Chapter 16: Slaying Chu Ming

Chu Ming had thought he had become strong enough. When he saw that blade edge drawing closer and closer, a delusion instinctively arose in his mind:

I can block it, and even counter-kill.

Thus, in his panic, he chose to retaliate. The Talent he had recently Awakened was applied to his entire body, and a layer of Keratin Scale Armor quickly covered his skin.

A Defensive Talent.

A smug smile appeared at the corner of Chu Ming’s mouth. “Last time, I was careless and didn’t use my Talent. This time…”

Thud—

Jiang Yan’s Saber shattered the so-called scale armor and pierced through Chu Ming’s body under his horrified gaze. As the blade met flesh, the icy sensation made Chu Ming involuntarily recall the last time he had a meal with his grandmother.

“Wait, why am I seeing my life flash before my eyes?”

Chu Ming finally snapped back to reality. Staring at the shocking Saber wound on his chest and the splattering blood, he finally realized just how pathetically weak he was in front of this man.

He collapsed to the ground in agony, the intense pain making it impossible for him to even breathe. He could only curl up, glaring at Jiang Yan’s condescending face with venomous eyes.

“Grandson, down so soon?”

Jiang Yan looked at him with a teasing gaze.

Unexpectedly, instead of fear, Chu Ming responded with an eerie smile.

“Heh, I admit you’re stronger than me. But so what? Look above you.”

Above, drones hovered in the air, their multiple surveillance cameras directly recording everything happening here. Every word they spoke, every expression on their faces, was clearly captured and then broadcast to the group of leaders in the office.

Jiang Yan understood his intention. He sneered at Chu Ming, his low voice reaching Chu Ming’s ears.

“You mean those useless things in the sky?”

“Hahahaha, seems you’re not stupid either.” Chu Ming let out a wild laugh, splattered blood sticking to his face, making his expression appear particularly sinister.

“Everything happening here is being watched by Masters you can’t afford to offend. Let me guess—they’ve probably already dispatched Armament troops to rescue me.

And you, a worthless dropout who barged into our Joint Examination area without permission and injured a trainee—do you think they’ll let you go?”

Chu Ming laughed even more recklessly. “If you apologize to me, kneel properly, and kowtow a few times loudly, I might consider putting in a good word for you.”

Chu Ming was certain Jiang Yan wouldn’t dare kill him!

Jiang Yan said nothing.

He had heard enough. Silently, he raised his Saber, an intangible Blade Momentum gathering at its tip.

He looked up and struck a “pose” at the surveillance cameras in the sky.

“Say, cheese—”

With a swing of the Saber.

Powerful Saber Qi disrupted the entire space. A streak of white light soared into the sky like a dragon, and the drones overhead were instantly obliterated by the domineering, destructive Blade Momentum, vanishing into dust.

Jiang Yan grinned menacingly. “Hehehe, now it’s my turn to laugh.”

Chu Ming’s laughter vanished completely. He cried out in panic:

“Madman! Madman! Stay away from me!”

“Ahhh!”

Squelch!

The chipped Saber unhesitatingly pierced through Chu Ming’s heart. In his gradually fading pupils, the devil leaned close to his ear and whispered:

“You know, I hate it most when people provoke me. I just can’t help but take the bait, hehe.”

Chu Ming’s vitality was rapidly fading, his lips trembling as he squeezed out a few words: “De… devil.”

“Dare to curse me?”

Jiang Yan pulled out his saber and kicked Chu Ming’s battered body away.

“Hah, the world is quiet now.”

Jiang Yan let out a long sigh, muttering to himself: “I didn’t plan to kill you in the first place. Why did you have to jump right in my face?”

He turned to look at the scattered wreckage of the three drones on the ground, his eyes shimmering with an unfathomable light, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, the conference room had erupted into chaos.

The sudden disappearance of the surveillance feed, coupled with the harsh words Chu Ming had uttered earlier, all pointed to one thing—

This Joint Examination was likely going to result in a death!

“Quick, send someone to capture that Wilderness Hunter!”

“Exactly! How dare he openly destroy surveillance equipment and defy the authority of the Education Bureau? He must be severely punished!”

“What about the rescue team? Hurry and check if that Chu Ming is still alive!”

“Regardless of whether Chu Ming is alive or not, the Wilderness Hunter’s actions are a serious provocation against all of us. I propose he be executed on the spot!”

Jiang Yan’s actions had ignited a wave of outrage among the veteran principals. They argued fiercely, their faces flushed and necks strained, over Jiang Yan’s destruction of the cameras. Each one clamored to pass judgment on Jiang Yan, as if they had transformed into righteous judges scrutinizing all the sins of the world.

Liu Hairen, blending in among these principals, took the lead in condemning Jiang Yan. He preached benevolence and morality, invoking the authority of the Deputy Director of the Education Bureau to launch a verbal assault against Jiang Yan’s actions.

He regretted it. After witnessing the Talent Jiang Yan had displayed, he admitted he regretted it—regretted stripping Jiang Yan of his right to the Martial Training Ground, regretted not trying to retain Jiang Yan after his Aperture Opening.

He regretted ignoring a student’s pursuit of the Martial Way just to avoid trouble.

But Liu Hairen did not want to admit his mistake, nor did he want anyone to know of his selfishness and grave error. So, he began scheming on how to bury a Genius like Jiang Yan in the dust forever.

“Director, I believe this matter—”

“Shut the hell up, all of you!”

A voice as heavy as a mountain range exploded throughout the conference room, silencing all discussions with its thunderous resonance.

Everyone turned to look and found that the speaker was none other than Shen Donglin, who had been sitting silently at the head of the table the entire time!

The room fell completely silent, not a single stray sound dared to emerge.

Shen Donglin was deeply disappointed. As a powerful figure dispatched from the provincial level, he had hoped to witness an exhilarating battle in this less affluent region and looked forward to the students’ brilliant performances in the Wilderness.

But what did he see?

These principals were willing to spout any ridiculous nonsense for the sake of their own reputations.

No Wilderness Hunters allowed in the Wilderness?

When the young are beaten, the old come seeking revenge?

After provoking someone, they demand the other not fight back?

The life-and-death contract signed before entering the Wilderness became mere empty talk?

Such laughable demands.

Shen Donglin slammed the table in anger, his gaze sweeping over everyone below.

“This is the Wilderness, not some childish game you play at your schools!”

“From now on, I’m in charge. If any student from your schools can defeat that young man, they will be directly rewarded with three bottles of Body-Tempering Liquid!”

“And—” his eyes shifted toward Liu Hairen.

“What did they mean by expulsion in the surveillance footage? If I recall correctly, that Chu Ming was wearing the uniform of your Linjiang First High School, wasn’t he?”

Liu Hairen’s heart skipped a beat.