Night was quiet.
Inside the secret chamber of the safe house, Chen Chen slowly opened his eyes.
He had just finished a round of cultivation, bringing himself to peak condition.
True Qi at the Second Level of Qi Condensation surged ceaselessly through his meridians, filling him with a sense of strength.
Yet his brows furrowed slightly.
Just moments ago, an exceedingly faint flutter had suddenly risen in his heart.
As though something was approaching.
It was neither killing intent nor malice.
Rather, it was a feeling... of being watched.
Chen Chen did not move. He remained seated cross-legged, but his Spiritual Power had already spread out soundlessly, enveloping the entire courtyard and several surrounding streets.
Very quickly, he discovered someone in a shadow outside the courtyard wall.
A person dressed in black, their aura concealed to the utmost.
The other party was at the Qi Condensation Fourth Layer.
This discovery made Chen Chen's heart sink sharply.
Qi Condensation Fourth Layer!
Could it be that assassin from Blood Fiend Tower had found him so quickly?
No!
Chen Chen immediately rejected the guess.
There was none of that cold, sinister, blood-reeking aura on the other party.
Though the person's aura was also icy, it was more like a sharp blade hidden within its sheath—steady and restrained.
Moreover, the person merely stood silently outside the wall, displaying no hostility whatsoever.
Who was this?
Someone from the Liang Family?
That did not seem right either.
The Liang Family was probably like a pack of rabid dogs now. If they had discovered him, they would have already smashed through the door. They could not possibly be this quiet.
Just as Chen Chen was filled with uncertainty.
The black-clad figure moved.
He did not scale the wall, nor did he break down the door.
Instead, he took something from his robes and flicked it with his finger.
The object traced an almost imperceptible arc, silently clearing the courtyard wall and landing precisely before the secret chamber's entrance.
Then, the black-clad figure slipped like a ghost into the deeper darkness. After a few flashes, he vanished without a trace.
From his appearance to his departure, the entire process took no more than ten breaths.
Clean and decisive, without leaving behind a single trace.
If Chen Chen's Spiritual Power had not been powerful enough, he might not even have noticed that someone had come.
An expert.
Chen Chen gave his assessment inwardly.
He stepped out of the secret chamber and into the courtyard, where he saw the object lying quietly before the door.
It was a token.
A token forged entirely from purple-gold jade, warm and smooth in his hand, with the two characters "Immortal's Abode" engraved upon it.
"Immortal's Abode's... Purple-Gold Distinguished Guest Token?"
A trace of surprise flashed through Chen Chen's eyes.
He had seen an introduction to this token in the intelligence he had purchased from Shadow Tower.
This was Immortal's Abode's highest-ranked guest token. In all of Tianfeng City, fewer than ten people possessed one.
Those who held this token would not only receive the highest standard of treatment at Immortal's Abode, but could even, to a certain extent, mobilize part of the City Lord's Mansion's forces.
This was practically equivalent to a signal of "friendship" from the City Lord's Mansion.
Why would Immortal's Abode—or rather, the City Lord's Mansion behind it—send him this?
Chen Chen picked up the token and sent his Spiritual Sense into it.
Very quickly, he received a message encrypted with Spiritual Sense.
The contents of the message were simple.
First, this token was a small token of "regard" from Steward Wang of Immortal's Abode. From now on, Chen Chen was a friend of Immortal's Abode.
Second, it reminded him that the Liang Family had already cast a net over heaven and earth and was searching the entire city for him.
Third, it warned him that Blood Fiend Tower assassins had been especially active recently and told him to be careful.
"Steward Wang..."
The image of that plump man with the bulging belly and ever-smiling face surfaced in Chen Chen's mind.
He understood.
This was... a gesture of goodwill, and an investment as well.
Steward Wang had seen his potential, so he was placing his bet early.
He is a clever man.
Chen Chen put away the token, and his opinion of Steward Wang rose several degrees.
This information was far too important to him.
Especially the warning regarding Blood Fiend Tower's assassins.
It proved that the assassin was truly still watching him!
A powerful sense of crisis once more surged into Chen Chen's heart.
He knew he could no longer remain in this safe house.
Though Shadow Tower's safe houses were concealed, they were not absolutely secure.
Since that black-clad guard had been able to find this place, the Liang Family and Blood Fiend Tower would sooner or later find it as well.
Before they found him, he had to strike first!
"Wang Teng..."
Killing intent blazed openly in Chen Chen's eyes.
Tomorrow was the day Wang Teng would arrive in Tianfeng City.
It was also the day he and Lin Yueru had agreed to make their move.
This would be a hard battle.
A hard battle... that would determine whether he could gain a foothold in Tianfeng City.
He drew a deep breath and returned to the secret chamber.
He did not resume cultivating. Instead, he took out the Ink Shadow Sword he had bought from Myriad Treasures Pavilion.
This sword was very strange.
It could not be activated with ordinary True Qi.
Yet that day, the Asura True Qi within him had produced a faint resonance with it.
Chen Chen reached out and gripped the hilt.
He circulated the Asura God Transformation Art. Threads of True Qi carrying blood-colored Killing Intent slowly flowed down his arm and into the blade of the Ink Shadow Sword.
Buzz—
A faint sword hum rang out within the secret chamber.
The previously dull black longsword slowly revealed countless extremely fine patterns across its blade, like threads of blood.
A restrained yet incomparably sharp sword intent spread from the blade.
Chen Chen's heart gave a violent leap.
"It reacted!"
He could feel that the Ink Shadow Sword was greedily absorbing his Asura True Qi.
As the True Qi entered it, a wondrous connection seemed to form between him and the sword.
He could even feel that the sword was... excited!
It was yearning!
Yearning... to drink blood!
"What a vicious sword!"
A terrifying gleam burst from Chen Chen's eyes.
He realized that he seemed to have stumbled upon a treasure.
This Ink Shadow Sword was practically tailor-made for his Asura God Transformation Art!
Without holding back in the slightest, he poured nearly thirty percent of the Asura True Qi within his body into the sword.
The blood-colored patterns on the Ink Shadow Sword became clearer and more sinister.
The entire blade radiated a chillingly cold edge that made one's heart tremble.
Chen Chen casually swung it.
Ssh!
A streak of Sword Qi, black as ink yet laced with a hint of blood-red light, flashed past in an instant!
A sword mark half a foot deep was left in the secret chamber's hard wall!
The cut was smooth as a mirror!
"What terrifying power!"
Chen Chen sucked in a cold breath.
That had merely been a casual swing. He had not even used any martial skill.
Relying only on the sword's sharpness and the enhancement of Asura True Qi, its power was already comparable to the sword move he had previously unleashed with all his strength!
If he used this sword to execute his sword techniques...
If he activated the Asura Battle Body in combat, then combined it with this sword...
Just how terrifying would its power become?
Chen Chen did not dare imagine it.
He looked at the Ink Shadow Sword in his hand as though it were his most beloved toy.
With it, his chances of victory in tomorrow's battle had increased by at least another twenty percent!
He slung the Ink Shadow Sword back over his shoulder, his eyes filled with unprecedented resolve.
"Lin Yueru... Wang Teng... Blood Fiend Tower..."
"It is time for me to take the stage in Tianfeng City's grand drama."
Before you continue