Volume One: First Signs of Brilliance Chapter Thirty-Three: Calamity Without Cause

On the way home.

Wang Jue didn’t walk quickly; in fact, his pace was slower than usual. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to hurry and pick up his little sister, but rather that he was wholly absorbed by the changes within his own body.

On the surface, nothing about him seemed different from before his breakthrough. Yet he knew clearly that after two rounds of tempering, his body had undergone a radical transformation.

Without obtaining the diamond-shaped gem in the short term, his only way to improve his strength was to focus on refining his body over time.

Now, his body was like untapped treasure, his blood and energy constantly ready to absorb star power, replenishing and feeding back at any moment.

It was as if he possessed an infinite well of vitality, never needing to worry about depletion.

This discovery made Wang Jue all the more certain that his body could only be described as “monstrous.”

Compared to before, the difference was as vast as heaven and earth.

His predecessor had trained for more than nine years before finally breaking through to the Body Forging stage, whereas Wang Jue himself had trained for less than a week and already reached the third level of Body Forging.

If he wasn’t absolutely certain this body was his own, he would almost suspect he’d been switched.

Now, Wang Jue vaguely sensed that if he wanted to grow stronger, the key was to gradually unlock the potential of his body.

After all, the body is the very foundation of everything.

Tap, tap, tap...

Lost in thought, Wang Jue was suddenly brought back to himself by the faint sound of footsteps ahead. “What’s that?”

He frowned slightly. If his senses hadn’t been heightened several times over from body tempering, he doubted he would have noticed it at all.

Looking around, he realized he’d wandered onto an unfamiliar and rather deserted road. Few people passed this way, and the only sounds were the occasional chirps of insects.

“Since you’re already here, you might as well stay.”

A voice called out from ahead, and the sound of footsteps became clearer—apparently three or four people.

Wang Jue’s gaze sharpened as he peered into the darkness, where he could just make out several figures rushing toward him.

He instinctively edged to the side of the road, leaving the center clear. Clearly, he had no intention of getting involved in unnecessary trouble.

The rushing figures soon entered his field of vision, confirming his earlier guess: three people, two in front, one behind.

It looked like the two ahead were fleeing, and the one behind chasing.

Wang Jue had spotted them, and they’d spotted him.

“Boss, there’s someone up ahead!”

Even in the darkness, with no streetlights, a person standing in the open was easy to notice.

“Perfect. Whether we escape or not depends on him.” The man addressed as “Boss” didn’t hesitate, issuing a direct order. “Grab him and use him as a hostage. I’ll hold off the woman.”

“Got it!”

At his command, the one who’d first spoken abruptly sped up, racing directly at Wang Jue.

In less than a second, the two had reacted, paying Wang Jue no mind.

And understandably so. When they saw his slim frame, youthful appearance, and school uniform, it was obvious he was just a student.

If he’d been an adult, perhaps they might have hesitated, but a student posed no threat—they couldn’t bring themselves to take him seriously even if they wanted to.

Besides, their real worry wasn’t Wang Jue, but the terrifying woman pursuing them.

No, wait—someone tell me, what on earth is happening right now?

Wang Jue was completely bewildered.

When the three figures appeared, two already fighting and the last one dashing at him, his face darkened. This was pure bad luck.

From the man charging toward him, Wang Jue felt a powerful sense of danger. His hair stood on end, and he instinctively turned to run.

“Kid, you’re just unlucky today. Stand still and I’ll make sure you keep your life,” the man said, appearing before Wang Jue just as he was about to turn.

He was a middle-aged man with a vicious look.

Seeing Wang Jue’s youthful face up close, the man’s scorn was evident—as if Wang Jue were nothing more than meat on his chopping block.

“Don’t come any closer! Who are you? What do you want?” Wang Jue knew he sounded foolish, but he had no choice. He kept backing away, trying to put as much distance as possible between himself and the man.

