Six portraits of demonic cultivators were displayed on the notice board, available for selection by the six major sects. The highest cultivation level among them had reached the Ninth Stage of Spirit Gathering.
This trial tested spiritual energy endurance. It turned out it wasn’t about having seven sessions in one night, but rather that the evil cultivators’ cultivation levels were far above those of the disciples themselves.
“Evil cultivators are ruthless and mostly cunning. For sect disciples, suppressing them has always been a bitter battle,” someone remarked.
Meng Zi knew this better than anyone. Back then, when he encountered Jin Gang Chui (Iron Hammer), he barely survived by relying on the Spirit Gathering Table.
Unlike the one-on-one duels within the sect, where everyone followed gentlemanly agreements—using their strongest moves or deciding the winner by who fell off the arena stage first—fighting evil cultivators had no rules. In such a deadly struggle, the outcome could flip at any moment before either side was exhausted. It was a test of immense willpower, requiring constant vigilance. Calling it a contest of spiritual endurance wasn’t inaccurate.
Lin Shuang’s gaze fixed on the two ninth-stage Ningyuan portraits that Meng Zi was pointing at with her fingers.
Meng Zi instinctively chose the one with the biggest reward—it was his usual style. But he had no intention of obeying Lin Shuang’s “Queen Ya’s” orders. He shouldered his blade, ready to let her tear the portrait herself, but found his legs suddenly unresponsive.
Meng Zi: “???”
Huangpu Yuan mused, “It seems the Queen’s rules will continue until the end of this trial.”
“What?” Meng Zi gasped.
Rule 2: Everything must follow the Queen’s commands.
[…!]
[I thought it was already over.]
“This must mean the Elders of the Hundred Flowers Sect gave Lin Shuang another favor beyond the bride selection.”
Lin Shuang instantly tapped her chin. “Oh? There are other rules besides the bride selection?”
She looked at Meng Zi, who was turning red with frustration, and immediately understood.
“You must obey me?”
Meng Zi took a deep breath.
Lin Shuang nodded. “Give the king a smile.”
Meng Zi: “…”
Huangpu Yuan: “…”
Soon, a hand warmer from the pocket of Huangpu Yuan’s sleeve flew out and entered Lin Shuang’s sleeve.
Meng Zi, in visible pain, forced a grin that looked more like a grimace.
“Oh, you don’t have to obey me if you don’t want to—just compensate me with spiritual treasures.”
Lin Shuang instantly understood all the rules.
[…]
[…]
As everyone was stunned, Lin Shuang had already begun seriously reviewing the evil cultivator tasks before her.
This mission to suppress evil cultivators was best done with a dual purpose. The best choice was an evil cultivator carrying the Tianji Talisman, as that could also lead to clues about bones and residual souls, potentially connecting to the Black Elder of the Wang Jian level.
If there were no Tianji Talisman, she could simply choose any ninth-stage Ningyuan cultivator.
“This one. The second.”
As Meng Zi spoke, he pointed at the fierce portrait of the second evil cultivator and turned to ask Lin Shuang expectantly.
The portrait showed a man with a sly, rat-like face, and a prominent mole on the right side of his nose, which was slightly reddish.
This portrait of the evil cultivator must have been drawn by a high-level artist.
The evil cultivator’s eyes were vividly alive on the paper, seemingly evading their gaze with panic, yet occasionally revealing a threatening and sinister glint. But when Meng Zi pointed at him, the second evil cultivator, dressed in plain martial attire, instantly vanished into the darkness on the paper.
Lin Shuang raised an eyebrow.
Interesting.
“Painters above the Ru Xu level can depict the techniques of Ning Yuan cultivators on paper,” remarked Huangpu Yuan.
“This evil cultivator excels at hiding.”
“Hmph! You can’t escape!” Meng Zi swung his palm wind at the painting.
With a loud smack, he actually knocked the evil cultivator’s image back out of the darkness within the painting.
Meng Zi then pressed his finger against the chest of the evil cultivator’s portrait, dragging him to the blank area of the painting. Suddenly, two children appeared behind him—pale-faced, frightened, and indistinct.
A line of ink characters appeared beside the evil cultivator’s face.
[Du Ying, Ninth Stage of Condensing Essence.]
[It is said he kidnapped more than ten young children from cultivation families. His movement technique is ghostly, and his cultivation method is related to the night. He is extremely difficult to locate or capture at night.]
