Translator: CinderTL
Inside a two-story villa, Wang Zi'ang hung up the phone and took a deep breath.
"Jiang Ye's first mission, and he chooses a four-star difficulty?" he muttered. "This guy's a real devil."
He sighed, but didn't linger.
Soon, Wang Zi'ang pulled out his phone and dialed Zhao Qingli's number.
Beep
The call connected.
"Spit it out," a cold voice came from the other end.
Wang Zi'ang ignored the rudeness and cut straight to the point: "There's a team mission. You in?"
"No."
Zhao Qingli's reply was crisp and dismissive. She was about to hang up when Wang Zi'ang added, "Jiang Ye took it. He asked me to ask you."
"Jiang Ye?" Zhao Qingli paused. After a moment, she said, "Fine. What's the mission?"
Wang Zi'ang's forehead creased with dark lines. He clenched his fist and snapped, "Wait, what's this? Special treatment, huh?"
"Enough nonsense. Answer the question," Zhao Qingli retorted.
"The school just released a four-star mission: clear out the Hidden God Organization's remaining hideouts," Wang Zi'ang immediately explained the mission details.
After Wang Zi'ang finished explaining, Zhao Qingli frowned. "This mission is too dangerous for Jiang Ye."
Wang Zi'ang sighed. "I promised to team up with him, but who knew our first mission would be a four-star one? That guy's got guts."
"It's fine," Zhao Qingli said dismissively. "Four-star missions are highly sought after and rarely available. Since Jiang Ye managed to secure it, we should go."
"Alright," Wang Zi'ang replied with a smile.
With Zhao Qingli and Wang Zi'ang working together, they were confident they could handle not just four-star missions, but even more challenging five-star ones.
Zhao Qingli continued, "Tell Jiang Ye to meet us at the school gate before six tomorrow morning. You can brief him on the details."
"Understood."
Jiang Ye quickly received Wang Zi'ang's reply.
After obtaining Zhao Qingli's student ID, he immediately filled in her information.
"Jiang Ye, meet us at the school gate at six tomorrow morning," Wang Zi'ang said sternly. "Remember to bring your blade."
"Got it," Jiang Ye nodded.
Ever since accepting the mission, he knew bloodshed was inevitable.
Was he nervous? A little.
After all, Jiang Ye had never killed anyone in either his past or present life.
But after enduring the brutal trials of the second level of the Martial Dao Heavenly Ladder, his mental fortitude had far surpassed its former limits.
Moreover, he had slain countless Shadow Clan warriors during his cosmic tempering sessions in the Virtual Cosmos.
In his eyes, these Hidden God Organization scum were no different from the Shadow Clan.
"By the way," Jiang Ye suddenly asked, "do these remnants of the Hidden God Organization have any firearms?"
"Firearms? None," Wang Zi'ang replied with certainty. "Since the school issued this mission, they've confirmed the enemy has no firearms. Otherwise, they would have sent elite martial artists to wipe them out long ago."
Missions, after all, were primarily a way for students to gain practical experience.
And earn a little pocket money on the side.
Otherwise, any martial dao expert could annihilate these crippled shrimp soldiers and crab generals in an instant.
"Still, we should wear stab-resistant vests just in case," Wang Zi'ang cautioned. "Not against firearms, but against blades."
"Stab-resistant vests?" Jiang Ye frowned, unfamiliar with such equipment.
Knowing his situation, Wang Zi'ang immediately offered, "I'll bring one for you tomorrow."
"Thank you, Brother Wang," Jiang Ye smiled.
Before achieving his first breakthrough, Jiang Ye couldn't become invulnerable to blades and bullets.
Despite being able to shatter a wall with a single punch, an ordinary person with a knife could still stab and wound him.
But with a stab-resistant vest, things would be different.
After finalizing their plan, Jiang Ye immediately hung up and prepared to head home.
Just then, a line of text suddenly appeared before him:
[New achievement triggered: Sect Mission!]
Jiang Ye froze, then a strange expression crept across his face. "Seriously? This can trigger a Low Martial Achievement too?"
This is great!
If he completed this mission, he might receive even greater rewards.
Filled with anticipation, Jiang Ye hurried home.
Taoyang Community, Building 12, Apartment 606.
Jiang Ye stared at the gallbladder on the dining table, astonished. "Leopard gall? This is the second time this month!"
With Jiang Dahai's salary, they could normally only afford leopard gall once a month.
Li Anping smiled. "Your dad said he assisted the Shadow Hunting Bureau with a mission, and they gave him a bonus this month."
"Dad assisted the Shadow Hunting Bureau?" Jiang Ye was genuinely surprised.
Jiang Dahai was just a security guard, his strength not even at the first breakthrough. How could he assist with any missions?
"Mom, tell Dad not to risk his life for money," Jiang Ye urged. "I can earn my own money now."
He suspected his adoptive father was working even harder because he'd heard Jiang Ye had a chance to get into the twenty-five school alliance.
Li Anping's expression turned complicated.
If Jiang Ye could guess that, how could she not?
But she understood her husband's deepest wish even better.
Even if it meant sacrificing everything, as long as Jiang Ye could get into the twenty-five school alliance, no sacrifice would be too great.
"Don't worry," Li Anping said with a smile. "Your dad knows his limits."
Jiang Ye nodded, saying nothing more.
After dinner, Jiang Ye returned to his room.
Today, he didn't immediately begin his cultivation practice.
