"Hehehe, I caught you."

Under the astonished gazes of everyone, "Liu Ruyue" let out a strange laugh. His skin darkened and became rough.

Hidden in the shadows, you suddenly understood the scene of "Lu Shou" being pierced through the chest. It all made sense now—why you had felt that inexplicable unease before.

It turned out that "Liu Ruyue" was actually the Thousand Shadow Assassin, who had been lurking outside the hotel, practicing the Thousand Shadow Magic Skill in preparation for assassinating you.

However, since you hadn't joined the game, the assassin had chosen to remain hidden—until today, when they finally made their move.

And now, it was clear—the Thousand Shadow Assassin was the ultimate trump card in this deadly game.

The others tried to intervene but were effortlessly slaughtered by the Sixth Realm assassin. Only Li Yang managed to escape.

Seeing how easily the plan was unfolding, the Thousand Shadow Assassin couldn't help but laugh. He was just about to finish the job—rip out the target’s spine—when he suddenly sensed something was off.

"Ahem, ahem… If you kill me, the Lu family will never let you go…!"

"Lu Shou" clutched the gaping wound in his chest, his eyes filled with rage. Suddenly, a special talisman appeared in his hand.

"Oh no! It’s a self-destruct talisman!"

Li Yang and the others were horrified.

BOOM!

A devastating explosion erupted, engulfing "Lu Shou" in flames, leaving nothing behind.

The Thousand Shadow Assassin, who had just been laughing moments ago, was sent flying, a look of utter confusion on his face.

Wait! Why did the target suddenly explode and die?!

If the target is dead, what happens to my mission?!

"Mr. Lu!!!"

Lu Zhong’s furious roar echoed as he witnessed "Lu Shou" perish. His body trembled with rage, his presence so terrifying that the black-clad warrior before him instinctively stepped back.

Just when the warrior thought Lu Zhong was about to fight to the death…

…he turned and ran!

Black-clad warrior: ???

"Well, there were some miscalculations, but at least I managed to escape."

Watching your stand-in self-destruct and Lu Zhong flee, you realized your plan had succeeded—at least halfway.

But the Thousand Shadow Assassin was still a problem. Just now, he had seemed to sense something…

Eliminate the hidden threat.

You frowned and glanced at Ye Chen, the destined protagonist—the one who had effortlessly killed Zhao Kun. A sly smile crept onto your lips.

Hidden in the darkness, you suddenly shouted in disguise:

"Monster! You killed Liu Ruyue and took her form! You murdered Young Master Lu! The Lu family will hunt you down!"

Not far away, Ye Chen—still puzzled by how weak Zhao Kun had been—suddenly heard the outcry. He looked up… and saw a dark, hideous creature, dressed in Liu Ruyue’s elegant clothes.

Blood surged to his head.

"Bastard! What did you do to Ruyue?! I’ll kill you!"

"Tread! Heaven! Nine! Steps!"

Blinded by fury, Ye Chen gripped his blood-red blade. He took two steps forward—his aura erupted like a storm.

Fourth Realm: Magic Power!

…

Fifth Realm: Mountains and Rivers!

…

Sixth Realm: Transcendence!

…

What the hell?!

You had long suspected that Ye Chen, as the destined protagonist, had "protagonist-tier hacks"—you had seen it once during the second villain simulation.

But watching him now, breaking through two entire realms in an instant, was beyond reason.

The corner of Lu Shou’s mouth twitched.

Okay… that’s just ridiculous.

"Nine Steps to Heaven!"

So this was the secret technique that allowed Ye Chen to rapidly break through realms.

At least now, you had some valuable insight.

"He must have obtained this ability recently—otherwise, he would have used it during the second simulation when he was being hunted."

Piecing together the information, you deduced that Nine Steps to Heaven was likely an "opportunity" Ye Chen had acquired in the past few days.

But there was a problem…

Nothing major had happened in the past few days. The Magic City had been calm. No major events.

…Wait!

Your eyes widened as a memory resurfaced.

"Mr. Lu, a mysterious secret realm recently appeared off the coast of Magic City. It has drawn a lot of attention."

That conversation…

"Liu Ruyue mentioned this during the second simulation. Su Meng also brought it up in the third."

"At the time, I thought it was just a trap, but now… it might not be."

If there was one place that could contain a hidden "opportunity," that secret realm was the most likely candidate.

More pieces clicked into place.

In two consecutive simulations, Ye Chen had vanished after his hand was severed. Even when the entire Magic City was turned upside down, he couldn’t be found.

It was highly likely that he had been hiding in that secret realm, obtaining his Nine Steps to Heaven.

Your mind raced, putting the puzzle together.

At this moment, you felt as if you had uncovered the "truth" ahead of time.

And, more importantly, you had identified a future opportunity—one that could be yours.

A secret technique that rapidly boosts cultivation and grants immense power…

How could you not want it?

Even if it had hidden costs, who cared?

"Everything is finally making sense."

Your thoughts drifted to the mysterious token you had stolen from Ye Chen in the simulator.

It had reacted strangely when Ye Chen activated Nine Steps to Heaven…

Could it be the key to that secret realm?

You hadn't forgotten—you still possessed that token.

"During the next simulation, I need to secure this opportunity before Ye Chen does."

As Ye Chen unleashed Nine Steps to Heaven, you felt the mysterious token in your possession tremble.

Your mind stormed with possibilities. You had missed this opportunity twice already.

Yet, ironically, Ye Chen—who had lost his hands twice—was the one who had risen to power instead.

"This is impossible…"

As Ye Chen’s power surged like a deity descending, the Thousand Shadow Assassin trembled in fear, attempting to flee.

Too late.

SLASH!

Ye Chen cleaved the assassin in half, killing him instantly.

The sudden bloodshed left everyone stunned.

But then, as quickly as it had come, Ye Chen’s power waned—his face turned pale, his body wobbled, and in an instant, he transformed into a streak of white light, escaping.

Everything had happened too fast—too fast for anyone to react.

Even the black-clad warrior above was at a loss.

A second ago, their target, Lu Shou, had died—but then he self-destructed.

Lu Zhong, instead of seeking vengeance, fled.

The Thousand Shadow Assassin, their strongest asset, was hacked to death by Ye Chen.

And then Ye Chen ran away too.

To top it all off, Zhao Kun—who was supposed to be the scapegoat—had also been killed by Ye Chen.

…Now, everything was in chaos.