TDG : rise of shadow army

After hearing Nie Li's words, the eyes of the commoners in the class lit up. They were all familiar with the story of Lord Ye Mo. He was an example to follow for those who aspired to become powerful existences. However, Shen Xiu's earlier words had been far too harsh, leaving them disheartened.

"You… In the hundreds of years of Glory City's history, Lord Ye Mo is the only one who has managed to rise to the top relying on his own abilities," Shen Xiu retorted after a brief pause, attempting to counter Nie Li with her flimsy logic.

"But didn't Master Shen Xiu say it was impossible? Why are you being so contradictory?" Nie Li sneered coldly. "Lord Ye Mo is a clear example. Whether one is noble or common, the potential for the future is limitless. Nothing is impossible if one is willing to strive for it."

Shen Xiu nearly exploded. This boy was too insufferable. He kept exploiting the flaws in her words, relentlessly attacking her. He showed no respect for his elders! She glared coldly at Nie Li and once again sent a wave of Yin intent toward him, but as before, it failed to pass Chan Wei, who barely exerted any effort to stop it. That Nie Li dared to openly contradict her in front of so many people—she wouldn't let him have an easy time in the future!

Not far from Nie Li, Du Ze watched him, his eyes filled with gratitude. Although Nie Li was a noble, he risked offending Master Shen Xiu to speak up for the commoners. This deeply moved Du Ze. The heart of a young man is simple, and he already saw Nie Li as a friend.

Shen Xiu chuckled coldly. "Smart mouth. Do you think putting it this way can change harsh reality? You only see Lord Ye Mo's glorious moment, but you haven't seen how many others failed. Forget becoming a Demon Spiritualist—even becoming a Fighter is a difficult feat. Nie Li, isn't it? You can be considered of aristocratic lineage. Since you don't know when to come and go, let's see what kind of talent you have."

Shen Xiu glanced down at the parchment in her hands. After skimming its contents, she laughed mockingly. "Nie Li: red soul realm, current soul force of 5, strength 21. With your talent, you'll only ever reach Bronze rank in your lifetime. Wanting to become a Demon Spiritualist is simply impossible. You're even inferior to some commoners. No wonder you dare speak like this—you're just trying to hide your own low self-esteem!"

Soul realms are ranked by color: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, azure, and indigo. Of these seven grades, red is considered the worst—the lowest of the low. The average person would have an orange or yellow soul realm. Having a green or cyan soul realm would already be considered genius-level. As for azure and indigo soul realms, they existed only in legends.

After hearing Shen Xiu's words, the group of commoner students began to pity Nie Li. As a noble, Nie Li's talent could be considered the worst. They feared it would be difficult for him to achieve anything in life.

Chan Wei could no longer hold back. He sent his own wave of Yin intent toward Shen Xiu and spoke up.

"Master Shen Xiu, how important is the color of one's soul realm, really? When it's a commoner like me with a good color, you say nothing! When it's a noble with a bad color, you ridicule them. Are you even fit to be a teacher if you're so narrow-minded?"

His intent solidified completely in his eyes, which now glowed with a spectral blue light, making Shen Xiu's face pale.

Everyone was shocked. Even though Nie Li had been ridiculed by Shen Xiu, there was no shame on his face.

On the contrary, Nie Li's gaze was firmly fixed on Shen Xiu, and he said, "Master Shen Xiu, you believe that a person's soul realm determines their future, don't you? With your despicable character, you only defend the gifted and ridicule the mediocre. And yet, you still preach about principles. You're just trying to mask your contemptible nature."

Chan Wei and Nie Li coincidentally echoed similar sentiments, leaving the professor speechless. Hearing Nie Li and Chan Wei's words, Shen Xiu's body trembled with rage. She had never encountered students like these before—they dared to contradict her so blatantly. Nie Li's words struck directly at the hidden thoughts in her heart, making her furious.

