Chapter 367: Chapter 366- Provocation Several more days passed in much the same manner as before, with challenge after challenge being issued by the disciples who had arrived as part of the Sect Alliance.
At first, fewer and fewer disciples of Sky Mist City were willing to accept those challenges. The reason was simple. The consequences of defeat were far too severe.
Even if they managed to survive, they would undoubtedly be left gravely injured and lingering on the brink of death. In such a weakened state, their enemies could easily seize the opportunity to eliminate them. Within Sky Mist City, grudges and rivalries were commonplace. A moment of weakness was often all it took for someone to lose their life.
As a result, no matter how much the foreign cultivators mocked, provoked, or humiliated them, the disciples of Sky Mist City remained silent. They neither fought back nor accepted their challenges.
To them, survival was worth far more than their pride.
Fortunately, once the disciples refused to fight, the foreign cultivators had no authority to force them into battle. Although Sky Mist City had allowed the Sect Alliance considerable freedom during their stay, there was still a limit to how far they could go. They could provoke others all they wished, but openly attacking those who declined a challenge was forbidden.
Thus, despite their arrogance, there was little they could do.
...
On this particular day, a lone cultivator descended from one of the seventeen enormous magic vessels hovering above Sky Mist City.
Unlike the others, his expression was strangely blank. His eyes wandered aimlessly as though he had forgotten why he was here in the first place. Yet beneath that vacant appearance lurked a dangerous glint.
As he walked through the bustling streets, he stopped before an imposing building.
"The Detective Agency Department of Sky Mist City..." he muttered to himself, his voice filled with confusion.
"They’re also called the Hidden Blade... the city’s secret force that deals with matters in the shadows..."
He scratched his head before his eyes suddenly lit up.
"If that’s true..." he murmured with growing excitement, "...then this place must be filled with powerful people willing to accept my challenge."
Without another thought, he staggered toward the entrance.
However, upon arriving, he discovered that the massive wooden doors were tightly shut.
The young cultivator stared at them thoughtfully.
"Will I get into trouble if I smash their door down?"
He pondered for a brief moment before suddenly clapping his hands together.
"Oh!"
"The department that handles cases like property damage is the Detective Agency Department itself!"
"If I destroy their door, they’ll definitely have to come out!"
His face broke into an excited grin.
"What a brilliant idea!"
Without another word, he charged forward.
BOOM!
The sturdy wooden doors exploded into countless splinters as he crashed straight through them, sending fragments flying throughout the entrance hall.
Silence immediately descended upon the building.
Dozens of pairs of eyes slowly turned toward the uninvited guest.
Every detective present wore a stern expression. Some were seated behind desks while others stood with documents in hand, yet all of them had stopped what they were doing.
A heavy, baleful aura gradually filled the room.
The atmosphere instantly became suffocating.
Yet instead of feeling intimidated, the intruder’s body trembled with excitement.
His lips slowly curled upward into an almost deranged smile.
"I knew it..." he muttered.
"I was right."
"There are strong people here."
His breathing gradually became heavier as his pupils trembled with excitement.
"I can almost feel it..."
He threw his head back and burst into loud, crazed laughter that echoed throughout the entire department.
"Hahahaha!"
The detectives merely stared at him in silence.
After laughing for a long while, the man finally composed himself and bowed with exaggerated politeness.
"I am Juan Ren, a disciple of the Hollow Lantern Sect."
"I have come to challenge every one of you..."
He paused, the smile on his face widening into something disturbingly sinister.
"...to a friendly spar."
The smile he wore bore an uncanny resemblance to Violet’s.
However, the madness hidden within his eyes was fundamentally different.