Chapter 18: Instant Kill

The recluse who entered the red rest area was none other than Zhang Wen, who had just parted ways with Linoah. By now, he had already changed out of his previous casual clothes and was wearing the attire of a recluse.

He wore a sleeveless bulletproof vest styled similarly to a combat vest, underneath which was a highly elastic black shirt. His lower body was clad in standard Imperial combat gear, while a helmet concealed most of his face, leaving only his deep, shadowy eyes visible.

The helmet Zhang Wen wore resembled those used by medieval European knights, though it was made of much lighter, non-metallic materials. Within the helmet were intricate mental arrays invisible to others. These arrays not only enhanced the helmet’s protective capabilities but also ensured that it wouldn’t be easily knocked off without Zhang Wen’s command.

At this moment, the battle on the arena was still ongoing. There were no spectators left in the rest area. Only the few bounty fighters Zhang Wen had seen at the entrance were still there, speaking to several other bowed-head bounty fighters. However, unlike the other fighters nearby, they were not wearing the identification badges that marked them as bounty fighters.

“It’s Recluse Brother! Recluse Brother is here!” Zhang Wen’s outfit had already become quite famous in the arena of the planet Casares. As soon as he appeared, several bounty fighters stood up excitedly. Even the few fighters with bowed heads couldn’t help but look up. Within the fourth-tier hall, Zhang Wen had already become another leader among the planetary fighters besides the Two-Headed Wolf.

“You’re here,” Xiu Luo and the old drunkard, who had greeted him at the entrance earlier, nodded at him.

Within the Kemer Arena, aside from Iron Mask, only these two top fighters, whose physical techniques had surpassed the tenth tier, knew of Zhang Wen’s connection to the Recluse.

“Recluse Brother, those bastards… those bastards went too far! They deliberately injured Two-Headed Wolf Brother! We must avenge him!” Several of the bowed bounty fighters clenched their fists in fury.

Two-Headed Wolf had always been a passionate and loyal man, and many of the bounty fighters who roamed the Kemer Arena had received his guidance. Therefore, Two-Headed Wolf was always well-liked among the local bounty fighters. Now, in a match against an outsider, he had been seriously injured on purpose, which enraged everyone.

“Recluse Brother, you must also be careful,” another few bounty fighters quietly reminded Zhang Wen.

“I know,” Zhang Wen replied, his gaze shifting toward the arena not far away.

At this moment, the battle on the arena was reaching its climax. The teacher from the Themis Academy, wielding a pair of short blades, had already breached the defensive circle of his opponent, who used a long flexible spear. Once the opponent had closed the distance, the Casares bounty fighter, despite using every trick in the book, could not shake off his adversary.

At close range, the Themis Academy teacher only needed to casually swing his short blades, forcing the bounty fighter to exert all his strength to block the attacks. The bounty fighter’s battle energy was originally inferior to his opponent’s, and now his energy consumption was several times greater. Even the spectators could see that their local fighter was completely overpowered, and his defeat was only a matter of time.

Zhang Wen loved the thrill and excitement of danger, but he was not blindly confident. Although his strength had recently undergone an unprecedented breakthrough just a few days ago, Zhang Wen would never consider himself invincible because of it.

With his current abilities, opponents at the eighth tier were already about his limit. Yet, the people from the Themis Academy before him were almost all of that level. As for Douglas, who had injured Two-Headed Wolf without sustaining a single scratch himself, his strength might have even surpassed the eighth tier.

Fighting such opponents without caution and care could lead him, just as Iron Mask feared, to the same fate as Two-Headed Wolf. Zhang Wen’s eyes darkened as he glanced toward the blue rest area.

In the blue rest area, several teachers from the Themis Academy excitedly stood at the front, loudly chatting and laughing while watching the arena. To his surprise, Zhang Wen also saw Linoah, who was engaged in cheerful conversation with the group from the Themis Academy.

Hmph! This woman sure knows how to seize opportunities. She’s already created another reason for me to have to step into the ring. As Xiu Luo and the old drunkard cast him slightly surprised glances, Zhang Wen couldn’t help but smirk inwardly.

As everyone had predicted earlier, the battle on the arena soon ended. The teacher from the Themis Academy effortlessly claimed victory, adding another planetary fighter’s identity plaque to their collection. The bounty fighter who had fought against the Themis teacher was finally stabbed in the abdomen by a short blade and was carried away on a stretcher.

“Boo!” The entire arena was immediately filled with a chorus of jeers and angry curses. The elderly nobles who had rushed into the rest area moments ago clenched their fists in fury, almost ready to charge into the blue rest area themselves.

