"Got it, I remember now!" Qian Jin lifted the wooden basin and saw Biluo giving him another exaggerated ninety-degree bow.

Carrying the basin, Qian Jin massaged his throbbing temples thinking about the expense of new bedsheets, but quickened his pace towards the dormitory. The noisy dorm room he passed erupted again in a clamor—a dozen voices sighed in unison, punctuated by cries of "What a pity! What a pity!"

"Before I go buy new sheets, I need to report to Teacher Rodriguez that these brats are too full of vigor and need extra training..."

Qian Jin didn't finish his frustrated rant about the ruined bedding before Rolin burst out of the room, sprinting towards him like a rabbit chased by hounds, covering the distance in two swift bounds.

The sheer speed of the dash surprised Qian Jin. Even when the usually stern Rodriguez chased the students with a wooden staff during drills, he had never seen Rolin move this fast. It seemed he needed to remind the teacher to bring out the morning star next time he trained Rolin; that might actually bring out the fellow's hidden potential.

"Qian Jin, come on, come on." Rolin extended his slightly chubby hands and grabbed Qian Jin's arm, dragging him towards the room with an enthusiasm even greater than when he pursued the campus beauty, Zhu Lisi. This immediately gave Qian Jin goosebumps, and he silently wondered what trouble this nosy Rolin was planning this time.

Qian Jin let himself be pulled along and casually asked, "What's the big deal?"

"Nothing major," Rolin's slightly plump face, dotted with a few pimples, broke into an indescribably sly grin. "Just need a small favor from you."

"A small favor?"

"Rudy from Class Two is arm-wrestling our class guys right now, and everyone else has lost..."

"Rudy?" Qian Jin's steps froze instantly. He yanked his arm free from Rolin's grasp and shook his head repeatedly. "The Bull Rudy from the Warrior Faculty, Year One, Class Two?"

Rolin nodded, reaching out again for Qian Jin's arm. "That's right, the big brute Rudy."

"Don't joke! I'm not going!"

Qian Jin turned and took a step back, ready to bolt. He mentally wondered if his friend’s brain had been smacked by Rudy, rendering him simpleminded.

Who was Rudy? In the Oakley Academy, the Brute Rudy was a notorious figure. Among all the warrior cadets in the first year of the Warrior Faculty, he was unanimously considered one of the top three based purely on raw strength.

Even many senior students in the second year of the Warrior Faculty couldn't match him in pure lifting power.

Although Qian Jin had never tested his strength against Rudy in an arm-wrestling match, he was well aware that when it came to pure strength, facing someone as burly as Rudy—who was more imposing than many adults—was just asking to be beaten.

Having just survived the unfortunate 'Looks Crime' incident a few days prior, Qian Jin certainly didn't want to invite another beating from the Brute while the aftershocks were still settling, just to add insult to injury.

"Qian Jin, Qian Jin..." Rolin chased after him, pleading, "Hey, you're still Teacher Rodriguez's favorite student, are you really afraid of Brute Rudy?"

"Afraid?" Qian Jin stopped and looked at his old friend's chubby face, raising a hand to pat his shoulder. "To be honest, if you gave me and Brute Rudy one staff each for a Warrior-style practical combat match, I could take him on one-handed against his two, guaranteed to beat his face into a pulp, leaving him clueless about north from south for the rest of his life. Or, give me a knife, and even if two Rudys showed up, the outcome would be the same: I kill him! But when it comes to something as clumsy and pointless as pure arm wrestling? Yes, you're absolutely right, I really can't beat him."

Down the long corridor, Rolin looked at Qian Jin with a touch of helplessness. He knew Qian Jin was speaking the truth, but what choice did they have when all the other boys from Class One had already been defeated by Brute Rudy in the arm-wrestling challenges?

Now, the only one from Class One who hadn't competed was Qian Jin.

Winning or losing had become secondary for Class One at this point; the real issue was not losing the spirit to even compete.

"Rolin, just find someone else. When Brute Rudy wants a real fight, give me a shout, and I promise to make him the ugliest person in the entire Oakley Academy." Qian Jin finished, turned, shook his head, and sighed. "Arm wrestling? You energetic fellows should experience poverty like I am! I'm agonizing over where to find money for bedsheets, and you guys are wasting energy on useless activities like arm wrestling."

"Bed sheets?" Rolin’s disappointed, drooping ears suddenly perked up. He took two quick steps to catch up to Qian Jin, slapped him on the shoulder, and said, "Qian Jin, you need money for bedsheets, right? Then you should go arm wrestle. There’s a wager on this contest. If you lose, the money is on me. If you win, you keep it, how about that?"

A bet? Win? Money? Qian Jin's previously firm stride suddenly seemed paralyzed by a sorcerer's petrification spell. His brain spun rapidly, calculating: win and earn money; lose, and at worst, suffer some embarrassment. Since the 'Looks Crime' incident already happened a few days ago, his shame had already flown to the ends of the earth—did he really fear losing face now? Perhaps Brute Rudy was already exhausted from wrestling so many people, and he might just get lucky. If he won, he could definitely earn enough for the new sheets.

"Remember what you said. If I win, the money is all mine."

Qian Jin dropped the sentence, broke away, and marched at his fastest pace into the dormitory room. It wasn't just about earning money quickly; he feared giving Brute Rudy too much rest, allowing him to fully recover his strength, which would make victory completely slim.

"Oh? Another one? Isn't this the last guy from Class One? Aren't you that unlucky fellow from the Looks Crime incident? What? You didn't feel humiliated enough, and you want Rudy to give you another insult to satisfy yourself?"

On the bunk closest to the door sat a cadet from Warrior Class Two. He had a somewhat sharp, monkey-like face, and his words were so barbed that Qian Jin instantly wanted to find a staff and beat him into becoming the second ugliest person in Oakley Academy.

Many others on the surrounding bunks burst into laughter, while several Class One cadets, dragged there earlier by Rolin, watched Qian Jin with a hint of dejection.

As classmates for nearly a year, they were all well aware of Qian Jin’s abilities. He certainly ranked among the top ten practical fighters in the first-year warriors, but when it came to raw strength, it was debatable whether Qian Jin could even crack the top fifty among the one hundred and fifty warrior cadets.

ps: I won't pretend to be a fresh newbie, but this is still a fresh new book. I'm good at keeping readers warm—please adopt me! Member clicks, recommendation votes, and collections! The trashy slogan of a Qidian author starting a new book is shouted out again~~ Come on!

Tonight, I’m hoping to push for a spot on the New Book Charts. I ask all brothers, sisters, and gentlemen: if you have member clicks, please lend a click; if you have recommendation votes, please lend some votes; and collections are a must, naturally.

Of course, I understand the rules for climbing the charts: at the stroke of midnight tonight! I will definitely update!