Chapter 10

In the classroom, everyone looked at Gu Jinnian with an incredulous gaze.

Good buddy.

You’ve been waiting for us here all this time?

Alright, alright.

You’re so high and mighty.

You’re so great.

You’re a saint.

You even specially reminded us when the teacher didn’t assign homework?

Alright, alright.

Everyone was baffled by Gu Jinnian, especially the descendants of military generals, who were even more confused.

Even Mr. Liu was somewhat stunned.

He indeed forgot to assign homework, but usually, wouldn’t Zhang Yun be the one to point it out?

What’s wrong with Gu Jinnian?

Could it be that he has really changed his ways?

Mr. Liu was a bit curious, but he quickly assigned the homework and left without further ado.

After Mr. Liu left,

The classroom immediately fell into chaos.

"Brother Jinnian, are you crazy?"

"Jinnian, are you out of your mind, asking the teacher to assign homework?"

"No matter how I think about it, I never expected you to say something like that."

For a moment, many people gathered around Gu Jinnian, almost as if they were about to interrogate him.

Hearing everyone’s words, Gu Jinnian didn’t get angry. Instead, he said seriously,

"Everyone."

"Through this life-and-death experience, I have had an epiphany. From now on, I will study hard and become a pillar of the nation."

"I hope everyone will learn from me. As the sage said, if you don’t study today, you’ll sleep on the floor tomorrow."

"Does anyone want to join me in forming the Green Dragon Study Group? I can give up the position of group leader."

"Xuejiao, do you want to join?"

Gu Jinnian said with a serious face.

But what he received was a wave of resentment.

As the resentment was absorbed, the fruit seemed to be ripe, which made Gu Jinnian smile even more.

However, Zhang Yun’s voice soon followed.

"Gu Jinnian."

"I don’t know what tricks you’re playing."

"But if you have any more crazy ideas, don’t blame me for being impolite."

Zhang Yun’s words were straightforward.

He wanted Gu Jinnian to put away his crazy ideas, especially regarding Yang Hanrou.

As Zhang Yun spoke, seven or eight people immediately stood up, looking at him with unfriendly eyes.

These were Gu Jinnian’s good friends.

They might not be good at studying, but they were the best at fighting.

"Hehe, what a polite way to put it."

"Zhang Yun."

"Do you really think I’ve forgotten everything?"

In the classroom,

Gu Jinnian looked at Zhang Yun, his eyes cold.

This guy clearly thought he had deceived himself and believed that Gu Jinnian was the one who started the trouble.

Gu Jinnian didn’t speak up, not because he was too lazy to argue,

But because public opinion had already formed, and he needed a very good opportunity to explain.

Otherwise, without evidence or surveillance, who could prove who was lying?

Moreover, the public opinion in the capital was definitely being fueled by someone in the shadows. Otherwise, this matter wouldn’t have become so significant.

Even if it did, there would be people to suppress the news. After all, his sixth uncle was the deputy commander of the Lantern Corps.

This was a conspiracy.

Gu Jinnian was very clear about this. He wasn’t in a hurry to take a stance. Instead, he preferred to sit tight and lure out the mastermind, then strike hard.

Sure enough,

As Gu Jinnian spoke, Zhang Yun’s face changed, and so did Yang Hanrou’s.

For the past half month, all the news had been about Gu Jinnian almost drowning and losing some of his memory after being forcibly rescued.

Because of this, the two of them had firmly believed it.

Now that Gu Jinnian remembered, how could they not be afraid?

If it really came to a court battle, although both sides had no evidence, Gu Jinnian had the backing of the Gu family.

Such a powerful force was not something they could resist.

For a moment, the two of them remained silent.

In the end, Zhang Yun let out a cold snort and didn’t want to dwell on the topic.

"Jinnian, let’s go have a meal. Don’t pay attention to them."

At this moment, Wu An’s voice rang out. He walked in, warmly put his arm around Gu Jinnian, and invited him to have a meal.

"Alright."

Gu Jinnian didn’t want to make things too tense.

He turned and left with Wu An and the others.

After Gu Jinnian left, Zhang Yun became even more silent, lost in thought.

In the school dining hall,

The academy had already prepared various high-quality ingredients.

At the long table, dozens of people had already taken their seats.

Gu Jinnian, Wu An, Li Ping, and some of his playmates all sat down.

Servants brought steaming hot dishes.

But everyone’s minds were clearly not on the food.

"Brother Jinnian, I have to say, you were really impressive today. You left Zhang Yun speechless, and it felt great to watch."

"Right, Brother Jinnian, how did you change so much after your illness? You weren’t like this before."

"Not just Zhang Yun, even Mr. Liu had nothing to say."

After sitting down, everyone immediately praised Gu Jinnian.

After all, today, Gu Jinnian had truly raised his head and breathed a sigh of relief.

But hearing everyone’s praise, Gu Jinnian said seriously,

"I have indeed changed."

"Through this life-and-death experience, I have seen through the essence of life."

"I want to ask everyone a question: What is the purpose of life?"

"Wealth? Power?"

"No matter how rich you are, it all ends up as fleeting clouds."

"No matter how powerful you are, it all ends up as fleeting clouds."

"The true meaning of life is to change, to change the world, so that the people can have enough to eat and wear."

