No wonder Xie Shuangxue’s storyline had been so long—it turns out it was all leading up to a reward showcase! Anyone who played an assassin couldn’t help but be in awe of Xie Shuangxue’s skills after watching those moves.

A direct skill enhancement? That’s even better than new gear. There had been rumors about rare quests that, if completed, would unlock specialized training from an NPC master, but these were few and far between—anyone who experienced it was truly lucky.

But Xie Shuangxue’s offer was on a different level; as long as this NPC remained, there would be a steady exchange channel for these enhancements. No wonder Qiao Zhihui was practically shaking with excitement when he saw the reward.

What is this?

It’s the gospel for assassins!

Endless Sea finally did something right!

Assassins weren’t exactly a niche class. Though they didn’t excel in direct combat, their burst damage was immense. With the right setup, an assassin could take on multiple opponents, making them a valuable ally in teams, and they often performed well in PvP tournaments. Many top streamers even chose the assassin class, climbing around to find optimal locations for streaming or the perfect angle. It was undeniably a popular choice.

Even those who weren’t assassins, like Bai Qiuyan, felt a similar surge of enthusiasm. Every player knew that Bond Value had two main uses: as a record of favorability and as a practical currency for NPC exchanges. Favorability was stable—it didn’t change even if a player used their Bond Value for item exchanges or trades with others; only their trading points would reset.

This meant that even though Qiao Zhihui and others weren’t assassins, they could still trade their points to an assassin in their guild.

Shi Jiu Jianghu, quick to act, offered his points to Qiao Zhihui, and after a quick discussion, they transferred exactly ten points—the required amount for the [Assassin Skill Specialization Boost].

“Go try it out,” Shi Jiu Jianghu said, casting a sidelong look at Bai Qiuyan, “I want to see what kind of effect it has.”

Qiao Zhihui, hands shaking, practically fell to his knees with gratitude. When he saw the words “Exchange Successful” appear in his game interface, he looked up to see Xie Shuangxue smiling softly at him.

“You’ve all helped me, so I won’t let you leave empty-handed,” Xie Shuangxue said with a gentle smile. “Though I’m the last of the Xie family, I’m happy to pass down what I can.”

Qiao Zhihui’s mind was a whirl of emotions, torn between the thrill of being so close to his beloved NPC and the anticipation of how this new skill enhancement would manifest. Then, he felt Xie Shuangxue’s firm grip on his wrist.

In an instant, a wave of heat surged through him, and his vision blurred as if shrouded by mist. When he finally came to his senses, he was drenched in sweat, feeling as if some great master had bestowed power upon him.

Taking a few deep breaths to steady himself, he checked his skill interface and found that his Stealth skill had received a boost.

The upgrade description was simple but impactful: [Stealth Duration +10%] (usable three times per in-game day, can be upgraded)

Though it had a usage limit, the fact that it was upgradable made it a solid, stackable enhancement. Two gold-tier materials in exchange for this was an incredible bargain. Granted, the next upgrade required twenty Bond Points—a steeper price—but that didn’t stop others from drooling over it.

Speechless for once, Qiao Zhihui’s usual chatter had dried up, and his livestream chat was flooded with exclamation marks.

“Whoa, the streamer’s luck has been off the charts lately!”

And then there was Xie Shuangxue, standing there with a soft smile. Suddenly, the viewers’ impressions of him shifted completely. Initially, they had simply admired his beauty, occasionally calling him their “baby.” Now, they wanted to be glued to his side.

This wasn’t a “baby” anymore; this was a “dad”!

Bai Qiuyan, seeing all this, immediately turned to Cherry Tomato and demanded, “Sell me your points.”

Bai Qiuyan’s tone was authoritative, more like an order than a request. Cherry Tomato just rolled her eyes, unwilling to humor him. Her guild also had plenty of assassins, and her in-game messages had been blowing up with requests because of this development.

With no chance of trading between the two, the only remaining option was Jiu Shen.

Cherry Tomato, already holding a grudge against him, decided to drop it and turned her gaze toward Xie Shuangxue, planning to scrounge up more points another way.

Bai Qiuyan’s relationship with Jiu Shen was a bit awkward. They had been close friends at one point but had fallen out, later reconciling somewhat before Jiu Shen left the game. Their current rapport was still uneasy.

After some internal deliberation, Bai Qiuyan approached Jiu Shen, his tone uncharacteristically polite. “Jiu Shen, how about this—you’re not an assassin. Sell me your points. Name your price, as long as it’s within reason.”

To Yu Haiqing, only the favorability with Xie Shuangxue mattered, and these exchange points held little value. He observed Bai Qiuyan for a moment, not answering right away, and asked, “Who are you exchanging for?”

Good question—Xie Shuangxue was also listening in with rapt attention.

He was using this reward to build rapport with players, so of course, he wanted to know who was benefiting.

“Who else?” Bai Qiuyan replied. “Of course, it’s for Qiu Heng.”

Bai Qiuyan’s sister, Bai Qiuheng, was the top-ranked assassin in Gods and Demons, and the two of them were famous second-generation elites in real life, running the wealthy “Bai Bi” guild.

Yu Haiqing didn’t take long to agree, asking only that Bai Qiuyan help him level up and secure some good gear, since his account had fallen behind during his absence.

Moments later, Bai Qiuheng entered through the window, moving much more skillfully than Qiao Zhihui. She bore a striking resemblance to her brother, though with a colder demeanor, exuding an aura of a true assassin—silent and sharp.

No wonder she was ranked number one.

