Chapter 132 - 97 Phantom Assassin

Chapter 132: Chapter 97 Phantom AssassinThe last day of Flame Month. Ji Xinghuo returned to the city early in the morning and, upon arriving at the bounty hall, found that it was much busier than usual, with hundreds of bounty hunters staying around to watch the excitement after collecting their rewards. "Ji Xinghuo is here!" Before he even stepped into the hall, Ji Xinghuo heard someone inside shouting his name. Bounty hunters in line, seeing him, promptly made way for him to go directly to the counter to collect his rewards. "A bounty of 3.04 million, 127 points." The staff quickly counted the spoils Ji Xinghuo had turned in and handed the cash over to him. Although the bounty hunters were already clear on Ji Xinghuo’s strength, they still sighed in admiration upon seeing him earn so much money and points again. The bounty office’s staff immediately updated the leaderboard, with Ji Xinghuo still firmly in first place, with a total of 1,618 points for the month! "That’s outrageous..." The bounty hunters shook their heads one after another. Jing Ji in second place and Red Demon Alex in third both had just over a thousand points, and although they hadn’t turned in their spoils for the day, it was almost certain they wouldn’t catch up. "What was the highest record for a single month in the past?" a bounty hunter asked. "I think it was over four thousand points!" An experienced bounty hunter replied, his tone not quite sure, "If I remember correctly, it’s been a record for over twenty years now, still unbroken." "It was 21 years ago, 4,150 points." Another person said, "It’s the record set by ’Thousand Illusion Swordsman’ Li Xuan when he was a Super Mutant, just after advancing to ’Formless Swordsman’. He went to Midpoint Fortress to hunt enemies and temper his combat skills. Throughout the entire hot season, nine Star Realm Months, he accumulated more than 18,000 points." "I remember now, the 4,150 points isn’t just a record for Midpoint Fortress but also for all fortresses along the Star Realm defense line," someone quickly agreed. This was the first time Ji Xinghuo had heard of this record. However, the name of the Thousand Illusion Swordsman rang loud and clear to him. Three years ago, Li Xuan was promoted to Heavenly King, became famous worldwide, and became the thirteenth Heavenly King Mutant of the Asia-Pacific Community. This Thousand Illusion Swordsman also held another record, being the youngest of the current 49 Heavenly Kings, not even fifty years old, and ranked 45th on the list of Heavenly Kings. Ji Xinghuo had no thoughts of breaking any records. Yet the other bounty hunters were quite enthusiastic, with someone saying to him, "Brother Ji, you’re not far off either. Plus, you’ve only been at Midpoint Fortress for half a month; give it some effort, and you might break Thousand Illusion Swordsman’s record. That would really make you famous." "Right!" "Over sixteen hundred points in half a month means thirty-two hundred points in a full month, not far from the record," others chimed in with various opinions. "But Li Xuan is a Heavenly King; how easy do you think it is to break his record?" someone spoke up abruptly, "To break that record, wouldn’t it suggest Ji Xinghuo could also be promoted to Heavenly King in the future? Do you believe that?" The bounty hall suddenly fell silent, and the bounty hunters looked at each other. They hadn’t thought about it from that angle initially. If Ji Xinghuo really broke the record, wouldn’t it mean that his strength surpassed that of Li Xuan at the time, and given his youth, he could be promoted to Heavenly King in the future? That’s a Heavenly King! Since humanity had entered the Star Realm nearly two centuries ago, including those who had died, less than seventy Heavenly Kings had been born. If it were said that Ji Xinghuo might ascend to the status of legend, that seemed quite possible. But Heavenly King... The bounty hunters present felt it was a long shot. Li Xuan’s promotion to Heavenly King was not just because of his hunting records along the Star Realm defense line, but also a series of battle achievements and displays of one-in-a-billion exceptional talent. The so-called single-month points record was just one of the less important feats in Li Xuan’s legendary life. Sёarᴄh the nôvelFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Becoming a Heavenly King is far out of