Inflexible? Or Biased?

Qin Jue and the others stepped into the military tent, instantly drawing the attention of the soldiers inside.

Everyone gathered around, greeting Qin Jue with warm enthusiasm.

After all, individuals like Liu Guanghan were merely the exception.

Qin Jue responded to each of them in turn.

Amidst these interactions, a flash of inspiration struck his mind, and he acutely realized that this might be an exceptional opportunity to farm victory points.

Because anyone capable of entering the Vanguard Camp was at least a martial artist of the first realm's fourth barrier, and some had even reached the second realm.

How could he possibly let such a prime opportunity slip by?

Making a prompt and decisive choice, Qin Jue proposed to the group, "Since we are all gathered here, why don't we spar a little and exchange pointers?"

As soon as these words fell, the complexions of He Tie, Zhu Xiaohu, and Yu Sanmeng turned pale as a sheet, their minds involuntarily conjuring up the painful memories of having been mercilessly beaten black and blue by Qin Jue in the past.

During those days, they had been utterly defenseless under Qin Jue's hands, pummeled into an utterly wretched state.

At this recollection, the three of them quietly backed out of the tent...

Besides the three of them, several soldiers from the Vanguard Camp within the tent also harbored thoughts of making their escape.

However, just as they were about to lift their feet and slip away, they inadvertently locked eyes with Qin Jue's earnest and expectant gaze. Instantly, they deflated like punctured balls, losing all their nerve, and could only brace themselves to stay put.

As for the soldiers from the other camps, they were not yet fully acquainted with the sheer "destructive power" of sparring with Qin Jue. Simply believing that a friendly bout would both foster camaraderie and hone their martial arts, they readily and cheerfully agreed.

Thus, Qin Jue smoothly secured a considerable number of opponents willing to spar with him.

Looking at the contenders before him, a gleam of excitement flashed through Qin Jue's eyes, and he hurriedly said, "Rest assured, everyone, I will take you on one by one, ensuring that everyone gains something from this."

A martial artist at the peak of the fourth barrier stepped forward first. With a sincere expression, he cupped his fists toward Qin Jue and said, "Squad Leader Qin, I have long admired your great reputation. Please enlighten me!"

In truth, he was well aware of the vast disparity in strength between himself and Qin Jue, harboring no illusions of winning. He merely hoped to use this sparring opportunity to observe Qin Jue's techniques and gain insight into the shortcomings of his own martial arts.

However...

After being knocked flat onto the ground with a single punch, he was left in a daze.

Was this supposed to be a friendly spar?

Sitting there paralyzed on the ground, doubt and disbelief filled his entire being.

[Congratulations to the host for successfully defeating an opponent, +1 victory point!]

"Next, come on." Qin Jue calmly looked toward the next person in line.

At this very moment, everyone finally truly comprehended why some had reacted with sheer terror when Qin Jue first proposed a spar.

Yet now that the matter was a fait accompli, they could only bite the bullet and step up one after another.

Qin Jue stood steadfast in the center of the tent, his posture as steady as a pine.

Whenever an opponent stepped up, he would deliver a mere single punch, cleanly and decisively knocking the challenger to the ground.

Inside the tent, the soldiers from other camps looked at Qin Jue with eyes now filled with utter shock and awe.

Previously, their understanding of Qin Jue was limited to rumors: his heroic exploits at Lishan, his triumph as the top competitor in the camp-wide grand tournament, and his status as the commander's personal disciple.

However, having witnessed the terrifying and peerless strength Qin Jue displayed with their own eyes, they finally understood from personal experience that his renowned fame was by no means accidental.

Just then, a second-realm martial artist took a deep breath and strode into the center of the arena.

Hailing from the roaring-arrow camp, he had previously heard tales of Qin Jue clashing with second-realm powerhouses. While he felt a measure of awe in his heart, he also held a shred of lingering defiance and curiosity, wanting to personally test how he stacked up against him.

He tested it, and promptly departed...