[His attack techniques are not particularly outstanding, but still need caution, because in the darkness, you might unknowingly be targeted. Once targeted, he becomes like a shadow in the dark, impossible to shake off.]
[—Confirm his location and report to the sect: 50 points.]
[—Capture or kill: 300 points.]
[Evil cultivation techniques are always bizarre. Disciples must not be arrogant or careless. In the past, during the return journey to their sects, one in three captured evil cultivators escaped, and many were attacked and killed by counterattacks.]
[It is recommended that disciples without high-level binding techniques kill this person on the spot.]
Meng Zi glanced at the text and his eyes gleamed.
“The first evil cultivator specializes in puppetry, which we haven’t dealt with. Let’s leave him to the Hundred Flowers Sect. We should go for this one with the movement technique. What do you think?”
The rewards for the two ninth-stage evil cultivators were exactly the same.
The first evil cultivator had stolen over a million spirit stones and was wanted by many cultivation families.
Lin Shuang looked at Meng Zi, then at the second evil cultivator, Du Ying, who liked to kidnap children, and nodded.
“Alright.”
After all, this wasn’t the puppet stage but a real evil cultivator.
Although the first one who stole spirit stones seemed more connected to the recent theft at the Qing Shui Sect and the two Tianji Purple Robes that appeared at the recent Spirit Treasure Auction.
Following the clues might even lead to the problem with the Elders of the Shan Hai Sect.
But no matter. The second one, the kidnapper, seemed far more urgent and serious than the thief. If they delayed, the evil cultivator might escape, and more children would go missing.
Lin Shuang agreed with Meng Zi’s decision.
She took a quick look at the seventh and eighth stages of Ningyuan, but ultimately chose the second one, Du Ying.
[Some intelligence on Du Ying:
1. According to a disciple’s report, Du Ying was seen three days ago at the cultivation market near the Shan Hai Sect and Qing Shui Sect, but then disappeared without a trace.
2. Recently, there seem to be two more missing children, but it is unknown whether this is related.]
Lin Shuang looked at the two indistinct children being dragged behind Du Ying in the portrait. Their figures were thin and trembling.
“This Du Ying last appeared at the cultivation market—could it be the same one in Liuxian Town where we bought the dog? Three days ago, could he have passed us by?!”
Meng Zi was surprised.
Huangpu Yuan thoughtfully replied, “Recently, with the Twelve Sects Grand Competition, many families wanting their children to cultivate have brought them to stay nearby.”
Meng Zi was stunned. “I heard that after the Hundred Flowers Sect ranked first last time, they received many applications. After the major sects did their selection, the remaining children with spiritual roots were accepted into the Yun Yang Sect, which hosted the event last time.”
Every ten years, the Twelve Sects hold a competition to re-rank their strengths.
Many families wanting their children to cultivate come at this time, waiting for the competition results before applying to the strongest sect.
“Waiting for the competition results?”
Today was the ninth day of March.
Lin Shuang’s expression turned strange as she quickly flipped through her weekly schedule.
Soon, she saw a big red mark with a question mark in the coming week.
—Deliver goods to the Auction Pavilion on March 16th → Some important person (possibly a Tianji Pavilion clue)
This was the information she received from the Purple Robe person at the market that day.
Lin Shuang looked at the instructions for this evil cultivator elimination task.
“We only have three days to intercept this evil cultivator, or the trial will be considered a failure.”
Today was the ninth of March. Three days later, on the twelfth, this level would end, determining the top three among the middle and lower stages.
On the thirteenth, assuming each sect takes a day to rest.
Then on the fourteenth, the top three sects would determine the final ranking.
In other words, the middle and lower stages would end around the fourteenth of March.
If on the fifteenth, the Twelve Sects’ disciples receive their rewards for the middle and lower stages, the Elders of each sect would certainly attend.
Then on the sixteenth, the Elders and disciples of all sects would be free.
Lin Shuang pressed her fingers to her forehead. The sixteenth of March—’deliver goods to the Auction Pavilion → some important person’—coincided exactly with the end of the competition.
She hadn’t noticed before because she didn’t know that this round of the competition would last three days.
Now, calculating it, the end of the middle and lower stages exactly aligned with the Purple Robe person’s meeting time.
So on the sixteenth of March, the Elders would be free.
