Relentless Pressure

"Teacher, I disagree!"

Zhou Xing abruptly stood up. "Why am I being paired with Gao Teng?

"He'll hold me back badly. How am I supposed to win with him on my team?"

Zhao Dapeng said coolly, "I'm doing this for the sake of fairness. You're the best student in our class. If I paired you with another strong student, I might as well just give you the 20 percent discount."

Zhou Xing snapped, "But you can't pair me with the worst student in the class!"

Zhao Dapeng said, "That will show just how capable you are, and it will let everyone accept the result wholeheartedly.

"Class, do you think my arrangement is fair?"

Everyone chorused, "Yes!"

"Zhou Xing, do you still have any objections?"

"..."

Zhou Xing gritted his teeth and sat down, fuming.

Seeing this, Gao Teng knew that Zhao Dapeng was retaliating against him.

If they lost the team battle, Zhou Xing wouldn't be able to buy the pills at a 20 percent discount. His resentment would surely reach the heavens, and Gao Teng could forget about having an easy time from then on.

So, to avoid trouble, he had to win!

As Gao Teng made up his mind, he also regretted using all ten of his steals on Zhou Xing.

If he'd saved them to steal his opponents' cultivation that afternoon, he could have weakened them.

Still, it was fine. His strength had increased considerably over the past week. And since Zhou Xing was the strongest in the class, they had a good chance of winning.

While Gao Teng silently planned things out, Zhao Dapeng had already finished assigning everyone to teams.

"All right, keep cultivating. Get ready for this afternoon's—Gao Teng, what are you muttering about?"

"?"

Gao Teng looked puzzled. "I didn't say anything."

Zhao Dapeng smacked the lectern hard with his hand and snapped, "I saw your lips moving. Don't deny it!"

Gao Teng: "..."

"Do you think your classmates have nothing better to do, just like you?

"There are forty-five students in this class. If you waste one minute, you're wasting a whole lesson for everyone. Do you know how precious a lesson is?

"If they don't meet their cultivation goals today, it'll be because you disrupted class. Get out to the track and run twenty laps!"

Gao Teng laughed. The fact that someone like Zhao Dapeng could be a homeroom teacher was the education system's greatest tragedy.

"You still have the nerve to laugh? You're proud of wasting your classmates' time, are you?"

Gao Teng stopped smiling.

"What's with that scowl? You think I was wrong to criticize you? That's thirty more laps!"

"...Yes."

Gao Teng answered and headed for the door.

He couldn't afford to fall out with Zhao Dapeng yet. Picking a fight would only humiliate him.

Besides, his potential in martial arts was limitless. He could settle this score in the future.

A little while later, Gao Teng left the teaching building and reached the rubber track.

Suddenly, he felt something and looked toward the classroom. Sure enough, Zhao Dapeng was standing in the hallway, watching him.

"Son of a bitch."

Gao Teng cursed under his breath and started running.

One lap, two laps, three laps...

The bell rang, but he still hadn't finished all fifty laps.

He didn't need to cultivate anyway, so he took his time and treated the run as a way to kill time.

But Zhou Xing couldn't stand watching him loaf around. He came onto the track, his eyes full of contempt. "Gao Teng, got nothing better to do?"

"Why don't you hurry up and finish your laps so you can cultivate? What are you dragging your feet for?"

Gao Teng stopped and looked at Zhou Xing. "I have my own way of cultivating."

"Like hell you do!"

"If I weren't paired with you, that 20 percent discount would be mine!

"You're the one who got on Zhao Dapeng's bad side, and now I'm suffering because of you!"

After saying that, Zhou Xing shot forward and kicked at Gao Teng.

Fortunately, Gao Teng had been prepared. The moment Zhou Xing moved, he immediately sprang back and dodged the kick.

"Hm?"

Zhou Xing was surprised at first, then chased after him, swinging a fist down at him.

Gao Teng immediately raised an arm to block. The punch slammed into his arm, and his bone felt as if it had been struck by an iron hammer. A dull pain drilled deep into the marrow.

Zhou Xing gave him no chance to catch his breath, driving his knee viciously toward Gao Teng's groin.

Gao Teng had nowhere to dodge. In desperation, he slapped the incoming knee with his palm and used the force to spring backward.

The two separated again. Zhou Xing stopped pressing the attack, his eyes full of surprise.

He'd thought Gao Teng would be helpless against him. He hadn't expected him to have gotten so much stronger.

Seeing Zhou Xing calm down, Gao Teng immediately said, "The practical match this afternoon hasn't even started. How do you know we won't win?

"I promise I'll help you get the discount. We'll win."

Zhou Xing's face was cold. "You'd better be right. Otherwise, you'll pay me back for every penny I lose!

"Hurry up and finish your laps so you can cultivate. Don't hold me back this afternoon!"

Zhou Xing showed no warmth at all. After dropping those words, he turned and left.

Gao Teng shook his aching arm, feeling disgusted.

Zhou Xing didn't come from a powerful family. His parents were ordinary workers at an electronics factory.

Relying on his strength, he'd formed a small gang at school and made a habit of extorting timid, helpless classmates.

Gao Teng, whose parents had both died in his previous life, had often been extorted too. Every month, he had to hand over five hundred yuan in protection money.

Someone like Zhou Xing deserved to have all his cultivation stolen, so he could spend the rest of his life struggling at the bottom, never able to rise again!

As for Zhao Dapeng, Gao Teng would steal from him relentlessly too. But first, he would steal so much from Zhou Xing that he lost every last shred of hope—even driving him insane!

Gao Teng snorted and started running again.

But after only a few steps, Zhao Dapeng called out to him.

The homeroom teacher walked over from a distance and said coldly, "Gao Teng, you've gotten quite bold.

"Your classmate came over to show concern, and you attacked him. You've really gotten carried away!"

Gao Teng was first confused, then he laughed.

"Teacher, you're right to criticize me. I've definitely gotten too full of myself.

"I even used my belly to hit Zhou Xing's foot, and my groin to meet his knee. I'm such a bully.

"I have to confess to the whole school. The worst student in the class dared to bully the best student—I've really gone too far!"

Zhao Dapeng's face darkened. "What's with the sarcasm?"

Gao Teng let out a mocking laugh and turned to leave.

Zhao Dapeng exploded with rage. "Where are you going? You dare to walk away after talking back to your teacher?"

"I'm going to see the principal and ask him to judge who's right."

"Don't you dare!"

Gao Teng ignored him and quickened his pace.

He hadn't wanted to make such a big deal of it. He could have endured it and let it pass, but Zhao Dapeng was pushing him too far. How could he let himself be bullied?

"Gao Teng, stop right there!"

"Think carefully. Taking this to the principal won't do you any good. Believe me, I can make sure you don't last another day at this school!"

"Gao Teng, don't you fucking pretend you can't hear me!"

Zhao Dapeng chased after him, hurling threats, but Gao Teng didn't stop. He ran even faster.

Once you'd drawn your bow, there was no turning back. Things had already gone this far; there was no room left for compromise.

With Zhao Dapeng's petty nature, even if Gao Teng backed down and made peace with him, he still wouldn't escape retaliation later.

So he might as well fight back to the end!