Volume One: The First Signs of Brilliance Chapter Sixty-Six: Returning to the Martial Arts Association!

After listening to Lan Yiyi’s words, Wang Jue fell silent.

He understood that Lan Yiyi didn’t want him to feel too much pressure. She had told him before to watch his bloodlust. If his temperament were affected by this incident, it would be a bad thing.

“No, since I’ve accepted this mission too, of course I’m going with you.”

After a moment of silence, Wang Jue finally gave his answer. “Besides, even though I’m still a student, I’m already half a martial artist. Sooner or later, I’ll have to face the world of martial artists. Now that the opportunity is here, I won’t let it slip by.”

This was not only a reason he gave Lan Yiyi, but also one he gave himself.

If he wanted to become a true martial artist, then many times, avenging wrongs and seeking justice was just going along with the current. Sometimes, even if he didn’t want to do something, he’d have no choice but to do it. It was as if, once he set foot on a certain path, he was destined to clear away every stumbling block along the way.

It was the same, no matter which road, in this world.

Whether he was a martial artist or a student.

If he wanted to succeed.

The former would inevitably tread on countless corpses; the latter would have to climb over the report cards of countless students to reach the summit.

“This...”

Lan Yiyi looked at Wang Jue for a long while before finally choosing to refuse. “No, it doesn’t matter whether you enter the world of martial artists sooner or later. What really matters is that you need the ability to protect yourself.”

“I know what you’re thinking—you’ve killed a few ordinary people and now you’re feeling overconfident, thinking your strength is great. But in truth, this is just a psychological change in you.”

“I’ve told you before, the Black Dragon Gang is backed by someone even I find troublesome. The gang isn’t as simple as you think. I know your strength is enough to deal with those at the first or second level of Spiritual Condensation.”

Here, Lan Yiyi’s expression grew grave as she asked, “But what if I told you that almost all of the Black Dragon Gang’s higher-ups are at least at the sixth level of Spiritual Condensation? Do you think you could stand against them?”

“Although I don’t know why your cultivation jumped from the third to the seventh level of Body Training in a single day—that’s your secret, and I won’t ask—but I want to tell you: you’re not part of our hunting team right now, and your assigned mission is already complete. The rest is up to us, the hunting team. After all, our goal this time is to wipe out the entire Black Dragon Gang.”

Lan Yiyi finished speaking and fell silent.

Even though she knew Wang Jue wasn’t wrong.

To become a martial artist, killing was just a matter of time.

The martial path is not child’s play.

If it’s just about physical training, then you’re only a fitness enthusiast at best.

True martial artists emerge from the edge of life and death.

It’s no exaggeration to say that a martial artist who has never seen blood is no martial artist at all—just a ‘pseudo-martial artist’ with strong abilities.

While Wang Jue was silent, the eight members of the hunting team appeared. Lan Yiyi decisively gave them orders: “All of you, clean this up, then we move out.”

Under her command, the eight hunting team members acted together, quickly finishing up.

Watching her team tidy up every trace, Lan Yiyi nodded with satisfaction, then issued another order, “Let’s go. On to the next location. Let’s try to finish this mission tonight.”

Now that they had taken action, Lan Yiyi wouldn’t stop.

The next part of the mission belonged to her team; she certainly wouldn’t bring Wang Jue along. It wasn’t that she was afraid he’d be a burden, but rather that if the enemy was driven to desperation, Wang Jue—who lacked actual combat experience—would surely become their target for escape.

If the high-level members got away, their mission would be considered a failure.

Wang Jue followed Lan Yiyi and the others out of the residential complex in silence.

Vehicles were waiting at the entrance.

Lan Yiyi told the hunting team members to get in first, then turned to Wang Jue. “Go home and get some rest. Don’t forget you’re supposed to join us for the star beast hunt in a day or two.”

With that, Lan Yiyi got in and left.

“So, my strength still isn’t enough...”

Wang Jue gazed unwillingly at the vehicles carrying Lan Yiyi’s group, watching until they vanished from sight before withdrawing his gaze, his feelings complicated.

...

For the next few days, Wang Jue returned to his routine—school, martial arts gym, home.

Originally, he thought Lan Yiyi would contact him once she’d dealt with the Black Dragon Gang, since she’d specifically reminded him not to forget about their agreed star beast hunt.

Unexpectedly, several days passed with no word from her.

Wang Jue considered reaching out to her, but worried it might interfere with her mission, he decided against it.

This made him realize that the Black Dragon Gang really wasn’t something he could handle now.