“I told you so. The battles on this tier are practically meaningless,” Douglas said with disdain, smiling at Linoah. “These guys can’t possibly give us any trouble.”

“Haha! Of course! With Teacher Douglas around, retrieving a few identity plaques from a rundown arena is as easy as pie?” One of the Themis teachers laughed heartily, patting Douglas on the back.

Linoah also smiled, silently listening as the others flattered Douglas. However, among the five people wearing identical uniforms, a bald man standing on the far left said something that caught Linoah’s attention.

“Hehe! In the nearby star systems, our fighters from Phira have always looked down on these Casares bastards. Damn them, always thinking they’re the saviors of the galaxy. They’ve ruined our plans several times before. If we can meet the expectations of the Phira branch and bring back five planetary-level identity plaques, making these Casares losers suffer a huge humiliation, the Phira branch will definitely not forget the teachers’ contributions. A generous reward is a given.”

Douglas glanced at the man who had just spoken, sneering, “Hmph! I don’t even care about your measly money. I’m helping you partly because your leader asked me to, and partly because I’m in a good mood.”

“Uh… Right, right. With Teacher Douglas’s reputation, money is naturally trivial,” the red-faced bald man awkwardly replied, quickly resuming his laughter.

“Alright, enough sucking up. Who’s up next?” Douglas smiled in satisfaction and asked the others.

“It’s me,” the teacher who had initially flattered Douglas stepped forward.

“Dick, teach these bastards a lesson!” Douglas slapped him on the back in approval.

“Of course!” Dick grinned carelessly, activating his battle energy and leaping forward from the rest area, covering a distance of seven or eight meters in one bound, landing directly in the center of the arena.

This guy’s strength doesn’t even reach the eighth tier. Zhang Wen curled his lips under his mask. Dick’s showy leap was enough for Zhang Wen to make a preliminary assessment. Furthermore, the crystal energy sword in Dick’s hand indirectly supported Zhang Wen’s analysis—in the Empire’s martial arts system, the eighth tier elite level was the first threshold distinguishing low-level fighters from high-level ones. Before reaching the elite level, martial artists mostly used crystal energy swords. Only after surpassing this threshold would martial artists seek their own development paths and find the weapons most suitable for them.

Dang! Another crisp bell rang out in the hall. As the bell echoed, the audience, who had just been jeering, gradually quieted down.

“Ladies and gentlemen! The next match will see challenger elite fighter Dick face off against the defending planetary fighter—the Recluse—oh my!” As the enthusiastic host shouted, Zhang Wen slowly stepped out from the red rest area, calmly making his way onto the arena.

As soon as Zhang Wen appeared, not only his opponent Dick on the arena, but also Douglas and the others from the Themis Academy in the blue rest area couldn’t help but burst into delighted laughter.

“Hahaha! Level five! This guy’s battle energy is only level five! Is Casares scared? This is a planetary fighter’s hall, for crying out loud! How could they find such a useless fighter to compete against us!” The red-faced bald fighter pointed at Zhang Wen, laughing so hard he was doubled over.

“Hey! Idiot, are you covering your face because you’re afraid people will see you and be embarrassed?” Dick on the arena also laughed, glancing at Zhang Wen with contempt.

“Haha! Dick, since your opponent has practically surrendered, why don’t you spare him?” Douglas also sneered with laughter.

Zhang Wen’s obviously low battle energy level of level five made Douglas and his group even reluctant to observe the surroundings carefully. However, in reality, if they had taken a moment to pay attention, they would have noticed that even the previously most excited elderly nobles now had a faint, barely perceptible smirk on their lips.

Zhang Wen’s mask completely concealed his expression. Dick probably had no idea that while he was mocking his opponent, Zhang Wen was carefully preparing himself. The spring water technique within his body had already been pushed to its peak.

Zhang Wen was well aware that after this Dick, he would have to face four even stronger opponents. Any battle energy consumption could potentially be fatal to him. He couldn’t afford to engage in a prolonged battle with Dick. He had to seize every opportunity to defeat him as quickly as possible. And right now, Dick’s underestimation of him was an excellent opportunity!

“The match—begins!” The experienced host first drew out a long pause before quickly shouting the word “begin.”

At the exact moment the host shouted “begin,” Zhang Wen channeled all the battle energy he had accumulated into the crystal energy sword in his hand. The originally dim crystal energy sword instantly erupted with a blinding white light that was unbearable to look at.

Although Dick had also prepared himself when the host announced the start of the match, he ultimately hadn’t taken his opponent seriously. All he did was focus his gaze on Zhang Wen and lazily brandish his crystal energy sword.

