“Senior Brother Zhao.” Gu Liuli, the leader of his academy’s team, hastily ordered people to help Zhao Li up. He hobbled out the door with their assistance.

Before leaving, he turned back to glare at Qiao Mu and the others. He declared, “Does Apex Academy accept Catkin Academy’s challenge for this competition?”

“You don’t have the qualifications.” Qiao Mu swept him a frigid look. “Who do you think you, as a minor spiritual cultivator, are to challenge me? Beat it!”

Everybody couldn’t smile anymore.

/The fact that the stoic-faced little lady could say this meant that her actual strength was much higher than a level-one spiritual cultivator!?/

Since she dared to so arrogantly tell him, a level-one spiritual cultivator, to scram, it most likely meant that… it was impossible for anyone who didn’t have the ability to do such a thing.

“You people!” Gu Liuli simply burst with anger. She glared hatefully at the group from Apex Academy before helping Zhao Li out with their tails between their legs.

“A bunch of baffling people.” Qi Xuanxuan pursed her lips and turned to Zhou Danjin, whose expression was unreadable. “Mentor, who are they exactly?”

Zhou Danjin sighed. “We’ll talk on the way.”

Since today was the first day of the second round, it wouldn’t be too good to be late.

After exiting Anping Inn, Zhou Danjin glanced at Mentor Wei Xu, who was in the back of the group, before asking Qiao Mu and the other students, “Classmate Qiao, at the beginning, you must have thought that Mentor Wei Xu was targeting you the whole time, right?”

Qiao Mu nodded without any hesitation.

/That was correct. If not for her good temper, she would’ve given this whatever Mentor Wei Xu a nice beating a long time ago!/

Zhou Danjin was speechless at this honest child.

“Actually, your Mentor Wei Xu had once taken a very talented student. However, because this student came from a wealthy patrician family, he was very arrogant. Later on, because he despised our shabby academy, he betrayed our academy during an extremely important competition.”

“From then on, your Mentor Wei Xu became demoralized, also turning taciturn. That’s why we value students’ character and not their talents when we select students now.”

“Miss Qiao, you have too good a background. You were riding an ancient phoenix when you first ascended our Academy Peak.” Zhou Danjin eyed her and continued, “Everybody was fully aware that you definitely hailed from unordinary family clan.”

“Wait, let me interrupt!” Qiao Mu couldn’t resist cutting in, “I don’t have any family background! I’m only a child from a small clan in the Lower Star Domain who went through a lot of hardship. Alright, you can continue now.”

Everyone: “…”

/How come they wanted so much to laugh?/

/There were clearly on a very solemn topic right now!/

Mentor Zhou twitched his mouth speechlessly. he naturally didn’t want to bicker with this kid on whether she had a profound family background, so he continued, “You picked a fight with Classmate Hua Tao the first time you came to our academy!”

Upon the mention of this incident, Hua Tao couldn’t help covering his face. /Could they not bring up this embarrassing matter again?/

“That arrogance, and that, that imposing manner characteristic of a spoiled young lady from a famed clan, made your Mentor Wei Xu associate you with that classmate who defected from the academy.”

“Of course, you all know now this person is Zhao Li, who had come to provoke us earlier.”

“He is from the Shuntian Prefecture’s Zhao Clan. In Shuntian Prefecture, the Zhao Clan can be considered a first-class patrician family.”