Faced with someone who’d suddenly appeared and targeted him without a word, Wang Jue’s heart was filled with despair.

His luck—he truly didn’t know what to say about it.

The man didn’t bother explaining. Seeing Wang Jue retreat, he barked, “Stay still, kid, and behave yourself!” Then, without hesitation, he sped up and swung a fist at Wang Jue, clearly intending to render him incapable of resistance.

There was no holding back in that punch—its speed and force left no doubt the man cared nothing for Wang Jue’s life.

“Just my luck,” Wang Jue thought bitterly.

Seeing the incoming fist and realizing escape was impossible, Wang Jue’s mind went cold. He shifted to the side, narrowly dodging the blow.

He was hardly powerless.

Especially since the man clearly didn’t take him seriously, which presented an opportunity.

“Oh? Not bad—you’ve got some skill after all.” Surprised that his punch had been dodged, the man’s eyes flashed, and he launched a second, even more powerful blow.

Even before the punch landed, the air began to whistle.

Wang Jue’s sharp eyes caught the rippling shockwave as the air was blasted apart; even before it reached him, the force sent his hair flying wildly.

He could feel at once that this punch was at least twice as powerful as the last.

If that landed on him, he’d be lucky to escape with half his life—he couldn’t afford to take it head-on. He’d have to dodge.

As the man’s fist flew out again, Wang Jue instantly made the right decision.

A punch of that magnitude was far beyond what his body could withstand. If there’d been a wall between them, it would likely have been smashed through.

If even a wall couldn’t take it, his flesh and blood certainly couldn’t.

By rights, Wang Jue should have been terrified, even petrified, facing such a powerful attack.

He believed that himself, too.

Yet, unexpectedly, he remained unnaturally calm—he didn’t know what had come over him.

Perhaps it was the threat of death; his survival instinct spurred his body to react almost automatically.

At that moment, Wang Jue couldn’t tell if this was right or wrong.

His body’s primal instinct was faster than his mind—before he’d even consciously decided how to dodge, his body was already counterattacking.

Instinct—like that of a wild beast.

When facing an attack, his body didn’t need his mind to act; it countered correctly on its own.

His movements outpaced his thoughts. Like a butterfly flitting among flowers, Wang Jue’s body, originally to the right, shifted left in an instant, dodging the man’s fist by a hair’s breadth, as if he’d drilled this move countless times.

At the same time, his fist clenched, and, mustering all his strength, he hammered it at the vicious man.

This punch carried a terrifying momentum; even before contact, its force was enough to cow the onlooker, like an ancient tyrannosaur charging forth.

His fist sliced the air, leaving a nearly transparent white shockwave in its wake, striking the man’s chest before he could react.

Wang Jue’s full-powered blow easily reached at least 700 kilograms of force. Coupled with his explosive strength, it was no weaker than the man’s punch—perhaps even stronger.

Fist met flesh.

Crack!

The sound of breaking ribs rang out.

The man’s eyes bulged; Wang Jue’s punch had caved his chest in, shattering his ribs instantly. The wild force of the blow tore through his body, bursting out his back, shredding his clothes to tatters.

The might of Wang Jue’s full-strength punch was truly horrifying.

“I…”

Staring at the man’s nearly protruding eyes, his face frozen in disbelief, Wang Jue himself was stunned.

He hadn’t imagined his strength was so great.

He’d always known his body was strong, but never had a way to measure it—until now.

Now, with this man serving as a guinea pig, Wang Jue unleashed his strength without reserve.

“You…”

The man, so sure of his own victory, stared at the youthful Wang Jue in utter disbelief. Just as he tried to speak, blood mixed with fragments of his own organs gushed from his mouth, spilling uncontrollably.

How laughable—he’d been worried about holding back, or altering his attack to avoid killing the boy outright, never imagining he’d be the one to die.

Bang!

With deep unwillingness in his eyes, the man collapsed backward, raising a cloud of dust.