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Location: Silent Sovereigns' Echo Bunker — Dragon Empire Outskirts
A bloodstained jacket lay folded on the cold bunker floor. Ling Feng stared at the half-burnt Yin Lotus Collar, its curved silver petals still humming faintly with his sister's spiritual imprint.
She was out there — alive. Enslaved by the Blood Iron Sect, but breathing.
And soon, she wouldn't be their prisoner.
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> SYSTEM ALERT
Shadow Recruitment Board – PRIME TIER Unlocked
Elite Recruits Available: 1
Recruit Source: Black Veil Region Detected
> Name: Xia Lan
Alias: "Frost Widow"
Class: Shadow Assassin
Affiliation: None
Bounty: 13,000 Black Coins (Dead or Captured)
Estimated Loyalty: 42%
Power Rating: A (Cultivation Path: Ice-Fused Veins)
Qin Mei leaned over the projection. "She's been assassinating sect elders for years. Left a myth-level faction heir frozen in pieces."
Ling Feng studied her bio.
"A killer with principles. Targets corrupt factions only. Never civilians."
Bo Kai gulped. "You want to recruit her? That's suicide!"
Ling's golden eyes narrowed. "That's survival. We need blades that don't bend."
> Mission Generated: Shadow Hunt Initiation
Objective: Contact Xia Lan within 48 hours.
Fail Condition: Xia Lan accepts contract to kill YOU.
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[Nightfall – Black Veil Tavern District]
Snow drifted across the crimson-tiled rooftops of Cold Ash Town, one of the last neutral cities in Dragon Empire — known for illegal auctions, mercenary meet-ups, and blood-drenched taverns where Qi cultivators gambled lives over spirit wine.
Inside one such tavern — The Frozen Fang — silence reigned.
Because someone had just cut off a man's hand for touching her shoulder.
She wore a black scarf over her lower face. Her twin daggers — curved like serpent fangs — dripped cold mist. Her eyes were like frozen stars. And her spirit aura — cold, pure, predatory — silenced the room.
Xia Lan.
"I told him not to touch me," she said calmly, cleaning her blade with a linen cloth. "I hate repeating myself."
The man whimpered, blood gushing from his stump.
That's when Ling Feng entered.
No flashy entrance. No pressure release.
Just a calm, confident walk.
Xia Lan's head tilted slightly. "You're not from here."
"Correct," Ling replied. "I came for you."
A faint pause.
Another assassin by the wall shifted nervously. "Kid... don't. She doesn't do conversation."
"I'm not here to talk." Ling pulled out a spirit token, shaped like a shadowed lion, and placed it on the table.
"I'm here to offer you war."
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Moments Later — Alley Behind the Tavern
They stood opposite each other beneath an arch of frozen vines.
Ling Feng: calm. Confident. His hands were empty.
Xia Lan: curious. Cautious. Her daggers shimmered with Qi.
"You're brave," she said, circling him. "But why do you think I haven't killed you yet?"
"Because you want to hear the offer."
She smiled. "True."
He tossed her a scroll. She caught it mid-air, reading.
> MISSION SCROLL: ASSASSIN CONTRACT - TARGET: Blood Iron Elder Yao
Reward Offered by: Sovereign's Silent System
Bonus Clause: Aid in future extraction from Iron Veil Fortress
Optional: Join Faction (Shadow Sovereigns) – Role: Ice Fang
She looked up.
"You want me to kill an Iron Elder... and help you raid an Iron Fortress?"
"Correct."
"And what do you offer in return?"
Ling Feng stepped forward. His golden-threaded spirit lines shimmered as the emblem of the tiger-lion throne flashed briefly on his hand.
"No chains. No oaths. No collars."
"Just a place... where your blade has meaning."
For a long moment, she stared at him.
Then—
She vanished.
Ling blinked.
> DANGER!
Spirit Qi Surge Detected Behind Host
He turned—barely in time.
Her dagger stopped at his throat.
A whisper in his ear: "You didn't flinch."
He smiled. "You didn't stab."
She pulled back slowly, expression unreadable.
"You remind me of someone I killed once... but smarter."
She slid the scroll back into her pocket.
"I'll consider your offer. But if you ever betray me..."
Her blade drew a hairline cut on his cheek. "You won't see the second strike."
> SYSTEM UPDATE: Conditional Recruit - Xia Lan (Pending)
> Loyalty: 44%
Condition: Fulfill Bounty Mission Together
Time Limit: 3 Days
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[Next Morning – Silent Sovereign's Bunker]
Qin Mei wasn't pleased.
"You brought an ice-killer to our base?!"
"She's not staying," Ling replied. "Not until she believes."
Bo Kai added, "You're betting everything on someone with a bounty?"
"I'm building a faction," Ling said, tying his robes. "I don't need perfect saints. I need perfect weapons."
> NEW QUEST: Kill Elder Yao (Iron Grade)
> Reward: Unlock 'Shadow Forge' – Faction Equipment Lab
Bonus: Upgrade 1 Member to Shadow Commander Rank
Estimated Risk: High
Estimated Glory: Higher
Ling picked up his gear.
"Time to go hunting."
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