As Nie Li scrambled for a response, time seemed to freeze around him, and the familiar system interface popped up, presenting him with options.
[ Option 1- Teacher Shen Xiu, we wanted to ask you a question? ]
[ Option 2- Shen Xiu, are you willing to be my Dao partner? ]
[ Option 3- Bitch, I don't have to tell you anything. ]
Staring at the options, Nie Li couldn't help but think the system was trying to get him into trouble.
"Seriously, system? Are you trying to get me killed?" he thought.
Option 1 was the safest, though it required him to come up with a decent question on the spot.
Option 2 was a straight path to disaster, sure to ruin any chance of completing his mission, not to mention destroying his reputation.
And Option 3, well, that was just suicide.
He mentally selected Option 1.
"Teacher Shen Xiu, we wanted to ask you a question."
Shen Xiu snorted coldly, her gaze piercing. "What is it?"
Nie Li took a deep breath, hoping the system would come through with a sensible question. Time stopped again, and three new options appeared.
[ Option 1- What's the color of your panties? ]
[ Option 2- Glory City is the only one that survived the Age of Darkness, and we are the only surviving humans. What proof do you have of this statement? ]
[ Option 3- Do you like me? ]
Nie Li rolled his eyes.
"Really, system? Are you trying to get me killed on the first day?" he thought.
He quickly dismissed the first and third options as outright suicidal.
The second option, while risky, at least had the potential to spark a meaningful discussion without landing him in hot water.
He chose the second option.
"Glory City is the only city that survived the Age of Darkness, and we are the only surviving humans. What proof do you have of this statement?"
The class fell silent, some students looking shocked that Nie Li would dare question Shen Xiu's statement.
Shen Xiu's eyes narrowed, but Nie Li noticed a flicker of intrigue in her expression.
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"An interesting question," she finally said, her tone indicating that she wasn't used to being challenged.
"Let me enlighten you..."
Nie Li breathed a sigh of relief.
Shen Xiu replied to Nie Li's question.
"The proof lies in the history and records of Glory City. Our ancestors have preserved these accounts through generations. It's not a matter of belief; it's a matter of fact."
Nie Li nodded, feigning acceptance, when suddenly time seemed to halt again.
[ Option 1- I don't find your answer acceptable. ]
[ Option 2- Why should I believe your rhetoric? ]
[ Option 3- May I ask if you've ever ventured out of St. Ancestral Mountains to visit places like the Endless Desert, the Toxic Forest, the Blood Moon Marsh, the Spirit Gulf, the Heavenly Luster Mountains, or the Northern Snow? ]
Nie Li weighed his options.
The first two were direct challenges to Shen Xiu's authority and likely to backfire.
The third option, however, piqued his curiosity.
He had never heard of some of these places and wondered how Shen Xiu would respond.
Selecting option three, Nie Li asked, "Have you ever explored beyond the St. Ancestral Mountains, Teacher Shen Xiu? Have you been to places like the Endless Desert, or the mysterious Heavenly Luster Mountains, perhaps?"
Shen Xiu frowned at the question.
"What Heavenly Luster Mountain? What Northern Snow?"
She was familiar with the Endless Desert, Toxic Forest, and Blood Moon Marsh, but only from legends.
"I've been in Glory City since birth and have never been to those places."
As Nie Li pondered Shen Xiu's confident assertion about the survivors of the Age of Darkness, time seemed to come to a standstill, and the familiar system interface lit up with options.
[ Option 1- Oh, so you're just a frog in a well. ]
[ Option 2- Upon what qualifications are you supposed to teach us if you don't have any experience outside of your bubble yet spew out absolutes like they are facts? ]
[ Option 3- Since Teacher Shen Xiu never went to those places, how can you be so sure that we are the only human beings alive? ]
Nie Li pondered over the system's options with a sense of cautious amusement. "Option 1 is just asking for a one-way ticket out of class, and probably the school," he thought, smirking at the thought of calling Shen Xiu a 'frog in a well'.
"Tempting, but not wise."
He glanced at Option 2 and chuckled quietly to himself.
"Oh, how I'd love to ask her about her qualifications. Just to see the look on her face would be priceless."
Imagining Shen Xiu's reaction brought a grin to his face.
"But alas, that would be shooting myself in the foot."
So, he settled on Option 3, the choice that balanced provocation with a semblance of respect.
"Since Teacher Shen Xiu never ventured to those places, how can you be so sure we are the last surviving human beings?"
Nie Li asked, his voice laced with a blend of seriousness and a hint of playful challenge.
As he posed the question, Lu Piao leaned over and whispered, "Are you trying to start a revolution, or just get us both kicked out?"
Nie Li replied with a whisper, "Just expanding our horizons. Who knows, maybe we'll discover a new world where women actually like us."
Lu Piao snorted.
"In your dreams, Nie Li. In your dreams."
Shen Xiu struggled to form a response.
Her face shifted between irritation and contemplation, clearly not used to being questioned .
The students in the class began murmuring among themselves, intrigued by the challenge Nie Li posed.
Many of them had never even heard of the places Nie Li mentioned.
Ye Ziyun, seated at a distance, glanced toward Nie Li, her interest piqued. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she wondered how Nie Li knew about these obscure locations.
Beside Ye Ziyun, Shen Yue frowned, his gaze drifting towards Nie Li.
He had to admit, somewhat begrudgingly, that Nie Li was quite handsome, not too far off from his own level of attractiveness.
A sense of rivalry stirred within him, an unexpected feeling of competition.
Shen Xiu, observing the whispering students, was visibly displeased.
She scoffed, "So what? How can you prove that we are not the last surviving human beings?"