With heavy eyelids, Nie Li woke up once again in the small, old, but nostalgic classroom. Seeing his friends and his lovers, his eyes began to water. This time, he swore, I'm going to protect everyone.
"Commoners in this classroom," Shen Xiu began, her tone haughty, "are limited by your talents. You must know that only people from noble families can achieve greatness. You commoners—if you manage to reach Silver rank in your lifetime—you should thank your lucky stars."
Nie Li, still dazed, heard her. Realizing he had been reborn, he knew that provoking the Sacred Family while he was still weak wasn't wise. He needed strength to eliminate them and the Guard Guild at once, to give his people peace of mind. But seeing the angry faces of his friends, he couldn't hold back any longer.
Shen Xiu continued, "You shouldn't be angry; instead, you should be grateful. It's us nobles who provide this shelter for humanity. Count yourselves lucky to have been born in the last human refuge in these perilous days."
Nie Li stood up, his eyes sharp. "Teacher, you said that only nobles can achieve greatness, and that commoners will never amount to anything because of their limited soul realms. But with your short-sightedness, how can you be a teacher? I'm ashamed to be taught by you."
Teacher Shen's face darkened as she gritted her teeth. "Nie Li, you're a noble born with a red soul realm and a mere 5 soul power—not even 1-star Bronze! And yet you speak about how far I can see? Talent is fundamental in our world. The weak are destined to remain weak. That is the way of Heaven."
Nie Li smirked, his voice calm yet sharp. "Teacher, you're a Silver rank at best, yet you dare speak about the way of Heaven? In the grand scheme of things, you're nothing but a speck of dust, destined to die of old age, never reaching the peak of Dao. You're nothing but a frog at the bottom of a well.
You speak of Glory City as humanity's last fortress, but you've never stepped foot outside it—how can you know for sure? And lastly, you look down on commoners. Are you unaware that Lord Ye Mo himself was a commoner? One day, I'll be as strong as him, and I'll marry the most beautiful woman in the city," he said, glancing at Zi Yun and winking.
Shen's face turned red with anger. "You insolent child! Let alone reaching Lord Ye Mo's level, if you can even reach Bronze, it would be a miracle! Look at your classmates, like Shen Yue and Zi Yun—they're all close to reaching Bronze. If you're at the same level as him in the next examination, I'll stop teaching."
Nie Li sighed. "Teacher, if I can't reach Bronze star by the next examination, I'll stop coming to this school. But if I do, then you should resign."
Shen sneered, "We'll see. I'll personally expel you then. And since you like standing so much, go to the back of the class and stand for the rest of the lesson."
As Nie Li moved to the back, his classmates, the commoners like Du Ze and his close friend Lu Piao, stood with him in solidarity.
Nie Li thought to himself, I'm blessed with good friends. This time, I won't let any of you die. We'll live for an eternity together.