The air inside the secured compound grew heavy.
Jiang Chen stood near the entrance of the chamber, his senses fully extended. The faint warning from his system hadn't faded—instead, it intensified with every passing second.
**[Threat Perception Activated]**
**[Incoming Danger: Extreme]**
This was different.
Not chaotic like before. Not scattered like the previous assassins.
This… was focused.
Zhou Yan stepped beside him, his voice calm but serious. "You've locked onto it?"
Jiang Chen nodded slightly. "One presence."
Han Wei frowned. "Just one?"
"…That's what makes it worse," Jiang Chen replied.
Chen Yu cracked his neck uneasily. "Yeah, I don't like the sound of that."
Lin Xue's frost qi began to gather instinctively around her. "Where?"
Jiang Chen's gaze shifted toward the courtyard beyond the compound walls.
"…Coming straight to us."
Silence fell.
No one questioned it.
They moved.
---
The group stepped into the open courtyard, the night air cold and still. Guard formations hummed faintly around the perimeter, but even those protective arrays seemed… unstable.
Zhou Yan noticed immediately. "…The formations are being suppressed."
Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes. "Not suppressed."
"…Overridden."
A faint distortion rippled in the distance.
Then—
A figure appeared.
No dramatic entrance. No explosion of aura.
Just presence.
He stood calmly at the edge of the courtyard, dressed in dark robes without a mask. His face was pale, expressionless, his eyes cold and focused.
Unlike the previous assassins—
He didn't hide.
He didn't rush.
He simply observed.
"…Target confirmed," the man said quietly.
Chen Yu stepped forward instinctively. "Yeah? You're not leaving this place."
The man ignored him completely.
His gaze remained locked on Jiang Chen.
"…You're unstable," he said.
Jiang Chen didn't react outwardly, but his mind sharpened.
"…And you're here to fix that?" Jiang Chen replied calmly.
"…To eliminate it."
The air shifted.
Zhou Yan's voice cut in sharply. "Move!"
The man vanished.
Not fast.
Not in a way the eye could track.
Just gone.
Jiang Chen reacted instantly, pulling his body aside—
A blade sliced through the space where his neck had been a fraction of a second earlier.
Clang!
Jiang Chen countered with a burst of golden qi, forcing the attacker back a step.
Only a step.
"…Fast," Han Wei muttered, already moving.
He lunged forward, explosive qi detonating from his fists.
Boom!
The courtyard shook—but the man simply stepped through the blast, his body distorting slightly as if the attack couldn't fully connect.
"Not phasing…" Zhou Yan narrowed his eyes. "…Something more refined."
Lin Xue raised her hand. "Frost Domain!"
Ice surged outward, attempting to lock down the battlefield—but the man didn't slow.
He moved through it.
Untouched.
"…Ineffective," he said calmly.
Chen Yu roared and charged, his defensive qi flaring to its limit. "Then try this!"
Their clash shook the ground.
Crack!
Chen Yu was forced back immediately, sliding several meters before stabilizing himself.
"…Yeah… he's strong," Chen Yu admitted through gritted teeth.
Zhou Yan moved next, striking with precise timing, aiming not for power but disruption.
The man reacted instantly—blocking, redirecting, countering.
Every movement—
Efficient.
Minimal.
Perfect.
Jiang Chen watched.
Analyzing.
Breaking it down.
*No wasted motion. No delay. No openings…*
For the first time in a while—
He couldn't find a flaw.
The system flickered urgently:
**[Analysis Incomplete]**
**[Opponent Combat Efficiency: 97%]**
**[Warning: High Probability of Defeat]**
Jiang Chen exhaled slowly.
"…So this is the next level."
The man turned his gaze toward him again.
"…You understand."
Then—
He moved.
Faster than before.
Jiang Chen reacted with **Phoenix Shadow Step**, barely avoiding a killing blow. Their attacks collided again, sending a sharp shockwave across the courtyard.
This time—
Jiang Chen felt it.
Pressure.
Real pressure.
His arm trembled slightly from the impact.
"…Your body is failing," the man said.
"…But you continue to fight."
Jiang Chen smirked faintly. "…I don't have much of a choice."
Behind him, Lin Xue and the others regrouped quickly.
"We can't overwhelm him," Zhou Yan said. "We need coordination."
"Then we hit together," Han Wei replied.
Jiang Chen's eyes flickered.
*No openings… unless I create one.*
His fingers twitched slightly.
The Origin Thread stirred.
Dangerous.
Unstable.
Necessary.
"…One chance," Jiang Chen said quietly.
Zhou Yan understood instantly. "…We'll create the opening."
The team moved as one.
Chen Yu charged again, drawing the man's attention. Han Wei followed with a delayed explosive strike. Lin Xue froze sections of space, limiting movement angles. Zhou Yan struck at precise intervals, forcing reactions.
For the first time—
The man paused.
Just for a fraction of a second.
But it was enough.
Jiang Chen moved.
The Origin Thread flickered into existence.
The air warped.
Everything slowed.
He stepped forward—
And struck.