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The night forest was eerily silent.
Only the distant cries of spirit beasts echoed through the mountains as Su Chen and Lin Yue left the cave behind.
Neither of them relaxed.
The silver wolf insignia worn by the assassins had left a deep impression.
They weren't ordinary cultivators.
Their movements were disciplined.
Their cooperation was flawless.
Most importantly...
They knew about the Bronze Fragment.
Su Chen glanced at the broken token stored safely inside his system storage.
The hidden mission still floated before his eyes.
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Hidden Mission:
The Bronze Legacy
Objective:
Collect the Four Bronze Fragments.
Reward:
???
Failure:
Unknown.
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"The System won't even tell me the reward..."
Su Chen muttered.
Lin Yue looked over.
"Talking to yourself again?"
He smiled.
"Just thinking."
She didn't press further.
Everyone had secrets.
And Su Chen's was one she instinctively knew not to ask about.
...
Several hours later...
The forest became quieter.
Too quiet.
Su Chen suddenly stopped walking.
Lin Yue almost bumped into him.
"What is it?"
He slowly crouched and touched the ground.
Broken branches.
Fresh footprints.
No...
Not one group.
Three groups.
"They're searching."
Lin Yue's expression became serious.
"The Shadow Order?"
"Most likely."
The footprints surrounded the valley from three different directions.
"They're trying to force us toward the center."
She frowned.
"So they've predicted our route."
Su Chen's eyes narrowed.
"Then we'll stop following expectations."
He immediately changed direction.
Instead of heading deeper into the valley...
He climbed.
Straight toward the steep mountain cliffs.
...
An hour later...
The two stood on a rocky ledge overlooking the forest.
Below them...
Dozens of black-clothed figures moved like ants beneath the trees.
"They really were waiting."
Lin Yue whispered.
Su Chen nodded.
"They're clever."
"But not clever enough."
He closed his eyes.
The Phantom Echo silently emerged behind him.
Unlike before...
Its body appeared clearer.
Almost solid.
Analysis Progress...
48%...
49%...
50%.
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New Function Available.
Echo Vision.
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Before Su Chen could study it...
His vision suddenly changed.
He wasn't only seeing through his own eyes anymore.
He was also seeing through the clone's.
Two perspectives.
Perfectly synchronized.
"So this is Echo Vision..."
With a thought...
The clone leaped from the cliff.
It landed soundlessly behind a patrol.
The assassins noticed nothing.
Su Chen watched through the clone's eyes.
One...
Two...
Three...
The clone struck.
Three precise attacks.
Three silent deaths.
Not a single scream escaped.
Before another patrol arrived...
The clone disappeared into the shadows again.
Back on the cliff...
Lin Yue stared at Su Chen.
"You didn't move."
"I didn't have to."
Moments later...
Confused shouts echoed through the forest below.
"They found the bodies!"
"Search everywhere!"
The formation instantly collapsed into chaos.
Su Chen smiled.
"Exactly what I wanted."
When disciplined enemies lost communication...
They became ordinary enemies.
One squad after another split away from the main force.
The clone hunted them relentlessly.
Every few minutes...
Another team vanished.
Another signal flare lit the sky.
Another commander shouted conflicting orders.
Panic spread.
No one knew where the invisible killer would appear next.
By dawn...
The Shadow Order had abandoned the mountain entirely.
Not because they had completed the mission...
But because fear had broken their formation.
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Gold +850
Energy +430
Analysis Progress...
52%
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Lin Yue looked at Su Chen in disbelief.
"...You defeated an entire pursuit force."
Su Chen shook his head.
"I defeated their confidence."
"There is a difference."
Before she could reply...
The Bronze Fragment inside his storage suddenly vibrated.
A beam of bronze light shot into the sky.
Both of them looked up.
The light lasted only three seconds.
Then...
It disappeared.
But somewhere far away...
Someone else had seen it.
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A luxurious hall.
An elderly man dressed in crimson robes slowly opened his eyes.
"The Bronze Legacy..."
"So it has finally awakened."
A disciple knelt before him.
"Master..."
"Shall we move?"
The old man smiled.
"Gather the elders."
"The game has finally begun."
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End of Chapter 63
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