Bai Qiuheng disliked interactive storylines and avoided crowded areas, so she hadn’t bothered to visit the City Lord’s Mansion the night before. The moment she entered the room, Bai Qiuyan started to prattle on about how Xie Shuangxue had a hidden quest line and that there was more to be discovered. She only cared about skill exchanges and just wanted to get through the interaction quickly.

But then, Xie Shuangxue gave her a gentle smile.

“I can see you’re very skilled. I hope I can be of some help to you,” he said, glancing at the dagger at her side. “That’s a beautiful dagger.”

His voice was soft, but his actions were swift. Even with her defensive reflexes, Bai Qiuheng found herself caught by Xie Shuangxue’s grip, and she felt the same surge of warmth that Qiao Zhihui had described. When she looked at her skill interface, she was initially puzzled, as her upgraded skill was different from his.

Instead of Stealth, her enhancement had been applied to her most-used skill, [Throat Slice]—a basic assassination move aimed at catching targets off guard.

Throat Slice now inflicts a poison effect, causing the target to bleed out for 10 seconds (usable three times per in-game day, can be upgraded)

This was incredibly practical for her playstyle.

Endless Sea really went all out with these targeted, personalized enhancements?

“I have much more I’d like to teach you, but the current situation is too chaotic for me to focus,” Xie Shuangxue sighed. “Hopefully, we’ll have more chances in the future.”

Seeing this, Bai Qiuyan watched in amazement as his usually stoic sister shifted her attitude.

“Stick close to him,” Bai Qiuheng said, even sounding eager. “What kind of hidden quest did you get? Tell me everything.”

Bai Qiuyan was left speechless.

This NPC, Xie Shuangxue, was full of surprises.

Yu Haiqing observed from the side, his focus mostly on Xie Shuangxue, though he noted each player’s reaction as well. Sure enough, anyone who interacted with Xie Shuangxue couldn’t help but get drawn in.

Everyone who’d come in with their minds on Yun Ruowei or the City Lord had shifted their focus entirely to Xie Shuangxue. Thoughts of Yun Ruowei or the City Lord? Probably forgotten for now.

The room buzzed with excitement, while the Gods and Demons development team faced a barrage of notifications as soon as they started their day.

First, there was the SEA error from last night—Xie Shuangxue unexpectedly triggering a hidden quest. Then, the Bond Value controversy erupted this morning, and it hadn’t let up since.

Had this happened a while back, Lin Tong, head of the planning team, might have been worried. Now, though, she was cool as a cucumber.

It’s fine. Anything involving Xie Shuangxue is fine. Actually, it’s all great news.

A quick glance at the player comments revealed the unexpected twist: though the quest seemed out of the blue, the players had already made sense of it themselves. They didn’t care about the cause of the system error; their main question was: “Why only the assassin class?”

“What, are we saying the rest of us aren’t worthy of Xie Shuangxue’s blessings?”

“Assassins got a legendary boost! Not fair, I want one too!”

This was something Endless Sea didn’t even need to address.

Many of Gods and Demons’ top streamers played as assassins, giving the class a built-in fanbase. Several popular assassin streamers had already gone live to discuss the matter.

“Assassin is an old-school class. Over the past few patches, we’ve seen buffs for Summoners, Berserkers, Swordsmen, Healers—you name it. But Assassins have been left unchanged, nearly slipping into the second tier. This isn’t favoritism; it’s balancing.”

“And it’s not a global boost for all assassins—this is top-tier player-exclusive content, like the Yun Ruowei storyline, benefiting the elite without affecting game balance for average players.”

“Besides, Bond Points can be traded. Xie Shuangxue’s quests aren’t locked to assassins. Anyone can complete them, earn points, and trade with us assassins for resources, so everyone wins. And the World Quest has just begun; there’s more to come!”

“Usually, I’d roast Endless Sea, but they nailed the reward structure this time. Getting into the City Lord’s Mansion alone was a challenge, blending skill and luck.”

Lin Tong was so pleased she felt like clapping.

Spot on—even though she hadn’t planned any of this.

The next big event did include an Assassin buff, but plans hadn’t been finalized yet. Different levels of players needed different tweaks, making it a tricky task. Now, at least the elite assassins were satisfied.

Many of the top assassins hadn’t been involved in the quest so far, but most of them were part of the top guilds. Since the three guild leaders who received the quest weren’t assassins, it was only a matter of time before their guildmates got their hands on it.

Meanwhile, Song Xiaoce, a planner on her team, was thrilled.

President Yu had said there would be no adjustments, so he didn’t need to worry. With Xie Shuangxue’s popularity surging, Song Xiaoce’s KPIs for the month were practically in the bag. This unexpected storyline had also cut down his future workload without worrying about displeased higher-ups.

Such luck! Imagine just sitting back, watching the storyline unfold, and having the job do itself!

He gleefully joined Wei Lan in worshipping Xie Shuangxue’s koi emblem and used his skills to turn Wei Lan’s chibi koi design into stickers and a desk ornament.

If Yu Haiqing visited the office, he’d be amused to find that even outside the game, Xie Shuangxue was charming everyone.

And no one could predict his next move.

Now that the players had completed their task and the next array reset wouldn’t happen until evening, most were preparing to leave. Yu Haiqing, however, was stopped by Xie Shuangxue.

“Brave Wanderer, please stay,” Xie Shuangxue called out, “You were the first to offer me help. I have something more for you.”

Instantly, Yu Haiqing felt everyone’s envious stares, with Qiao Zhihui’s being the most intense.

Xie Shuangxue, aware that this was no ordinary account, didn’t avoid it. Instead, he took a bold step forward.