"You..."
Hearing Ye Yunfei's words, Liu Fei was both furious and livid, her face contorted with rage.
As the esteemed young lady of the Liu Family, few dared to contradict her to her face, let alone someone insignificant whom she looked down upon.
"Brat, you dare offend Young Lady Liu Fei? Accept your fate!"
The blue-shirted youth suddenly gave a vicious laugh and lashed out a palm strike toward Ye Yunfei.
This blue-shirted youth possessed strength at the early stage of the Minor Mystic Pill Realm, with a solid foundation, profound spiritual power, and a fierce palm force.
A rolling pressure of spiritual power bore down towards Ye Yunfei.
The elder in charge of the assessment stood to the side, his expression indifferent, making no move to interfere.
Smack!
Ye Yunfei suddenly swung his hand back in a flash, slapping the blue-shirted youth across the face.
Ye Yunfei's combat awareness and experience far surpassed this youth, so he simply couldn't dodge in time.
Bam!
The blue-shirted youth flew backward as if struck by lightning, his body shooting backward like a cannonball before crashing to the ground some distance away.
How could this happen?!
Everyone was startled.
A Grotto-Heaven Realm cultivator, slapping away a Minor Mystic Pill Realm cultivator with one palm—it was a bit hard to believe!
"Ah!
Brat, you dare hit me? You're seeking death..."
The blue-shirted youth struggled to his feet, one side of his face grotesquely swollen, howling like a stuck pig.
With that slap, Ye Yunfei had already shown mercy. After all, this was the Heavenly Dao Academy's territory, and Ye Yunfei didn't want to kill anyone for now.
Otherwise, that blue-shirted youth would have been long dead.
"Uncle Xie, this is Heavenly Dao City, and he dares to assault someone in public! Make him leave!
Besides, with his measly strength, he probably can't even climb the first step of this stone ladder."
Liu Fei said in a venomous tone.
"Daring to attack someone in Heavenly Dao City, your assessment qualification is revoked. Leave."
The elder looked at Ye Yunfei and spoke coldly.
He had close ties with the Liu Family of Tian Province and certain shared interests, so he naturally had to give face to Liu Fei.
However, at this moment, Ye Yunfei had already stepped onto the stone ladder, taking three consecutive steps in an instant, standing firmly on the third step.
So fast!
Everyone was startled once more.
It could be said that from the start of the assessment until now, Ye Yunfei's climbing speed was the fastest!
Even faster than Liu Fei!
"Do you really think your strength and talent are far superior to mine?
Where does your confidence come from?"
Ye Yunfei turned his head and swept a glance at Liu Fei, speaking indifferently.
As he spoke, Ye Yunfei took another step, ascending one more level to stand on the fourth step of the ladder.
Impossible!
Aside from Da Di Daozhang, everyone else was dumbfounded.
Anyone could see that Ye Yunfei climbed the ladder faster than Liu Fei and appeared even more at ease!
Everyone understood that this meant this young man's talent surpassed Liu Fei's.
"You..."
Liu Fei was utterly shocked and enraged, yet had nothing to say.
She was furious to the extreme, stifled to the extreme.
The elder in charge of the assessment, who had intended to revoke Ye Yunfei's qualification and drive him away, fell silent at this moment.
Because this stone ladder recorded the details of every candidate's assessment.
If he drove away a young prodigy with such high talent, the academy's higher-ups would definitely investigate.
Just as the crowd was reeling from shock.
Ye Yunfei suddenly lifted his foot, ascending another step, standing steadily on the fifth level of the stone ladder.
How could this be?!
Aside from Da Di Daozhang, everyone was completely stunned, their eyes filled with disbelief as they stared at Ye Yunfei standing atop the fifth step.
Ye Yunfei stood with his hands clasped behind his back, slowly turning around, his cold gaze sweeping toward Liu Fei.
"Do you see now?
Now, do you understand the gap between you and me?
With your strength and talent, don't you feel ashamed standing next to me in line?"
Ye Yunfei said coldly.
These words were precisely what Liu Fei had said to Ye Yunfei earlier. Now, Ye Yunfei had returned them to her, word for word, without a single syllable omitted!
"You... You did this on purpose!
You deliberately climbed to the fifth step just to infuriate me!
You deserve to die!"
Liu Fei, who had never suffered such humiliation before, completely broke down, shrieking with a face twisted like a vengeful ghost.
"Idiot."
Ye Yunfei descended the stone ladder, stating coldly.
In truth, with Ye Yunfei's talent, he could have easily climbed to the ninth step of this ladder. However, Ye Yunfei didn't want to draw too much attention.
The reason he climbed to the fifth step was simply to retaliate against Liu Fei.
"Uncle Xie, you saw it too! He deliberately tried to anger me!
Cancel his assessment qualification immediately and expel him from Heavenly Dao City!"
Infuriated, Liu Fei demanded of the assessment elder.
"Young Lady Liu Fei, he has already passed the assessment. I have no authority to expel him."
The elder gave a bitter smile.
Was he joking? How could he dare expel a prodigy capable of climbing to the fifth step of the stone ladder?
This stone ladder had already recorded the entire assessment process in detail. Even if he wanted to hide it, he couldn't.
"Uncle Xie, won't you even help me with this?"
Liu Fei refused to let it go.
"Young Lady Liu Fei, I truly have no authority to expel him."
The elder couldn't help but frown.
He was beginning to feel that this young lady of the Liu Family was somewhat ungrateful and couldn't read the situation.
"Alright. Su Ye, you have passed the assessment.
Next, continue."
The elder announced.
"Damn it!"
Liu Fei glared venomously at Ye Yunfei, gnashing her teeth.
At that moment.
Whoosh!
A figure arrived from afar, landing in the plaza.
It was a slightly portly elder.
"Elder Tang, what brings you here?!"
The assessment elder was startled and immediately hurried forward to greet him.
This Elder Tang held a significant position within the Heavenly Dao Academy.
"Steward Xie, during the assessment just now, did someone climb to the fifth step?"
Elder Tang asked.
The elder in charge of the assessment was surnamed Xie, a steward of the Heavenly Dao Academy.
"Yes.
Indeed, someone did climb to the fifth step."
Steward Xie answered truthfully.
"Who was it!"
Elder Tang grew somewhat excited, pressing for details as his gaze swept over the young candidates participating in the assessment.
"This young girl seems decent. Could it be her?"
Elder Tang's eyes fell upon Liu Fei.
Liu Fei was at the mid-stage Minor Mystic Pill Realm, and her spiritual power aura was profound. It was easy to see she possessed considerable talent.
"Not her.
It was him, Su Ye."
Steward Xie gave another bitter smile and pointed towards Ye Yunfei.
"Him?"
Elder Tang's gaze shifted to Ye Yunfei, and he was momentarily stunned.
Among all the candidates this time, Ye Yunfei was the only one at the Grotto-Heaven Realm.
Therefore, Elder Tang was somewhat skeptical.
"Su Ye, climb it once more for me to see."
Elder Tang said.
"Very well."
Ye Yunfei walked before the stone ladder and, with five effortless and easy steps, ascended to the fifth step.
"Excellent!
Such talent is truly rare!
Our Heavenly Dao Academy has gained another prodigy!"
Elder Tang's doubts vanished entirely, and he was utterly thrilled.