Chapter 24: A Single Slap
“Qi Five, my brother, congratulations! The Blue Star Hunting Team is now ranked eleventh. I bet the top ten isn’t far off—allow me to congratulate you in advance!” Qi Five’s enthusiasm was evident as he clapped Wang Jie on the shoulder.
Wang Jie raised an eyebrow. “You actually follow this stuff?”
Qi Five chuckled. “Of course! Business is business; I keep an eye on everything.”
Wang Jie responded, “It’s all thanks to Leading Pillar Group.”
Qi Five smirked. “Now that’s just being modest. I know how big the market is—no matter how rich Leading Pillar Group is, they can’t buy all the Cataclysm Materials they need.” He leaned in closer. “That said, they really do have money. Introduce me to that little boss, will you?”
“No problem.” Wang Jie didn’t refuse.
Qi Five beamed. The two continued chatting in high spirits.
Not long after, Wang Jie learned the purpose of the gathering—it was a meeting among Trial Takers to negotiate the distribution of benefits. They had agreed to attend the Upper Capital City meeting under the condition that they be freed from their War Slave status and that no harm befall the people of Blue Star. The real question was: once they got what they wanted, how would the spoils be divided?
“Are all the Trial Takers here?” Wang Jie asked, puzzled.
Qi Five shook his head. “No need for everyone to be present. Some know each other well—don’t be fooled by the few people here; they actually represent the interests of twenty to thirty Trial Takers. As for the others, if they come, they come. If they don’t, well, tough luck.”
“And what if some of them cause trouble later?”
“The power gap between Trial Takers isn’t too great—otherwise, they’d have already been recruited into a sect. Besides, if their numbers are too small, causing trouble would be meaningless. And don’t forget—many die during every Trial.”
“Why aren’t you joining the negotiations?”
“No one would dare take my share. Let them figure it out,” Qi Five said confidently.
Wang Jie glanced at a corner of the room. Wen Zhao was present but remained silent. From what he knew of her, she was proud—she wouldn’t typically be involved in such a gathering unless she had another purpose.
Lian Qin and her daughter, Lian Fei, arrived and greeted Wang Jie, but they didn’t say much beyond a few pleasantries.
It wasn’t until the Trial Takers had settled their discussion that one of them approached the mother and daughter, mentioning Wang Jie’s name.
He turned in surprise.
A proposal?
Lian Qin glanced toward Wang Jie before speaking to the Trial Taker. “Though I haven’t accepted yet, I doubt I’ll refuse. They have feelings for each other, and with Leading Pillar Group as the intermediary, it’s a fine match.”
Wang Jie was speechless. He turned to look at Lian Fei, who remained expressionless.
Qing Zheng must have pulled some strings.
The Trial Taker sneered. “I can free your daughter from her War Slave status. How can a worthless native compare to me?” His gaze darkened as he eyed Lian Qin. “That includes you too, beautiful mother.”
Lian Fei frowned—this man was outright harassing them.
Wang Jie’s brow twitched. Though it was a misunderstanding, the blatant insult toward him was infuriating.
Lian Qin was about to respond with a charming smile when Wang Jie strode forward.
The Trial Taker turned to him, smirking. He mouthed five words: “After I’m done with them.”
Smack!
Without hesitation, Wang Jie delivered a powerful slap. The Trial Taker was sent flying sideways, crashing into a distant wall and leaving behind a human-shaped indentation.
The entire venue fell into stunned silence.
Lowering his hand, Wang Jie’s voice was cold. “Trash.”
The faces of the other Trial Takers darkened. Such audacity—he dared to attack a Trial Taker here?
Wen Zhao looked at the unconscious man embedded in the wall and sighed. “A wasted performance.”
Even Lian Qin was taken aback—she hadn’t expected Wang Jie to be so domineering, treating the Trial Takers as if they were beneath him.
From the wall, the Trial Taker had already lost consciousness. That slap had been anything but light.
“Friend, we could’ve talked things through,” a Trial Taker stepped forward, and the rest moved to surround Wang Jie.
