Heaven's Eyes

Silent Encounter

Normally, a Will-Forged Pinnacle cultivator would have around four Newton of strength.

Each opened acupoint in the Gate Breaker Realm added roughly one Newton.

Jack, without even stepping into Warrior 6, already matched someone four steps into the Gate Breaker stage.

"The Eternal Insights Divine Art is truly monstrous!"

Jack exhaled, feeling the immense power coiled in his veins.

After such exhausting cultivation, he intended to grab some food and finally rest.

But just as he turned…

Rustle!

Jack’s ears twitched.

Sharp instincts far keener than before kicked in immediately.

"Someone’s nearby!"

Suppressing his breath, Jack remained perfectly still.

From behind one of the Strength Measuring Rock Pillars, he sensed a hidden figure lurking, silently watching his dormitory.

The figure hadn’t noticed Jack’s presence yet.

"Surveying my room in the dead of night, huh?"

Jack narrowed his eyes dangerously.

Who would sneak around targeting the academy’s "weakest teacher"?

Then a memory flickered in his mind:

That voice he overheard before…

"Blame yourself for daring to lay hands on our young mistress..."

It sounded familiar.

Though Jack couldn’t place it yet, he knew one thing:

The intruder was hostile.

"I can’t let him recognize me!"

A flash of inspiration struck.

If someone saw him now, clearly stronger than before,e the consequences could be catastrophic.

Without hesitation, Jack tore a strip of cloth from his sleeve and masked his face.

Hu!

He blended into the night like a shadow, his steps feather-light thanks to his newly refined body.

Within moments, he crept to within ten meters of the figure.

Under the faint starlight, he caught a glimpse:

Black outfit.

Face covered.

A glint of cold steel, dagger drawn and ready.

"Time to find out who sent you..."

Seeing the masked figure whip out a dagger, Jack’s eyes gleamed coldly.

It was fortunate he’d been cultivating instead of sleeping.

Otherwise, with how silently the intruder had approached, he might’ve been dead without ever knowing.

"First, I need to find out who this guy really is."

If it was just a lone attacker, fine.

But if there was an organization behind him, even if Jack killed this one, others might follow.

He wouldn’t be able to sleep soundly until he uprooted the threat completely.

"Who's there?"

Just as Jack was calculating his next move, the masked man growled lowly.

He’d noticed Jack’s presence.

Jack cursed silently.

He wasn’t exactly a master of stealth, and the moment he spotted the dagger, his breath had hitched, just enough for the masked man to sense him.

Jack was about to lunge when a sudden idea flashed in his mind.

He disguised his voice and hissed back:

"I’m here to kill Jack Reed, that useless teacher. Who are you?"

If the attacker had come for him, then why not pretend to be an ally?

Confuse him. Extract information.

"You’re here to kill him too?" The masked man paused, surprised.

But seeing Jack’s masked face and cautious posture, he let his guard down a little.

"Yeah," Jack growled. "Trash like him shouldn’t be allowed to exist at Astoria Academy."

He felt secondhand shame just saying it.

"Good! You do it. I’ll keep watch," the masked man nodded.

"...Huh?"

Jack blinked.

Trying to deflect, he said, "You do it. We’re both here for the same reason. It doesn’t matter who lands the hit."

But the masked man shook his head.

"You do it. I wasn’t planning to kill him. Just… punish him. If he dies, well, that’s his fault."

Jack raised a brow.

"Punish him? How?"

"Hmph! That scum disrespected our young mistress. I came to chop off his... thing. Turn him into a eunuch."

Jack froze.

"...!"

He instinctively crossed his legs.

What the hell is wrong with this psycho?!

Young mistress...?

Jack searched both sets of his memories, new and old.

He couldn’t recall ever disrespecting some noble girl.

"I’ve heard Jack Reed’s a bad teacher," he said, feigning ignorance. "But I didn’t know he hurt women."

"Bah! That beast’s worse than rumors say! Our young lady… Forget it. Talking about it just pisses me off."

The masked man trembled with rage.

Jack’s mouth twitched.

"Who the hell are you people, and what imaginary crime are you pinning on me?!"

"So why do you want him dead?" the masked man suddenly asked, squinting.

Jack tensed, then quickly spat,

"I hate cowards who prey on women."

"Oh? You know about his crimes? Which girl did he harm?"

Jack scoffed. "No need to tell you that."

The masked man hesitated... then nodded.

"Fine. You go first."

Jack pushed back, "No, you should go first. I’ll finish him off after you ‘punish’ him. Otherwise, he might die too quickly."

Another pause.

The man’s suspicion started to grow.

Sensing the tension, Jack leaned in.

"Come on, don’t you trust me? Why else would I sneak around in the dead of night wearing a mask?"

The logic, twisted as it was, clicked for the masked man.

"...Fine. Let’s go together."

They moved forward silently.

The masked man used impressive Featherfall techniques, barely making a sound.

Just then—

Boom!

The Vault of Eternal Insight jolted in Jack’s mind.

A new book appeared.

The moment someone used a technique, the Vault could analyze and record it.

Jack glanced at the new entry:

Harmon Yorn

His eyes narrowed.

"That name..."

Flipping to the first page:

"Harmon Yorn, Butler of Baiyu City Lord’s Residence. Warrior 6, Gate Breaker Realm. Eight acupoints opened."