Therefore, the Elder who designed each round of the competition schedule might be the contact person for the Purple Robe on March 16th, or an accomplice of that contact.
The only reason for such scheduling was this—
The contact person could not disappear during the disciples’ competition, or it would seem suspicious and be noticed by everyone.
Lin Shuang’s brow twitched.
So, besides Wang Heng, the Supervisor Elder of Yuan He, the contact person for the Tianji Talisman evil cultivator was left with only Elder Yue Zhi, one of the twelve main elders.
The two of them—one presided over the competition, the other was the representative Elder of the Shan Hai Sect this time.
Only they could not leave the competition for even a day.
These two iron wolves were almost nailed down.
Lin Shuang’s expression turned odd as she flipped through the intelligence on the other five evil cultivators.
[1. Ninth Stage of Ningyuan, Sha Lü. Latest intel from the Void Sect: Spotted near the Mountain-Sea Sect one day ago.]
[3. The Eighth Stage of Condensing Yuan… reported by a disciple, appeared near the Fu Lu Market close to the Qing Shui Sect two days ago.]
[5. The Seventh Stage of Condensing Essence… appeared near the Great Desolate Mountain three days ago.]
The cultivation market in Liuxian Town, the Fu Lu Market of Qing Shui Sect, Da Huang Mountain—all were near the Shan Hai Sect.
It was as if they were coming for an annual meeting.
“Are there always so many evil cultivators appearing near here during every major competition?”
Lin Shuang turned to Meng Zi of the Nihil Sect and asked, “Didn’t you say a few days ago that the various sects in the Dong Hua Realm had opened the Nine Thousand Trials, and that the senior disciples had killed many evil cultivators, leading to the Nihil Sect’s business suffering and fewer assassination missions recently?”
“Yeah.”
Meng Zi, shouldering his blade, waved his hand. “These evil cultivators come in waves. They’re like flies drawn to the smell of meat. Wherever there’s profit, they’ll be there causing trouble.”
“This Du Ying is just here because there are so many children around!”
“Recently, the auction is being held again.”
Meng Zi looked enlightened. “If one isn’t careful, a cultivator might get robbed the moment they step out of the auction.”
The Purple Robe guy had invited them into the auction before, indicating that the evil cultivators were watching it.
Meng Zi, seeing Lin Shuang’s curious expression, finally felt triumphant. “You don’t know this, right? You should learn from me.”
Huangpu Yuan fell into thought.
[Little Ai No.2 (Huangpu): Could it be that these evil cultivators gathered here because of a certain event or person?]
He had done such things before, deliberately leaking information to evil cultivators to attract all the evil cultivators in the city to fight over him.
[Little Ai No.1 (Lin): Exactly. On March 16th, the auction offering. I suspect that not just two, but all six evil cultivators in this task have the same destination and location.]
They came here for the same purpose—the offering on March 16th.
“!”
Meng Zi opened his mouth.
The first evil cultivator was here to seize spiritual treasures for the offering, and the second was here to kidnap children for the offering?
[Little Ai No.1 (Lin): March 16th is also the end of our middle and lower stages competition. I suspect that not only do they want to offer, but they also want to personally meet the one presiding over our competition.]
“!”
Meng Zi opened his mouth.
Go where to meet? Come to the Shan Hai Sect? These evil cultivators were too bold!
No…
Gather at the Thieves’ Den Auction Hall where the man in purple guided them in!?
So all these guys have recently appeared nearby.
Meng Zi’s face changed drastically.
[Little Ai No. 2 (Huangpu): This mission involves only Ningyuan-level targets, but the auction will attract numerous evil cultivators.]
Beyond the Condensed Essence realm, there might even be Spirit God-level demonic cultivators.
Wait—if it’s really an offering to a Transcendent Elder, then it’s not impossible for Void-level evil cultivators to handle the contact!
Meng Zi sucked in a breath.
Lin Shuang’s expression gradually turned serious as she looked at the list of the six evil cultivators.
[Have they ever taken on such an extermination task before?]
[An outer sect junior sister, probably hasn’t spilled blood yet. Killing evil cultivators is still a life. I couldn’t sleep at night for seven days after my first time.]
“Yeah. It’s a bit early this year. I remember I was at the ninth-stage Ning Yuan when I first went out on a suppression mission.”
[Back then, I threw up. How about you guys?]
