Jin Province City's main gate.
Two figures in black conical hats passed through the gate and stopped at the entrance. From behind, one was fat and the other thin.
One man was skin and bones, frail enough to be blown over by the wind. His fingers were slender as he tightly gripped a feather fan.
The other was a burly man with the back of a tiger and waist of a bear, brimming with imposing presence. A blade hung from his waist, while both bracers were wrapped in chains.
The two exchanged a glance, said nothing, and nodded to each other.
They were the two top assassins dispatched in response to Prince Qin's Mansion's bounty. Though young, both had reached the eighth level of the Qi Refining Realm, truly gifted beyond measure.
The skeletal man was called Soul-Reaping Scholar, while the broad-backed giant was called Butcher.
Both appeared to be only in their twenties.
They were both members of the Shadowless Assassin Pavilion, raised within the Black Market.
Unlike officially recognized merchant associations such as the Heavenly Treasures Guild, the Black Market had gone to the other extreme. Gambling, slave trading, resource smuggling, trafficking women, assassination—it was an underground platform in a gray area.
Butcher had once participated in an underground arena hosted by the Black Market.
As a slave, he had won twenty-eight consecutive matches in the arena. The Shadowless Assassin Pavilion had taken notice of his abilities and recruited him as an assassin.
Soul-Reaping Scholar, meanwhile, had been a student expelled from an academy.
The reason for his expulsion was simple. He frequently brawled, had blood on his hands, offended the harmony of Heaven, and violated the ancient Confucian teachings of the academy. Thus, he had been expelled and sent to prison.
After leaving prison, Soul-Reaping Scholar had been recruited by the Shadowless Assassin Pavilion and become an assassin.
Nurtured with vast amounts of cultivation resources, his cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds, making him one of the finest among Qi Refining Realm cultivators.
For them to become top-tier assassins, they were undoubtedly powerhouses within their own realm, even capable of killing those above their level.
The instant the two saw the bounty notice, they were briefly stunned.
This woman's status was simply too noble, her reputation too great. It was impossible not to know her.
Three years ago, when Great Yan and the rebel army clashed in an all-out battle at Red River, she alone had decided the battle and completely snuffed out the Great Yan Dynasty's last breath.
Yet they had still accepted the mission without hesitation.
As for the consequences of assassinating her, they could not care less. So long as they obtained the reward, their cultivation expenses for the rest of their lives would be secured.
Still, if this person died, the entire Great Xia would likely quake.
"I heard she recently married a man who runs a pawnshop?"
"Come on. Let's go seize her."
Inside the auction hall, the bidding continued and had already reached a fever pitch.
The masked young man's expression was incomparably ugly, the gloomy fury in his eyes nearly bursting forth.
No sound had come from the open-air private room for a long time. He had thought victory was already in the bag this time, but who could have expected someone in another room to raise their hand again?
This was simply trampling all over his patience!
"Is anyone continuing to bid? If not, we will finalize the price."
Li Yuanxing called out from the stage.
"Three thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, going once!"
"Boss, we only have five hundred spirit stones left. Should we keep following?" one of the masked men beside him asked.
"Forget it. There's no need."
The masked young man knew they could not spend every last bit of their money. They could only count this as suffering a huge loss.
"Once we're outside..." Halfway through speaking, the masked young man made a slashing gesture.
"Understood."
The lackeys around him all revealed knowing smiles, dense killing intent surfacing in their eyes.
Meanwhile, Zhao Huai on the high pavilion, having received help from the young man in dark green robes, stared intently at the four people below, his expression thoughtful.
He always felt that something was off about them.
"Three thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, going twice!"
"Three thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, going three times!"
"Sold for three thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones!"
As Li Yuanxing shouted, everything was settled. The Soul-Subduing Mind Technique was now firmly his.
"Senior, we got it."
The young man in dark green robes from the neighboring room also grinned.
It had not been easy for him to find a senior willing to take him along. That was truly no simple matter.
To him, three thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones were nothing, but they had absolutely been worth spending!
"Your name is Li Yanqing, right?"
Zhao Huai spoke.
"Yes."
Li Yanqing smiled faintly.
He was extremely delighted. The senior had actually remembered his name.
"Once the auction ends, come with me."
Zhao Huai turned his head and said sternly.
Although Li Yanqing's actions seemed somewhat foolish, he had indeed helped him in earnest.
