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

"What are you doing!"

A stern and authoritative shout suddenly rang out.

Arif rushed over upon hearing the news. As the manager of this gathering place, his burly figure blocked Xu Wenbo's way as soon as he stood in front of the door.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Arif asked sharply in a deep voice.

Xu Wenbo stopped and turned to look at the newcomer. A hint of contempt flashed in his eyes, but his tone remained outwardly calm: "I'm here to find two thieves. They stole from my house and are hiding here."

"You're talking nonsense!" Wu Yu retorted sharply, her face pale with anger. "It was clearly you..."

Arif raised his hand, stopping Wu Yu from speaking. He stared at Xu Wenbo, his attitude firm: "I don't care who you are or what you're doing here. I'm the head of this area, and everything here is under my jurisdiction—that's the rule set by the inner city! Even if you're from the Hyena Gang, you can't run wild on my turf!"

Xu Wenbo narrowed his eyes slightly, clearly not expecting such strong resistance. He paused, lowered his voice, and said with a hint of scrutiny, "Judging from your appearance... you're not even a quasi-martial artist, are you?"

"So what?" Arif stood firm, his chest puffed out.

Xu Wenbo slightly raised his chin, his deliberately restrained arrogance no longer concealed: "Then you'd better think carefully about what the consequences will be of offending a 'quasi-martial artist' at the seventh level of Body Tempering."

Arif scoffed at this, "What a joke! In the end, you're just a 'quasi' martial artist. If you were a formally recognized martial artist from the inner city, none of this would have happened. You all came from the mud of the outer city; don't think you're superior just because you're wearing fine leather."

He took a half-step forward, his voice lower but clear:

"After all... who doesn't know someone in the inner city?"

It would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous. But since Arif had taken Wu Sheng's money, he had to get things done. Besides, Xu Wenbo's arrogant attitude was really infuriating him.

"Are you really going to stop me?" A cold, impatient glint flashed in Xu Wenbo's eyes. He hadn't expected to run into a wall like this.

But he had no intention of backing down. In his eyes, Arif's strength was utterly insignificant. As long as he acted quickly enough to severely injure the Wu siblings and then leave, what could they possibly do to him?

Arif seemed to read his mind and warned coldly, "Let me remind you, that family's younger brother is currently undergoing training in the Hyena Gang. I can't interfere there. If you're so capable, go to the Hyena Gang and demand his return."

He paused, then spoke with absolute certainty:

"But in this settlement, you can't touch anyone."

"Hyena Gang?" Xu Wenbo's brows furrowed suddenly.

"The Wu family's kid actually joined the Hyena Gang?"

He had just returned and knew only a limited amount. He was eager to eliminate the threat completely because he feared that the boy might gain some advantage and become a major threat in the future. But upon hearing this news, Xu Wenbo's face instantly darkened, and a sense of unease gripped his heart.

What was thought to be a trivial matter of easily crushing an ant suddenly turned into a troublesome problem.

Wu Sheng entered the Hyena Gang for training. During this period, regardless of his talent or whether he truly had the potential to enter the inner city, if I were to attack his family now, it would be an open provocation against the gang's rules. If the matter escalated and reached the inner city, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Right now, before dealing with Wu Sheng, his sister's weakness is something that can't be touched.

But to touch Wu Sheng himself... that would be even more troublesome. Although he used to be a member of the Hyena Gang, he had long since severed ties with his old gang after joining forces with the inner city...

Xu Wenbo's gaze swept over Arif with a gloomy expression, then he glanced at Wu Yu, whose face was pale. Without saying another word, he snorted coldly and turned to leave.

Arif stared intently at his retreating figure until the conspicuous suit completely disappeared at the end of the dilapidated alleyway in the settlement, before slowly exhaling a breath of stale air and relaxing his tense back. He hadn't even reached the fourth level of Body Tempering; in a real fight, he was no match for his opponent.

"Chief Arif..." Wu Yu stepped forward, his voice trembling with barely suppressed emotion, "What about my situation..."

"Don't worry too much," Arif turned his head, trying to keep his tone calm. "The Hyena Gang is a place that follows the rules. Even if Xu Wenbo has some connections in the inner city, he can't cause trouble in the gang's territory."

Even so, he remained uneasy. All he could do was silently pray that Wu Sheng would escape this calamity.

……

In the afternoon, at the Hyena Gang's base.

Xu Wenbo still came.

Thanks to lingering old connections and his status as a "quasi-martial artist" within the inner city, he encountered little resistance and entered the compound. His objective was clear—to find Wu Sheng.

On the way, he had already weighed the pros and cons. To sit idly by and watch Wu Sheng grow stronger would be tantamount to raising a tiger to cause future trouble. Rather than waiting for unknown retaliation, it was better to find a pretext to eliminate him before he became too powerful, thus preventing future problems.

The training period is only one month. He doesn't need to kill anyone; he only needs to "accidentally" severely injure him, causing him to miss this golden period of training. At that time, Wu Sheng will be unable to enter the inner city, nor will he be able to stay with the Hyena Gang. Having lost all his support, he will become a complete fish on the chopping block.

He had merely "taught a lesson" to an outer city student who had offended him, and with his inner city status, he could easily afford the consequences by making some concessions.

On the training ground.

Wu Sheng was immersed in the rhythm of yoga, his blood and energy flowing with the movements, completely unaware of the impending danger.

During a short break, Mo Han came over and wiped his sweat: "Wu Sheng, do you miss home? I miss my mother and sisters a little. I used to find them noisy, but now that I haven't seen them for a few days, I'm worried about them."

Wu Sheng steadied his breathing: "I'm alright. But my sister's personality means she'll probably come to see me in a few days, and your family will likely come too."

He took the opportunity to glance at the data in his consciousness:

[Body Tempering Level 4: 40/80]

With the aid of potential-enhancing potions and his own talent, his progress far surpassed that of ordinary people. In just six days, he had already reached the threshold of the fourth level of Body Tempering—the minimum requirement to enter the inner city.

"At this rate, in a month..." A startling thought flashed through my mind.

Just then!

A figure blocked the light at the entrance to the training ground.

Wu Sheng subconsciously looked up and saw a man in a smart suit who stood out from the crowd standing at the door, his gaze sweeping over the students in the room like a searchlight.

Boom!

My heart felt like it was being gripped by an invisible hand, and it skipped a beat! A cold, almost instinctive sense of crisis instantly swept over my entire body, making my hair stand on end!

That face... he'd seen it before!

Fragments of memory flashed by—occasional encounters at the gathering place, and the young man beside Xu Fei who always wore a gentle, fake smile but gave off an inexplicably cold feeling.

"Xu Fei's older brother, Xu Wenbo!"

"He's coming for me!"