The First Conflict in Gurukul

After a long day of exploring the Gurukul of Vindhya, Arjun and his friends were exhausted. The campus was vast, much larger than their small village, and filled with countless students who were already immersed in the world of cultivation.

As evening fell, the three of them made their way toward their dormitories. The boys' and girls' quarters were in separate areas of the Gurukul, so before parting ways, Arjun and Zhao Yufeng turned to Zhao Yufei, who looked a little nervous.

"Take care, Yufei," Arjun said with a reassuring smile.

Yufei pouted. "You guys better not get into trouble without me."

Zhao Yufeng chuckled. "We? Trouble? Never."

Arjun smirked, shaking his head. He could already sense that their time in Gurukul wouldn't be as peaceful as their childhood in Gokul. There were too many different kinds of people here, and some of them carried arrogance that could not be reasoned with.

Yufei sighed, then turned toward her dormitory. "Fine. See you tomorrow."

"See you," Arjun and Yufeng said together before heading to their own dormitory building.

The boys' dormitory was a tall structure made of stone and wood, with multiple floors housing different students. The two of them followed the directions given to them during enrollment and climbed up the stairs to the second floor, where the first-year students were assigned.

"This is it," Yufeng said, stopping in front of a door. His room was nearby, but Arjun's was at the end of the hall. "I'll see you tomorrow, Arjun. Try not to punch anyone on the first day."

Arjun rolled his eyes. "No promises."

The two shared a laugh before parting ways. Arjun took a deep breath and pushed open the door to his room.

As soon as Arjun stepped inside, he paused.

Inside the room, two boys were already present. One of them stood tall and arrogant, his chest puffed out in confidence. The other was shorter and thinner, his expression filled with fear as he was pushed against the wall.

"You dare take the bed by the window?" the arrogant boy sneered, gripping the collar of the weaker boy. "Do you even know who I am?"

The bullied student shook his head rapidly, fear evident in his eyes.

Arjun sighed. He didn't even need to guess what was happening. This was something he had been warned about—nobles bullying civilians.

"I think that's enough," Arjun said, stepping into the room.

The noble boy turned, raising an eyebrow. His eyes scanned Arjun's clothes, immediately recognizing him as another poor civilian. A smirk crept onto his lips.

"Well, well, another poor peasant," he said mockingly. "And who might you be?"

Arjun ignored his provocation and walked further inside. "We're all in the same Gurukul, in the same room. We're going to live together for the next three years. Don't you think we should at least try to get along?"

The noble boy laughed. "Get along? With you? You low-borns don't understand how the world works."

The bullied boy hesitated before whispering, "H-he's from the Valen family… one of the minor noble houses…"

Arjun nodded in understanding. The Valen family wasn't as powerful as the major noble clans, but in a place like Gurukul, even a minor noble had enough status to act arrogant.

The noble boy folded his arms, looking down at Arjun. "Since you're new, let me teach you something. Nobles stand above commoners. You should learn your place."

Arjun sighed again. "So you're saying that because you were born into a noble family, that makes you better than me?"

"Exactly," the noble boy grinned. "You understand fast."

Arjun shook his head. Some people never learn until they are taught a lesson.

The noble boy cracked his knuckles. "Since you're new, I'll be generous. If you kneel and apologize, I'll let you off."

Arjun simply smiled.

The noble boy frowned. "What's so funny?"

"I was just wondering how many times you're going to regret saying that," Arjun replied.

The noble boy's expression twisted in anger. "You think you're strong?" He scoffed. "I am at the Peak of the First Realm of Body Tempering. There's no way a commoner like you can be stronger than me!"

Without waiting for Arjun's response, he charged forward, throwing a punch at Arjun's face.

Arjun didn't even move.

He raised a single finger—and blocked the punch effortlessly.

A dull sound echoed in the room as the noble boy's fist was stopped completely by Arjun's finger.

The room fell silent.

The noble boy's eyes widened in shock. The bullied boy gasped.

"H-how…?" the noble stammered.

Arjun sighed. "You attacked without knowing my cultivation?"

For the first time, the noble boy hesitated. "W-what realm are you in?"

"Third Realm of Body Tempering."

The noble's face lost all color.

"That… that's impossible! First-years don't reach the Third Realm!"

Arjun simply smiled.

Realization dawned on the noble boy's face. He had picked the wrong opponent.

But he still refused to back down. His pride as a noble wouldn't let him admit defeat so easily. With gritted teeth, he attacked again—this time throwing a series of punches and kicks in rapid succession.

But it was useless.

Arjun stood calmly, using only a single hand to block every attack effortlessly. It was as if the noble's attacks didn't even exist to him.

After several more failed attacks, the noble boy finally stumbled back, panting.

He was exhausted. Arjun, on the other hand, hadn't even broken a sweat.

"This… this is unfair," the noble boy muttered. "You're a monster…"

Arjun sighed. "I tried to be nice."

Then, with a simple flick of his finger, he struck the noble's chest.

BOOM!

The noble boy was sent flying across the room, crashing into the opposite wall. He groaned in pain, completely defeated.

The bullied boy stared in disbelief.

"You… you defeated him so easily…"

Arjun shrugged. "I just taught him a lesson."

The noble boy didn't speak. He simply lay there, realizing that for the first time in his life, he had been utterly humiliated by a commoner.

Arjun turned to the bullied boy. "What's your name?"

The boy hesitated before saying, "I'm Li Wei."

"Alright, Li Wei. You don't need to be afraid of people like him anymore."

Li Wei nodded gratefully. "Thank you… I thought I would have to endure his bullying for three years."

Arjun smiled. "No one gets to bully someone just because of their birth. Remember that."

Li Wei nodded, his eyes filled with admiration.

As for the noble boy, he didn't say anything. He simply stayed on the floor, trembling with rage and shame.

Arjun walked to his bed and sat down. This was only the first day, and trouble had already found him.

But he wasn't worried.

If anyone else tried to challenge him, they would learn the same lesson.

Strength ruled the cultivation world.

And Arjun… was going to make sure everyone knew exactly how strong he was.