Zhao Huai would not meddle in others' affairs, but first and foremost, he had to be a man who repaid kindness.
"Alright, I understand."
Li Yanqing nodded obediently like a chick pecking at grain, without asking why.
The auction was drawing to a close, and Zhao Huai had no need to care about anything else. This technique alone, along with the large number of fate traits, had already earned him more than enough.
The only thing he needed to worry about now was what would happen after leaving the auction house.
Thus, Zhao Huai tossed the copper coin again.
"Let me see my circumstances half an hour from now."
Misfortune and fortune depended upon each other; let us see what it says.
Divination Sign One: Subdue motion with stillness. Remain unchanged in response to ten thousand changes. If you stay in the auction house and do not move from where you are, the guidance you receive is "Misfortune."
Traceback Guidance: Danger awaits outside. Remaining still brings calamity.
Divination Sign Two: Set out and strike. Break them one by one. Take the initiative to shatter the deadlock. The guidance you receive is "Misfortune."
Traceback Guidance: Be cautious beyond caution. There are many enemies, and some are not human.
Divination Sign Three: Respond steadily and plan appropriately. You make sufficient preparations and await the arrival of the crisis. The guidance you receive is "Fortune."
Traceback Guidance: A retreat remains. Survival may be found through steadiness.
After seeing the final result before him, Zhao Huai finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He still had quite a good chance of winning.
It was simply that, from the looks of it, he had more than one group of enemies.
There were also unknown beings outside who wanted to make a move against him.
And this phrase, "not human," was particularly worth pondering.
Zhao Huai mused inwardly.
He had long considered it. The four people before him all covered their faces and behaved strangely. They did not seem human—could they be demons that had infiltrated the mortal world? After all, this was a cultivation world, so demons naturally existed.
As far as Zhao Huai knew, when demons disguised themselves as humans, they would definitely retain demonic traits. Such traits could not be completely erased. That might well be why they hid their faces.
Demons lurked among humanity. Though they did not dare confront the human race head-on, they absolutely could not be underestimated.
Whoosh!
As he examined the result, a faint blue fate-trait orb darted into his mind.
Playing the Pig to Eat the Tiger (Mysterious-Grade Upper): Those who possess this fate trait can conceal their cultivation. No one below the Nascent Soul Realm can see your true strength.
Seeing this line, Zhao Huai could not help but laugh.
"This fate trait is quite interesting. Hiding one's cultivation—an essential tool for a sneaky sixth!"
Imagine one day, a Golden Core Stage devil cultivator ambushed a merchant caravan. A row of Qi Refining Stage escorts guarded it, and he thought everything was secure—only for a Spirit Transformation big shot disguised among them to step out.
It would be a perfect case of moths flying into the flame.
Taking advantage of the remaining time, Zhao Huai began processing the fate traits he had obtained.
Sword Heart Like a Boulder and Alchemy Maniac were things he absolutely had no use for, or rather, he had better substitutes.
Plant Scholar was the same. He did not grow anything. If he could cultivate immortal grasses and Immortal Herbs, he could at least earn some silver and make use of it. But for now, he could only plant low-grade spirit herbs, and the cost of upgrading it was too great. He gave up on it.
Better to break them down and upgrade better fate traits.
But which one to upgrade required consideration. It would be best to upgrade a fate trait that could raise his strength in the short term.
After turning it over and over in his mind, Zhao Huai still felt that Master's Ultimate Skill suited him best.
Increasing the power of techniques—was there anything more heaven-defying than that?
Next was Indestructible Body. It concerned his defensive ability, yet it only defended against ordinary blades and swords. That was absolutely not enough, so it needed strengthening too.
"Break down Sword Heart Like a Boulder and Alchemy Maniac, and merge everything into Master's Ultimate Skill."
The instant Zhao Huai finished speaking, the light orbs in his mind began to move.
The two small yellow light orbs transformed into specks of starlight, all merging into the orb containing Master's Ultimate Skill.
The bright yellow glow gradually dimmed, while a piercing faint blue radiance bloomed. A larger light orb appeared.
Peak Intent (Mysterious-Grade Upper): The power of all techniques and methods unleashed by your physical body receives a fourfold enhancement. (Special Effect) Your physical body gains the enhancement of ultimate intent, reaching its peak state. Your strength receives a twofold enhancement for one hour, once per day.
Please follow and keep reading.
Before you continue