What an Assassin

At the same moment.

Deep beneath the capital city, inside a hidden stronghold reeking of decay and blood, there was a deathly silence.

In the center of the vast underground hall, several high-ranking members of the Abyss Cult, shrouded in billowing black robes, were staring intently at a holographic projection hovering above the crimson altar.

The projection displayed an extremely detailed three-dimensional map of the capital city.

And on that map, a glaring crimson light point was moving at a steady, uniform pace along a smooth trajectory.

"What the hell is going on?"

The leading figure in black furrowed his brow, a flicker of unease and doubt shining through the faint green glow beneath his hood.

He pointed at the red light point, his voice raspy and grating.

"This is the life locator on Shadow Blade."

"His position right now... why is he moving toward Jingwu University?!"

The moment those words were spoken, the air in the hall seemed to freeze solid.

The burly robed figure beside him lunged forward a step, staring hard at the screen, his voice thick with disbelief.

"Impossible!"

"By all logic, once the assassination succeeded, he should have wiped away every trace and returned to the stronghold through the sewers or abandoned bomb shelters!"

"What the hell is he doing going to Jingwu?!"

"Turning himself in?!"

"Could it be..."

From the corner, the hunched robed figure swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly.

"Could the assassination have failed?"

"Nonsense!"

The leading figure whipped his head around and lashed out without mercy.

"Are you out of your mind?!"

"That's the Shadow Blade!"

"A top-tier Grandmaster with a blood-qi value of six hundred thousand!"

"He's killed countless high-ranking human officials!"

"And you're telling me he could fail against some fresh-faced freshman with only a thousand blood-qi?!"

The more he spoke, the more agitated he became, even letting out a cold, mocking laugh.

"Let's be logical here, alright?"

"Six hundred thousand against a thousand!"

"The odds of that failing are no better than the odds of me choking to death on a sip of water!"

"Even if that kid comprehended the Transformation Form Spear Intent, even if he's gifted beyond belief, against an absolute crushing difference in realm, he shouldn't last even a tenth of a second!"

The hall fell silent once more.

Yeah.

Too absurd.

A thousand blood-qi killing six hundred thousand?

That went against the ironclad laws of the martial world!

Even fairy tales wouldn't dare write something like that!

"But if the assassination didn't fail..."

The burly robed figure pointed at the red light point, now drawing closer and closer to the gates of Jingwu, his voice dry and strained.

"Then how do we explain this trajectory?"

"Also, look."

"The light point representing Shadow Blade's vital signs is still lit, but its frequency is abnormally weak."

"That means he's currently in an extremely weakened state— possibly even unconscious!"

The leading figure took a deep breath.

A cold, unusually grave glint flashed in his faint green eyes.

"Also."

"Shadow Blade's stealth ability is such that even a Martial Spirit with a million blood-qi may not be able to see through it!"

"Unless..."

"Unless a Martial King personally took action!"

"Could it be that the kid has a Martial King protecting him?!"

The hunched figure blurted out in shock.

"Impossible!"

The leading figure immediately shot it down, his tone resolute.

"Our cult's intelligence network has permeated every corner of Jingwu."

"All the Martial Kings are under our strict surveillance."

"At this time, Nie Changkong is in the administration building, and the other Martial Kings are all at their respective posts."

"There is absolutely no Martial King by that kid's side!"

"We had precisely and flawlessly seized the window when Jingwu's protection over him was lax!"

"Then tell me, what's the explanation?!"

The burly figure grew anxious and grabbed the leading figure by the collar.

"Given what we're seeing now, Shadow Blade was clearly captured alive!"

"It can't be that the kid actually killed Shadow Blade, can it?!"

"Bullshit!"

The leading figure slapped the hand away, laughing in fury.

"If he could kill Shadow Blade, I'd eat this altar right here on the spot!"

"Yeah, that's absurd!"

"I can't think of any possible way he could have won!"

The hunched robed figure sighed, a note of deep dread creeping into his voice.

"Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth."

"It has to be a Martial King."

"Either Jingwu has a hidden Martial King that's not on our intelligence list..."

"Or that kid is backed by an extremely terrifying hidden force!"

"Regardless."

"Shadow Blade being captured alive means this stronghold is at risk of exposure!"

The leading figure made a decisive call, a vicious and ruthless light flashing in his eyes.

"Retreat!"

"Sever all contact with Shadow Blade immediately!"

"Destroy every document in this stronghold!"

"That kid is bad news. Consider this round our loss."

"Once the heat dies down, we'll gather fresh intel."

"And plan the next assassination!"

...

Meanwhile.

On a bustling street in the capital city.

The night wind was faintly cool.

Su Yu, dressed in a thin set of casual clothes, walked along the sidewalk with a calm expression.

In his right hand, he was carrying the unconscious Shadow Blade.

There weren't many people on the road.

The occasional passerby who noticed Su Yu hauling a man in black simply gave him a wide berth and kept going.

In this world where martial arts reigned supreme, clashes between martial artists and people being knocked out and dragged off were everyday occurrences.

As long as no large-scale destruction broke out, ordinary civilians didn't dare meddle.

Su Yu stopped.

He looked up at the grand gates of Jingwu University in the distance.

He raised his left hand and tapped open the tactical terminal on his wrist.

He found Vice-Chancellor Nie Changkong's private number.

He dialed.

Buzz— buzz—

The call had only rung twice before it was picked up.

"Hello, Su Yu?"

Nie Changkong's warm, slightly amused voice came through the terminal.

"Looking for me this late? Did you hit a rough patch with the Primordial Void Blood Art?"

"I told you that technique is too domineering. If it's giving you trouble, feel free to bring it back and swap it out anytime."

Su Yu glanced at the assassin in his hand.

His tone was flat.

"The technique is fine."

"Chancellor, where are you?"

"Me?"

Nie Changkong paused, seemingly caught off guard by the question.

"I'm in my office at the administration building, going over paperwork for the freshman exchange tournament."

"Why? You coming to see me?"

Su Yu nodded.

"Yeah."

"I captured an assassin."

"Thought I'd hand him over to you for processing."

On the other end of the line, there was a sudden silence.

A full two or three seconds went by.

"Not bad!"

Nie Changkong's voice came through again, laced with genuine admiration and satisfaction.

"Captured—"

"Exactly what I'd expect from the special-grade freshman I vouched for. Impressive vigilance!"

Wait.

Mid-sentence.

Nie Changkong's voice suddenly caught in his throat.

As if he'd just realized something was off.

"You... you captured what?"

Nie Changkong's voice jumped an octave, nearly cracking.

"An assassin," Su Yu answered honestly.

"What assassin!!!"

Nie Changkong roared directly over the phone.

A clattering sound of documents hitting the floor followed, as if he had suddenly risen from his office chair.