The courtyard was a ruin of shattered stone and splintered wood.
Moonlight spilled across the broken ground, illuminating the corpse of the second assassin and the deep cracks spiderwebbing beneath Lian Hong's feet.
His breakthrough aura was still fading—a violent storm calming into a controlled flame.
The night wind brushed his blood-stained robes.His breathing steadied.
For a long moment, Lian Hong stood completely still.
Then—
he looked toward the bamboo grove.
Quiet.Motionless.But every instinct in his body screamed—
Something is there.
Someone had been watching the battle.Someone far more dangerous than the assassins.
Someone who killed the second assassin's last breath with a single needle…
and then simply disappeared.
Lian Hong wiped the blood from his mouth and spoke softly:
"Since you've come this far, why hide?"
The bamboo leaves rustled faintly—not from wind.From intent.
Cold, suffocating intent.
A Fragment of Killing Intent
For the briefest instant, a sliver of killing intent swept across the courtyard—cold as frostsharp as steelweighty as a collapsing mountain.
Lian Hong felt his entire spine tighten.
His breathing halted.
His heartbeat stumbled.
This killing intent…It's not something a mere assassin can possess.
This was the aura of a cultivator who had slain hundreds—and survived battles that shattered mountains.
Then it vanished.
Completely.
As if it never existed.
But Lian Hong knew what he felt.
Someone powerful.Someone far above the Outer Sect.
Inner Sect?Core disciples?Higher?
Impossible to tell.
He narrowed his eyes.
The system chimed.
[Unknown Observer Detected][Warning Level: Severe][Identity: Obscured by higher cultivation][Intent: Not Hostile / Not Friendly — Observational]
Lian Hong inhaled sharply.
Not hostile… for now.
But someone who could kill a trained assassin with a single needle…without revealing their presence…
was an enemy too great to ignore.
Only One Person Would Benefit
He replayed the sequence of events:
Assassins sent at night
Eliminated cleanly
Observer withdrawing without acting
Someone wanted him dead.Someone wanted him alive.And someone wanted to see which path he carved for himself.
Too many eyes.Too many motives.
Lian Hong murmured:
"Azure Spirit Sect is bigger than what I saw in my previous life."
He clenched his fist.
"And this time, I will climb high enough to see every conspiracy."
Footsteps Approaching
Lian Hong sensed them long before he heard them:
Three Outer Sect disciplesapproaching cautiouslyholding lanternsvoices trembling.
"Wh-What happened here…?""The courtyard… it looks like a beast rampaged through!""Is someone… is someone dead?"
They turned a corner—
saw the corpse—
and screamed.
Lian Hong stepped back into the shadows calmly.
He wasn't afraid of being blamed—this was assassination, not a duel.
But he wasn't interested in questions.
He needed answers.Plans.Information.
He turned away and walked deeper into the night.
At the Training Grounds
Lian Hong returned to the isolated training field.Moonlight shone on the empty stone floor.
He sat cross-legged.
Calm.Focused.
He began inspecting the gains from his breakthrough.
[Status Updated]
Realm: Qi Gathering, Third Layer
Physique: Strength +12%
Agility: +10%
Qi Circulation: Expanded by 14%
Passive: Blood Surge Ignition (Enhanced)
Skill Growth:• Shadowstep Phantom Movement +6%• Crimson Meridian Breathing +8%
His entire body vibrated with newfound power.
But the biggest change wasn't physical.
It was mental.
His battle sense had sharpened.His instincts had deepened.His awareness had expanded.
He could feel it—that faint, cold pair of eyes from earlierlingering somewhere in the depths of the sect.
Watching.
Studying.
Waiting.
Lian Hong's expression was calm.
"This cultivation path…"
His fingers tightened.
"…is going to be bloodier than the last."
The System Unveils a New Mission
The air shimmered.
A panel opened unexpectedly.
[New Main Mission Unlocked][Shadow of the Sect]
Objectives:
Identify the hidden observer.
Survive future assassination attempts.
Enter the Inner Sect within 90 days.
Rewards:
New System Feature: Fate Resonance
Unique Skill (Locked)
Hidden Talent Fragment
Penalty:Death.
Lian Hong's heartbeat slowed.
The system rarely gives missions with death penalties.
That meant the danger ahead was immense—
but so were the rewards.
He stood.
He looked toward the distant buildings of the sect—the grand halls, the glowing lanterns, the towering silhouettes of ancient trees.
"I will enter the Inner Sect," he murmured, voice steady."Not in years.Not in months."
He raised his chin.
"But in ninety days."
The moon shone brightly above him.
The night wind blew across the ruins behind him.
And somewhere, out in the darkness—
someone smiled.