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

"Wu Sheng and I might not be considered friends yet. But even if we're not friends, I simply use him as a sparring partner—I pay, he does the work, it's that simple. I don't have the kind of thoughts you're talking about."

The two students exchanged a glance, noticing the seriousness in Cheng Mingyuan's tone, and said nothing more, though a hint of doubt flashed in their eyes.

After that, Cheng Mingyuan said no more and turned to leave.

The two watched his retreating figure.

"What do you mean by this, Brother Mingyuan? Is it true, or is he just putting on an act for us?"

"Who knows?"

"If it's just acting, then there's absolutely no need for it."

"But if it's true... then Mingyuan is a bit of a fool."

"Whether they're from the outer city or those guys from the inner city, they're from a completely different world than us. Treat them as friends? Don't be ridiculous."

"I think Mingyuan hasn't quite come to terms with it yet. He's a descendant of martial artists, and I remember his father also came from the outer city. He probably hasn't adjusted his thinking to his new identity yet."

"I think so too. But if he doesn't get over it, then we'll have a disagreement."

……

Day 16 at the Martial Arts Academy.

After the second assessment, the atmosphere within the martial arts academy changed slightly again. However, compared to the first assessment, the changes were not significant—the overall landscape of the top eight remained largely unchanged.

Without a doubt, after the second assessment, Ellis and Liu Zhen have completely solidified their core positions.

As for Xu Fei, although he is currently at the fifth level of Body Tempering and ranks among the top four, his status is clearly inferior to that of Iris and Liu Zhen. It's obvious to everyone that Xu Fei's fifth-level Body Tempering achievement has an element of luck involved. In two days, barring any unforeseen circumstances, several other top eight contestants will break through to the fifth level of Body Tempering, at which point Xu Fei's advantage will disappear. Furthermore, Xu Fei's family background is also inferior to the former two.

As for Wu Sheng—there's no need to mention him.

Although Wu Sheng also made it into the top four in two separate events, he consistently received little attention on the training field. He had never integrated into any social circle, and coupled with his background as someone from an outlying city, he had no family support. Therefore, among the top four, he undoubtedly received the least attention.

However, even though Wu Sheng was not highly regarded among the four, he was still a top-four powerhouse. Under such circumstances, naturally no one dared to provoke him.

Early that morning, everyone arrived at the training ground to practice.

Some people have noticed a problem: the relationship between Ellis and Ning Yi seems a bit strained, unlike their usual sweet talk and affection.

It wasn't that the people in the training field were gossiping, but rather that Iris and Ning Yi, this "golden couple," had always been the envy of many. Now that their relationship had suddenly soured, it naturally attracted the attention of some people with ulterior motives.

But nobody was foolish enough to ask what had happened.

Liu Zhen greeted Wu Sheng warmly, saying, "Brother Wu Sheng."

Wu Sheng simply nodded, his attitude indifferent.

Liu Zhen didn't feel embarrassed at all and continued enthusiastically, "Brother Wu, if you want to spar, you can come find me anytime. We're both at the fifth level of Body Tempering now, our cultivation levels are similar, so sparring would be perfect."

Wu Sheng nodded and walked to the side to begin his daily cultivation.

This continued aloofness seemed to annoy Liu Zhi, who muttered his signature "Tch!" under his breath.

After all, for someone like him, he can only live within that circle; outside of it, he would die. Therefore, Wu Sheng's behavior is fundamentally in conflict with his own personality.

Just then, for some reason, Ellis glanced at Ning Yi in the crowd and then suddenly walked straight towards Wu Sheng.

He stopped next to Wu Sheng.

Wu Sheng looked at this guy, not understanding what he wanted to do.

The two remained silent for a moment.

Elizabeth didn't speak, and Wu Sheng didn't ask either.

After a brief standoff, Ellis seemed to be losing his temper. He wanted Wu Sheng to ask him what he wanted to do first, and then he would reveal his purpose.

Unexpectedly, Wu Sheng didn't say a word.

Having no other choice, Ellis had to speak first:

"Mr. Wu, would you like to spar? Your punching power is slightly higher than mine—I want to know just how strong you really are."

Wu Sheng frowned.

He genuinely didn't understand why Iris would bother sparring with him for no reason. Was it just because his punching power was slightly higher than Iris's?

At that moment, Wu Sheng found it somewhat ridiculous.

He didn't have time to waste on such things. Besides, even if he defeated Iris, what good would it do him?

"Not interested."

Wu Sheng gave an answer.

However, to my surprise, Iris's lips curled into a cold smile: "What? You're afraid? Afraid of losing?"

The moment these words were spoken, the atmosphere froze, and tensions rose.

Everyone else turned their attention to this side.

Wu Sheng and Iris, one ranked first in the first assessment and the other first in the second, can be considered the top in this training ground. Privately, people have always compared them—who is stronger? Initially, most people thought it was Iris, after all, he was always considered the strongest. But some questioned this—Wu Sheng's punching power is superior, and his attacks are ruthless.

This led to a lot of gossip and rumors circulating behind the scenes.

No one expected that Ellis would actually come to Wu Sheng today.

Do you think those two will start fighting?

"It's hard to say. I don't think Mr. Wu has that intention."

"Elis has already provoked him so much, how can Wu Sheng possibly refuse?"

"Who do you think would win if they really fought?"

"It's hard to say."

"I bet Ellis will win."

"I'll bet on Ellis too."

I bet on Wu Sheng.

The crowd discussed amongst themselves, without any attempt to hide their opinions. They were all genuinely curious to see who would win.

The atmosphere on the field grew increasingly tense.

Ellis stared at Wu Sheng, her gaze never wavering.

Wu Sheng understood that Ellis was determined to fight him today. Although he hated these troubles, if the other party insisted, he had no choice but to fight.

I didn't want to be too high-profile—but now it seems there's no other way.

He looked at Elizabeth and said, "Sure. But how about we make a small bet? Otherwise, what's the point of this sparring match? Just kids throwing a tantrum?"

Ellis asked, "So, what are we betting on?"

"I'm betting on your bonus share this week."

Upon hearing this, those around him were immediately surprised.

"Wu Sheng is so willing to gamble?"

"Does he have a good chance of winning?"

"You didn't understand, did you? Wu Sheng was betting on Iris's share of the alien beast meat—not his own."

"Damn, this Mr. Wu is pretty shrewd."

Ellis frowned.

This is a huge gamble. It concerns the progress of cultivation; if they lose, the loss will be enormous.

and--