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

The four entered in single file. Three men and one woman, all dressed in the martial arts academy's uniform dark gray outfits, moved with measured steps and powerful strides, exuding an aura of competence and capability. The one in the lead was none other than Head Instructor Dan Xin.

Dansing's sharp gaze swept across the room, and he nodded slightly. Beside him, a dark-skinned, stocky man with a dark face stepped forward, his voice booming:

"Is everyone here?"

No one answered. This wasn't even a problem.

"Let's begin roll call!" The dark-faced man said no more, producing a roster. "When your name is called, answer 'Present!'"

"Song Ming!"

"arrive!"

……

The roll call ended quickly.

The dark-faced man turned to Danxin and said respectfully, "Lord Danxin, one hundred people should be present, ninety-one are present, and nine are absent."

Quiet murmurs arose within the room. Someone dared to be late on the very first day of the Martial Arts Academy?

Dansin's face remained expressionless; he simply waved his hand casually: "Write it down. Those who are absent will have three days' worth of resource rations deducted."

"Yes." The dark-faced man immediately wrote it down on the roster, and said loudly, his voice echoing throughout the room, "Some people, relying on their talent, forget the rules and become arrogant. Since they don't cherish the opportunity, they should remember this lesson well."

He put away the roster, faced all the trainees, and began to introduce himself: "The four of us are the leaders of this batch of trainees. My name is Tawen." He pointed to a burly man with a cold face and a towering figure beside him, "This is Mushan." He then pointed to a short-haired woman with a calm expression but very sharp eyes, "This is Della."

"The three of us are all at the seventh level of Body Tempering."

Finally, he stepped aside and, with utmost respect, led Danxin: "And this is your chief leader, Lord Danxin—a true warrior!"

The word "martial artist" seemed to carry an invisible weight, causing all the young faces in the arena to stand in awe, their gazes towards Danxin filled with reverence and longing.

Tavin continued announcing the rules, his voice clear and forceful: "Your intensive training at this stage will last for two months."

"Basic benefits: one potential potion per day, and one standard portion of alien beast meat every three days."

"During the training period, there is a competition mechanism to select the best candidates and allocate more resources to them. The competition is held weekly."

"The competition is divided into two rounds: the first round is a punching power test, and the top 32 will advance. The second round is a real combat ring battle, with 32 people drawn by lot to compete until the final rankings are determined."

He paused briefly to process the information, then emphasized, "Those who make it into the top eight in the actual combat will receive an extra serving of exotic beast meat each day. Those who make it into the top four will receive two extra servings of exotic beast meat each day!"

These rules were a lot of information for the students from the outer city. Many looked bewildered. What was beast meat? Real combat? They had never systematically learned combat skills in the Hyena Gang!

Just as Tavin was about to explain, a series of casual footsteps and laughter came from the entrance of the training ground.

Several teenagers walked in, arms around each other's shoulders, completely oblivious to the solemn atmosphere. Tavin, Mushan, and Della glanced at them but did not immediately react.

The group blended into the crowd, and immediately some acquaintances approached them and whispered among themselves. Upon hearing the newly announced competition rules and penalties for absence, one of them's expression changed drastically.

He was a tall, thin boy with an arrogant air about him, named Sun Chao. During the outer city selection, he broke through to the fourth level of Body Tempering on the twenty-sixth day, and was considered a genius. The instructors of the Hyena Gang in his settlement practically granted him every request, indulging him in every way. This gave him a misconception—that his talent was enough to make everyone look at him differently, and that the so-called instructors and leaders were nothing more than that, and that he would soon surpass them. Even martial artists should show him some respect in the face of such a genius.

At that moment, hearing that three days' worth of precious resources would be withheld, a surge of anger welled up inside him. He stepped forward from the crowd, pointed at Danxin and the others, and loudly questioned them:

"Why are you withholding our resources? Those were allocated to us by the Martial Arts Academy! What right do you have to withhold them!"

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent.

Many people, especially the group of students from the inner city or near-inner city represented by Liu Zhi and Xu Fei, looked at Sun Chao as if he were looking at an overconfident... idiot.

A fierce glint flashed in Tavin's eyes, and he was about to reprimand him sharply when Dansin slowly raised a hand to stop him.

The head martial arts instructor's face remained expressionless, but his calm eyes fell on Sun Chao, who was full of defiance and held his head high.

Tavin and the other two looked at Danxin, waiting for his reaction. Danxin's face remained expressionless; he simply walked calmly toward Sun Chao.

Tavin and his two companions immediately followed.

Seeing Danxin approach, Sun Chao's heart tightened, but he still forced himself to stand tall and said defiantly, "What? You want to hit me?"

Danxin stopped in front of him and just looked at him quietly, his eyes as deep as a bottomless, icy pool.

Sun Chao felt uneasy under the gaze and unconsciously swallowed, but his youthful stubbornness and the arrogance he had been spoiled by in the past made him unwilling to back down, and he wanted to say something to embolden himself.

However, in the next moment, Sun Chao's pupils suddenly contracted, as if he had encountered some ferocious beast. His breathing instantly became rapid and heavy, his body trembled uncontrollably, his legs shook like leaves, and he could not even stand up, almost collapsing to the ground.

This was because an indescribable aura suddenly surged from Danxin. It was an invisible aura that swept out the moment it appeared, carrying an extremely strong sense of oppression. At this moment, Danxin was like a predator standing at the top of the food chain, and Sun Chao was nothing more than a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

This invisible pressure wasn't just directed at Sun Chao; it also subtly affected the surrounding trainees. Faced with this unprecedented, suffocating pressure, many turned pale, their throats went dry, and they instinctively held their breath.

Wu Sheng was equally shaken. This was the first time he had faced a martial artist so closely, truly experiencing the meaning behind the word "martial artist." Previously, it was only a vague concept; he knew martial artists held a prestigious position, second only to nobles, but he didn't understand the reasons behind it.

At that moment, he understood.

The martial artist has already completed a leap in a certain level of life. That invisible aura is its symbol. The dominance brought about by this evolution is overwhelming, enough to make anyone who has not yet stepped into this realm feel despair!

As the main bearer of the oppressive force, Sun Chao finally could not hold on any longer. With a "thud," his knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. He didn't even dare to lift his head.

Dansin stared down at him indifferently for a few seconds, as if he were looking at an insignificant ant. Then, the terrifying pressure that had enveloped the entire area receded like a tide, disappearing without a trace.

Dansing turned around and walked calmly back to the center of the field.