Involuntarily, Mu Yaoyao reached for her chest pocket.

When she realized what she had done, it was too late.

Everyone had seen it...

Just then -

The school guards had let their guard down and loosened their grips on Duan Chaoge, who seized the chance to jump into the air and kick Mu Yaoyao in the back.

Caught by surprise, Mu Yaoyao fell forward.

Feng Wu and Duan Chaoge could practically read each other's mind; all they had needed to do was exchange looks.

When Mu Yaoyao fell forward, a little tiger jumped out of Feng Wu's sleeve and made its way into Mu Yaoyao's chest pocket.

In a split second -

Crack -

Things began to fall out of Mu Yaoyao's chest pocket.

Bottles and cans fell all over the floor.

"Are you alright?" Feng Wu even took the time to stop Mu Yaoyao from falling, so that she wouldn't crush all the bottles.

"Hey, isn't this Secret Crow Bone Blood?" Picking up a bottle, Feng Wu smiled at Mu Yaoyao.

Mu Yaoyao blanched.

The others all stared at Mu Yaoyao in disbelief!

Had she really...

"No! I didn't!" Mu Yaoyao tried to explain futilely. "It's Secret Bone Blood, not Secret Crow Bone Blood! It's Secret Bone Blood!"

Feng Wu replied with an "oh," drawing the sound out for effect. She smiled at Mu Yaoyao. "If that really is harmless Secret Bone Blood, drink it yourself."

With that, Feng Wu seized Mu Yaoyao by the neck.

"Retch -"

Mu Yaoyao's mouth dropped open at the force!

Feng Wu undid the bottle and was going to pour the content down Mu Yaoyao's throat.

Mu Yaoyao blanched with fear and trembled from head to toe.

"Ah - don't kill me! Grandpa, help! Feng Wu wants to poison me! She wants to kill me with Secret Crow Bone Blood!" Mu Yaoyao threw off Feng Wu's hand, then ran toward Grand Secretary Fang like a cannonball!

In a moment of life and death, she spared no effort as she ran away frighteningly fast!

However -

Everyone looked at Mu Yaoyao with complicated feelings.

They weren't stupid, and were able to put the pieces together.

Feng Wu had guessed it right. Mu Yaoyao had tricked Yao Hao into taking Secret Bone Blood, when it had in fact been Secret Crow Bone Blood. That was horrible!

How could any young woman be this vicious?!

Yao Hao had been nothing but loyal to her. He waited upon her carefully and considered himself her personal guard.

Yao Ying finally saw the light. She then glared fiercely at Mu Yaoyao!

She charged at Mu Yaoyao. "Did you kill my brother?"

Mu Yaoyao said, "I didn't. I didn't..."

Yao Ying grabbed Mu Yaoyao by the hair. "You gave him Secret Crow Bone Blood when you promised it was Secret Bone Blood! You switched it out for poison! What did my brother ever do to you? Why did you have to do that? Speak!"

Yao Ying shook Mu Yaoyao violently.

"I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. Sob -" Mu Yaoyao wept, her cheeks streaked with tears. "I mixed them up... I really did... Your brother is dead and nothing can bring him back. I'll make it up to you."

Yao Ying said, "You can't make it up to me! Give me back my brother! I want my brother!"

Feng Wu stepped aside, crossed her arms, and enjoyed the show with a smile.

Mu Yaoyao tried to set her up? She had just dug her own grave.

If this thing with Yao Hao got out, it would be a blow to Mu Yaoyao's reputation.

Hiding in her corner, Ye Yafei stared at Feng Wu in fear.

She couldn't believe how clear Feng Wu was on the details. Not only was Feng Wu able to walk away from the trap unharmed, she had even turned the tables on Mu Yaoyao, making the latter miserable.

This Feng Wu was so frightening... Why didn't they see it before? Why did they have to mess with her?

Just then -

"Stop -"

There came a cold, emotionless voice.

The crowd turned around and saw that it was -

"Yao Hao!"

The teenager was supposed to have no heartbeat, and had stopped breathing for a while. However, he had just sat up.

His face was pale and there was hatred in his eyes!

He kept his intense gaze on Mu Yaoyao, and the look on his face was ruthless!

Mu Yaoyao's stomach lurched when she saw the look in Yao Hao's eyes. Instantly, she was overwhelmed with panic and fear!

"Brother! You're alive! You're not dead!"

