Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. A secret chamber.
Lamplight flickered, stretching the shadows of six people long across the room.
Tang Hao sat at the head of the table, a map of Spirit City's latest layout spread before him. Several circles and arrows had been drawn on it in red charcoal, with annotations packed densely around them.
The other five sat around the table. No one spoke as they waited for Tang Xiao to begin.
Two days had passed.
Tang Xiao took a thin sheet of paper from his sleeve, unfolded it, and laid it on the table.
The paper was densely covered in writing, with some of the ink still not quite dry. It contained the intelligence the Clear Sky Sect's spies had gathered in Spirit City over the past two days.
"According to our people's reports, we've more or less established the Game Hall's routine." Tang Xiao lowered his voice and read through the details one by one.
"They close every evening. Once the customers have left, the staff stay to clean up for about an hour, then leave one after another."
"Hu Liena and Xie Yue are usually the last to leave. They handle the accounts and lock the doors. They leave around dusk."
Tang Xiao paused, tapping the Game Hall's location on the map.
"Qin Chuan himself lives on the Game Hall's second floor. After closing, he usually stays inside alone and doesn't go out."
Dugu Bo's gaunt face showed little expression, but his eyelids twitched.
Tang Xiao continued reading. "Spirit Hall's patrols make rounds nearby during the day, but late at night, they return to the inner hall for their shifts. From late night until dawn the next day, there is no Titled Douluo-level protection around the Game Hall."
He finished reading and set the paper down.
The secret chamber fell silent for two breaths.
Tang Hao reached out and tapped the Game Hall's location on the map, his voice level. "We strike late tonight."
He looked at the map and asked in a hoarse voice, "Is there any chance Spirit Hall might change its patrol arrangements at the last minute?"
The question struck right at the heart of the matter. What the six people present feared most was not Qin Chuan, but Pope Bibi Dong.
A level ninety-seven Super Douluo with twin martial souls-if it truly came to a fight, not one of the six stood a chance against her alone.
Tang Xiao shook his head. "No. The Soul Master Tournament has just ended. Everyone in Spirit Hall is busy dealing with the aftermath."
Yu Yuanzhen rubbed his large hands together, his knuckles cracking twice.
"Then tonight it is."
Ning Fengzhi had remained silent the whole time. He leaned against the back of his chair, slowly turning a jade pendant between his fingers.
Tang Hao glanced at him.
Ning Fengzhi set down the pendant and spoke. "Tonight is fine. But there's something I need to make clear beforehand."
"What?"
"Once he's dead, we withdraw. No lingering to fight, no staying any longer than necessary, and no touching anything inside the Game Hall. Clean and swift."
Tang Hao nodded. "Naturally."
Ning Fengzhi added, "Also, if anyone else is inside when we strike, whoever they are, we must not harm the innocent. If only Qin Chuan dies, we can still conceal this matter. One more death, and Spirit Hall will double the intensity of its investigation."
Tang Hao frowned slightly, but still nodded.
"One last thing." Ning Fengzhi stood and walked to the window. Outside, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda shone with a gentle halo in the twilight. Mountain wind poured through the window, stirring his robes.
"If we fail-and I mean if-everyone retreats immediately. No second attempt. If we can't win, we leave. We must never give Spirit Hall anything to use against us."
Tang Hao said nothing.
Tang Xiao answered for him. "Rest assured, Sect Master Ning. With six Titled Douluos striking at once against a support-type Soul King barely above level fifty, there is absolutely no chance of failure."
Ning Fengzhi did not turn around. He watched the mountains outside and remained silent for a while.
"Let's hope so."
The secret chamber fell quiet again, with only the wind outside continuing to howl.
The six sat for a while longer, then went their separate ways.
Tang Hao was the last to leave. He rolled up the map and tucked it into his sleeve. As he walked out of the secret chamber, he glanced back at the table. A few marks of red charcoal remained on its surface, like dried bloodstains.
He turned and left.
After leaving the secret chamber, Sword Douluo Chen Xin walked slowly along the corridor.
Bone Douluo Gu Rong followed behind him.
The two old men walked some distance before Chen Xin stopped.
"Old Bones."
"Hmm?"
"Do you think this will work?"
Gu Rong thought for a moment.
"Six of us against one kid barely above level fifty, and you still have to ask?"
Chen Xin shook his head. "I don't mean whether we can beat him. I mean whether doing this will stir up even greater trouble."
Gu Rong did not answer immediately. He clasped his hands behind his back and looked at the sky beyond the corridor. It was completely dark now, and the lights atop the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda flickered in the distance.
Chen Xin continued, "Spirit Hall places great importance on Qin Chuan. After the Soul Master Tournament, they broke protocol and elevated him to Saint Son-level treatment. If Spirit Hall loses a Saint Son, they won't simply let it go."
Gu Rong nodded. "But Tang Hao has a point too. That martial soul is far too sinister. Every day we leave him alive is another day of danger for the three sects."
Chen Xin sighed.
"Come on. The sect master has decided. All we can do is follow his lead."
The two old men continued forward, their footsteps falling one after the other until they faded at the end of the corridor.
Spirit City.
That evening.
The Game Hall closed.
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing cleaned up for about an hour, secured the doors, and left.
The Game Hall fell quiet.
As usual, Qin Chuan stayed alone on the second floor. He sat in a chair in the corridor, opened the system panel, and checked the day's earnings.
The income was good.
He opened the system panel and reviewed his status from beginning to end.
[God of Drama System.] [Host: Qin Chuan. Second martial soul: God of Drama.] [Current points: 201,124.5.] [Current level: Level 61 Soul Emperor.] [Acquired soul skills: Coin of Fate, Rock-Paper-Scissors, Truth or Dare, Destiny Roulette, Happy Cultivation, 123 Wooden Man (new).]
Qin Chuan's gaze lingered on "123 Wooden Man," and he read the skill description again.
[Game Domain radius: 50 meters. In the first round, the dealer has priority in choosing this round's "It."] [It turns their back to the others and shouts, "One, two, three, wooden man!" The instant they turn around, all participating players within the domain must remain absolutely still.] [Any movement, no matter how slight, constitutes a violation and is punished by transformation into a wooden man.] [If a player touches It's back, It is likewise forcibly transformed into a wooden man.] [Wooden men retain all five senses and six perceptions, and their bodies are invincible. Under normal conditions, they are automatically released after 6 hours; the dealer may grant them permission to speak or end their confinement early.] [Hidden tip: When acting as It, the dealer may step into the playing area between rounds and use verbal mockery, teasing, or intimidation to provoke opponents into violating the rules. However, touching any player is strictly forbidden.]
After reading it, Qin Chuan's lips curved upward.
The best part of this skill was the phrase "step into the playing area."
He would not merely stand at a distance calling out commands. He could walk right up to his opponents and taunt them.
A group of Titled Douluos standing there, not daring to move, while he wandered back and forth in front of them-the thought alone was amusing.
Still, level sixty-one was far too low in this world.
No matter how powerful a rule martial soul was, he had to establish the domain first. If an opponent attacked him from a distance outside the domain, he still would not be able to withstand it.
Qin Chuan closed the panel and kept that concern in mind, without dwelling on it any further.
He stood and brewed a cup of tea. Just as he picked it up, someone knocked three times on the front door downstairs.
Knock, knock, knock.
The rhythm was steady.
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