Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 144 - Exchanging Credits

The sky turned completely dark, creating a suitable environment for assassins. The black-clothed assassin seemed to have disappeared, with his aura blending into the surroundings, making him hard to detect. This was what made assassins terrifying.

Everything in the surroundings became bright and clear to Liu Wuxie as he used Ghost Eye at full power. Suddenly, he made his move, leaving an afterimage in his wake as he swung his blade downwards.

Simultaneously, a black figure dashed out from the bush. This assassin had a hint of surprise in his eyes that Liu Wuxie had managed to discover him. Just as he attempted to raise his black sword, Liu Wuxie’s blade had already intercepted its trajectory.

The assassin, merely a high-level practitioner of the Spirit Cleansing Realm, was no match for Liu Wuxie, who had vanquished countless adversaries of this level. Liu Wuxie’s blade intent shattered the assassin’s defenses in an instant.

Taken aback, the assassin hastily retreated. Despite his proficiency in the art of assassination and an unblemished record, he found himself at a disadvantage.

Just the previous day, he had been assigned a mission to assassinate an individual at the eighth level of the Xiantian Realm. Initially, he didn’t take it seriously, feeling underestimated to be assigned such a task despite being at the pinnacle of the Spirit Cleansing Realm. However, the issuer of the mission had warned him not to underestimate his target, implying that the task was more complex than it seemed.

Now that he looked at it again, this person was extraordinary. The blade stuck close to him, following him no matter how he tried to dodge it. In terms of killing technique, there weren’t many people in the world capable of surpassing him.

Typically, assassins would retreat at the first sign of failure. Years of honing their skills had taught them that failure often equated to death. Had it been any other assassin tasked with eliminating Liu Wuxie, they would have retreated the moment their initial attempt failed.

But this assassin didn’t want to give up so easily. After all, he had succeeded in assassinating a low-leveled Marrow Cleansing Realm expert last year, allowing his fame to spread far and wide in the assassin world. Failure to assassinate a target in the Xiantian Realm would essentially spell the end of his career as an assassin, leaving him with no option to retreat.

Liu Wuxie strode the Seven Dipper Steps, leaving behind an afterimage, appearing behind the assassin and swinging his blade down. When his blade sliced into the assassin’s flesh, he didn’t kill the assassin directly as he wanted to know who had sent an assassin after him.

Liu Wuxie’s movements were sudden, executed only after he had ensured there were no other assassins nearby.

The assassin fell to the ground, kneeling on one knee, a grievous wound piercing through his back, causing his breathing to falter.

Chen Leyao and Song Ling quickened their steps. Before they fully comprehend the unfolding fight, Liu Wuxie had already subdued the assassin.

“Young Master Liu, are you alright?” Chen Leyao asked, concern evident in her voice. The mere mention of the Assassin Pavilion, known for its flawless track record over the years, was enough to alter anyone’s expression.

“I’m fine!” Liu Wuxie assured her, removing the assassin’s mask to reveal a youthful face. Under the starlight, a vague outline of the unfamiliar face was visible. Judging by his appearance, the assassin seemed to be in his mid-to-late twenties. His attainment of the pinnacle of the Spirit Cleansing Realm was an impressive feat, even by the standards of the Imperial Academy.

The assassin’s breathing gradually weakened as his life force rapidly drained away.

“Speak, who sent you to kill me?” Liu Wuxie demanded, his tone indifferent. The fact that someone had hired an assassin indicated that the mastermind was no ordinary individual. After all, the Assassin Pavilion charged ten times the usual fees due to their guaranteed success rate. The task's completion was assured as long as the payment was made.

“Don’t bother asking. You won’t get a word out of me. I failed today, but someone will take over my mission soon.” The assassin tilted his head with a smirk and died. He had ingested poison, a chilling testament to the fearlessness of the Assassin Pavilion’s operatives.

“Young Master Liu, you have to be cautious. The Assassin Pavilion won’t give up so easily, which makes them terrifying. Once they accept the payment, they will complete the mission no matter what. Since they sent an assassin from the Spirit Cleansing Realm this time, I’m worried that they might send one from a Marrow Cleansing Realm next time,” Chen Leyao said with a concerned expression. This was unlike dealing with ordinary assassins, where a failed mission would typically signal its end.

The Assassin Pavilion operated differently; they had a unique system in place. Their assassins were categorized into several levels, and the size and scope of their operation remained a mystery. The assassin could be anyone—a nearby individual, a waiter, or a passerby on the street, lurking in any corner of the Imperial City, ready to strike when least expected.

“Understood!” Liu Wuxie nodded. He knew that he needed to be careful in the coming days and accelerate his breakthrough to the Spirit Cleansing Realm.

He searched the assassin’s corpse and discovered that the assassin had nothing on him besides a longsword. There weren’t any other clues, and he could only give it up. He tossed the corpse into the bush, and the three quickened their steps.

When Liu Wuxie returned to his courtyard, he sat down and began to analyze who wanted to kill him. He ruled out the Xue Clan, as they would likely act directly if they intended to kill him. His next suspect was Jiang Yue, who was recently expelled from the Treasure Pill Pavilion. However, considering the timing, Jiang Yue seemed an unlikely candidate. The question remained: who could it be?

