TDG : rise of shadow army

Next to Ye Ziyun sat a tall and handsome boy who occasionally glanced at her. He noticed Ye Ziyun looking at Nie Li and cast a furious glare in his direction. His build was slightly larger than Nie Li's, and he began emitting a faint aura of hostility.

Chan Wei sensed this intent and turned to see its source. Unintentionally, he crushed the aura with a stronger pressure directed at Shen Yue, who flinched upon meeting Chan Wei's piercing blue eyes.

Nie Li, Ye Ziyun, and other classmates turned to look at Shen Yue, whose chair screeched against the floor, breaking the calm atmosphere of his aunt's lecture. Following Shen Yue's gaze, they only saw Chan Wei staring at him.

Chan Wei then turned back toward the teacher, who was now glaring at him with hostility. She flipped through a small notebook, searching for something.

"Well, well, there you are. Chan Wei, do you think it's more interesting to look around the room than to listen to my lesson, especially when you're just a mere commoner?" Shen Xiu said with a mocking smile.

"And how is it that you're even in my class when there's no record of your profile being tested?"

Chan Wei and most of the other commoner students frowned before he responded.

"Honestly, professor, I have no idea. But if the great and powerful noble you are would have the kindness—no, the grace—to grant me an evaluation crystal, then we'd all have our answer!" he said sarcastically.

Shen Xiu, unwilling to stoop to his level, ignored the sarcasm and tossed him a blank crystal with a mocking smile.

"Oh dear, it seems I've handed you a blank one. You can keep it as a gift. It's just a trifle for us nobles. Go ahead, infuse your spiritual energy into it and show us."

Chan Wei complied, injecting his energy into the crystal. It changed color to a cyan hue with bipedal shadows moving within it, and the number of luminous points reached 76.

Shen Xiu approached him but froze, then announced, "Cyan soul realm with a spiritual force of 76? That's impossible; there must be a mistake," before retreating to her desk as if nothing had happened. Chan Wei didn't correct her, not wanting to draw further attention, but he resolved to find a protector quickly. Perhaps the City Lord, with Nie Li's help, could safeguard his talent.

Shen Xiu deactivated her transformation, crossing her arms over her chest. Her eyes swept over the students, lingering a moment longer on Chan Wei before she said:

"For the next two years, you are all my students. Although the principal claims that students at the Holy Orchid Institute are equals, I must tell you the ugly truth: in this world, equality doesn't exist!" Shen Xiu's voice was slightly shrill. Her words were like daggers stabbing into the hearts of the students.

Chan Wei barely looked at her, instead focusing his attention on Nie Li behind him while reflecting.

"I'm not Bronze-ranked yet. The voice mentioned I have a spirit directly integrated, but I can't access it until I reach Silver rank. As for the Shadow Monarch's ability, I still need to test it."

"When you all grow up and leave this school, you'll come to agree with my words. Equality is nothing more than a lie adults feed you. You can't live forever in a fairy tale," Shen Xiu declared, lowering her head to survey the students.

"Glory City is the only city that has been preserved throughout the Dark Era. We are the sole surviving humans. In Glory City, there are two types of powerful existences: Fighters and Demon Spiritualists. Demon Spiritualists are noble beings. Among thousands or even tens of thousands of Fighters, only one might have the chance to be born as a powerful Demon Spiritualist. Currently, in all of Glory City, there are only a few thousand Demon Spiritualists. We are the guardians of Glory City!"

"The Fighters and Demon Spiritualists are divided into ranks: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Black Gold, and Legend. The higher the rank, the greater the power. If a family produces a Gold-ranked Demon Spiritualist, it can become an aristocratic family. If a family produces a Black Gold-ranked Demon Spiritualist, it can become a Noble family. If a family produces three Black Gold-ranked Demon Spiritualists or one Legend-ranked Demon Spiritualist, that family can become a major family.

We have thirty-six people here. Some of you come from commoner families, and others from noble families," Shen Xiu declared haughtily before continuing.

"While your starting points are the same, your identities are not. I hope each of you has self-awareness and manners. Commoners will always remain commoners. It is impossible for you to elevate yourselves to aristocratic status, so don't dream of becoming a phoenix. Even among nobles, there are strict levels of hierarchy that can never be crossed."

"Perfect! Exactly the speech I was waiting for. Now all that's left is Nie Li's retort, and I can finally leave this wretched class," thought Chan Wei, lowering his head slightly to avoid drawing Shen Xiu's attention again. Her gaze shifted to Nie Li, seated just behind him.