She shouted uncontrollably, "Silence! Who do you think you are to slander your teacher?!"

Nie Li curled his lips in disdain.

"I'm ashamed to have a teacher like you. I can guarantee that in this class, many commoners will surpass your imagination. They will achieve unimaginable accomplishments. Instead of patiently guiding them, you use harsh words to attack their confidence. You're unfit to be a teacher! Even if my talent is weak, so what? One day, I'll become a Legend-ranked Demon Spiritualist like Lord Ye Mo and marry the most beautiful woman in Glory City!"

As he spoke, Nie Li's gaze fell on Ye Ziyun, who was seated far away. His eyes shone with absolute determination.

When Ye Ziyun saw Nie Li looking at her, her heart suddenly began to race for reasons she couldn't explain. Her cheeks turned red. She had never imagined Nie Li would be so bold as to say something like that in class. Meeting his gaze, she understood his meaning was clear. Yet in her heart, she felt no affection for Nie Li. Despite that, his words left her with an indescribable feeling.

Chan Wei didn't add anything further. He simply crossed his arms over his chest and slightly closed his eyes.

Seeing Ye Ziyun's expression, Shen Yue's face darkened. Although he and Nie Li weren't on the same level, he still felt somewhat threatened by him.

"Hahaha! That's the funniest joke I've ever heard! A red soul realm actually claiming he'll become a Legend-ranked Demon Spiritualist like Lord Ye Mo? Even when Lord Ye Mo was young, he was tested and showed incredible talent. He had a cyan soul realm! Do you think success is purely a matter of luck? Ridiculous!" Shen Xiu mocked mercilessly. "Instead of running your mouth here, why don't you start learning seriously?"

Nie Li's next words were powerful and resonant.

"I know your heart is full of contempt, but one day, I'll shut your mouth with hard facts. Aptitude does not determine a person's success! We use the weak to defeat the strong, to defy the heavens! As practitioners, we are already challenging the impossible by going against the path of the heavens!"

Nie Li's words stirred the students' blood. The very act of practicing cultivation went against the path of the heavens. Without opposing the heavens, how could one even talk about cultivation?

Nie Li declared firmly, "Without a fighting spirit, without the courage to make the impossible possible, even possessing extraordinary talent would be useless. Since I, Nie Li, was born into this world, I will challenge the impossible! Professor Shen Xiu, how about a wager with me?"

Although Nie Li had faced many setbacks in his past life, he had never given up. Since the heavens had given him a chance to be reborn, in this life, he would rise to the top at an unimaginable speed.

"What kind of wager?" Shen Xiu sneered.

"We wager that in the next test, two months from now, I will reach Bronze rank. If I fail, I'll resign from the institute. If I succeed and reach Bronze rank, you resign. How about it?" Nie Li said insistently, staring at Shen Xiu.

Hearing what Nie Li said, everyone was shocked. They were all surprised that Nie Li had proposed such a wager with Professor Shen Xiu. Although they hoped Nie Li would win, they believed there was no way he could succeed.

"Hahaha! You're funny to think you can reach Bronze rank in two months. Do you think you can raise your soul force from 5 to 100 in just two months?" Shen Xiu's face was full of disdain. Did Nie Li lose his mind?

"I only asked one question: do you dare or not?" Nie Li ignored Shen Xiu's comments.

"In that case, why wouldn't I dare? I don't believe a self-absorbed brat like you can accomplish anything. Who do you think you're boasting to?" Shen Xiu scoffed angrily. "Such disrespect toward your teacher. For the next two months, you'll stand at the back of the classroom and listen to the lessons!"

Shen Xiu was famous for being unreasonable. Nie Li looked at her with disdain. Standing at the back of the classroom? To Nie Li, such a punishment was superficial.

"Since Master Shen Xiu has accepted the wager, don't regret it later," Nie Li said as he walked to the back of the classroom.

"I'll regret it? What a joke. Don't come crying to me later!" Shen Xiu laughed.

