Chapter 014

Chapter 14: Full Recovery

When Wang Jie returned, the woman was already gone.

Yan Si had found some cataclysm materials underground, but they were clearly not as good as what the woman had obtained. His expression turned dark.

Hong Jian, however, was not concerned with the materials. He was busy reorganizing the team and tallying the casualties.

The battle had been far more brutal than anyone had anticipated. No one expected the moon plant to drag in a vast number of mutated plants, leading to over half the casualties.

More than thirty cultivators had died outright.

The members of the Hundred-Person Team were at least four-seal experts. After this battle, Golden Hill had effectively lost a batch of elites.

But it was worth it, considering the moon plant was slain.

Wang Jie’s survival had truly shocked Lian Fei. She had clearly assigned someone to monitor him, intending to take him out at a critical moment, but her sent agent had died instead.

She didn’t suspect that Wang Jie had killed the agent; it was just bad luck. Encircling the moon plant was chaotic, and anything could happen.

The carnage of the war left everyone speechless. Silence reigned among them.

Hong Jian immediately organized the team to return to Golden Hill.

“Commander, should we let everyone rest for a while?” Feng Yu suggested, seeing that Yan Si was still searching for the moon plant’s cataclysm materials.

Hong Jian didn’t wait: “After the moon night, the mutated creatures will undergo a metamorphosis, becoming even stronger. Staying out here is too dangerous. We need to head back.” With that, he immediately issued the order to leave.

Feng Yu sighed in resignation and went to inform Yan Si.

Yan Si, unwilling, gazed towards the direction the woman had gone. That woman wasn’t ordinary—Armor Eight Steps, Glacial Radiance Sword—both were supreme martial arts from the Martial Hall. And now, with the cataclysm materials in her possession, what if she breaks through to the eighth seal? Where would that leave Golden Hill Base?

With a heavy heart, he approached Hong Jian and said something, but Hong Jian refused, leading to a heated argument between them.

Feng Yu spotted Wang Jie and was astonished. How was he still alive? One or two times could be chalked up to luck, but this was the third time. Even a four-seal cultivator might not survive three near-death situations.

There was something strange about this person.

As soon as they returned to the base, news broke that dampened their celebration of the moon plant’s defeat.

One of the “Three Gods and Five Extremes”—the tactician—was dead.

Wang Jie was momentarily stunned. The tactician was dead?

The Three Gods and Five Extremes were the eight strongest figures in the apocalypse. Calling them gods might be an exaggeration, but in the end, the apocalypse needed symbols of power to give the survivors hope. The destructive force they wielded was far beyond what ordinary people could imagine. In comparison to normal humans, calling them gods was not unwarranted.

The tactician was one of them.

To think that they were dead.

“The tactician was killed by a trial taker. Afterward, the trial taker declared that the so-called Three Gods and Five Extremes are all wretches.”

“What’s a trial taker?”

“I think I heard something about a sect… something with the character ‘?’?”

“Who knows? It sounds mysterious…”

Rumors about the trial takers spread throughout the base.

Hong Jian’s face darkened. The situation was heading in the worst direction. A trial taker had killed one of the Three Gods and Five Extremes. Even more extreme than Yan Si. Yan Si wanted to obtain all the cataclysm materials in Golden Hill Base, but now he was out of the picture.

These trial takers didn’t see the people of Blue Star as human.

The term “war slaves” flashed through his mind.

Perhaps Yan Si hadn’t been lying.

Feng Yu found Hong Jian. “Yan Si told me to pass along a message: If we agree to his conditions, he’ll protect Golden Hill Base. Otherwise, when other trial takers arrive, they might not be as easy to deal with. He said… you are the next tactician.”

Hong Jian furrowed his brows, looking towards the outer gates, lost in thought.

After returning from the wild, Wang Jie went to find Four-Eyes.

Four-Eyes was shocked. “You really killed the moon plant. How did it go? Did you get anything good?”

Wang Jie replied, “I’ll tell you later. Is it ready?”

Four-Eyes rolled his eyes. “You kid must have some good luck finding me. Otherwise, no one could have mixed the medicine so quickly in just a few days.” Saying this, he handed Wang Jie a bag.

Wang Jie glanced at the white ointment in the bag. “Is it effective?”

“Of course. Eagles are known for their sharp eyesight, and using their eggs to treat brain injuries works best.”

“Is it all used up?”

“I still have some left to prepare for you. I think you should recover first.”

Just as Wang Jie was about to decline, Four-Eyes interrupted, “Anyway, no one else can use it. Old Nine’s injuries couldn’t be healed by it, and Old Five has recovered. What do you want to do?”

Wang Jie couldn’t deny this reasoning, so he took the medicine and left.

The Leading Pillar Group was about to leave, and time was tight.

Soon after, Wang Jie found them outside the southern gate and met Wu Fei.

He handed the bag to Wu Fei. “This is medicine made from mutated eagle eggs. It might help him.”

Wu Fei took it and glanced at Wang Jie. “The boss won’t agree to use your stuff. We’ve gathered plenty of valuable cataclysm materials over the years, but they’ve all been useless.”

Wang Jie’s voice was low. “That’s his son. Instead of being stubborn, it’s better to try. The mutated eagle is only second to the moon plant. Even the Leading Pillar Group might not have a mutated eagle egg. Trial takers are in need of it.”

Wu Fei didn’t ask how Wang Jie had obtained the mutated eagle egg but simply nodded. “Alright.”

Wang Jie turned to leave.

“Too bad it wasn’t Zuo Tian who died,” Wu Fei’s voice followed him.