[Congratulations to the host for successfully defeating an opponent, +3 victory points!]

That second-realm martial artist had lasted less than ten exchanges before being flattened onto the floor.

By this point, Qin Jue had accumulated nine victory points. With high spirits, he was just about to continue...

"What is all this shouting and ruckus about?"

The commotion from the intense duels had been far too loud, ultimately alerting Liu Guanghan.

Abruptly lifting the tent flap, he strode heavily into the camp, catching sight of the battered man lying in a miserable heap on the floor, alongside Qin Jue, who stood upright and composed with an indifferent expression.

In a flash, a fierce glint flashed across Liu Guanghan's eyes. Flying into a towering rage, he berated harshly, "Qin Jue, I ask you, who gave you permission to raise your hands against your own comrades?"

In his view, Qin Jue was undoubtedly abusing his status and position as the Vanguard Camp commander's disciple to wantonly bully the other soldiers.

Without a trace of fluster, Qin Jue turned around, meeting Liu Guanghan's gaze with an open and frank expression as he replied in a steady and calm tone, "We were merely sparring."

"Sparring?" Liu Guanghan's brows knitted tightly into a deep frown of suspicion as he shifted his gaze back to the man on the ground.

Clutching his chest and struggling to his feet, the man hurriedly explained, "Captain, we were genuinely exchanging martial arts pointers, not engaging in a private brawl."

Immediately afterward, the other soldiers in the tent chimed in one after another, corroborating that what Qin Jue said was the absolute truth.

Liu Guanghan's face was so gloomy it seemed water could drip from it. He knew in his heart that his judgment had been wrong, yet he could never bring himself to admit a mistake—especially since, from his perspective, a commander's disciple initiating spars with others was nothing more than throwing weight around to oppress them.

After a brief moment of thought, Liu Guanghan asked with a cold scowl, "I would like to ask, who said you are allowed to spar whenever you please?"

"Then let me ask you, Captain," Qin Jue countered without a shred of subservience, "is there any regulation explicitly stating that sparring is prohibited within the camp?"

This single question struck like a heavy hammer, instantly igniting Liu Guanghan's fury, the rage in his chest threatening to burst right through him.

Yet, being a man of some self-control, he knew that if he threw a tantrum now, not only would he be in the wrong, but he would also lose the dignity befitting a captain.

Consequently, he forcefully suppressed the anger rising in his heart, gritting his teeth as he managed to swallow the impulsive urge right back down.

A suffocating silence descended upon the tent.

After a long while, Liu Guanghan squeezed a sentence out from between his clenched teeth: "From this moment on, no one in our squad is permitted to spar ever again!"

With those words, he glared fiercely at Qin Jue, turned on his heel, and strode out of the tent, leaving the crowd inside staring at one another in dismay.

Qin Jue, however, maintained his calm expression, only his gaze growing increasingly profound as if pondering something.

Initially, he had simply regarded Liu Guanghan as someone rigid and inflexible, bound by stale conventions, and thus hadn't taken the man's words and actions to heart.

Yet, through this confrontation, he acutely perceived that Liu Guanghan held a deep-seated prejudice against him.

Or rather, the man held this kind of preemptive, negative attitude toward anyone possessing a privileged background or status.

Even having seen through all of this, Qin Jue had no intention of taking any adversarial measures.

For one thing, he was a subordinate and the other was a captain; no matter the circumstances, if he were to openly resist, it would be deemed insubordination, which would only make things difficult for his martial uncle.

For another thing, farming victory points by sparring with teammates inside a tent was completely trivial compared to the harvest of victory points awaiting him on the battlefield.

Starting a conflict with Liu Guanghan over such meager, immediate gains would be penny-wise and pound-foolish—a thoroughly unprofitable trade.

Having weighed the pros and cons, Qin Jue had already reached a clear conclusion in his mind.

He strolled out of the tent composedly, secretly calculating that since he could no longer farm victory points here, he might as well make full use of his time and immerse himself entirely in cultivating the *Origin Fire Body Tempering Art*...