CHAPTER 26: CHAPTER 26: GREAT HARVEST, SO JOYFUL

EDITOR: ENDLESSFANTASY TRANSLATION

Wang Lan’s face, along with those of his two opponents, turned ashen almost simultaneously. For two of them—Wang Lan and one of the opponents—the agony of their shattered fists felt like countless steel needles stabbing into their fingers, the pain twisting their expressions instantaneously.

Hang in there! Hang in there! I must hang on! But... I can’t hang on any longer... AWOOOO—

Wang Lan let out a wolf-like howl toward the sky, quickly channeling the Self Healing Star Martial Skill into his fist. If an X-ray had been taken at that moment, his palm would have looked like a cookie smashed on the ground.

His opponent’s face contorted with pain as he quickly retreated. Suddenly, the ground beneath the middle-aged Star Martial Warrior collapsed, and he fell in before he could react, his legs sinking into the earth. Out of nowhere, two figures burst from the ground behind the Star Martial Warrior. Two Xu Xiangwens, one on each side, slashed down with their battle blades.

The coordination this time was exquisite. Even Jiang Xinyu, poised for a fatal strike, was taken aback; she knew that if she had been in the Star Martial Warrior’s place, she certainly would have fallen to this blow.

CLANG—

The dual blades struck the Star Martial Warrior’s neck, but the expected beheading didn’t happen. Xu Xiangwen’s blades felt as if they had struck steel.

Horror spread across Xu Xiangwen’s face. In that instant, a carapace, like that of an armored creature, had appeared on the back of the Star Martial Warrior’s head. This tough shell protected his vulnerable neck, causing Xu Xiangwen’s lethal strike to miss.

But... did you think the middle-aged Star Martial Warrior would simply avoid disaster and begin a second round? You’d be sorely underestimating the cunning of these kids. Given the slightest opportunity, they would unleash a relentless barrage of attacks, giving their enemy no chance to breathe.

The moment Xu Xiangwen’s attack missed, Jiang Xinyu’s figure brushed past Wang Lan. In her left hand, a Wind Blade Spire, like a spinning gyroscope, howled as it transformed into a phantom image and plunged deep into the Star Martial Warrior’s chest.

The cyan armor was no match for the terrifying cutting power of the Wind Blade Spire, and Jiang Xinyu’s entire forearm plunged deep into his chest.

"Gah—" The middle-aged Star Martial Warrior looked up, his eyes filled with confusion.

Jiang Xinyu instantly retreated, leaving a hole the size of a football in the Star Martial Warrior’s chest.

"Damn... it!"

"Cross-level kill! Reward: 200 experience points, 10 skill points!"

Only 10 skill points? What a waste!

"Are you okay?" Jiang Xinyu asked Wang Lan, her voice laced with concern.

"N-no... I’m fine." By then, Wang Lan’s shattered fist had been completely restored by the Self Healing Star Martial Skill. Although it had consumed nearly all his Star Power, he had to admit the skill was truly amazing.

"I thought I heard..."

"See? No problem." Wang Lan opened his palm and flexed his fingers. He definitely wouldn’t have been able to do that if he were still injured.

"I must have misheard then." Jiang Xinyu glanced at the corpse. "Let’s go. The Gale Wolves will be here soon to dispose of the body. Xu Xiangwen, any loot in his bag?"

"Damn it! For someone this strong, his bag is completely empty! What a pauper. Could he have just entered the trial grounds and not had a chance to get anything yet?"

"Never mind, let’s move on," Jiang Xinyu said. "We still have six days. The more we hunt, the better."

Wang Lan, however, still had some lingering doubts about this enigmatic man. For instance, he was clearly only at the Star Shine Stage, so why did he erupt with Star Power comparable to someone at the Star Cloud Stage? And how did that guy suddenly grow a carapace? But Star Martial Warriors possessed many strange and varied abilities. Maybe, perhaps, probably... that was just his special skill.

「After traveling another 10 kilometers or so, they arrived at the Ground Flame Magma Region, the territory of the Flaming Leopards.」

On the outskirts of the region, they found a well-ventilated canyon, which they designated as the resting base for their five-person team. After establishing a tactical routine for resting and luring monsters, Jiang Xinyu took the lead, guiding Wang Lan and the others toward the Flaming Leopards.

