Chu Ming had thought he had become strong enough. But when he saw that gleaming blade drawing closer and closer, an instinctive illusion rose in his heart:
I can block it—and kill him in return.
So, in blind panic, he chose to strike back. The talent he had awakened not long ago spread across his entire body, and a layer of keratinous scales rapidly covered his skin.
A defensive talent.
A smug smile appeared on Chu Ming's lips. "Last time, I was careless and didn't get to use my talent. This time..."
Pshk—
Jiang Yan's blade shattered the so-called scales in a single strike. Before Chu Ming's horrified eyes, it pierced his body. As blade met flesh, the icy sensation made Chu Ming think of the time he had eaten with his grandmother.
"Wait, why am I seeing my life flash before my eyes?"
Chu Ming finally understood. Looking at the ghastly slash across his chest and the blood spraying everywhere, he at last realized just how absurdly weak he was before this man.
He collapsed to the ground in agony. The searing pain left him unable even to breathe. All he could do was curl up and glare venomously at Jiang Yan's lofty face.
"Little bastard, down already?"
Jiang Yan looked at him with a teasing gaze.
Unexpectedly, rather than being afraid, Chu Ming answered Jiang Yan with a bizarre smile.
"Hehe, I admit you're stronger than me. But so what? Look above your head."
Above them, drones circled in the air. Several surveillance cameras recorded everything happening here without missing a thing. Every word they spoke and every expression on their faces was clearly captured, then broadcast to that group of leaders in the office.
Jiang Yan understood his intentions. He looked at Chu Ming with a cold sneer, his deep voice reaching Chu Ming's ears.
"You mean those pieces of junk in the sky?"
"Hahahaha, looks like you're not stupid after all." Chu Ming burst into wild laughter. Spattered blood clung to his face, making his expression look especially sinister.
"Everything happening here is being watched by big shots you can't afford to offend. Let me guess—they've probably already dispatched armed forces to save me.
"And you, a piece of trash expelled from school, broke into our Joint Exam zone without permission and injured students taking the trial. Do you think they'll let you off?"
Chu Ming laughed even more wantonly. "If you apologize to me, get on your knees, and kowtow a few times, I might consider putting in a good word for you."
Chu Ming was certain Jiang Yan would not dare kill him!
Jiang Yan said nothing.
He could no longer stand listening to him. Silently, he raised his blade, and an invisible Blade Momentum gathered at its tip.
He raised his head and struck a pose at the surveillance cameras in the sky.
"Say cheese—"
He swung his blade.
Powerful blade qi threw the entire space into turmoil. A white streak shot skyward like a flood dragon, and the drones overhead were instantly crushed by that domineering, destructive Blade Momentum, reduced to dust.
Jiang Yan bared his teeth in a savage grin. "Hehehe, now it's my turn to laugh."
Chu Ming could no longer laugh. He cried out in panic:
"Madman! Madman! Don't come over!"
"Ahhh!"
Scht!
The chipped blade pierced Chu Ming's heart without hesitation. In his gradually dimming pupils, that devil silently leaned close and whispered in his ear:
"Do you know? What I hate most is when people provoke me. I can never resist taking the bait, hehe."
Chu Ming's life rapidly drained away. His trembling lips squeezed out a few words: "Dev... devil."
"You dare call me that?"
Jiang Yan pulled out his blade and kicked Chu Ming's mangled body away.
"Whew. The world's quiet now."
Jiang Yan let out a long breath and muttered, "I wasn't going to kill you. Why did you have to jump right in my face?"
He turned to look at the wreckage of the three drones scattered across the ground. Ripples flickered in his eyes, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Meanwhile, the meeting room had exploded into uproar.
The surveillance feed had suddenly vanished, and combined with the harsh words Chu Ming had spoken earlier, every sign pointed to one thing—
This Joint Exam was afraid to end in bloodshed!
"Quick, send people to capture that Wilderness Hunter!"
"That's right! He actually dared to publicly destroy surveillance equipment and scorn the Education Bureau's authority. He must be severely punished!"
"Where are the rescue teams? Go see whether that Chu Ming is still alive!"
"Whether Chu Ming is alive or dead, that Wilderness Hunter's actions are already a grave provocation against all of us. I propose executing him on the spot!"
Jiang Yan's actions instantly stirred these old principals into righteous indignation. Their faces turned red and their necks thick as they argued over his destruction of the cameras. One after another, they clamored to judge Jiang Yan, as though they had transformed into arbiters of justice passing judgment on every evil beneath the heavens.
Liu Hair-Ren mingled among the principals and took the lead in denouncing Jiang Yan. He held morality and righteousness high in his words, invoked the authority of the Education Bureau's deputy director at every turn, and used it to launch a barrage of verbal attacks against Jiang Yan's actions.
He regretted it. After witnessing the talent Jiang Yan had displayed, he admitted that he regretted it—regretted stripping Jiang Yan of his right to enter the Martial Arts Field, regretted not trying to keep Jiang Yan after his awakening.
He regretted ignoring a student's pursuit of martial arts merely to avoid trouble.
But Liu Hair-Ren did not want to admit his mistake, nor did he want anyone to know about his selfishness and grave blunder. So he began plotting how to bury a genius like Jiang Yan completely beneath the dust.
"Director, I believe this matter—"
"Shut the hell up, all of you!"
A voice as heavy as a mountain thundered through the entire meeting room. Everyone's discussion was firmly suppressed by that dull, thunderous roar.
The crowd followed the voice and discovered that the speaker was Shen Donglin, who had been sitting in the seat of honor without saying a word!
Everyone immediately fell silent, not daring to make the slightest sound.
Shen Donglin was deeply disappointed. As a powerhouse dispatched from the province, he had originally hoped to witness a thrilling battle in this not-so-prosperous place, and he had looked forward to these children's splendid performances in the Wilderness.
But what had he seen?
These principals could practically spew any ridiculous nonsense for the sake of their own honor.
Wilderness Hunters were not allowed to appear in the Wilderness?
Beat the young, and the old came running?
After provoking someone, they demanded that person not fight back?
The life-and-death contracts signed before entering the Wilderness had become nothing but empty paper?
What laughable demands.
Shen Donglin slammed his palm onto the table, his gaze sweeping across everyone below.
"This is the Wilderness, not some childish game you play at school!"
"From now on, I make the decisions. If any student from your schools can defeat that young man, they will be directly rewarded with three bottles of Body Tempering Fluid!"
"And—" His gaze swept toward Liu Hair-Ren.
"What did they mean in the surveillance footage about expulsion? If I remember correctly, wasn't that Chu Ming wearing the uniform of your Linjiang First High School?"
Liu Hair-Ren's heart skipped a beat.
Before you continue