reach; it’s not something I can consider at the moment," Ji Xinghuo instead said with an easy smile, "As for the record, that’s not my pursuit either." The atmosphere in the hall then returned to its cheerful state. "You’re still young; you could give it a try." "Exactly." Ji Xinghuo shook his head again and again. Just then, a bounty hunter walked into the bounty hall entrance, and immediately someone recognized him, shouting, "Jing Ji is here." Ji Xinghuo also turned to look, having heard about Jing Ji for a long time since he came to Midpoint Fortress, yet he had never seen him in person. Jing Ji sported the typical Shadow Blade appearance. He looked to be about thirty, with an ordinary face, clean-cut black hair, roughly 1.8 meters tall, in form-fitting dark leather armor, a dagger at his waist along with a sheathed scimitar, and a crossbow on his back. He moved with swift and silent footsteps, making no sound as he moved. Ji Xinghuo had heard from others that Jing Ji was a Super Mutant. And at first glance, it indeed seemed so. Moreover, Jing Ji was not just an ordinary Shadow Blade; he had merged far more Abilities than a typical Mutant and had already advanced his Professional Templates, mastering some of the abilities of an Illusion Sound Master. A Shadow Blade coupled with an Illusion Sound Master became the renowned advanced profession known as "Phantom Assassin." Invisible on arrival, traceless on departure. The Phantom Assassin was one of the most dreaded Assassins. Through Etheric Fluctuations, Ji Xinghuo could tell that Jing Ji’s entire set of equipment was exceptional, each piece a Superpower Weapon. Even the leather armor he wore was Superpower Equipment. Apart from Weapon Equipment and armor, Jing Ji wore two rings and War Boots, all radiating Etheric Fluctuations invisible to the naked eye. "Wealthy man indeed!" Ji Xinghuo couldn’t help lamenting internally; just the lavish equipment he wore might be worth hundreds of millions. However, having hunted enemies at Midpoint Fortress for several years, with his points ranking first most of the time, his bounty income alone was probably two to three hundred million. It wasn’t surprising that he could afford such gear. Jing Ji wore a smile on his face as he walked, greeting familiar Bounty Hunters. It was clear that he had good interpersonal relationships. Jing Ji arrived at the counter, handed over the spoils of the day, and quickly completed the settlement. He received more bounty and points than usual, almost as much as Ji Xinghuo today. The staff updated the information on the points board, and Jing Ji’s points broke past 1,200, maintaining his second-place ranking. He shook his head at the rankings. Just then, someone next to him whispered a reminder, and Jing Ji turned his head to look at Ji Xinghuo. After taking a quick glance, he expressed his surprise, "You’re Ji Xinghuo? I’ve heard a lot about you." With a smile, he approached and extended his hand. "It’s me." Ji Xinghuo shook his hand and let go, nodding, "I’ve heard of Jing Ji the moment I arrived at Midpoint Fortress. I’ve heard much about you." "Hahaha, it’s all just empty fame." Jing Ji was hearty and didn’t seem to mind at all, saying, "The biggest name in Midpoint Fortress now is you. Alex and I have both been overshadowed by you. Truly, it’s the new waves that push the old waves ahead, and I’m already one of the old waves." "Big brother Jing is too modest. I’ve simply taken advantage of my profession." Ji Xinghuo didn’t dare underestimate this Phantom Assassin. Jing Ji’s ability to hunt in Midpoint Fortress for years without harm proved his strength. The reason Jing Ji’s spoils weren’t as plentiful as his own was due to the difference in their professions. Phantom Assassins excel in assassination, not direct combat, often having to escape after eliminating two or three enemies; while he was an archer, relying on absolute range advantage, he could eliminate an entire Patrol Team in one go. Different combat styles determined the efficiency of the hunt. It wasn’t easy to say who would win or lose if they fought. Jing Ji glanced at the Dragon Falcon Eagle Bow on Ji Xinghuo’s back and shook his head, "Being able to hunt so many enemies is your own skill. You don’t need to be overly modest." Ji Xinghuo did not demur further. "Alex should be coming soon to settle last month’s points and collect his reward. When he does, I’ll buy you a drink," Jing