Seeing Nie Li standing at the back, a few noble children began whispering mockingly.

"The future Legend-ranked Demon Spiritualist got punished and is standing at the back!"

"Tsk tsk, so he's afraid of leaving the institute!"

"Weren't you boasting earlier?"

"Two months to raise his soul force from 5 to 100? Who does he think he is? Even Lord Ye Mo couldn't achieve such an insane speed when he was young."

Since Nie Li was punished and sent to the back of the class by Shen Xiu, Du Ze remained silent for a moment. Gritting his teeth, he stood up and went to stand beside Nie Li, only to find that someone named Chan Wei had already beaten him to it.

Nie Li had been punished for speaking up for the commoners, so naturally, they wanted to stand with him. Seeing Chan Wei and Du Ze standing next to Nie Li at the back of the classroom, Shen Xiu's eyes darkened, and she sneered, "Since you also enjoy standing, you can stay back there with him."

Nie Li and Du Ze exchanged glances. Their eyes shone with a sense of camaraderie, and they smiled faintly. Nie Li then glanced at Chan Wei, unable to recall him from his previous incarnation. It was likely a small change caused by Chan Wei's confrontation with Shen Yue, which had drawn Shen Xiu's ire. However, this seemed to be a change for the better since this newcomer clearly had a grudge against Shen Xiu.

At that moment, Nie Li felt as if he were back in his past life, where he and Du Ze were best friends. Du Ze was still the same Du Ze.

After Du Ze stood beside Nie Li, Lu Piao hesitated for a moment before joining them at the back.

Nie Li smiled and asked, "Why are you here?"

Lu Piao shrugged. "Sitting is pretty boring. I feel cooler standing, don't you think?"

"Haha, suits you!" Nie Li laughed. Lu Piao was still the same as in his past life. Although he talked a lot of nonsense, he was loyal to a fault. This punishment had nothing to do with Lu Piao, but he saw Nie Li as a friend, and friends should share their fate.

One after another, three other commoner students stood and joined Nie Li. Nie Li belonged to a noble family, but he had risked expulsion from the institute to speak on their behalf. They were grateful and felt they should support Nie Li.

With these brothers by his side, Nie Li felt that being punished wasn't so bad, and his mood became unusually bright.

Seeing this, Shen Xiu's expression turned ugly. She put on a cold face and continued her lecture.

"After testing, among the students in this class, Ye Ziyun, with a cyan soul realm and a soul force of 86, ranks the highest. Shen Yue and Xiao Ning'er both have green soul realms with a soul force of 78. They will soon reach 1-star Bronze rank. Congratulations to them!" Shen Xiu said flatly. Her gaze lingered on Nie Li for a moment. That's real talent. What is Nie Li compared to them?

Hearing Shen Xiu's words, the students in the class exclaimed in surprise. A cyan soul realm with a soul force of 86! Such an incredible person was actually in their class. With such powerful talent, Ye Ziyun had the potential to become a Legend-ranked Demon Spiritualist in her lifetime.

As for Shen Yue and Xiao Ning'er, their talents were also extraordinary. Their future achievements seemed limitless.

Chan Wei couldn't help but glance at the teacher and said in a particularly cold voice, "You're just a whimsical teacher. I surpass your nephew, yet I've received no support or recognition from you. I'm no longer your student; the library will be a much better teacher." He then left the room, slamming the door behind him, a stark reminder to everyone of his cyan soul realm and 76 soul force.

After Chan Wei's bold exit, Nie Li decided to follow suit with the rest of the group. "Better to spend time in the library with our new addition," thought Nie Li.

With that, they all left the classroom, leaving Shen Xiu fuming in their wake.

(Author's Note: I acknowledge that the first chapters of this story are very close to the original work, as this is a translation of my first writing project. The initial chapters will remain like this until the discovery of his power. I should be able to translate more chapters next week as I've secured a one-week vacation.)