Xia Fei had unintentionally made up a lie, but who would have thought that it would involve a disciple of the Assassin Sect who had betrayed the sect many years ago?
Craneshadow put down the documents and pondered for a long time with his eyebrows furrowed. He could not think of any reasonable explanation other than Xia Fei being Bloodshadow's descendant. Craneshadow had never even thought about Specter, the instigator of the incident. After all, Specter was already dead, and this was something everyone in the sect knew.
Craneshadow walked to his senior brother Shadowless after putting the documents back. Although he was already the sect master, he was still very respectful toward this senior brother of his.
"Senior brother, I would like to discuss something with you," Craneshadow said softly. He always lowered his voice when he spoke to Shadowless, as if he was afraid that it would be disrespectful if he were to speak too loudly.
Shadowless turned around and bowed. "Since you've already become the sect master, you can drop the title of senior brother."
Craneshadow smiled. "Senior brother, if you hadn't made such a huge mistake back then, you wouldn't have become the sect master. It's been so many years, and our master has already passed away. Why are you still guarding this small courtyard day and night?"
Shadowless shook his head with a bitter smile and said firmly, "A mistake is a mistake. There's no need to explain. Since I've made a mistake, I have to be punished. It's only natural."
Craneshadow did not try to persuade his senior brother any further. He knew how stubborn Shadowless was; he would stick to something he had set his mind on.
He briefly told Shadowless about Xia Fei and his suspicions before he asked, "Senior brother, there's no precedent for something like this. I wonder how we should deal with it."
Shadowless listened to Craneshadow's explanation and nodded. "Sect master, since you've asked, I'll tell you what I think. Please don't take it to heart if there's anything wrong."
"Go ahead, senior brother."
"Yeah, the Assassin Sect has been a lot weaker since the tragedy last time. It's a loss that can't be easily made up for. Currently, other than you, Darkshadow and the other two have the highest cultivation and seniority in the sect."
Craneshadow quickly waved his hand to interrupt Shadowless. "Senior Brother, aren't you here?"
Shadowless said solemnly, "I was punished by the sect. Although I'm staying in the mountain, I can't leave this yard. I'm like a ghost in the night, I'm not a person."
Craneshadow pursed his lips. Indeed, with Shadowless's stubbornness, he would be invisible to the Assassin Sect unless something major happened. He would never show himself.
"Sect Master, have you ever thought that while you're still alive today, no one would dare touch our Assassin Sect, you're already old. If you were to pass away, can Darkshadow, Silvershadow, and the others really shoulder the burden of thousands of people in the sect?"
"Let's not talk about the conflict between | Yue Yin and Silver Shadow for now. Of the three brothers, the one with the highest cultivation level is only at the mid-level Eternal Realm. Others might not know this, but you should know very well that in that battle back then, we had to sacrifice almost all the experts in the sect in order to continue existing. From Master's generation to | Yue Yin's generation, that's a total of five generations!"
Craneshadow was silent for a while, the veins on his face twitching. He could not help but feel heartbroken whenever he thought about what happened back then.
Back then, when the enemies of the Assassin Sect came knocking, Craneshadow and Shadowless's master was still in charge of the sect. The enemies came prepared and caught the Assassin Sect off guard. Although they managed to repel the enemies in the end, they suffered heavy losses as a result.
Craneshadow was completing a mission in another star region back then, so he managed to escape the disaster.
Five generations of disciples, hundreds of people lost their lives in that devastating battle. Shadowless's left leg was also crippled in that battle.
Shadowless once made a mistake, and his master ordered him to guard this place for the rest of his life, never to step out of it. However, the situation was urgent, and Shadowless still chose to fight. In fact, if Shadowless had not disobeyed his master's order, the Assassin Sect might very well have disappeared. Even his master did not expect this.
After the battle, Shadowless returned to this small courtyard and lived in seclusion, while Craneshadow took over the position as the sect master. Craneshadow knew that the Assassin Sect would not have survived to this day if not for his senior. After all, he was the only one among the hundreds of people who participated in the battle.
Shadowless was much stronger than him in every aspect. After all, his master admired him the most among his fellow disciples back then, which showed how outstanding his talent and martial arts were. That was why Craneshadow was used to discussing everything with his senior, who lived in seclusion.
Shadowless paused for a moment before he continued, "The Assassin Sect has suffered a great loss. We need to recover our strength as soon as possible. I'm afraid we can't go on the old path anymore. We need to recruit more talents."
Shadowless sighed. Although he did not have eyes, he could see things more clearly than people with eyes.
Craneshadow asked with some hesitation, "Senior, are you saying that we should recruit Xia Fei into the Assassin Sect?"
Shadowless did not deny it. "Since he's the descendant of Bloodshadow Master, he's considered half a member of the Assassin Sect. Even if he doesn't join our sect, there's nothing wrong with being an agent."
The Assassin Sect was made up of assassins. They lived in seclusion and rarely cared about the outside world, but there were thousands of people who needed to eat and dress. This meant that they had to constantly accept commissions from the Alliance, which was why other than the inner disciples, there were also agents.
These agents were usually in charge of accepting orders, collecting remuneration, and helping the Assassin Sect purchase daily necessities. They only belonged to the Assassin Sect in name and had nothing to do with it.
It was not easy to become an agent of the Assassin Sect. Currently, most of the agents serving the Assassin Sect had been in the business for a few generations, or even dozens of generations. It was considered a hereditary system.
Since Xia Fei was the descendant of Bloodshadow, he was somehow related to the Assassin Sect. Logically speaking, the descendant of a sinner would always be a sinner, so he had no right to be an agent of the Assassin Sect. However, the Assassins were getting weaker by the day. If there was no change, they would slowly fade away from the stage of assassins and become a nobody.
"I believe you haven't seen the information Darkshadow brought. You'll understand what I mean once you take a look," Shadowless said plainly. He then buried his head and continued sweeping the ground. Snowflakes were flying everywhere, and it would not take long for the ground to be covered in a layer of white. Only by sweeping continuously could the courtyard be kept spotless.
"I may not have eyes, but I can hear. Which floor do you think this Xia Fei would be staying in according to his strength in the Assassin Sect?" Shadowless asked.
Craneshadow was slightly stunned. He said in a deep voice, "The sixth floor, or even the seventh floor."
"Is there anyone in the sect who can fight him?"
"No." Craneshadow shook his head.
Shadowless let out a long sigh. "Ever since hundreds of our sect members were wiped out, I've been thinking about one thing: Have we been too harsh on our disciples in the past? I only realized after witnessing the deaths of our masters and seniors who have been with us for so many years. We should treat our own people better when we have the chance. We won't have the chance anymore when they're dead."
Craneshadow suddenly understood what his senior brother meant when he saw Shadowless's old and lonely back. He bowed and left the secluded courtyard, heading back to his residence.
The battle many years ago made Shadowless sigh. For a long time, the Assassin Sect had been teaching their disciples in an inhumane way. Once they entered the sect, they would never be able to leave. Anyone who tried to leave would be killed without mercy.
Although this had once allowed the Assassin Sect to possess extremely powerful combat strength, it had also caused the world to be puzzled and criticized them. These unreasonable rules and regulations would only make the disciples of the sect afraid, but they would never be able to truly conquer their hearts.
An organization built on deterrence and fear would never last long. This was evident from the destruction of countless independent empires in the Alliance. Was the Assassin Sect not the same as those empires that had accumulated too many problems? They trampled on the lives of their disciples as they pleased, relying on their disciples' freedom and strict rules to maintain their existence.
If the Assassin Sect truly wanted to be invincible, they would not only need rules, but they also needed people's hearts. They would be able to overcome even the most difficult obstacles.
Craneshadow could not help but quicken his pace with that thought. His expression was grim.
His senior brother Shadowless could see things clearly, but the rules of the Assassin Sect were not formed in a day or two. It would not be easy to change them. He suddenly felt that the burden on his shoulders had become heavier. If they wanted to change the current situation, they would have to innovate, and this burden would undoubtedly fall on him.
Back at his residence, Craneshadow quickly turned on his computer and pulled up the information Darkshadow had sent him.
Every time the disciples went out for a trial, the Assassin Sect would send Deathguards to follow them in the dark. One reason was to understand the situation of the trial, and the other was to investigate if anyone was disloyal to the sect.
This was undoubtedly a sign of distrust toward the disciples. This was one of the drawbacks of the Assassin Sect that Shadowless mentioned. How could a sect that did not trust its disciples trust them?
The information would usually be sent to a server exclusive to the higher-ups of the Assassin Sect. Of course, Shadowless had an account and password. Although he lived in seclusion in the mountains, it did not mean that he did not care about what was going on in the sect.
It was just that Shadowless had unintentionally described Xia Fei as a talent, but he did not know why.
Craneshadow checked the information one by one. From when Darkshadow and Xia Fei worked together to kill the giant snake, to when Xia Fei saw through Darkshadow's plan and refused to join the Deathguards' trap, everything made Craneshadow shudder.
The Thunderfury skill that Xia Fei unleashed when he killed the giant silver snake was extremely powerful. Craneshadow believed that there would not be more than ten people in the Assassin Sect who could withstand the skill. It was evident that Xia Fei's strength was not as mediocre as his appearance.
What was even more unbelievable was that not only did Xia Fei have the speed ability, but he also had the mental ability to control it. It was simply unbelievable.
"Decent strength, quick analysis and judgment, and the bloodline of the Assassin Sect. No wonder Senior Shadowless would advise me," Craneshadow leaned back in his chair and looked at the ceiling as he mumbled to himself.
Shadowless, who did not have eyes, could see things clearer than him, the sect master of the Assassin Sect. Craneshadow could not help but blush.
He stood up and paced back and forth in the room, his eyes flickering.
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