Xia Tian could only sigh at how coincidental this was. At this moment, two women were seated in box 888 — his aunt, Ye Wanqing, and the police officer from last night, the "Nike policewoman." From last night until now, this was already the fourth time he had run into her.
"Do you two know each other?" Ye Wanqing asked, looking at Xia Tian in confusion.
"I've met her a few times," Xia Tian replied with a nod.
"That makes things easier. There's something that requires your cooperation," Ye Wanqing said with satisfaction. She had initially worried that their unfamiliarity would make cooperation difficult.
"Cooperate with him?" The Nike woman frowned, clearly displeased.
"That's right. Your mission this time is to track down the hideout of the Level 3 assassin known as Dark Night, a member of Liusha. Once you complete this task and report back to me, you'll qualify to join the Special Operations Division," Ye Wanqing said. "This is a valuable opportunity — your uncle went out of his way to secure it for you."
"But why must I work with him?" the Nike woman asked, puzzled.
"With your current experience, even if I gave you the target's name and background, finding him would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. But with his help, your chances are much better," Ye Wanqing explained.
"Is he also from the Special Operations Division?" she asked again.
"No," Ye Wanqing said coldly. "And remember, one of the core rules of the Special Operations Division is never ask about matters that don't concern you."
The Nike woman nodded. She understood that this line of work came with many strict, sometimes suffocating rules — but joining the Division had always been her dream.
"Xia Tian, Lin Bingbing — this is the target's information. You must locate him before he acts." Ye Wanqing handed Xia Tian a dossier.
Instead of opening it right away, Xia Tian looked at his aunt questioningly.
"Haven't you always wanted to know about your father's past? Then do as I say," Ye Wanqing said, seeing through his thoughts but offering no further explanation.
Xia Tian nodded. Anything related to his father, he would pursue without hesitation.
"I'll be leaving now. You two can work out the operation plan together. Contact me as soon as there's news." With that, Ye Wanqing turned and left, leaving only Xia Tian and the policewoman, Lin Bingbing, in the box.
Xia Tian opened the file.
Shadow
Gender: Male
Age: Unknown
Height: Unknown
Weight: Unknown
Affiliation: Liusha Level 3 Assassin
Last seen: Bar district, Jianghai City
Mission: To assassinate a prominent figure in Jianghai City
The information was minimal — but at least there was a blurry photo. Despite the poor quality, Xia Tian's sharp eyes could still pick out key features.
"What should we do?" Lin Bingbing asked. She wasn't sure why she deferred to him, but she trusted Ye Wanqing's judgment.
Although she didn't like Xia Tian, she had no choice but to cooperate if she wanted to enter the Special Operations Division. Still, she assumed Xia Tian wasn't an official member — maybe just an intern like her.
"Let's eat first. After that, I have something to take care of. Meet me in the bar district at 8 p.m.," Xia Tian said, giving her his phone number before signaling the waiter to bring the food.
A man is iron, and food is steel — skip a meal, and you'll feel weak, he thought. Xia Tian needed to maintain both his strength and energy. He still had martial arts training later with his master. After discussing with Yin Nie, he had moved his training sessions to the afternoon — he wasn't planning to return to school before the college entrance exams anyway.
The large private room now felt awkward with just the two of them. Lin Bingbing felt uncomfortable as she watched Xia Tian eat heartily. She soon lost her appetite, excused herself, and left. Xia Tian remained, devouring the meal without hesitation.
His aunt had already paid, so there was no reason to waste it. After eating, he walked back to the old house. Recently, he had stopped taking cars — walking helped him practice his Manyunxian Steps. In crowded areas, he would slow down, subtly training his footwork; when alone, he moved like a cheetah, darting swiftly through alleys and trails.
When he returned home, Yin Nie hadn't arrived yet, so Xia Tian began practicing on his own.