Wang Jie froze, his eyes cold. “Fortunately, it wasn’t Zuo Tian.” With that, he walked away.

Wu Fei sighed, watching Wang Jie’s retreating figure.

Zuo Tian was one of the Three Gods.

In just a few days, news of the trial takers had spread throughout Golden Hill Base, and other bases were hearing it too.

In addition, two words were spreading the most: “war slaves.”

What were war slaves? Simply put, they were slaves of war.

Once the trial ended, the cultivators of Blue Star would become war slaves. This news sent shockwaves through everyone. The term “interstellar battlefield” sounded like an abyss, with no one knowing how many would be buried there.

No one wanted to become a slave.

Wang Jie was at home in the wastewater district. The Zhao family hadn’t come looking for trouble. There was no deep grudge, so they had no reason to target him, a mere guide.

And so, a few days later, he received the healing ointment made from mutated eagle eggs.

It was also an ointment. Wang Jie applied it to his body, and soon, his body absorbed it.

He felt an itch.

At that moment, a voice sounded in his ear: “Now, start the eighth set of beginner exercises.”

Wang Jie stood up, heading to the exercise area.

He checked the time—seven days. Exactly seven days.

“Ready.”

Wang Jie spread his legs.

“Start.”

“One, two, three, four… two, two, three, four…”

The heat flowed through his body, much stronger than the first time, and at the same time, there was another strange sensation moving within him. Was it Four-Eyes’ medicine?

Could the medicine have such an obvious effect?

Could it be related to the exercise?

Wang Jie continued the exercises, feeling something he had never experienced before. It was as if a severed limb was being reattached, watching the wound heal at an unimaginable speed.

The medicine from Four-Eyes definitely didn’t work this well.

It must be the exercises that amplified the effect.

Wang Jie calmed down, closing his eyes, and focused on doing the exercises. His body felt like it was caught in a torrent, itchy yet comfortable. The breathing issues that had troubled him for the past two years were instantly cleared, and his seal energy began to bubble up, enveloping him in mist.

When he finished the set of exercises, he was exhausted and lay down, drenched in sweat.

A foul smell spread; the outside air had become increasingly foul. No, it was his own body.

He looked at his arm, which had a layer of grime. It was filthy. His entire body was covered in it.

He stood up and stretched. His body felt refreshed. Exhaustion remained, but it was a comfortable kind of tired.

Most importantly, his injuries had healed.

Wang Jie was thrilled. He felt no traces of old injuries. His body had completely recovered, like it had been reborn. He felt lighter and more comfortable than he had two years ago.

Especially his seal power.

He sensed it. After two years of cultivation with little progress, he had finally recovered. Now that his old injuries were healed, it felt like a buildup, and his power surged. Not only had he regained his seven-seal strength, but he had even surpassed it. He was now approaching the eighth seal.

He looked at his wristguard. Four-Eyes’ medicine didn’t have this effect—it was the wristguard.

It had truly changed his trajectory in life.

Since he had recovered, some matters needed to be resolved.

One day, a woman arrived at Golden Hill Base’s east gate, slashing through the thick city walls with her sword. In the shocked gazes of numerous cultivators, she demanded that Hong Jian and Yan Si come out.

Wang Jie had just woken up from a night’s rest. He had planned to find Yan Si and get the Three-Eyed Wolf King materials, but his body was too dirty, so he took a bath first, cleaned himself, then went back to bed, planning to handle things the next day. He hadn’t expected this turn of events.

Following the crowd, he arrived at the east gate and saw the woman who had struck the final blow on the moon plant. Back then, he hadn’t seen her clearly, only feeling she was a seven-seal cultivator. Now, he saw her in person.

Sure enough, she was a trial taker.

Her face was concealed, and the purple veil fluttered in the wind, occasionally revealing her fair neck. Although he couldn’t see her clearly, she was undoubtedly beautiful, with a unique aura. Compared to Yan Si, the young man he had killed, and the one who died by Yan Si’s hand, none could compare.

What was more alarming was the pressure she exerted. Wang Jie’s expression grew serious. Eight-seals. She was definitely at the eighth seal, and this woman exuded a formidable presence—not just from her cultivation but from her level.

Hong Jian appeared, his expression solemn as he addressed the woman. “Did you break through to the eighth seal?”

The crowd gasped at his words.

The woman smiled, her eyes sparkling like a starry sky. “If I didn’t break through, you wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“What do you want?”

“Hand over this base. Everything will be under my command.”

Hong Jian furrowed his brow. “What do you plan to do?”

The woman seemed gentle but had an air of distance about her. “That’s not for you to ask.”

Hong Jian drew his sword. “Sorry, but you can’t take this base.”

The woman looked at Golden Hill Base with calm eyes. “Where’s Yan Si? Have him come out.”

Hong Jian’s voice was firm. “This base is mine. If you want it, you’ll have to walk over my dead body.”

The woman looked at him again. “It’s understandable that you wish to protect your home, but if I need to make an example of you, I will. Bring Yan Si out. Let’s show you the difference.”

“Or is it that he’s too afraid to come out?”

Atop the city walls, Yan Si leaped down in front of Hong Jian, his gaze fixed on the woman. “Who says I’m afraid to come out? Who are you? Where do you come from?”

The woman examined him. “Your fiery flame body won’t stop me. Do you have new moves? If not, leave.”

Yan Si frowned. “I’ve never seen you in the Martial Hall. Yet you can use Armor Eight Steps. Where do you come from?”

The woman moved, and everyone saw her figure blur. When they refocused, she was already in front of Yan Si, her speed astonishing.