18: Chapter 18

18

Before Jiang Haojie could respond, Huang Xingshan, who was leaning against the headboard, spoke first.

Boss Li had already told him about the previous events; it was X who had brought him out of Zuixin Tower and arranged for someone to send him to the hospital.

Although he only showed up a few days later, he would always remember this kindness.

If it weren't for X, he would probably still be trapped in that place.

"Mother of the child, go out and buy a few side dishes; I want to have a word with the gentleman."

The woman gave Huang Xingshan a disgruntled look, but she ultimately got up and left.

Huang Xingshan gave a sheepish smile: "A country woman who doesn't know the rules, please don't take offense, sir."

"It's fine, I just came to see how your recovery is going."

Jiang Haojie sat down on the chair by the bed.

"Much better. The doctor said I just need to recuperate for a few more days."

Jiang Haojie nodded slightly: "That's good.

I've been busy with various matters these past few days and couldn't come sooner."

Seeing that Huang Xingshan's complexion was fair, he felt a bit more at ease.

After chatting for a while, Jiang Haojie slowly revealed the true purpose of his visit.

"If you trust me, sir, may I offer a few words of advice?"

Hearing that Jiang Haojie actually intended to take action against the Bai Family, Huang Xingshan's expression turned solemn. He pondered for a moment before looking up at him.

Jiang Haojie nodded.

Huang Xingshan glanced at the door and lowered his voice: "First, I don't suggest you have a direct conflict with the Bai Family right now.

The Bai Family has been entrenched in Dragon City for many years. Although they aren't a top-tier family, their foundation is deep and they aren't easily moved."

"I'm not saying this to stop you, sir, but I hope you don't act rashly.

If you truly want to uproot the Bai Family, you need at least one of two things—either overwhelming raw strength or sufficient authority.

With either one of those, you'll have a chance of winning."

Jiang Haojie fell silent.

Huang Xingshan's words indeed made sense.

"In your opinion, where should I start?"

Jiang Haojie thought for a moment and spoke again.

Since the other party said this, he must have already considered it.

Jiang Haojie was never arrogant; he was always willing to listen to beneficial suggestions.

"My humble opinion is: you might as well register with the Bounty Guild first to obtain a hunter's identity.

By taking on missions, you can both hone your skills and accumulate wealth."

"As for the Bai Family, you might as well find some excuses to cause them some minor troubles first. In short, don't let them live too comfortably."

"But for now, it's best to avoid open conflict as much as possible."

Jiang Haojie was slightly puzzled: "There are many ways to make money, why must I become a Bounty Hunter?"

Huang Xingshan slowed down his speech and explained carefully: "You might not know, but the Bounty Guild has official recognition behind it.

Those hunters with outstanding strength can even get formal endorsement from the Guard Department.

Once you establish a connection with the authorities, you'll have some leverage in your hands."

"By then, even a power like the Bai Family would have to think twice before moving against you.

At least on the surface, they wouldn't dare to act lightly."

"Furthermore, becoming a top-tier Bounty Hunter is itself a symbol of strength.

No matter what you do in the future, you'll enjoy significant convenience in all aspects."

After listening, Jiang Haojie felt enlightened.

He hadn't expected the identity of a Bounty Hunter to hide such utility.

He couldn't help but feel lucky that coming to find Huang Xingshan today was indeed the right move.

Jiang Haojie stood up: "I understand.

I'll head over to the Bounty Guild now.

Recover well and don't worry."

"Why the rush? I've brought back the food; stay and eat a bit."

The door curtain was lifted, and Huang Xingshan's wife happened to return. Seeing him about to leave, she quickly spoke up to ask him to stay.

"I won't trouble you, Sister-in-law. I still have things to do; maybe next time."

Jiang Haojie politely declined her kindness.

Before leaving the hospital, he specifically went to the payment counter in the front hall and settled Huang Xingshan's outstanding medical bills—a full 120,000 crystal coinss.

After paying this sum, he only had about 110,000 or 120,000 left in his pocket.

Jiang Haojie clicked his tongue softly.

