Volume Two: The Boy of a Thousand Faces—Truth and Illusion Chapter Eighty-Six: The Wolf of Greed's Hunting Grounds

What does it feel like to be prey under the gaze of a hunter? Humans rarely experience such sensations. As inherently social creatures, most spend their entire lives within orderly societies, never truly confronting the law of the jungle.

Now, for reasons unknown, Jin Puxian felt his scalp tingle; when Huo Ye’s voice exploded beside his ear, he sensed an infinite murderous intent emanating from him. Originally, he and his vice president had joined forces to besiege Shangguan Yudie, who used every trick she knew to prevent them from damaging her bike’s power system. The plan was for Shangguan Yudie to sprint with all her might, leaving everything else to Huo Ye. But Huo Ye’s scoreboard was snatched, plunging him into mental chaos, and Shangguan Yudie, never adept at direct combat, quickly fell into a predicament.

But now everything had changed. Huo Ye had broken free from Jin Puxian’s psychic ability and threatened his life. Jin Puxian did not believe Huo Ye was joking; the involuntary prickling of his skin proved otherwise. He turned to look behind him, but saw no sign of Huo Ye—only something even more uncanny.

The tunnel was enveloped at a visible speed by a pitch-black psychic energy, as if it manifested Huo Ye’s will, or perhaps awakened a primordial beast, ravenously devouring the world before him. He must not be engulfed by this power! Jin Puxian’s instincts screamed at him, but it was too late—the psychic energy spread far faster than any hovering bike.

The two members of Between Truth and Shangguan Yudie entered this domain, and in that instant, the pair from Between Truth bowed their heads as if crushed by Mount Tai, then collapsed, sprawled across their keyboards.

They felt their souls tremble; every nerve in their bodies seemed to cry out: “Terrifying!” Why did it feel as if they were being stalked by a natural enemy?

Shangguan Yudie glanced around. It seemed Little Ye had truly lost his temper. This move—they had only seen it when practicing with Huo Ye as children: the twelfth form of the Thirteen Blood Blade Techniques, the Greed Wolf Hunting Ground!

“This is my playground. Here, I am the master!” Huo Ye’s voice echoed through every corner of the domain, waves of murderous intent surging like a tidal flood.

The Greed Wolf Hunting Ground was the only psychic attack technique among the Thirteen Blood Blade Techniques, and the sole domain-type psychic ability. Within this field, anyone bearing hostility would suffer endless mental oppression—like mice before cats, or sheep facing a hungry wolf!

Windless Ming had witnessed it, as had the Flame Demon Hall. That was why the Flame Demon Hall called Huo Ye a monster—because that time, Huo Ye unleashed his domain at full power, leaving a permanent shadow in their hearts.

But this time, Huo Ye’s power was even greater; his rage became a wildfire, burning his blood and obliterating his limits. What bottleneck? In this tempest of wrath, it was utterly worthless!

Huo Ye officially advanced to S-rank—the third S-rank in the academy.

Within the domain, Huo Ye moved unhindered. Those who had surpassed him earlier due to his momentary loss of control were overtaken again. Huo Ye and his motorcycle became a flash of light, bearing down on Jin Puxian.

“A dragon’s reverse scale—touch it and you die! Jin Puxian, you’ve crossed my line. Die!”

Third form—Hundred Streams Shatter the Storm.

Huo Ye’s twin blades whirled like a cyclone. Jin Puxian was aghast, clearly sensing Huo Ye’s rising momentum—meaning Huo Ye had advanced after being struck by his Nightmare Eye technique. Damn it! Was this a curse, or had Tan Xiao been right all along?

There was no time to ponder; Huo Ye’s blades were coming straight for his vital points.

But S-rank and A-rank were worlds apart. Huo Ye had just ascended, his momentum surging with fury—Jin Puxian stood no chance.

Fifth form—Evening Drums, Morning Bells.

Jin Puxian tried to use his weapon to block Huo Ye’s attack, but the clash rang out like the ancient bronze bells of a temple, resonant and profound.

The sound, imbued with dark psychic energy, assaulted Jin Puxian’s eardrums; his ears burst into bloody flowers, and the shockwave transmitted through his weapon inflicted severe internal injuries—he was truly bleeding from every orifice.

He could no longer hear Huo Ye cursing; he knew only that unless he killed him, Huo Ye would not rest. What grudge could be so deep? Jin Puxian had no idea.

Huo Ye’s eyes were ablaze. Had it been any other time, he would not have been so impulsive. For one, Jin Puxian had merely used a psychic technique on him, and what he saw depended entirely on himself—his vision of Sunny Snow revealed only that she was his greatest inner demon. And secondly, murder was illegal. Yes, such a simple reason: even the son of Eddie Halls, if he broke the law, would have to pay the price.

But now, none of that mattered. Only two words filled Huo Ye’s mind—“Slash him.”

Just then, Shangguan Yudie’s voice came through his headset: “Little Ye, wake up! The finish line is right ahead!”

That voice snapped Huo Ye back to reason. He looked at the powerless Jin Puxian and said, “I’ll spare you for today!” He snatched the scoreboard Jin Puxian had stolen, then kicked him, embedding his body in the wall.

The result was clear. In the Starlight Group, Shangguan Yudie took first place with 1000 speed points; Huo Ye eliminated nearly all opponents, earning 1263.4 stunt points—a total of 2263.4, dominating the entire field.

Ke Zhen was nearly ecstatic in the casino, “Yes! I knew you could do it! Brilliant!”

The other major club leaders, seeing Huo Ye overpower Jin Puxian, realized one thing: with Huo Ye now S-rank, Starlight Club’s top combat power in Bancroft Academy was unmatched.

“We won! We won! Five hundred thousand points! My god, we hit the jackpot!” Jiang Feng shouted like a madman.

“Enough with the noise! How many times do I have to tell you?” Liuli Kazama knocked Jiang Feng on the head with her umbrella handle.

“It’s so noisy here and you can still fall asleep—why knock me?” Jiang Feng protested, rubbing his head.

Kazama thought for a moment. “Because…a frog croaking by your ear is much more annoying than a swarm of flies in the distance?”

“I—I’m the frog?”

“Maybe not the best analogy, but you get the idea.”

Jiang Feng suffered a psychic blow—damage 999+.

Later, the Starlight Club members went out for a celebratory meal. Huo Ye’s advancement to S-rank was cause for celebration. To be safe, Ke Zhen had only wagered five thousand points on Huo Ye at odds of twenty-five to one, netting 125,000 points—enough to sustain his devilish training plan for some time. Jiang Feng also announced that he’d profited by 500,000 points, and was willing to contribute 400,000 to the club pool for everyone’s advancement.

Everyone admired his generosity.

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Huo Xialan, wrapped in a bathrobe and toweling her wet hair, sat before her desk crystal computer, the keyboard clacking as she began her regular family report.

She updated her family on many academy matters, focusing mostly on her cousin Huo Ye. Her letter detailed the psychic abilities Huo Ye had displayed and his ascension to S-rank, as well as her own summary of his fighting style and observed personality traits.

After some thought, Huo Xialan added her personal insight at the end: “I have a premonition—the world will use this small academy as a starting point, with our Huo Ye of the Huo family at its center, to set off a storm that will shake the world. This era is like a vast machine, and his appearance has brought its most crucial gear. The world will undergo a great transformation because of him.”

If you ask Huo Xialan why she feels this way—does a woman’s intuition need a reason?