Unable to reach a conclusion, Liu Wuxie decided to set the matter aside. He began organizing the herbs, planning a visit to the alchemy chamber the following day to refine a batch of pills in preparation for his breakthrough to the Spirit Cleansing Realm. He spent the entire night sorting through the thousands of herbs.

“Not bad. I can refine ten Bone Refining Pills, ten Marrow Refining Pills, and ten Soul Converging Pills...” Liu Wuxie used paper and a brush to make a detailed record, planning to convert all the herbs into fourth-grade pills. With such a substantial quantity of pills, he was confident it would be enough for him to reach the Spirit Cleansing Realm.

When the first gleam of sunlight shone through the horizon, Li Shengsheng appeared before Liu Wuxie.

“Senior Brother Li, do you need something?” Liu Wuxie asked. The benefit of being in advanced class seven was that he didn’t have to attend class daily, giving him the freedom to do what he wanted.

“There’s a year-end gathering in five days, and each class must participate. I’m here to inform you about it, and we’ll go together at that time,” Li Shengsheng said. Everyone had to participate, and Liu Wuxie wasn’t an exception.

“Alright!” Since everyone had to participate, he had no reason to refuse.

“Alright, I won’t disturb your cultivation.” Li Shengsheng’s attitude towards Liu Wuxie had shifted to one of admiration following Liu Wuxie's killing of twenty individuals from advanced class three.

After bidding farewell to Li Shengsheng, Liu Wuxie returned to his room. He tidied up and stowed all the herbs into his interspatial pouch before heading to the Credits Hall. His next plan required a substantial amount of credits.

Liu Wuxie arrived early, and there weren’t many people there. The deacon in charge of this place had just started working.

After stating his purpose, Liu Wuxie took out a hundred spirit stones in order to exchange them for a hundred credits. After returning some of the credits to Li Shengsheng, the remaining fifty-odd credits were enough for his needs.

It was unusual to witness someone exchanging a hundred credits at once, a sight typically associated with Profound Grade students. However, Liu Wuxie, clad in a blue robe, was an Earth Grade student making such a substantial exchange, which drew curious glances from those around him.

“Present your student token!” commanded the deacon after securing the hundred spirit stones to record his credits. Liu Wuxie complied, placing his student token in a designated slot. An odd energy coursed into it, and fine words materialized on the token, appearing as if they were engraved.

Upon inspection, the engraving read ‘100,’ signifying a hundred credits. With his token safely stowed away, Liu Wuxie departed without further delay.

However, his departure did not go unnoticed. Three students, who had been planning to exchange credits, began to follow him discreetly. Their path led them through a valley, a necessary passage to reach the alchemy region.

Liu Wuxie abruptly halted and spun around, confronting his pursuers. “How long do you plan on tailing me? What do you three want?” he demanded.

The three stopped as they examined Liu Wuxie with a smile.

“Brat, hand over your credits. We won’t make things difficult for you,” they threatened bluntly, intent on seizing the credits Liu Wuxie had just exchanged. After all, a hundred credits were equivalent to a staggering 10,000,000 gold coins.

Liu Wuxie remained silent, his eyes radiating a chilling murderous intent. Like him, they were Earth Grade students, but only at the pinnacle of the Xiantian Realm.

“Senior Brother Deng is addressing you. Are you deaf or just playing dumb?” The youth on the right grew impatient, eager for Liu Wuxie to surrender his credits now that they were isolated from prying eyes. If anyone found out about this, they believed it would have no repercussions for them.

“Are you three sure you want to rob my credits?” Liu Wuxie wore a harmless smile that successfully fooled the three of them.

“Stop wasting our time. It seems you won’t give up until we teach you a lesson!” The trio had no interest in wasting time with Liu Wuxie and launched a joint attack, radiating a potent aura towards him. They acted decisively, assaulting Liu Wuxie from three distinct angles, blocking his escape route.

With a subtle foot tap, Liu Wuxie skillfully dodged their attacks, and his palm hit the ground, creating a shockwave. Undeterred by their initial failure, the trio resumed their onslaught, their attacks intensifying, morphing into a fearsome wave intent on ensnaring Liu Wuxie.

Liu Wuxie’s eyes hardened, and a frosty, murderous aura emanated from him. The icy chill immobilized the surrounding trees, significantly impeding the trio’s movements.

“So cold!” The trio found themselves unable to advance as they realized their feet were encased in ice, gradually creeping up their bodies. Having absorbed the Frost Spiritual Bead, Liu Wuxie had mastered the ice attribute, rendering these three incapable of executing their martial techniques in his presence.

“Please, don’t seal us in ice!” The three panicked and began to beg for mercy before the ice enveloped them.

“Too late!” With a point of his finger, a terrifying chill spread out that climbed up the three, freezing the joints in their bodies.

The trio’s expressions shifted as the ice reached their necks, leaving only their heads exposed, a rather comical sight.

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