[I almost couldn’t bring myself to do it. The puppets were fake, but evil cultivators are alive. Even if they are guilty, when I first killed one with my own hands, the blood splattered on my face…]
“Don’t think too much, let’s go first.”
Finally, Lin Shuang said decisively.
But halfway through, she suddenly stopped, looking toward the projection.
[?]
“Did the Elders ask you to hide your identities and not tell me, your Queen?”
Lin Shuang suddenly stopped, recalling something from the grand hall earlier, and curiously looked at Meng Zi and Huangpu Yuan.
He couldn’t reveal the rules.
Meng Zi immediately choked up.
Lin Shuang tapped her right hand with her left. “I understand. Thank you, Elder of this level.”
Meng Zi: “?”
[??]
Huangpu Yuan pondered for a moment and seemed to grasp something. “Evil cultivators are mostly cruel and vengeful. The Elder who set the question probably meant for us to track and kill them without exposing ourselves, to protect ourselves?”
Meng Zi opened his mouth. “Oh, so that’s what it is.”
[Oh? Is that so?]
[I remember when I followed the Ling Shen senior brother out before, we didn’t hide our identities.]
[So is this special guidance for an over-leveled suppression mission?]
The projected Lin Shuang, however, sighed in admiration. “The Elder is so thoughtful. Oh, how considerate.”
Since they broke the fake pass in the Wang Jian level and discovered the fox spirit’s residual soul, they had been in a passive position, attracting a tracking talisman with a divine consciousness.
She was also often worried whether she had drawn the attention of that unscrupulous elder. Because of this, the matter of a physical examination arose. But undergoing “examinations” every day was seriously affecting her work efficiency. How could one possibly guard against thieves every single day? Now that she had finally escaped those poisonous teleportation talismans, she would never fall into the same pit twice!
“Fastest learning—there’s nothing terrible about making mistakes. Correct them, but never repeat them again.”
This time, she would never recklessly expose her hidden strengths or recklessly charge into conspiracies using her overt identity as Lin Shuang again, leaving herself in such a passive position!
“I finally understand now.”
Lin Shuang wore an expression of sudden realization, almost moved to tears.
She looked toward Meng Zi and Huangpu Yuan.
“My beloved concubine, where are your masks?”
Meng Zi and Huangpu Yuan: “…”
“Oh, I see! Elder Yu from the Hundred Flowers Sect had already written the answer on Senior Brother’s face, thus reminding me.”
“In this world of cultivators, who else operates while wearing a mask?”
Meng Zi: “??”
Huangpu Yuan’s phoenix eyes flickered. “The Annihilation Pavilion.”
“Right, let’s go. Following the elder’s advice, let’s take a mission from the Annihilation Pavilion!”
[…?]
[Lin Shuang: Thank you, Elder. I can lie low again for this round?!]
[??? Elder: ???]
The projection instantly shifted to Elder Yu Lu of the Hundred Flowers Sect.
Her delicate face, previously wearing a gentle expression, suddenly cracked.
She stood up, then sat back down. On her white robe embroidered with vibrant peach leaves, the blossoms bloomed and withered repeatedly in a loop, as if she were breaking down.
“Senior Yu! How could you insert personal motives into the exam questions, teaching your disciple shortcuts?!”
“If every disciple acted this way, not striving independently, how could that be acceptable?!”
“Is this still a competition? Do you think this is how things are done in your embroidery-focused Hundred Flowers Sect?!”
“How should we proceed now? Isn’t this against the original purpose of the trial? Is this how the Hundred Flowers Sect trains its disciples?”
“Ah, we should have stopped Lin Shuang from accepting missions at the Annihilation Pavilion during the ‘Encouragement to Study’ phase! Now it’s too late—she wasn’t stopped and was even inspired by Elder Yu. We can’t easily alter the rules of this level anymore!”
Yu Lu, the Hundred Flowers Sect’s elder, flushed red with anger, her late-stage Transcendent cultivation base trembling unstably.
Lin Shuang! She’s lying—
She never meant to inspire Lin Shuang to seek out the Annihilation Pavilion!
She merely saw Lin Shuang reading novels every day and thought they shared a common interest, so she gave her a queen identity to play with!
Oh no!
Yue Zhi of the Mountain Sea Sect, sitting in the central seat, gave her a solemn glance. “Elder Yu, for this High-Level Battle of the Hundred Flowers Sect, your right to set questions is hereby revoked.”
