Three days have passed since the "tragic fire" of the Zhou family. Han Lie has spent the time with a pleasant new routine—pretending to grieve, accepting sympathy from the unsuspecting villagers, and secretly practicing his new abilities.
Every night, he meditates with the "Demon's Claw" technique given by the system. This technique isn't like normal cultivation—instead of absorbing qi from nature, it absorbs the "essence" from the suffering he creates. The greater the trauma he causes, the faster his progress.
Brilliant design, Han Lie thought, feeling the dark qi flow through his body. This system truly understands efficiency.
[YOU SEEM... BORED, HOST]
The system's voice appeared just as Han Lie was observing the villagers from his shack window. They moved like ants—predictable, weak, unaware that a predator was watching them.
"Not bored," Han Lie replied with a faint smile. "Just... waiting for a more interesting challenge."
[WHAT A COINCIDENCE]
[I'VE JUST RECEIVED... A SPECIAL REQUEST]
A large panel appeared before Han Lie, displaying information that made his eyes gleam with excitement.
[MEDIUM-LEVEL MISSION AVAILABLE]
[TARGET: FENG QIAN - PHOENIX SECT INVESTIGATOR]
[DIFFICULTY: ★★★★☆]
[OBJECTIVE: ELIMINATE WITHOUT A TRACE WITHIN 7 DAYS]
[REWARD: DIRECT CULTIVATION TO FOUNDATION ESTABLISHMENT REALM, 'SHADOW WALKER' TECHNIQUE, 500 EXP POINTS]
[FAILURE PENALTY: LOSS OF ALL ABILITIES, RETURN TO TRASH STATUS FOREVER]
Han Lie read the mission with genuine excitement. Finally, a challenge worthy of his attention!
"Investigator Feng..." he mumbled, recalling the sharp man who had questioned him. "He's indeed too perceptive to be left alive."
[HE HAS BEGUN TO INVESTIGATE MORE DEEPLY]
[YESTERDAY HE FOUND... INCONSISTENCIES IN THE FIRE'S LOCATION]
[IF LEFT ALONE, HE WILL FIND THE TRUTH WITHIN A WEEK]
"Interesting," Han Lie stood up and began to pace his small room. "Foundation Establishment Realm. The level he had been dreaming of, now achievable with just one kill.
But this was no ordinary target. Feng was an experienced cultivator from a major sect, a man who had killed beasts and even other humans. He wouldn't be as easy as an innocent family.
[THERE'S MORE]
Another panel appeared, displaying a detail that made Han Lie frown.
[COMPLICATION: FENG IS NOT ALONE]
[HE BROUGHT 2 JUNIORS FROM THE PHOENIX SECT]
[- LIU WEI (FOUNDATION ESTABLISHMENT LAYER 3)]
[- ZHAO MING (FOUNDATION ESTABLISHMENT LAYER 2)]
[PLUS 5 LOCAL GUARDS (QI CONDENSATION LAYER 7-9)]
"Eight opponents at once," Han Lie calculated, his smile widening. "And all are stronger than the cultivation I displayed."
[ARE YOU SCARED, HOST?]
"Scared?" Han Lie laughed—a cold and confident sound. "I'm excited. Finally, a truly challenging game."
He walked to the corner of the room where he kept a small knife—the only weapon he had. Lifting it, he could feel his "Death Sense" ability activating, showing the exact spots where he had to stab for an instant kill.
[YOU WILL NEED A STRATEGY]
[A FRONTAL ATTACK IS SUICIDAL]
"Of course," Han Lie agreed, beginning to plan. "But I have a few advantages they don't know about."
He began to list his assets:
They consider him weak and harmless.
The Perfect Lie ability—he can manipulate them flawlessly.
The shadows of the night give him an advantage.
His knowledge of the village and the surrounding area.
Most importantly—they still have a conscience, he does not.
[WHAT IS YOUR PLAN?]
Han Lie sat on his straw mat, eyes closed, but his mind working with surgical precision.
"Eliminate the local guards first," he said softly. "One by one, at night. Make it look like a beast attack or an accident."
[AND AFTER THAT?]
"Psychological warfare. Make the Phoenix Sect trio paranoid, sleepless, and suspicious of each other. When people are scared and exhausted, they make mistakes."
[AND THE FINISHING MOVE?]
Han Lie's smile widened until it was almost inhuman. "I'll make them kill each other. Then I'll eliminate the survivor in an... artistic way."
[ELABORATE]
Han Lie opened his eyes, his black irises glinting with malicious intelligence.
"The Perfect Lie isn't just for conversational deception. I can create false evidence, manipulate scenes, and even impersonate other people's voices with enough practice."
He stood up and began to practice, changing his voice to a replica of Investigator Feng's.
"Liu Wei," he said in a perfect imitation of Feng's voice, "Zhao Ming has betrayed the sect. Kill him now before he escapes."
Then he changed his voice to Liu Wei's: "Investigator, Zhao Ming has been compromised by the enemy. He's the one who leaked our information."
[BRILLIANT]
[DIVIDE AND CONQUER WITH AN... ELEGANT TWIST]
"Exactly," Han Lie nodded with satisfaction. "When they kill each other in confusion, I'll just clean up the survivor and claim credit for 'discovering the proof of betrayal'."
He walked to the window and looked out. In the distance, he could see Investigator Feng talking to the village chief at the edge of the village.
Target acquired, Han Lie thought with predatory focus.
[WHEN DO YOU BEGIN?]
"Tonight," Han Lie answered, starting to prepare the simple equipment he had. "The weakest guard first. The one named... ah, Chen Wu. Qi Condensation Layer 7, likes to patrol alone at 2 a.m."
He took the knife and began to sharpen it on a stone. The sound of metal against stone created a chilling noise in the silence of the shack.
"Tell me about the Shadow Walker technique I'll get."
[A TECHNIQUE THAT ALLOWS YOU TO BECOME ONE WITH THE SHADOWS]
[PERFECT FOR ASSASSINATION]
[YOU CAN MOVE WITHOUT A SOUND, WITHOUT A TRACE, EVEN WITHOUT A CHI SIGNATURE]
"Perfect." Han Lie lifted the sharpened knife, seeing the reflection of his face on the blade. A face that had no trace of innocence left.
"Seven days for eight kills," he mumbled with a smile. "Looks like I'll enjoy this week."
[REMEMBER, HOST]
[IF YOU FAIL...]
"I won't fail," Han Lie cut in with a voice that was absolutely confident. "I've found my true calling."
He looked out the window again, observing his targets moving about, unaware that a predator had already locked onto them.
"The game begins," he whispered as his smile changed into something purely predatory.
[HAPPY HUNTING, HOST]
[SHOW THE WORLD... WHAT KIND OF MONSTER HAS BEEN BORN]
Night began to fall, and Han Lie started preparing for his first true hunt.
The new game had begun.
And this time, the stakes were much higher.