"Video call," Jiang Ye murmured, opening his communicator watch.
After a moment's hesitation, he sent a video call request to Chen Zilu.
Beep...
Ding! The video connected.
A slender, graceful figure in a plain white dress appeared in the projection, her skin like white jade and her feet adorned with snow-white lace-trimmed socks.
"What's wrong?" The girl's stunningly beautiful face showed a hint of confusion. This was the first video call Jiang Ye had made since she returned to school.
"Teacher," Jiang Ye said, cupping his hands in a respectful gesture. He quickly searched for a topic to discuss. "I just accepted a four-star mission."
As he spoke, he kept an eye on the system panel.
"No need to worry," Chen Zilu replied. "Four-star missions won't have enemies beyond the first breakthrough. With your current strength, teaming up with the top three students in your grade should be more than enough."
"Thank you, Teacher," Jiang Ye said, relieved and feigning understanding.
"Is there anything else?" Chen Zilu asked, her bright eyes fixed on him.
Jiang Ye shook his head. "No, thank you for clearing up my doubts."
"Then I'll hang up now. I'm still cultivating," Chen Zilu said with a gentle smile.
"Alright."
The call ended.
The ethereal figure slowly faded from the projection.
Jiang Ye sighed. "She must be incredibly busy. I should avoid bothering her in the future."
Chen Zilu had gone to White Dragon University, a place known for its fierce competition. Her cultivation and academic responsibilities must be overwhelming.
He could tell she had taken his call amidst her hectic schedule.
It wasn't even an urgent matter. If he kept bothering her like this, he risked wearing out her goodwill.
Chen Zilu was no longer a teacher at Ancheng Third High School.
"Good thing... a new achievement!" Jiang Ye glanced at the system interface.
[Detected: Your visual acuity exceeds the system's detection range, far surpassing the limits of a low martial world!]
[Achievement Unlocked: Crown of Clairvoyance]
[Reward: Greatly enhanced vision, allowing you to clearly perceive minute details up to fifty kilometers away across vast landscapes.]
Jiang Ye gazed out the window.
It was already past seven in the evening. Ancheng had little in the way of nighttime scenery, and the outside world was shrouded in darkness.
Yet Jiang Ye could clearly see the towering trees on the distant mountains, more than ten kilometers away.
"Impressive," Jiang Ye exclaimed, his face lighting up with delight.
Just making a video call had unlocked a new achievement.
Moreover, according to the system's description, he could now perceive minute details up to fifty kilometers away?
Even first or second breakthrough experts might struggle to achieve such clarity.
"Good," Jiang Ye said, a smile spreading across his face. His confidence in the upcoming mission surged.
After calming his mind, Jiang Ye moved to the center of the room.
"Begin cultivating the Eight Trigrams Thunderclap Fist."
With a practical combat assessment looming tomorrow, he planned to temporarily boost his combat prowess.
Even a slight improvement could prove crucial in a critical moment.
Jiang Ye glanced at his status panel.
[Eight Trigrams Thunderclap Fist: Small Success (5%)]
This mid-grade yellow tier Art Technique was notoriously difficult to master.
When he had possessed a B-Grade Physique, it had taken him over half a month to achieve even the slightest progress.
Now that he possessed an Upper A-tier Physique and had undergone cosmic tempering, his cultivation would undoubtedly be vastly different.
"Let's begin," Jiang Ye said, lowering into a stance and slowly assuming the fist posture.
"Hmm?"
The moment he started practicing, he immediately sensed the difference.
The Eight Trigrams Thunderclap Fist cultivated qi.
Previously, the flow of qi within Jiang Ye's body had been sluggish.
But now, the qi surged through him like thunder rolling through mountain valleys, circulating with explosive force.
It felt as liberating as if his Ren and Du meridians had been fully unblocked.
Thump!
Jiang Ye took a step forward, executing the first form of the fist technique.
Even before his fist struck, a series of sharp, crackling sounds filled the air, like thunder rumbling through the clouds.
As he completed the entire sequence, his fist strikes moved more than three times faster than before, the surrounding air crackling with electric force.
"After the cosmic tempering, all my meridians have been unblocked."
"My physical body has also undergone a profound transformation."
"The power of this Art Technique is now at least three times greater than before!"
Jiang Ye was overjoyed.
His mastery of the fist technique hadn't improved, but its power had skyrocketed.
Yet its power had increased manyfold.
This was the hidden benefit of cosmic tempering!
Soon, Jiang Ye made another discovery: "The Eight Trigrams Thunderclap Fist seems to be able to fuse with stellar energy, unleashing tremendous power."
He could feel it.
As his internal energy circulated, the stellar energy within his Guanyuan Acupoint began to stir, as if drawn by the energy flow.
Previously, even a simple punch fueled by stellar energy alone, without any technique, had demonstrated such devastating force.
If combined with the Eight Trigrams Thunderclap Fist?
The resulting power would undoubtedly be astonishing!
However, Jiang Ye wasn't in a rush to test this out. He remained rooted in place, tirelessly refining his practice.
Time slipped by.
Before he knew it, it was one in the morning.
Jiang Ye paused his training and entered the second level of the Martial Dao Heavenly Ladder, bracing himself for the hellish trials ahead.
He continued until half past five the next morning.
Gathering his equipment, Jiang Ye stepped out of his house, facing the pale dawn breaking in the east.
(End of the Chapter)
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