"Brothers, I’ve decided. I really want to form the Green Dragon Study Group. Do you want to join? We can help each other, progress together, and strive to enter the Daxia Academy. In the future, we can serve in the government and benefit the people."

Gu Jinnian clenched his fists, speaking with enthusiasm.

Everyone: "......"

The table fell silent.

There was no admiration in their eyes, only speechlessness.

"Brother Jinnian, don’t play this game with us. Mr. Liu isn’t here, so why are you doing this?"

"Right, Brother Jinnian, we know what kind of people we are. You want us to enter the Daxia Academy? You might as well ask us to die."

Everyone was truly speechless.

Hearing their responses, Gu Jinnian’s eyes were filled with disappointment.

Not because they lacked ambition, but because these people didn’t generate resentment towards him.

It was very frustrating.

"Ah, Brother Jinnian, don’t even mention the Daxia Academy."

"I don’t know what’s wrong with my father. He beat me the other day, saying I didn’t study hard and missed a great opportunity."

"I thought, what does studying have to do with opportunity?"

At the table, someone spoke, his voice slightly troubled.

This statement immediately sparked a discussion among everyone.

"Your father beat you the other day? My father beat me too, also for studying."

"So you were all beaten? I thought it was just me."

"You were all beaten? That’s strange. Could something be about to happen?"

Everyone chimed in, what started as a personal complaint turned into a significant topic.

Gu Jinnian listened patiently to everyone’s stories. He had no idea what was going on.

But thinking back to what his sixth uncle said about the Minister of Rites giving him a direct admission to the Daxia Academy, and hearing everyone’s discussions, Gu Jinnian sensed something was off.

There must be some major event, and the older generation knew something, but they didn’t.

And it was related to the Daxia Academy.

"Brother An, your father is the Linyang Marquis. Do you know what’s going on?"

"Right, and Brother Jinnian, you’re the eldest grandson of a national duke. Do you know?"

A few people asked Wu An and Gu Jinnian.

"I don’t know."

"I was almost dead, so I didn’t have the mind to think about this."

Gu Jinnian shook his head.

His answer was reasonable.

But Wu An seemed to know something. He looked around and then lowered his voice.

"I do know a little."

With these words, everyone became curious.

"It’s said to be related to the Mandate of Heaven."

"It seems that the Confucian path is about to flourish."

Wu An spoke, mentioning some mysterious things.

"Mandate of Heaven?"

"By what you say, I seem to remember something. Every five hundred years, there’s a selection for the Mandate of Heaven."

"Calculating the time, it seems that another cycle of the Mandate of Heaven is coming soon?"

"So, someone has already predicted that the Mandate of Heaven will choose the Confucian path for the next five hundred years?"

Everyone chimed in.

Gu Jinnian had heard of the Mandate of Heaven.

In the Shen Zhou continent, there are immortals, Buddhas, demons, and monsters. Among these many systems, who is strong and who is weak depends on the Mandate of Heaven.

And when the Mandate of Heaven chooses a system, that system will produce the Eighth Realm.

The Mandate Saint, Immortal True Immortal, Buddhist True Doctrine, Demon Path Asura, Sword Path Immortal, Daoist Celestial Master, Martial Path Supreme.

These seven realms represent the pinnacle of each field, but they can only be born if chosen by the Mandate of Heaven.

If not chosen, no matter how hard you try, you cannot break the barrier.

Moreover, even if chosen by the Mandate of Heaven, it’s not guaranteed that the Eighth Realm will appear.

For example, the current Mandate of Heaven is the Martial Path.

Five hundred years are almost up, but no Martial Supreme has been born.

It’s not hidden; the higher the realm, the more impossible it is to hide from the world, especially the Eighth Realm.

No matter which system, once the Eighth Realm is reached, the whole world knows.

So, the concept of the Mandate of Heaven is very mysterious.

Gu Jinnian didn’t care about this. What he cared about now was the ancient tree in his mind.

He was very curious about what the fruit on the tree was.

A heavenly treasure?

And the topic among everyone became deeper.

"I heard that this time, the Daxia Academy is not just recruiting students but also has a batch of internal direct admissions."

"Internal direct admissions? Is that true? The Daxia Academy is known for not having back doors. Even the Crown Prince has to rely on his own abilities to enter."

"Unclear, but it’s probably true, though the specifics are unknown."

"Who cares? It has nothing to do with us. We just need to be good-for-nothings."

"That’s not a nice thing to say. We might not be good at studying, but in the future, who will fight the wars? It can’t be these bookworms, right?"

"War? When? The court is arguing about this. The border cities haven’t been recovered in twelve years. Do you really expect a war? What with?"

"Enough, let’s not talk about things we shouldn’t. Let’s eat. After eating, we’ll practice, and then we have class."

Everyone chimed in.

At the table, Gu Jinnian was distracted.

His mind was on the ancient tree.

Now, the fruit was as big as an apple, emitting a faint red light, but he didn’t know what it did.

Most importantly, he didn’t know how to obtain it.

It looked ripe.

But how to pick it?

Or did it need more resentment to mature?

Gu Jinnian was curious. After all, this thing was in his mind, not outside where he could reach it.

Just as Gu Jinnian was thinking,

The bright red fruit suddenly fell, emitting a faint red light.

"Damn, is it controlled by my thoughts?"

Gu Jinnian’s inner voice rang out.