Jack’s mind clicked.

"He’s the butler who stormed the academy earlier furious that I accepted Zara Vale as a student!"

So the "young mistress" he mentioned…

was Zara Vale.

"But I didn’t even touch her!"

Yet somehow, he was now a villain worthy of mutilation?

Jack nearly exploded with rage.

Then he flipped to the Vault’s flaws section:

Cultivation Technique: White Jade Circulation

Battle Techniques: Mystical Diagram Palm (Expert), Mystical Diagram Fist (Expert)

Flaws: 16

Weakness #1: The Ascendant Gate is located at the lower back. Severely under-defended.

Jack’s eyes glinted.

So what if he was a Warrior 6 with twelve Newtons of strength?

"You’re dead meat."

Suddenly, Jack stopped in his tracks.

"What’s wrong?" Harmon asked.

Jack pointed into the sky.

"Look! A UFO!"

"A what?" Harmon blinked.

"Go to hell!"

Jack struck like lightning; his foot slammed into Harmon’s lower back.

Peng!

Harmon stiffened instantly.

He flew forward like a ragdoll, smashing face-first into a boulder.

Blood splattered.

Jack pounced, landing on his back, raining fists down like a madman.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

What Pixue Realm expert?

What twelve Newtons of strength?

If you hit the weak spot, even a dragon would drop!

"You…!"

Harmon couldn’t even scream. His body refused to move.

Shock and betrayal filled his heart.

Weren’t we working together?!

Where was the trust?!

The honor?!

And… he was being straddled!?

He almost cried.

When the beating finally slowed, Harmon’s mask had fallen off.

His face was swollen beyond recognition; his own mother wouldn’t know him.

"Damn..."

Jack snapped out of his rage.

"This guy’s Zara Vale’s uncle... beating him is one thing, but killing him would be a disaster."

He’d just accepted Zara as a student.

If he killed her uncle now, he could kiss any trust goodbye.

And given that Baiyu City was the third-largest city in the kingdom, its city lord held real power.

Jack hadn’t built his foundation yet.

Low profile was survival.

"I can’t let him suspect it was me."

Then, an idea.

Blake Vazqes.

That arrogant bastard had mocked Jack all day yesterday, especially in front of Serena Lin.

If Harmon thought he was the attacker?

Even better.

Jack deepened his voice and leaned in close.

"I’ve got a grudge with Jack Reed. He pissed me off earlier, so I came to teach him a lesson.

But if you’d castrated him, Serena would’ve thought it was me, and I’d be finished with her.

This? This was bad timing. You got in my way."

Harmon’s bruised face twitched.

He couldn’t respond. His lips looked like sausages. All he could do was grunt.

"Scram."

Jack stood and booted him several meters away.

"Bastard..." Harmon cursed silently as he rolled away.

He knew he’d lost.

Still, he committed two key details to memory:

His attacker had a grudge with Jack Reed from earlier that day.

He mentioned a woman... and the name "Serena."

With those two clues, he was determined to find the bastard.

Only after Harmon disappeared into the shadows did Jack exhale.

"That could’ve gone sideways fast."

He dusted himself off and returned to his dorm.

His heart still pounded.

"If I hadn’t stayed up to cultivate, I’d be the one bleeding out."

One thing was clear:

"The key to surviving in this world… is power."

Seated on his narrow bed, Jack muttered to himself.

The Vault had exposed Harmon’s weakness

But it was his own strength that let him act.

He drifted into sleep with that thought, heart resolved.

Morning.

Sunlight crept over the horizon.

Jack stirred the moment it touched his face.

Though he’d only slept a few hours, he felt no fatigue, only clarity and focus.

"Time to start my first lesson."

He dressed swiftly, fastened his belt, and stepped into the morning air, striding toward his classroom with renewed purpose.

It didn’t take long for Jack to arrive at his classroom.

The moment he pushed the door open, a plump girl waved excitedly.

“Teacher Jack, you’re here! Look, I already finished cleaning the room!”

It was Tessa Graves, the last student Jack had accepted the day before.

He hadn’t expected her to be the second to arrive. Especially not after her tearful theatrics and leg-clinging desperation. But here she was, grinning proudly and polishing the classroom like her life depended on it.

“Not bad,” Jack nodded.

“Hehe, since teacher said I did well... is there a reward? Maybe a martial art? A cultivation technique? Three or five would be fine.” She beamed, eyes sparkling with expectation.

She was definitely the type to ride a compliment until the wheels fell off.

“Wait over there,” Jack said, gesturing to the corner where Emmette was sitting quietly. “We’ll start when the rest arrive.”

Soon, the others trickled in.

Liam Drake, the student Jack had won in a bet, was third to arrive. His expression showed open disdain as he scanned the classroom like he’d been sentenced to community service. Not far behind came Jennifer Jade, quiet and composed as ever.

Zane Hawthorne was next, Jack’s only voluntary recruit. After Jack had corrected his spear form, Zane’s strength had noticeably improved. Unlike the others, his eyes showed genuine respect.

Emily Wright arrived next, blushing as she realized she how many others had already arrived. She slipped into the back of the room and tried to become invisible.

“Ok, it seems we are only waiting on Zara” Jack announced.