Volume One: First Signs of Brilliance Chapter Nine: Windfall from the Heavens?

Wang Jue glanced at his communication wristwatch and saw it was already 8:10 p.m. Normally, he would be back in his own room by now, but he was still wandering outside, an uneasy premonition stirring in his heart.

He knew that his parents always closed the shop and returned home punctually at nine every night. Now, his only option was to take a shortcut, hoping to arrive before his parents got back. Who knew if tonight they might come home earlier than usual? If they found the house empty and he returned later, he would undoubtedly receive another round of his mother’s “loving education.”

With that thought, Wang Jue searched his memory, planning to walk a familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar shortcut home. He traversed about a third of the deserted street and arrived at the entrance of the alley he remembered well.

As soon as he turned into the pitch-black alley with not a single light, Wang Jue’s footsteps halted. He instantly sensed something amiss. Normally, even in an empty alley, there would be the faint sounds of insects or rats scavenging for food.

But the alley before him was eerily silent, so quiet it was frightening. It felt as if the darkness itself were a gaping abyss, patiently waiting for prey to step inside.

Wang Jue paused at the alley entrance, his eyes narrowing, a wary expression appearing on his face. He waited a while, but nothing happened.

“Whew... Seems I scared myself,” he muttered, relaxing a bit and letting the tension slip from his face. Determined to get home quickly, he stopped worrying and stepped into the alley.

Inside, the silence was oppressive. Apart from the sound of his own footsteps, he could hear his heartbeat and breathing. After walking for about two minutes, Wang Jue felt a sense of danger looming.

Suddenly—

Bang!

A dull thud echoed as something unknown fell from above, exploding in the quiet alley. Even though Wang Jue had somewhat braced himself, he was still startled.

His eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, making out that the figure before him was a person. Yet, seeing the individual lying motionless on the ground, Wang Jue hesitated to approach.

Soon, a strong scent of blood wafted into his nose, causing him to frown. Was that the smell of blood? Could this person be a martial artist?

The night was deep, and the alley was shrouded in darkness. From a distance, Wang Jue could only discern the outline of a person, unable to see their features.

Although Wang Jue was now a first-stage body-tempering martial artist, he had no intention of checking whether the person was dead. It wasn’t that he wasn’t curious—he simply knew that, at best, he was a relatively sturdy “weakling.” He might be formidable among ordinary people, but in the circles of martial artists, he was at the very bottom of the food chain. A single mistake could cost him his life.

Especially since it was clear this “corpse” had fallen from above, indicating that their strength far exceeded his own. Without knowing whether they were truly dead or just seriously injured, Wang Jue wasn’t about to risk his life.

After waiting some time and seeing that the figure remained still, Wang Jue gathered his courage and slowly drew closer.

As he approached, the smell of blood grew stronger, making him feel nauseous. He forced himself to ignore the discomfort, stopping three meters from the “corpse.”

Why not get closer? Wang Jue knew that if he went any further and danger arose, his current abilities wouldn’t allow him to react in time. Keeping a bit of distance gave him a chance to respond.

If faced with a healthy martial artist, Wang Jue would have turned and fled without hesitation. But seeing the man lying on the ground and sensing no warning of danger in his mind, Wang Jue dared to approach, trusting his intuition.

Indeed, at three meters he felt no threat, so he carefully closed the gap. He saw that the person before him was a middle-aged man, wounded all over, blood continuously seeping from his injuries, his clothes soaked in red, their original color lost.

“Young man, take this… Keep it safe…” Perhaps sensing someone nearby, the “corpse” managed, with a final burst of energy, to pull a jade box from his chest. The simple act made him cough violently, his voice weak beyond measure: “Run… Run quickly, as far as you can. Otherwise, you won’t be able to leave…”

Luckily, Wang Jue had just broken through to the first stage of body tempering and his hearing had improved; otherwise, he might not have caught the man’s words at all.

