The papers were collected and Liu He-gou graded them on the spot, making the air in the classroom seem to freeze. "First place—congratulations to Zhang Yупing! Another perfect score of 100!" Liu He-gou smiled warmly at Zhang Yупing, who stood up naturally amid the applause and cheers from her classmates, extending her thanks to the entire class and faculty. "Second place—Dong Jiao! 90 points. Third place—Xiang Yunfei! 85 points... "68th place—Wu Shun! 69th place—Liu Qiang!" With 70 students in the class, although Liu He-gou didn't personally announce the last name, everyone's eyes turned toward that final student. Others didn't mind their own standing, but Zhang Yупing's gaze was particularly painful—shame and embarrassment washing over her. It wasn't that Zhang Yупing looked down on her; rather, she felt deeply let down by her own performance, which had fallen short of the hopes she had placed in her. After school, Gao Liang was the first to rush out of the classroom, his head bowed Yet Huang was already quite insecure, and this insecurity was deeply suffocating. As they stepped down from the teaching building, they happened to meet Zhou Chao and his group. Zhou casually spat out his chewing gum, which landed right on Wu Shun’s face—someone Huang had just come out with. The delicate Wu was now being bullied, and Huang’s eyes blazed with fury. He clenched his fists again, this time with the strength of a towering golden fist. “Zhou Chao! You must immediately apologize to Wu Shun! Otherwise, I’ll never forgive you!” Huang declared with unwavering righteousness. “Hah! I *intended* to spit! Pff!” This time, Zhou spat out his second piece of chewing gum directly onto Huang’s face, along with a stream of saliva. Meanwhile, his teammates—Luo Qi and Wang Lei—and the one who followed behind, Liu Qiang, all rallied behind him, creating a chaotic scene. “Too much pressure!” Huang’s temples bulged with rage. Just as he was about to act, a sharp command rang out: “Huang! Don’t move! Come with me to tutoring!” Clearly, Zhang Yeping had arrived. Zhang simply "But it's him who's been treating me unfairly!" Gao Liang wiped the spit and foam from his face, but when Zhou Chao saw Zhang Yuping arriving, he wouldn't admit it at all. Frowning, he came up with a plan. To give Zhang Yuping a favorable impression, Zhou Chao was quite good at acting—he casually dropped the other piece of gum from his mouth, mixing it with the spit and smearing it across his face, only performing this act for Zhang Yuping, saying, "Zhang Yuping, Gao Liang is lying! Look—he's the one who first spilled his gum on my face!" "Zhang Yuping declined, but Zhou Chao didn't give up. Watching Zhang Yuping stroll away with a graceful, steady gait, Zhou Chao looked down his nose at Gao Liang and said, 'Nonsense, Gao Liang! Zhang Yuping's mine!' 'Is that so? Who's to say? Zhang Yuping has the right to choose among us!' Gao Liang was now fully composed. 'Hmph! Watch this! Within a week, I'll have her completely under my control!' Zhou Chao boasted proudly. As Gao Liang was about to speak, Fei-Zhu Deng and Ugly Yang arrived, shouting at Gao Liang, 'Trouble! Trouble! The brothers are ready to dissolve on their own!' Gao Liang was startled—what on earth was going on? Meanwhile, Zhou Chao smiled with satisfaction, watching Gao Liang and the two others walk off with Fei-Zhu Deng and Ugly Yang. He spat into the air, stepped on a crawling ant just arriving, and said firmly, 'Gao Liang! To compete with me? That's pure fantasy! This time, I'll make you completely collapse As Gao Liang, along with Fei-Zhu Deng, Humble Yang, and Soft-Winged Wu, arrived at a small park behind No. 1 Middle School, he heard his brothers shouting, "We're quitting! We want to dissolve!" "Wind-Flame Hall brothers! I can agree to your demands—but you must state your reasons!" Gao Liang didn't intend to forcibly retain them, knowing that a forcibly twisted melon never tastes sweet. "This! This! Honestly, we simply can't stay in the Wind-Flame Hall anymore!" one brother stammered. Under Gao Liang's prompting, the brother finally revealed the reason: each of them had received a daunting black tiger banner, written unevenly with the words, "Dissolve within three days! Otherwise—" followed by a red X drawn in blood. It was clear—this was a threat. The Black Tiger banner—exclusive and renowned, a signature product of the Black Tiger Guild—commands awe and fear in every eye. The Black Tiger Guild ranks as the second-largest guild in Hanhai City, only behind Longfeng Hall. Not anymore, however. Over the past two years, under the protective umbrella established by a certain individual, the guild has grown rapidly and now actually surpasses Longfeng Hall in stature. In the world of the underworld and the official sphere, strength is measured not just by one’s own prowess, but by the power of one’s backing. The Fenghuo Hall, founded by Gao Liang at Hanhai No.1 High School—a seemingly modest student-based guild—consists mostly of students who struggle with academics and are idle, lacking both a strong family background or financial resources. How could such students dare to face the real, hands-on underworld organizations in direct competition? Naturally, they are intimidated. Upon receiving such banners, many of the brothers found themselves so nervous they had to pee. Gao Liang had his three close friends collect all the banners and, in front of everyone, performed an action that left all present stunned: he lit them all on fire with a matchstick. At the moment when everyone was stunned, Gao Liang stepped forward and said, "Brothers! Don't be afraid! In fact, you're not fighting alone—we have over 2,000 brothers behind us from Long-Feng Hall! I promise you! As long as you follow me, I will lead all of us to forge a brand-new world, one full of momentum and vigor! We will make Feng-Huo Hall shine brightly, truly outstanding—becoming the most brilliant star in the world! That will be the triumph of the King, the King's Hall!" Gao Liang's words calmed everyone. They thought about it and realized—yes, they had only been focused on fear, and had even forgotten about their elder's status as the second-in-command of Long-Feng Hall. "Still, Elder Brother, we remain deeply concerned," said Deng the Fat Pig and Yang the Reserved. "Recently, Zhou Chao has been pressuring our hall. Yesterday, a brother wanted to join us, but was forcibly assigned to Zhou Chao's team by one of his subordinates—taking our people and our territory!" "Elder Brother," added another voice, "Zhou Chao has been growing more and "How could they claim even the sister-in-law is being taken away!" Lù, the soft-spoken one, stirred the brothers' indignation, prompting them to prepare for action. Gāo Liàng signaled for calm, explaining that this was a long-term struggle against such adversaries as Zhōu Chāo. Gāo Liàng knew that Zhōu Chāo had powerful backing—both in the black and white sectors—far stronger than his own. Therefore, he could only pursue a strategy of sustained engagement.