n cultivation, you won't be able to leave the academy grounds." Unlike the tone he had taken with others, the Sage of Wu Ling sounded cold and almost cruel. "It is a pity, but until you learn how to jump over the wall and walk on water, you'll be doomed to stay in the academy for the rest of your life."

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha! I knew it! Fei Wu is just trash, like his name states (Trash in Chinese is also written as Fei Wu)!"

Qi Fu Ren burst out laughing, and his two cronies joined in, despite them not being that much better than me. Evidently he had heard my name when I was talking to Tong Xue and the others, and thought this whole thing was funny. I glared in his direction, but there was absolutely nothing I could say. While I didn't buy this whole stupid system of quantifying one's talent or might makes right principle, right now I had no choice but to abide by the rules and culture of Martial Academy.

"What are you waiting for?" Xiao Zhang's voice was dripping with ridicule as he glared at me when I stopped to stare defiantly in Qi Fu Ren's direction. "Hurry up and get off the stage, you trash."