Chapter 14: Ch 14- Shadow Talent
Lin Yan was an Origin Vessel Realm cultivator, but only at the Early Stage. Now over sixty years old, he had remained at this level his entire life. He was a trusted servant arranged by Hong Yuan’s father and had served the Hong Family faithfully for many years.
"Young Master, the investigation is complete. That Mo Yuan comes from an ordinary family. His parents were once Origin Vessel Realm cultivators, but they died in the wilderness over a year ago. Now, only Mo Yuan and his younger sister are left," Lin Yan reported honestly.
"If I hadn’t been in seclusion breaking through to the Origin Vessel Realm, how could that brat have lived for another month?" Hong Yuan snorted coldly. "Find someone and kill him."
Lin Yan’s expression immediately changed.
"Young Master, killing someone inside the base... if it gets exposed, even with the Hong Family’s influence, it could become a huge problem."
"If they find out, then yes, it’ll be troublesome."
Hong Yuan smiled coldly.
"But what if they don’t?"
"If they don’t..."
Lin Yan suddenly thought of someone.
"Young Master, are you planning to hire Grey? But hiring him isn’t cheap. It’ll cost at least one million yuan."
In Lin Yan’s opinion, spending one million yuan just to kill an Origin Seed Realm cultivator was simply too wasteful.
Besides, Hong Yuan had only recently broken through to the Origin Vessel Realm. The amount of money he could freely use from the Hong Family was limited, and one million yuan was already close to his limit.
"That kid’s talent shouldn’t be bad."
Hong Yuan slowly analyzed the situation.
"He reached the Origin Seed Realm at such a young age, and he’s clearly not at the beginner level anymore. His cultivation talent should at least be Standard Grade, though probably not Superior Grade."
"But even then, after obtaining Intermediate Beast Blood and the blood of the Beast Iron Bull, he could very well break through to the Origin Vessel Realm within a year or two."
"The cost of killing an Origin Seed Realm cultivator and an Origin Vessel Realm cultivator are completely different."
"I’d rather kill him before he grows strong."
"Do you understand?"
"One million yuan is indeed a lot for me right now."
"But after another year or two..."
"What would a mere one million matter?"
Lin Yan immediately lowered his head.
"Young Master, I understand."
"I’ll contact Grey right away."
After speaking, he quietly withdrew from the room.
Hong Yuan remained seated alone. Although he had started cultivating again, another thought crossed his mind.
"Grey only possesses Inferior Grade Cultivation Talent, so reaching the Early Stage of the Origin Vessel Realm is already his limit."
"But he’s an incredibly rare multi-talented cultivator."
"He awakened a Shadow Talent."
"That talent allows him to perfectly hide inside the shadows."
"Even Origin Core Realm cultivators have difficulty discovering his presence."
"He’s one of the most terrifying assassins among Origin Vessel Realm cultivators."
"Even I might not be able to avoid his assassination if he caught me off guard."
"With Grey making the move..."
"Mo Yuan is as good as dead."
After reassuring himself, Hong Yuan completely put the matter aside and focused on his cultivation.
...
One day later.
Just like every other day, Mo Yuan finished cultivating in the academy’s small grove. Stretching his body, he prepared to head home.
However...
The moment he reached the edge of the grove, his expression changed slightly.
A trace of surprise flashed inside his eyes. His gaze casually shifted toward the shadow beneath a large tree about two meters away.
The tree itself was quite thick. Its shadow covered a large patch of ground. At first glance, there was absolutely nothing there.
The place looked completely empty. Yet Mo Yuan knew someone was standing there.
Human: Lin Xuan
Cultivation Talent: Inferior Grade
Shadow Talent: Standard Grade
By now, using Copy Talent to observe his surroundings had become second nature. Everything within a two-meter radius could be checked at any moment.
Whether it was a person or a beast, the instant they entered that range, he would immediately know. This had gradually become one of his best methods for protecting himself.
’This person called Lin Xuan must be hiding with his Shadow Talent.’
’That’s why my eyes can’t see him.’
’Since he possesses an awakened talent, there’s no doubt he’s an Origin Vessel Realm cultivator.’
’His Cultivation Talent is only Inferior Grade, so his strength should only be at the Early Stage of the Origin Vessel Realm.’
In only a brief moment, Mo Yuan had already figured out most of Lin Xuan’s situation.
It was already evening.
Night would soon fall.
Almost every student had already left the academy. At this moment, Mo Yuan was the only person remaining inside the grove.
Lin Xuan choosing to hide here could only mean one thing.
’He’s here to assassinate me?’
’...No shit, Sherlock.’
