Food was distributed here under strict control using aura identification, so no one worried about missing out. However, you did have to worry about someone taking your food away, as the weakest students were constantly bullied and exploited by anyone who could. This often led to fights, which were quickly stopped by the 'vigilant' guards. The guards were only concerned with maintaining outward peace, not with protecting the weak from the strong.

After standing in line, I received my bowl of food and a piece of bread, which I took to the dining hall, where tables and chairs were available. Seeing my muscular build, no one dared mess with me. But not everyone was so cautious, as one cocky thug decided to take my food.

"Hand it over" - he said sharply, grabbing the bowl of porridge.

"Take this!" - I replied, punching him in the jaw.

Since the thug had grabbed the bowl with both hands, he couldn’t defend himself. His unconscious body flew sideways and hit the wall, luckily nearby. Otherwise, he might’ve been sent flying across the entire hall.

"What’s going on here?" - one of the guards immediately approached.

"The guy got tired and decided to nap" - I pointed to the victim. - "Though this doesn’t seem like the best place for it."

"Got it. Hey, you guys, take this body and throw it into the ravine" - the guard ordered, giving me a respectful look.

The ravine? Tough luck for the failures around here. After this demonstration of strength, no one dared approach me. On the contrary, as soon as I approached a table, the scrawny students sitting there immediately cleared out. I was just passing by, but since the table was now empty, I decided to eat there.

While I ate, I listened to the surrounding conversations and overheard an interesting discussion.

"Did you hear? Chong Chuan Chui dragged Sui Tu to the supervisor today, and the poor guy was thrown into the snake pit afterward."

"Yeah, apparently someone drained all the energy from the meditation hall in just three breaths, and Sui Tu took all the blame."

"What a fool. So, what happens to him now?"

"He’ll stay in the pit for three days. If he survives, the charges will be dropped."

"I think we can forget about Sui Tu already."

"Agreed."

After dinner, I headed to the house assigned to us. I planned to sleep in a tree, combining rest with cultivation, but first, I needed to secure a spot in the house and gather some rumors.

However, upon entering, I was met with an unpleasant sight. Five students from our group were lying unconscious on the floor in awkward positions, while three thugs were assaulting three female students. Quickly scanning the situation with my psionics, I learned that the attackers were at the third level of Qi Condensation.

I wasn’t entirely sure how Qi levels corresponded to combat abilities, but as far as I understood, no one here had been trained in martial arts, so strength primarily depended on physical ability and fighting experience. Caught in hesitation, wondering whether to intervene or join the "party," the thugs made the decision for me.

"Hey, another one! Get him!" - shouted the tallest and most muscular of the trio, stepping away from one of the girls. Despite his build, his cultivation level was lower than the others, barely at the beginning of the third level, while the other two were close to breaking into the fourth.

I didn’t waste time pondering and immediately switched to combat mode. Although I wasn’t a master of hand-to-hand combat, I could enhance my mental speed with psionics, which made all the difference.

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Taking a quick step forward, I delivered a full-strength punch to his jaw. Surprisingly, it didn’t crush his head but left him visibly dazed. While he struggled to recover, I grabbed his left arm and performed a joint lock that snapped his elbow. This move didn’t rely much on strength, and I made sure to twist it thoroughly, tearing tendons and ligaments in the process.

"Aaaaargh!" - he screamed and collapsed, writhing in pain and crawling away.

The second thug was slow to react, fumbling to free himself from the girl, who deliberately clung to him with her legs to hinder his movements. I seized the opportunity and struck the back of his head with all my might. A sickening crunch followed, and he collapsed face-first. A psionic check confirmed his heart had stopped.

The third attacker, however, was ready for me. Or so he thought.

"Do you even know who I am?" - he screeched, glancing between his fallen companions.

"You’re a corpse" - I replied with a sinister smile—the kind I had perfected to unsettle others. A "minus ten to morale" kind of smile.

