These Awakened, who possessed limitless potential, had great chances at becoming humanity"s top elites. The Flame Dancers, Sword Saints, Dragon Riders, Sorcerers, Blizzard Warriors, Priests and Half-Dragon Berserkers...
They had been extremely fortunate to have received mother nature’s gift. Not to mention, they were also outstanding existences that were a cut above unawakened combatants. These facts had induced the people’s envy and jealousy and they grit their teeth in hatred. Amongst humanity"s forces, they had been made out to be the most outstanding geniuses chosen by the heavens as well as the last hope for the entire human race!
Three to four years after the descent of the apocalypse, these Awakened had gone on to become either: the lord of a city; the head of a demon hunter group; a leader in the military; a lone wanderer; or a guardian that had been regarded the patron saint by the entire globe...
In short, compared to the ordinary, bitter civilians, these geniuses were favored by the heavens! If these bitter civilians wished to chase in their footsteps… Chances were that it would be extremely difficult!
It was as hard as ascending the heavens!
If one wished to stand on equal terms...
That was practically impossible! The probabilities of that occurring were lower than striking the lottery!
That is to say, within a hundred thousand men, one hardworking and bitter civilian would emerge. That person would have to pave a path through blood, sweat, and tears in order to reach the achievements of these so-called "geniuses".
One in one hundred thousand! That implied that the other over 90 thousand people would be eating the dust geniuses left behind... forever!
Moreover, if one wished to overtake the geniuses...
It wasn’t even something to think about as that was akin to defying the heavens!
Even the genius Summoner, Li Jiayu, whose talent had matured only in the later stages, had not dared to claim he was the top expert under the heavens!
Within the Celestial Empire, he knew at least three experts who rivaled him in strength. If he had widened his sights to the rest of the world, there would not have been a place for Li Jiayu in the top ten rankings.
Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia, the West, the Eastern Sea and the like were filled with geniuses that may not be weaker in the least in comparison to the Celestial Empire!
There had even been the Sword Saintess, Ran Hongxia, whose brain had a few nerves missing, possessed at least 70% of Li Jiayu’s strength! With nothing better to do, she chased Li Jiayu around to deal out her justice. No one knew how many times Li Jiayu almost ended up getting chopped into a meat paste by this crazy woman!
Historians in the previous life were extremely puzzled. According to the information they had at hand, Li Jiayu had not possessed great apt.i.tude, had shown no prospects of a speck of talent, nor had he awakened during the first invasion.
No matter how they racked their brains, their minds failed to wrap around how Li Jiayu had astounded the world after a three-year silence.
He had gone on to set off reigns of terror, defeating countless geniuses and decimating demons that crawled out from the depths of the abyss.
Despite being severely misunderstood, he had still protected the province of Tiannan from the shadows...
Just because Li Jiayu used to have these accomplishments, it did not imply things would be smooth sailing for Li Jiayu to attain such heights for the second time.
Had it not been for his ample preparations and fortune to emerge alive from treacherous situations, he would probably have fallen with the others. Not to mention, he also had to contend with those super geniuses for a spot in the top ten strongest people within the Celestial Empire!
However, who knew of the heartache behind the veil of glory?
Li Jiayu"s path had been filled with ups and downs, which he’d endured through blood and tears. Yet, these geniuses had reaped the benefits without expending much effort.
They had glory, splendor, wealth and ranks at an arm’s reach! It had been to the extent that they could go ahead and declare themselves lords and emperors... The reality had been truly heart-wrenching and it could make a person grit their teeth in resentment!
After arriving in this world, Li Jiayu was unsure of the appropriate att.i.tude to use with these Awakened geniuses.
‘Kill them in advance, so they have no chance at opposing me?"
"Build a good relationship so as to mutually look after each other?"
"Perhaps, I should subdue them and nurture them into my own force?"
Although Li Jiayu seemed like a peaceful person, the truth could not be further than the truth. He loved being free and uninhibited… Could that kind of person manage a force like that?
