Chapter 37: The Provocation

"I have always held Brother Zhao's abilities in high regard. If Brother Zhao were to take the position of Head Student, I, Wang Yu, would be entirely convinced and supportive!" Wang Yu bowed to the teacher and his fellow students as he spoke.

On the other side, Zhao Kuangwei secretly gave Wang Yu a thumbs-up. Although he had not volunteered to vie for the position of Head Student, since he had been forced into the contest, he was determined to win it.

Moreover, while Dongfang Jiaonü was formidable, she was still just a young girl; he could not easily admit defeat to her. In any case, this was not a physical brawl—he knew full well he could not win one of those!

Wang Yu’s words had first highlighted his own name. Just as there was no one in the younger generation of the Great Cang Empire who did not know the name Dongfang Jiaonü, there was no one who did not know the name Wang Yu.

With Wang Yu, one of the Ten Great Prodigies of Great Cang, declaring his support for Zhao Kuangwei, the prestige of Dongfang Jiaonü’s title no longer granted her any advantage over him. Furthermore, the combined weight of the two great military governorships—the East and the West—was significantly greater than that of the Dongfang family alone. Beyond that, what Zhao Kuangwei truly admired was Wang Yu's talent for weaving tall tales; he himself did not even know he was that impressive.

"Brother Wang speaks truly. Brother Zhao is indeed the best candidate for Head Student!" Following Wang Yu, two more students stood up to express their support for Zhao Kuangwei. These two were scions of mid-tier noble families from the Yanbei and Guanxi circuits, regions heavily influenced by the two military governorships. Their support was hardly surprising, as the Eastern Military Governorship was located in Yanbei, and the Western Military Governorship in Guanxi.

Soon after, most of the students in the hall expressed their views. While Dongfang Jiaonü had her own faction of supporters, the majority clearly favored Zhao Kuangwei.

"Huangfu Mingfeng supports Zhao Kuangwei!" A cold, clear voice rang out, effectively drawing a conclusion to the contest for Head Student.

Though Huangfu Mingfeng had expressed his support for Zhao Kuangwei, neither Wang Yu nor Zhao Kuangwei found it surprising. While it was not certain that the late Consort Xia, mother of the Fourth Prince, had been harmed by Consort Dongfang, the mother of the current First Prince, it was a fact that after Consort Xia’s tragedy, Dongfang Xuerou had taken her place as the imperial consort.

Naturally, the Fourth Prince could not be without bitterness in his heart. Thus, it was no surprise that he would support Zhao Kuangwei instead of Dongfang Jiaonü.

With the Head Student decided, the first real lesson began. It was a simple affair, mainly recounting the history of the Great Cang Empire and the glorious wisdom of the past Emperors. The teacher, Mei Shouchang, spoke with extreme deliberation, his pronunciation exceptionally clear and his lecture well-organized. Yet, it was clear that most had no interest in the subject.

The students were already well-versed in the history of the Great Cang Empire. In fact, a small portion of them knew even more than Mei Shouchang. The curriculum taught in the academy was strictly curated; certain truths were never allowed to be presented as history. In reality, a select few students knew far more of the hidden truths than were ever taught.

After what felt like an eternity, the elegant chime of a bell sounded for the third time. The class was finally over. The students and Mei Shouchang exchanged formal bows, and after watching him walk out with his rigid, measured gait, everyone finally slumped into their seats. The lesson had been an ordeal for them all.

"Zhao Kuangwei, do you dare to duel with me? I want to see what qualifications you have to take the position of Head Student, and while I’m at it, I’d like to see the heroic bearing you displayed on the battlefield!"

As Mei Shouchang left, the other students were busy resting, but the young Dongfang girl stood up, fuming at Zhao Kuangwei. She clearly could not let the matter go. This was understandable; given her status, she had likely never been denied anything in her life. To have something she considered rightfully hers snatched away by Zhao Kuangwei left her deeply resentful.

Moreover, the claims Wang Yu had made—that he had personally beheaded over a hundred Great Wu enemy soldiers and had charged into enemy lines alone multiple times—were all obviously fabrications. Everyone present, including the teacher who had already left, knew they were lies. However, while one might understand such things, one could never speak them aloud. The young girl could not reconcile herself to losing to Zhao Kuangwei based on such empty, boastful merits.

"Miss Dongfang possesses exceptional martial arts. I, Zhao Kuangwei, admit my inferiority, so a duel is unnecessary!" Zhao Kuangwei glanced at Dongfang Jiaonü, gathered his spirits, and put on a pretense of humility.

He was joking, of course. Zhao Kuangwei had no intention of fighting her. One was a peak Houtian master, the other was Xiantian; to fight knowing he would lose would be sheer stupidity. Doing the impossible was never Zhao Kuangwei’s style.

"Coward!" the girl spat, filled with both anger and disdain.

"Ugh!" To be looked down upon like this by a girl a year younger than himself was too much, even for someone as laid-back as Zhao Kuangwei. However, when he saw the look of lazy amusement on Wang Yu’s face, a plan formed. He pointed at the watching Wang Yu and said, "Miss Dongfang, my brother here has astonishing talent. His internal energy is Xiantian, and his external skills are at the super-prime level. Why don't you spar with him? Unless, of course, you are a bully who only picks on the weak and doesn't dare to challenge him!"

Hearing this, Wang Yu almost jumped up to give him a beating. This chaotic situation had suddenly shifted to him. Seeing his friend wink at him with a smug expression, Wang Yu understood instantly: this was revenge for forcing him into the position of Head Student earlier.

"Hmph, I have long heard of the name Young Master Yu. Wang Yu, do you dare to fight?" As expected, Dongfang Jiaonü shifted her focus. Her tone was now sharp, filled with clear intent for battle.

Though Dongfang Jiaonü was obsessed with martial arts—which was how she reached the Xiantian realm at such a young age—she was not a fool. She saw through Zhao Kuangwei’s provocation instantly. However, she did not mind going along with the flow. After all, challenging a genius of her own caliber was far better than challenging someone whose level was far below her own.