispers, some sighed, some mocked, and some pitied Lu Yunshi out of jealousy for Lu Yunxi.

Lu Yunshi was well aware of all this, but showing everyone his miserable state was also a necessary step.

In fact, Lu Yunshi's miserable state every day was also a major factor that deterred a large number of people who admired Lu Yunxi. If they weren't simps, who would be happy to be beaten up every day in pursuit of their goddess?

At first, everyone thought that Lu Yunxi beat Lu Yunshi without any scruples because Lu Yunshi was of low status.

But later, as each suitor was carried out of the bamboo forest, everyone realized that Goddess Yunxi saw all beings as equal.

After leaving the student residential area, Lu Yunxi, who was walking ahead, suddenly frowned slightly, her displeasure almost overflowing. Lu Yunshi, who was only three steps away from her, seemed to sense something, and with a long sigh, he distanced himself from her.

Seeing that the two separated without any further commotion, the passersby who had been secretly watching (openly) gradually dispersed, realizing they were getting bored.

There wasn't much to see today, probably because Lu Yunxi had vented her anger inside and had no intention of making any more moves outside.

That Lu Yunshi is really something. If someone is unhappy, can't you just go up and lick their boots?

Once they get annoyed, they'll be able to witness the amusing scene of an angry goddess beating up a loser.

On the other side, Lu Yunshi's expression returned to calm after seeing that there were few people on the road. Although he still looked a little disappointed, he was no longer dejected.

Lu Yunshi reached into his chest and rummaged around for a couple of seconds before pulling out half of what looked like a charred talisman.

If you look closely, the runes on the talisman are emitting a faint glow.

"The gap between the Spirit Gathering Realm and me, a mere Body Tempering cultivator, is truly terrifying! Judging from this, it can probably only be used once." Lu Yunshi clicked his tongue, gently shaking the talisman in his hand. After the talisman returned to calm and stopped glowing, he put it back.

Without this, I would have been seriously injured today. After all, Lu Yunxi really didn't hold back. After the first two beatings, Lu Yunshi resolutely took measures.

With a sigh of heartache, Lu Yunshi quickened his pace.

Both he and Lu Yunxi were going to class, but their purposes were clearly different. The treatment of students on the mountain and students at the foot of the mountain was not only different in terms of resources and housing, but even the places where they studied were completely separated.

However, Lu Yunshi could understand this point. If the two groups were not separated, who knows how much trouble would arise.

The academy appears to have been established tens of thousands of years ago, but it seems to have only been recruiting students from among mortals for less than a thousand years.

Even the five major races could not achieve complete harmony within the academy, let alone the distinction between immortals and mortals.

In conclusion, students like Lu Yunshi, who live at the foot of the mountain, have their own place to receive education.

However, when it comes to studying, Lu Yunshi doesn't have any idea about timing himself or being late; it doesn't matter to him whether he's late or not.

There are two types of people in the college who are not afraid of being late: the elites and the ones who drag the team down.

The former is almost impossible to appear in the area where students study down the mountain, so let's not talk about it.

The latter... are everywhere here. Since they're the ones who drag people down, naturally no one worries about being late.

Although the students at the foot of the mountain are full of struggle and hard work, and everyone wants to move forward, there are actually not many cases of them being late.

The academy is very large, with at least 100,000 students just from the foot of the mountain. Therefore, there are countless classrooms. If you look at them from a distance, they would probably look like a densely packed mass. However, walking through them does not feel crowded. Since the academy has been divided into areas, after getting lost once or twice when you first enter the academy, you will not wander into other academies, unless you are a person who is really bad at directions.

Of course, Lu Yunshi was clearly not like that, so an hour later he leisurely arrived at his own classroom.

"Strange, it's unusually quiet today."

After muttering to himself for a moment, Lu Yunshi walked slowly through the main door into the classroom as usual. Just as he was about to sit down in his seat, a sharp gaze suddenly pierced his eyes, followed by the terrifying aura of 'knowledge'.