’Of course he’s here to assassinate me.’
Mo Yuan silently complained in his heart. He had never met Lin Xuan before. Someone had obviously hired him and without even thinking, Mo Yuan already knew who that person was.
’Hong Yuan.’
He originally thought Hong Yuan would only use small tricks to make things difficult for him. He hadn’t expected him to directly hire an assassin.
’I need to think carefully.’
The current situation wasn’t very favourable. But at the same time...
It was also an opportunity. His Copy and Paste Talent could be used once again.
Until now, he hadn’t decided which talent he wanted to copy next. Yet now, a valuable talent had practically delivered itself right to his doorstep.
Shadow Talent.
For a weak Origin Vessel Realm cultivator, Shadow Talent was an incredibly powerful ability. Once he obtained it, many things that were impossible before would suddenly become possible.
’To copy the talent...’
’I first have to defeat Lin Xuan.’
Mo Yuan remained calm as he slowly continued walking. At the same time, he could clearly feel an intense killing intent gradually locking onto him.
He knew...
Lin Xuan was about to attack.
But just as Lin Xuan was preparing to make his move...
Mo Yuan struck first.
Swish!
Speed Talent activated instantly. With a physical strength of eight hundred jin, Mo Yuan was already extremely fast.
After receiving the boost from Speed Talent, his speed directly surpassed that of an average Early Stage Origin Vessel Realm cultivator.
He was now comparable to someone in the Middle Stage of the Origin Vessel Realm.
Lin Xuan had never taken Mo Yuan seriously.
In his eyes, killing an Origin Seed Realm student was supposed to be effortless. Because of that, he hadn’t stayed fully alert. The moment Mo Yuan exploded forward with terrifying speed, Lin Xuan’s eyes widened in shock.
"So fast!"
Mo Yuan tightly gripped his Fine Iron Saber and slashed down with all his strength.
Rip!
The blade cut through flesh.
Fresh blood instantly sprayed into the air.
"Brat, you’re courting death!"
Lin Xuan’s figure emerged from the shadows.
A deep wound had appeared across his right arm. Blood continuously flowed down his sleeve. The injury was serious.
If Mo Yuan’s strength had been only a little greater, his entire arm would have been chopped off. Unable to use his injured right arm, Lin Xuan immediately switched his blade to his left hand.
Although this greatly reduced his combat strength, he still believed killing an Origin Seed Realm cultivator wouldn’t be difficult.
Very soon...
He realized just how wrong he was. Mo Yuan was unbelievably fast.
His speed was far beyond Lin Xuan’s own. Even more frightening was his saber technique. Every slash was sharp and precise.
Despite spending more than twenty years practicing the blade, Lin Xuan found himself completely outmatched. Relying on his overwhelming speed and superior saber skills, Mo Yuan gradually gained complete control of the battle.
Meanwhile, blood continued pouring from Lin Xuan’s injured arm.
His condition only became worse with every passing second.
Suddenly...
Mo Yuan saw an opening.
Without hesitation, he slashed across Lin Xuan’s chest.
A long wound instantly appeared.
Blood soaked Lin Xuan’s clothes as he was heavily injured.
"Brat..."
"Just you wait!"
Lin Xuan’s figure suddenly blurred. In the next moment, he completely disappeared. Shadow Talent activated once again.
However...
Mo Yuan didn’t hesitate at all.
Without even looking around, he swung his saber directly toward what appeared to be empty space.
Boom!!
A figure was violently sent flying.
It was Lin Xuan.
He crashed heavily onto the ground, coughing out another mouthful of blood.
"Damn it!"
"You actually saw through my Shadow Talent!"
"That’s impossible!"
His face was filled with disbelief.
Within Dong Hai Base, let alone Origin Vessel Realm cultivators...
Even Origin Core Realm experts couldn’t see through his Shadow Talent.
Only Origin Sea Realm cultivators, who could project their Mental Energy outward, were capable of sensing his true location.
Because of this talent, countless cultivators feared provoking him. He had always relied on Shadow Talent to escape danger and assassinate his targets.
Never in his dreams had he imagined that today...
A mere Origin Seed Realm student would force him into such a miserable state.
Mo Yuan said nothing.
His only response...
Was another swing of his saber.
The battle didn’t last much longer.
Already seriously wounded, Lin Xuan could no longer keep up with Mo Yuan’s relentless attacks.
Finally...
A sharp flash of the saber cut across his neck.
Half of his neck was sliced open.
His eyes quickly lost all signs of life.
With a dull thud, Lin Xuan’s body collapsed onto the ground.
He was dead.