"Respected Gold Medal Emissary, your mission has been submitted. Here is a new task that the Vice Pavilion Master specifically requires you to execute! Wishing you a pleasant mission."
Xingluo Bay, a hidden stronghold belonging to the Yinsha Pavilion.
To call it a hidden stronghold was an understatement; this place was practically semi-public, filled with noisy clamor and various unpleasant odors. People dressed strangely came and went, some even placing a few bloody heads directly on the counter.
"Check out!"
A killer, as burly as a bear and impossible to miss in the crowd, spoke.
But whether a fat killer or a skinny killer, as long as they could eliminate the target, they were a good killer. This was the motto of the Yinsha Pavilion. The killers here were generally divided into two categories: direct disciples cultivated by the Yinsha Pavilion, or bounty hunters, outside powerhouses who took on jobs here for money.
Naturally, direct disciples had higher credibility, while bounty hunters were not uncommonly known to go back on their word.
Direct disciples were also stronger. Over eighty percent of Gold Medal Killers were from the Yinsha Pavilion, and 'Qianqiu' was a renowned Gold Medal Killer of the Yinsha Pavilion.
He had not debuted for long but had risen like a rocket, breaking into the top ten killers of the Yinsha Pavilion in less than ten years, with his ranking continuously improving.
When others discovered 'Qianqiu' was present, the entire Yinsha Pavilion mission stronghold suddenly fell into a hushed silence.
Many looked at the young man with thick eyebrows and large eyes, their gazes filled with apprehension and fear.
There was also no shortage of admiration.
The burly staff member at the counter winked at Qianqiu and slipped a note into his hand.
Towards the attention of everyone, Qianqiu showed no sign of the stealth a killer should possess. Instead, he waved enthusiastically, like a celebrity surrounded by fans.
He soon left proudly.
Outside the stronghold, Qianqiu rubbed his palm and crumbled the note into dust, letting it scatter in the wind.
"Although I kill innocent people, although I frequent brothels, I am a person with high standards."
He hummed a little tune and returned to his safe house.
He then took out the sealed letter containing the new mission and opened it with the Yinsha Pavilion's special secret method. His gaze swept across it, and Qianqiu frowned.
"Assassinate the third commander of the Honglian Empire, 'Peiyeluo'? This mission is asking me to die..."
The Honglian Empire was a super oasis power in the Broken Sea region, even stronger than the Seven Star Alliance.
To be ranked as the third commander in such a power, one must be a top-tier expert in the Six Senses, not necessarily much weaker than himself, and surrounded by numerous personal guards. No matter how one thought about it, this assassination mission was extremely difficult.
After all, his assassinations were always straightforward. He never resorted to poisoning, scheming, or traps.
It was unlikely to defeat a stronger foe with a weaker one.
Moreover,
"This Honglian third commander, if I remember correctly, is a prominent figure of the 'Resistance Faction'."
The history of the Broken Sea region was long, far beyond that of 'younger' great domains like the Falling Star Grotto or the Sighing Mountains. Furthermore, it was rumored that the Broken Sea had once undergone a war, an indescribable great war, that shattered several great domains, after which the current Broken Sea was formed.
This meant that the Broken Sea was at least equivalent to several Falling Star Grotto great domains in scale.
It was dotted with large and small oases. After countless years of development, stable orders had been formed. Unlike the isolated great oases of the Falling Star Grotto great domain, the oases here were closely connected, often involving marriage alliances, where one was part of another, and all were governed by the highest super oases.
Therefore, super oases like the Seven Star Alliance and the Honglian Empire had a considerable sphere of influence.
However, this did not mean these super oases could rest easy.
The indescribable great war in the Broken Sea region had shattered several great domains, and its effects lingered to this day, with both good and bad consequences.
The good part was that the number of strange entities on the sea surface in the Broken Sea region was far less than in other great domains, making it easier to travel by airship, which provided the foundation for the current prosperity of the Broken Sea.
It was important to note that the deeper one went into the gray fog, the more likely it was to attract strange entity attacks. Therefore, most exploration teams had fewer than ten people. Only powerful merchant guilds could organize large teams to travel.
There were also drawbacks.
Most of the time, the Broken Sea region was relatively peaceful, but it would occasionally 'erupt'. The residual power of ancient evil gods had erupted in the Broken Sea region, unleashing a terrifying wave of disaster.
Natural disasters abounded, wave after wave of strange entities, and even world-ending strange entities appeared, plaguing the entire region.
Such disasters had occurred several times in recorded history.
