Volume One: First Signs of Brilliance Chapter Sixty-One: Could This Be the Legendary Gift for Nothing?

Lan Yiyi’s straightforwardness indeed took Wang Jue by surprise—and filled him with a sense of delight. Originally, he thought he would have to make some sort of commitment, perhaps join the Hunting Squad, before she would lend him her aid. Yet before he could say anything at all, she had already offered her help. Whether she saw promise in him, wished to invest, or had other motives, he owed her a great debt—one that must be engraved in his heart and repaid when he had the strength.

Lan Yiyi did not conceal the truth from Wang Jue. She explained, “Organizations like the Black Dragon Gang are periodically purged from the Safe Zone. It happens to be time for another sweep. I’ll make sure their name is added to the list.”

These past days, she had been guiding Wang Jue in martial techniques and cultivating his mindset. Yet when it came to practical action and methods, she withheld instruction—not out of reluctance, but with the intention to observe firsthand before deciding how best to teach him. The incident with those two members of the Dark Organization had made her realize Wang Jue was anything but ordinary. To understand his true nature, she needed to see it for herself.

“I’ll leave it to you, then,” Wang Jue said solemnly. He did not ask about the specifics. After all, now that the matter involved official channels, it was no longer his place—as someone not yet part of any organization—to inquire. For now, he could only choose to trust Lan Yiyi. Truth be told, he harbored the thought that if her efforts failed, he would act himself.

“Wait here a moment. I’ll contact the others, and we’ll move together,” Lan Yiyi said simply. “My people will handle the aftermath; you should take this time to think things over.”

With those words, she departed, leaving Wang Jue alone.

“Thank you,” Wang Jue called out before Lan Yiyi vanished from his sight, watching her until her figure disappeared. After several days of working together, a certain tacit understanding had developed between them—a subtle harmony.

Yet Wang Jue was wary of his own mindset. The indifference towards human life that came with newfound power troubled him. He feared he might someday cross a line, despite feeling no remorse for his current actions. He was certain more tests awaited him. Life rarely goes as one wishes. Surely, he couldn’t keep killing forever.

“I’ll leave future matters for another day. For now, I must face what’s in front of me.” After Lan Yiyi left, the murderous intent in Wang Jue’s eyes grew stronger. Those people must pay the price.

...

Time passed. Night quietly descended.

By the time Wang Jue and Lan Yiyi met again, it was already the early hours before dawn.

“Captain Lan, why have you brought me here?” Wang Jue asked, puzzled, gazing at the unremarkable residential area before them.

This ordinary place was far from what he had imagined. How could a gang like the Black Dragon Gang reside in such a neighborhood? Surely, they would be found in grand compounds or private villa districts. If he didn’t know Lan Yiyi’s character, he might have suspected she was playing a trick on him.

And they weren’t alone—eight of Lan Yiyi’s squad members stood nearby, making ten in total.

“You think this guy is the one the Captain has her eye on?”

“Probably. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have brought him along for this mission.”

“Huh… Why does he look so familiar? I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before, but I can’t recall where.”

“No need to rack your brain. He’s that kid we ran into when capturing suspects last time.”

The squad members openly sized Wang Jue up, their faces full of curiosity and doubt, clearly intrigued by him. Some of them had met Wang Jue during previous bounty hunts. They might know him, but he did not know them.

“Are you sure about this? No regrets?” Du Wen asked, but Lan Yiyi did not explain. Instead, she drew a long sword from her side and handed it to Wang Jue. “Here, take this sword.”

She had originally planned to give him a pair of gauntlets, but when she met him at his home that afternoon, she realized Wang Jue seemed to have changed entirely. When they sparred before, he had shown no hint of swordsmanship. She knew he hadn’t been formally trained in boxing, but his chaotic, instinct-driven strikes were nearly as effective as basic boxing techniques—if not superior.