Wang Jie glanced at the speaker—this man must be the one who organized the gathering for the second wave of Trial Takers. “I’m a simple man.”
“Is he with you?” the leader asked Wen Zhao.
She nodded.
“Then give us an explanation.”
Wen Zhao sighed. “I originally wanted to use them to deal with a greater threat. You’ve made this trip pointless.”
The surrounding Trial Takers were taken aback. So blunt?
Wang Jie was speechless. “How was I supposed to know?”
“Let’s go,” Wen Zhao said.
The Trial Takers blocked their way, their expressions hostile. The leader, in particular, fixed his eyes on Wen Zhao. “We could’ve worked together without asking questions, but you clearly have your own agenda. Who are you? Where do you come from?”
Qi Five stepped forward to mediate. “Gentlemen, the negotiations with Blue Star are about to begin. If we start infighting now, we’ll be a laughingstock. You don’t seriously think those tracking devices on you are just for location tracking, do you?”
Only then did Wang Jie realize that these Trial Takers, like Wen Zhao, were also wearing tracking devices.
The leader of the Trial Takers narrowed his eyes, taking a long look at Wen Zhao before shifting his gaze to Wang Jie. “Let them go. We’ll settle this after the meeting.”
Wang Jie nodded at Qi Five and left.
“Brother Chuan, we’re just letting them go? That woman disrespected us, and that native dared to strike first!” one of the Trial Takers protested.
The leader—Brother Chuan—spoke in a low tone. “That woman… she’s likely from the Wen Clan.”
The surrounding trial-takers gasped in shock.
“The Wen Clan? One of the Three Great Families?”
“Impossible! Why would someone from the Wen Clan participate in a trial?”
Brother Chuan glanced at Qi Five and nodded. “Much obliged.”
Qi Five chuckled. “Just make sure to take care of my business, and we’re even.” It was he who had whispered Wen Zhao’s identity to Brother Chuan, allowing the matter to be settled without further conflict.
The Wen Clan had every right to disregard them. While they struggled to earn a place in Armor One Sect, the Wen Clan stood as one of its ruling families.
Meanwhile, Wang Jie and Wen Zhao walked side by side.
“Why did you hit him?” Wen Zhao asked curiously.
“His mouth was filthy,” Wang Jie replied.
“You made me come all this way for nothing. You’ll have to compensate me.”
“How?”
“I chose you over all the other trial-takers. What do you think?”
“You want me to deal with the Heavenly Insect Person?”
Wen Zhao nodded.
“Are they truly that formidable?” Wang Jie asked.
She met his gaze. “On Blue Star, what do you think is the most numerous lifeform?”
Wang Jie instinctively thought of mutated creatures, but then reconsidered. Those were divided into beasts and plants, but people often overlooked another category—
“Insects… There are endless insects,” he murmured.
Wen Zhao smiled. “That girl can control insects, meaning she commands an entire Insect Tide.”
Wang Jie’s expression darkened. That was akin to someone being able to command a Beast Tide—an army that never ceased.
Wen Zhao’s lips curved. “Scared?”
Wang Jie shook his head. “Not quite. But… it’ll be troublesome.”
“That’s the cost of impulsiveness,” she said casually. “Of course, you don’t have to help me.”
Not help? Wang Jie dismissed the thought. He had sought out Wen Zhao. He had proposed the alliance. Backing out now would be disgraceful.
Still… if things reached a point where his life was at stake…
Retreat would be the wisest choice.
That could be decided later.
As a Blue Star native, he had no reason to compete with trial-takers over pride.
Back at his lodging, Wang Jie dragged Qing Zheng forward. “Was it you?”
Qing Zheng looked confused. “What?”
“Lian Fei.”
“Oh, that woman? What happened, Boss? Did she send you a marriage proposal? I kept telling my old man to make sure she wrote it herself! The more heartfelt and emotional, the better. A love letter would’ve been perfect!”
Wang Jie: …
This misunderstanding was getting out of hand.