Countless ordinary oases and great oases were destroyed and disappeared. Super oases like the Seven Star Alliance and the Honglian Empire were as stable as huge ships, but even giant ships risked damage and losses when facing giant waves.
Once, Xingluo Bay suffered heavy damage, and its current prosperity was rebuilt later.
"The 'Resistance Faction' is the group that strongly advocates for investigating the cause of the disasters and preventing and curbing further occurrence. It is not limited to the Honglian Empire, but the Honglian Empire is an oasis where the resistance calls are louder."
"Opposed to them is the 'Conservative Faction,' who believe disasters are inevitable and there is no need to explore the root cause. The current losses from disasters are not significant. If they were to anger an evil god during exploration, that would be the true disaster."
Most of the important figures in the various oases today belonged to the Conservative Faction.
Their concerns were not without reason.
However,
"As the Resistance Faction wisely says, one cannot become accustomed to disasters just because they have always existed."
"The claws of evil gods might be at play behind these disasters. If they are not taken seriously, who knows if super oases will be swallowed one day."
He, Qianqiu, was just a small killer and could not influence the situation in the Broken Sea.
He could not even influence his own fate.
Just like now, he admired the Honglian third commander, a person who dared to defy fate, but... he still had to assassinate him.
He could not disobey the Pavilion Master's orders.
Killers like him were brought to the Yinsha Pavilion oasis at a very young age for secret training. During this process, most children would die, including his friends, his friends, and his friends. Only a few who excelled would survive and be given the mission of being a killer.
Everyone has their own destiny, and this was his.
Even so,
Qianqiu still held a sliver of hope. He went to a secret stronghold of the Yinsha Pavilion and used a strange artifact to contact the Vice Pavilion Master who had assigned him the mission.
Inside the dimly lit small building, the strange artifact emanated streaks of light, intertwining to form a clear screen.
Within the screen was a burly man wearing a white and green cloak, its hem trailing to the floor. He stood with his hands behind his back, facing away from the camera. Sunlight from outside the window filled the spacious area, making the Vice Pavilion Master's cloak shine brilliantly.
Outside the screen,
The side profile of the person in the dimly lit small building became slightly clearer. He was kneeling on one knee, his head bowed.
"Vice Pavilion Master Yao."
"What is it?"
"Vice Pavilion Master, I am not an opponent for a strong individual like the third commander of the Honglian Empire. This mission is very difficult... No, this mission is impossible to complete."
"Is that all?"
The Vice Pavilion Master's impatient words interrupted Qianqiu's rambling.
"If it's difficult, then find a way. You are a killer, not a good-for-nothing!"
"I will give you two months for this mission. You must complete it regardless of the cost. Don't forget that it is because of the Pavilion Master's cultivation that you have achieved what you have today."
As soon as the words fell, a burning pain, like a soul being scorched, emanated from Qianqiu's body.
It seemed like a brand, a shackle, imprinted on his soul, clasped around his neck.
After a while,
The burning soul-like pain slowly subsided, and Qianqiu let out a muffled groan.
He looked up again, and the screen of interwoven light and shadow before him was slowly dissipating, the light of the communication artifact also finally dimmed, and the connection was broken.
Qianqiu glanced a few more times, and upon confirming that the strange artifact had stopped operating, he flicked his middle finger towards the darkness before him.
"Go to hell!"
"Why don't you go assassinate him yourself?"
"If you have the guts, let's fight, old man!"
After a burst of curses, Qianqiu slumped to the ground, his head drooping.
He could not resist the Yinsha Pavilion. So, what could he do? He could only accept it.
"Sigh~"
"Wait."
He remembered yesterday, the faint whisper that surfaced in his mind – 'a chance' – a chance to change his destiny.
Try it, or not try it?
There was a saying in occultism that those targeted by such high-level beings often met with dire consequences. Not trying meant becoming experimental material, or becoming...
But, from another perspective, since he had already been targeted, what was there to fear? The Yinsha Pavilion was already a shackle on his neck, and another one wouldn't seem to... matter?
He put on the respectful smile he had cultivated during his training at the killer training camp and, in his heart, called out to that being.
After a long while...
There was no response.
Had he failed? That was understandable, as that being had not left any specific incantation for him to use.
Qianqiu could not tell if he felt disappointed or relieved.
When he returned to his safe cabin, that voice suddenly sounded again.
"Your choice."
To change destiny, one could receive gifts from destiny, but likewise, one had to fulfill the price marked behind the gift of destiny.
This was only reasonable.
However, could he really choose himself?
Qianqiu pursed his lips. He chose... Yes!
