Summoning the Gods: Start by creating the Eternal Night.

Inside the quiet room of the Fine Rain Tower stronghold,

Ye Junlin sat cross-legged, holding the "Breakthrough Pill" he had obtained from the system lottery in his hand.

The pill was amber in color, with a faint spiritual light flowing across its surface. A pure medicinal power emanated from the pill's skin, causing the surrounding spiritual energy to stir slightly.

"This is the perfect tool to break through the bottleneck between the mid and late stages of the Grandmaster level."

Ye Junlin whispered something and put the Breakthrough Pill into his mouth.

The elixir melted upon entering the mouth, transforming into a warm current that flowed into the dantian.

Unlike the violent effects of ordinary pills, this medicinal power is like a gentle stream, yet it possesses an indestructible penetrating force, slowly seeping into the bottlenecks and barriers in the meridians.

Ye Junlin activated the "Supreme God and Demon Scripture," guiding the medicinal power to break through that invisible barrier.

"Buzz—"

The spiritual energy within the dantian was stimulated by the medicinal power, surging and washing over the area like a tidal wave.

At first, the bottleneck barrier remained unmoved, and even showed a slight rebound, but the medicinal power of the Breakthrough Pill seemed to carry a certain "momentum", continuously penetrating and wearing it down.

Half an hour later, a soft crack echoed within his body, and the bottleneck that had troubled Ye Junlin for many days was finally broken through!

The spiritual energy surged like a flood bursting its banks, circulating through the meridians before converging into the dantian. The aura steadily increased, eventually stabilizing at the late-stage Grandmaster realm.

Ye Junlin slowly finished his practice, and when he opened his eyes, a glint of shrewdness flashed in them.

With every gesture, his spiritual energy flowed more and more smoothly. Although he was still at the Grandmaster level, he was already showing signs of returning to simplicity and authenticity.

"System, view your personal panel."

[Ding, instruction received]

[Host]: Ye Junlin

Age: 17

[Realm Level]: Late Grandmaster

[Physique]: Supreme God-Demon Body (No Superior Level)

[Cultivation Technique]: Supreme Divine Demon Scripture (Unparalleled Level)

[Martial Arts Techniques]: Emperor's Seal Technique, Shadow Step, Thirteen Styles of the Ye Family

[Items]: 10 Eternal Night Decrees, 3 Storage Rings, 10 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, ...

[Energy Points]: 5000 points

[Summoning Character]:

Sixth Master: Yuan Tiangang (Late Stage of Celestial Realm)

The Seven Stars: 1. Di Yun (Mid-stage Nirvana) 2. Linghu Chong (Mid-stage Nirvana)

八卫：1.荆轲（洞虚境巅峰）、2.要离（洞虚境后期）、3.聂政（洞虚境巅峰）、4.专诸（洞虚境后期）、5.豫让（洞虚境后期）、6.曹沫（洞虚境后期）7.鉏鸒（洞虚境后期）】

Ye Junlin looked at the panel, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

The potential of the Supreme God-Demon Body and the Supreme God-Demon Scripture is self-evident; now, with their cultivation advancing further...

Although there is still a gap between them and the top experts, they are already capable of handling many situations.

Meanwhile, inside a general store deep within the black market of Qingzhou City,

As the mole was organizing the shelves, the curtain was suddenly lifted, and a man dressed in coarse cloth shorts walked in.

This man was burly, with broad shoulders and a thick back, and a scar on his face that ran from his brow bone to his jaw.

His eyes were filled with hatred and murderous intent, and there was a thick callus on the web of his right hand.

"What would you like to order, sir?"

The burrowing rat asked habitually, its gaze falling on the calluses on the other's hand.

He thought to himself, "Judging from his posture, he seems to be a seasoned weapon user."

Unexpectedly, the man shook his head, his voice hoarse:

"I am not here to shop, nor am I the one offering a reward."

He paused briefly, his gaze fixed on the burrowing rat, "I've come to earnestly request that the Drizzle Pavilion grant me an opportunity to join!"

The mole was taken aback for a moment, then realized: "You want to join the Drizzle Pavilion?"

