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

But to Xue Yufeng, this was utter nonsense. A delay of over a month—not just time, but precious training period—would mean more training time after joining various departments. Moreover, his grades within the martial arts academy directly determined which department he would be admitted to. Wu Sheng's actions had essentially ruined his future.

Thinking of this, Xue Yufeng's eyes were filled with hatred again.

Zhou Wei suddenly said, "Don't worry, that Wu Sheng, that country bumpkin from the outer city, won't be arrogant for long. He just broke through to the fifth level of Body Tempering first this time. By the next assessment, there will probably be quite a few people who have newly broken through to the fifth level of Body Tempering. At that time, it will be difficult for Wu Sheng to maintain his current position."

Xu Fei chimed in with a disparaging remark: "That Wu Sheng guy is nothing special. His rapid breakthroughs are definitely due to the amount of potential-enhancing potions he takes. I bet he takes at least three potions a day. Although his progress seems fast on the surface, his potential might have already been exhausted."

Liu Zhi and the others nodded with smiles.

Seeing their attitude, Xue Yufeng knew what was going on. He declared fiercely, "I won't let this Wu Sheng get away with it."

The group exchanged a few more perfunctory words of concern. Liu Zhi said, "Yu Feng, you should rest well first. Call us anytime if you need anything."

The group then left.

……

Meanwhile, on the other side...

After lunch, Ning Yi wanted to say goodbye to Iris and return to her dormitory, but Iris grabbed her arm.

Ellis whispered meaningfully in her ear, "Honey, it seems like you've forgotten something, haven't you?"

His gaze lingered unabashedly on Ning Yi's figure.

Ning Yi naturally remembered the agreement—if Ellis could maintain his position in the top four, she would give him a reward.

She leaned against Iris, winked at her, and said in a sweet voice, "So, what kind of reward do you want?"

"You know what I want," Ellis said domineeringly.

As soon as she finished speaking, Ning Yi kissed him on the cheek: "Is this kind of reward acceptable?"

Seeing Ning Yi feign ignorance, Iris frowned and narrowed her eyes, clearly displeased: "If you're going to brush me off like this, I'll get angry."

Seeing that Iris's attitude had changed, Ning Yi could only whine, "Don't rush me, I'm not ready yet."

She twisted her body, feigning anger: "We've only known each other for a short time, and you're already in such a hurry for that kind of thing? I don't think you care about me at all, and you think I'm cheap."

Ning Yi was undoubtedly clever. By saying this, she shifted the blame from her breaking the agreement to Iris disrespecting her—the balance of power instantly changed.

Faced with Ning Yi's words, Iris remained silent for a moment before saying directly, "Ning Yi, do you think my future isn't as bright as you imagine, and that's why you lack confidence in me?"

He's straightforward. Nobody's stupid—love and such things don't exist for people like them; they only believe in self-interest.

"How could that be? You're overthinking it," Ning Yi denied outright. Although that was indeed what she was thinking, she certainly couldn't say it aloud—some things lose their meaning if said outright.

Ellis added, "I dare not speak for other things, but one thing I can be certain of—in this training ground, among this group of trainees, my talent and background are absolutely the highest. Look at them, which one can compare to me?"

"Liu Zhen? I admit that Liu Zhen is a bit something, but what about his looks? He's not as good-looking as me, is he? Otherwise, why did you choose me instead of him?"

"Are you talking about Xu Fei? Don't be ridiculous. You and I both know Xu Fei's background—in the end, he's from the outer city, but he has an older brother in the inner city to look after him. He probably just got lucky this time and broke through to the fifth level of Body Tempering. Besides, someone like him, I bet he's not even as tall as you, right? He has all that inferiority complex of someone from the outer city. Who knows who he'll offend in the future? If you follow him, you'll be blind."

"As for that Wu Sheng, he's even more laughable. Don't be fooled by his current top-four rankings. So what? He's from an outer city, with no connections, and is destined to receive no preferential treatment in terms of resources. His rapid breakthroughs are definitely due to excessive use of potential-enhancing drugs. His potential might not even be as good as that of other ordinary students—you should know this better than I do."

As she spoke, Ellis forcefully raised her hand and lifted Ning Yi's chin, looking directly into her eyes:

"So, what are you still hesitating about?"

Ning Yi ultimately did not give a definite answer to Ellis's question.

She simply declined, saying, "Give me some more time, at least until the training is over."

Upon hearing this, Ellis lost all interest and was in an extremely bad mood. He didn't say anything more and turned to leave.

Although Ning Yi appeared very anxious, he did not try to stop her.

The two parted on bad terms.

Although Ning Yi appeared very anxious, he did not try to stop her.

The two parted on bad terms.

……

On the other side, Wu Sheng and Cheng Mingyuan finished their sparring session for the day and said goodbye.

Cheng Mingyuan stood there, and a student from the advanced training ground walked over to him, looking at Wu Sheng's back and saying, "You know what, the sparring between you two is actually quite effective. I'm even thinking of finding a sparring partner for myself at the regular training ground."

At this moment, another student walked over with a strange smile on his face: "It's not just about being a sparring partner."

He gave Cheng Mingyuan a meaningful look: "I think Mingyuan will soon have a qualified follower. When we go to the various departments after the training, Mingyuan can take him along—wouldn't that make him a loyal subordinate?"

The trainee's eyes lit up: "The more you talk about it, the more envious I become. Tomorrow I'll go to the regular training grounds and look for someone, and try to find one too."

"I wonder if we can find it," he sighed. "I really envy Brother Mingyuan. Speaking of which, doesn't this mean Brother Mingyuan is smarter than us? He chose the most suitable one from the very beginning. It turns out Brother Mingyuan started planning back then—we truly admire him."

"If you train it like this for a few more years, it will become a loyal dog, the kind that would risk its life for its master."

Their words revealed that Cheng Mingyuan's actions were a form of leadership—winning over a loyal subordinate.

Cheng Mingyuan frowned again.

He never had that idea.

But for the trainees in the advanced training ground, this is their view: what else is there between people besides interests and exploitation?

Cheng Mingyuan felt he should explain. He said seriously, "You two, I didn't mean it that way. I hope you won't say such things again."