Not long ago, he felt he had plenty of money, but who knew these savings would be so quickly spent.

In just a few days, he had spent over 500,000, and it was almost gone.

Huang Xingshan was right: the most important thing right now was to improve his strength and find a way to earn crystal coinss.

In the hospital room.

Zhang Fang put the purchased food on the bedside table, her tone carrying a hint of complaint: "Just these few dishes cost over a hundred crystal coinss again.

We can't even scrape together the money for today's dressing change."

"That friend of yours too; he came to visit you empty-handed and wouldn't even stay for a meal.

It's clear he doesn't take you seriously."

Huang Xingshan just gave a bitter smile and didn't respond.

Zhang Fang had a sharp tongue but a soft heart.

She had indeed suffered a lot following him over the years.

He always felt he owed her.

As they were speaking, there was a light knock on the hospital room door.

A doctor in a white robe pushed the door open and entered.

Zhang Fang hurriedly stood up and pleaded respectfully: "Doctor, can we have a few more days for the medical fees? I'll definitely find a way to get the money, please don't stop my husband's medicine..."

The doctor smiled and waved his hand: "Don't worry, your fees have been fully settled.

The medicine will be supplied as usual."

"Settled? Who settled it?"

Huang Xingshan and Zhang Fang were both stunned.

"I'm not sure.

The person didn't leave a name; he was wearing a silver-white mask."

The couple looked at each other, already understanding in their hearts.

***

Bounty Guild.

Jiang Haojie looked up at the towering building in front of him.

At its peak stood a giant emblem resembling a crystal coins—the symbol of the Bounty Guild.

He stepped into the hall.

The silver-white mask on his face immediately drew many gazes.

Not because it was common, but simply because his outfit was too eye-catching.

Jiang Haojie ignored the measuring glances from around him and walked straight to the reception desk.

"Hello, sir.

How can I help you?"

The young woman behind the counter looked up, revealing a practiced smile.

Although the visitor's attire was quite peculiar—his entire face hidden behind a plain white mask without any patterns—the surprise in her eyes only flashed for a moment.

"I want to register as a Bounty Hunter. What procedures do I need to go through?"

The woman took out a form from beside her and pushed it across the polished counter. "Please fill out this basic information registration form first, then proceed to the testing room on the right to complete the ability assessment.

As long as you pass the assessment, you can officially obtain hunter qualifications."

Jiang Haojie took the pen attached to the form, his eyes scanning the columns: Name, permanent address, contact information... his brow furrowed imperceptibly.

He had deliberately come with a mask to hide his appearance precisely to avoid the risk of exposing his identity.

If he filled in everything truthfully according to this form, all the camouflage would lose its meaning.

"Sir, are you encountering any difficulties?"

Noticing his hesitation, the receptionist leaned forward slightly to ask.

"Must all these items be filled in truthfully?"

Jiang Haojie lowered his voice, "If I wish to keep my identity private, how should I handle it?"

"The guild does provide a path for anonymous registration."

The woman maintained a professional tone, "But this requires you to first complete all testing items and have each result reach a specific standard.

At that time, your file will be encrypted according to confidentiality regulations."

As expected, such a rule existed—it just came with conditions.

"And the confidentiality level of your information will also be determined by the hunter rank evaluated in the final test."

She added.

"What specific standard needs to be reached?"

"I'm sorry, the specific passing lines for the tests are held directly by the assessment department; we cannot inform you in advance."

Jiang Haojie pondered for a moment and then made a decision. "I choose anonymous registration."

"Alright.

Please go straight along the corridor on the left; the testing hall is at the end.

Explain your situation to the staff there, and they will arrange the corresponding assessment process for you."

He nodded and turned to walk in the direction indicated.

There were still five people waiting in the area outside the testing hall.

Jiang Haojie stood silently at the end of the line, thinking it would take some time, but unexpectedly, the assessment process for the people in front of him was surprisingly fast.

In less than fifteen minutes, it was his turn.

He briefly explained his intention for anonymous registration to the receptionist.

"Understood.

You can enter Testing Room No. 1 directly and complete all items according to the internal instructions."

