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

The breakthrough to the first level of body tempering improved his physique but also brought profound fatigue. That night, Wu Sheng slept exceptionally soundly.

In his half-awake state, he vaguely heard the dormitory door being pushed open, and Liao Xing and his group returning noisily, the bed boards creaking under their weight. The dormitory was crowded, with beds close together, but fortunately Wu Sheng and Mo Han's beds were at the very back, avoiding the noise of people coming and going.

……

The next morning.

Wu Sheng woke Mo Han, and the two headed straight to the training ground. After several rounds of yoga, a warm current flowed through his meridians, and Wu Sheng clearly felt the changes in his data:

[Body Tempering Level 2: 13/20]

"At this rate, I should be able to break through to the second level today... I wonder if my progress is fast or slow compared to others?"

After warming up, the two went to have breakfast. Wu Sheng knew that breakfast was crucial to his condition throughout the day, so his plate was piled high with food.

After the meal, they continued their arduous training. Mohan, having ranked in the top five, received an extra potential-enhancing potion and was currently taking it. Wu Sheng watched this, his sense of urgency intensifying—possessing a primordial core, he understood better than anyone the leap this potion would bring.

"Falling behind even slightly means falling behind at every step. We must break into the top five in the next test!"

The practice of yoga is tedious and arduous, but the clear progress feedback provided by the primordial core gives Wu Sheng a definite meaning to every sip of sweat. Watching the numbers accumulate little by little, fatigue seems to transform into motivation.

Mohan, who was standing to the side, occasionally wanted to slack off, but seeing that Wu Sheng was always focused, he was also inspired to grit his teeth and persevere.

"Master Guo is here!"

A deliberately obsequious shout suddenly rang out; it was Liao Xing. He immediately stopped what he was doing and loudly reminded everyone.

Some people stopped practicing upon hearing this, but Wu Sheng and Mo Han seemed oblivious, continuing to smoothly execute their current moves. Seeing this, Liao Xing immediately raised his voice, his tone accusatory: "Hey! You two, didn't you see Master Guo is here? Stop right now!"

Wu Sheng ignored him. Yoga emphasizes a continuous flow; interruptions greatly reduce its effectiveness. Besides, if Guo Hui truly had something important to discuss, he would have spoken up. Liao Xing's actions were merely an opportunity to demonstrate loyalty and simultaneously disgust those who didn't cooperate. This seemingly respectful posture might earn him points with Guo Hui, and even subtly create an unspoken rule: when the instructor arrives, practitioners must stop to show respect. Failure to comply is considered disrespectful.

Of course, Guo Hui might not care about this at all.

The key lies in what Guo Hui thinks. If he really falls for this, Wu Sheng estimates that he'll have a very difficult time here from now on.

This isn't the school from my previous life, but rather an outer city gang. The "instructors" here are essentially low-level gang members. They aren't necessarily shrewd and worldly-wise individuals; they're more likely to be capricious thugs. They may not appreciate exceptionally talented students—after all, most of them themselves were once unsuccessful individuals lacking in talent.

Being in this place, Wu Sheng had to be cautious, but he was unwilling to compromise himself too much. He could only try his best to find a sense of stability in the cracks.

In truth, whether in his past or present life, he didn't want much—just a sense of security that belonged to him and that could protect those around him.

But things rarely go as planned. The Xu family, Liao Xing... these uncertain factors always emerge, trying to disrupt the balance he has painstakingly maintained.

"Power... Only absolute power can stabilize the situation and protect the peace of those around us."

About a minute later, Wu Sheng finished the entire routine, stopped, and calmly looked at Guo Hui, adopting a listening posture. Guo Hui's gaze had already swept over this area because of Liao Xing's shouts, and seeing that Wu Sheng's attitude was normal after stopping, he didn't say anything more.

"Those who need to notify their families to send money, please register with me before noon!" Guo Hui announced loudly, his voice echoing across the empty training ground. "The rest of you, keep practicing!"

He did not leave immediately, but paused for a moment on the sidelines to conduct his routine inspection.

Liao Xing was still resentful of Wu Sheng's earlier disregard, and a shadow of gloom flashed across his eyes.

Yan Liang, however, somehow sidled up to Guo Hui and casually struck up a conversation: "Master Guo, what level are you at now? Are you a true martial artist?"

"Sixth level of Body Tempering," Guo Hui said calmly.

"Six floors?" Yan Liang's tone unconsciously carried a hint of surprise, as if he felt that the number was not too high.

