Second-Stage Legendary! Upon seeing the grade of the Heaven-Reliant Sword, Medicine Master Wen became increasingly convinced of Ying Ru Shi’s earlier speculation. The number of Secret Realms in the world was beyond count, yet none broke the rule of "what you reap depends on what you sow." Never had a First-Stage Secret Realm yielded a grand reward, nor had a Fourth-Stage one ever given trash. It was as if some supreme deity silently and impartially priced all things, bestowing upon mortals both rewards and trials. That the Thieves’ House rewarded a Second-Stage Legendary Token meant it acknowledged the heightened difficulty of this mission. It further implied that the Thieves’ House indeed adjusted mission difficulty — and that future tasks would only become more challenging, with increasingly lavish rewards. Medicine Master Wen had never heard of a Secret Realm capable of dynamically adjusting difficulty, much less one that bound Messengers such that only death or failure could release them from an unending trial. The four of them were like passengers on a ship sailing into a turbulent sea, or a carriage racing toward the underworld. Some might leave, some might perish — but as long as one survived, the Thieves’ House would carry the remaining to the peak, or to their doom. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⚑𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⚑𝕟𝕖𝕥 This realization did not dawn on Medicine Master Wen alone. The others, too, recognized something extraordinary in the shift in rewards. Shang Xinlei couldn’t help but say, “This time it’s a Second-Stage… does that mean the next mission will reward a Third-Stage Legendary? And the one after that, a Fourth-Stage? Could it be that the Thieves’ House will keep raising the stakes, all the way to Fourth, Fifth, or even Sixth-Stage?” “I don’t know whether to look forward to it or be terrified,” Ying Ru Shi replied with a wry smile. “To get that Heaven-Reliant Sword, Black Wolf and I gave it everything we had. If the Thieves’ House truly plans to reward us with a Third-Stage Legendary next time… it might be a trial that truly tests the four of us. As for a Fourth-Stage Legendary… I might have to say farewell and voluntarily withdraw. After all, no matter how powerful the token is — you need to survive to use it.” “White Fox has a point. Unless something unexpected happens, the Thieves’ House missions will grow tougher.” Yan Qing nodded in agreement, but then changed tone: “But we also shouldn’t overestimate the difficulty. The Thieves’ House isn’t a combat Secret Realm. We’re not warriors — we’re thieves.” Yan Qing admired Ying Ru Shi greatly. Be it temperament, virtue, vision, or strength, she was unquestionably the most well-rounded thief. Before tonight, if he had to choose just one companion out of the four, Ying Ru Shi would’ve been his first choice. Thus, as the mission planner, he didn’t mind saying a bit more to reassure her. “If harder missions come in the future, we can simply avoid conflict and focus on theft planning. And if things go south, we can always abandon the mission.” Thinking about it, they had stolen to the point of almost battling the Imperial Guards. Anyone unaware would think they were staging a coup. Even a political uprising might have caused less commotion. Ying Ru Shi mused for a moment and nodded slowly. “Yellow Dog, you make sense. Plus, our strength won’t stagnate. If one day we get a mission tied to the Foundation Messenger, perhaps we’ll already be strong enough to face Fourth-Stage head-on.” Perhaps because Wolf and Fox had returned to rescue Snake and Dog, the bond between the four finally began to thaw. The atmosphere within the Thieves’ House was better than ever — though Shang Xinlei, watching Yan Qing actively speak to Ying Ru Shi, rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought. Foreseeing greater challenges ahead, their gazes upon the Heaven-Reliant Sword grew more fervent. There were many ways for a Messenger to grow stronger — learning martial techniques, mastering secret arts, job advancement — but none matched the leap in power from obtaining a powerful token! As a Legendary Token, the Heaven-Reliant Sword held an unparalleled allure for each of them. Order Domain not only enhanced the sword bearer’s power but also benefited others, and by a great margin — 10 points to Vital Energy and Blood, Spirit, and Dexterity. Enough to turn a coward into a war god, a sickly person into a powerhouse. Even for a Messenger, it was akin to gaining the boost of another job advancement. If leveraged properly, it could win people over like a deadly weapon of charm. Chaos Authority, simple yet brutal with massive potential. Though the damage stacking had a time limit, pairing it with a token that boosted attack speed could make its lethality skyrocket to unimaginable levels. Killing across stages would be a breeze. Dominance came at a hefty price, but in a real crisis, who’d care about costs? It could even delay damage for a while, possibly saving lives at the critical moment. Not just the three of them — even Yan Qing was tempted. Though Bingzi Pepper Forest wasn’t bad, it leaned