Before dawn, the alleys of Green Bamboo Lane were eerily silent. Ji Chen crouched in a corner, his fingertips gently brushing a copper coin nestled between the cracks in the brick wall. The moment he infused it with spiritual energy, the coin shimmered faintly, and the surface of the wall rippled like water.
"Same as before," Su Wan said from behind him, the silver bow under her black trench coat faintly visible. "Last time, we nearly left our lives here."
Ji Chen tucked the coin away, the jade slip mark on his palm faintly warm. "This time is different." He patted the spirit energy disruptor holstered at his waist. "We have official clearance now."
Stepping through the shimmering wall, the view instantly opened up. The cultivator black market was still lit brightly, floating lanterns casting scattered shadows through the morning mist. But unlike last time, Ji Chen could now clearly perceive the spiritual energy flowing along each street—his newly awakened spiritual sense after reaching the Foundation Establishment realm made him hypersensitive to energy fluctuations.
"To the 'Hundred Forge Pavilion' first?" Su Wan lowered her voice. "Old Chen's temper is awful, but his craftsmanship is the best in the market."
Ji Chen nodded, and the two walked down the main street. As they passed a stall selling spirit herbs, he suddenly stopped—tucked in a corner were several inconspicuous black stones etched with silver veins.
"Starfall Iron?" Ji Chen crouched down. Just as his fingers were about to touch it, the vendor slammed a hand over the stones.
"You've got a good eye, young man." The wrinkled old man squinted. "But this stuff isn't for ordinary folks."
Ji Chen calmly revealed his Special Authority Bureau badge. "How about now?"
The old man's face changed instantly, then twisted into a fawning smile. "Ah, an official!" He carefully picked up the stone. "This is indeed Starfall Iron, refined from meteorite shards. Legends say it contains the soul of an ancient sword... though no one's been able to awaken it in centuries."
"How much?" Su Wan asked bluntly.
The old man held up five fingers. "Five top-grade spirit stones, or equivalent trade—"
"Three," Ji Chen cut him off. "Plus this." He pulled out a "Void Spirit Protection Talisman" from his storage ring. Golden runes danced across the talisman in the morning light.
The old man's eyes lit up. He snatched the talisman and examined it closely. "This is... an ancient talisman?" After a brief hesitation, he gritted his teeth. "Deal!"
As they walked away from the stall, Su Wan raised a brow. "Feeling generous today? Is the Bureau's salary that good?"
Ji Chen grinned, slipping the Starfall Iron into his ring. "Looted it off a Night Owl officer. Besides, if this thing really awakens a sword spirit, it's worth every coin."
The Hundred Forge Pavilion looked the same as ever, with the same lazy white cat lying at the doorstep. It glanced up briefly at their approach before closing its eyes again.
Inside, the one-eyed Master Chen was grinding a short sword. Without lifting his head, he said gruffly, "No rush orders. Come back in three months."
"It's us, Old Chen," Ji Chen said, removing his illusion charm to reveal his true face.
The grinding stopped. Master Chen's single eye widened before narrowing with a sneer. "The Scripture's host dares show up again? Night Owl's put a five hundred top-grade spirit stone bounty on your head."
"So, planning to cash in?" Su Wan's hand rested on her silver bow.
Chen scoffed and set his tools down. "I only forge weapons. I don't meddle in your mess." He wiped his hands. "So, what do you need?"
Ji Chen presented the Spiritfang Dagger and Starfall Iron. "I'd like you to reforged this dagger, infused with the iron."
Master Chen took the materials, his lone eye gleaming. "Starfall Iron? Now that's interesting." He weighed the dagger. "The Spiritfang is an ancient relic, but poorly crafted—only running at about thirty to forty percent of its full power. With this iron added..." He paused, then turned to Su Wan. "Hand me your bow, too."
Su Wan hesitated but eventually handed it over. Chen laid all three items on the table, running his fingers lightly over them. After a moment of silent sensing, his face lit up.
