Breaking Ties

Wang Huan was stunned, instinctively covering his reddened left cheek.

This sudden scene also left everyone else dumbfounded.

After all, on a normal day, Chen Sanli would call Wang Huan "Brother Wang" with more enthusiasm than he would his own father, acting like a sycophant. Yet, his relationship with Xu Yuan was lukewarm, and they had even quarreled before.

It was truly hard to imagine Chen Sanli actually laying hands on Wang Huan because of Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan, however, saw through the man. Chen Sanli likely felt Xu Yuan had more potential than Wang Huan and was thus more worth investing in and befriending.

Still, Xu Yuan usually ignored him. Therefore, at this moment, Chen Sanli was using Wang Huan as a stepping stone to show his loyalty.

After all, whether in the marketplace or at court, choosing a side was always the best way to strengthen relationships.

"Chen Sanli... you, me?!"

Wang Huan was dazed by the slap. When he came to his senses, he was half-sober. Disbelief turned into a surge of anger that burned him from the inside out.

He, Wang Huan, was actually hit by Chen Sanli?

This guy, who usually only knew how to take advantage of others, who acted like his subordinate, actually dared to hit him?

"You're asking for death!" Wang Huan's eyes instantly turned red. He grabbed Chen Sanli's collar and threw a punch, and they began wrestling on the ground.

Wang Huan's high talent was not for show. His Blood Essence was refined and solid, making him at least stronger than many of the First Meridian Martial Artists present.

Chen Sanli gradually fell into a disadvantage, getting beaten black and blue.

Li Shan and the others reacted and rushed forward to break up the fight, pulling the two apart with much effort.

Wang Huan panted, his chest heaving violently, and stared coldly at Chen Sanli.

Chen Sanli looked wronged, but a hint of smugness flashed in his eyes. He had made his stance clear and had quickly improved his relationship with Xu Yuan. The beating was worth it!

Wang Huan had spoken well about breaking through to the Second Meridian by the end of the month, but out of the sixty people in the training ground, only one had succeeded so far. It was easy to see how difficult it was.

In comparison, Xu Yuan was the second person in the training ground to grasp boxing, so his comprehension must be good. Chen Sanli was also practicing boxing and could get some crucial pointers if they became closer.

After all, the end of the month was fast approaching, and he didn't want to be randomly assigned to one of the dangerous front lines.

Xu Yuan's expression was calm as he slowly took a step forward.

Tian Yang, standing behind him, also circulated his Blood Essence, ready to act at any moment.

"Brother Xu, forget it. Calm down... Brother Wang was drunk and just talking nonsense. If this continues, it will be bad for everyone," Li Shan suddenly said, reaching out to stop Xu Yuan.

He genuinely did not want his roommates to end up like enemies, so he instinctively intervened to stop them.

Hearing this, Tian Yang looked at him in surprise.

Xu Yuan also paused, his gaze falling on Li Shan. He remained silent. Everyone else had slapped him in the face, and Li Shan was telling him to back down and swallow his pride?

"That's right. Let's sit down and talk things through," Li Shan said, seeing Xu Yuan stop. He thought Xu Yuan was taking his advice and breathed a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on his face.

Xu Yuan looked at him deeply, finding the situation both absurd and ironic.

Chen Sanli, whom he usually looked down on and deliberately kept at a distance, had stood by his side just now and unhesitatingly slapped Wang Huan, even taking a beating for it.

And Li Shan, a friend he had walked with, was now playing the peacemaker, telling him to endure and avoid conflict?

Xu Yuan looked at Li Shan's expression and suddenly let out a light laugh.

He guessed that Li Shan didn't even realize what his actions implied. He probably just thought he was instinctively smoothing things over, perhaps even feeling smug about resolving a roommate conflict.

However, the reality was that by doing this, Li Shan had completely sided with Wang Huan, unconsciously choosing a team.

Xu Yuan and Tian Yang's gazes made Li Shan feel inexplicably guilty, but soon he regained his composure, thinking, "No, what am I afraid of? I just don't want the dormitory relationship to deteriorate."

Xu Yuan nodded and said calmly, "Alright, Li Shan. I'll give you face."

With that, he turned and left.

Behind him, Chen Sanli, covering his swollen red cheek, glanced mockingly at Li Shan, inwardly laughing at the fool who didn't know his place.

If he had such a close relationship with Xu Yuan, why would he have needed to take that beating from Wang Huan? His actions just now had clearly offended Wang Huan to the core.

However, if it could help him avoid being randomly assigned to some high-risk area, it was worth it!

Martial skills were different from Stance Practice.

Stance Practice relied purely on physical talent. Besides refining Blood Essence, everyone's bottleneck was slightly different, making it difficult for outsiders to help.

But martial skills were different. If one lacked comprehension, even a single question could stump them for a long time. If someone could offer guidance at that moment, it would be like sending charcoal in the winter.

But now, everyone was struggling to look after themselves; who would bother to teach you?

Master Chen could help solve some problems, but he wouldn't always have answers. He would naturally favor those with good comprehension who could get started within the month.

After all, he wasn't their father, and he only earned so much silver each month. Why should he worry about everything? They also needed to practice martial arts themselves.

These thoughts flashed through Chen Sanli's mind as he called out "Brother Xu" and chased after him.

Tian Yang looked at Li Shan, opened his mouth, and finally sighed, shaking his head, before following them out.

Li Shan frowned, feeling like his actions might have been a bit improper, but upon further thought, he felt there was nothing wrong with them. He simply sat on the bed and ignored the matter.

Xiao Sheng said, "Brother Wang, you should drink less in the future." With that, he also left.

Gao Yuan's expression was strange. He glanced at the silent Wang Huan, then at Li Shan, who was talking nonsense. He shook his head slightly and thought to himself:

"He had the advantage of proximity, yet he pushed the relationship further away. He can't even grasp his position!"

"On the other hand, that Chen Sanli, I thought he was just a dirty fellow who liked to take advantage of small gains... I underestimated him."

Understanding these connections, he didn't say anything more. After all, he wasn't familiar with Li Shan. He went out to wash up.

In the dormitory, after a fierce conflict, Wang Huan was completely sober. Thinking about what had happened before, he felt regret and a bit of lingering fear.

He hadn't broken through the Second Meridian yet. If Xu Yuan had really stepped forward, he wouldn't have been able to defeat him...

So, Wang Huan looked at Li Shan and said sincerely, "Shanzi, thank you for earlier."

"It's nothing. Just drink less, Brother Wang. You can find an opportunity to talk things out with Brother Xu later," Li Shan waved his hand, not minding.

"Yangzi, thank you too," Wang Huan then looked at Qin Yang.

Qin Yang didn't speak, just shook his head slightly, his face looking a bit grim. Although he liked to have fun, he wasn't completely clueless about social matters.

He felt like he had hit rock bottom!

He just had a few drinks with Wang Huan, who would have known the other man would suddenly start speaking so carelessly, and now Xu Yuan had taken notice of him too.

He felt stifled, and at the same time, a bit of resentment towards Wang Huan grew: Why the hell did you have to drink so recklessly? Even if you drink, you can't control your mouth!

The more Qin Yang thought about it, the more infuriated he became. He probably wouldn't be able to sleep well tonight.