The day of the Seven Kill Sect's Matchmaking Assembly arrived as scheduled.
At dawn, the mountain road below the Seven Kill Sect's gates was lined with carriages and palanquins of every kind.
The gates themselves were packed with people.
Red silk hung from both sides of the gate, its ends reaching all the way to the ground. Seven Kill Sect disciples in matching teal outfits stood in straight rows along the mountain path, swords at their waists as they kept order.
"Good heavens, these Seven Kill Sect disciples are no ordinary bunch!"
"They look impressive. They're only in their twenties, yet every one of them is a Soul Ancestor!"
"I never expected the reclusive Seven Kill Sect to have such deep foundations!"
A middle-aged Soul Master in brocade robes wiped the sweat from his brow as he looked around and sighed, "Now that the Seven Kill Sect has come out of seclusion, it might really send shock waves through the Soul Master World!"
His companion lowered his voice. "You can say that again. I heard it's not just sects who've come this time. Apparently, nobles from Heaven Dou are here too!"
"Of course they are. Chen Jianjun's feat of slaying a Titled Douluo with three sword strikes has spread across the entire continent. Who wouldn't want to come and see for themselves?"
As the two spoke, a commotion rose from the front.
Someone cried out quietly, "Look! That's the Seven Kill Sect's sect master!"
Chen Fan wore a black robe today, its cuffs and hem embroidered with the Seven Kill Sword's pattern in silver thread. A dark red sash was tied around his waist, lending him a more composed air than usual.
He stood on the raised platform before the gates, his gaze sweeping over the packed crowd below. A warm yet distant smile rested on his face.
Half a step behind him, Chen Xin stood in pristine white, hands clasped behind his back. He stared down impassively, and the faint fluctuation of a Titled Douluo's Soul Power made the Soul Masters near the front hold their breath without realizing it.
"Master Chen, I've long admired you!"
"Master Chen, you're young and accomplished. Seeing you today, I can tell the stories were true!"
Chen Fan paid no attention to the greetings. Looking down over the crowd, he couldn't help but nod to himself.
He had to admit, the women attending the matchmaking assembly were a much finer crop than those at the one in Star Luo City.
Perhaps after word spread of Chen Jianjun's feat of slaying two Titled Douluos with three sword strikes, the Seven Kill Sect's standing in the Soul Master World had risen by more than one level. Even the factions that had been sitting on the sidelines were starting to take an interest.
"Looks like fame really is more useful than anything else."
The thought crossed Chen Fan's mind, and he gestured to the First Elder beside him to announce the assembly's official start.
"I hereby announce that the Seven Kill—"
The Seven Kill Sect's First Elder cleared his throat and stepped forward. He was about to declare the matchmaking assembly open when, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted someone in the crowd. His eyes suddenly went wide, and his voice cut off!
His reaction was impossible to miss.
Chen Fan and Chen Xin were the first to notice the First Elder's pause. They turned their heads slightly and followed his gaze.
A man in a plain gray robe stood at the edge of the crowd. He looked to be in his early thirties, with handsome features. He wasn't releasing the slightest trace of Soul Power, and his hands hung naturally at his sides. He stood quietly among a group of independent Soul Masters, neither approaching nor leaving, so unremarkable that he seemed to blend right in.
"Who's that?"
"No idea..."
The three men's strange reactions caught the attention of many Soul Masters, who turned to follow their gaze.
Among them, an elderly Soul Douluo narrowed his eyes in confusion. Then, as though a thought had struck him, his face went white. "Holy shit!"
"What is it?"
His companion noticed his reaction and looked in the same direction. Then he froze too.
"Wait, th-that's... Q-Qian Daoliu?!"
"The Spirit Hall's Adjudicator Elder? What's he doing here?!"
"But didn't Qian Daoliu retire and go into seclusion? How could he be here?!"
Gasps spread outward from the heart of the crowd like ripples. In just a few breaths, almost everyone had noticed the gray-robed man beneath the old locust tree.
The scene went quiet for several seconds. Then, like a volcano erupting, the crowd broke into an uproar—only to fall silent once more.
No one dared move.
The Soul Masters who had been chatting and laughing moments ago now seemed to have turned to stone. They barely dared to breathe.
Someone instinctively took half a step back, then stopped himself, afraid even the slightest noise might draw the man's attention.
Among the older generation of Soul Masters, Qian Daoliu's name was enough to make people tremble with fear.
During his time as the Spirit Hall's Adjudicator Elder, he had spilled more blood than anyone could count.
Countless Soul Masters had fallen to his sword in those years, and among them were no shortage of...
The Spirit Hall's first executioner!
That title was no empty boast.
Yet Qian Daoliu paid no attention to any of it. He didn't react at all, simply looking ahead in silence.
"Xiao Fan, be careful!"
Chen Xin subtly moved half a step forward, placing himself between Chen Fan and the crowd as though ready to react at a moment's notice.
"Don't worry," Chen Fan said softly. "He didn't come here to fight."
Chen Xin didn't answer, but he didn't move from in front of Chen Fan either.
Qian Daoliu remained where he was. He didn't move forward or turn to leave. His gaze swept slowly over the crowd and finally settled on the festive decorations on the platform. For a moment, he seemed lost in thought, remembering his beloved wife, whom he had lost in middle age. Marriage... It's been decades since I got married, and Xunji is nearly sixty now.
Perhaps the next time I come out of seclusion, it'll be Xiao Xue's wedding... The years really do fly by, day after day.
Qian Daoliu slowly came back to himself, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.
Qian Renxue had only just turned one month old. She couldn't even walk yet. Thinking about all this now was far too early.
Then, as if he noticed the crowd's attention, he paused briefly. With his hands clasped behind his back, he walked over to the banquet area and calmly took a seat.
At the sight, a Soul Master in the crowd couldn't help asking in surprise, "D-did he come here to ruin the assembly?"
"This can't be right. Whenever Qian Daoliu shows up, there's bound to be a storm of blood and slaughter. What..."
His companion immediately tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to shut up, but it was too late.
Many followed his gaze back to the gray-robed figure, their hearts in their throats.
The Seven Kill Sect might be powerful, but if Qian Daoliu really set his sights on them...
Who knew whether fortune or disaster awaited them!
As the saying goes, a man's reputation casts a shadow.
Qian Daoliu hadn't been retired for long, and there were plenty of older Soul Masters in attendance. So...
"Wait, the person beside Qian Daoliu... Could that be Chen Jianjun, who killed two Titled Douluos with three sword strikes at the Star Luo Imperial Family's gathering?"