"Marvelous! Absolutely marvelous!" He slammed the table in delight. "The Spiritfang dagger excels at close combat; the silver bow at ranged assault. If we add a piece of Phoenix Perch Wood, I could synchronize their energies—amplifying both weapons dramatically!"
"Phoenix Perch Wood?" Ji Chen frowned. "Isn't that supposed to be..."
"Well, lucky you." Chen pulled a long wooden box from under the counter. "Just got a piece last month. It's twenty top-grade spirit stones."
Ji Chen and Su Wan exchanged looks—it was nearly all they had left. But thinking of the enemies they were about to face...
"Deal." Ji Chen gritted his teeth, slapping down fifteen spirit stones and five Void Spirit Talismans. "With these included—should be enough?"
Chen examined the talismans and nodded in satisfaction. "Come back in three days. The weapons will be ready." He turned and walked into the forge, then looked back. "Oh, and one more thing. The black market's been unstable lately. The Zhao Clan's been cozy with Night Owl. If you're investigating something, try the Listening Wind Pavilion.
As they left the Hundred Forge Pavilion, Ji Chen was deep in thought. "So the Zhao Clan really is working with Night Owl."
"The Listening Wind Pavilion is the black market's central hub for intel," Su Wan whispered. "But entry requires a referral."
Ji Chen tapped the Special Bureau badge in his pocket. "I think we have just the pass."
Deep in the heart of the market stood a three-story wooden building—the Listening Wind Pavilion. Two guards in bronze masks flanked the entrance. As Ji Chen approached, the guard on the left raised his halberd. "Please present—"
Before he could finish, Ji Chen flashed his badge. The guard on the right immediately stepped aside and bowed. "Please, sir. This way."
The first floor resembled a teahouse. A few guests whispered at their tables but fell silent as the two entered. At the foot of the staircase sat a middle-aged man in a grey robe, quietly steeping tea.
"Special Bureau agents?" he asked, looking up. His features were so plain they were instantly forgettable. "I am the steward of this place. Codename: Hawk."
Ji Chen got straight to the point. "We want information on the Zhao Clan's dealings with Night Owl."
Hawk's hand paused mid-pour. "That will cost you."
"Name your price," Su Wan said coolly.
"No money," Hawk said, setting down the teapot. "I want the silver mask shard you retrieved from the Night Owl officer."
Ji Chen's heart jolted. That information hadn't been shared with anyone. His fingers instinctively tightened around his storage ring. "How do you know about that?"
"The Listening Wind has its channels," Hawk replied with a faint smile. "That fragment is useless to you but of great value to me. In exchange, I'll not only give you the intel on the Zhao Clan but also throw in a bonus—something about Genesis Corp."
After a moment of hesitation, Ji Chen retrieved the shard and placed it on the table. Hawk carefully tucked it away, then pulled out a jade slip from his sleeve and slid it across.
"The Zhao Clan began cooperating with Night Owl three years ago," he said in a low voice. "Zhao Qing traded Special Bureau intel in exchange for the 'Soul Eater Gu' technique. He used it to control dissent within his family."
Ji Chen scanned the jade slip with his spiritual sense. It contained detailed logs of seven secret meetings between the two factions—locations, times, and even recorded spiritual images as evidence.
"And the Genesis Corp info?" Su Wan asked.
Hawk gave a cryptic smile. "The seven coma victims you've been tracking? Just test subjects. Genesis's data center—three floors underground—houses the true device. Once it's fully operational, it'll drain the spiritual energy from the entire city."
Ji Chen drew in a sharp breath. The spiritual depletion of a city would mean dying plants, mutated animals, inexplicable sickness in mortals, and complete stagnation for lower-level cultivators. A full-scale catastrophe.
"Do you have the exact location?"
Hawk shook his head. "The data center is heavily guarded. None of our people could get in." He looked at Ji Chen meaningfully. "But with your identities, I imagine it won't be difficult."
