Translator: CinderTL
Why is Dad going to Qingyang City on a business trip? Jiang Ye thought, startled.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have given it a second thought.
But Qingyang City had been plagued by the Shadow Calamity for the past few days.
And Jiang Dahai worked as security for the Shadow Hunting Bureau. His sudden business trip at this critical time spoke volumes about its true purpose.
Li Anping, unaware of these underlying circumstances, simply smiled. "Don't worry, it's not his first business trip. Your father even mentioned there's a generous bonus this time."
A bonus, Jiang Ye thought, his heart aching.
For the past six months, Jiang Dahai had been working tirelessly to support his son's martial arts training.
Indeed, Jiang Ye's diet had improved dramatically. He now consumed martial dao ingredients almost daily.
But Jiang Ye didn't want his father to risk his life for him.
"Mom, I need to go to Qingyang City today too," Jiang Ye said.
"Ah?" Li Anping blinked in surprise. "Why are you going there too?"
"The university assigned a week-long mission. I'll leave right after dinner," Jiang Ye replied, keeping the details vague.
"Alright," Li Anping nodded gently. "Be careful on the road."
Beside them, Jiang Ting looked forlorn. "Brother, why do you have to be gone so long? Can I come with you?"
Jiang Ye smiled, gently pinching her delicate, melon-seed-shaped face. "You can't. You still have school."
"Brother," Jiang Ting murmured, hugging him tightly, reluctant to let go.
To the little girl, a week felt like an eternity, especially without seeing her beloved brother.
"I'll bring you something delicious when I get back," Jiang Ye said, ruffling her hair reassuringly.
After finishing breakfast, Jiang Ye packed his things, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and stepped out the door.
In the bedroom, Li Anping picked up her phone, hesitated, then dialed her husband's number.
Beep...
The call connected.
"What is it? I was just sleeping," Jiang Dahai mumbled groggily.
"Xiao Ye went to Qingyang City," Li Anping said.
"What?!" Jiang Dahai jolted awake.
"Why are you so agitated?" Li Anping asked, puzzled. "Aren't you there too?"
"Of course I'm agitated!" Jiang Dahai blurted out. "There's a Shadow Calamity in Qingyang City! What's Xiao Ye doing here?"
"Shadow Calamity?" Li Anping froze.
Jiang Dahai's voice grew frantic. "When did he arrive? Tell him to get back immediately! Qingyang City is too dangerous right now."
"Jiang Dahai!" Li Anping's voice rose sharply. "Why didn't you tell me about this?"
Jiang Dahai suddenly fell silent.
Li Anping gritted her teeth. "You promised this business trip would be safe! But now, the Shadow Calamity? You kept something this huge from me?"
"If something happens to you, what about Xiao Ye? What about Tingting? What about me?!"
Li Anping's eyes reddened, her voice choked with emotion.
A long silence hung in the air.
After a moment, Jiang Dahai sighed. "Honey, I didn't mean to keep it from you. But the bonus for this trip is really substantial."
"Just ten days of work, and I'll get fifty thousand yuan."
"Fifty thousand yuan! Xiao Ye could eat tiger gallbladder for weeks with that!"
Li Anping's expression faltered slightly.
Fifty thousand yuan was an unimaginable sum for their family.
"Don't worry too much about me," Jiang Dahai continued. "They only transferred me here because the Shadow Hunting Bureau is short-staffed. But I won't be dealing with the Shadow Calamity directly. The bureau has plenty of experts for that. I'll mostly be doing security and gatekeeping."
Gradually, Li Anping calmed down under his reassurances.
But soon, she grew anxious again. "At a time like this, Xiao Ye is on a mission in Qingyang City? Isn't that too dangerous?"
"I'll call him," Jiang Dahai said.
Meanwhile, Jiang Ye, walking down the street, quickly received a call from Jiang Dahai.
"Is that Dad calling?"
Jiang Ye immediately answered. He had been trying to call Jiang Dahai ever since leaving home, but the line had been busy.