Dick had no idea that Zhang Wen’s battle energy could cause the crystal energy sword to emit such blinding light. Unprepared, he couldn’t close his eyes in time, and his vision was already dazzled by the intense white glare.

“Ahh!” Instinctively closing his eyes, Dick’s body recoiled backward.

Although Dick’s strength at the peak of the seventh tier meant that the white glare from the crystal energy sword could only blind him momentarily, this was exactly the opening Zhang Wen had been waiting for.

Zhang Wen neither roared loudly nor shouted in anger. The moment Dick closed his eyes, Zhang Wen moved like a weightless ghost, suddenly and effortlessly floating to Dick’s left. The crystal energy sword in his hand, after its initial dazzling burst of light, now seemed to have absorbed all the white brilliance back into the blade itself.

On the surface of the blade, it was as if a layer of white light had been overcharged, turning into a dark bluish hue. Around the dark blue blade, occasional arcs of electricity crawled, sending chills down anyone’s spine.

If Dick hadn’t been blinded by the previous glare, seeing the crystal energy sword in Zhang Wen’s hand at this moment would have made him realize how grave a mistake he had made! For someone to unleash such a terrifying strike, Zhang Wen could never be just a novice with only level five martial arts skills!

Unfortunately, with his eyes closed, Dick had no chance to correct his mistake. When Zhang Wen’s crystal energy sword pierced his body, Dick hadn’t even realized that the attack had already arrived.

The crystal energy sword, carrying terrifying battle energy, pierced through Dick’s protective suit without resistance, sliding into his waist as easily as cutting through tofu. The battle energy erupting from within the sword instantly shredded Dick’s protective suit into pieces. If Zhang Wen hadn’t deliberately controlled the power, there would certainly have been a horrifying hole in Dick’s abdomen.

Dick didn’t let out even a single scream of pain. The moment he felt the excruciating pain, he had already lost consciousness. Zhang Wen, however, quickly pulled the sword out after it had pierced Dick’s body about half an inch.

“This is for avenging Two-Headed Wolf!” At this moment, Zhang Wen’s body had already rushed to a position parallel to Dick’s. He quickly whispered these words beside Dick before suddenly twisting his body again with force, his crystal energy sword lashing out like a whip against Dick’s chest.

Boom! The tremendous force sent Dick flying backward. He rolled through the air for several meters, landing precisely at the spot where he had originally jumped onto the arena from.

The arena fell silent for a split second, then erupted into a deafening cheer that seemed capable of tearing the roof off.

“Woo!” “Wooooo!” The spectators were all excited, their faces flushed red as they jumped to their feet. The elderly nobles clenched their fists tightly, roaring with their mouths wide open just as they had done in the military. Even Iron Mask, who rarely showed emotion, couldn’t help but clench his fist forcefully. Since the arrival of the Themis Academy group, the people of Casares, who had been feeling suppressed for so long, had finally taken revenge!

In the blue rest area, the group from Themis Academy could hardly believe their eyes. Linoah’s beautiful eyes sparkled with astonishment. Although she knew Zhang Wen might have hidden strength, she never expected him to win so decisively and cleanly.

Moreover, the speed he displayed during the fight was enough to make even Linoah take notice. In the brief moment when everyone’s eyes were blinded by the flash of light, he had already ghosted across the ten-meter distance between them, appearing beside Dick!

Such speed was something Linoah had never seen before! Even the peeping intruder in the library, who had startled her, definitely didn’t possess such ability. Otherwise, she believed she wouldn’t have been able to see his retreating back.

The medical team from the arena quickly approached and examined Dick, who lay on the ground. “He’s alive. A few broken ribs, nothing serious.” With a few cold gestures from the head medic, Dick was soon placed onto a stretcher and carried away.

“Fool!” After staring in shock for a few seconds, Douglas’s face quickly turned pale with fury. He glared coldly at the unconscious Dick and spat out the words through clenched teeth.

“How could this happen? How could this possibly happen?” Several teachers from Themis Academy looked at each other in shock, nearly panicking.

Although Dick was indeed the weakest among the group who had come to the arena this time, he had been chosen as one of the leading teachers of the Themis Academy delegation for a reason—he certainly wasn’t some talentless nobody! Yet, he had been instantly defeated with a single strike from an opponent who was only at the fifth level!

How was that possible?!

“There’s nothing impossible about it! Dick was too arrogant!” Angrily, Douglas suddenly turned back toward the others.

“Arrogant… Douglas, even if Dick was overconfident, could a fifth-level nobody really defeat him with just one strike?” One of the Themis Academy teachers tried to object weakly.

