"Oh, Brother Valerius, can I take this as a recruitment offer from the Tarantino family? I never expected a humble nobody like me to catch the eye of such a great noble family," Fly said with a faint smile that wasn't quite a smile.

  'Emperor' Valerius was stunned for a moment, then replied, "Naturally." Afterward, he simply walked forward on his own.

  His nature was extremely proud. Having actively shown such goodwill made it difficult for him to remain composed, so he simply left Fly behind and walked ahead alone.

  Watching Valerius's retreating back, Fly couldn't help but smile.

  He had known Valerius for some time now. Because of this, he had looked up quite a bit of information about the Tarantino family on the internet. He understood that the Tarantino family was a clan of classical aristocrats who placed extreme importance on pure bloodlines. Those they associated with were usually established families of equal rank. If one didn't have a distinguished background, even a high-ranking official might not necessarily catch their eye.

  This was the chain of contempt where "Old Money" looked down on "New Money." This situation had existed in Fly's previous life as well.

  With this premise in mind, Valerius's gesture of goodwill towards Fly appeared even more precious.

  Fly smiled and said to Leo, "Let's hurry up and follow him."

  But just then, another familiar voice came from Fly's side.

  "Well, well, isn't this the MVP of our Freshman Invitational, Fly?"

  Hearing this, Fly turned his head and saw that the newcomer was none other than the number one freshman of Ironpeak Academy, Gideon King.

  Following closely behind Gideon King were Skaar and Hank.

  A trace of surprise flashed across Fly's face. He thought to himself: Didn't Gideon King have his spine blown apart? How is he walking around like nothing happened?

  But on second thought, he understood.

  The medical level of this martial world was far superior to his previous life. There were Beast Warriors who specialized in healing. As long as the money was in place, many stubborn illnesses and severe injuries could be healed rapidly. Given Gideon King's family connections and financial level, a speedy recovery was likely not a difficult task.

  After the Freshman Invitational ended, at Gideon King's signal, the officials of Ironpeak Academy hastily held a press conference to announce the expulsion of Gareth. They claimed Gareth's violation of the rules in the Freshman Invitational was his personal behavior and had nothing to do with Ironpeak Academy.

  Since Gareth had his arm severed by Fly and had essentially become a cripple, Gideon King didn't feel much pity about expelling him. Saving Ironpeak Academy's reputation to some extent by expelling a piece of trash was, in Gideon King's view, a business deal that was guaranteed to make a profit.

  Fly looked closely and saw another person standing beside Gideon King. This person was half a head taller than Gideon, with a well-proportioned physique and a sharp, heroic air between his brows.

  "Fly, pleased to meet you."

  "I am Lucas Law, a senior from Ironpeak Academy." He introduced himself actively, his voice deep and resonant.

  "Oh." Fly nodded lightly, responding with a cold expression. He had never liked Gideon King or his crew, and since he detested Gideon King, that hatred naturally extended to Lucas Law of Ironpeak Academy as well.

  "Hmm?" A look of surprise appeared on Lucas Law's face. He was currently the strongest student at Ironpeak Academy, his status in the school equal to that of Preston York at Star City High. Usually, others would be the ones sucking up to him; who would dare to be so cold to him? So, he let out a cold snort, feeling rather displeased.

  Seeing this, Gideon King used the momentum to step forward and say to Fly, "Don't get cocky, you guy! What Grandmaster Muse values isn't just current strength, but comprehensive ability. Family background, bloodline, and so on are all within the scope of the assessment. I advise you to pack up and go home early; Grandmaster Muse won't have any interest in a country bumpkin like you."

  As he spoke, Gideon King's face was full of smugness. Losing to Fly in the Freshman Invitational was a huge humiliation for him. Now that he saw a chance to humiliate Fly, how could he let it pass?

  "If I remember correctly, your Golden Draconian totem is artificially synthesized, right? How do you have the nerve to attend an art exhibition that discusses natural talent when you rely so heavily on resources?" Fly retorted sarcastically. "Without your dear mommy giving you resources, you wouldn't even have the qualifications to participate in the Freshman Invitational, would you?"

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  "How does a piece of trash like you, barking like a dog only because its master is behind it, have the nerve to yap here?"

  Fly showed no weakness, striking directly at Gideon King's sore spot.

  After the Freshman Invitational, Gideon King's popularity with the public had collapsed. The court of public opinion was mostly made up of ordinary people, who had many complaints about the nepotism of the powerful.

  Before the match, many people said Gideon King was just a hooligan who got in through nepotism. After Fly, who came from an ordinary background, defeated Gideon King, public opinion became even more one-sided. In the eyes of many, Fly was the representative of ordinary people. Fly defeating Gideon King allowed them to vent their anger fiercely! So after the match, remarks that Gideon King was a waste who relied purely on connections spread like wildfire.

  As Fly's voice fell, Gideon King's expression became ferocious.

  At the critical moment, Lucas Law grabbed Gideon King, who was about to lose control.

  "Heh heh heh," Lucas Law chuckled softly. "Student Fly seems very confident in his talent."

  "But there is one thing I have to remind you of. This art exhibition is not just for Grade 9 freshmen."

  "Top students from Grade 10, Grade 11, and Grade 12 from various schools will also join this competition to become Grandmaster Muse's personal disciple."