Lan Yiyi’s refusal to let him go along was truly for his own good.

That lingering trace of dissatisfaction in his heart completely dissipated.

All day long, Wang Jue couldn’t focus on his studies; his mind was entirely occupied with thoughts of Lan Yiyi and the Black Dragon Gang.

If his grades hadn’t always been good, and if the teachers weren’t turning a blind eye to his obvious distraction, he’d probably have been called to the office for a talk after class.

Even so, Wang Jue—despite his scattered attention—noticed something unusual in class.

No, to be precise, it was as if all the martial artist students had disappeared—they hadn’t come to school.

With less than a month until exams, students like them skipping school at such a critical time?

What’s more, the teachers seemed to know all about it and didn’t care at all.

Puzzled, Wang Jue wanted to ask Luoshui about it, but her seat was empty as well.

He knew his childhood friend better than anyone.

Unless it involved studying, Luoshui was always enthusiastic; but when it came to academics, she acted as if it were a matter of life and death.

Left with no choice, Wang Jue turned to a classmate he was on decent terms with. “Huang Xu, do you know where all the missing students from our class have gone?”

“Of course I do,” the classmate replied with a smile. “Didn’t you see the notice on the school bulletin board? Students planning to take the martial arts academy entrance exam can choose to come to school or go to the Martial Artists’ Association to train.”

“The Martial Artists’ Association?” Wang Jue was taken aback.

Huang Xu nodded. “Yeah, apparently some big shot from the Safe Zone made arrangements, so martial artist students can use their student cards to train at the association. Not everything is free, though—some of the facilities still charge.”

“I see. Thanks.” Having gotten the information he wanted, Wang Jue said no more.

He’d been to the Martial Artists’ Association once, but not on his own card—it was Lan Yiyi who’d brought him in.

Back then, they went to a private training room; he’d never been to a shared one and couldn’t help feeling curious.

Finally, the school day was over.

Wang Jue didn’t go home for dinner, nor did he head to the martial arts gym. Instead, he boarded a bus for the Martial Artists’ Association, only to find the bus packed with students his age from other schools.

Seeing this, Wang Jue instantly realized these students probably had the same purpose as he did.

Two hours later.

The bus reached the stop outside the Martial Artists’ Association.

In an instant, the busload of students surged off, and Wang Jue followed in the crowd.

The Martial Artists’ Association was considered the number one martial arts center on Azure Star.

Branches sprawled across every Safe Zone, with over a hundred just in the Jiangnan District alone.

Naturally, Peace Town, one of the many towns under the Safe Zone’s jurisdiction, had one as well.

The association was established specifically to serve martial artists, but this time, thanks to the intervention of some important figure, it was providing students with auxiliary training during this period—somewhat like extracurricular tutoring classes on Earth.

Of course, this arrangement wouldn’t last long. Once the entrance exams were over, the association would return to normal.

After all, its core mission was to serve martial artists, essentially acting as a platform.

And every platform needs to make money; this special arrangement was a loss-making venture. If it weren’t for a big shot pulling strings—or perhaps paying enough compensation—the association would never have agreed.

Before he realized it, night had already fallen.

The lights around the association’s building were all aglow.

The massive structure, resembling a war fortress, stood even more majestic and imposing beneath the illumination.

Ding!

At the end of the line, Wang Jue copied the other students, swiping his card at the entrance.

Inside, a cacophony of voices greeted him.

Anyone could tell: every division, every training room in the facility was nearly packed to capacity.

It couldn’t be helped.

With exams so close, everyone was scrambling to improve, wishing they could train twenty-four hours a day, hoping for a breakthrough in cultivation—only then would they have the confidence to get into a top martial arts academy.

Actually, every school in Peace Town had its own training rooms for students.

But due to budget constraints, the school equipment was all outdated, practically obsolete.

All the association’s gear, on the other hand, was state-of-the-art—far more advanced than anything at school.

Many students had never seen such equipment before. As long as they didn’t use the pay-to-use machines, the rest were free.

With all that, it would’ve been strange if the place wasn’t packed.

“Damn, this is intense!”

As he walked in, Wang Jue could feel everyone’s fierce determination, and his own mood soared. He couldn’t help but mutter to himself, “Tsk tsk tsk, the martial arts gym can’t compare to this. Looks like I’m in for a big night!”

“The more crowded, the better—it means more experience for me!”

“If the place didn’t close at night, I’d just train here till dawn.”

“While my cultivation won’t skyrocket in a short time, my martial techniques might!”

“Hopefully, this time I can push either my sword or footwork technique to perfection...”