Yao Ying had already torn out a handful of Mu Yaoyao's hair. Shoving the latter to the side, Yao Ying rushed over and threw herself into Yao Hao's arms.

Only then did Mu Yaoyao realize what had happened.

Yes, Yao Hao was alive... Yao Hao wasn't dead!

Hahaha!

Mu Yaoyao went up to Yao Hao, crouched down, and sounded as if she actually cared about him. "Yao Hao, are you alright? I promise what I gave you was Secret Bone Blood! Feng Wu's lying. She deliberately..."

Yao Hao had always been so obedient to her. No matter what Mu Yaoyao said or did, Yao Hao would only look at her affectionately, dote on her, and indulge her...

But now -

Smack!

Yao Hao slapped Mu Yaoyao hard in the face!

Everyone was shocked!

But not as shocked as Mu Yaoyao was!

She stared at Yao Hao in disbelief. "You..."

Staring at Mu Yaoyao, Yao Hao gritted his teeth. "I didn't know you wanted me dead so badly..."

Mu Yaoyao said, "It's not like that. I gave you Secret Bone Blood."

Feng Wu smiled. "Princess Mu may not know this, but although Secret Bone Blood and Secret Crow Bone Blood are almost identical in color and smell, those who are poisoned will know the difference, because -

"Secret Bone Blood will only seal one's cultivation power temporarily, but Secret Crow Bone Blood will... destroy one's dantian, mess up their spiritual essence, and ruin their ability for good."

Everyone stared at Yao Hao in astonishment.

Had Yao Hao's cultivation ability been disabled temporarily, or had he been ruined altogether?

But no one dared to examine him.

Doing so would offend some very important people. After all, Princess Mu was Grand Secretary Fang's granddaughter, and if they found out that it really was Secret Crow Bone Blood, they would be incriminating Grand Secretary Fang.

Anyone who still wanted to have a future would do no such thing.

Mu Yaoyao realized that Grand Secretary Fang was her only hope.

"Grandpa, Grandpa, help me! Help! Only you can clear my name now!" Dropping to her knees, Mu Yaoyao wrapped her arms around Grand Secretary Fang's legs and cried her eyes out. She looked pitiful.

Everyone couldn't help but look at Grand Secretary Fang.

With the significant improvement in his cultivation level, Grand Secretary Fang had gained an even more stable status. He could easily protect Mu Yaoyao.

As expected -

Grand Secretary Fang reached out and patted Mu Yaoyao on the hand with his scrawny fingers.

Everyone stared at him in silence.

So... Grand Secretary Fang had decided to take Mu Yaoyao's side. Well, she was his granddaughter, after all.

Elder Xuanyuan glanced at Grand Secretary Fang and snickered inwardly.

Just when he thought that the old man was so just and fair, it turned out that he was no different from other people.

He had protected Feng Wu only because of Feng Xiaoqi, but Mu Yaoyao was his own granddaughter. Between the two girls, it was obvious whose side Grand Secretary Fang would take.

At that thought, everyone looked at Feng Wu sympathetically.

Although everyone had seen Mu Yaoyao's reaction and realized the damage that she had done, there was nothing they could do. With Mu Yaoyao's influential grandfather and connections, Feng Wu didn't stand a chance.

Sigh, poor girl...

Mu Yaoyao, on the other hand, was thrilled.

She knew it. Her grandfather would still save her face in front of other people.

However, before Mu Yaoyao got overly excited, Grand Secretary Fang sighed above her head.

His voice was as soft as a feather and full of emotion. "Mu Yaoyao, how many times have I told you? But you keep forgetting."

Wait? What was going on?

They had thought that Mu Yaoyao was sure to win this, but judging by Grand Secretary Fang's tone, that wasn't the case.

Everyone pricked up their ears and listened.

Looking up, Mu Yaoyao pleaded with her eyes. Her hands trembled.

No, not here, not now... If her grandfather revealed the truth, her future in Imperial College would be ruined.

At that thought, Mu Yaoyao held Grand Secretary Fang's thigh even tighter!

However, Grand Secretary Fang only looked at her and sighed. "I've told you already. It's 'granduncle.' Why won't you listen?"

WHAT?!

Her granduncle?!

Everyone stared at Mu Yaoyao in disbelief!

Hadn't she been going on and on about Grand Secretary Fang being her grandfather? Her own grandfather! Nearly everyone at school wanted to fawn on Mu Yaoyao because of that. They would follow her around in flocks!

However -

She wasn't Grand Secretary Fang's granddaughter?