"I’m Li Su! My brother is one of the guards. If you dare lay a finger on me—"

"Alright, you’ve convinced me" - I interrupted, stepping forward. - "I’ll just strangle you like a snake."

"Don’t come near me!"

Li Su lunged at me, attempting to use some sort of combat technique. At the very least, he formed a Qi construct in his palm and tried to strike me with it. But to do so, he first had to land the hit. I dodged his attack, twisted his arm, and performed my signature move, breaking it at the elbow. After all, my strength as Tan Ji Tao was formidable, and with minimal muscle enhancement, I could bend a steel bar.

Li Su tried to hit me with his other hand, this time without any technique, so I broke that arm too. Then came his attempt to kick me. This was slightly trickier, but I managed to break his leg at the knee by stepping on the joint. At this point, the guy was just screaming in pain and no longer attempting to attack, but for the sake of symmetry and a touch of art, I broke his remaining leg, arranging his body on the floor in a shape vaguely resembling a swastika.

"Does anyone know what’s usually done with corpses here?" - I asked, not really expecting an answer. The one-armed guy started whining twice as loudly at my question.

"Everyone freeze!" - A guard suddenly burst through the door. His standard uniform made him easy to identify. Two more burly guards stood behind him, and beyond them, I saw the tenth member of our group. - "What’s going on here?"

The guard's confused gaze darted around the room as he tried to piece the situation together.

"Brother!" - cried the freckled girl who had been assaulted by the now-dead thug with the caved-in skull. She pointed at me. - "He saved us."

"Understood" - the guard said, frowning as he surveyed the room again, his eyes lingering on the groaning mess I’d left on the floor. - "What’s your name?" - he asked me.

"Tan Ji Tao" - I replied.

"Thank you for protecting my sister."

"No problem; we’re on the same side" - I said with a nod.

The guard nodded back and approached the corpse.

"Who did this to you?" - he asked his sister.

"That one" - she said, pointing to the dead man.

"A dog’s death for a dog" - he spat. - "And who are these others? Hey, you, can you hear me?" - he asked the one-armed man.

"Yes. I’m Liang Xin, and those are Li Su and Zhou Jian."

"Li Su? The one who’s Li Douche’s brother?" - The guard frowned.

"Yes" - Liang Xin whimpered.

"Do you know what the punishment is for rape in this camp?" - the guard asked the only conscious assailant.

"No!... No, please don’t. I beg you! I’ll pay. I’ll gather five—no, ten weak Qi pills. And I didn’t even touch your sister!"

"If you had, you’d regret it every day until your miserable death. Zhou Jian is lucky he died so quickly" - the guard said, kicking the corpse. Liang Xin whimpered again, sounding like a beaten dog.

"What happened here?" - the guard asked his sister, whose name I recalled was Liu Qiang.

"Li Su came in and demanded that Xiao Yu become his concubine. When she refused, he tried to take her by force. The boys tried to protect us but were beaten down, and then they started raping us. About ten minutes later, Tan Ji Tao came in and started beating them up" - she explained, a bit flustered.

"So, Li Su started all this? Grab him and the corpse. We’re taking a walk to the ravine. And you’re coming with us too" - he said, glaring at Liang Xin.

"Please, I beg you" - Liang Xin cried, dropping to his knees and banging his head on the floor.

"Don’t worry; maybe I’ll even let you live."

"Thank you, sir" - Liang Xin whimpered.

The guard cast a final stern look around the room before leaving, herding the prisoner. His two subordinates followed, carrying the two "losers" on their shoulders—one of whom was still alive. I was curious about this ravine but decided not to follow the procession. Whatever happened there was clearly not meant for extra eyes.

"Thank you, Tao" - Liu Qiang said, bowing to me.

"Only thanking is not enough " - I replied. - "Can you tell me how cultivation training works here? I’ve only heard what our guide mentioned on the way."

"Of course."