Being forced to grow like a pig? But I'm immune to the consequences!

After talking with his sister Wu Yu, Wu Sheng went to visit Mo Han's family and gave them the clothes.

It's a pity Mohan didn't come back today, otherwise the two of them could have had a good get-together.

After visiting Mohan's mother, Wu Sheng went to visit Uncle Zhao.

Since Zhao Bo moved to this settlement, the settlement head, Arif, took pity on his old age and frail health and specially found him some easy work. Although he didn't earn much in terms of resources, it was enough for him to raise his young grandson, Zhao Qi, and barely make ends meet.

"Young man, you're back!"

Upon seeing Wu Sheng, Uncle Zhao's aged face immediately broke into a smile, and he leaned against the wall to get up.

Wu Sheng quickly stepped forward and gently helped the old man sit down: "Uncle Zhao, please don't be so polite, your health is the most important thing. You look much healthier than before."

Uncle Zhao smiled with satisfaction and nodded repeatedly: "It's all thanks to you. Being able to enter this community, and with Arif taking care of me in every way, I feel at ease, and naturally, I feel lighter."

He paused, his gaze concerned. "Young man, your training at the martial arts academy is almost over, isn't it?"

Wu Sheng nodded.

Uncle Zhao seemed thoughtful: "Have you decided which department you want to join after the training period?"

Wu Sheng shook his head: "I don't know which departments are involved yet, and the instructors at the martial arts academy haven't mentioned it either."

Uncle Zhao thought for a moment: "Young man, you should know about my son's situation. He used to be in the martial arts academy in the inner city, and later he joined various departments in the inner city, so I know a little about this. Let me tell you what I know, just listen."

"Those departments are all different, but they can actually be divided into three types."

"The first type is a department like the Public Security Bureau. These departments are usually not very busy; you could say they're quite relaxed. They offer a lot of financial rewards, but the contribution points are relatively low."

"The second option isn't exactly a department—it's more like entering a nobleman's mansion and serving those nobles exclusively. This choice may seem servile and lacking in freedom, much like what people do today. But in reality, if you're lucky enough to gain the favor of a nobleman, you could receive extremely rich benefits. Of course, there are also dangers—if the nobleman you serve has a bad temper and frequently beats or scolds you, then you're in trouble."

"The third type is the city exploration team. This department is very special; it's both free and not free, and the rewards are both high and low. To put it bluntly, its rewards are linked to the harvest you get each time you go out of the city to explore—the more you harvest, the more rewards you get. Of course, this department is also extremely risky. My son joined this department and was seriously injured during one of his explorations outside the city."

As he spoke, Uncle Zhao sighed, as if recalling something painful.

Wu Sheng nodded. However, he didn't think much of it—after all, there were still twenty days until the training ended, and the instructors at the martial arts academy would explain these things then. As for which department he would be able to join or not, that was hard to say. After all, he was all alone and didn't have any connections.

After visiting Uncle Zhao, there was also Arif, the head of the settlement.

"Wu Sheng, what level have you reached now?" Arif asked, looking at Wu Sheng, whose physique had become even more robust and who exuded a subtle sense of pressure.

Honestly, in just a few dozen days, he felt that Wu Sheng had changed again. This change was something that even he, who also had the third level of Body Tempering cultivation, could see.

"It's alright, I'm at the fifth level of Body Tempering. If nothing unexpected happens, I should be able to reach the sixth level by the end of the two-month training period," Wu Sheng said.

Arif was even more surprised. He hadn't expected Wu Sheng to have already reached the fifth level of Body Tempering. (He was following the book closely, adding it to his collection, and reading it anytime: "Trapped Like a Piglet? But I'm Immune to the Cost!")

"Good, you're really becoming more and more promising. In the future, you might actually become a martial artist." He paused, then asked, "When are you going back?"

"I'll leave tomorrow," Wu Sheng said.

Arif nodded: "I can't offer you much help either. But you must be extremely careful when operating in the inner city—within the inner city, only martial artists are considered human."

Wu Sheng nodded.

……

Time flew by, and evening arrived quickly.

Night enveloped the entire outer city, making it exceptionally quiet. In the outer city settlements, lacking natural light and with limited electricity, it was pitch black.

After his older sister Wu Yu fell asleep, Wu Sheng quietly slipped out of the room.

He went outside the gathering place, walked a little further away, and stopped in a rather secluded spot. After confirming that there was no one else around and no one would disturb him, he sat cross-legged on the ground.

"Breakthrough to Martial Artist, today is the day!" Wu Sheng's gaze sharpened.

The method to break through to the level of a martial artist is very simple, or rather, there is no special method at all—it only requires mobilizing the body's qi and blood, just like when breaking through each level of body tempering.

The difference is that this process takes longer than previous breakthroughs, and it consumes a huge amount of vital energy.

However, life potential can also leap forward during the process of being consumed.

This process can be likened to a silkworm transforming into a butterfly.

The reason for cultivating to the seventh level of body tempering is to accumulate enough energy and foundation to complete this transformation.

If it fails, it will be just like when he entered the Hyena Gang and used the evolution potion—his life potential will burn up rapidly, and he will ultimately fail to evolve.

This will lead to a severe deficiency of qi and blood, and a significant loss of life potential, essentially eliminating the possibility of a second breakthrough.

According to Cheng Mingyuan, if one makes enough contributions, or is a descendant of a noble family, one can exchange for some special potions.

When taken during the evolutionary process, it can assist in breakthroughs and reduce the consumption of one's own life potential. Even if the breakthrough fails, there will be a second chance.

"To put it bluntly, this kind of thing is essentially the same as beast meat. It consumes life potential, which is essentially the same as taking potential-enhancing drugs. So if that's the case—the primordial core can also bear this cost!"

Without further hesitation, Wu Sheng mobilized all his energy and began his breakthrough.

Normally, when mobilizing his qi and blood during combat, he only maintains a superficial level of stimulation, and the effect is short-lived. But this time, Wu Sheng pushed his qi and blood to their absolute limit, and he continues to do so without any intention of stopping.

Soon, a red flush appeared on Wu Sheng's skin, as if he had been placed in an oven. He felt like he was about to burst into flames—his whole body was burning hot, and his blood was flowing at a morbid speed, surging and pounding throughout his body. His heart was beating at an alarming rate, and every vein in his body was bulging.

At the same time, the life potential of the prokaryote is being rapidly depleted.

Wu Sheng hadn't taken any potential-enhancing drugs today, and was already prepared for a breakthrough, so his primordial core's life potential was full. But just a short while ago, his primordial core's life potential had dropped by several points.

[Wu Sheng]: Vitality 19/20 (17/24)

The latest chapter has ignited the plot! Stay tuned for more updates.