Previously, when luring Snow Spiders, they had pulled 10 at a time. Since individual Flaming Leopards were much stronger than Snow Spiders, they decided to try luring 20.

Twenty Flaming Leopards would have meant certain death for any other Star Martial team. But for Jiang Xinyu, who had broken through to the Star Cloud Stage, it was a piece of cake.

「The commotion caused by the Snow Spiders outside had finally been suppressed.」

The Exotic Beasts in various locations obediently returned to their respective territories. This disturbance had lasted for eight long hours. If Wu Changfeng hadn’t acted decisively to quell it, many Exotic Beast tribes, on the verge of joining the uproar, would have been swiftly disciplined by the Star Martial Army. His actions prevented the unrest from escalating and allowed the situation to stabilize relatively quickly.

「A reconnaissance Star Martial team appeared just outside Wang Lan’s Wind Valley.」

"Captain," one reported, "there’s no anomaly in the Flaming Leopard tribe. The Old Leopard King is missing, but the pack is stable. The new Leopard King has established his position and shouldn’t cause any trouble."

"That’s good. Return and report."

"Wait, there’s something!" Suddenly, one of the Star Martial Warriors covered an eye, the pupil of his other eye turning pure white.

"Is that a Star Martial team luring Flaming Leopards to hunt them?"

"What? A Star Martial team? Weren’t they all supposed to be stationed at the entrance? Why are some still lingering here?"

"They probably didn’t receive the initial notice. Perhaps they came over from Wind Valley and are unaware of the recent upheaval in the trial grounds."

"That would make sense. Otherwise, they’d have been caught in the middle of the chaos and finished for sure. What a lucky team. Let’s go take a look."

Wang Lan and his two companions skillfully weaved through the Ground Flame Magma Region, relentlessly pursued by over a dozen fire-breathing Flaming Leopards. Countless fireballs, like a barrage of artillery, exploded around them, leaving faint scorch marks where they landed.

"Damn, why are ones so young looking for death?" exclaimed one of the Star Martial Army members.

"They’re just kids... probably high school students from Suzhou City. A single Flaming Leopard would be a handful for them, yet they have 15 or 20 chasing them! They’re running out of room up ahead. Prepare for a rescue!"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—

Suddenly, Jiang Xinyu, standing in the middle of the canyon, unleashed her power. Her hands crossed as surging Star Power flowed from her. A ripple spread outwards, and then, more than a dozen ice lances materialized before her, shooting out instantly like a volley of arrows.

The Star Martial Army squad, which had been about to rush out for the rescue, came to an abrupt halt, frozen in place as if petrified.

The ice lances precisely avoided Wang Lan and his companions, striking every single Flaming Leopard. Flaming Leopards, equivalent in strength to mid-tier Star Shine Stage cultivators, were like paper before Jiang Xinyu, a Star Cloud Stage expert. They were killed instantly.

Wang Lan skidded to a halt and looked back. All the pursuing Flaming Leopards lay dead.

The three of them grinned, then went over to each Flaming Leopard, swiftly collecting their Soul Beads.

What they didn’t know was that atop a nearby cliff, sharp intakes of breath could be heard from the Star Martial Army squad.

"That young lady... is she at the Star Cloud Stage?"

"Looks like it."

"How did someone at the Star Cloud Stage get in here? Check their identities!"

One of them pulled a tablet computer from his backpack. "They’re Star Martial Students, class of ’16 from Suzhou No.1 Middle School. The team leader is Jiang Xinyu, heiress to the Jiang Technology Group of Suzhou City. She was at the peak of the Star Shine Stage when she entered the trial grounds; she must have broken through while in here."

"The others are all sons of wealthy families from Suzhou City. Heh, who would’ve thought this bunch of rich kids would be so capable?"

"Don’t be prejudiced against them just because they’re from wealthy families. Do you think they’re all just coasting on their parents’ success? They train just as hard as we do, if not harder. Otherwise, do you believe they could achieve such strength at their age solely due to their birthright?"