Ji offered. Ji Xinghuo readily agreed, "Okay." It wasn’t long before Red Demon Alex arrived, just minutes behind Jing Ji as if they had planned it. Alex still wore an indifferent expression, turning in his spoils to collect the bounty. His gaze then swept over Jing Ji. When he noticed Ji Xinghuo beside Jing Ji, his eyes lingered for a few seconds before he asked in very fluent Asia-Pacific Community language, "Ji Xinghuo?" Ji Xinghuo nodded. After confirming, Alex said nothing further. The bounty hall staff once again updated the leaderboard, adding Alex’s points to the tally, which surprisingly put him three points ahead of Jing Ji, into second place for the month. However, he was still over four hundred points short of Ji Xinghuo. Jing Ji frowned, dissatisfied with the result. Their bet was about the total points for the whole hot season, with only one month left. He was now merely 200 points ahead, which was a bit dangerous. If he lost to Alex, not only would he have to publicly admit defeat, but also leave Midpoint Fortress. As long as Alex was there, he could not return. Leaving Midpoint Fortress wasn’t a big deal; there were dozens of fortresses along the Star Realm defense line, any of which would allow him to hunt the Beiluo Shimen Clan. But losing the bet was a serious blow to his pride. One being from the Asia-Pacific Community and the other from the United States, the outside world had elevated the significance of this bet to the national level, beyond just personal glory. "Please, come with me," an attendant from the bounty office approached, leading Ji Xinghuo and the two men into a reception room. A man in military uniform was already waiting inside. He introduced himself as the director of the Midpoint Fortress bounty office. Jing Ji and Alex were familiar with him, having met him many times before. "Here is the list of rewards for this month. Please take a look," he said. Jing Ji took the list and asked, "Director Li, isn’t General Wang meeting with us?" Being in the top three Hero Points earners each month came with additional rewards and a possible meeting with the Fortress Commander – an opportunity that was not fixed. Typically, meeting the commander suggested access to better deals on Weapon Equipment. "General Wang has been busy with official duties recently and can’t take time away," Director Li said seriously. "The General instructed me to tell the three of you that next month’s point settlement will include an invitation for you, and the list will be updated with several valuable pieces of equipment." Jing Ji’s eyes brightened, and he nodded, "Good." Ji Xinghuo listened to their conversation while browsing the list in his hand, which outlined the additional rewards for the top point earner of the month. First was five million in cash. Then a Third-Level Heroic Medal. With this medal, one could receive favorable treatment in most countries on Earth. If a citizen of the Asia-Pacific Community, one could collect a monthly support payment of 15,000 Ya Yuan, credited directly to their card and provided until the individual’s death. The citizens’ support payment had increased fivefold! When Ji Xinghuo saw this, he realized that if he had no ambitions, he could live off this support payment for a lifetime. Unfortunately, he was no longer interested in such a small amount of money. During hunts, a silent arrow cost 15,000 Ya Yuan, and sometimes five or six arrows would be shot in battle. The Third-Level Heroic Medal was a one-time award per person, so the support payments wouldn’t increase cumulatively, but the cash rewards were unlimited. The end of the list featured a selection of Weapon Equipment, with several dozen items. Most of these items came from the military’s arms research and rarely made their way into the public domain, often being of higher quality than many company products. Ji Xinghuo, as the top point earner of the month, could purchase a piece of equipment from the list at a 20% discount. There were Sword, long spear, dagger, Armor, protection gear, bows and spears. There were also accessory items like rings and necklaces. Most of the Weapon Equipment was Superpower One Star, with prices ranging from three to ten million. There were also a few pieces of Superpower Two Stars, but they weren’t suitable for him. After carefully reading the information, Ji Xinghuo looked up and said to Director Li, "I want to purchase this one."