After leaving the pavilion, they found a secluded teahouse to plan their next move.
"We have to act fast." Ji Chen drew a sketch of the data center layout on the table. "I've seen the blueprints in the company system. The third underground floor needs a Level-3 clearance card."
Su Wan sipped her tea. "What about Zhao Qing? Should we report him directly?"
"There's not enough evidence," Ji Chen said, shaking his head. "The jade slip only proves the Zhao Clan's connection—not Zhao Qing personally. We need something concrete."
"Then we split up," Su Wan said, tapping her finger against the table. "You stay undercover in Genesis and find a way into the data center. I'll keep tabs on the Zhao Clan."
Ji Chen was about to argue—too dangerous—when a disturbance outside the teahouse caught their attention. Through the window, they saw a group of cultivators in Zhao Clan robes approaching. Leading them was a sharp-featured man with a dark expression, a jade pendant bearing the Zhao emblem at his waist.
"Zhao Mingyang's uncle, Elder Zhao Yan," Su Wan muttered, quickly pulling up her hood. "What's he doing in the black market?"
Ji Chen activated his Spirit Eye technique. A murky black aura writhed around Zhao Yan—clearly Night Owl's signature technique. Even more concerning, two of his men were carrying a metal box that radiated energy identical to the spiritual network inside Genesis Corp's data center.
"Follow them," Ji Chen whispered, tossing coins onto the table.
The Zhao party moved through the market and stopped in front of a shop called "Nether Pavilion"—Night Owl's known outpost in the black market. Two iron-masked guards stood at the entrance.
Ji Chen and Su Wan crouched behind a stall across the street, watching Zhao Yan exchange words with the guards before entering the building.
"Too far. I can't hear a thing," Su Wan frowned. "We need to get closer."
Ji Chen scanned the surroundings and spotted a narrow alley beside the building. "That side—might be a back window."
They circled around and indeed found a small, hidden window. Ji Chen cast a "Breath Concealment" spell to suppress their presence and quietly climbed up.
Peering inside, they saw Zhao Yan conversing with a robed figure. The metal box was open, revealing a crystal orb filled with hundreds of floating red dots.
"All three hundred test point readings are in here," Zhao Yan said hoarsely. "As agreed, we want the second half of the Soul Eater Scripture."
The robed man handed over a bone scroll. "Lord Nether is pleased. The next meeting will be in the Special Bureau archives. Deputy Director Zhao knows what to do."
Zhao Yan accepted it with a nod. "Zhao Qing has made arrangements. But…" his voice dropped, "there's a new Scripture host in the Bureau. He's becoming a problem."
"Ji Chen?" the robed man sneered. "Lord Nether has plans for him. Just make sure no one interferes when the 'Spiritual Tide' hits in seven days."
Ji Chen's heart skipped a beat. The Spiritual Tide—an event that occurred once every hundred years, where the world's spiritual energy surged and fluctuated wildly. If Night Owl activated their extractor then...
Suddenly, Su Wan yanked him down.
A black cat was perched behind them, its eerie green eyes locked onto theirs.
"Shit," Ji Chen whispered. It was one of Night Owl's guardian beasts.
A sharp cry came from inside. "Who's there?!"
"Go!" Ji Chen grabbed Su Wan's hand and leapt from the windowsill.
They landed hard in the alley, Ji Chen instantly pulling a Spirit Disruptor from his ring. As they bolted down the narrow lane, a shrill whistling sound cut through the air—three black arrows hurtled toward them in a deadly triangle.
Su Wan spun around, slamming her palm onto a nearby weapons stall. Three throwing knives shot upward, catching a faint blue flame between her fingers. The knives ignited mid-air, crashing into the oncoming arrows.
Two exploded in a shower of sparks, but the third grazed her shoulder, slicing a thin line of blood.
"Normal weapons can't withstand spirit-infused attacks!" she hissed, tossing aside the melted hilt.