"What? You think it's insignificant, only two levels above the required fourth level?" Guo Hui glanced at him, his tone unreadable. "Let me tell you, the path of body tempering is more difficult with each level. Those with mediocre talent might break through three levels within a month, but to reach the fourth level, it might take another two months! If you can't break through the fourth level and enter the inner city, you have no potential, no value for cultivation. At that point, even the quota for potential-enhancing potions will be reduced. Without the aid of potions, cultivation will become even more difficult."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the group of young, eager faces: "This month is a real welfare period for you. You can use one dose of the potion every two days without paying any extra price. Once you've passed this opportunity... hmph, you won't get another chance."

Yan Liang's eyes darted around, and he tentatively asked, "Then... Master Guo, since you've handled all the distribution of these medicines, do you...?"

"What are you trying to say, kid?" Guo Hui's eyes suddenly sharpened.

"...No, it's nothing." Yan Liang shrank his neck.

Guo Hui snorted coldly, a subtle, enigmatic smile playing on his lips: "Regarding the potential potion... some things, you'll understand when the time comes."

……

Throughout the morning, Wu Sheng barely stopped. When the last breath of the tenth yoga repetition perfectly matched the movement, the familiar feeling of restless energy surged again, clearer and stronger than before.

In an instant, a new force surged from his limbs and bones, flowing like a trickle into a river. Wu Sheng quietly clenched his fists, feeling the significantly increased power hidden within his muscles and bones.

[Body Tempering Layer 3: 0/40]

[Wu Sheng]: Vitality 14/15 (18/18)

"Body Tempering Level Two, broken!"

The required progress has doubled again, but Wu Sheng can feel that his movements are more fluid and natural, and his training efficiency has also improved. Correspondingly, his body's thirst for energy has reached a new level.

"Luckily, I didn't swallow my pride back then and forced the Xu family to give me back five thousand yuan... Otherwise, the cost of just eating there would have been enough to crush me."

At lunchtime, Wu Sheng and Mo Han, as usual, ordered a large amount of meat. Their lavish eating habits had already attracted the attention of some people.

At Liao Xing's table, several people were shoveling rice and pickled vegetables into their bowls. He glanced at the chunks of meat on Wu Sheng's plate and raised his voice in a sarcastic tone: "Wow, eating so much, and there's even meat! You're really rich! Unlike us, we can only eat pickled vegetables with rice."

After saying that, he turned his head, ready to continue bragging to Yan Liang and the others. Yan Liang and the others also smiled and were about to join in.

At that very moment—

"Snapped!"

A bowl brimming with scalding hot soup slicing through the air and landing precisely on Liao Xing's oily forehead! The soup splashed everywhere, not only soaking Liao Xing's head and face, but also causing collateral damage, leaving Yan Liang, Wang An, and Zhang Lin, who were standing nearby, drenched in a mess!

Liao Xing and the others were stunned, looking incredulously in the direction from which the soup bowl had flown.

Wu Sheng remained seated firmly in his place, his gaze as cold as ice, fixed directly on Liao Xing.

"What the hell are you doing!" Liao Xing roared in anger, standing up abruptly as soup dripped down his dark, chubby face, his chest heaving violently.

Yan Liang and the others looked grim, and Wang An even stood up, looking ready to fight.

boom!

Wu Sheng slammed his hand on the table, the force so great that the dishes bounced. He abruptly stood up, his aura even more fierce and aggressive than Liao Xing's, his eyes sweeping over the people opposite him like knives:

"If you can't control your foul mouth, I won't mind sewing it up for you."

He would never back down or show leniency because of Liao Xing's petty actions these past few days. The other party's words just now were a blatant provocation and test, an attempt to isolate them. If he didn't retaliate decisively this time, the other party would only escalate their actions next time.

Faced with Wu Sheng's tough stance, Wang An froze, unsure whether to stand or sit. Yan Liang swallowed back the harsh words he was about to utter.

Liao Xing was caught off guard by this merciless counterattack and his face turned red and then pale. He stubbornly argued, "What did I say? I just told the truth!"

Swish!

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Wu Sheng grabbed the stool he was sitting on and made as if he was about to rush over!

Mohan got up almost simultaneously and followed closely behind Wu Sheng.

Startled, Liao Xing instinctively took two steps back and bumped into the table behind him.

"No! Don't be impulsive! We're all from the same batch, let's talk this out!" Zhang Lin hurriedly squeezed between the two groups of people, spreading his arms to stop them, his voice trembling.

Wu Sheng's attitude was extremely clear.

In this cutthroat world, ruthlessness and decisiveness are the best protection. A single punch can prevent a hundred more.

He stared at Liao Xing, his voice low but chilling: "Not convinced? You can go complain to Master Guo now and see if he'll kill me over something as trivial as this." He paused, his gaze sweeping over Yan Liang and Wang An, "Or, you can take a gamble and see if I'll find a way to cripple you guys afterward. Anyway..."

He twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing a cold smile, and looked at Yan Liang and Wang An:

"My life is worth less than yours. I have nothing left to care about in my family."

The cafeteria was deathly silent.

Liao Xing's lips trembled, but he ultimately didn't utter another word. He was currently extremely displeased with Hong Yun's passing of the preliminary test, his future was bright, and he valued his life highly, having absolutely no intention of fighting Wu Sheng to the death. He never expected that Wu Sheng, who usually seemed so calm, could be so ruthless when he got angry.

The malicious current subtly shifted before the hard reef. At this moment, no one dared to speak up for Liao Xing, much less criticize Wu Sheng. Even if criticism were to be leveled, it would only be directed at Liao Xing, the one who provoked the situation first.

The atmosphere froze, and an awkward silence filled the air.

Wang An muttered a complaint to Liao Xing, "Why did you bring that up... Master Guo already said eating is the most important thing..."

Before he could finish speaking, Liao Xing glared at him fiercely and shut him up.

At this moment, Yan Liang suddenly tugged at his collar, which was stained with soup, and put on a helpless yet detached look: "Sigh, what a mess... I was just eating my food, what did I do to deserve this?" Then, in a peacemaker's tone, he said, "Alright, alright, calm down. We're all from the outer city, if we make a scene, the gangs will laugh at us. Eat, let's continue eating."

Taking the opportunity, Zhang Lin tugged at Liao Xing's sleeve and whispered, "Brother Liao, never mind, sit down first..."

Liao Xingshun disobeyed, sat down sullenly, his face still grim.

Seeing this, Wu Sheng glanced coldly at Yan Liang—this man was cunning, managing to absolve himself of all responsibility with a single sentence—and then sat back down in his original seat.

Mohan lowered his voice: "Yan Liang is really interesting. You just threatened him too, but he's pretending to be innocent."

Wu Sheng said calmly, "He doesn't want to offend me, afraid that I will hold a grudge. And now it is obvious that Liao Xing is weak, and he doesn't want to ruin his image in the eyes of others, afraid of being labeled as Liao Xing's accomplice, but he is not as stupid as Wang An, so he deliberately put on this show."

"A despicable person," Mohan scoffed.

Liao Xing, seething with anger and nowhere to vent it, suddenly turned to Zhang Lin and snapped, "Why did you stop me just now? If you hadn't stopped me, I would have gone and taught them a lesson this morning!"

Wang An chimed in, "Exactly! Zhang Lin, you're just pretending to be a good guy!"

Zhang Lin stood there dumbfounded, opening his mouth but unable to utter a single word of grievance, and could only lower his head deeply.

……

As night fell, Wu Sheng finished his last yoga session of the day, slowly ending the pose and exhaling a long, stale breath.

[Body Tempering Layer 3: 10/40]

"Thirty progress points left. A new potential potion will be issued tomorrow... With the help of the potion, breaking through to the third level within four days shouldn't be difficult."

Mohan beside him also stopped what he was doing, and whispered excitedly, "Wu Sheng, I think I've found the trick. One more potion tomorrow, and I reckon I can break through to the first level of Body Tempering!"

Wu Sheng's eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded, saying, "I'm about the same."

Exhausted to the extreme, the two did not linger and went straight back to their dormitory to rest.

Their punctual departure from get off work naturally caught Liao Xing's attention.

Liao Xing watched the two figures disappear into the distance, muttering venomous curses under his breath, "Hmph, ungrateful bastards! They joined the Hyena Gang and still don't appreciate the opportunity. The first assessment is in two days; let's see what kind of pathetic performance they can pull off!"

Wang An chimed in, "Exactly. I think it's doubtful for either of them to stay with the Hyena Gang in a month."

Liao Xing sneered, a ruthless glint in his eyes: "Just wait... Once I break through to the first level of Body Tempering, I'll definitely find a chance to deal with them! At that time, Master Guo won't bother with two good-for-nothings!"

Day three.

After breakfast, the atmosphere on the training ground began to stir subtly—it was time to distribute the potential-enhancing drugs again.

Zhang Yong walked into the venue carrying that familiar silver briefcase, his voice calm: "Line up, in order."

Liao Xing's eyes lit up, and he immediately put on a big smile, stepping forward to take the box: "Master Zhang, you don't need to do this little thing yourself, I'll help you distribute it..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Yong raised his arm and unceremoniously brushed his hand away, his brows furrowed, and he said sternly, "Get out of the way!"

Liao Xing was pushed so hard that he stumbled, and the fawning smile on his face froze instantly, turning into an ugly liver color. He stood there awkwardly.

At this moment, Guo Hui walked over, patted Liao Xing on the shoulder, and said in a tone that revealed neither joy nor anger: "Don't cause trouble, go back and line up."