Even Priest Wu was surprised.

"Old Fang, she's not your granddaughter?"

Grand Secretary Fang nodded. "I adopted my brother's daughter."

That explained it...

Mu Yaoyao shook from head to toe...

However, Grand Secretary Fang wasn't going to stop there. "You tried to frame Feng Wu. Yes or no?"

Grand Secretary Fang stared at Mu Yaoyao, and his cold gaze gave him a majestic look.

Even Elder Xuanyuan was intimidated by that look, not to mention someone as young as Mu Yaoyao.

Mu Yaoyao felt a numbing sensation on her scalp, and she thought she was going to explode.

She could only grit her teeth and say, "Yes..."

Grand Secretary Fang said, "You poisoned Yao Hao with Secret Crow Bone Blood. Yes or no?"

Mu Yaoyao said, "Yes..."

Grand Secretary Fang closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, he looked calm again.

"You used to be such a lovely girl when you were little. Look what you've turned into." Grand Secretary Fang sighed with emotion. He then gave the verdict. "From now on, you're no longer a student of Imperial College. Questions?"

What...

There were surprised exclamations from the crowd.

Grand Secretary Fang was going to kick Mu Yaoyao out of the school!

Imperial College was more than a place to study and cultivate. It was a symbol of one's social status. Expelling Mu Yaoyao from Imperial College was as good as banishing her from the noble circle.

It would have an unimaginable impact on Mu Yaoyao's life!

"No..." Yu Yue cried out.

Grand Secretary Fang glanced at her. "What does the school rule say, if it were another student who did this?"

Yu Yue said, "They would be expelled..."

Grand Secretary Fang nodded. "You know what to do."

He turned to leave after that.

After taking a few steps, the old man saw that the others were still standing around, dazed, and he glared at them. "Shouldn't you be in your classes now?!"

yes, that was right... those words seemed to wake the crowd from their reverie.

and it only hit them after grand secretary fang left with the boy...

mu yaoyao had been expelled.

but they heard the last thing grand secretary fang said before he left.

"not a word to anyone else."

that was to say, grand secretary fang didn't want anyone else to know what mu yaoyao had done.

after elder xuanyuan and priest wu left, yu yue scanned the crowd with her eyes. "you heard him. not a word leaves this room."

yu yue paid special attention to feng wu.

after mu yaoyao's defeat, it was only natural that her friends would want to cover it up. feng wu, on the other hand, had turned things around at the last minute to achieve a great victory. yu yue worried that feng wu would want to spread the news.

fearing that feng wu might be upset, yu yue held feng wu's hands and enjoined her in a low voice, "little feng wu, grand secretary fang is looking out for you because of your brother; that favor won't last forever. you have to keep a low profile."

yu yue was really worried about feng wu.

because feng wu had been really aggressive toward mu yaoyao in front of grand secretary fang. not only did feng wu force mu yaoyao to reveal what she really was like, feng wu had also been relentless, and had driven mu yaoyao into a hopeless situation.

feng wu could see that yu yue only said it out of kindness, so she found it impolite to retort to her. she nodded with a smile. "yes, of course."

afterward, feng wu and duan chaoge held hands and went to blue cloud court.

the chief's office made sure that not a single word left the room. those outside only knew that some people entered the office, but had no idea what happened after that.

"our martial arts department's mr. xuanyuan just entered the office!"

"oh god! grand secretary fang's here, too!"

"this is big!"

"what's going to happen to feng wu?"

"expelled, at the very least."

"as for duan chaoge, she's so dead..."

just as everyone was making ominous predictions about feng wu and chaoge, the two of them walked out of the chief's office hand in hand; they were even chatting cheerfully. clearly, they were in a good mood.

they walked into blue cloud court -

and everyone was shocked to see them!

"omg!"

"feng wu is back!"

"so is duan chaoge! alive!"

many students froze in their seats and stared at feng wu in disbelief, as if they had been struck by lightning!

they couldn't believe it...

shouldn't feng wu and duan chaoge be locked up? they should at least be expelled! however, they didn't look like they would be kicked out any time soon.

just then, there were footsteps outside.

the crowd turned around to see qiao yi, the teacher responsible for their class.

qiao yi met feng wu's eyes and became noticeably uneasy.

feng wu didn't look affected. she kept her composure, glanced at qiao yi, then led chaoge into the classroom.

mu yaoyao and yao hao had the best seats in the classroom.

in the end, feng wu took mu yaoyao's seat.

duan chaoge took yao hao's, which made her feng wu's deskmate.

