Demons and Monsters First Appear, Major Upgrade to Fate

Jin Province City's main gate.

Two figures wearing black bamboo hats passed through the gate and stopped at the city entrance. Judging from their backs, one was fat and the other thin.

One man was as thin as a rake, seemingly unable to withstand a gust of wind, with slender fingers tightly gripping a feather fan.

The other man was a burly fellow with a strong presence, a saber hanging at his waist, and his forearms covered in chains.

They exchanged a glance, nodded in silence, and acknowledged each other.

They were the two top assassins dispatched by Prince Qin's Mansion in response to the bounty. Young in age, their cultivation had both reached the eighth level of Qi Refining Realm, a testament to their extraordinary talent.

The skinny man was known as the Soul-Reaping Scholar, and the burly man was known as the Butcher.

They both appeared to be only in their twenties.

They were both members of the Shadowless Assassin Pavilion, cultivated within the Black Market.

The Black Market, unlike officially certified merchant guilds like the Heavenly Treasures Guild, took a different extreme, dealing in gambling, slave trading, resource reselling, abduction of women, and assassin contracts. It was a gray-area underground platform.

The Butcher had once participated in an underground arena organized by the Black Market.

As a slave, he had won twenty-eight consecutive matches in the arena, and with his own skills, he was spotted by the Shadowless Assassin Pavilion and recruited as an assassin.

The Soul-Reaping Scholar, on the other hand, was a scholar who had been expelled from the academy.

The reason for his expulsion was simple: he frequently engaged in fights, had taken a life, which was detrimental to harmony and violated the Confucian doctrines of the academy. Therefore, he was expelled and imprisoned.

After his release, the Soul-Reaping Scholar was recruited by the Shadowless Assassin Pavilion and became an assassin.

With the cultivation of massive amounts of cultivation resources, his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, becoming a leader in the Qi Refining Realm.

Their ability to become top-tier assassins meant they were definitely strong within the same realm, capable of killing across realms.

The two were stunned for a moment when they saw the bounty.

Because the woman's status was too noble, her reputation too great, it was hard not to know.

Three years ago, during the Great Yan Dynasty's battle with the rebel army at Red River, she single-handedly decided the outcome, completely crushing the last breath of the Great Yan Dynasty.

But they still decisively accepted the task.

As for the consequences of the assassination, they didn't care. As long as they received the reward, they would have enough cultivation funds for half their lives.

But if this person died, the entire Great Xia Dynasty would probably be shaken.

"Heard she recently married a pawnshop owner?"

"Let's go, kidnap the person."

At this time, the auction was still continuing, and had reached a feverish stage.

The masked youth's expression was extremely unsightly, the gloomy anger in his eyes almost erupting.

The voice from the open-air private room had not been heard for a long time. He originally thought that this time it was almost a sure thing, but who would have thought that someone else in another room would raise their hand.

This was simply trampling on his patience!

"Are there any more bids? If not, we'll prepare to finalize the price."

Li Yuanxing shouted from the stage.

"Three thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, once!"

"Boss, there are only five hundred Spirit Stones left. Should we continue to bid?" The masked man next to him asked.

"Forget it, there's no need."

The masked youth knew that he couldn't take out all the remaining money, so he could only say that he had suffered a great loss this time.

"After we get out..." Halfway through his words, the masked youth made a snapping gesture.

"Understood."

The surrounding underlings all revealed knowing smiles, with a strong murderous aura emerging in their eyes.

And Zhao Huai on the high pavilion, after receiving the help of the youth in the dark green robe, stared intently at the four people below, a thoughtful expression on his face.

He always felt that something was not right with these people.

"Three thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, going twice!"

"Three thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, going three times!"

"Three thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, sold!"

With Li Yuanxing's loud cry, everything was settled. The Soul-Subduing Mind Technique was a done deal.

"Senior, it's been bought."

The young man in emerald robes beside him also said with a grin.

It wasn't easy for him to find a senior willing to take him under their wing.

For him, three thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones was nothing, but definitely worth spending!

"You're called Li Yanqing, right?"

Zhao Huai said.

"Yes."

Li Yanqing smiled slightly.

He was very happy because the senior actually remembered his name.

"Follow me after the auction ends."

Zhao Huai turned his head and said seriously.

