The attendant startled. She looked at the small child lying dead beside her, then stared out at the assassins disapprovingly. “Who killed him? Who killed the Tier Master’s new disciple? Step forward, right now!”

On the ground, Hui blinked. Eh? Oh, wait. Yeah. They are assassins. It’s totally possible that someone launched a stealth attack to kill me!

Ahhhhhhhh! I hate this tier! I want to go home! It’s scary here, someone help me!

Deep breaths, Hui. It’s okay. I can survive this. After all, I still have death faking on my side! I can survive!

With some effort, Hui forced himself to sit up and shake his head. He blinked around, then tugged the attendant’s robes. “I, I just passed out for a moment. From, er, the, the, uh, excitement.”

“Oh! Oh, that’s wonderful. I forgot how fragile young cultivators can be,” the attendant said, beaming at him. She turned to the other disciples. “Never mind. It seems I was mistaken.”

The other cultivators glanced around at one another. A few gave Hui skeptical looks or scoffed. Hui nodded to himself. Good, good. I’ve already lessened my value in their mind. Someone so delicate as to pass out under their murderous intent is surely someone they don’t have to be afraid of! There’s no way the Tier Master is going to pay much attention to this small cultivator, they’ve decided!

Excellent. That’s exactly what I want! Now that I don’t need to push my worth as a hostage, I can go back to my usual survival tactics. If the Tier Master wants to paint a giant target on my back, then it’s my job to diminish that target! You might want to challenge me as a disciple with a lot of potential, but I don’t want to be challenged. Those who are challenged might fail, and to fail in an assassins’ sect is to die.

Assassins’… tier? I’m still getting used to the Eight Tiers Palace.

“Come this way. I’ll show you your quarters,” the attendant said, gesturing Hui toward the door.

Hui nodded. He followed her into the tier. Although the other disciples had turned away, he still felt their eyes on him until he passed through the door. As expected for an assassin sect! They don’t need to look to see me!

Hmm… though, I wonder… assassination. One hit sure kills. Although this small cultivator doesn’t like to kill, when I’m forced to, I certainly want to make sure the opponent dies as quickly as possible! Perhaps I could learn more from this sect than I thought initially.

Though keeping my poor little life comes first and foremost, first and foremost! Naturally, naturally. I’ll observe quietly from the side and learn that way! Not participate, not participate at all!

Hui nodded to himself, fully resolved. He looked up, belatedly taking in the tier.

Wood pillars held up a wood ceiling. Several floors of balconies stretched over him, each one with landing pads protruding along its length where a small, railingless wooden platform reached into the massive hall. Cultivators flew from floor to floor freely, moving with purpose. Most wore the Fourth Tier’s dark black, purple, and green robes, but some wore the colors of the other tiers.

The pill cultivators, with their brightly colored hair and seven-colored robes, stood out the most vividly, but other tiers’ cultivators mixed in as well; the demonic healers in dark red and white, the sword cultivators in a brighter shade of crimson, the beast cultivators in earthy browns and greens. The body cultivators strode boldly through the tier, as if this was their tier and not the assassins; although they wore robes of all colors, they didn’t require a uniform to stand out, universally the broadest and most muscular of the cultivators. Almost no musicians moved amongst the assassins, and the few who did, did so in groups, shoulders tense, clearly uncomfortable, their delicate, floaty, gauzy robes as much a uniform as the body cultivators’ bulky bodies.

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Hui scanned around, then frowned. Still no hint of the Eighth Tier. I wonder what kind of cultivators they are? If they don’t mingle with the assassins… are they perhaps one of the more righteous sects conglomerated into the Eighth Tier Palace?

“Is something troubling you?” the attendant asked kindly, no sign of the haughty act she’d put on earlier.

Hui glanced at her. I wonder if that’s an air she puts on for Jizhi Zhimei’s sake. “Ah… I don’t see any cultivators from the Eighth Tier. I was wondering…” He trailed off, giving her an expectant look.

“The Eighth Tier belongs to the Palace Master. We are not to question his ways,” the attendant said mysteriously.

