The Almighty Ring

The day’s classes finally ended. As Jiang Fei was on the way home after school, he passed by the battleground on which the ninja had ambushed him. No one, not even Jiang Fei could have anticipated such a close brush with death two days ago. Now, Jiang Fei was walking about with an actual set of Ares’ Armor!

If Jiang Fei had met the same ninja on that day now, a defensive potion would easily turn Mao Tian’s ninja into a poodle. With Jumping Slash and Karate Kick, a ninja of Mao Tian’s level would never be able to escape from Jiang Fei.

Jiang Fei was eager to try the armor out. He even hoped that Tokugawa Shingi had sent another ninja to assassinate him. After all, not being able to experiment with his newfound powers was very dissatisfying for Jiang Fei. Breaking a few rocks was hard enough for his appetite.

*Crack!*

Jiang Fei spun around and saw an old man standing behind him. The old man had stepped on a broken tree branch. Having increased his Spirit by ten points after consuming the Evolution Blood, Jiang Fei’s sense had grown far sharper than ever.

“Hehe, you’re a pretty sharp one, lad!”

The old man laughed. He was none other than the old man who had swooped away with Mao Tian.

“What are you doing?”

Jiang Fei frowned. This old man creeped him out. He was sadistic and messed up in the head.

“Hehe, at ease, young one. I am here to deliver the results of the investigation. Your family members are regular folk. I could not go to your house. I could only wait for you here!”

The old man said as he laughed.

“You know where my house is?”

Jiang Fei was shocked. He had not said anything the other day. Not even his name. This old man had found his home. This was most unsettling.

“Just a trivial matter for our organization. Well, not just ours actually. There are many others with such skills!”

What the old man said was true. It was not very difficult to do what he did. As long as one had the power or influence, the person could be the boss of a big company. However, Jiang Fei was a regular high school student and had not thought of this.

“Alright, tell me the results!”

Jiang Fei nodded.

“The young fellow was called Mao Tian. He is a ninja from the Igha faction. He serves the Tokugawa family’s fourth son, Tokugawa Shingi,” the old man said.

“Oh.”

Jiang Fei nodded. He had seen this coming a mile away.

“You do not look very surprised. It seems that you may have already guessed it.”

The old man laughed.

“How did you deal with the ninja?” Jiang Fei asked.

“After the investigation ended, he no longer had any use for us.”

The old man shrugged. Clearly, this ninja from Tokyo who dared to attack someone in Huaxia had already been disposed of.

“Okay, I understand. If there is nothing else, I shall be on my way!”

Jiang Fei nodded and prepared to head home. He was liking the old man lesser and lesser with each passing second.

“Sure, sure! A word of advice though. It is normal for a young man to be rash. However, it’s in your best interest that you let Tokugawa Shingi slide. The young fellow is just a nobody, but his family is not to be messed with. Now that we have banished Tokugawa Shingi from this country, he no longer attempt to cause you trouble from Tokyo!” the old man warned Jiang Fei.

“Alright!”

Jiang Fei did indeed have the idea of teaching Tokugawa Shingi a lesson. With the Ares’ Armor, Jiang Fei’s abilities had dramatically increased. He longed for a live target. But Jiang Fei was not ready to go all the way to Tokyo. He was not dumb. He was in his home ground when the ninja attacked him. If he went into enemy territory to do the opposite, things would not end well for him. Jiang Fei knew his place. He could not yet roam freely in Tokyo as he did not have invincible might. Naturally, he would not send himself to die.

“That’s right. Don’t forget to tell your master that I would like to compete with him!” The old man added before he left. In the blink of an eye, he had vanished.

“That was fast!”

Jiang Fei was surprised. The last time the old man left, he had merely climbed over a tall wall. Jiang Fei had not thought much of it. However, the old man had just displayed a shocking speed of movement. He was indeed a talented person. Jiang Fei had believed that with the Ares’ Armor, he would be able to withstand the first attack from a would-be assassin. He could then drink the defensive potion. However, if the old man had been the one to attack him, he would have been finished.

“Damnit… I still am in need of training!”

Jiang Fei sighed. He was aware of his own shortcomings. Although Jiang Fei’s equipment gave him great strength, his technique and combat awareness were no better. He needed actual training.

After having eaten dinner, Jiang Fei laid on his bed. He thought about the conversation between him and the old man. Jiang Fei had decided in his heart that he needed to become stronger because he was not the only person in harm’s way! The old man had easily discovered where he lived. Wouldn’t this mean that Tokugawa Shingi, who knew Jiang Fei’s name, could easily track down his family?

Jiang Fei could use the defensive position and equipment to fight against the ninja, but what about his parents? How would they protect themselves? Damned ninjas. These folk sent out assassins as easily as it was to eat and drink. Although Tokugawa Shingi had returned to Tokyo, he still dwelled in the back of Jiang Fei’s mind.

“This won’t do. I need to get stronger quickly. I must be strong enough to scare Tokugawa Shingi off!”

Jiang Fei steeled himself.

As a high school student from a well-off family, Jiang Fei had never often felt any pressure. He could talk about how examinations stressed him out, but it was nothing like this.

His own life and the lives of those he loved were in danger. Jiang Fei suddenly started thinking like an adult. He never used to even consider many things, but he was suddenly very conscious of them. He carefully reflected on his past activities as of late. Now, Jiang Fei had to be very careful. Hardship always tempered steel. Such was the case for Jiang Fei. It was as if he had grown up into a real man in a single night. He was now a man with a goal in his mind!

Since he had a goal now, Jiang Fei started forming plans to counter Tokugawa Shingi. Mao Tian had failed when the mysterious old man appeared. Tokugawa Shingi must have thought that Mao Tian was discovered by Huaxia’s martial artists and was prematurely thwarted. In Tokugawa’s eyes, Jiang Fei was merely an annoying, yet regular student. He would not be deterred so easily.

Before Tokugawa Shingi discovers that Jiang Fei was more than your run-of-the-mill student, Jiang Fei’s parents were still safe. This was when Jiang Fei could still work on improving his skills.