Even so, it took considerable effort for Wang Jue to comprehend them.

This box was meant for him? And he was being told to run?

But where was he supposed to run?

For a moment, Wang Jue was completely confused.

“Hurry… run…” As Wang Jue hesitated, the dying man summoned strength from who knew where. Though breathing was difficult, he managed to toss the jade box toward Wang Jue, emphasizing once more, “Run… quickly… or else…”

Before he could finish, the middle-aged man expired.

Why had this man told him to run?

Although Wang Jue thought himself mature, this situation was beyond his imagination. Even back on Earth, he’d never experienced anything like this.

At first, Wang Jue really did intend to flee. This place was clearly dangerous, and the identity of the dead man was a mystery. If he hadn’t sensed no malice or intent to harm from the man, Wang Jue would never have approached and would have pretended not to see anything.

Wang Jue had never believed in “pie falling from the sky.” But now, faced with such a windfall, he found it unexpected. Whether it was a boon, he couldn’t say, but whether it was poisonous was the most important question.

After some hesitation, Wang Jue decided to accept this “unexpected surprise.” Especially since the dying man had repeatedly urged him to run, Wang Jue dared not delay. Carefully avoiding stepping in the blood, he clutched the palm-sized jade box and left the alley as quickly as he could, as if a savage beast were pursuing him. His body unleashed strength he hadn’t known he possessed.

Following his memory, Wang Jue darted through the alley, twisting and turning, making ten or so changes in direction before finally escaping the alley that had given him such an unexpected “gift.” He stuffed the jade box into his pants pocket, thankful for the loose trousers he wore today; otherwise, it might not have fit.

Originally, Wang Jue intended to find a place to discard the jade box. He was deeply curious about the mysterious object, but thinking of the dead middle-aged man, he lost all desire to get involved.

Yet, holding to the belief that “what’s gotten is mine,” Wang Jue knew it must be something valuable. Though he was sure it would bring him danger, he couldn’t bring himself to throw away something he’d acquired. He hadn’t stolen or robbed anyone, nor had he broken any laws—discarding it would be a real waste.

Besides, the jade box had been entrusted to him by the dying man.

If his guess was right, the box was far more precious than he imagined. Otherwise, the man wouldn’t have died for it.

Anything worth risking one’s life for must be invaluable. At least, from Wang Jue’s perspective, he couldn’t see what was special about the box. If not for his current circumstances, he would have wanted to open it and see what was inside.

Truth be told, Wang Jue had only transmigrated three days ago and knew little about Azure Star, even less about the world of martial artists. His only knowledge came from the internet.

Whether the information he’d found online was reliable, Wang Jue couldn’t say. In his view, martial artists had their own circles, just as ordinary people did. Since martial artists seemed so mysterious to common folk, it hinted at an invisible hand controlling everything—no doubt, the powerful figures in the ancestral hall of the human race.

Afraid of being tracked or exposed, Wang Jue made a point of wandering through crowded places before heading home, blending in as just another person out shopping.

He wasted a lot of time this way, only returning home when he felt it was safe.

…

Meanwhile.

In the pitch-black alley.

About twenty minutes after Wang Jue had left with the jade box, several figures appeared before the middle-aged man’s corpse.

One of them crouched down and searched the body, then turned to someone standing nearby and said, “The body is still warm, which means he died less than half an hour ago. But the item is gone!”

Clearly, these unusual individuals were after the very jade box Wang Jue had taken. Upon discovering that their objective had vanished, the leader could not accept it.

Shrouded in darkness, his expression unreadable, he spoke coldly: “The item doesn’t just disappear without reason. Find it for me, and don’t let anyone involved get away.”

At these words, someone hesitated and asked, “Boss, what if the person is just an ordinary civilian?”

“Did you not understand what I said?” the leader’s icy tone remained unchanged. “I said not to let anyone involved get away. Even if it’s a civilian—once you retrieve the item, silence them.”

“Yes.”
“Yes.”
“…”