Hui nodded slowly. I’m starting to get Master-like vibes from this Palace Master. I wonder, are all talented cultivators like this? Complete and total oddballs?

Hmm, come to think of it… Bai Xue… well, they certainly have a unique set of life goals. And then there’s Li Xiang, who has made straightforwardness a way of life. Perhaps it is a hallmark of talent!

Ah, though… naturally, this small cultivator, who only has ordinary talent, is also very ordinary in personality. Yes, yes. It is a pity, but so be it! I’ll simply have to make do with what mediocre skill I have.

Hui looked up at the attendant. He cupped his hands to her. “Elder Sister, how should I address you?”

“Hmm? Ah… I’m called Voice. It is an honor to be accepted as the Voice of our Tier Master. When I pass on the duties to another fortunate cultivator, I will regain my name,” she explained.

“Don’t you mean, ‘if’?” Hui said, frowning at her. I saw the last attendant. They didn’t last too long.

“Ah, well, fortune never comes without danger. By staying so near our master, I have a much greater chance of being handed techniques or being enlightened. After all, she’s so high realm compared to myself that even an ordinary sentence might provide enlightenment. The Voice has a high chance of dying, but as long as I survive the next few years, I will have progressed in leaps and bounds in my cultivation,” the attendant replied.

Hui nodded. “I understand. Small cultivator greets Voice!”

“Hmm, but how did you know that we Voices often die?” Voice wondered, putting a hand on her chin.

“I, er, I merely guessed! After all, your master is—” Wait, I wouldn’t know about her beauty. Think, Hui! “—is a high realm assassin, so naturally, being around her means being in constant danger!” Phew. Good excuse!

“What a bright child. Indeed, that is part of the problem,” Voice chuckled.

Eh, wait. There’s more than just dying to her beauty? I took a wild guess, and landed on another life-and-death risk for this woman? Damn! Talk about a femme fatale! Everything she does is drenched in blood and death. Every move she makes is deadly!

Dangerous, too dangerous! I’m going to stay far away from that Tier Master of ours!

Hui shook his head hard. He looked up to find Voice ahead of him. Pumping his little arms, he ran after Voice. I don’t want to get left behind. Don’t leave me behind!

Cold wind blew down the back of his neck. The very edge of a hand scraped against the back of his neck. Hui instantly crumpled, falling backward before the hand could close. Absolutely not. This Hui rejects your robe-grabbing!

A fiendish-looking cultivator with dark-shadowed eyes and over-long, slender limbs stood over him, her body a whiplash of bone and muscle. Tight black robes clung to her body, while green bandages wrapped her long forearms and calves. Her ordinarily-sized torso looked small against her long limbs, though her proportions weren’t small at all, the robes particularly tight at the chest.

On his back on the ground, Hui stared up at her.

Hand still pinched to grab, she stared down at him.

Voice turned back. “Gui Hui, what’s the problem?”

I was almost a small bug, pinched to death! Hui cried internally. Externally, he hesitated a moment, then trembled. “I… I don’t know! Senior grabbed me and knocked me over!”

That’s right, I’m a child right now. I can pull pity moves!

Staring at her pinched hand, the long-limbed cultivator slowly turned to squint at Hui. Murderous intent gathered in her eyes.

Hui stared back, his eyes big and round. Killing intent? Ha! Only that much? Small cultivator has played dead through much more powerful killing intent than that! It’ll take for more than a little killing intent to intimidate this small cultivator into admitting I played dead!

Voice tutted. “Why did you attack our disciple, Zhang Zhisho?”

“I didn’t touch him,” Zhang Zhisho replied flatly. Scowling, she walked away.

Voice turned to Hui and shook her head. “Keep your eyes open! I won’t keep you safe, you know. We are a poisons and hidden weapon sect. You’ll have to stay sharp to stay alive.”

Climbing back to his feet, Hui gave her side-eye the whole way. Roll back the tapes! I want to see. When did you keep me safe, huh? Point out the frame! The moment on the film!