Unknowingly, the last sword had been swung, mercilessly ending the last remaining Corrosive Worm!
Finally done with them, exhaustion and weakness washed over Li Jiayu who was gasping incessantly. Most of his energy had been depleted inevitably... After all, Frost Moon"s buffs only increased his strength, but his endurance had never undergone strengthening! Fighting continuously in succession had inevitably caused the untrained Li Jiayu to suffer.
On the side, Dark Octopus appeared considerably miserable in comparison to Li Jiayu. It was riddled with injuries: severed tentacles; bowl-sized wounds; and a half-meter-long scar. All of them showed that Dark Octopus was on the brink of collapsing! If it had been some other summoned creature that was inflicted with such serious injuries, they would"ve fallen a long time ago.
Dark Octopus, however, did not feel hurt. Instead, it felt as though it was standing on cloud nine as it felt honored to have saved such attractive ladies… In the dark void, it did not have the fortune to meet such beautiful girls, not to mention risking its life for them.
‘Haa… This pervert is too easy to please!’
“You… Mister- En, no. This benefactor, I really thank you for everything you’ve done for us… May I ask if you’re injured?”
All of the stupefied students glanced at the insect carca.s.ses, then cast their incredulous gazes toward the gasping Li Jiayu.
Suddenly, an attractive woman had strode over to Li Jiayu’s side and asked cautiously.
This woman looked around 28 years old. She donned a black-colored office lady outfit which revealed a large patch of snow-white skin on her chest and accentuated her long, slender figure. What shocked most people was her breathtakingly stunning face! Coupled with the subtle smile that played on her lips, she emanated a mature charm like that of a ripened honey peach.
Other than the Vice-Princ.i.p.al, Hsiao Wanqing, who else could she be?!
As a woman who Li Jiayu felt both love and hate for, she was a sister who made him feel at a loss as to what att.i.tude he should use to face her!
Shortly after the outbreak, Hsiao Wanqing had led the students on an escape! However, before they could leave the monster-infested city of Xijiang, she had inadvertently been kidnapped by a demon from an evil organization who had been coveting her beauty since long ago!
Li Jiayu had no idea how Hsiao Wanqing had managed to escape but nevertheless, the two b.u.mped heads two years later. Yet, her status had long since gone through a significant change as Hsiao Wanqing became the vice-lord of Yangcheng and her ident.i.ty as the Priestess of Radiance made her a sacred existence in the southern parts of Celestial Empire! These statuses had granted her great authority and her brilliance had spread far and wide!
On their fated reunion, both had been familiar to each other at the first glance and, without heeding the princ.i.p.al-student differences, they referred each other as sister and brother instead. Hsiao Wanqing cared for Li Jiayu in every possible way and provided him warmth, giving a bit of comfort to the sorrowful Li Jiayu who had lost all of his loved ones.
Hsiao Wanqing had long since perceived Li Jiayu"s peculiar feelings toward her, but unfortunately, she could not reciprocate them as she had always treated him purely as a younger brother.
In order to prevent Li Jiayu from falling deeper in love with her, Hsiao Wanqing had driven Li Jiayu out and ceased all contact with him.
However, Li Jiayu had known that whenever he had suffered grave injuries and lost consciousness, it had been Hsiao Wanqing who would appear silently and heal him stealthily, reviving his vitality. Then she would leave without a sound for fear that Li Jiayu would discover what she had done for him.
In fact, Li Jiayu had known clearly why Hsiao Wanqing had treated him so coldly all of a sudden, yet had watched over him in secret. That was because he had been Celestial Empire’s greatest wanted criminal; a demonic existence who rebelled against humanity! Everyone related to him had to be beheaded!
Later on, Yangcheng had been lacking in military troops and suffered an untimely siege from the "Black Knight Legion". Forced by the circ.u.mstances, Hsiao Wanqing had no other choice but to concede to a certain young expert’s conditions: to marry him three months later; and to enter his **...
When Li Jiayu had heard of this piece of news, he had felt as though his only spiritual pillar had collapsed… That was because that young expert had turned out to be Li Jiayu’s greatest nemesis in his previous life!
"Sister, you can be with anyone you want… However, you definitely must not marry that person! That person and I, we are absolutely irreconcilable. How will I face you from now onwards?"
"Wreck the wedding ceremony!"
"Must not let sister fall into that disgusting person’s hands!"
"Despite the fact that it may trigger an irremediable consequence!"
The grieving and anguished Li Jiayu had planned on s.n.a.t.c.hing the bride before the commencement of the ceremony, but regretfully, before the three months were even up, Li Jiayu had pa.s.sed away silently in a certain tree hole!
No one knew what happened to Hsiao Wanqing in the end. Li Jiayu did not blame her. It had been natural to sacrifice certain things in exchange for the city’s safety.
Or perhaps… It was because Li Jiayu was a solitary force without much power?
If Li Jiayu had a powerful organization supporting him, why would Hsiao Wanqing have needed to cut all ties with him and promised to get together with a person she did not love?
“There’s no problem. I’m fine… It’s just that I’m a little exhausted. There’s no cause for worry.”
As Li Jiayu avoided Hsiao Wanqing’s gaze, his voice sounded somewhat choked.
"Sister, since our last meeting, I haven’t heard your voice for a long time or even seen your face… You don’t know how much I’ve missed you."
“Exhausted? Ah, that’s right. The benefactor is indeed a young, yet courageous, a hero that saved everyone here. Representing the entirety of the university’s lecturers and students, I sincerely express my heartfelt gratefulness.
“I’ll spare you the conventional words, you are probably tired of them. Anyway, if you need anything, I, Hsiao Wanqing will not refuse… Ah, let’s stop it here. Benefactor, please rest. The crisis has not pa.s.sed us yet. I wish for Benefactor’s speedy recovery.”
Hsiao Wanqing said with a calm face. It was seemingly natural and unrestrained, unlike the surprised expressions of the other people. This was as expected of the future bigshot, the Priestess of Radiance!
“That’s for sure, but the Corrosive Worms are not worth getting alarmed over. The truly problematic ones are the Crimson Crowned Beetles!”
Li Jiayu nodded faintly. In his eyes, every movement of this young married woman carried an unspeakable charm, elegance, calmness and even a few tinges of languidness; everything added up and const.i.tuted the highest quality of beauty.
The scenic city of Xijiang was famed country-wide for its abundance of beauties whose beauty was a notch higher than in other areas. It was to the extent that there was a saying going around, "In the heavens, there is paradise and on earth, there is Xijiang".
Hsiao Wanqing was a prime example! Albeit being 32 years of age, she had the appearance of a 27-year-old with skin that was tender like a peeled egg and true to the saying “skin fair as snow”. There was no need to comment on her beauty. The fact that her name had spread far and wide was proof that she looked extraordinary!
“Crimson Crowned Beetles…”
Hsiao Wanqing’s gentle gaze suddenly dimmed and her face clouded over as she sighed,
“Are you referring to the red beetle the size of a cattle? There are probably a hundred of them… It"s definitely hard to deal with and if they swarm over, the consequences would be dire. Benefactor, you…”
“Don’t call me Benefactor… Jiayu will suffice.” Li Jiayu tried to speak as gently as possible. Facing Hsiao Wanqing, he could not bear to treat her as coldly and harshly as he had done to Ran Hongxia.
“Jiayu? Strange, your name… Y-You’re a girl? The name Jiayu is very feminine.”
“……”
Li Jiayu’s face was covered with frost. Inexplicably, he rolled his eyes while his heart wailed in anguish.
"I knew it! I knew it! The white hair made it easier to misunderstand! I must go loot a barber shop one of these days and dye my hair back to black! If anyone dares doubt my gender, I will chop him into so many pieces that even dredges would not be left!"
At this moment, a girl at the side cried out in surprise,
“What? Jiayu? You really are Li Jiayu? You’re lying! That sissy Li Jiayu isn’t as handsome as you!”