High-level martial arts: Long spear with black flames to suppress demons.

In the abyss, there is no alternation of day and night; the two lifeless, purplish-red suns are always overhead, and there is naturally no concept of day or night.

Shen Chang'an could only rely on the most basic internal timing function of the tactical watch to record the years he had lived.

Time passed day by day.

After enduring six days of relentless, grueling work, Shen Chang'an finally got his first precious "day off" vacation.

He never imagined that when he was in Qingzhou, he only worked two shifts. He finally got a month off to go to university, but now he's working three shifts in the Abyss.

Having just finished clearing out a wave of monsters with Qin Xu from the third shift and returned to the courtyard, Shen Chang'an felt completely exhausted and collapsed onto the stone bench in the yard.

He raised his wrist and glanced at the date on his watch.

"Unbeknownst to me... I've been in this abyssal rift for more than half a month now."

Shen Chang'an stared blankly at the gray sky. He wondered what was happening outside. Bai Yin, Li Xiwan, Ji Lin, and Uncle Zhang... they probably all thought he was dead inside.

Thinking of this, Shen Chang'an felt a surge of inexplicable irritability and loss, and sat there blankly, lost in thought.

"Hey, what are you spacing out for?"

A slightly teasing voice rang in his ears. Ling Shan Daoist had somehow slipped out and, seeing Shen Chang'an's distraught appearance, immediately saw through his thoughts.

"Who are you thinking about? You look so absent-minded and sentimental."

Shen Chang'an snapped out of his reverie and gave a wry smile: "I wasn't thinking about anyone, I was just a little worried about my friends outside. They must be frantic with worry about me for so long."

"friend?"

Lingshan Daoist sat down on the stone bench opposite and casually asked a question.

"Didn't you miss your parents and family? You've been out of contact for so long, your parents must have cried their eyes out by now."

"I have no family."

"I am an orphan and grew up in my uncle's house."

The old Taoist priest nodded: "I see. So, are there any Daoist partners or anything like that?"

Several familiar figures flashed through Shen Chang'an's mind, but he ultimately shook his head: "I'm... hopelessly addicted to cultivation."

"No way! You're eighteen or nineteen, in the prime of your life, don't you have a girl you like? Or rather, don't you have a girlfriend outside?"

"On the path of spiritual practice, Dharma, wealth, companions, and place are all important, and companions are also an important part."

Upon hearing this, the old Taoist priest leaned against the stone table, shaking his head in exasperation.

"Young people these days, how come they have no vigor at all! Back in my day, when I was eighteen, I was incredibly dashing and handsome. I had countless female admirers! If it weren't for those holy maidens from prestigious sects pursuing me so relentlessly, I wouldn't have been forced to become a Taoist priest!"

Looking at the old Taoist's shameless boasting, Shen Chang'an was speechless: "Senior, judging by your appearance, you were probably a sneaky, opportunistic guy when you were young, right?"

"How dare you! You dare question my stunning good looks?"

The Taoist priest of Lingshan blew his beard and glared, then waved his hand, forcibly changing the subject.

"Stop talking nonsense. Seriously, you've been absorbing spiritual energy every day for the past two weeks. Like building a tower from grains of sand, how wide has your spiritual sea expanded now?"

Shen Chang'an examined his dantian internally and answered truthfully, "About four hundred li."

"Four hundred li, so-so, but it's passable."

"Oh? So-so? Senior, when you were at this level, you didn't even reach four hundred li, did you?"

"Nonsense!"

Lingshan Daoist reacted as if a cat whose tail had been stepped on, instantly bristling with anger and slamming his fist on the table as he roared.

"Back then, I forcibly expanded my spiritual sea to eight hundred miles! A full eight hundred miles before reaching its limit, and only then did I finally break through to the sixth realm of the Spiritual Abyss! Do you even know what it means to be the strongest peerless genius in a millennium?!"

"How old were you when you broke through to the Spirit Abyss realm?"

"Don't ask me that."

Seeing the old Taoist priest's face turn red with anxiety, Shen Chang'an suppressed a laugh and didn't expose him.

"Hmph! Back in the day, with a single Golden Light Spell, I covered a hundred miles with golden light, suppressing all the geniuses of both the human and demon realms, making them unable to raise their heads! That was what you call a pillar of an era!"

Seeing that Shen Chang'an didn't believe him, the old Taoist priest began to talk wildly and frantically, trying to salvage his glorious and imposing image.

Shen Chang'an had long since figured out the old man's extremely vain and boastful nature. He simply closed his ears, too lazy to listen to his bragging, and took out the booklet of "Golden Light Mantra" from his pocket. He formed hand seals and began to study this true Taoist secret art during his rare break.

......

Shanghai, Beverly Hills.

In the spacious and luxurious study, Zhao Haitang sat quietly behind her desk, holding a file stamped with the Zhenye Division's seal confirming death. In the upper right corner of the file was Shen Chang'an's passport photo from when he enrolled in school.

"Big sister..."

Sitting on the sofa next to her, Zhao Jin bit her lip, her expression somewhat complicated. Ever since Shen Chang'an mercilessly beat her up on the stage on the first day of school, she had been itching to get revenge on this arrogant guy and dreaming of getting her revenge.

But now that the person is suddenly gone, she feels no sense of satisfaction at having avenged her great wrongs, but rather an emptiness.

"I'll find you another mentor with practical experience."

Zhao Haitang closed the file and casually tossed it on the table, a faint trace of regret flashing across her face.

"To have honed one's skills to that level by the age of eighteen, one in a million is truly a genius. It's a pity, he wasn't lucky enough to survive."

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the study door, and the old butler pushed it open and came in.

"Young Miss, the matter you instructed has been completed."

The butler bowed slightly and reported to the leader in a low voice.

"The second young master's three trusted confidants who were in charge of buying and selling spiritual materials were involved in a car accident last night, and our people have taken over that line of business as well."

Zhao Haitang nodded noncommittally.

"There's one more thing,"

The butler continued.

"Ji Lin, the young master of the Ji family in Cangjiang, is requesting an audience outside the manor. He says he wants to ask you about Shen Chang'an in person."

Zhao Haitang paused slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. Although the Ji family's main residence wasn't in Shanghai, it was still considered a prominent family. Although Ji Lin usually kept a low profile, his status was undeniable.

"Let him in."

A short while later, Ji Lin entered the study.

His usual carefree playboy demeanor vanished without a trace, replaced by a chilling aura.

"Young Master Ji, a rare guest."

Zhao Haitang put down his teacup.

Ji Lin skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point: "Miss Zhao, I'm here today to ask only one thing. Is Chang'an's death in the Abyss Rift related to your Zhao family?"

Faced with the questioning, Zhao Haitang did not hide anything: "He was someone I invested in. Zhao also sent two assassins at the sixth realm to intercept and kill him in order to eliminate my supporters. Shen Chang'an was a victim of the family's internal strife."

Upon hearing this answer, Ji Lin's pupils contracted slightly.

"Two sixth-realm cultivators intercepted a fifth-realm cultivator; Zhao really thinks highly of Chang'an."

He nodded slowly.

"I understand. Thank you for your clarification, Miss Zhao."

After saying that, he didn't linger any longer and turned to leave the study.