“Of course not! Our judgment was also wrong. That guy might actually be around sixth level.” Douglas shot a cold glance at the one who had spoken and continued, “But arrogance was the real key. Dick never expected his opponent to dare attack first. He thought this guy would wait for him to make the first move and then be slowly worn down and killed. Instead, his eyes were blinded by that flash of light right at the start, and he was hit with a sword strike before he even knew what was happening. Then he lost!”

“Hmm…” Douglas’s words quickly gained agreement from the other teachers of Themis Academy. Indeed, they would rather believe that Dick’s defeat was due to his own arrogance than accept that he had been beaten by someone who was only fifth or sixth level.

“Fine! As long as we don’t underestimate him next time, that guy definitely won’t be our match! We’ll make him pay tenfold for Dick’s humiliation!” Douglas growled darkly, his gaze shifting to the comrade who would be fighting in the next match.

“Right! Don’t worry. I’ll make sure that guy suffers a fate worse than death!” The next fighter to step up was the bald warrior from the planet Fira. He gritted his teeth in response to Douglas’s words, his eyes fixed on the arena as if he wanted to tear Zhang Wen apart on the spot.

Of course, the bald warrior’s anger wasn’t because he was particularly close to Dick. It was because Dick’s injury meant their plan to recover the five planetary warrior identity cards had fallen through. The prize money they had expected to earn was now likely to be lost. And the one who had destroyed everything was merely a weakling no higher than sixth level. Naturally, this made him especially furious toward Zhang Wen.

Meanwhile, as soon as Zhang Wen returned to the red rest area, he was immediately surrounded by the jubilant bounty fighters.

“Hey, Hermit Brother! That was incredible!” The bounty fighters rushed forward excitedly, raising their fists in celebration toward Zhang Wen.

Before the match, hardly anyone had truly believed that Hermit would win against his opponent. But the final outcome had exceeded everyone’s expectations.

Hermit had not only won, but had decisively defeated his opponent in an instant! The words he had shouted beside his fallen opponent had made them all feel a surge of satisfaction. The only pity was that Zhang Wen’s movements had been too fast. And just before he acted, the sudden burst of white light from his crystal-energy sword had blinded everyone, so they hadn’t even seen clearly what had happened before Dick was already flying out of the arena.

“Beautifully done,” soon after, Ironmask and his three companions approached. The old drunkard even gave Zhang Wen a satisfied thumbs-up.

“Thanks. There are still four more to go,” Zhang Wen replied with a faint smile, sitting down on a bench. Although the previous match had not consumed much energy, he still needed to adjust himself to his best condition.

“Do your best,” Ironmask nodded slightly and then walked away with Xie and the old drunkard.

Dang!

“The next match will be between planetary warrior Kabono and another planetary warrior—Hermit—oh!” The bell and the host’s enthusiastic voice echoed once again through the fourth-floor hall, and the audience erupted into even louder cheers.

This time, Kabono from the blue rest area did not use the same showy entrance as Dick had. Instead, he stepped onto the arena almost simultaneously with Zhang Wen.

“You won’t be so lucky this time,” Kabono coldly threw out as they stood side by side, bowing to the audience.

Zhang Wen neither responded nor felt angered by Kabono’s provocation. On the contrary, he was quite pleased that, after the first defeat, the opponent still hadn’t realized his true strength. Of course, Zhang Wen couldn’t rule out the possibility that Kabono was deliberately saying this to lull him into a false sense of security.

In any case, when the host finally dragged out the word “match—” in his long, dramatic tone, Zhang Wen remained highly alert. And Kabono, his opponent, had clearly learned from Dick’s defeat. He had already drawn his weapons—two curved-handled hand axes—andwas fully prepared to counter any sudden attack from Zhang Wen.

“Begin!” As the host’s voice sharply ended, Zhang Wen’s crystal-energy sword and Kabono’s twin hand axes flared to life almost simultaneously, and both figures vanished from their spots at nearly the same instant.

Although the Empire’s martial arts had always been somewhat rigid and traditional in certain aspects, even Zhang Wen had to admit that, after thousands of years of development and accumulation, the Empire’s martial arts still possessed astonishing depth.

For instance, after crossing the threshold of the eighth level elite tier, due to differences in the methods of cultivating battle energy, various different paths emerged. Take Xin, the instructor from the martial arts department of Almesthys Academy. He followed a pure power-based path, which meant that although his combat techniques weren’t particularly refined, his foundation in battle energy was rarely matched among warriors of the same tier. The bald Kabono now facing Zhang Wen, however, had chosen the path of speed.