Meeting Shen Donglin

Jiang Yan had gained a great deal from this battle—not only had his cultivation level improved somewhat, but more importantly, he had grasped Blade Momentum.

With every fight, he could feel his saber technique sharpening.

No flashy martial skills adorned his movements; merely the cuts, slashes, and strikes of the Basic Saber Technique were enough to yield endless benefits.

In pure blade combat, his understanding of the saber was advancing toward an unfathomable realm.

To the point where he didn't even need to learn so-called high-level saber techniques!

Crack—

The Alloy Long Blade that had accompanied Jiang Yan through all his slaughter finally gave out, shattering completely and scattering across the ground.

Jiang Yan picked up the fragments and placed them into his large black sack as a memento.

He glanced at Ai Ning, who was kneeling on the ground. Jiang Yan stopped there, said nothing, turned around, and under the watchful eyes of a crowd of students, walked toward Linjiang City. Afterward, he decided to continue deeper into the wilderness.

Battle!

Fight Fierce Beasts in the wilderness.

Fight elite bosses in the Divine Martial Space.

Fight against the prodigies of Blue Star in the College Entrance Exam.

Once in university, fight against teachers and students who were a cut above.

This was the tone of Jiang Yan's life. Heaven Rewards Diligence was a fine thing, but without effort, nothing could be gained.

Destination: Wilderness Area 56 Ruins City.

Once human territory on Blue Star, now a steel ruin and a slaughterhouse for Fierce Beasts.

Fierce Beasts of the third rank and above could appear here, and ordinary Wilderness Hunters would never dare to enter recklessly.

Beasts beyond the second rank rarely lingered around Linjiang City anymore, so Jiang Yan had to venture into more dangerous areas.

"For now, I'll head to the Exchange to restock on supplies."

"Wait a moment!"

A dozen minutes later, a booming voice came from behind him.

Jiang Yan turned around and saw a streak of light chasing after him at an incomprehensible speed, almost instantly crashing down in front of him.

He stepped back slightly, secretly activating the Battle Saint Armor. This person's performance—he was stronger than Jiang Yan, and by no small margin.

Having the ability to fly meant he was at least a Fifth-Rank Profound Comprehension martial artist. Jiang Yan couldn't understand why someone like this would come looking for trouble with him.

"Did Chu Ming's family come to get revenge on me?"

"No, they couldn't afford a Fifth-Rank martial artist to kill me," he thought.

"You're Jiang Yan, right? Don't worry, I mean you no harm."

Shen Donglin forced what he thought was a friendly smile onto his face, though it looked awkward on his stern features.

Still, these words put Jiang Yan somewhat at ease.

At least he wasn't here to kill him. A martial artist above the fifth rank wouldn't waste words if they wanted to harm him.

Jiang Yan asked, "Senior, is there something you need?"

Shen Donglin didn't drag it out and got straight to the point: "I saw your fight with Ai Ning on the surveillance just now."

"Oh." Jiang Yan understood, then asked with a strange line of thought, "I smashed your drone, so are you here to make me pay for it?"

"Ahem..." Shen Donglin choked on his train of thought, waved his hand, and said magnanimously, "What's a drone worth? I'm not so down on my luck that I'd come asking you for money."

"Then Chu Ming is dead—no objections?" Jiang Yan raised an eyebrow.

"Everyone in the meeting room saw with their own eyes that Chu Ming provoked you first. You don't need to worry about that."

"Then that saves a lot of trouble." Jiang Yan forced a smile onto his face. "Senior, may I ask what business you have with me?"

Shen Donglin's eyelid twitched. He felt like this kid had a bit of a flippant air about him.

He straightened his expression and said, "I'm from the Southeast Province Education Bureau. I'm deeply puzzled by your expulsion from Linjiang First High School. Could you tell me the details? Don't worry, with me backing you up, no one can bully you."

