Azure Fish Island

"Stop?"

With a slight thought, Su Bai Soaring Dragon Sword, which was circling around the Reception Envoy searching for an opening, emitted a soft, seemingly unwilling sound, and the lightning and sharp Sword Intent on the sword quickly subsided.

It transformed into a streak of azure-gold light, swiftly flying back to Su Bai's side, circling him joyfully once before finally merging into his Dantian Sea of Qi, where it was gently Nourishing beside the Sword Phantasm, its brilliance fading away.

You passed the test.

The Reception Envoy's voice came through the mask, carrying a hint of relief, but more importantly, an acknowledgment of Su Bai's strength.

"Based on your demonstrated offensive power, tactical coordination, and Spiritual Power foundation, which far surpass the level of ordinary ' Small Fish,' I have decided to directly grant you the rank of ' Great Fish.'"

He paused, looked at Su Bai, and said with a more serious tone, "To be honest, in terms of instantaneous burst of power and threat, your sword strike just now has already touched the threshold of ' Shark '."

"However, according to the rules of the hall, to reach the ' Shark ' rank, one not only needs to meet the Combat Power requirements, but also needs to accumulate a certain mission completion rate and merits."

"You are new here and have not yet achieved anything. Immediately granting you this position would likely be difficult to convince the public and would not benefit you."

"I went to the Demon Star Sea, first as a ' Great Fish,' accepted and successfully completed several missions to accumulate experience and reputation."

"At that time, you can apply for the ' Shark ' assessment yourself. Once you are promoted to ' Shark,' not only will your commission share be higher (the organization only takes 30%), but the level of resources you can obtain from the bounty targets you can access will also be completely different."

"That's the real way to quickly accumulate wealth."

Su Bai cupped his hands in a respectful but not servile manner. "Thank you for your Reception Envoy, I understand."

The Reception Envoy nodded slightly and continued the procedure, "Now, put all the identifying items you possess that clearly point to the Jade Mist Sect —such as sect Token, standard robes, and magical Law Artifact with obvious sect markings—into this Storage Bag and store them here for now."

He handed over a plain-looking gray Storage Bag.

"When you return from the Demon Star Sea, regardless of whether you completed the mission or not, as long as you come back here, these items will be returned to you intact."

"This is for the sake of secrecy, and also for your own good."

"In case... you encounter misfortune in the Demon Star Sea and your body is searched, these items might expose your origin from the Jade Mist Sect of Qingzhou, thereby revealing the secret connection between the Three Sects of Qingzhou and the [Azure Fish Hall]."

"Isolating the risks here is necessary for you and for the church."

Upon hearing this, Su Bai understood.

He moved swiftly, taking out the Jade Mist Sect Token representing his status as True Disciple Elder from his waist, the luxurious Purple Elder Robe, and several other small items bearing the sect's emblem. He placed them all into the gray Storage Bag and then handed them back to the Reception Envoy.

The Reception Envoy took it, checked it to ensure it was correct, and then put it away.

At the same time, he handed two things to Su Bai: a Pale Mask with a cool touch and a peculiar texture, and a finely carved blue jade pendant about the size of a thumb, shaped like a swimming fish.

The mask was quite light, made of neither leather nor tan, and was predominantly pale white with seemingly random, twisted, and irregular lines and geometric patterns dotted with black ink.

These patterns are not entirely meaningless. Veterans who have infiltrated the [Azure Fish Hall] for a long time can often vaguely identify the characteristics of certain well-known Assassin by the subtle differences and combinations of the patterns, making them a kind of undisclosed "heraldry."

Su Bai covered his face with the mask.

The edges of the mask immediately softened, automatically expanding and contracting as if they were alive, perfectly fitting his facial contours without any gaps or discomfort, and even his breathing was unaffected.

Immediately afterwards, a thin yet resilient black material rapidly spread out from the edge of the mask, covering his neck, shoulders, and torso like flowing water, eventually forming a fitted black robe that enveloped his entire body, leaving only his eyes exposed.

This black robe also has a good effect on concealing one's aura and confusing one's appearance, making it a rather practical Upper Grade auxiliary magic Law Artifact overall.

That fish-shaped jade pendant contained his identity information within the [Azure Fish Hall].

Su Bai infused a wisp of Divine Sense into the document, which contained no record of his name, origin, age, or any other personal background. It only contained two extremely simple and ancient characters: Hai Jiu.

This was his code name in [Azure Fish Hall].

After this journey to the Demon Star Sea, the name Su Bai may remain buried for a long time; "Hai Jiu" will become his only identifier as he walks in the shadows.