toward team synergy, with a stable skill combo setup. But he was a lone wolf, mostly just helping low-level characters enchant their weapons. If the Heaven-Reliant Sword were in a game, it wouldn’t be nearly as useful. Order required 10 hours to boost the three stats by 10 points — unless you were constantly in a team, who’d stay with you that long? Chaos was potent and cost no Spirit, but players didn’t need to be stingy — there were plenty of high-cost, high-output tokens. Others would finish mobs in five seconds, while the sword needed ten seconds for max output. Dominance? Don’t even mention it — without an Order setup, it was just ten seconds of undeath. All in all, both Heaven-Reliant Sword and Bingzi Pepper Forest were like beautiful but useless toys. But in reality, those problems disappeared. Boosting attributes and reducing Spirit cost meant stronger bodies and longer combat endurance — both decisive factors in Secret Realm battles. Compared to life and death, a bit of time spent was negligible. “Everyone,” Medicine Master Wen suddenly smiled, “I’ll be taking the Heaven-Reliant Sword.” Though the settlement wasn’t complete, she already considered the sword hers. She couldn’t help it — she and Ying Ru Shi had seized it together, and her contribution was greater. Moreover, after the last mission, she had retained the most Thief Points. That’s why she didn’t mind Snake and Dog raiding the Imperial Secret Treasury — she knew they had gained a lot, but in doing so, they forfeited their right to compete for the Legendary Token. But Ying Ru Shi wasn’t giving up either — her eyes locked on the Heaven-Reliant Sword. “Black Wolf, aren’t you already Third-Stage? And you don’t even use swords. Why not save your bid for a future Third-Stage Legendary?” Shang Xinlei was surprised to hear this, but Yan Qing had long suspected. After leaving the treasury, Medicine Master Wen had pulled him up with one hand, effortlessly — despite his bags and overflowing Vital Energy and Blood, which made him extremely heavy. In contrast, he had to use hands and feet to pull up Shang Xinlei. Unless she weighed double, it meant Medicine Master Wen’s Vital Energy and Blood was at least twice his own. Thinking of this, Yan Qing glanced at Shang Xinlei. She caught his gaze, unaware of what absurd thought he was having, and made a hush gesture — clearly in the mood to spectate the drama. “Time waits for no one,” said Medicine Master Wen. “I may not use swords, but the Order Domain is extremely useful for me. I won’t give it up. White Fox, don’t waste your breath.” She had considered saving points for a future Third-Stage Legendary Token — but abandoned the thought. Too risky. What if she failed to steal next time? What if she didn’t make a key contribution? Arrogant though she was, Medicine Master Wen acknowledged her teammates weren’t the Mediocre Masses. Had it not been for Yellow Dog’s inside contact going awry, this mission might have been dominated by him again. A bird in the hand was worth two in the bush. With the Order Domain of the Heaven-Reliant Sword, she was confident she could massively expand the Embroidered Guard’s influence — taking another step toward toppling her father’s stranglehold over the Court! Seeing that words were futile, Ying Ru Shi fell silent. The next move would be action. Even if her points were fewer than Black Wolf’s, a swift bid might still give her a chance! At that moment, the Thieves’ House finalized the settlement. A new line of text appeared on the screen: “Heaven-Reliant Sword Theft Case” “Mission Difficulty: Easy” “Mission Completion: Meritorious Deed (From lowest to highest: Insignificant, Inadequate, Meritorious Deed, Exceptional, Monumental)” “Mission Reward: 30 Thief Points” “Thief Points can accumulate, are only spendable within the Thieves’ House, and cannot be traded. Losing eligibility to enter the Thieves’ House will erase all points.” With the clatter of chips falling, numbers appeared on the screen before them — their previous totals added to the 30-point reward. Next was the individual breakdown. “Yellow Dog’s Mission Settlement List” “Leave No Loot Behind: You explored a royal secret treasury and gained much historical insight. +10 points.” “Daring Escape: You engaged and escaped from a Foundation Messenger. +5 points.” “You gain 15 bonus Thief Points.” Yan Qing was surprised. He hadn’t expected that opening the side quest treasury would net him extra points, or that being hit once by a Foundation Messenger counted as engagement. If that was the case, could he just throw a dart from 800 meters next time and farm Thief Points? Base 30, bonus 15, plus 14 from last time — Yan Qing now had a total of 59 Thief Points. He glanced at Shang Xinlei’s points: 56. Same rating. Both had gained 45 points this round. Suddenly, two loud bangs rang out — Medicine Master Wen slammed both fists onto the stone table and whipped her head toward Ying Ru Shi. Even with her mask on, everyone could imagine her eyes bloodshot with rage. If not for the Thieves’ House forcing her to stay seated, she’d have lunged at Ying Ru Shi by now. Black Wolf: 80 Thief Points White Fox: 86 Thief Points