"hey -"

a cold voice ran out a few steps away. "hey, you're in miss mu's seat."

it was one of the female students. she hadn't stood out during the exam, but had fawned on mu yaoyao the first chance she got, and had quickly become one of mu yaoyao's minions.

naturally, she stepped out when feng wu took mu yaoyao's seat.

however, feng wu -

However, Feng Wu didn't even sneer at her. She sat there, unperturbed.

Many students gloated as they looked forward to the predicament which Feng Wu was going to find herself in.

That was bold... Mu Yaoyao was a princess as well as Grand Secretary Fang's granddaughter. Princess Mu had to be the most prominent new student in Year 1. No one would dare offend her!

And someone had just taken Mu Yaoyao's seat?

The girl who scolded Feng Wu was called Wei Jing. Right now, she was glaring and sneering at Feng Wu. This girl was so dead!

Getting to her feet, Wei Jing said to Qiao Yi in protest, "Miss! Feng Wu took Miss Mu's seat! I tried to tell her that, but she won't listen!"

Qiao Yi's face darkened.

How stupid was this Wei Jing? Couldn't she see that there was a teacher in the room? She should realize that the teacher was keeping silent for a reason!

However, even more students gloated when they saw Qiao Yi's dark face.

Miss Qiao Yi was clearly mad. Feng Wu was going to be in a lot of trouble!

"Miss Mu is..." Recalling Grand Secretary Fang's warning, Qiao Yi paused mid-sentence and chose different words. "Miss Mu has withdrawn from the college, so this seat is vacant now. Miss Feng can take it if she wants to."

WHAT?!

That announcement shocked everyone.

No one saw that coming!

"Miss Mu dropped out?"

"After everything we went through to get into Imperial College, she dropped out? Just like that?"

"Why?"

"Hey, I think I heard from somewhere that Miss Mu is a sacred lady of Firmament Palace. Has she gone back to Firmament Palace?"

-

Everyone began to talk at the same time.

Qiao Yi shook her head when she saw how agitated and curious the students were.

Cultivators were supposed to remain serene. These students didn't have the right mindset toward their studies.

"Quiet, please. Today..." Qiao Yi opened a textbook and started teaching the newbies cultivation theory.

Feng Wu's knowledge of cultivation theory was vast, for her beautiful master had taught her everything when she was little.

With his great capability, her beautiful master was able to make the most basic theory sound incredible. Qiao Yi's teaching was nothing in comparison.

That was why Feng Wu began to yawn midway through the class.

She wondered how Qiao Yi had become a teacher at Imperial College. It had only been ten minutes since the start of class, and Feng Wu had already picked up seven errors.

Feng Wu shook her head. She then quickly flipped through the Year 1 textbook, then took out some Year 2 textbooks from the storage bag which Jun Linyuan had given to her and started reading.

"Xiao Wu, Xiao Wu -"

Chaoge nudged Feng Wu with her elbow.

Feng Wu looked at her in bewilderment.

Chaoge gestured at the dais.

Feng Wu looked up and saw Qiao Yi's angry face.

"Feng Wu, stand up!"

Qiao Yi had never liked Feng Wu, and the girl's indifferent attitude only frustrated her further. She tried to give Feng Wu a hard time.

Feng Wu rose to her feet and gave Qiao Yi a bewildered look.

"The conditions for fusing the fire element, explain it." Qiao Yi purposefully asked Feng Wu a difficult question.

Fusing the fire element was something that would only be taught in Year 2, and was only briefly mentioned in the Year 1 textbook. However, Qiao Yi wanted Feng Wu to answer the question in their first class.

many gloated, waiting to see feng wu get humiliated.it was a question too profound for them to answer at the moment.

however, feng wu only darted an indifferent glance at qiao yi before she replied, "fusing the fire element involves absorbing fire essence with the help of spiritual essence... it consists of the initial and complete fusion of the fire element..."

feng wu answered in an unhurried tone. she talked for a while, and her answer was perfect.

she talked continuously for fifteen minutes as she explained what the fire element was, and how to achieve the initial, complete, and final fusion... she explained everything.

some of it wasn't even in the textbook, but she was still able to answer everything clearly.

moreover -

her answer was straightforward and she was able to explain the profound in simple terms. qiao yi's teaching was obscure in comparison, since she only lapped up information without digesting it. feng wu's explanation was on a whole other level.