After a brief lecture, Grace Howard left the small building first. After all, besides serving as a mentor, she also had her own cultivation to attend to.

Inside the small building, more than a dozen new students were already in an uproar. Their dissatisfaction with the culprit sitting in the corner, who had repeatedly brought shame to the class, had long been simmering. It was only because Mentor Grace Howard had repeatedly emphasized that absolutely no trouble should be caused over this that they hadn't exploded in anger.

But the children's patience also had its limits.

Soon, the blond-haired boy stood up from his seat, walked over to the desk in the corner, and slapped the tabletop hard, drawing the other boy's attention.

Behind the desk, the black-haired, black-eyed boy from Penglai smiled slightly. "Yo, Henry, good morning~"

"Morning? Morning my ass! It's already afternoon! William Carter, stop playing dumb! Did you hear what Ms. Howard just said?"

William Carter nodded and sighed, "What a pity, you guys are last again."

"...It's not us! It's you! If it weren't for you, at least we'd be in second place. Do you have any idea how much you've held back the class's progress all by yourself!?"

William Carter nodded again. "Mm, I know. But I think, as elite students, you shouldn't look for so many external excuses for your own failures. The sages said, a person's greatest enemy is himself..."

"Enough! I don't want to hear your sages' nonsense!"

Facing Henry's roar, William Carter showed a helpless expression. "You don't have to be so irritable. The world is so big, one should be broad-minded. How about I tell you a little philosophical story? Something fresh and light."

"You!"

Henry felt the blood rush from every corner of his body straight to his head, and for a moment, his vision even went black... So he took a deep breath, used the Dreamweaving calming technique to steady his emotions, and then spoke.

"Since the start of school, it's been over three weeks. This is also the third time I've asked you... please drop out!"

In the blond boy's view, this was already the only way to save the class.

With William Carter around, the class's ranking would never rise—always dead last. Not only was this a devastating blow to the class's reputation, but it would also affect every student in the class.

That, of course, included himself, the class's top genius.

With a distinguished background, noble bloodline, and extraordinary talent, Henry possessed so many proud assets, but he also bore heavier pressure than anyone else. Class ranking might be just an empty title to others, but to him, the top student, it meant much more.

"Please drop out."

The blond boy used all his restraint to make his voice sound calm and earnest. At the same time, the noisy small building quieted down, and everyone's eyes turned to focus on the exchange between Henry and the Penglai boy.

Facing Henry's request, William Carter frowned slightly, as if thinking seriously. After a few minutes, he slowly spoke: "Actually, I have a better idea..."

"Say it."

"You figure out a way to transfer me to another class so I can hold them back instead. We can work together from the inside and outside..."

Before he could finish, Henry roared, "You think I haven't tried that? Besides Ms. Grace Howard, who else would be willing to take in someone as useless as you? ...William Carter, what's the point of you continuing like this?"

"Hmm?"

"It's been so long, you should know by now—your talent just isn't suited for being a Dreamweaver! Even if your progress is a bit slow, that's fine, but you have no progress at all! So what's the point of you staying at Yangcheng Academy? No matter how excellent Yangcheng Academy is, it can't teach someone with no talent. Even if you waste another ten years, what's the use? If you're worried about losing face by quitting halfway, then tell me, is it any better to keep dragging the class down and always be at the bottom? When all of us break through to the Clear Mind stage, or even become official Dreamweavers, you'll still be stuck at the Calming stage—is that a good look?"

Henry's words were extremely earnest and sincere, but as the listener, William Carter's reaction made him feel all his efforts were in vain.

"Sorry, you were being so emotional just now that I zoned out. How about we start over?"

"You!"

Unable to reason with him, Henry really wanted to use his fists to beat that always-smiling, delicate face until it bled from every orifice. But he also knew that, apart from anything else, this Penglai boy was a top-notch fighter. Not to mention a twelve- or thirteen-year-old like Henry, even a strong adult might not be his match.

So Henry had no choice but to keep suppressing his anger and demanded, "You haven't achieved anything in Dreamweaving. Are you at Yangcheng Academy just to eat and wait for death?"

William Carter's eyes lit up. "You really get me!"

"......"

"At Yangcheng Academy, I eat well, live well, and because of a special exemption from the dean, I don't even have to pay tuition. Conditions this good are hard to find, even in dreams."

"......"

"Honestly, all that Dreamweaving stuff, I don't care about it at all. I never planned to become a Dreamweaver anyway, so what does it matter if I learn it or not? Having food and a place to live is what really matters."