So You Hit Him. Big Deal.

Someone in the hallway sucked in a sharp breath.

"He actually admitted it?"

"Old Zhang is the fiercest, most tyrannical dorm manager at our school!"

"No one knows what realm he's in, but he's incredibly strong. I heard even the principal treats him with great respect!"

"Ye Xiao's in trouble. He'll probably get at least a disciplinary warning!"

Ye Xiao heard the discussion outside, too.

This was his first time meeting Dorm Manager Zhang.

In his mind, the man had taken on an air of mystery and strength, with a fierce and domineering personality.

But, to everyone's surprise, after Old Zhang stared at Ye Xiao for a few seconds, he smiled. It was a faint smile.

"So you hit him. Big deal."

"It's perfectly normal for young people to get into fights."

At those words, the students from the other dorm rooms were stunned!

The thing was, this men's dormitory wasn't just home to first-year students.

There were students from other years living here, too.

They knew Old Zhang's temper well.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

They felt as if their whole understanding of the world had collapsed.

Old Zhang ignored the whispers outside.

He turned to Lin Yun. The smile disappeared from his face, leaving only a cold, hard expression beneath the wrinkles.

"Lin Yun."

Lin Yun stood up straight. "Uncle Zhang."

Before he came to university, his family had already told him about the mysterious, unassuming powerhouses at Jiang University.

For example, Old Man Black, the caretaker of the Gravity Tower, and Uncle Zhang, the men's dormitory manager.

So although this was Lin Yun's first time meeting Dorm Manager Zhang, he showed him complete respect—almost fear.

Old Zhang walked up to him. He was half a head shorter than Lin Yun, but Lin Yun didn't dare look down at him.

"You brought people here to block the door?"

Lin Yun didn't answer.

"You had someone beat him up?"

Lin Yun still didn't answer.

"You think you can throw your weight around on my turf just because you're SS-Grade and your family belongs to the Twelve Great Families?"

Lin Yun's expression changed. "Uncle Zhang, I didn't—"

"Shut up." Old Zhang's voice wasn't loud, but it hit like a slap.

Lin Yun closed his mouth, and the smile vanished from his face.

He was completely stunned, filled with resentment!

Why was Zhang reprimanding him, while Ye Xiao, the one who'd thrown the punches, got comforted with, "So you hit him. Big deal"?

That wasn't fair!

Old Zhang looked at him for a long time.

"You're not satisfied?"

Lin Yun gritted his teeth, his chest heaving. Anyone could see he wasn't satisfied.

"I... am!"

He practically spat out the two words through clenched teeth.

Old Zhang gave a cold laugh, seeing right through Lin Yun's thoughts.

Then he spoke softly, but everyone heard him.

"Many years ago, there was a genius student with an SSS-Grade profession who got into a fight on my turf. His name was Hong Jin..."

At the name, looks of shock appeared both inside and outside the dormitory.

"Hong Jin? The famous Demon-Slaying General?"

"That big shot in the Twelfth Realm?"

"So General Hong Jin graduated from our school?"

Lin Yun's eyes widened in shock. The name Hong Jin clearly carried great weight with him.

Old Zhang spoke as if it were nothing. "After he finished that fight, do you know what I made him do?"

Lin Yun swallowed, then shook his head with difficulty.

"I don't know..."

Old Zhang snorted. "I made him scrub every toilet in the entire dormitory building. And he kept at it for a full four years!"

At those words, Lin Yun's legs went weak. He almost fell to his knees.

That was General Hong Jin!

Even he had scrubbed toilets here for four years when he was a student.

It also showed just how unfathomable Dorm Manager Zhang was.

Even an SSS-Grade genius had been made to obey him without question.

So how could Lin Yun, a Thunder Law Prodigy with an SS-Grade profession, possibly be better than Hong Jin?

The hallway fell deathly silent.

Lin Yun was trembling all over, his face pale.

It was the first time his lackeys had ever seen him like this.

By comparison, Ye Xiao looked completely composed, a stark contrast to Lin Yun.

Old Zhang noticed Ye Xiao's reaction, too.

He suddenly asked, his voice full of meaning, "Ye Xiao, if I punished you by making you scrub toilets for four years, would you do it?"

Ye Xiao replied calmly, looking straight into Old Zhang's eyes.

"If it's a fair punishment, I will. If the decision is unjust, I won't!"

Those words immediately set Ye Xiao and Lin Yun apart in Old Zhang's mind.

Lin Yun might have been the genius everyone recognized among this year's incoming students, and the Dean's handpicked prospect for special training.

But in Old Zhang's view, talent and profession didn't determine everything. Over the years, he'd seen far too many geniuses go astray. There were countless examples.

Old Zhang looked at Lin Yun.

Lin Yun's gaze darted away. He no longer dared meet Old Zhang's eyes.

"Are you going to keep fighting?"

Lin Yun hurriedly shook his head. "N-no."

"I won't report what happened tonight. But remember this: on my turf, there's no such thing as Genius Class, Elite Class, or Ordinary Class. You're all students. You're all people. If I catch anyone bullying the weak with their strength again, don't blame this old man for being harsh."

"Understood?" Old Zhang tapped his broom against the ground. The sound made everyone's hearts quake.

Lin Yun and the others all nodded obediently.

"Why are you still standing there? Get lost!" Old Zhang barked.

Lin Yun stood there, his face ashen.

He glanced at Ye Xiao. His eyes held hatred and anger, but also a trace of fear.

He wasn't afraid of Ye Xiao. He was afraid of what Old Zhang had said.

He turned and left without a word.

But the fear he felt toward Old Zhang had already turned entirely into hatred for Ye Xiao!

He needed an outlet for all his pent-up frustration, and Ye Xiao was the only one he could take it out on.

"Let's go!"

Lin Yun led his lackeys away.

On the rooftop.

Ye Xiao stood by the railing. The wind was strong, blowing so hard he could barely keep his eyes open.

He heard footsteps behind him but didn't turn around.

"Your father was like that, too," a voice said behind him.

Ye Xiao turned. Dorm Manager Zhang was walking over with his broom in hand.

"Back then, he studied here, too. He used to practice his punches on this rooftop."

"Like you, he was a Martialist, but he refused to accept his fate."

"Every night, he'd throw a full thousand punches here, rain or shine."

Old Zhang stopped beside Ye Xiao.

They were both looking toward the brightly lit Martial Arts Tower.

"Uncle Zhang, you knew my father?"

Ye Xiao addressed the dorm manager as "Uncle Zhang," like the others did.

"I wouldn't say I knew him. He just left a deep impression on me."

"So when I saw you, I thought of him." Old Zhang's eyes held memories of the past.

Ye Xiao asked, "Uncle Zhang, what kind of person was my father, exactly?"

"It seems like a lot of people knew him."

"But I..."

Seeing the uncertainty in Ye Xiao's eyes, Old Zhang smiled.

"It's only natural that you don't know him well. After all, you spent less time with him than I did."

"Do you really want to understand him?"

Ye Xiao nodded firmly. "I do."

Old Zhang smiled faintly.

"Come on. Throw a punch at me!"

"What do you mean?" Ye Xiao asked, confused.

Old Zhang said, "If you can make me move, I'll tell you about him."