"Alright, Captain, spare me the lecture, I get it. Judging by their teamwork, it’s clear they’re not just pampered young masters. Daring to lure beasts under a barrage of fire from Flaming Leopards—you can’t do that without guts and real skill."

"They’re all geniuses, aren’t they?"

"Genius... That word is thrown around too easily. Only those who survive and continue to grow can be called true geniuses. Let’s go."

"Go? We’re not watching anymore?"

"Watch what? With a Star Cloud Stage expert in their squad, they can handle even the Leopard King and retreat safely if necessary. Time to report back!"

「The Star Martial Army squad departed.」

Meanwhile, Wang Lan and his team continued their hunt.

Each time, they lured 15 to 20 Flaming Leopards, and Jiang Xinyu would then obliterate them with an attack, leaving a pile of corpses. This consumed a significant amount of Jiang Xinyu’s Star Power, but even using five Soul Beads at a time to replenish it, the massive returns made it feel like simply picking up money off the ground.

Moreover, Jiang Xinyu also needed opportunities like this to practice her Star Martial Skills. Some skills, though learned, would have depleted all her Star Power in a single use back when she was at the Star Shine Stage, and their effectiveness would have been reduced. Thus, she’d never had a chance to train them properly.

How could she pass up such a perfect opportunity under these conditions?

An hour later, the Flaming Leopards grew wary, and countless more began to pour in from the surrounding area. Upon noticing this change, Xu Xiangwen immediately instructed the team to evacuate. As they escaped into the canyon, they could still hear the continuous, angry roars of the Flaming Leopards behind them.

Just like angry cats.

"What’s the haul?" Wang Lan eagerly asked once Jiang Xinyu finished counting.

"Three hundred..." Even Jiang Xinyu herself could hardly believe the number. Previously, hunting Snow Spiders, it had taken them three strenuous days to gather 400 Soul Beads. Now, against Flaming Leopards—each much stronger than a Snow Spider—they had collected 300 in just one hour.

Is this hunting? No, this is slaughter! Is this earning money? No, this is like picking money right off the ground!

"Three hundred in an hour!" Xu Xiangwen exclaimed. "Wow, at this rate, 2,000 a day isn’t just a dream! We still have five days... so in five days, that’s over 10,000, right? Feiyu, do the math for me—how much are 10,000 primary Soul Beads worth?"

Feiyu estimated, "That should be... over 10 million, right?"

"Bullshit! That’s the buy-back price!" Xu Xiangwen retorted. "If we sold them on the open market, that would be... at least several billion, right? Five days! In five days, I could earn several billion! If my dad found out, he’d hug me and cry tears of joy..."

"He’s got a point..." one of the others mumbled.

Wang Lan felt a chill watching the two of them shamelessly boasting without any restraint.

Open market prices? Bullshit! The trade of Soul Beads is a state monopoly; they can’t even be taken out of the trial grounds. There’s an electronic search at the exit. You either absorb them inside the trial grounds or sell them back to the authorities for 1,000 credits each. Several billion? Dream on! And over 10,000 Flaming Leopards? How could they even imagine that? There are only a few thousand Flaming Leopards in total. Are they planning to wipe out an entire tribe in two days?

Still, it had to be said that after breaking through to the Star Cloud Stage, Jiang Xinyu was practically an exploit within the primary trial grounds. No wonder these grounds only permitted entry to those below the Star Shine Stage; cultivators at the Star Cloud Stage were meant for the intermediate trial grounds. If there were three more cultivators like Jiang Xinyu, the trial grounds would probably have to close down prematurely.

In fact, entering at the peak of the Star Shine Stage and then breaking through to the Star Cloud Stage was a loophole others had exploited before. However, the prerequisites were steep: one had to collect enough Soul Beads within 10 days and possess the talent to guarantee a breakthrough. Very few who attempted this had actually succeeded.

"Alright, let’s divide the Soul Beads," Jiang Xinyu announced. "I won’t take any this time. The four of you can split these; that’s 80 each."

Jiang Xinyu casually tossed the bag of Soul Beads, carrying herself with the air of a monarch bestowing rewards upon her loyal ministers.