Yu Lu: “…”
*
Not long after relaxing and resuming management of the Annihilation Pavilion’s outposts, Zhao Mingde couple and Zhao Shiqi were suddenly summoned.
“Three clan leaders, Lin Shuang and her group are about to arrive.”
“?? How do you know this?”
It was Young Master Zhao Ming who sent word back. Lin Shuang publicly announced it during the competition projection. She intends to delegate trial tasks to the Annihilation Pavilion—the Mountain Sea Sect disciples’ 9,000 evil cultivator elimination exam.
“…?!”
*
Opposite the Annihilation Pavilion.
Meng Zi and Huangpu Yuan were again lounging on beach chairs, wearing sunglasses and sipping tea.
Lin Shuang was deeply focused on her Pomodoro session studying the “Ten Thousand Mountains and Rivers Painting Manual.”
The Mountain Sea Sect has dispatched their second team, selecting a ninth-stage Condensed Core evil cultivator as their target. Their goal is to compete for a top-three position in the group battle.
[The third team is the Hundred Flowers Sect—they’ve also set out.]
[The fourth is the Artifact and Alchemy Sect—they’ve just selected an evil cultivator’s wanted poster…]
[Ah, Lin Shuang is still lying down. No, she’s studying a cultivation technique diligently.]
[…]
“Junior Zhao, do you truly believe this approach is acceptable? Putting aside the matter of encouraging study, eliminating evil cultivators is fundamental training for us cultivators.”
If we don’t go today, we’ll lack combat experience tomorrow and risk being harmed by evil cultivators!
Sister Pear Blossom, wearing flowing embroidered robes today, urged through the projection.
Only through battle can cultivators grow stronger.
“Senior Sister must have her reasons.”
Zhao Kran remained calm, her hands and feet moving nonstop. “We’ll just keep watching.”
Sister Pear Blossom shook her head. “But…”
Zhao Kran raised a hand to stop her. Her usually gentle face bore an unusual solemnity. “This is a game beyond my ability to judge.”
[…]
“At the Wang Jian level, when I heard her first question, I was still wondering about its purpose. But Senior Sister had already thought through the next ten questions.”
Zhao Kran sighed, clearly feeling helpless to assist Sister Pear Blossom.
“Ah, so Sister Pear Blossom, asking me won’t help.”
“If I could think, act, and move as quickly as Senior Sister, I wouldn’t be standing beside you now.”
Sister Pear Blossom: “…”
[…Pear Blossom: What’s wrong with standing together? Has Pear Blossom reached the middle stage of spirit refinement cultivation this year?]
[…Indeed, Pear Blossom is a Divine Refinement-level competitor.]
[Ah, Pear Blossom, don’t ask—just accept that her Senior Sister is always right.]
[Little Zhao: How could Senior Sister ever be wrong? If she were, it must be my misunderstanding.]
[…]
[This little Zhao from the Clear Water Sect, hahaha!]
In the projection.
Lin Shuang looked up occasionally at the Annihilation Pavilion outpost across the street—a general store.
Her right index finger traced slowly through the air.
Spiritual energy gathered at her fingertip, forming a miniature general store almost identical to the one across.
Lin Shuang finally completed the first volume of “Ten Thousand Mountains and Rivers Painting” within today’s first Pomodoro session.
[?]
[So fast!]
“Ah, I understand now. I understand everything.”
Zhao Kran suddenly slapped her thigh.
[?]
[What?]
Over the past ten years, Senior Sister had written countless diaries and experimental short stories, while also practicing talismans to refine her brushwork.
She had completely mastered ultimate brush control and trained her spiritual sense to the finest degree.
Plus, the Fire Eye technique she started learning three years ago—Zhao Kran now understood why Senior Sister had painstakingly chosen such a seemingly useless multi-layered technique.
Others called it useless, yet she had slowly studied it for three years.
Because of this, without realizing—
The Fire Eye technique granted meticulous observation.
Brushwork had reached perfection.
Combined with continuous travels through landscapes and observation of pavilions and towers… all accumulated until today’s mastery of the “Ten Thousand Mountains and Rivers Painting.”
Zhao Kran took a deep breath. “Haste makes waste. The fastest progress lies in the countless moments of the past, not just today.”
[!]
[Ten years as an outer disciple culminating in today’s achievement!]
