A secret letter in the dark concealed hidden designs, and word from Seven Killings stirred deep thought

Night, black as ink, slowly shrouded Spirit City.

The streets that had bustled by day gradually fell silent, with only the occasional clatter of patrolling guards' armor breaking the night's stillness.

The Pope's Hall remained brightly lit. Qian Xunji stood at the window, gazing at the faint golden halo in the distance toward the Worship Hall. He gripped a yellowed letter tightly, his knuckles paling slightly from the pressure.

A Shadow Guard had delivered the letter an incense stick's time earlier.

There was no signature on the envelope, only an extremely discreet Sword-Shaped Mark-the emblem of the Seven Kill Sword, or more precisely, Chen Jianjun's personal mark.

Qian Xunji's fingertips brushed lightly along the edge of the letter, his brows tightly furrowed.

Chen Jianjun... That name was like a speck of dust forgotten in a corner, yet tonight it had abruptly intruded upon his thoughts, bearing news capable of stirring towering waves.

He remembered clearly that several years ago, his father had personally defeated Chen Jianjun-a "brave soul" who had dared to challenge a level 99 Peerless Douluo with soul power at the peak of level 97.

His father had not taken his life. Instead, the misfortune had become a blessing, allowing him to break through to level 98. Afterward, his father had sent him to a frontier Branch Hall near Slaughter City, giving it the flattering name of "standing guard."

But to Qian Xunji, it was effectively exile.

Two years earlier, when escorting Bibi Dong to Slaughter City, they had briefly rested at that Branch Hall.

He had seen Chen Jianjun with his own eyes. By then, the man had long lost his former spirited vigor. Frost-white had crept into his temples, and his gaze was cold. He had shown utter indifference to their arrival, even deliberately avoiding all