Chan Wei waited a few seconds for Nie Li's anger to rise before he intervened.

"Professor Shen Xiu, I have a question," Nie Li suddenly said. The students, who had been quietly listening, were surprised by the interruption, which displeased Shen Xiu.

She recognized Nie Li as the boy who had taken an interest in Ye Ziyun. Her earlier remarks had been directed at him. Who would have thought that Nie Li would dare to speak up?

She snorted coldly. "What is it?"

"The professor said that Glory City is the only one to have survived the Dark Era and that we are the only surviving humans. What evidence do you have for this statement? May I ask if the professor has ever ventured beyond the St. Ancestral Mountains and visited the Endless Desert, the Toxic Forest, the Blood Moon Swamp, the Spirit Gulf, the Heavenly Shine Mountains, or the Northern Snowfields?" Nie Li asked.

As someone reborn and retaining his past experiences, Nie Li could completely dismiss Shen Xiu's authority.

"What Heavenly Shine Mountains? What Northern Snowfields?" Shen Xiu frowned. She had heard of the Endless Desert, the Toxic Forest, and the Blood Moon Swamp, but those places were far from the St. Ancestral Mountains and only known from legends.

Shen Xiu snorted. "I have been in Glory City since birth and have never been to those places."

Nie Li smiled faintly. "Since Professor Shen Xiu has never been to these places, how can you be so certain we are the only surviving humans?"

A fleeting smile crossed Chan Wei's lips, but Shen Xiu noticed it. Frustrated and out of words, she furrowed her brows and sent a wave of Yin intent toward Chan Wei and Nie Li. However, the aura broke against Chan Wei, having no effect.

The students began whispering among themselves. They had no idea about the places Nie Li mentioned. Ye Ziyun, sitting far away, showed a spark of curiosity. She glanced at Nie Li with interest, wondering how he knew about these places.

Shen Yue, seated beside Ye Ziyun, frowned slightly. He looked at Nie Li and realized he was quite handsome, not inferior to himself in appearance. Without realizing it, a sense of unease crept into his heart.

Seeing the students murmuring among themselves, Shen Xiu's face darkened in displeasure. "So what? How can you prove we aren't the last surviving humans?" she mocked.

"Proof?"

Nie Li smiled faintly. His past experiences were proof enough. Humanity's wisdom is incredible. After enduring the Dark Era, many humans had survived and built monumental cities. But he couldn't say this outright. Instead, he calmly replied, "Let me tell Professor Shen Xiu a story. Once, there was a frog at the bottom of a well. Since its birth, it had always been in that well. From the beginning, it could only see a portion of the sky, so it claimed the sky was as large as the well's opening. But is the sky only the size of the well's opening? We can only say the frog was ignorant."

Hearing Nie Li's words, the students couldn't help but laugh. They felt what he said made sense. The idiom "a frog looking at the sky from the bottom of a well" indirectly called Professor Shen Xiu ignorant.

"Looking at the sky from the bottom of a well—what an apt description," said a few girls, giggling. They disliked Shen Xiu and couldn't help but admire Nie Li for being bold enough to insult a teacher openly in class.

"You…" Shen Xiu glared at Nie Li. She was so furious she nearly spat blood. Nie Li had compared her to an ignorant frog. She had never encountered such a brazen student, especially with another disrespectful one seated right in front of her.

Ye Ziyun, sitting far away, couldn't help but laugh. She realized Nie Li was quite interesting and eloquent with his words. He had rendered Professor Shen Xiu speechless.

Ye Ziyun was naturally beautiful, and her smile was captivating. Nie Li winked at her and smiled.

Seeing Nie Li's expression, Ye Ziyun quickly turned her head away, thinking, "Such audacity!"

Nie Li looked at Shen Xiu and continued, "Professor Shen Xiu, I have another question."

Shen Xiu was about to explode with rage but managed to suppress it. With a sour tone, she replied, "What question do you have now?!"

"The professor said, 'A commoner will always remain a commoner; they can never become a noble.' I have a small question. Wasn't Legend-ranked Demon Spiritualist Ye Mo a commoner in his youth? Professor Shen Xiu, are you unaware of this?"

Chan Wei eagerly awaited what came next, all while contemplating his approach. Should he intervene and use himself as an example of a commoner with potential to reach Legend rank? Or should he simply stand by and join the group Nie Li was forming?