Lack of talent? I'll buy a year's worth of cultivation for one dollar!

at the same time.

Deep beneath Kyoto, in a hidden stronghold permeated with the stench of decay and blood.

A deathly silence.

In the center of the spacious underground hall.

Several high-ranking members of the Abyss Order, shrouded in wide black robes, were staring intently at the holographic projection above the crimson altar.

The projected image is an extremely detailed 3D map of Kyoto.

And on this map.

A blinding scarlet dot of light is moving slowly along a uniform and steady trajectory.

"What's going on?"

The leader, dressed in black, frowned, and his eerie green eyes beneath his hood gleamed with suspicion.

He pointed at the red dot, his voice hoarse and grating.

"This is the life locator on Shadowblade."

"Why is he moving towards Kyōbu from his current location?!"

This statement came out.

The air in the hall froze instantly.

The burly man in black robes next to him suddenly stepped forward, staring intently at the screen, his tone filled with disbelief.

"impossible!"

"Logically, if the assassination had succeeded, he should have immediately erased all traces and returned to the base via the sewers or abandoned air-raid shelters!"

"What's he doing in Jingwu?!"

"Are you going to walk right into a trap?!"

"Could it be...?"

In the corner, the hunched-over man in black robes swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly.

"Could it be that the assassination attempt failed?"

"fart!"

The leader of the black-robed men suddenly turned around and angrily rebuked them without any mercy.

"Are you out of your mind?!"

"That's a Shadow Blade!"

"A top-tier grandmaster with a Qi and Blood value of 600,000!"

"Countless high-ranking human officials have died at his hands!"

"How could he possibly fail against a freshman with only 1000 HP?!"

The man in black robes became more and more agitated as he spoke, and even couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

"Let's be reasonable, okay?"

"Six hundred thousand against one thousand!"

"The possibility of that is almost as great as me choking to death while drinking water!"

"Even if that kid has mastered the Transformation Spear Intent, even if he's exceptionally talented, he absolutely cannot last a fraction of a second against such an overwhelming level of power!"

Silence fell over the hall once again.

Yes.

so funny.

A thousand health points can turn the tables on a six hundred thousand health points?

This completely violates the ironclad rules of the martial arts world!

Even fairy tales wouldn't dare to make it up like this!

"But what if the assassination hadn't failed..."

The burly man in black robes pointed at the red dot on the screen that was getting closer and closer to the gate of Jingwu, his voice hoarse.

"Then how do you explain this movement trajectory?"

"And look."

"The red dot representing Shadowblade's vital signs is still lit, but the frequency is abnormally weak."

"This indicates that he is currently in a state of extreme weakness, or even unconsciousness!"

The leader of the men in black robes took a deep breath.

A chilling glint flashed in his eerie green eyes.

"and."

"The Shadow Blade's stealth ability is so great that even a Martial Spirit with a million HP might not be able to see through it!"

"unless……"

"Unless a Martial King-level expert personally intervenes!"

"Could it be that that kid has a Martial King protecting him?!"

The hunchbacked man in black robes cried out in alarm.

"impossible!"

The leader of the men in black robes immediately denied it, his tone resolute.

"Our organization's intelligence network has long since infiltrated every corner of Kyōbu."

"All Martial King level experts are under our close surveillance."

"At this time, Nie Changkong is in the administration building, and the other Martial Kings are also at their respective posts."

"There is absolutely no Martial King near that kid!"

"We should have accurately identified Jingwu's negligence in protecting that kid!"

"Then tell me, what exactly is possible?"

The burly man in black robes grew anxious and grabbed the collar of the leader of the men in black robes.

"Judging from the current situation, Shadowblade has been captured alive!"

"It can't be that kid killed Shadow Blade instead, can it?!"

"Bullshit!"

The leader, dressed in black, slapped the other man's hand away, laughing in anger.

"If he manages to fight back, I'll devour this altar on the spot!"

"Yeah, that's ridiculous!"

"I can't even imagine any possibility of a comeback!"

The hunchbacked man in the black robe sighed, his tone revealing deep apprehension.

"Having eliminated all the impossibilities, whatever remains, however outrageous, is the truth."

"It can only be King Wu."

"Either it's a Martial King expert secretly hidden by Jingwu, someone not on our intelligence list!"

"Either way, that kid has an extremely terrifying hidden force behind him!"

"No matter what."

"Shadowblade's capture means our base is at risk of being exposed!"

The leader, a man in black robes, made a decisive decision.

A ruthless and decisive glint flashed in his eyes.

"retreat!"

"Immediately sever all ties with Shadowblade!"

"Destroy all data within the base!"

"That kid is really weird; we've really messed up this time."

"Once things calm down, we'll gather intelligence again."

"Planning the next assassination!"

……

the other side.

On the bustling streets of Kyoto.

The night breeze was slightly cool.

Su Yu, dressed in light casual clothes, walked calmly on the sidewalk.

His right hand held the unconscious Shadow Blade.

There weren't many pedestrians on the roadside.

Occasionally, a few people would pass by and see Su Yu carrying a man in black, but they would simply walk around him from a distance.

In this world where martial arts flourish, conflicts between martial artists, resulting in people being knocked unconscious and dragged away, happen every day.

Unless large-scale destruction occurs, ordinary people dare not meddle.

Su Yu stopped in his tracks.

I looked up and glanced at the magnificent Jingwu Gate not far away.

He raised his left hand and tapped the tactical terminal on his wrist.

We found Vice Principal Nie Changkong's private phone number.

Dial the number.

beep - beep -

The phone was answered after only two rings.

"Hello, Su Yu?"

From the terminal came Nie Changkong's voice, which carried a hint of gentleness and a smile.

"Why are you contacting me so late? Is there something you don't understand about the *Tai Xu Yuan Xue Jue*?"

"I told you that technique was too overpowered. If you find it too difficult, you can always take it back and exchange it."

Su Yu looked at the assassin he was carrying.

The tone was flat.

"The technique is fine."

"Principal, where are you?"

"I?"

Nie Changkong was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Su Yu to ask this.

"I'm in the administration office, handling some documents for the freshman exchange competition."

"What's wrong? Why did you come to see me?"

Su Yu nodded.

"Um."

"An assassin has been captured alive."

"I'd like you to handle this."

On the other end of the phone.

Silence fell instantly.

Two or three seconds passed.

"Not bad!"

Nie Changkong's voice came again, carrying an undisguised sense of admiration and satisfaction.

"Captured alive..."

"As expected of the top-tier freshman I selected, his alertness is truly remarkable!"

and many more.

He was only halfway through his sentence.

Nie Changkong's voice suddenly faltered.

It was as if they realized something was wrong.

"You...you captured what alive?"

Nie Changkong's voice suddenly rose eight octaves, even cracking slightly.

"An assassin."

Su Yu answered truthfully.

"What assassin?!"

Nie Changkong roared on the other end of the phone.

With a clattering sound of documents hitting the ground, he clearly stood up abruptly from his office chair.