Volume One: A First Glimpse of Brilliance Chapter Ninety-Eight: Mission Accomplished

Having felt the threat of death.

“Don’t look down on me!”

The burly man’s eyes nearly split with rage. Unleashing every ounce of strength he had, he tried to strike back. “I—”

His roar was cut off mid-breath.

Still clutching his blade with both hands in the posture of a counterattack, he stood frozen as though turned to stone.

His eyes were filled with terror.

If, a moment ago, this had been the first time in his life he had felt death’s shadow, then now was the first time he had ever regretted meeting Wang Jue.

Swish.

Wang Jue landed, sheathed his sword, and turned to walk calmly toward Lin Shengli and the others.

He did not even spare a glance for the rigid figure behind him.

With a dull thud, that head full of resentment and fear rolled to the ground.

The burly man who had weighed on Lin Shengli and the others like a mountain in the very last second was dead the next.

The air suddenly fell silent.

Not a sound could be heard.

Everyone stared, as if petrified, at Wang Jue and the headless corpse behind him.

“Is that it?”

“That ruthless killer actually died?”

“Even someone who couldn’t take a single blow from Li Ming got killed so easily?”

That terrifying existence, who had driven everyone present into despair, had died in the brief span of a few seconds after Wang Jue appeared.

Gulp.

The fat man could not help swallowing hard. Looking at Wang Jue walking closer step by step, he felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet.

Only now did he finally connect Wang Jue with the fierce figure he had glimpsed in passing earlier, the one who had cut a bloody path through all directions.

“Damn it, it was him...”

Remembering his earlier sarcastic mockery, the fat man’s legs went weak.

“I was actually mocking a powerhouse?!”

Not only him; even the self-styled aloof dagger-wielder was stunned. Watching Wang Jue approach, he took a fearful step back.

“Have I lost my mind for real?”

If that burly man, who killed without blinking, was a demon king, then in everyone’s eyes Wang Jue was a god of demons from the abyss.

That fear welled up in their hearts all on its own.

Wang Jue ignored their reactions and said calmly, “It’s dealt with.”

As soon as those words fell, everyone still standing there, including Lin Shengli and the Tiger Squad members who prided themselves on having been through countless battles, had yet to recover from their shock.

Instead, it was the little old man they had been protecting who smiled warmly and said, “Many thanks for your help, young friend. May I ask your name?”

Wang Jue gave the old man a slightly surprised look and answered briefly, “Wang Jue.”

In his view, the fact that this old man could still speak so smoothly after all they had been through proved he was no ordinary person.

“Wang Jue, is it?”

The little old man nodded with genuine seriousness. “Very well, I’ll remember that.”

“Uh...”

Wang Jue glanced at him again. What exactly did the old man mean by that?

Why was he keeping his name in mind for no reason?

At that moment, Lin Shengli had already come to his senses.

“The mission still isn’t finished. How about we set off right away, to avoid any other ambushes?”

As he spoke, his eyes remained fixed on Wang Jue, as if asking for his opinion.

“You’re the captain. You decide,” Wang Jue said with a nod.

This was his first time taking a mission, so he did not want to expose all of his strength.

Since things could be brought to a peaceful end, there was no need to invite trouble for himself.

In his eyes, so long as the one coming was not a Red Star realm expert, he would kill as many Spirit Nurturing realm fighters as came.

Lin Shengli finally let out a long breath.

...

Very soon, the group set off again.

Only this time, Wang Jue, who had once been the invisible one in the team, had abruptly become its pillar.

...

Half an hour later, at the place where Wang Jue and the others had been earlier, a middle-aged man quietly appeared.

Seeing the headless corpse on the ground, he was struck dumb with shock.

“He’s actually dead?”

“How is that possible?!”

“Could it be that a Red Star realm warrior made a move?”

“Damn it, I never expected the Chu family to be willing to pay such a huge price.”

“No good. I have to hurry back and report this to the young master...”

...

Meanwhile.

Before noon, after much hardship, the little old man was finally delivered to the Chu family.

Unaware of the truth, the Chu family did not keep Wang Jue behind. After paying the fee, they dismissed the escorts.

As expected.

Just as they had said at the beginning, once combat had occurred, the reward would rise to two million.

Wang Jue had originally assumed that meant two million per person.

He had not expected that after all of them had risked life and blood for the job, the total would still only be divided among them.

As for how much the ordinary bodyguards got, Wang Jue did not know.

For the two million shared by his group, he himself took nearly one million, while Lin Shengli and the others got two hundred thousand each.

Although two hundred thousand did not seem like much, and converted into star energy stones it was only two pieces, one must not forget that for most martial artists, compared with hunting star beasts, they actually preferred this kind of bodyguard mission.

In relative terms, hunting star beasts brought greater rewards, but also greater danger. If luck was poor and no star beasts were encountered, a whole day could end with nothing at all.

A protection mission was different. There was definitely risk, but it was much smaller, and the money was easier to earn as well.

At the very least, they did not need to personally haul a huge sack of star-beast materials off to sell.

...

After dividing the money, Wang Jue no longer intended to stay.

To him, this mission had been an utter loss.

If he had spent that time hunting star beasts instead, he would certainly have earned more than this.

After all, one trip to Blood Wolf Valley brought in several million, along with dozens of points of Star Source Value.

No matter how he looked at it, he had clearly done a deal that lost money.

“Wang, Senior Wang, are you free at noon?”