"Dad, are you okay?" Jiang Ye asked anxiously.
"I'm fine," Jiang Dahai replied rapidly. "Xiao Ye, what are you doing in Qingyang City? There's a Shadow Calamity here—it's extremely dangerous!"
Hearing his foster father's voice, Jiang Ye felt a wave of relief wash over him. "Dad, the school sent me here on a mission. Don't worry, a teacher is supervising me."
He deliberately avoided mentioning the Reserve Star Practitioner program.
After all, his parents would be terribly worried if they knew he had to kill 1,000 Shadow Clan members.
Even so, Jiang Dahai was already deeply concerned. "It's too dangerous! Can you refuse the mission?"
Jiang Ye retorted, "Dad, if you're not scared, why should I be?"
"You brat! That's different!" Jiang Dahai snapped. "I'm almost at my first breakthrough. I have some ability to protect myself against the Shadow Calamity." He paused, then couldn't help but ask, "That mission you mentioned... it's not about fighting the Shadow Calamity, is it?"
"Yes," Jiang Ye admitted, no longer trying to hide the truth.
By now, his foster father had likely guessed it anyway.
"You foolish child," Jiang Dahai sighed heavily. "Why didn't you discuss something so serious with your parents?"
"The Shadow Calamity—how could you possibly handle that on your own?"
Jiang Dahai's worry was palpable.
Jiang Ye reassured him, "Dad, don't worry. The school teachers are protecting me. Nothing will happen."
"Fine... Since you're already there, just be extremely careful," Jiang Dahai said, refraining from further nagging.
The situation was already set in stone; nagging wouldn't change anything.
After hanging up, Jiang Ye took a deep breath.
His foster father was so worried about him, yet he had insisted on taking this dangerous business trip to Qingyang City.
Jiang Ye knew deep down that his foster father was taking this risk solely to give him a chance to advance further.
He had no way to repay this sacrifice except by getting into a better martial dao university.
Only by becoming a true cosmic martial artist could he break free from his humble origins.
"Reserve Star Practitioner status grants an additional 20 points," Jiang Ye clenched his fist.
If he succeeded in the next seven days, it would be far more beneficial than a month of solitary training.
Once his score exceeded 850, gaining another 20 points would require far more than just a month of effort.
A little over ten minutes later, Jiang Ye arrived at a crossroads near Ancheng Third High School, the agreed-upon meeting point with Zhang Jianwu.
Beep beep!
A black sedan honked twice in the distance.
Jiang Ye immediately walked over.
"Director."
Jiang Ye opened the car door and settled into the passenger seat.
Zhang Jianwu retrieved a golden dagger from the center console. "This is what I mentioned yesterday."
"This is..." Jiang Ye accepted the dagger.
Though only seven inches long, the dagger felt incredibly heavy.
A vertical groove ran down its center, resembling the trunk of a withered tree, while branching horizontal lines extended from both sides, like the veins of a leaf unfurling.
A faint golden glow emanated from these intricate patterns.
"This is a star weapon," Zhang Jianwu said calmly. "Channel your stellar energy into it to unleash tremendous power."
"A star weapon?" Jiang Ye's heart skipped a beat.
He had suspected as much yesterday, but confirmation still stunned him.
Star weapons maximized the destructive potential of stellar energy, drastically enhancing combat prowess.
They were essential equipment for cosmic martial artists.
However, not every cosmic martial artist possessed such a weapon.
Star weapons were extremely expensive, often costing hundreds of thousands or even millions of credits. Not everyone could afford to buy one.
"Director, this is too valuable," Jiang Ye said, feeling the dagger in his hand grow heavier.
"Don't worry, just borrow it for now," Zhang Jianwu replied with a faint smile. "Channel your stellar energy and test its power."
Jiang Ye nodded.
But he never expected what would happen next.
As soon as he tried to activate the weapon, an unprecedented surge of primal instinct flooded his senses!
(End of the Chapter)
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