With such childlike fighting style, he could still match her blow for blow. It was less a duel than a lesson. Lan Yiyi had only used a fraction of her strength, for fear of harming him. With her Red Star Mirror level, even a casual punch could have killed Wang Jue. She estimated she used less than thirty percent of her power.

As she instructed Wang Jue, she secretly observed whether he had talent for swordplay, intending to teach him later. To her surprise, that afternoon she discovered he was already skilled with the sword, with considerable mastery. This revelation led her to abandon the idea of giving him gauntlets; instead, she fetched one of her own discarded swords to gift him.

Now, not only could the sword serve him well, but it would allow her to gauge his true abilities.

“Have I decided? Regret? I don’t really know…” Wang Jue paused, then shook his head. “All I know is that my attitude towards those people has never changed.”

He thought time might lessen his hatred for the Black Dragon Gang, but seeing the situation now, it was clear it would not. Especially since he couldn’t even bear to face his own father. His desire to annihilate the Black Dragon Gang and their patrons only grew stronger.

“Captain Lan, what’s this?” After answering Lan Yiyi, Wang Jue took the long sword she offered. Its shape was similar to standard longswords, but slightly more slender—more suited for a woman’s hand.

Wang Jue was not mistaken; the sword had once belonged to Lan Yiyi, but as her power grew, she acquired better weapons, storing the older ones away. If she didn’t think highly of Wang Jue, she would never have offered him a sword she herself had used.

“It’s good you have no regrets. I’ll point out the targets; the rest will be handled by us,” Lan Yiyi nodded, briefly explaining, “This sword was mine. When we met this afternoon, I noticed your change and realized you’ve already learned swordplay. I knew you probably hadn’t bought a sword yet, so I picked one from my discarded collection for you.”

“Try it out. If it suits you, it can become your weapon. If you like, you can name it. It’s much better than any custom sword you’ll find outside.”

“Thank you,” Wang Jue replied, touched but not showing it. Whether the weapon or the thought behind it, he etched it into his memory.

Holding the sword, Wang Jue felt its exceptional quality. Though not a legendary blade, it far surpassed ordinary market swords. His perfected basic sword technique seemed to whisper to him that combining it with this weapon would yield results greater than the sum of their parts. How much his strength might increase, he could not know without trying.

“And, take out the wristwatch I gave you before and accept a mission,” Lan Yiyi said, just as she was preparing to act, recalling another detail.

“A mission?” Wang Jue asked, somewhat confused, but obediently produced the wristwatch. Under Lan Yiyi’s guidance, he accepted his first mission.

A purge mission.

The task: eliminate the gang.

The reward: ten Star Energy Stones.

“What…?” Staring at the mission, Wang Jue almost doubted his own senses. Was this the legendary free Star Energy Stone? He desperately needed such stones; if he could undertake dozens of similar missions, his talent would soar anew.

“Don’t worry about it. Just cooperate and finish the mission. You’ll get your share of the reward,” Lan Yiyi said, then teased him about his chosen name, “Sword Saint? That’s quite a peculiar name.”

“Is this really okay?” Wang Jue didn’t understand the situation, but he knew it couldn’t be as simple as it seemed. Star Energy Stones were valuable everywhere; how could they be given away so freely as rewards?

“Trust me, it’s fine.” Lan Yiyi’s expression grew cold, her words slicing through the air as if she spoke not of people, but of mere insects: “Now, we begin.”

“I’ll point out the targets, and you’ll take care of them.”

“If you can’t manage, we’ll step in. In the meantime, kill as many as you can.”

She ended with a warning, lest Wang Jue suffer from ignorance: “Remember, be careful. According to their habits, they’ll have guns—and plenty of them.”

Her squad members were all professionally trained, practiced in evading bullets and confronting firearms during missions. Each was a battle-hardened veteran, so she had no worries about them. Her only concern was Wang Jue. Though his current strength was impressive, his lack of combat experience meant he was still a step away from contending with guns.