Being forced to grow like a pig? But I'm immune to the consequences!

"You bastard." Wu Sheng withdrew his fist, shook off the blood on the back of his hand, and uttered three words in a cold voice.

This sudden turn of events left everyone stunned.

"What are you doing?!" Guo Hui's eyes widened suddenly, and his furious shout shattered the silence like a thunderclap. He never expected that Wu Sheng would dare to attack him right in front of him!

Wu Sheng took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the surging anger and irritation in his heart, and turned to Guo Hui, his tone unusually clear and calm:

"Master Guo, I didn't mean to disrespect you."

He remembered Pasa's warning—Guo Hui was concerned about his reputation. He absolutely couldn't afford to be confrontational at this moment, or he would only push the other side to the opposite side completely.

This statement momentarily halted Guo Hui's furious outburst.

Wu Sheng looked directly into Guo Hui's eyes and repeated earnestly, "I don't know what that fatso said to you behind your back, but I'll say it again, I have never had any disrespectful thoughts towards you."

Then, before Guo Hui could react, he quickened his pace and spoke clearly: "I don't know why you came to the dormitory so late at night. Perhaps you were misled, or perhaps there was another reason. But I believe you would never instruct Liao Xing to deliberately wake everyone up like this. So I was so angry that I took action."

He raised his hand, pointing to his roommates who had been woken up and were now displaying various expressions, raising his voice to make sure everyone could hear him:

"If you truly believe there's some misunderstanding, then it's unfair to only listen to his side of the story or just ask me. Everyone here is a witness; they know best what happened. Master Guo, you can ask them; the truth will be judged fairly."

These words were reasonable and well-founded, giving Guo Hui a way out while bringing the conflict back to the facts. Guo Hui's chest heaved as he exhaled a heavy breath. His anger hadn't completely subsided, but the fierceness in his eyes had softened considerably. His face was grim as he pointed casually to the people on the nearby beds: "You, you, and you… come with me!"

The roommates who were called out looked at each other in surprise, quickly got up, and followed Guo Hui out of the dormitory.

Once the door closed, the air in the dormitory seemed to start circulating again, but it felt even more oppressive.

Liao Xing was hurriedly helped up by Wang An and Yan Liang. Blood smeared half of his face from his nose, making him look extremely disheveled. He glared at Wu Sheng with eyes so venomous they seemed about to bleed. His body trembled slightly from anger and pain. He made as if to pounce on Wu Sheng, but Yan Liang pulled him back forcefully.

Wu Sheng stared coldly at him, his voice not loud, but each word clear: "I told you, if you don't control your mouth, I'll knock out your teeth. Today it's just your nose, consider yourself lucky."

Liao Xing trembled with anger, but the sharp pain in his nose and Wu Sheng's merciless punch filled him with real fear. In the end, he didn't dare to curse anymore, only letting out a reluctant "ho ho" sound from his throat.

A short while later, the dormitory door was pushed open again. Guo Hui led his roommates in, his face still grim, but his previous rage seemed to have subsided somewhat. He glanced at Liao Xing, whose face was covered in blood, with complicated emotions, then looked at Wu Sheng, who stood calmly and without flinching. He opened his mouth, as if he wanted to scold him, but felt at a loss for words, looking like he was holding back his anger with nowhere to vent it.

Just then, Wu Sheng spoke up again, his tone sincere yet carrying an undeniable insistence:

"Master Guo, we all understand that your willingness to teach us extra fighting skills is well-intentioned, as you want us to have more skills. But we are really tired and need to rest to ensure our training the next day. As you can see, Mohan and I have improved our punching power quite well, precisely because we have put all our energy into body tempering."

He abruptly changed the subject, pointing at Liao Xing, his tone suddenly hardening:

"Today, I hit him. But I won't apologize. Unless he apologizes to me and everyone else for deliberately waking everyone up tonight and possibly gossiping about you!"

He paused, his gaze sharp as a knife, sweeping over Liao Xing and the others:

"If Master Guo feels this approach won't work, that's fine too. He and I will go to the training ground right now for a one-on-one duel. Whoever gets beaten down admits defeat! We'll settle our scores based on our own abilities!"

Guo Hui had originally intended to give both sides equal blame, reprimanding Wu Sheng for his actions. However, Wu Sheng's words, full of江湖气 (jianghu spirit) and youthful vigor, directly shut down Guo Hui's attempt at appeasement.

He turned to Liao Xing, who was covering her face, his tone impatient and scrutinizing: "And you? What he said, are you willing?"

Liao Xing's eyes flickered as he looked at Wu Sheng's cold gaze. Recalling the force of that punch just now, and feeling the subtle stares from those around him, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he hesitated to respond.

Guo Hui waited a moment, and seeing that Liao Xing had backed down, he felt even more confident. His tone became more forceful, carrying the implication of a final judgment: "We're all men! If there's a problem, let's go fight it out now! If you're too scared to fight, this matter ends here! Anyone who brings it up again is just messing with me!"

He suddenly raised his voice, his gaze sharp as lightning, sweeping across every face in the dormitory:

"I'll say it again! These fighting techniques were just something I taught on a whim! You'll learn them systematically after your one-month training period! If you want to practice extra tonight, think carefully about your stamina! If you don't want to practice, get back here and get some sleep!"

He concluded with a stern shout, carrying an undeniable air of authority:

"From now on, everyone better be on your guard and focus on body tempering! Anyone who dares to cause trouble, spread rumors, or disrupt order... don't blame me, Guo Hui, for turning my back on them!"

"Now—" he waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing away flies, "all of you get back to bed and sleep!"

The dormitory was completely silent, save for the heavy, uneven breathing sounds.

Everyone silently climbed back into their beds. With Wang An'an and Yan Liang's help, Liao Xing lowered his head, covered his face, and slunk back to his corner, not daring to look at Wu Sheng again.

Wu Sheng calmly returned to bed, closed his eyes, and acted as if the earth-shattering punch from before had never happened.

Only the lingering stench of blood in the air and the chilling silence proved that this night would not pass so easily. Guo Hui stood there for a few more seconds, then finally snorted coldly, turned around, and strode away, his heavy footsteps gradually fading at the end of the corridor.

Darkness enveloped the dormitory again, but something had completely changed.

sixth day.

Wu Sheng woke up early in the morning. As soon as he opened his eyes, a cold, sticky gaze, like that of a venomous snake, pierced his back.

The gaze comes from Liao Xing.

Wu Sheng wondered if this guy could still sleep after what happened last night. He glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and silently noted it down. With his third-level Body Tempering strength, Liao Xing was no match for him even if he launched a sneak attack. But if the other party was desperate and tried something underhanded in the dead of night... he would still be a potential threat.