Making a Grand Entrance, Forcing Submission with Momentum

"Trial Project Two (Unrated): First Chapter of Life and Death Duel Complete, Experience +100.

"Trial Project One (Unrated): Martial Arts Apprentice Probationary Period, In Progress."

"Name: Zhou You. Strength: 15. Speed: 15. Defense: 15. Experience: 606. Profession: Martial Arts Apprentice. Level: Initial Internal Force. Skills: Imperial Strike Hand Lv8, Square Step Lv8, Tiger Subduing Fist Lv10."

After Zhou You killed Lu Zhigang, his killing intent was surging and wouldn't subside for a long time.

He knew that if he didn't deal with the poisonous snake Tu Laosan, today's events were just the beginning.

He immediately turned and left, his target being Tu Laosan's residence. He had already inquired about it last time when he went to apologize.

However, this time he wasn't going to apologize, but to annihilate the entire family.

Tu Laosan's household was full of scoundrels, and it wouldn't be a pity to kill them.

Zhou You, having mastered Internal Force, wanted to test his skills and, while his confidence was high, strike while the iron was hot and take care of all his enemies at once.

Otherwise, if he let the other party plot in secret, they would eventually make a move against his master's daughter.

"Tu Laosan, you're asking for death, don't blame anyone else."

Zhou You walked quickly, operating the System Panel to increase his attributes.

"Experience -10, Strength +1."

"Experience -10, Speed +1."

"Experience -10, Defense +1."

He had just completed the trial, and with the experience he had accumulated for a long time, he could afford to strengthen himself lavishly.

His skin trembled in the wind, his blood boiled, and he could even hear the faint sounds of his fingernails and teeth compressing and strengthening.

Zhou You's foot suddenly lost its footing. It turned out he had stepped too hard and broken a bluestone on the street.

This large bluestone was older than Zhou You's grandfather. It was mined from the deep mountains and transported to the city. After several hundred years, it remained as hard as ever.

However, under Zhou You's strengthened power, it became as fragile as tofu, breaking with a single step.

"Hoo hoo hoo, it seems I've reached my limit."

Zhou You stopped and looked at the System Panel again.

"Name: Zhou You. Strength: 20. Speed: 20. Defense: 20. Experience: 456. Profession: Martial Arts Apprentice. Level: Initial Internal Force. Skills: Imperial Strike Hand Lv8, Square Step Lv8, Tiger Subduing Fist Lv10."

The comprehensive improvement in his physical fitness brought immediate results.

Zhou You took a few breaths, circulating his Internal Force, and saw a thicker, fiercer stream of Internal Force emerge.

Without paying attention, his skin bulged with outlines as thick as chopsticks, and the Internal Force weaved under his skin, as agile as a snake.

He still had surplus experience points. Once he passed the probationary assessment, he would use them to upgrade Tiger Subduing Fist.

Lv10 was a threshold, the entry point to cultivating Internal Force. From Lv11 to Lv19, it was about gradually strengthening Internal Force.

When he reached Lv20, it would be another threshold, where Internal Force would be refined to perfection, until it generated Vitality.

Internal Force was the threshold for formal apprentices, while Vitality was the threshold from apprentice to disciple.

Once Tiger Subduing Fist broke through Lv20 and reached the level of generating Vitality, he could enter the inner courtyard, become a confidant of the school master Wang Jianxiong, and have the qualification to openly call him Master.

"Hmm?"

Zhou You arrived near Tu Laosan's house with high aspirations, but he was disappointed to find it empty.

There were only a few idle lackeys from the Wild Fox Gang nearby. Tu Laosan himself was not at home.

This dog has good luck!

"Aren't you that kid?"

A low-level gang member saw Zhou You and pointed at him in surprise, about to say something.

The next moment, Zhou You stretched out his arms and lifted him into the air. "Where is Tu Laosan?"

"Wuwuwu, spare me, Third Master was called away by the Vice Gang Leader for an urgent matter."

"Third Master instructed before he left that he wouldn't be back for three to five days and told us to guard the place."

