The assassin

Furywind and Frostwing turned toward him at the same time.

The Feather Emperor stopped tapping the armrest.

"The Southern Martial Star Realm." The Feather Emperor spoke slowly, a sharp gleam flashing through his dark-gold slit pupils. "I know that civilization. An imperial system, with an extremely ancient martial heritage. They're especially renowned for their saber techniques. Their strength rating on the Second Astral Battlefield is first-tier."

"Correct." Nightwing nodded. "There hasn't been much contact between the Southern Martial Star Realm and the Federation. They've had a few small-scale clashes throughout their history, but those never escalated into all-out confrontation. Under normal circumstances, the Southern Martial Star Realm has no reason to intervene in the war between the Feathered Humans and the Federation."

"But they contacted us first," Frostwing said.

"Yes." Nightwing turned to the key section of the document. "The one who contacted us was the Southern Martial Star Realm's crown prince. His position was clear: the Southern Martial Star Realm intends to assassinate Xu Wuyi."

The palace fell silent for a moment.

Then Furywind spoke in his rough voice. "One human civilization wants to assassinate another human civilization's grandmaster? What kind of logic is that?"

A cold gleam flashed through Nightwing's dark-green eyes.

"The logic is simple. Xu Wuyi is growing too quickly. He defeated Ye Yixin and Charles in the Star Realm Summoning and claimed the highest individual reward. The entire Second Astral Battlefield is reassessing the Star Origin Federation's strength."

"Before long, the Federation's sphere of influence will expand further. When that happens, civilizations like the Southern Martial Star Realm, which aren't far enough away, will be squeezed straight out to the fringes."

He paused, his tone growing more solemn.

"The Southern Martial Star Realm's emperor understands this perfectly. He's a deeply calculating man. He knows that