Lu Yunshi's eyes widened, and his throat moved involuntarily. He watched as knowledge flew past his eyes. If he moved forward even slightly, he would probably fall to the ground on the spot.

This sudden spectacle instantly drew the attention of more than fifty people in the classroom.

"This beginner, you seem to be late."

A strong male voice entered the classroom, and Lu Yunshi's gaze followed the sound, where a man in black came into view.

The academy's curriculum is divided into academic courses and martial arts courses, and this teacher is the only academic teacher for their class.

Although I was probably the only one in the class who was late, this usually good-tempered teacher wouldn't care. What was wrong with me today? I'd lost two more strands of hair.

"Mr. Li... I'm very sorry, I promise it won't happen again." Lu Yunshi smiled sheepishly and readily apologized.

"Hmph!" Mr. Li snorted coldly, seemingly not intending to let Lu Yun off so easily, his gaze becoming even sharper.

"As elementary students, you only have three hours a day to study on the mountain: one and a half hours of academic classes and one hour of martial arts classes."

“You are fundamentally far inferior to the students on the mountain, but these three hours are still your only chance, the only chance for you to be transformed, the only chance for you, these worthless mud, to be looked at with respect. All you can do is work hard, only by putting in ten times or even a hundred times the effort can you take flight.”

"And you, Lu Yunshi, are late every day because of those unrealistic fantasies, wasting your only chance."

Upon hearing Mr. Li's words, the expressions of everyone in the classroom turned sour, not because of his lecturing, but because of the words "elementary students".

The academy at the foot of the mountain has a general name: elementary students, and above them are intermediate students, advanced students, and elite students.

The term "elementary student" originally meant nothing, but one day, a senior student from the mountains changed it to "newborn" in a humiliating tone, and this phrase became widely circulated, thus altering the meaning of the term.

Mr. Li glanced at everyone, took a deep breath, and then looked at Lu Yunshi again before speaking.

"If I remember correctly, you are seventeen years old now, and you have been on the mountain for three years. According to the academy's regulations, if a junior student cannot reach the late stage of body tempering within four years of entering the academy, they will be expelled. Calculate how much time you have left."

“But…” Lu Yunshi scratched his head and said weakly, “But with my talent… even if I work hard, it might not be useful. For someone like me, being able to enter the academy is already a great blessing, and I don’t even dare to think about anything more.”

Upon hearing this, Mr. Li paused for a moment. Perhaps it was because Lu Yunshi looked so disappointed when he said this that his expression softened, and the anger in his heart subsided considerably.

"Sigh~" Mr. Li sighed, his tone softening. "Since you have embarked on this path of cultivation and even entered the academy, you have already surpassed countless mortals. Since you were able to enter the academy, you have surpassed many people even more. You have no reason not to work hard."

"They did seize eight or nine out of ten opportunities in the world, but that doesn't mean you have no chance. There has never been a shortage of strong people in every era who started with no talent, no background, and no resources but eventually became heroes. They were much weaker than the geniuses of their time, but they all had the same things that surpassed those geniuses."

"What...is it?" a student asked with longing in his eyes, a question that all the other students wanted to ask at that moment.

"The courage to burn one's boats, the perseverance to never give up, and the unbreakable determination." Mr. Li raised his hand, and the knowledge that had just flown past Lu Yunshi's eyes returned to his hand. He shook the 'Theory of the Strong' in his hand.

"Talent and resources can pave the way for cultivators to ascend the ninety-nine-story tower, it's just a matter of how much or how little, how long or short. But the section from the ninety-ninth to the one hundredth can only be traversed by those who possess the three powers mentioned above."

After speaking, Mr. Li glanced at Lu Yunshi. This time, he didn't say anything more, only uttering a faint remark.

"Sit down! I hope you won't waste this hard-won opportunity any longer."

Lu Yunshi took his seat as instructed. The displeasure that the students felt from this little incident vanished after Mr. Li finished speaking. Instead, the students were even more inspired by Mr. Li's words.