"Exactly." The man nodded.

"My name is Shi Yong. I have long admired the name of Xiyu Tower and long yearned to visit it."

"Although I am not a top expert, I have brute strength and hope to have this opportunity."

The mole scrutinized him from head to toe; anyone who wanted to join the Drizzle Pavilion was clearly no ordinary person.

However, he was merely the person guarding the secondary stele; how could he dare to make decisions on his own?

He then said, "I can't make this decision. You wait here while I go and inform them."

Having said that, the burrowing rat lifted the curtain and went into the inner room. Arriving before the secondary stele, it gathered spiritual energy at its fingertips and inscribed a line of characters:

"A man claiming to be Shi Yong requested an audience, wanting to join the Xiyu Tower. He was a late-stage Grandmaster, with a burly physique and eyes filled with hatred and murderous intent."

Inside the Rain-Viewing Pavilion at the Fine Rain Tower stronghold, the main stele suddenly lit up with a green light, and new characters appeared.

Upon seeing this, Jing Ke, who was discussing recruitment matters with Nie Zheng and others, smiled and stood up:

"Wow, we just announced we were hiring and people are already showing up? I thought it was another bounty offer."

Nie Zheng leaned closer for a look: "Shi Yong, late-stage Grandmaster, the hatred and killing intent in his eyes do meet the standards of an assassin."

"I'll go take a look." Jing Ke raised the dagger at his waist.

"I'll take a stroll around the black market area and see if I can run into a few more rogue cultivators."

After saying this, Jing Ke's figure flashed and disappeared outside the Guanyu Pavilion.

Inside the grocery store, Shi Yong stood quietly in a corner, his gaze fixed on the groceries on the shelves, his expression somewhat complicated.

The burrowing mouse came out from the inner room and said, "Please wait a moment, my master will be here shortly."

Shi Yong nodded, said nothing more, and straightened his back, as if waiting for a judgment that would determine his fate.

A moment later, the curtain moved without any wind, and a figure silently appeared inside the shop—it was Jing Ke.

His gaze swept over Shi Yong, lingering for a moment on the thick calluses on the other man's hand and the scars on his face.

The second glance revealed the hatred and murderous intent in the big man's eyes; such a person was perfectly suited to be an assassin.

He then smiled and said, "You're Shi Yong?"

"Yes." Shi Yong saw the person who came and knew without guessing that it was someone from Xiyu Tower, so he clasped his hands in greeting.

Jing Ke said succinctly, "Come with me, I have some questions for you."

Without hesitation, Shi Yong followed Jing Ke's footsteps, and the two walked out of the general store one after the other, blending into the bustling crowd of the black market.

The burrowing rat watched the two figures disappear, stroked its chin, and muttered:

"It seems the reputation of my Fine Rain Pavilion has truly spread far and wide; people are even actively seeking opportunities to join..."

In a short while, Jing Ke brought Shi Yong to the outskirts of Qingzhou City.

Immediately afterwards, Jing Ke's eyes turned icy cold, like a frozen pool, as he looked at Shi Yong and said in a deep voice:

"Speak! Who are you? And why do you wish to enter my Fine Rain Pavilion!"

"My lord, I am a member of the Shi family from Baiyun City, Qingzhou."

Five years ago, when his sworn brother Lin Hansheng was in the most difficult situation, my father used all the resources of the Shi family to help him overcome the crisis.

"After that, they spared no effort in supporting the Lin family, helping them rise to become the second largest family in Baiyun City."

Shi Yong's tone was low and somber, each word seemingly steeped in ice.

"However, Lin Hansheng was ambitious and wanted to dominate Baiyun City. He didn't know which power he had allied with, but he dared to collude with outsiders to launch a night attack on the Shi Mansion."

His fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and the resentment in his eyes seemed about to burst forth.

"Overnight, my entire Shi family, numbering over a hundred, was slaughtered; blood flowed like a river!"

"He seized my Shi family's property, stole my father's martial arts techniques, and even desecrated our ancestral graves..."

"I was studying abroad at the time and was lucky enough to escape, but now I've become a homeless dog."