Vice Gang Leader Tu Lao Er, Tu Laosan's elder brother, was one of the Wild Fox Gang's higher-ups.

Unlike his untalented younger brother, Tu Lao Er was a martial artist who had cultivated his qi and blood, comparable to an inner court disciple of a martial arts school.

As a high-ranking member of the gang, he had several capable henchmen around him, all of whom were at least skilled in Internal Force.

Zhou You knew he had missed his chance and couldn't touch Tu Laosan for now.

"Listen up, all of you. What kind of person is Tu Laosan? Despicable, shameless, and lowly."

"Knowing he couldn't beat me, he actually bribed outsiders to ambush me. Pfft, 60 taels of silver. He's really got money."

"Zhou You is a great man standing between heaven and earth. Face me with anything you've got."

Zhou You's voice spread in all directions. Besides the Wild Fox Gang's low-level thugs, other residents and passersby also understood.

So Tu Laosan had hired assassins! And he hired outsiders from Sucheng City. Pfft, what a disgrace!

Being in a gang wasn't shameful, but colluding with outsiders to bully fellow townsfolk was truly inhumane.

Zhou You's grand display was precisely to pressure Tu Laosan, forcing him to stop using underhanded tactics.

Once the news spread, Tu Laosan, already notorious, would be utterly ruined.

Gangs relied on local support to grow stronger, and the most feared accusation was colluding with outsiders.

With Zhou You's exposure, Tu Laosan's secret hiring of outsiders could no longer be concealed.

Wild Fox Gang Headquarters...

Tu Laosan was talking with his elder brother.

Vice Gang Leader Tu Lao Er had a robust physique, his gaze sharp as a blade, his fists covered in calluses and crisscrossed with scars.

His position as Vice Gang Leader was truly earned through his fists.

He had killed no less than eighty to a hundred members of the Mad Horse Gang, his battle achievements were numerous.

"Brother, you're still too conservative."

"There are quite a few young and strong men who fled from Sucheng City now, many of whom know martial arts and are willing to fight.

"Our Wild Fox Gang should seize this opportunity to recruit more soldiers and expand our influence, annihilating the Mad Horse Gang in one fell swoop."

"The streets are full of living people looking for a meal. How can you not see them?"

Tu Laosan was anxious, earnestly persuading his brother.

Tu Lao Er shook his head. After all these years, his brother was still a complete simpleton, showing no improvement.

Did he really think everyone from Sucheng City was a soft sheep? Don't be fooled by their current plight; they'd strike back fiercely once they found an opportunity.

The territories and silver gangs fought over were resources. There was only so much to go around, and it couldn't accommodate more people scrambling for a piece of the pie.

Even the shops and restaurants on the street understood this; they hired locals and wouldn't hire outsiders, no matter how cheap.

Local sentiment was a bond, a moral constraint, and the wisdom for survival and continuation.

The gangs in Gongliang City fought amongst themselves, but they couldn't let those from Sucheng City benefit.

"Stop talking, it's giving me a headache. Get out!"

Tu Lao Er waved his hand. This brother was only reliable when it came to eating and drinking and having fun.

Tu Laosan wanted to say more, but a gang member hurried in. "Bad news, Vice Gang Leader, the entire city is spreading the word..."

"Spreading what? Speak quickly!"

"They're saying Third Master spent 60 taels of silver to hire outsiders to ambush the young man of this city, Zhou You."

Veins bulged on Tu Lao Er's forehead. He slammed his palm onto the rosewood table, instantly reducing the hard wood to splinters.

"Laosan, starting today, you are confined to the courtyard. You are not allowed to go out."

"And don't you dare touch Zhou You. How many times have I told you? Wait until his hundred-day mourning period is over, and then we'll see.

"If he can't cultivate Internal Force and is expelled by the martial arts school, we can destroy his entire family with a flick of our fingers. Don't do anything rash now."

Tu Laosan tried to argue pitifully, but he heard his brother's cold voice, "Guards, escort Third Master back to his room."