I am

Aunt Mei gazed at her young lady's hesitant expression and let out a long sigh. "I understand that you don't want to enter the academy. Every year for the past eight years, as soon as you set foot in that place, you have faced ridicule. But Miss, you can't keep delaying it. If you wait any longer, you won't have another chance."

Helian Weiwei replied calmly, "Aunt Mei, don't worry. I know what to do."

The Taibai Academy held unpleasant memories for her. It was not just the mockery she faced, but also the attention and fame she received at the age of seven, which caused a sensation in the capital. She was afraid that without martial arts skills, she wouldn't be able to live up to the expectations she once brought to her mother, which made her hesitant to enroll again.

Helian Weiwei narrowed her eyes and noticed something in the letter. "Wait, what is this?"

The note for new students stated: "Tuition fee of 10,000 taels, payable in full on the first day of school for a total of three years."

Tuition fee? Charged?

Ten thousand taels...

She didn't even have a thousand taels.

Helian Weiwei absentmindedly tapped her fingers on the wooden table, a gesture she often made when deep in thought.

The Su family, with their wealth and resources, never lacked food or clothing for her. They even sent her good-quality silk through their subordinates. But she knew her stepmother would never give her a single silver tael.

To outsiders, her stepmother appeared generous and kind to her, but it was all superficial.

Helian Weiwei understood that if she couldn't enter Taibai Academy on time, everything would be in vain. Only there could she reclaim her former glory.

Aunt Mei, too, noticed the 10,000-tael tuition fee and hesitated before standing up. "Miss, don't worry about the tuition. I will go to the main courtyard and ask the master."

Helian Weiwei interrupted her, casually putting away the letter. "You don't have to. Aunt Mei, remember, he is him, and I am me. I don't need anything from that scumbag every time something comes up. Helian Weiwei doesn't need it."

Aunt Mei's eyes widened with surprise, but she smiled and said, "Alright, alright, I won't go. I won't go!"

"Madame, did you see that? Miss has changed, completely changed! This is the true bloodline of the Helian family—tenacious, with clear love and hate!"

"But this tuition..." Aunt Mei's worry persisted.

She understood that all the disciples who entered Taibai Academy were from the most powerful families in the Battle Dragon Empire, for whom ten thousand taels was a trifling sum.

But for Aunt Mei, it was an insurmountable amount.

Helian Weiwei stood up, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "I have my own way."

Aunt Mei wanted to ask, "What can you do?" but she swallowed her words when she saw the smile on Helian Weiwei's face. Though she knew it was unlikely, she still hoped that perhaps her young lady really had a good plan.

...

At noon, in the bustling Battle Dragon Imperial City.

Helian Weiwei strolled lazily along the cobblestone path, listening to the vendors' cries and truly feeling that she had entered the ancient dynasty.

"Hey, woman, it took you so long. Aren't you tired?" The ancient deity hidden within the book spoke, his voice as arrogant as ever.

Helian Weiwei ignored him.

Yuan Xi let out a heavy snort. Now that he had regained his strength, the first thing he wanted to do was teach this woman a lesson. She was too presumptuous and not at all adorable!

"Hey, did you hear? The Phoenix Tower is gathering martial cultivators, and the winner can receive 100,000 taels of silver. This opportunity only comes once every few years, and I've never seen a martial cultivator before!"

"One hundred thousand taels of silver?"

Helian Weiwei stopped in her tracks upon hearing this, her eyes narrowing slightly as a faint gleam appeared in them.

It seemed that finding a solution had been as easy as finding a place to step on an iron shoe—it required no effort at all.

She happened to be short of silver, so why not see if this "gathering" could help her earn some?

"Martial cultivators or something... I'm not really interested," Helian Weiwei muttered to herself as she continued walking.

Yuan Hao listened and nearly spat out old blood!

While others were considering whether they could find a suitable martial cultivator, she only cared about their appearance...

"Woman, can you be serious?" Yuan Xi complained. How would he ever recover with such a lazy attitude?

Helian Weiwei innocently replied, "I am serious."

"Where's your seriousness?" Yuan Xi grumbled.

Helian Weiwei raised an eyebrow. "I'm seriously earning tuition."

"Tuition? What's that? Is it more important than finding a good martial cultivator? I really don't understand what goes on in this woman's mind!" Yuan Xi exclaimed, bewildered by her priorities.

Helian Weiwei continued with a faint smile on her lips as she walked across the ancient bridge towards the legendary Phoenix Tower.

The scale of the gathering exceeded her expectations—it was a sea of people.

Her memories provided her with knowledge about "martial cultivators" and their significance.

In the Battle Dragon Empire, elite martial cultivators were rare. While many had reached the martial Qi stage, they lacked the knowledge to construct martial cultivators, making it difficult to find a suitable one.

That was why so many people came to witness the selection of "martial cultivators."

"Look, it's her!"

"Helian Weiwei? What is she doing here?"

"What? Even that useless girl is here? What's her purpose? After seeing her performance at the academy, I doubt the dean will even consider her. She still has the audacity to show up? Such relief!"

"Moreover, she isn't just shameless, but also absent from home after being dismissed. Yet she has the gall to come out and create trouble!"

As they spoke, they looked at Helian Weiwei with evident mockery in their eyes.

Helian Weiwei didn't expect to encounter her "classmates" here. Her thin lips curved upwards, revealing a hint of chill.

Yuan Hao eagerly rubbed his fists. "Are we going to fight? It's been so long since I tasted blood!"

"Yuan Xiaoxi, let me remind you once again that we're here to make money, not to fight," Helian Weiwei said calmly, yawning lazily, not paying any attention to the group of people.

Since they were "classmates," there would be plenty of opportunities to settle scores later. There was no rush.

Yuan Xi smirked. "You're right."

As they made their way, an elderly woman emerged from the Phoenix Tower, her face filled with weariness, indicating the difficulty of the test.

However, the Phoenix Tower was relatively considerate. The test process and results were kept confidential, so no one would know whether someone passed or failed, as long as they remained composed.

"Anyone else interested in signing up?" the steward inquired, scanning the crowd.

People hesitated and exchanged glances.

Helian Weiwei stepped forward, her demeanor neither humble nor arrogant. "I am."