Ji Chen aimed the disruptor and fired. The first pulse of blue energy hit a masked Night Owl pursuer square in the chest, sending him crashing into the wall. But as he squeezed the trigger again, warning lights blinked on—the weapon overheated, smoke trailing from its core.
"Damn it, premium junk!" Ji Chen hurled the ruined device back at the chasers and dove for his storage ring. His fingers closed around a stack of talismans—low-grade fire runes originally meant for sale.
No time.
He bit down hard on his lip and spat blood across the talismans. They flared violently in his palm.
"Burn!"
Two dozen fire runes shot out like petals in a storm, igniting the alley in a chain of explosions. The blasts flipped two Zhao clan cultivators into the air, but Zhao Yan flicked his sleeve, and a bone-white shield expanded, absorbing the impact.
"Split up!" Ji Chen shoved Su Wan forward. "Meet at the usual place!"
She nodded without hesitation and vaulted onto the rooftop. Ji Chen veered into the bustling main street, slapping an illusion charm onto his face. His features warped, turning into those of a hunched old man.
He darted between stalls, narrowly dodging carts and pedestrians, as curses echoed behind him.
Suddenly, from around a corner, a Night Owl assassin lunged—a short, poisoned blade aimed at his chest. Ji Chen twisted, the blade ripping through his robe and skimming his storage ring, leaving a trail of sparks.
He retaliated with the basic technique from the Scripture of the Void Evolution—"Flow Severing Slash"—his fingers slicing toward the attacker's throat. But without the Spiritfang Dagger, the move lacked power and was easily blocked.
The masked enemy sneered and drove a boot into Ji Chen's gut. Ji Chen rolled with the blow, crashing through a stall selling medicinal powders. Glass bottles and ceramic jars shattered, releasing clouds of pungent dust.
The choking air sent the pursuers into coughing fits. Ji Chen snatched a cleaver from the ground, channeled his remaining spiritual energy into it, and struck.
The blade cracked upon contact but dug deep into the assassin's shoulder, forcing him back. Ji Chen dropped the broken weapon and sprinted into a side alley, zigzagging through turns until the sounds of pursuit faded.
He collapsed against a damp brick wall, chest heaving. Blood from his torn palm dripped down the cleaver's splintered hilt, dotting the mossy stones like crimson blossoms.
"No proper weapon… this is suicide," he muttered, clutching the half-hilt tightly. Then he crushed a signal talisman between his fingers.
A burst of green light shot into the sky—an emergency beacon exclusive to the Special Bureau. In three minutes, backup would arrive.
From a rooftop in the distance, he felt a ripple through the twin-heart charm—Su Wan had escaped, though her energy felt faint and flickering.
Behind him, Zhao Yan's roars grew more distant.
Ji Chen touched the jade slip tucked into his robes. Though injured and disheveled, they had the critical intel. Zhao Qing's betrayal was no longer a rumor—it was real. And more importantly, they now knew Night Owl's exact plan.
Seven days.
Seven days until the Spiritual Tide.
The countdown had begun.
Rain pattered against the tin roof of the safehouse, each droplet striking like tiny hammers. Ji Chen wrapped the final bandage over his ribs, then glanced at Su Wan, who sat under the flickering kerosene lamp, adjusting the spare string on her bow. The golden light outlined the curve of her jaw, casting trembling shadows across her cheek.
"Stop staring," she muttered without looking up. "The bow's at the forge. No matter how carefully I check the string, it's useless."
Ji Chen slid the medicine box over. "Your turn."
Su Wan lifted her shirt slightly, revealing a three-inch gash along her waist. The wound had crusted over, but the skin around it was tinged with an unnatural grayish hue.
"Infernal Yin energy," she said, poking it casually. "I'll purge it in three days."
A sudden crack outside—the sound of a branch snapping. Both of them tensed instantly. Ji Chen summoned a golden flicker to his fingertips. Su Wan grabbed the only fruit knife left on the table.
Only after scanning their surroundings and confirming no threats did they exhale.