He strung the jade pendant on a thin cord, hung it directly around his neck, and then tucked it inside his black robe to wear close to his skin.

"If you're ready, come with me." Seeing that Su Bai was fully equipped, the Reception Envoy didn't delay any longer and turned to lead him away from the underground testing space.

The two returned to the dark and oppressive main passageway.

This time, the Reception Envoy no longer moved slowly. With a swift movement, he transformed into a faint black shadow and sped forward along the passageway at a speed as fast as a ghost.

Su Bai also sped up, his black robe billowing slightly, following closely behind, his steps light and silent.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a tightly closed stone door appeared ahead.

The Reception Envoy stopped in front of the door and activated the mechanism using a specific method.

The stone door slid open silently, revealing a small stone chamber inside, barely large enough for a few people to stand in.

In the center of the stone chamber, a Teleportation Array with intricate lines and inlaid with various Spirit Stone was carved on the ground.

The Magic Array flickered with a steady blue spiritual light, emitting strong Spatial Fluctuation.

"This is the Interstate Teleportation Array leading to the Demon Star Sea."

The Reception Envoy stood at the entrance, pointing to the Magic Array and saying to Su Bai, "Qingzhou and the Demon Star Sea are millions of miles apart, separated by several large Cultivation World and endless wastelands and seas. This is an ultra-long-distance fixed-point teleportation."

"During the teleportation process, the Power of Space are quite strong, and the body will feel a noticeable tearing sensation, and even slight dizziness."

"However, you are already Foundation Establishment Cultivator, having condensed spiritual bones. Your physical body and soul are far superior to those of the Qi Refining Stage. As long as you don't deliberately use your inner energy to resist, you can endure it for a while without suffering any substantial damage."

"Remember, don't use your Spiritual Power to protect yourself recklessly, as that might interfere with the stability of the teleportation."

Su Bai nodded, indicating that he had made a note of it.

He took a deep breath, adjusted his slightly fluctuating breathing due to anticipation, and then stepped firmly to stand in the center of the Teleportation Array.

The Reception Envoy stood at the entrance of the stone chamber, waving one last time at Su Bai within the formation. His voice came through the mask. "Su Bai... no, now I should call you ' Hai Jiu '. Well then, I wish you a successful hunt in the Demon Star Sea and a safe return."

As soon as he finished speaking, he no longer hesitated and reached out to press a mechanism outside the stone chamber.

Buzz--!

The intricate patterns on the Teleportation Array suddenly erupted with a dazzling, blinding white light!

The energy of the embedded Spirit Stone was being frantically extracted, producing a faint "clicking" sound.

An incredibly powerful Power of Space instantly enveloped and pulled Su Bai completely!

Su Bai felt a pure white light before his eyes and an extremely sharp buzzing in his ears, as if the whole world had been compressed and distorted.

Immediately afterwards, an indescribable, immense tearing sensation came from all directions, affecting every inch of his skin and bones.

He kept the Reception Envoy's instructions in mind, focused his spirit, relaxed his body, and let the Power of Space work. He simply circulated his cultivation Cultivation Method silently, using the stable spiritual bones of Foundation Establishment Cultivator to resist the discomfort.

Although the tearing sensation was strong, it was still within the tolerable range and did not truly damage the underlying structure.

Just when he felt as if he was about to be completely devoured by this endless tearing, everything suddenly calmed down.

Buzz...

A deep, lingering sound echoed in my ears, and the intense white light before my eyes quickly dissipated.

Heading east from the Qingzhou Cultivation World, one must traverse millions of miles of vast, desolate land and then cross a sea before reaching a chaotic yet opportunity-filled region— the Demon Star Sea Cultivation World.

The main body of the Demon Star Sea is a huge continent, surrounded by a vast Ocean on all sides, with countless islands of all sizes scattered along the coast. Its total area is said to be more than ten times that of the Qingzhou Cultivation World!

The climate here is quite different; it's hot all year round, with summer in every season.

Human Race Cultivator, various Demon Race tribes, and Sea Tribe independent of the land-based Demon Race system intertwine in this place, engaging in struggle, cooperation, trade, and plunder...

The situation is far more complex than in Qingzhou.

At this moment, in the coastal region of the Demon Star Sea Continent, about several hundred miles from the coastline, there is an ordinary small island completely covered by lush tropical vegetation.

From the air, it appears no different from the countless islands around it, lush and vibrant, yet seemingly ordinary due to the lack of Spirit Vein.

