Screeech! Screeech! A dozen steel spearheads sliced through the cold night air before pressing tightly against Wu Chen's neck. The chill of the metal was so tangible that it nearly cut through the grime and sewer mud coating his skin. "Don't move! Keep your hands away from that filthy robe, or you'll have a hole in your neck!" one of the guards shouted, his voice thick with panic. He wore thick black leather armor. Wu Chen stood there, his entire body trembling violently. The high fever caused by the infected, torn wound on his left shoulder made his head feel as though it were being hammered by an iron maul. His consciousness kept flickering in and out, leaving his field of vision increasingly narrow and blurred under the system's merciless penalty. Beneath his robe, soaked through with sewage, he could feel little Xiao Yu curled up and trembling, clinging tightly to his waist without making a sound. "Damn it... surrounded again," Wu Chen groaned inwardly, suppress

Inside the magnificent private pavilion of the Kang Family in the western corner of the Lantern Sector, the scent of expensive sandalwood incense drifted slowly through the room. Wu Chen stood wearing a pitch-black guard's robe that concealed his battered, emaciated body. His severely injured left shoulder had been tightly bandaged by the old black-market physician, though the pain continued to throb relentlessly.Across from him sat a stout, middle-aged man dressed in purple silk robes embroidered with golden thread.Master Kang.A small jade crown adorned his head. His eyes were narrow, yet they gleamed with the sharpness of daggers poised to strike from behind. Four burly personal guards stood around the room, faint waves of meridian energy rumbling from their bodies."So, you're the man sent by... Tingzhao?" Master Kang asked as he slowly sipped his warm tea. His eyes studied Wu Chen with a scrutinizing gaze."Call me Wu. And I wasn't sent here, Master Kang," Wu Chen replied, deli

Click... Sreeek...Wu Chen walked slowly, maintaining a constant distance of exactly three steps behind Master Kang, who strode ahead with his chin held arrogantly high. Dressed in a pitch-black guard's robe and a protective mask that concealed half of his pale face, Wu Chen looked exactly like an inconspicuous shadow amid the grandeur of the Song Family's Underground Auction Hall.The underground hall was truly magnificent. Its walls were clad in pristine white marble, supported by massive stone pillars carved with exquisite designs. Hundreds of rose-scented oil lanterns hung from the ceiling, casting a warm golden glow while filling the air with an intensely cloying fragrance."This rose scent... is absolutely nauseating," Wu Chen whispered from behind his black mask, wiping a bead of cold sweat from his temple."Quiet, Wu," Master Kang replied without turning around. His lips barely moved as he whispered back. "They pour hundreds of gallons of expensive rose oil every hour just to

BOOM!Gao's massive iron fist shot forward like a cannon fired at point-blank range.Wu Chen realized the deadly danger, but he had no time to dodge. Relying on the highly trained street-fighting instincts he had honed over countless battles, he grabbed a thick teakwood chair from beside the Kang Family's row of seats and raised it as an improvised shield.PRATTT!The expensive teakwood chair exploded into razor-sharp splinters beneath the impact of Gao's meridian energy.The force behind Gao's punch was completely absurd.The devastating blow sent Wu Chen's slender body flying five meters through the air before he slammed violently into one of the hall's marble pillars.CRASH!"Ugh! Cough! Cough!"Wu Chen collapsed onto the marble floor and immediately vomited a mouthful of thick, fresh blood.An unbearable wave of pain tore through his back and chest. Several ribs that had already been broken during the fight in the sewers seemed to drive even deeper into his lungs, making every bre

Swoosh!The sharp iron arrow released by Master Song shot forward at terrifying speed, slicing through the dust-filled air of the auction hall. Wu Chen's instincts, honed through years of surviving on the streets, immediately kicked in. He tilted his head to the left in an instant.Slash!The tip of the arrow grazed his right cheek, leaving a long cut that immediately began bleeding thick, black blood carrying the pungent stench of meridian poison.Damn it... A little closer and my forehead would've been split open, Wu Chen thought, grimacing against the intense pain in his cheek."Fire again! Quickly! Don't let that piece of sewer trash touch the Song Family's purification herb!" Master Song roared from the VIP balcony, his face flushed red with uncontrollable rage.Wu Chen ignored the hysterical shouting. With his right hand trembling more violently by the second, he opened the lid of the green jade box in his grasp. Inside, the Sky Dew Plant emitted a soft, soothing blue glow amid