Guo Po was furious. A resplendent radiance shone from his pupils, and when the radiance landed on the sturdy boy, the boy turned stiff as though he had become a puppet. Guo Po gained a burst of strength from an unknown source and pushed all the children around him away. Dragging his lame leg behind him, he charged the sturdy boy.

"You are not allowed to bully her!" roared Guo Po like a furious lion as he threw a punch at the sturdy boy.

The sturdy boy was stronger than Guo Po, but he actually stood still as the punch came. The punch sent him flying, and blood spurted out. After the successful first hit, Guo Po seemed to turn into a mad dog. He pounced on the sturdy boy and rained down punches.

The sturdy boy blanked out as he received the beating. He did not know how Guo Po had gained the strength to deliver him so much pain that he cried. The other children wanted to come over and beat up Guo Po, but when Guo Po turned his head and gazed at them, they all turned stiff as though they had been impaled right where they stood.

Guo Po ignored them and continued beating the sturdy boy, shouting, "You are not allowed to bully her in the future. Do you hear me?"

The sturdy boy mentally collapsed as he answered, "I-I know. I-I won't dare to do th-this anymore. S-stop beating me."

Guo Po continued beating the sturdy boy as though he had heard nothing.

At this time, the girl finally recovered from her shock. She said, "Guo Po, stop."

Her words seemed to be effective, and Guo Po finally stopped. The light in his eyes cleared, and the sinister aura around him dispersed. The stiff children finally regained the ability to move.

They wore blank expressions. When they looked at the sturdy, completely bruised boy, they were frightened and lost all courage to stand against Guo Po.

Guo Po struggled back up on his feet and threw them a glance before limping away silently.

The girl felt that something about Guo Po was unfamiliar. She hurriedly called out, "Guo Po, a-are you fine?"

Instead of replying, Guo Po continued limping away like a lofty wolf that would accept no contempt. The little girl and the other children watched on as he left. They all knew that from now on, they could no longer anger Guo Po or the consequences would be severe.

Before Guo Po could go far, his vision blurred. Before he knew it, he was on a mountain peak. Given a fright, he looked around in panic and discovered that someone else had appeared beside him.

When he got a good look at the person, he hurriedly saluted. "This disciple greets you, master."

Xiang Shaoyun accepted the salute and said, "In the future, you are not allowed to use your eye techniques unless it is a matter of life and death."

Guo Po answered meekly, "Yes, master."

"Do you find that unacceptable?" asked Xiang Shaoyun.

"N-no," said Guo Po, who didn't even dare to raise his head to Xiang Shaoyun.

He knew just how strong his master was. Furthermore, his master was the sect's leader, someone much more important than his Grandpa Zhen Peng. He was happy to have such a master, but he was also worried. He was happy that Xiang Shaoyun was strong, but he was worried that Xiang Shaoyun would look down on him and abandon him one day.

"Po'er, raise your head and look at your master," said Xiang Shaoyun. He was rarely this serious with Guo Po.

Guo Po slowly raised his head, but he did not dare to meet Xiang Shaoyun's eyes. He kept glancing left and right.

"Po'er, as a man, if you don't even have the courage to look someone in the eyes, you might as well keep your head down your entire life," said Xiang Shaoyun sternly.

Only then did Guo Po meet Xiang Shaoyun's gaze.

"This is more like it," said Xiang Shaoyun. "Why didn't you strike back when they were beating you up?"

"I-I was scared. They have more people and are stronger than me," answered Guo Po after some hesitation.

"Why did you forget your fear toward the end?" Xiang Shaoyun asked.

"B-because—" Guo Po blushed and couldn't finish his words.

"Because of that girl?" Xiang Shaoyun pressed.

"N-no!" Guo Po denied in panic.

"Are you a man? Do you not have the courage to speak the truth?" snapped Xiang Shaoyun.

"I—Th-they shouldn't bully a girl!" Guo Po stuttered.

"That's right. They shouldn't bully a girl. They shouldn't bully you either. Everyone is equal, and everyone has parents. Since your parents are not around, your master is your father. Since they are humiliating you, they are humiliating your master. You can be beaten to death, but you can't be beaten to death without hitting back. As a man, even if you die, you need to die with honor. Remember that. Even with a bad leg, you can't be cowardly. Your leg will not be your reason to let yourself be pushed around. Do you understand me?" said Xiang Shaoyun patiently.

Guo Po was still at a growing stage, and his character was still open for molding. Without proper guidance, Xiang Shaoyun was worried that Guo Po would go astray in the future. Guo Po nodded blankly. It was unknown if he truly understood what his master was telling him.

Xiang Shaoyun continued, "As a man, you need to have the strength to protect your woman. Work hard. Even without using eye techniques, you should be able to defeat your enemies. Do you have the confidence for that?"

Guo Po gave it some thought, clenched his fists, and said, "I-I can do it!"

"I can't hear you. Louder," said Xiang Shaoyun.

"I can do it!"

"Did you turn stupid from the beating? Why are you speaking so softly? Louder!"

"I can do it! I can definitely do it!"

...

Guo Po roared, releasing his repressed emotions.

Xiang Shaoyun rubbed his head and said, "That's the right attitude. Whatever situation you find yourself in, stay confident and don't bring shame to your master."

While he spoke, sparkling energy gathered in his palm, and he nourished Guo Po's wounds with strands of life force. The wounds healed, and Guo Po's mouth was wide open with shock. He had not imagined that his master actually had such an inconceivable power.

Guo Po finally gained the courage to take the initiative and talk to his master first: "Master, you're amazing."

"Do you want to learn this?" Xiang Shaoyun asked.

"Yes." Guo Po nodded his head heavily.

"Then you need to continue working hard and reach the Astral Realm as quickly as possible. When you gain the ability to store astral energy, I'll cure our leg. At that time, you can start learning from me," encouraged Xiang Shaoyun.

"Don't worry, master. I won't disappoint you! Before long, I will enter the Astral Realm," declared Guo Po confidently.