The staff member's tone was calm, "If the final result reaches the baseline for anonymous registration, the system will automatically activate the identity protection protocol for you."

The door to the testing room closed silently behind him.

In the center of the room was a slightly glowing stone altar with ancient patterns, its surface flowing with a faint silver light.

"Please stand on the altar first for talent and basic ability detection."

A technician in a deep gray uniform gestured while reaching out, "Your registration form needs to be filed first."

"I didn't fill out a form."

Jiang Haojie stood his ground, "The front desk told me I could test first and then apply for anonymous registration directly after meeting the standards."

"I see."

The technician withdrew his hand and nodded, "Then there are a few points to inform you in advance: the eligibility for anonymous registration is based entirely on test data, and the system will automatically compare it against the access thresholds of the confidentiality clauses.

Now, please step onto the altar."

"The standard is not set by people, but by the machine.

Even if you have heaven-defying talent, if you can't pass this stage, everything is off the table."

Jiang Haojie nodded to show his understanding.

"Then let's begin."

Before the staff member could finish his sentence, the equipment had already quietly started.

A beam of plain white light enveloped Jiang Haojie.

At first, the light was unremarkable, but in an instant, it burst forth with a blinding brilliance, so bright that one couldn't keep their eyes open.

The staff member was stunned—what kind of amazing talent could trigger such a phenomenon?

However, the result that popped up on the detection screen was simple to the point of being eerie: except for a solitary "SSS-rank"

marker, the columns for talent type and ability inclination were all blank.

The intense light lasted for a full thirty seconds before gradually fading.

"Did I pass?"

Jiang Haojie's voice made the staff member snap back to his senses.

"Y-yes, you passed."

He subconsciously swallowed.

The SSS-rank here didn't refer to a talent rating, but meant: this person's encrypted identity authority was as high as SSS-rank.

Those with the authority to view his file would have to be at least a high-ranking official at the bureau level or above.

Looking across the entire Dragon Country, people with this level of confidentiality were few and far between.

While the staff member was still in a daze, Jiang Haojie had already walked to the next detection point.

In front of him stood a two-person-high, lustrous white crystal.

This time, the staff member's tone clearly added a bit of awe: "Please strike the crystal with all your might; we will evaluate your destructive power based on this."

A full-strength strike? Jiang Haojie's brow twitched slightly.

Fine, it was a good chance to see what level his pure strength could reach without using the Critical Hit talent.

He lowered his body and bent his knees, his aura restrained.

The staff member was wondering about this strange starting posture when he suddenly saw a transparent phantom of a lion's head faintly condense above Jiang Haojie's head—

Before he could react, a roar that seemed capable of tearing through space erupted from Jiang Haojie's throat!

"Roar—!"

The moment the sound wave exploded, the staff member only felt his ears ringing and his mind in chaos; all sound seemed to have been stripped from the world.

And that lustrous white crystal suddenly burst with a brilliant seven-colored rainbow light, illuminating the entire detection room like a dreamscape.

The rainbow light surged for nearly a minute before slowly settling and dissipating.

Fortunately, the soundproofing and shielding facilities of the detection room were adequate; otherwise, this roar would have likely alarmed the entire building.

The same marker appeared on the surface of the crystal: SSS-rank.

Jiang Haojie called out several times before the staff member standing dazed to the side barely regained his senses. He tremblingly recorded the result, and when he looked at Jiang Haojie again, his eyes were as if he were staring at some non-human existence.

"What's next?"

Jiang Haojie felt a bit uncomfortable being stared at like that and took the initiative to ask.

"The speed test... is over there."

The staff member pointed to a passage filled with obstacles on the other side of the room, "You need to quickly traverse all the obstacle zones. During the process, red laser beams will be randomly emitted; being scanned will affect your score."

He led Jiang Haojie to the starting point and added: "The location and timing of the lasers are irregular, so please be careful."

The track was a winding curve, densely packed with various obstacles along the way, with laser emission devices constantly flickering on both sides.

"Can I start?"

No trace of nervousness could be heard in Jiang Haojie's voice.