As the watching disciples were still stunned, Lin Shuang took out a talisman brush, dipped it in thick ink.
Suddenly, a pitch-black mountain flew from her brush.
Moving at incredible speed, it lacked the beauty of ink gradation—appearing merely as a massive black coal block dropping from the sky.
[?]
[?? Ah… this…]
All viewers thought the mountain looked hideous, until a sudden pressure surged toward them, as if the mountain were hurling toward their faces.
Instantly, everything turned pitch black!
The first position in the projection—the Clear Water Sect trio’s screen—went completely black!
[?]
[?? Hundred Flowers Sect!]
“Why did you do that, Lin Xiaoshuang!”
Meng Zi’s complaint also came from the projection.
No one knew what had happened. After three breaths, the mountain vanished.
“Ah, first painting—I’m not very skilled yet… my mistake, my mistake.”
Lin Shuang’s voice came through.
In the image, she had her back to the watching disciples, stretching lazily. “This first volume consumed too much of my spiritual sense. I need to meditate to recover.”
With that, she wrapped herself in a blood-red fox fur cloak, even pulling the fluffy hood over her head.
From the side, the fluffiness concealed her profile.
Beside her, ‘Huangpu Yuan’ was already wrapped in snowy white fox fur, meditating with his back to the projection, only his flowing black hair visible.
To the left, ‘Meng Zi’ lay on a beach chair, a book titled “Thirteen Mountain Cuts” covering his face.
He also spoke, “Then I’ll take a nap.”
The meditating ‘Huangpu Yuan’: “Mm.”
The meditating ‘Lin Shuang’: “Okay.”
Standing at the room’s doorway, Meng Zi stared disbelievingly at the three ‘scarecrow’ paper substitutes: “…”
After learning the “Ten Thousand Mountains and Rivers Painting Manual,” could her scarecrow skills still only produce ghost faces?
Would these three even dare to show their faces?!
Meng Zi wordlessly looked at Lin Shuang.
“Let’s go. We’ve shed our shells—change identities and proceed.”
As the projection disciples watched the two meditating and one sleeping figures in the room—
The real Lin Shuang trio had already appeared at the Annihilation Pavilion’s general store from a nearby inn!
Meng Zi: “!”
“Don’t worry. I’ve only learned the basics. Right now, I can only teleport one street distance.” Lin Shuang comforted.
Meng Zi: “…”
Does the Mountain Sea Sect elder know you’ve stolen their teleportation talisman?
Lin Shuang was flipping through her small checklist.
[Known Transcendent forces:]
1. Twelve Sects’ Transcendents (interested in her, arranged physical exams)
2. Cultivation Family Transcendents (Feng family’s favor initially gained, but unwilling to further assist)
3. Annihilation Pavilion Transcendents??? (Can favor be gained through consumption? Becoming an excellent employee?)
Lin Shuang came here today intending to achieve multiple goals at once.
Register a false identity at the Annihilation Pavilion; pursue rogue cultivators under this guise to uncover the truth; simultaneously take missions to upgrade her VIP status; and secretly build a good relationship with the Annihilation Pavilion’s Transcendents.
Four birds with one stone!
Inside the general store’s hidden passage.
Zhao Mingde couple and Zhao Shiqi had just been summoned again after asking the shopkeeper to handle Lin Shuang’s mission.
“Three clan leaders, Lin Shuang and her group are here again.”
“Weren’t we supposed to let you handle it—”
“No, they’re requesting both missions and registration as our assassins.”
“…???”
*
Three breaths later, Lin Shuang was sitting in the general store waiting.
Meng Zi was restless, Huangpu Yuan indifferent.
Soon, a tall, muscular man wearing a mask arrived.
Lin Shuang: “…?”
The shopkeeper coughed lightly. “This is today’s Annihilation Pavilion examiner.”
This examiner, rather than wearing a black carved mask, seemed to carry a black wall that moved with him.
His entire figure was hidden behind this full-body mask trailing the floor.
Additionally, endless black mist swirled around him.
A stream of black mist, carrying terrifying Transcendent pressure, descended upon Lin Shuang’s group.
Instantly, Lin Shuang heard a childish, babyish voice in her mind.
“What is your dream?”
Lin Shuang: “?”
Have you watched too many variety shows?
She looked at this towering figure almost touching the ceiling, contrasting with the childish, cute voice—unsure which to comment on.