Although Li Yanqing's behavior seemed a bit silly, he had indeed helped him.

He wouldn't meddle in other people's affairs, but first of all, he had to be a grateful person.

"Okay, I understand."

Li Yanqing nodded obediently like a chick pecking at rice, without asking the reason.

The auction was coming to an end, and Zhao Huai didn't need to care about anything else. Just this one cultivation technique, plus a large number of fates, was enough for him.

Now, the only thing to worry about was what would happen after leaving the auction.

So, Zhao Huai tossed the copper coins again.

"Let me see, what my situation will be half an hour from now."

[Misfortune and fortune depend on each other, let's take a look]
[Divination Sign 1: Use stillness to control movement, immutability to deal with all changes. You stay in the auction house, not moving from the spot. The indication you receive is "Misfortune."]
Source Tracing Guidance: Danger lurks outside, stillness brings misfortune.
[Divination Sign 2: Take action and attack, defeat them one by one, actively break the deadlock. The indication you receive is "Misfortune."]
Source Tracing Guidance: Be cautious, there are many enemies, and someone is acting against humanity.
[Divination Sign 3: Respond steadily, plan properly. You have made sufficient preparations, waiting for the crisis to come. The indication you receive is "Fortune."]
Source Tracing Guidance: There is still a way out, find life in stability.

After reading the last result before him, Zhao Huai also breathed a sigh of relief.

He still had a good chance of winning.

But now it seemed that he had more than one group of enemies.

There were unknown existences outside who wanted to attack him.

And this person acting against humanity was worth pondering.

Zhao Huai thought to himself.

He had long suspected that the four people in front of him, all with their faces covered and acting strangely, didn't seem like humans. Could they be Demons and Monsters mixed into the human world? After all, this was a world of cultivation, so there would naturally be Demons and Monsters.

As far as Zhao Huai knew, Demons and Monsters disguised as humans would definitely have demonic characteristics on their bodies, characteristics that couldn't be completely removed. This might be the reason why they were covering their faces.

Demons and Monsters hiding in the human world, although they didn't dare to confront the human race head-on, should not be underestimated.

"Whoosh!"

As he checked the results, a faint blue halo of fate essence slipped into his mind.

[Playing the Pig to Eat the Tiger (High-Grade Mysterious-Grade)]: Possessing this fate, you can conceal your cultivation. Those below the Nascent Soul Realm cannot see your true strength.

Seeing this line, Zhao Huai couldn't help but grin.

"This fate is interesting; hiding cultivation is essential for a schemer!"

Imagine a Golden Core Stage demon ambushing a caravan, thinking it's a sure thing with only a line of Qi Refining Realm escorts, only for a Transformation God expert in disguise to emerge.

It would be a classic case of moths flying into a flame.

Seizing the remaining time, Zhao Huai began to digest the fates he had acquired.

Sword Heart Like a Boulder and Alchemy Maniac were definitely useless to him, or he had better alternatives.

The same went for Plant Scholar. He didn't grow anything. If he could cultivate immortal herbs and medicines, he might make some money, but it could only grow some low-level spirit herbs currently, and the upgrade cost was too high, so he gave up.

Better to decompose them and upgrade a better fate.

But which one to upgrade was crucial; it should be a fate that could improve his strength in the short term.

After much deliberation, Zhao Huai felt that Master's Ultimate Skill was the most suitable.

What could be more heaven-defying than increasing the power of his techniques?

Next was Indestructible Body. It concerned his defense, but it only defended against ordinary swords and blades, which was definitely not enough, so it needed to be strengthened.

"Decompose Sword Heart Like a Boulder and Alchemy Maniac, and fuse them all into Master's Ultimate Skill."

As soon as Zhao Huai finished speaking, the halo in his mind began to operate.

Two small yellow halos transformed into starlight, all merging into the halo where Master's Ultimate Skill resided.

The bright yellow light gradually dimmed, and a dazzling blue light bloomed, forming an even larger halo.

[Peak Intent (High-Grade Mysterious-Grade)]: The power of the techniques and methods you use with your physical body are all amplified four times. (Special effect) Your physical body gains the blessing of Intent, reaching its peak, and your strength is doubled, lasting for one hour, once a day.

Seeking readership.