A screen materialized in his mind, accompanied by a 'ding' sound. A dazzling array of options appeared, making him momentarily dizzy and wide-eyed.
Instinct told him it was fake, and reason told him it was fake.
After all, transmitting items remotely, bestowing abilities with a thought, and so on, were too fantastical. He was certain that even mythical beings could not do this – myths were merely great, not omnipotent.
Moreover, the honored name of this being, the organization they belonged to, was extremely obscure.
With such thoughts, Qianqiu... redeemed a vial of potion with the balance in his account.
"As expected, it's impossible... GAH!!!"
Light and shadow intertwined, gradually turning into reality.
Tactile sensation and weight appeared in his hand. His mouth parted slightly, thoughts flooding his mind one after another. After a long while, he managed to utter two words:
"...Holy shit!"
...
"Great being, please allow Little Qiu to pay you the highest respect. To be chosen by you is truly Little Qiu's fortune for three lifetimes. In the days to come, Little Qiu will surely devote all his energy until death, for..."
Although your flattery sounds nice, this mentor still prefers your rebellious demeanor.
While Apostle Qianqiu hesitated for a day, Fang someone had been observing in secret, observing Qianqiu's character, behavior, and the environment of his location.
Of course, he no longer needed to inquire about Qianqiu's life experiences; they were clearly displayed on the panel.
His entire family was killed in childhood, and he was taken away.
Raised in the orphanage of the Yinsha Pavilion, he entered the killer training camp.
Graduated from the training camp as the top student, rising from Black Iron Killer to the current Gold Medal Killer.
Xitina's life went smoothly in the first half, but then her entire territory was wiped out.
Qianqiu's life was a series of hardships, but at least he did not experience the disaster of all his relatives and friends dying. It was hard to say who was more miserable.
However,
"When Xitina formed a contract, she could directly undergo Mythical Awakening. Qianqiu is a bit lacking."
"It's understandable. One was the hope of an entire oasis, with various rare treasures invested, constantly battling and leveling up, developing their innate abilities to the limit; the other had to struggle for a living, a 007 worker, and their income was meager!"
Even Boss Fang shed a tear.
The operating mode of the Yinsha Pavilion was very stingy. While outside bounty hunters were compensated according to market prices, the direct disciples were treated like beasts of burden, except for the initial equipment and strange artifacts provided.
Working like a Six-Sense expert but receiving the pay of a Three-Sense expert, they even had to consider twice before going to a brothel.
Boss Fang shook his head.
"Qianqiu's control over his body and his two-dimensional foundation are slightly below the standard for awakening, but it's not a big problem. His mysterious accumulation is already sufficient. As long as these two shortcomings are addressed, he will soon be able to attempt Mythical Awakening."
...
"...Soon be able to achieve Mythical Awakening?"
The other person's words echoed in his ears, and Qianqiu felt as if he were dreaming.
"I can also advance to Mythical?"
"First step, improve basic scythe techniques; second step, cultivate visualization techniques and drink the potion; third step, awaken, is it that simple?"
He was dumbfounded.
And this first step,
*Boom—*
The boon from that being descended, like a great power surging out of the void, fiercely striking his body. While bringing waves of pain and fatigue, the comprehension in his mind actually soared.
"I... my scythe techniques, which have been bottlenecked for years, have directly broken through? My entire body is transforming!"
"Hiss!"
Qianqiu's scalp tingled, as if a new world had opened before him.
Fang You watched him and nodded slightly.
"It won't be long before the organization can add another Mythical, the third one."
"Uh... provided Qianqiu's awakening is successful. He cannot afford a second attempt."
"Afterward, through Qianqiu, we may be able to establish a foothold for the 'Flames of Hope' in the Broken Sea region, as it is much more prosperous than the Falling Star Grotto. The strength of the Seven Star Alliance and the Honglian Empire is roughly above that of the Falling Star City."
Of course, Falling Star City might still be on the rise, while some of the old-guard powers in the Broken Sea were already on the decline.
While contemplating, Fang You glanced at Little Huan's status, who was still undergoing transformation.
It was taking a bit too long.
He helplessly rolled up his sleeves and began to handle official business.
Suddenly, Fang You frowned, his gaze penetrating the ceiling and looking outward.
Outside the Blue Star world, one by one, bloody threads suddenly appeared, intertwining to form a large net, enveloping the entire Blue Star.
They did not touch the Blue Star.
They did not impact the Blue Star.
It was just that,
"Mentor, people from the Great Oasis can no longer enter our Blue Star."