  "In that case, how much chance of winning do you think you have, Fly?"

  As he spoke, Lucas Law stepped forward, using his outstanding height to look down on Fly condescendingly.

  This sudden scene frightened Leo quite a bit. He tugged at Fly's sleeve, signaling Fly to stay calm.

  Leo's meaning was clear: at the Grade 9 level, Fly's strength could indeed be considered top-tier in Star City; but if Grade 10, 11, and the seniors were counted, Fly's standing would be hard to say.

  After all, the opponents had several more years of cultivation time than Fly. Even the most outstanding talent needed time to be realized. If they fought here now, they would very likely suffer a big loss.

  "Big Brother Lucas Law, let's hurry up and continue on our way. The exhibition is about to start," Leo stepped forward to smooth things over.

  "Oh? And who is this kid?" Lucas Law chuckled twice, turning his head to look at Leo. Those slightly red-glowing pupils made Leo feel a chill in his heart.

  Fly, however, was completely unafraid. He stood with his hands behind his back, secretly channeling energy in his body. On the surface, he looked calm and breezy, but in reality, he was like a leopard before pouncing, poised to strike.

  Although he didn't know Lucas Law's specific strength, Fly wouldn't let go of an opportunity to fight against an expert. As the saying goes, training alone for a year is not as good as fighting an expert for a single instant.

  "Enough," Gideon King gritted his teeth and said loudly. Although he was very angry, this was a public place after all. He knew Fly's strength well and reckoned that Lucas Law wouldn't be able to take Fly down quickly. If the fight dragged on and alerted the police, it would be troublesome.

  Although his mother had deep connections and wasn't too afraid of police questioning, the most important thing right now was attending the art exhibition and striving to become Grandmaster Muse's disciple. If he left a bad impression on Grandmaster Muse because of a moment of anger, the loss would outweigh the gain.

  So despite being extremely unwilling, Gideon King held himself back. Seeing this, Lucas Law also fell silent.

  "Fly, don't get cocky!"

  "I'll settle the score with you sooner or later."

  "Let's go."

  After speaking, Gideon King turned around and headed towards the exhibition venue with Skaar, Hank, and Lucas Law.

  Fly looked at the group walking away, a faint, cold sneer appearing on his face.

  "Phew..." Watching Gideon King's group walk away, Leo finally let out a long breath. "I nearly crapped my pants."

  Meanwhile, 'Emperor' Valerius, who had originally walked ahead, had doubled back when he saw Fly hadn't caught up, just in time to see Gideon King leaving.

  "What happened?" 'Emperor' Valerius asked, seeing Fly poised to strike and Leo sweating profusely. "What did they say?"

  "Nothing much," Fly said faintly. "Just a bunch of clowns."

  "What clowns? Godfather, do you know who that person was?" Seeing Fly so calm, Leo couldn't help but exclaim.

  "That was Lucas Law, one of the current Four Kings of Ironpeak Academy!"

  "Not only is he a genius possessing a Mythical Species Beast Totem, but his combat strength can also be described as terrifying."

  "Thank goodness you guys didn't start fighting, otherwise you would have likely suffered a big loss!"

  Even now, Leo still felt his heart pounding.

  "Lucas Law? Interesting." Hearing Leo's words, the corners of Valerius's mouth also curled into a cold smile.

  "You know him?" Fly turned his head to look at Valerius.

  Leo's strength was average, so when he said someone was powerful, they might not necessarily be that powerful; but if even the arrogant 'Emperor' Valerius said the person shouldn't be underestimated, then the opponent was truly worth paying attention to.

  "I've heard of him. He's not considered particularly amazing, just a mediocrity who piled up strength through cultivation time," 'Emperor' Valerius said with a touch of disdain. "However, there is one thing this kid got right: if you had started fighting just now, you would most likely have suffered a loss."

  Although 'Emperor' Valerius was proud and arrogant, he was not a blind brute. He could still see the true comparison of strength between the two sides very clearly.

  "After all, you've only been cultivating for a month. Although your talent is stunning, time is limited. Going up against those seniors who have been cultivating for several years right now is truly unwise."

  "I know you defeated the Grade 10 student Marshall from the Student Council before, but that was only Grade 10, and a Grade 10 student who had just started the school year at that."

  "Lucas Law is not comparable to a piece of trash like Marshall."

  "So, try not to conflict with people in much higher grades for now, especially when you don't have any background to back you up."

  "Fly, you must endure. A little impatience will spoil great plans."

  "We are here to attend the art exhibition, not to fight with Ironpeak Academy."

  'Emperor' Valerius spoke earnestly, seeming truly afraid that Fly wouldn't be able to control himself and would start fighting with someone like Lucas Law.

  "Okay, okay, okay." Fly said "okay" three times in a row, but secretly thought to himself: When did this Valerius become so fussing like a mother hen?

  He then turned his head to look into the distance at the backs of Gideon King's group, which had shrunk to small black dots.

  "A Senior, huh?"

  If even Lucas Law was worth such apprehension, then what kind of strength did Student Council Vice-President Lance Wolfe possess?

  One had to know that, judging from the competition results over these years, Star City High had been firmly suppressing Ironpeak Academy.

  Thanks for reading!

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