Era of Mist

Chapter 142: Chapter 141: A Taste of His Own Medicine

Outside the school gate, old alleys branched off to the left and right. Wang Jiaxu glanced around but saw no one; Shi Tiexin was already far away. After listening intently for a moment, a smile that seemed to say, ’You can’t escape my grasp!’ spread across Wang Jiaxu’s face, and he took off running into one of the alleys.

The moment he ran into the alley, where sunlight couldn’t reach and shadows were thick, Wang Jiaxu suddenly found the place a little familiar.

’Isn’t this the exact same place we ambushed Shi Tiexin last time?’

A tremor shot through his heart. Before he could react, the space around him began to crystallize with a CRACKLING sound. A boundary that looked like glazed, frosted glass suddenly expanded outward, enveloping the area in a circle about twenty meters in diameter. This crystalline barrier separated the inside from the outside. The walls, the road, the old alley—everything within looked real, yet simultaneously possessed a dual nature of reality and illusion.

’It’s a Secret Realm!’

’Someone trapped me in a Secret Realm!’

Wang Jiaxu was shocked. When he spun around, he saw a tall figure leaning against the wall at the alley’s entrance, arms crossed.

It was Shi Tiexin.

”I was just wondering who would show up. I figured you were the most likely candidate. And as it turns out, fate has been kind to me. I really did wait for you.” Shi Tiexin’s voice was like the Grim Reaper’s breath. ”Thinking of pulling the same old trick?”

Shi Tiexin’s head was lowered, his face completely shrouded in shadow. The dramatic lighting of his Gui Jianchou mode was online again, scaring Wang Jiaxu so much he couldn’t help but retreat two steps.

The old alley was dimly lit, and everything below Shi Tiexin’s hairline was steeped in shadow. From within that darkness, a pair of demonic eyes locked onto Wang Jiaxu. ”He Chong is a dunce. He doesn’t have the brains for anything complex. The idea to gang up on me might have been his, but you definitely chose the location. The idea to put me in debt must have been yours, too.”

It wasn’t a question, but a statement of fact. Wang Jiaxu was He Chong’s crackpot strategist and number-one lackey. The entire school knew it, so there was no point in denying it.

Wang Jiaxu’s mouth worked for a moment, but ultimately, he said nothing. ’Denying it would be useless,’ he thought. His eyes just darted left and right, searching for an escape route.

Shi Tiexin looked around the old alley. ”Speaking of which, you picked a pretty clever spot.”

Tumu Fortress Space City was an old city, and the Mu Yuan District was one of its more underdeveloped areas. The affiliated school was in an old industrial park, and there were still a few places nearby without camera coverage. And the law, it seemed, only applied where the cameras were watching.

That time, more than ten people took turns trapping Shi Tiexin in Secret Realms. It was a gang-up, plain and simple, and clearly illegal.

Although most injuries sustained within a Secret Realm would heal after it shattered—with minor ones vanishing completely—the pain from the trauma wouldn’t diminish. Moreover, any stamina and essence you expended would not be restored.

Back then, Shi Tiexin’s basic boxing cultivation had not yet reached the Profound level, nor had he activated his ”Ruthless” attribute. His lethality couldn’t compare to the short guy’s Ancient Boxing Skill. He couldn’t land an instant kill, so he couldn’t break the siege. In the end, they simply wore him down until all his stamina was gone.

Shi Tiexin still vividly remembered how He Chong, the last to appear, had been so arrogant, how he had tormented the powerless Tie Xin. Today, Shi Tiexin desperately wanted to trap He Chong in a Secret Realm in public, where he couldn’t cheat, and pay back every bit of that day’s suffering.

But he couldn’t. For the sake of his plan, he had to be patient.

But his patience did not extend to Wang Jiaxu.

Shi Tiexin was only wary of how He Chong’s father might react, and there was no way he would raise a huge fuss over someone like Wang Jiaxu. After all, Wang Jiaxu’s background was only marginally better than Shi Tiexin’s. If he hadn’t desperately latched onto He Chong, he wouldn’t even have a voice in this rotten-to-the-core affiliated school.

Therefore—

”Therefore, today, I’ll let you experience for yourself just what an auspicious location you picked.” Shi Tiexin uncrossed his arms, straightened his back, and advanced on Wang Jiaxu like a demon.

”Don’t! Please don’t! I—I wasn’t here for you! I was just... I was just...” Wang Jiaxu’s eyes darted wildly. He’d been scared even while hiding behind He Chong earlier. Now, facing an enraged Shi Tiexin alone in this dim old alley, he was terrified.

He had some level of essence cultivation, but combat prowess wasn’t determined by that alone.

”You were ’just’ what? Go on, I’m listening. Let’s see if your cultivation in Rhetoric is enough to sway my will again!”

Even while crossing world lines, even while unconscious, Shi Tiexin clearly remembered Wang Jiaxu’s words. Wang Jiaxu was mediocre in every other respect, but as a clever person, he understood his own niche and had poured nearly all his energy into cultivating Rhetoric.

The higher one’s cultivation in Rhetoric, the more one could inspire, bewitch, and sway others. If the person being influenced had low Rhetoric cultivation, a weak will, or lacked the ”Discernment” attribute, they could easily lose their fighting spirit or have their opinions changed. It was a discipline that defeated enemies through intangible means.

But using Rhetoric to manipulate others was not an omnipotent or perfect art.

”I’m sure you remember the words you spoke back then.” Shi Tiexin stared at Wang Jiaxu as the mental force of his Rhetoric surged. He spoke, his voice suddenly powerful and resonant, ”You asked if I wanted to be one of the elites? You’re damn right I do. Everything I’ve worked for has been for that exact purpose!”

Wang Jiaxu froze, and panic immediately flashed across his face.

That’s right. In this world, nothing comes without a price and consequences—not even words, the invisible assassins. Using mental force for manipulation was convenient, but if someone broke the spell, or even reversed it...

Wang Jiaxu sputtered, ”Impossible! What right do you have to become one of the elites? You—”

Shi Tiexin took a step forward. ”Those supplementary secret manuals you have to grovel like a dog to obtain? I’ve used them. Lots of them!”

Wang Jiaxu paled.

Shi Tiexin took another step. ”That essence-nourishing food you have to sell your dignity to get? I’ve eaten it. A lot of it!”

Wang Jiaxu’s face was ashen.

Shi Tiexin took a third step. ”Profound boxing skill, guidance from a master instructor—I have it all!”

Wang Jiaxu’s face twitched. He clutched his head and cried out in agony, ”Impossible! This is impossible! You’re lying! It’s completely impossible!”

”Impossible? Are you blind? I parted the crowds in the plaza with my power! My qualification test results were brilliant! Every word I have spoken is the absolute truth!” Shi Tiexin was now right in front of Wang Jiaxu, looming over him as he roared, ”Now, you tell me again! Why can’t I become one of the elites? A groveling rat like you—what gives you the right to look down on me?!”

”You... I... You—AHHH!!!”

Wang Jiaxu clutched his head, his eyes instantly turning bloodshot as he let out an uncontrollable, agonized scream.

Hmph. ’To kill the man, first you must kill the heart.’

’You tried to crush my spirit, ruin my future, and bury my destiny. So I won’t be holding back. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth! First, I’ll shatter the mental force of your Rhetoric, and then—’ With a sharp CRACK of his knuckles, Shi Tiexin clenched his fist. All that was left was Wang Jiaxu, huddled on the ground, clutching his head and trembling in agony.

’As for killing the man and destroying his heart, of course, you have to do both.’