SEVEN DAYS LATER – The Outer Sebsp;

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  Reon slowly opened his eyes, a silvery glow beginning to take shape within them.

  "Hah! At st, I've reached the Intermediate Stage of the Bdesong of the Silver Moon Teique. This teique is truly profound—its depth and power astound me." Reon thought, a sense of aplishment swelling within him.

  "I already feel how much stronger I've bee. I guess teiques truly enhance a cultivator's capabilities. That sneaky bastard nearly killed me. And there's that too," Reon's thoughts darkened with a lingeriment.

  "Half a month ago, something incredible happened. I awakened something far more valuable than I imagined. Who khat I also had talent?" he mused, a flicker of curiosity sparking within him.

  "Now, let me see the fruits of my new achievement," Reon said with growiement.

  With swift movements, he accessed the system panel, seleg a previous notification about the introdu of his achievement. With a click, the message unfolded before him, materializing into a shimmering s of light.

  As his eyes sed the words that appeared before him, a silence fell over him. He stood motionless, his gaze locked on the panel for several minutes, as if trying to prehend the magnitude of what he saw.

  "Damn..." The word escaped his lips, a whisper of awe and disbelief.

  Reo a surge of pride as he reflected on the incredible achievement he had just unlocked.

  "After I easily defeated Gao Jin and his group and Rob… ahem… received some pensation for my efforts, we gathered once more to share a meal together in celebration.

  Yet, I khat was just the beginning. Tougher challenges y ahead. I was aware someone had been watg us the eime. Just as I turo return to the sect, he made his move. But, I had been prepared for it from the very start," Reon mused, a fident glint in his eyes.

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  HALF MONTH AGO – The Whispering Grove

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  WHOOSH!

  SWOOSH!

  The sharp sound of two swords echoed through the air, sending shockwaves rippling outward. The pressure from the strike distorted the surrounding atmosphere, leaving the forest in a brief, stunned silence.

  Then, a pierg cry shattered the stillness.

  "AGHHHHHH!"

  Reon's gaze flickered to the ground, where two severed fingers y lifelessly amidst the dirt. He crouched slowly, pig up one of the dismembered fingers, his expression calm and calg.

  "I found it," Reon muttered, plug a ring from the severed ring finger.

  The young man, clutg his bleeding hand, screamed in anguish, his voice trembling with pain and fury. "You… you bastard! What did you do to me!?"

  Reon straightened, his tone casual, almost mog. "Isn't it obvious? I cut off two of your fingers."

  "M-My ring! You bastard, you cut off the finger with my ste ring on it!" the young man roared.

  "Of course! Otherwise, why would I settle for just cutting your finger? I would have taken your head instead," Reon said with a smirk.

  "Fug bastard! When I ambushed you, you suddenly turned your head and aimed directly for my neck. As I tried to defend, you shifted the trajectory of your sword toward my fingers—and I didn't even notice it!" the young man roared, his voice filled with rage.

  "Exactly. That's what I call Dealing With Idiots: Verse-1," Reon replied with a mog grin.

  "You... you! How dare you call me an idiot? Do you even know who I am?" the young man snapped, his voice trembling with indignation.

  "Let me guess—Niu Ling's loyal pdog?" Reon said casually, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

  "You... you—!" The young man stammered, pletely lost for words.

  "I guess I hit the mark," Reon said with a shrug. "Though, to be fair, I already khat."

  The young man's eyes bzed with rage, his voice shaking as he spat, "So you knew everything, didn't you? You knew I was hiding irees, rec yht! My Shadow Rec Stone was in that ring, and I reparing to ambush you the moment you stored your monstrous beasts in your Inner Beast Domain!"

  "Naturally," Reon said, his expression unbothered. "You're intelligent, I'll give you that. But I knew you were hiding from the start. That's why I didn't kill anyone before. After all, you were tasked with sending a Spirit Letter the moment someone killed Niu Ling's subordinates, weren't you?"

  "How... how do you know that? This information shouldn't be known to any outsider!" the young man stammered, his voice trembling with disbelief. "Did those idiots spill it? No, no, that's impossible. Even they weren't informed beforehand that I'd be dispatched here to observe and record everything."

  "How do I know?" Reon thought to himself, suppressing a smile. "Of course, I know because of the novel. And I also know who sent you here."

  Ning Shao—the maid of Niu Ling and one of the main reasons I feared the man. She is also one of the heroines in the he Rising of the Supreme Sword Immortal.