"You truly are a martial arts prodigy," Yin Nie said approvingly when he arrived. "In such a short time, you've already reached entry-level mastery in the Manyun Immortal Steps and the Lingxi Finger. If you weren't his son, I would have wanted to pass down my entire art to you."
"Thank you, Master," Xia Tian replied respectfully. He knew that his quick progress was due to his father's harsh training since childhood. For ordinary students, even reaching basic proficiency could take ten years — and that was without learning the Tianxing Jue.
"Today's training is simple," Yin Nie said. "Attack me. If you can make me move my feet, you pass."
Yin Nie stood calmly, dressed in white, holding his famous sword, Yuanhong, in his right hand.
"Alright, Master, be careful then," Xia Tian said, lunging forward. His fingers formed a spear-hand strike aimed at Yin Nie's waist. For a moment, he thought he'd succeeded — but no, the attack had been effortlessly blocked.
Without pause, Xia Tian launched a flurry of strikes, his fingers flickering like lightning. Yet no matter how he attacked, Yin Nie countered each move effortlessly — using only his left hand.
Even when Xia Tian tried attacking low, Yin Nie neutralized every move without so much as bending his waist.
Two hours passed in this rhythm of offense and defense. By the end, Xia Tian collapsed onto the floor, completely drained, while Yin Nie stood firm — steady as a mountain, his breathing calm and even.
"That's enough for today," Yin Nie said before turning and walking away, his figure soon fading from sight.
Just how strong is he? Xia Tian wondered, breathless. He was also curious about how powerful his father had once been. His own abilities were already remarkable for a beginner, but compared to Yin Nie, he was like a three-year-old staring up at Yao Ming.
He couldn't even muster the strength to stand — until a warm current suddenly rose from his dantian, restoring his energy little by little. Within ten minutes, his strength was fully recovered — and even stronger than before.
"It must be the ancient Buddha's relic. I really hit the jackpot!" Xia Tian said excitedly. Each time he exhausted his strength, the relic restored him — and made him stronger.
"Is this a shortcut to cultivation?" he wondered. Without hesitation, he resumed his training, imagining Yin Nie standing before him.
He practiced relentlessly until he collapsed again — only to feel the relic's warmth reviving him once more, his strength rising yet another notch. Realizing this, Xia Tian was overjoyed.
"You are me, my big apple."
"Is that the handsome Xia Tian?"
"It's the nurse," Xia Tian said with a grin.
"How did you know it was me?"
"Who else could have such a beautiful voice?" he teased.
"You're such a flirt. Where are you now? You promised to have dinner with me tonight."
"Alright, you pick the place. I'll come meet you soon," Xia Tian said before hanging up.
He went inside, grabbed a clean set of clothes — luckily, he had recently collected some from his cousin's house. His current clothes were soaked with sweat and grime.
Instead of heading straight to dinner, Xia Tian went toward the back mountain — not for the view, but to bathe. About two kilometers in was a small pond, twenty meters long and ten meters wide.
Though small, the pond was deep. Xia Tian had never reached the bottom — the buoyancy was too strong to dive all the way down.
There were few undeveloped places left in Jianghai City. His old neighborhood remained untouched only because it was surrounded by factories — the pollution made development unviable. Over the years, even the back mountain's forest had thinned, victims of industrial waste.
Xia Tian believed that in a few years, this pond would disappear as well.
The water was crystal clear. He rinsed himself off quickly — ever since his necklace had transformed his body, any dirt washed away effortlessly with just water. The necklace itself no longer glowed; all of its spiritual energy had been spent during his transformation.
After bathing, Xia Tian changed into clean clothes and headed to the hot pot restaurant the nurse had mentioned. Most girls loved hot pot, and Xia Tian wasn't picky — he could eat anything.
"Xia Tian, over here!"
As soon as he entered, he spotted the young nurse, Bai Yiyi, waving at him. Seeing her in casual clothes, Xia Tian was momentarily stunned. He hadn't realized how beautiful she truly was — her uniform had concealed her figure, and she had deliberately downplayed her looks before.