However, if Cultivator were to investigate using a special method, they would discover that the entire island is shrouded in an extremely sophisticated Concealment Formation that blends almost seamlessly with the natural environment. The island is unusually quiet, and even seabirds seem to instinctively avoid it.

Nestled amidst lush vegetation in the heart of the island lies a grand, ancient, and solemn courtyard.

The courtyard wall is built of the Deep Sea Black Rock and covered with heat-resistant vines, blending seamlessly with the surrounding environment.

Deep within the courtyard, in a heavily guarded stone chamber, the Teleportation Array carved on the floor, which echoed the teleportation array in Qingzhou, suddenly shone brightly!

Buzz!

The space distorted and fluctuated, and a figure shrouded in a black robe from head to toe and wearing Pale Mask staggered a step and steadily appeared in the center of the formation.

This was Su Bai, who had been transported from Qingzhou —now codenamed "Hai Jiu".

Although he was inside the stone chamber, cut off from the outside sunlight and sea breeze, a sultry heat, unlike the refreshing coolness of Qingzhou, mixed with the salty smell of seawater and the steaming aroma of vegetation, instantly hit him and enveloped his entire body.

Beneath the black robe, one could clearly feel the abundant moisture and heat in the air, as if stepping from a temperate spring or autumn into the height of a tropical summer.

As the records show, the Demon Star Sea is indeed summer all year round.

Su Bai quickly regained his balance from the slight dizziness caused by the teleportation, and his sharp eyes scanned his surroundings through the eye holes of his mask.

The furnishings inside the stone chamber are quite similar to those in Qingzhou, but appear more antique.

The room was not empty at that moment.

Three figures, all dressed in black robes but with slightly different masks, stood quietly to one side of the Teleportation Array, seemingly waiting for them.

Their auras were steady, their cultivation levels were all at the Foundation Establishment Realm, and their gazes were calm and unwavering as they fell upon Su Bai.

"Jade pendant."

The black-robed staff member standing in the middle extended his hand, speaking succinctly.

Without wasting any words, Su Bai directly pulled out the fish-shaped jade pendant from inside his black robe and handed it over.

The man in black robes in the middle took the jade pendant, a glint of spiritual light emanating from his fingertips. He lightly touched a spot on the pendant, seemingly reading or verifying some information.

After a moment, he nodded slightly and tossed the jade pendant back to Su Bai.

"Hai Jiu." He confirmed Su Bai's codename, his tone remaining calm. "According to the test assessment from Qingzhou headquarters, your Initial Combat Power is rated 'Excellent'."

"According to the rules, you are skipping the ' Small Fish ' level and directly granted ' Great Fish ' level privileges."

He paused slightly before beginning his routine explanation of the rules. "The hall's task assignment system will match and recommend tasks for you based on your rank, past task records, and the current task pool situation in each area."

"The scope of tasks that can be chosen independently is limited by rank."

"Completing the task will earn you corresponding rewards and hall merits. Failure will not result in a Spirit Stone penalty, but it will affect your task completion rate rating, which will lead to a decrease in the priority of matching you with high-reward, low-risk, quality tasks in the future."

"Upon completion of each mission or when a rest is needed, you may apply to return to ' Azure Fish Island ' (i. e., this island). While on the island, you must abide by the island rules, private fights are prohibited, and Law Power is disabled in certain areas."

"The departure time is at the individual's discretion, but if they fail to return for more than a year without reporting any missions, their status will be temporarily frozen."

"This Jade Slip contains detailed information about the hall rules, island rules, mission system, basic intelligence about the Demon Star Sea, and emergency contact methods—all the information you need to know. Be sure to memorize it."

He flicked a pale blue Jade Slip slip toward Su Bai.

Su Bai raised his hand to catch it, and without the slightest hesitation, he immediately focused his Divine Sense into it. A vast and orderly flow of information rapidly surged into his Sea of Consciousness.

His current Spiritual Sense awareness and information processing speed far surpass those of before; in just a few breaths, he had completely extracted and processed the key contents of the Jade Slip.

I have gained a clear understanding of the [Azure Fish Hall]'s operating model and code of conduct in the Demon Star Sea.

"Understood."

Su Bai put down the Jade Slip and put it into his robes, then looked at the black-robed man in the middle. "Can I accept the first mission now?"

The man in black robes in the middle didn't seem surprised by Su Bai's decisive attitude; instead, a barely perceptible hint of approval flashed in his eyes.

He said no more, turned around and took a palm-sized round magic Law Artifact from the Stone Platform next to him.

He quickly traced lines on it with his fingertips, his mind sparkling.

