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“Do you gain weight even from drinking water?” Feng Wu asked.

“Yes —”

Chaoge felt like crying when the subject was brought up. “Xiao Wu, I’m not a glutton. There was this time when I starved myself for three days, but afterward, I weighed 3kg more! How can such a horrible thing happen? In the past few years, every time I went on a diet, I ended up gaining more weight! Sometimes I feel that there’s no point in living like this…”

Chaoge had been living in a nightmare in the past five years since Feng Wu left.

“And you made no progress in your cultivation. Not only that, your cultivation level has dropped.” Feng Wu frowned.

“Xiao Wu —” Chaoge burst into tears. “I don’t know why, but after you left, instead of making any progress every time I cultivated, my level would drop. In the end, I just stopped altogether, for the harder I tried, the faster I slid backward —”

It was horrible!

“Am I cursed?” Chaoge had been living under a lot of stress.

Things wouldn’t be so bad if her family was a peaceful and warm one, but hers was like a battlefield, and more drama went on there than in the Feng manor.

“It’s not a curse, but a poison.” Feng Wu fought back her anger. “It’s known as ‘Degenerative Powder,’ which not only makes you gain weight, but causes your cultivation level to drop.”

“That sounds like such a potent poison, but who would do that to me?” Chaoge asked in confusion.

Feng Wu’s eyes flashed. “You came to see me off before I left the imperial capital. Did you drink anything that day?”

“Well…” Chaoge might forget a lot of things, but she remembered every moment she spent with Feng Wu. “I remember that I was thirsty and I saw a bowl of water on your table, so I drank it.”

“Was it sweet and sour and tasted like almond?”

“Yes!” Chaoge cried out. “Xiao Wu, how do you know that?”

“If I’m guessing right, it was meant for me.” Feng Wu closed her eyes. If Chaoge hadn’t drunk it, either her beautiful mother or herself would have.

“What?” Chaoge couldn’t bring herself to imagine Xiao Wu as a butterball the way she was now. “I’m so glad that I drank it instead.”

I’m so glad that I drank it instead…

Feng Wu took a deep breath. After suffering from the poison for five years, the first thing Chaoge said when she learned the truth wasn’t a complaint, but that she was glad that she had taken Feng Wu’s place as the victim…

Feng Wu felt so blessed to have such a good friend!

“Don’t worry. I have the antidote for it,” Feng Wu said in a solemn tone.

Chaoge beamed at her. “I know Xiao Wu can do it.”

Nothing in this world could stop Xiao Wu.

That was how confident Chaoge was about Feng Wu.

Feng Wu gave Chaoge a wry smile. With so many people she needed to protect, she had no choice but to work harder and become stronger.

With a wave of Feng Wu’s hand, a dot of pale green light entered Chaoge’s forehead between her eyebrows.

Feng Wu let out a breath of relief when she saw Chaoge begin to absorb that dot of light.

Looking up, Feng Wu observed Inky Rain hanging on the wall.

It was a painting of inky dots splattered all over a piece of white paper and there didn’t seem to be a pattern to them.

“Those two are so dumb.”

Seeing Feng Wu and Chaoge sitting in front of Inky Rain in a trance-like state, Ye Yafei spoke in a taunting voice.

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“They’re haven’t received enlightenment, have they?” Huo Yin was concerned.

Wen Ling said grumpily, “Feng Wu has lost her abilities, hasn’t she? Her making progress in cultivation? Are you kidding me?”

“What about Duan Chaoge?” Huo Yin looked alarmed. “Five years ago, Chaoge used to follow Feng Wu everywhere and she was a genius herself as well. She was that close to the Spiritual Grandmaster stage even then.”

That was true. Feng Wu had been brilliant five years ago and Chaoge, her friend, was also a well-known figure.

Duan Chaoge had been qualified to enter Imperial College when she was only eight. How talented she must have been!

Ye Yafei smirked. “Feng Wu is a cripple and Duan Chaoge’s cultivation level has continued to drop. So what if they see something in Inky Rain? Do you think they’ll be able to make any progress?”

“Hahahaha —” Everyone looked at the pair of girls in contempt.

Huo Yin frowned. “Although, that Inky Rain is so difficult to read. How are we supposed to learn anything from it? I’ve looked at it a hundred times and I still don’t get it, let alone been enlightened. It makes my head dizzy every time.”

Wen Ling nodded. “That’s right. I thought I could use it to improve my cultivation level a little before the entrance exam for Imperial College. That way, I’d have a better chance of getting in.”

“Sister Yafei is so awesome. She got in last year already.”

Of these teenagers, Ye Yafei was the only one who had gotten into Imperial College.

Ye Yafei said, “You’ve all become Level 9 Spiritual Masters after shoring up your cultivation for a year. Don’t worry. I’m sure all of you will get in this time.”

Huo Yin took Ye Yafei’s arm. “Sister Yafei, can you talk us through the entrance exam of Imperial College?”

Ye Yafei said grumpily, “Haven’t you guys taken the exam once already? I know you all failed last year, but have you forgotten all about it already? Fine, I’ll talk you through it.”

She said in a gloating yet reluctant voice, “The entrance examination of Imperial College has a literary component and a martial component. The total score is 1000, with the literary component taking up 300 and the martial component 700. Only the top one thousand candidates for the literary exam will qualify to take the martial exam. You all still remember that?”

“Yes.” Everyone nodded.

Ye Yafei said, “You know what? You know all this already. Here’s what I have for you: get into Imperial College and you’ll find a brand new world. Your life will be lifted to a whole new level.

“You may find the most unattainable figures there as your classmates.

“Imperial College’s essence-gathering formation is immensely helpful for your cultivation.

“Everyone is ranked at Imperial College, and you’ll be motivated to work harder by all the competitors.

“Most important of all, Young Lord Feng is a nominal student of Imperial College. Even His Royal Highness, the respected crown prince of our empire, is a nominal student of Imperial College. We address him as Senior Brother in private.”

“Wow!!!”

The others covered their mouths in excitement. “His Royal Highness? His Royal Highness?!!!”

“That’s right!” Ye Yafei nodded. “Of course, we only use it among ourselves and His Royal Highness will only ignore us if we address him like that in front of him. But at least… that’s quite an intimate form of address, isn’t it?”

“I have to get into Imperial College this year!” Eyes sparkling, Huo Yin made a fist!

The others did the same.

To them, the crown prince and his friends were too out of reach.