"We're like two startled birds," Ji Chen said with a bitter smile, letting the golden glow fade. Without the Spiritfang Dagger, channeling energy felt like forcing syrup through a frozen pipe.
Su Wan abruptly stabbed the fruit knife into the table. "The Soul Eater Scripture Zhao Yan used... it's a forbidden technique from the Su clan." Frost crept up the hilt. "I saw it when I was five—ripping a living person's soul right from their chest."
The lamp sparked with a loud pop. Ji Chen caught a flicker of green-blue flame in her pupils and remembered the jade slip from Listening Wind Pavilion. Three years ago, twelve members of the Su clan's branch family vanished—every corpse found had a hole through the heart.
Dawn's first light filtered through the barred window, casting elongated shadows across the room. Ji Chen pulled out his encrypted communicator. A message from Lin Mo blinked on screen:
"Zhao Qing skipped today's Bureau meeting. Last trace places him at Jiangcheng Museum."
Ji Chen pushed aside the medicine box and spread out the diagram of the Genesis Corp data center. "Time to run through the plan again."
Three Days Later, at the Hundred Forge Pavilion
Master Chen laid two weapons on a velvet cloth, his single eye gleaming with pride. "The finest work I've produced in thirty years."
The Spiritfang Dagger's form hadn't changed much, but silver star-patterns now adorned its blade, flowing like a galaxy under the light. Su Wan's silver bow shimmered with a phoenix motif etched into its limbs—fierce and alive.
"The Starfall Iron awakened the ancient sword will inside the dagger," Master Chen said, caressing its edge. "It now carries the 'bane of corruption'—especially lethal against demonic techniques."
He pointed at the bow next. "The Phoenix Perch Wood fused perfectly with the Azure Luan Fire. Your arrows will strike with three times the force. But even more impressive…"
He gestured for them to hold their weapons. "Try channeling your energy at the same time."
Ji Chen grasped the dagger. Su Wan drew the bowstring. Gold and silver auras surged from both weapons, intertwining mid-air to form a radiant arc of light.
"Incredible!" Master Chen clapped with delight. "They were forged from the same base materials. Now they resonate with each other. Even when separated in battle, your weapons will link your spiritual energies."
Ji Chen felt the surge coursing through the blade—easily several times stronger than before. More surprisingly, he could vaguely sense the tension in Su Wan's bow, as though the two weapons shared one spirit.
"Thank you, Master Chen," Ji Chen said with a deep bow. "What do we owe you?"
"Nothing." The old man waved him off. "Forging divine weapons like these is an honor for any craftsman." He paused, lowering his voice. "But if you truly want to repay me—stop the Night Owl's scheme. The black market may be lawless, but it's still our home."
They checked into an inn nearby, where Ji Chen immediately set up soundproofing arrays. He rolled out the updated data center blueprint on the floor.
"Seven days until the Spiritual Tide," he said, pointing to the central chamber. "That's the master control room. We need Director Zhou Wei's Level-3 access card to enter."
Su Wan cleaned her bow, checking the string's tension. "So we take her out first?"
"No," Ji Chen shook his head. "Too risky. I have a better idea."
From his storage ring, he retrieved a small metal device—standard issue for the Special Bureau. "It can clone most ID cards within a few seconds."
"Genesis is holding a board meeting tomorrow," he continued. "Director Zhou and several department heads will attend. The scanner in the conference room will log all access swipes."
Su Wan instantly understood. "You'll get close during the meeting and clone her card?"
"Exactly," Ji Chen nodded. "But I'll need a distraction. Something loud enough to divert her attention."
Su Wan smirked and flexed her fingers. Blue flames danced along the tips. "Time to test the new weapons."
Outside, the sky turned blood-red with sunset. Ji Chen stared at the Genesis Corp tower in the distance. The jade slip mark on his palm began to heat up once more.
In seven days, the Spiritual Tide would descend—and with it, their final battle against Night Owl.