Almost the instant he finished his operation, Su Bai felt a warm pulse emanating from the Azure Fish pendant he wore close to his chest.

With a thought, he Divine Sense into the jade pendant. Sure enough, the information inside had been updated.

"Mission information received." Su Bai withdrew his Divine Sense, his tone completely calm.

"Now that the task has been accepted, we can proceed with the mission off the island."

The man in black robes in the middle gave a businesslike instruction, "Remember, within the territory of Azure Fish Island, unless in the event of a fatal attack or with special permission, the use of magical Law Power, the casting of Law Technique, and the use of flying Artifact Flight are strictly prohibited, to prevent Spiritual Power fluctuations from being detected by passing Cultivator or through special means, thus revealing the island's location."

"After exiting the island, proceed straight along the road on the left to the dock, choose your own boat, and sail away over a hundred miles away in a conventional manner before you are free to move about."

"Clear."

Su Bai gave a brief reply, bowed slightly to the three staff members, then turned and pushed open the heavy wooden door of the stone chamber, walking out.

Outside the gate was a clean Bluestone Slab Road, flanked by towering walls covered in greenery; the air was stuffy and humid.

Following the instructions, Su Bai turned left after leaving the house and walked briskly along the road.

Occasionally, they would encounter other figures similarly shrouded in black robes on the road. They would exchange glances silently, their eyes meeting briefly before quickly looking away, maintaining the unique distance between Assassin.

Before long, at the end of the road, a wide-open natural harbor appeared before us.

The harbor was filled with boats of all shapes and sizes, including simple fishing boats, larger sailboats, and even a few rather exquisite painted boats. None of them showed any Spiritual Power fluctuations; they were purely products of ordinary craftsmen.

The pier was deserted, with only the sound of waves gently lapping against the shore.

"That's really... thoroughly well hidden."

A sense of helplessness crossed Su Bai's mind.

Making cultivators, who are used to flying and teleporting, row a boat out to sea like mortals is indeed a bit of a hassle, but it also shows the extreme importance that [Azure Fish Hall] attaches to the secrecy of its headquarters location.

Complaining is useless.

His gaze swept across the dock, and he chose an ordinary fishing boat that looked the sturdiest and had a relatively clean cabin. He then lightly leaped onto the deck.

The mooring lines were untied, the poles were used, and the fishing boat slowly moved away from the shore.

Su Bai gripped the oars, the powerful physical strength of Foundation Establishment Cultivator coming in handy at this moment.

He rowed steadily and powerfully, the oars cutting through the azure sea, and the fishing boat sped off like an arrow towards the distant sea, far exceeding the speed of any ordinary boatman, leaving a long white trail on the surface of the water.

The sultry sea breeze blew against the black robe, carrying a salty, fishy smell.

As Su Bai rowed the boat, he reviewed the mission details in his mind again and, referring to the information about Heavenly Star City and Heavenly Star Alliance mentioned in the Jade Slip, began to formulate a preliminary action plan.

The next morning, as dawn broke.

Su Bai estimated that the distance was already more than a hundred miles. He carefully probed the surroundings with his Spiritual Sense sense and confirmed that the sea and sky were one color, and there were no other Cultivator or ships in sight.

He stopped paddling and stood up.

"It's time to change our way of traveling," he muttered, putting a little more pressure on his feet.

Crack! The keel of the fishing boat let out a mournful cry of despair as it broke apart and took on water under Su Bai's deliberate stomping. It soon sank into the azure sea, leaving only a few pieces of floating planks behind.

At the same time, Su Bai removed the slightly stuffy, Pale Mask from his face and put it into his pocket.

With a thought, a high-grade High-grade Magic Sword, of ordinary quality and without any special features, flew out of the Storage Bag and hovered at his feet.

He stepped onto the flying sword, his Spiritual Power surging within him.

"Call out--!"

An inconspicuous pale gray Sword Light light shot into the sky, slicing across the sea at dawn, and sped toward the Demon Star Sea City, the giant Human Race city of the Demon Heavenly Star City Sea.

Heavenly Star City is one of the three major cities in the Demon Star Sea.

The other two are Demon Star City and Sea Star City.

They represent the three top forces in the Demon Star Sea: the Human Race, the Demon Race, and the Sea Tribe, which stands out among the Demon Race.

Heavenly Star City represents Human Race Cultivator and is controlled by the Heavenly Star Alliance, a Human Race Cultivator alliance.

Su Bai's assassination target for this mission was a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Cultivator in Heavenly Star City, who was also a member of the Heavenly Star Alliance.