Unexpectedly, before Wang Jue left, Lin Shengli and the members of the Tiger Adventure Team found him.

Regarding what had happened that morning, several of them said they wanted to apologize and even offered to hand over all their compensation to Wang Jue.

However, Wang Jue refused.

“What are you giving me the money you bled for? Keep your accounts straight.”

Hearing Wang Jue say that, the fat man and the others only felt more embarrassed.

If Wang Jue had not been there for this operation, his life would really have been handed over to the Lord of the Underworld.

Thus, although the fat man was ashamed, he still said earnestly, “Senior, this morning I truly had eyes but failed to see! You saved my life too. If you ever need anything from me in the future, I’ll go through fire and water without a second word. If I so much as furrow my brow, may my name not be the fat man!”

The others also quickly declared that a single word from Wang Jue would be enough.

“That’s right, Senior. I’m the same.”

“Senior, this is my number.”

“...”

...

Wang Jue first went to the Martial Arts Association and made a small harvest there, then in the afternoon chose to go to the martial hall, where he found a corner and stayed alone.

“Junior Brother Wang, I was just wondering whether you might have been injured. Now that I see you’ve come to the martial hall, I can rest easy.”

At that moment, Monkey came looking for him.

“By the way, did the mission go smoothly this time?”

Wang Jue said casually, “Effortless.”

“Uh...”

Monkey froze, then laughed and cursed, “You brat, I haven’t even said you’re fat, and you’re already puffing up?”

Thinking Wang Jue was joking, Monkey continued, “So, did you make contact with the Chu family’s side?”

“I caught a distant glimpse of them,” Wang Jue said, shrugging. “They didn’t even let me through the door.”

“...” Monkey fell silent. After a moment of thought, he said, “Looks like I underestimated it. A behemoth like the Chu family definitely isn’t so easy to get close to.”

He had been busy with other matters, so he did not know what had happened that morning.

If he had known what Wang Jue had actually done, he would absolutely not have thought that this seemingly harmless junior brother was a bloodthirsty demon god.

...

Time passed like this for three days.

During these two days, Wang Jue was immersed in Blood Wolf Valley every single day, apparently intent on earning back what he had lost before.

As his practical combat experience grew, his raw strength had not shown any obvious rise, but when killing blood wolves, he had become even more adept.

Although the entrance exam was already over, large numbers of people still came to the Blood Wolf territory every day.

What made Wang Jue feel fortunate was that the value of these blood wolf corpses had not dropped.

Within three days, Wang Jue had rapidly accumulated more than ten million in wealth.

Including his previous savings, Wang Jue now had a total of well over a hundred million in his account.

He did not touch that money, mainly because he was not short of Star Source at the moment and planned to keep it for now.

...

One morning, Wang Jue got up for breakfast.

His mother came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of fried eggs. It was obvious she had encountered some happy event, because the joy on her face could not be concealed.

Wang Xiaoyu noticed her state and her eyes rolled mischievously.

Wanting to extort a little pocket money while her mother was in a good mood, she immediately put on a sweet and innocent smile.

“My lovely, generous mom, you look especially beautiful today.”

“I’m beautiful every day,” Wang’s mother said with a beaming smile, happily accepting her daughter’s flattery.

“...”

Wang Xiaoyu choked on the spot.

Seeing her foolish expression, Wang Jue could not help laughing, and took the chance to ruffle her bangs into a bird’s nest.

“Wang Jue! I’m fighting you for real!”

Thus, the siblings were soon at it again, wrestling and teasing.

Wang Jue let her attack with both hands tied behind his back, yet the little girl could not even touch a corner of his clothes. Furious, she stamped her feet and turned to seek help from the elders.

She threw herself first at Wang’s mother, pretending to cry, “Mom...”

Wang’s mother glanced at Wang Jue, then instinctively reached out,夹起 a fried egg and stuffed it into Wang Xiaoyu’s mouth before asking, “By the way, little Jue, doesn’t your martial hall have someone nicknamed Monkey?”

“There is such a person. What’s up, Mom?” Wang Jue’s movements stiffened at once. He withdrew the hand that had been teasing the little girl and frowned slightly.

“Nothing much. Yesterday he came to our noodle shop to eat. After he heard Xiaoyu mention your name, he came over and asked a few questions. Who would have thought he actually belonged to the same martial hall as you?”

Wang’s mother said with a pleased smile, “Also, before he left, he ordered forty servings of noodles for a whole month. Tonight when you go to the martial hall, remember to stop by the shop and take them along. Since he’s taking such good care of us, we can’t be stingy either. I’ll add extra noodles and meat for him for you to bring.”

“You’re grown now too. Usually, you should spend more time with him. It’s good to have a few more friends.”

Wang Jue had not expected Monkey to do such a thing, and so he smiled and said, “All right, I understand. I’ll go tonight.”

Thinking of his current earning ability, Wang Jue hesitated for a moment.

“Oh, right, Mom, I’ve got some money here. If you need it, I can give it to you...”

This was already who-knows-how-many times Wang Jue had brought it up.

As always, Wang’s mother refused.

“That’s money you earned through hard work. Keep it for your own cultivation resources. We’re not missing hands or feet—what would we need your money for?”

“I just don’t want you both to be too tired,” Wang Jue said, unable to suppress a pang in his heart.

Wang’s mother laughed. “We’re not tired, not tired at all. Your father and I are still young; this little bit doesn’t amount to anything.”

Wang Jue: “...”

He fell silent, not knowing what else to say for a moment.