Moonlight cascaded over the city like a silver veil. Beneath Upper Capital City, two red dots flickered across a screen.
“Instructor, we have movement! Two trial-takers are on the move!”
“Contact Bai Yuan and Older Sister Tang immediately!”
“Wait… more trial-takers are moving. All of them! Where are they headed?!”
“Sound the alarm!”
A piercing siren howled across the night sky of Upper Capital City.
At the Leading Pillar Group’s branch, Old Five abruptly opened his eyes and turned toward the window. “Boss, we have company.”
Elsewhere, within a quiet courtyard, a black cat’s pupils contracted as it gazed skyward. It let out a long, piercing howl.
Bai Xiao sat up. “Little Black?”
Bright streaks of light cut through the moonlit night, shooting toward her courtyard.
She grabbed the blanket and hurled it forward. The seemingly soft fabric blasted through the courtyard wall, forming a barrier against the incoming projectiles. But in an instant, the lights pierced through it.
Eight figures emerged from the four corners of the courtyard—killers.
Boom! A house collapsed as Bai Yuan snapped awake. He seized his sword and swung.
One strike. One kill.
Under the moonlight, Bai Yuan’s gaze grew cold as he recognized the corpse’s face. “Divine Wind Hunting Team.”
In the distance, more figures advanced toward him. Leading them was none other than Brother Chuan.
The meeting in Upper Capital City had been a mere pretense. Their true purpose was to assassinate Bai Yuan.
If Hua Xia’s strongest warriors perished, there would be no resistance left.
At the same time, Older Sister Tang faced an ambush—two trial-takers, both at the Eight-Seal Level. They were confident they could kill her.
But they had walked into a trap.
The elite members of Older Sister Tang’s Hunting Team were stationed at her residence.
Meanwhile, at Bai Yuan’s location, Brother Chuan and the trial-takers charged alongside the Divine Wind Hunting Team, only for two of their own to be yanked backward by an unseen force.
Brother Chuan turned sharply. “Who?!”
A figure emerged from the shadows of a tree, smiling faintly. “We meet again.”
Brother Chuan’s face changed. “Zuo Tian?! What are you doing here?!”
“Trial-takers… still so naive.” Zuo Tian extended both hands, and the two Eight-Seal Level cultivators found themselves immobilized.
Brother Chuan’s eyes widened in horror. “One of the Eighteen Ultimate Techniques—Empty-Grasping Hands?!”
Zuo Tian smirked. “No need to be shocked. Bai Yuan has already slaughtered all your men.”
Upper Capital City erupted in chaos.
At the Eight-Seal Level, every battle shook the city.
Back at Wang Jie’s location, Old Five had sensed the ambush early.
Two Eight-Seal Level trial-takers had come for him. One was the very same person Wang Jie had knocked unconscious with a single slap earlier.
Their original mission was to assassinate Older Sister Tang, but since this stop was along the way, they figured they might as well eliminate Wang Jie first.
They never expected the moment they made a move, everything would go wrong.
One of them watched in stunned disbelief as Wang Jie effortlessly wrenched his custom-forged battle blade from his grip.
The trial-taker, his face still marked by that earlier slap, stood frozen. How was he this fast?! Could he have mastered Armor Eight Steps?!
A searing pain tore through his back—the blunt edge of his own blade slamming into him. His vision blurred as his strength faded.
The other trial-taker panicked. I should never have taken this job.
He turned and fled, his Eight-Seal power surging as he shattered windows on both sides of the street with the sheer force of his movement.
But before he could escape, Wang Jie casually flicked his wrist.
A blade whistled through the air and impaled him mid-stride. Blood splattered onto the pavement.
Wang Jie turned his gaze to the remaining trial-taker, raising a hand. The battle blade returned to him, and with one swift motion—
Slash.
The trial-taker’s eyes widened in terror. “No—”
Blood stained the ground.
There were no remedies for regret.
Wang Jie had no intention of leaving behind enemies.
Just as he finished, Old Five’s urgent voice rang in his ear. “Boss! To your left!”
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation