The entire Evergrande City has fallen into complete silence.

  Asa knew that inside the house he was standing in front of, three and a half goblins were sleeping, two adults and one cub, which could be completely distinguished from the frequency and coarseness of their breathing.

  A faintly discernible strange sound came from not far away, the soft frictional sound of contact gradually became heavy and then light again, alternating. This was the sound made by the thick pads on the werewolf's paws treading on the ground.

  Three, two, one, spotted. Just like the timing of the sound judgment, a werewolf appeared from the street corner not far in front. This was one of the ones that caught him earlier, they should be responsible for night watch. They didn't use torches or other lighting tools, their excellent night vision and hearing were absolutely beyond human reach.

  An hour ago, Asa thought the same as everyone else. But now he knows it's not true, at least not absolutely, and has transcended this absolute. As long as he concentrates his mind, both auditory and visual senses can be a hundred times more effective than usual.

  This time, it's probably due to the state of mind that the level of meditation is far deeper than ever before, and the effect is also more pronounced than any other time. Not only has there been a huge improvement in physical and sensory aspects, but all the distracting thoughts in my mind have completely disappeared, leaving only one clear intention - to get the book back.

  The five sounds deafen the ear, the five colors blind the eye, and the five desires disturb the heart. Abandon all other thoughts, and a person will naturally become stronger.

  The werewolf turned into the next street, listening to its faint footsteps gradually moving away. Asa clung to the wall and slowly slid down to the ground, without even stirring up a speck of dust, his movements were softer than a tree snake's.

  It's not just the five senses that are sharp, but every part of his body has a strange feeling. He can now control every tiny muscle to make the most subtle movements, and he can clearly feel how the muscles and bones work together seamlessly under the power of blood flow, as if he had become an observer, observing his own body parts with no emotions, just like dissecting an insect. However, on the other hand, all sensations have merged into a single entity, spirit and will are undivided from the body, and every smallest movement is under his conscious control.

  More sensitive than beasts, more saturated, and at any time can make the fighting spirit and killing intent surge out, this is a perfect mental state. He can also feel how the vitality in his body is flowing and galloping.

  Step by step, move forward. The sole of the small cowhide shoes is very soft, and there are cotton pads inside the shoes. When stepping on the ground, it does not produce any sound. The front end of the foot touches the ground first, and the strong muscles in the arch of the foot evenly distribute the force of the fall to the entire falling time, without putting too much force on a certain point in time. The joints and muscles of the entire leg work together perfectly, ensuring that every step is accurate and error-free. The center of gravity of the body is very low and stable, and the soles of the feet are completely attached to the ground without moving or making any friction sound.

  The city hall is not far away. Another wolfman's footsteps came from the front. He can now discover the existence of each other before the wolfman, Asa turned around and drilled into the gap between the two buildings, without any sound or movement, he was like a tangible intangible shadow.

  The werewolf's footsteps were approaching. It sounded like the other werewolf that had caught him earlier, one of its legs was lame. Asa didn't hold his breath, he wouldn't be able to last long that way, and the sound of his heart pounding would be easier to detect. Instead, he opened his mouth wide, making the airway as spacious as possible, allowing his breathing to proceed at the slowest pace.

  The wolf man's footsteps didn't stop, and gradually went far away from here. Asa slipped out of the gap in the house like a shadow, without even rubbing his clothes against the rough surface of the building.

  Behind the grandiose town hall stood a stone hut. As humble as all other buildings in this city, it was the residence of Lord Cedros and General Gru.

  Asa stuck to the uneven wall of the city hall like a gecko, slowly approaching it. Whether it was an illusion produced by his extremely sensitive physical harmony, this long gown seemed to have become a part of his body. The folds and fibers on it were extensions of his skin and muscles, which could control not making any noise while being stuck to the wall.

  He fell silent and concentrated all his attention on his ears.

  About ten steps ahead, there was a sound of rats digging holes at a depth of about two meters. A four-legged snake jumped down from the gap in the stone house wall and made a loud noise. The wind blowing through the gaps between buildings produced some whistling sounds on the uneven surface. Apart from this, there were no breathing or heartbeat sounds around. There was no one inside the house.

  Why is it that nobody knows and doesn't want to know, it's better if nobody does.

  The door was open, which wasn't unusual since the houses in Eufu City didn't have a habit of closing their doors. Asa walked to the entrance and blocked the light from spilling out with his body, stretching out his fingers, a burst of sparks appeared between them.

  The flames danced violently between his fingers, but Asa was already very satisfied. Not only physically, but also mentally and magically, he had complete control. Maintaining magic was several times more difficult than casting it, and sustaining a small flame on the tip of his finger to illuminate the surroundings was something that would have been unimaginable in the past, even for an intermediate magician.

  This is a very large house, inside which there are no wooden boards dividing it into several rooms like other houses, making it look very spacious and wide. In the center of the house, there is a table, with many books piled up in the corner, next to two beds.

  No need to go to great lengths to find it, the book is placed on the table in the center of that house, very eye-catching, just like the bait hanging inside a mousetrap, fearing that people who come in won't see it.

  A Sa did not move, he now had a 100% confidence in his own feelings, within a hundred meters around him there was absolutely no one or beast hiding.

  He carefully looked from the ground under his feet to the table, but there were no trap settings. He knew more about trap settings than a first-rate hunter, which was originally an essential survival skill in the wild.

  He cautiously approached and finally saw where the mechanism was located.

  A few lines drawn from the bottom of the book blended with the texture on the desktop. However, Asa could distinguish that this book was pressed on a magic array. The magic array was not large, but judging from the complex lines and the phosphorescence emitted by the materials used, the effect was absolutely not small.

  This might be an effective means for others, but Asa didn't care; he simply reached out and grabbed the book.

  "Crack", a white flash illuminated the entire room. Several bolts of lightning leapt out from the air around him and shot towards Asa. This was a trap of thunder and lightning, even the strongest goblin would be paralyzed on the ground after being hit, waiting to be dragged away like a dead pig. But the lightning only flashed within half a meter of Asa's body before disappearing silently, like an ice arrow melting into boiling water. The long robe on his body and the aura around him resonated, extending the effect from the surface of his body to a radius of one week outside his body.

  Asa put the book into his bosom, the sound and light just now may startle other beastmen, he must return to the hotel at the shortest and fastest speed.

  Bang, bang, bang. Asa stood frozen in place as if petrified.

  It wasn't some magical sound, but a rhythmic and angry clapping of two palms together, coming from the corner by the doorway. At the same time, there were also two breathing sounds, one deep and long, the other powerful but showing signs of age. But both were very orderly, gentle and smooth breathing, without any shortness of breath or rapid heartbeat after being stifled.

  A small firebird, no larger than half a palm, flew out from the corner, flapping its wings and soaring in the indoor space. It landed on a torch stuck to the wall, igniting it, then flew towards another torch. Suddenly, the room was filled with light, illuminating everything clearly.

  Cedros, the city lord, and General Gru emerged from a magic circle and stood at the gate. It was a magic circle drawn in the corner of the door frame, a location that couldn't be seen while standing at the gate, only visible when turning around from inside the house. This magic circle seemed simple, apparently without any special effects or magical power, probably just isolating all air vibrations within its range, so Asa didn't notice any sound.

  The small firebird finally lit the last torch, flew back into Sedros' hand and turned into a small flame that flashed once before disappearing. This was only the lowest level of flame magic, but even the highest-level mages in the Magic Academy couldn't control their magic with such ease.

  Clap, clap, clap. The master of Sedros City continued to applaud, the loud sound expressing his sincere admiration. "It's really a wonderful stealth technique, even in any heavily guarded imperial palace, it would be as easy as walking on a wide road. If I hadn't seen the destruction of the Assassin's Guild with my own eyes twenty years ago, I would have thought that I had seen another top-notch assassin." He sighed again, saying somewhat reproachfully: "I thought you would come earlier, but you made us wait for so long."

  "I know you're not a killer, nor are you any kind of thief. No member of the Death's Hand would do such things, just as a snake wouldn't learn to burrow like a mouse." Sedros, the city lord, looked at Asa and said, "You see, a snake is always a snake, no matter how much it mixes with mice. You really shouldn't hang out with those thieves; that only makes you stand out more. Or you should pretend better - when they pounced on those goods like starving dogs, you shouldn't just stand by watching, and when this book was found, you shouldn't have turned your head to the wall, trying to cover it up, but instead, your breathing got much louder. Then you should be more patient, not rushing to leave with those thieves tomorrow, but rather spending a few months or years here getting close to this book, and don't ask our officials about our residence so directly. It's strange for a stranger thief to suddenly come asking these questions, isn't it? That's how we knew you'd be visiting tonight. So we're waiting for you here." The city lord thought for a moment, then shook his head again. "But this way, you don't seem like someone from the Death's Hand either. You're so rough and impulsive, completely losing their usual calm, cunning, and ruthless style. But maybe it's just a different era now, and those guys want to change their ways of doing things - finding young people like you to join is indeed an innovative reform."

  Ah Sa didn't make a sound. He couldn't make a sound, nor did he have the spirit to think about it. His beast-like intuition made him feel the enormous aura emanating from General Gulu. The effect of meditation kept his consciousness highly concentrated and pure, allowing him to fully exert his body's maximum potential. With such a highly concentrated consciousness, there was no room for thought, nor had he considered escaping, surrendering, or explaining himself. Like a startled beast, he immediately threw himself wholeheartedly into a state of tense vigilance.

  Cedros's black and white eyes, shining brightly, stared at Asa's clothes as if the judge's small hammer had confirmed Asa's identity. "The key is that long robe on you and the effect it exerts, which is simply your ID card."

  The castle owner turned his head and asked General Gru: "What should we do if a cobra sneaks into the house?"

  "Kill him." General Gru's response was extremely brief and powerful, his facial expression remained unchanged, as if the two sonorous words were produced by his thoughts vibrating in the air.

  Strike first. Asa flew backward, kicking off with one foot, the table flew towards the city master and his companion, the wide tabletop completely blocking their line of sight. Asa followed close behind the table, charging forward.

  But the table flew halfway and suddenly stopped, then turned into a balloon-like straight up.

  At the very moment this change took place, a wild beast's instinct in the face of danger surged through his entire body, like the feeling of a blind man who senses he is about to crash into a wall that will crush and flatten him. Asa strained with all his might to stop his forward momentum.

  After the table flew out of sight, General Gru, who was just standing casually by the door, suddenly appeared in front of him, his hand stretched out towards his chest.

  This hand wasn't clenched into a fist, nor was it there to grab, but rather in a very casual pose, as if intentionally stretched out for him to take a look. Asa saw it very clearly, that the hand was covered with a layer of white mist-like light.

  Unable to dodge in time, Asa instinctively knew what action to take and kicked both feet with all his might to retreat backwards. His agility and explosive power had increased by several times compared to before, and the movement of advancing and retreating seemed to have no gaps in between, even a wild beast would not have such a reaction.

  But even so, Gru's hand still touched his chest.

  Under his yielding momentum, this hand didn't exert much force, as if it had only casually pushed him. However, Asa didn't stop until he heavily collided with the wall. The moment he landed, he immediately arched his body like a cat. This dodge was perfectly timed, and the consecutive movements were flawless.

  "Good." Gulu's pitch-black eyes, like a pool of ink, shot out piercing rays of light. His originally calm and composed face began to stir with anger. Like a mad painter discovering a beautiful scene, or a reclusive musician seeing an exquisite musical score, he suddenly found a channel to express his vitality. Excitement ignited his entire being.

  From the moment he finished his meditation, Asa felt that the long gown, which was originally difficult to damage with knives and axes, had become more protective than before. The gaps in the fibers were absorbing a certain aura emitted by his body, which could fully alleviate external injuries. However, there were now three small points of dull pain on his chest, and one place had already seeped out a blood stain. The middle finger of that hand, despite being buffered by the long gown, still poked into it.

  The long gown was still undamaged. But Asa knew that if the hand had hit him head-on, his body might not have had any more holes in it, but his breastbone would certainly have been shattered like fine china under a hammer blow.

  As Sedros City Lord's gesture, the table seemed to be held by an invisible big hand and slowly flew from the air to the side and landed. This is also a most basic air magic, almost no practical use, usually magicians just blow open toxic smoke with a burst of airflow, but when it came to this old man's hands, it suddenly became incredibly wonderful.

  "Cedric is like a famous playwright watching a drama, commenting and explaining beside him: 'The long gown on his body is the treasure of the Death Spirit Association - the Ghost King's Gown. It is said that it was made by Akibad, the founder of the Death Spirit Association, who personally collected the feathers of the Thunderbird from the top of Mount Sandfist and the Phoenix bird from overseas volcanoes, and wove them together with magic. Not only can it resist any magic, but it is also said that if someone who has practiced his Dark Meditation technique wears it, it will have unimaginable effects, making it one of the most defensive equipment in the world. Your attack power will probably only produce half the effect.'"

  "Then take off your head." Gulu's words were still simple and direct, but a flame had already started burning in his eyes.