Right now, in Shen Donglin's eyes, Jiang Yan was a pitiful child—oppressed by those in power, blessed with talent he couldn't unleash, forced to throw himself into the wilderness, utterly disillusioned with human society.

Shen Donglin had always hated injustice with a burning passion, and he couldn't stand to see such things happen.

He had climbed step by step from a small place to his current position, and he knew well how hard it was for an ordinary person to rise. Meeting a youth with such a story today, he couldn't help but think of his own past.

Jiang Yan scratched his head, feeling that this uncle from the provincial education bureau might be a bit too sensitive.

Oh well, it's a fool who doesn't take advantage of power when it's offered.

Jiang Yan cleared his throat and laid out Liu Hair-Ren's crimes against him in full detail.

After hearing it, Shen Donglin replied indignantly, "Hmph, the Blue Star government allows every student to use the auxiliary equipment on the Martial Arts Field. That Liu Hair-Ren, a mere high school Principal, dares to privately violate this rule. Don't worry—when I get back, I'll personally send people to investigate Liu Hair-Ren's conduct and get you justice."

"Then thank you very much, Senior."

Jiang Yan replied with a smile. In truth, Liu Hair-Ren's influence on him wasn't that great. Whether or not the Principal interfered, Jiang Yan, blessed with Heaven Rewards Diligence, would have chosen to throw himself into the wilderness anyway. That couldn't be changed.

"By the way, are you still taking the College Entrance Exam?"

Shen Donglin asked the question he cared about most.

"Of course, I look forward to sparring with prodigies from all over." Jiang Yan replied frankly.

"Hahaha, with those words from you, I can rest easy."

Shen Donglin laughed heartily, believing he had saved a child who had lost faith in human society.

Only he knew how much inner drama he had—perhaps tied to his own experiences, or maybe empathy? Only he could say.

"You've mastered Blade Momentum and have talent no less than S-rank. Have you considered coming to study in the southeastern province city?"

"Changchuan City runs a Prodigy Training Camp every year for the College Entrance Exam, tailored to local geniuses. I can authorize your entry into the camp for training, where you'll experience military-style discipline, guaranteeing rapid progress before the exam."

"Resources and training plans are all at Blue Star's top-tier level."

With Jiang Yan's talent, he'd rank among the first or second tier anywhere. Shen Donglin, cherishing talent, couldn't bear to see such a genius lost to the Wilderness, so he spoke up to persuade him.

Jiang Yan actually felt some goodwill toward this uncle who had suddenly appeared and promised him many benefits, but he still shook his head and refused.

"I think the Wilderness suits me better. Before the martial exam, I don't plan to go anywhere else."

With those words, he stated his decision. Shen Donglin had nothing more to say—everyone had their own choices, so he chose to respect it.

"Alright, stay safe."

Shen Donglin turned into a streak of light and flew elsewhere, coming and going in a flash.

That morning, Jiang Yan sold off his last batch of Fierce Beast materials and checked the balance on his bank card.

2,000,000 Star Coins

"Sigh, I guess I have to play the Nouveau Riche for a bit now."

"Explosive Step" advanced footwork—"Nine Vertical Consecutive Actions."

Mysterious Grade High Rank martial technique, higher burst, lower consumption. Official website price: 700,000 Star Coins.

Jiang Yan had once asked Shorty if there was a pirated copy of this technique, but the answer was disappointing.

Privately selling such high-rank martial techniques was a capital offense if discovered—almost no one dared to do it.

"Money doesn't disappear; it just changes form to stay by my side."

Jiang Yan gritted his teeth and directly selected purchase on the official website.

Before long, his martial artist account gained access to "Nine Vertical Consecutive Actions."

Techniques above Earth Grade were monopolized by forces like the military, families, and universities. At Jiang Yan's level, he could only dream of them.

Shoving aside those unrealistic thoughts, Jiang Yan bought some backup supplies and headed into the city, planning to use the remaining money to get a good blade.