The Annihilation Pavilion was indeed skilled at concealing identities.
But the problem was, was it really necessary to drag a mask all the way to the floor?
Everything about him screamed “I’m hiding something!”
It seemed likely she might see his true face somewhere in the future.
No, maybe she had already seen him.
Lin Shuang subtly glanced at this Transcendent assassin said to be on duty today, responsible for evaluating new recruits.
“Why did you join the Annihilation Pavilion?” He asked again.
The answer must be truthful, or it would fail the self-questioning trial before the Heavenly Tribulation.
Lin Shuang, masked, nodded. “Once the mask is on, no one loves me. The mask makes me progress.”
“…”
The towering figure seemed to freeze.
The entire mask wall trailing the floor paused.
He seemed to abandon further communication with Lin Shuang.
Quickly turning to Huangpu Yuan, who also wore a mask.
Huangpu Yuan smiled faintly. “Same here.”
Lin Shuang: “…”
Towering figure: “…”
He turned to Meng Zi.
Meng Zi nervously scratched his hand. “To earn spirit stones.”
“Hmph.”
The babyish voice of the towering figure chuckled.
Then three ‘Annihilation’ character pendants of different auras flew toward them.
—Heaven Rank
—Earth Rank
—Human Rank
Simultaneously, three ‘Annihilation Pavilion Contracts’ of varying lengths fell before them.
Heaven Rank Assassin: Complete 50 missions annually; receive one free assistance from an Annihilation Pavilion Transcendent guest.
Earth Rank Assassin: Complete 10 missions annually; receive one free assistance from an Annihilation Pavilion Void Realm assassin.
Human Rank Assassin: No benefits.
Then, this towering Transcendent figure vanished on the spot.
As if in a hurry.
Leaving only the shopkeeper, holding three lowest-rank Human Rank pendants and mission manuals, smiling at Lin Shuang.
“All three of you will begin at Human Rank. Complete 10 missions annually to automatically advance to Earth Rank. Would you like to review the Condensed Core bounty list now?”
Meng Zi’s expression changed.
He had only completed three missions last year.
Ah, still forty-something away from the highest rank. When would he ever reach it?
He helplessly shook his head.
As Lin Shuang browsed through the list of wanted rogue cultivators, Meng Zi quietly edged closer to the shopkeeper and whispered.
“Hey, shhh, I actually already have a Human Rank assassin pendant. Pretend you don’t know and give me a new one, okay?”
“Shhh, speak softly… don’t let the other two know…”
Lin Shuang: “…”
Huangpu Yuan: “…”
Soon in the projection, watching disciples saw Lin Shuang’s trio suddenly twitch while meditating in the inn, then stand up.
They appeared in the desolate general store.
The ‘Lin Shuang,’ ‘Huangpu Yuan,’ and ‘Meng Zi’ with loose hair stood with their backs to the projection, quickly entrusting the Annihilation Pavilion with three novice assassin tasks.
“You’re in charge.”
The three novice assassins: “Understood.”
“Oh, and if necessary, you may bind the target.”
‘Lin Shuang’ pulled out silkworms from her sleeve with a clatter.
The shopkeeper’s eyebrow twitched violently upon seeing the silkworms.
“No problem!” The three novice assassins readily accepted.
‘Lin Shuang,’ ‘Huangpu Yuan,’ and ‘Meng Zi’ happily returned to the opposite inn to relax.
Wearing sunglasses and covering her face with a book, she seemed to be watching the three Rank Three assassins leave.
The three assassins quickly disappeared into the night.
“Go!”
One arrow, multiple targets.
“Lin Xiaoshuang——”
From then on, she possessed two identity cards: Gray and White.
Many dangerous tasks that could draw unwanted attention could now be handled using the cover identity of an Annihilation Pavilion assassin.
“Please call me Assassin Wu Liu Qi.”
“…???”
“What about your code names? Da Bao, Ling Shi?”
Huangpu Yuan wore a carved mask, “…”
Meng Zi barely held back his laughter, “Don’t use those names. Even the elders know how much I love spirit stones; it could easily expose me.”
After passing through the Queen’s Floor, he had become smarter.
“Please call me Assassin Jie Zi Dai.”
Lin Shuang, standing on the rooftop: “…”
Huangpu Yuan, who was flipping through information from the Auction Pavilion: “…”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage