The Hidden Threshold

Time flowed onward, until deep into the night.

Ye Xi, disguised as a maidservant, once again appeared outside the derelict manor. After a full day of experimentation, she had finally discovered the perfect method to bypass the alarm barrier.

Even the most intricate alarm systems possessed a threshold, a mechanism used to determine if an intruder met the criteria for triggering an alert.

In her previous life, alarm systems would assess various factors—sound, heat, body size, facial features, gravitational perception—to decide whether to trigger an alarm.

While magic barriers operated on different principles, their underlying mechanisms functioned in much the same way.

Ye Xi’s task was to test that very threshold. She had no way of knowing the specific features the barrier sampled for its comparative measurements. It could be facial recognition, fingerprints, or even iris scans.

Testing each possibility individually carried too great a risk; a single mismatch could easily trigger an alarm and alert their target.

In her former world, Ye Xi could have simply hacked into the alarm system, extracted these features and the threshold calculation formula, and then prepared accordingly.

However, for a barrier constructed with magic in this world, Ye Xi was at a complete loss. Though magic analysts, similar to hackers, existed, becoming one required the ability to use magic—a condition Ye Xi did not meet.

Fortunately, what fate had stripped away from Ye Xi in one talent, it had bestowed upon her in another: a Blessing.

Ye Xi’s Blessing was ‘Existence Deprivation,’ an ability that could diminish an object’s presence.

Consider the traffic lights of her previous life, intensified with three vibrant colors—yellow, red, and green—specifically designed for easy perception by the human eye.

‘Existence Deprivation’ was akin to subtly fading these colors, making them blurry and indistinct, rendering it difficult for people to easily discern their differences.

To put it more simply, it was like shrinking a large character that originally filled an entire A4 page down to the size of a grain of rice, making it incredibly hard to locate its presence.

When Ye Xi had confronted Hicks, his occasional loss of her trail was precisely because she had applied her Blessing to herself, making her difficult for him to pinpoint.

The threshold Ye Xi sought was not one calculated based on identifying features, but rather the absolute lower limit of the alarm barrier’s perception.

Any defense system’s sensory capabilities operate within a finite range. The more advanced and precise the system, the wider and more accurate its sensory scope.

For instance, the system wouldn’t trigger an alarm for something as overwhelmingly present as sunlight, which can be perceived without conscious effort. Similarly, a typical alarm system wouldn’t detect the ubiquitous dust motes suspended in the air.

Based on the information obtained from Adair and her own analysis of data gathered from various sources today, this Baron’s manor could not be considered a top-secret stronghold. Even its relatively secure backyard was unsuitable for a major power’s clandestine base.

It could be inferred that the alarm barrier’s grade would not be excessively high. Ye Xi intended to use ‘Existence Deprivation’ to lower her own presence, reducing her entire being to below the barrier’s perceptual lower limit.

Thus, Ye Xi spent an entire day conducting this experiment.

Throughout the day, she continuously used various small insects to test the barrier’s perception, applying ‘Existence Deprivation’ to them to gauge the barrier’s lower threshold.

Afterward, she calculated the error based on the volume ratio between herself and the insects. Now, Ye Xi was 80% confident she could deceive the alarm barrier.

Ye Xi began to extend her Blessing over herself. This required a significant amount of existence to be deprived, forcing her to concentrate intently on mobilizing her Blessing.

Blessings, too, required cultivation. The deeper one delved into their study and the more frequently they were used, the more powerful they became.

When Ye Xi’s ‘Existence Deprivation’ first awakened, it could at most slightly obscure the prominence of her features, and couldn’t even be applied to other objects.

After years of diligent research, the Blessing’s current effect was vastly different. Even a second-rate practitioner, possessing ‘Existence Deprivation’ at this stage, could instantly become a top-tier assassin.

For Ye Xi, this ability was a perfect fit.

Within ten breaths, Ye Xi’s presence became utterly faint. Coupled with the concealment of night, even if someone stood less than two meters away, their gaze would only perceive a ghostly blur, as if their eyes were playing tricks on them.

‘Ten breaths of motionless stillness,’ Ye Xi thought to herself. ‘It’s still impractical in a real fight.’

Composing herself, Ye Xi began to advance into the courtyard.

At this moment, the derelict courtyard was devoid of any candlelight, making it exceptionally desolate and eerie.

Ye Xi darted forward, entering the courtyard. Even as her entire body passed through, the alarm barrier remained inert, and no curse was cast upon her.

Ye Xi glanced at the radar in her hand; the red dot was now very close, situated within this dark, quiet house.

Ye Xi slowly sensed her surroundings, detecting no signs of biological activity within the house.

She silently entered the dwelling. Inside, dust-covered furniture and scattered clutter filled the space, making it appear like an ordinary abandoned house.

Yet, the red dot on the radar indicated no object whatsoever; the spot was empty.

Ye Xi began to adjust the radar. Soon, the screen image shifted from two-dimensional to three-dimensional, revealing the red dot positioned below the horizontal plane.

Ye Xi was remarkably adept with this instrument, having discovered many functions Adair had overlooked through her own exploration. This close-range mode switching was one such discovery.

“Twenty meters underground?”

Ye Xi frowned slightly. Was there a secret chamber beneath?

Ye Xi began to scrutinize the room and then noticed something unusual beside a standing lamp.

The dust-covered floor around the lamp bore several messy footprints, and the lamp’s pole had handprint-like smudges. Judging by their size, the owner’s hands were unusually large.

Ye Xi couldn’t help but recall the master of this manor, Baron Quentin. His hands were arguably among the largest in the entire estate, given his stout build.

A dignified Baron entering this abandoned house merely to move a lamp pole, with no other footprints or handprints found elsewhere in the room, strongly suggested that the lamp pole was significant—likely the mechanism to open an underground chamber.

Just as Ye Xi pondered whether to try the mechanism, a sudden commotion erupted outside.

Ye Xi swiftly concealed herself in a corner of the room.

The abandoned house’s door quietly opened, and a corpulent man furtively stepped inside. He beckoned to someone outside, and several servants followed him in.

They entered, carrying large crates in pairs.

This portly man was Baron Quentin. He gazed at the large crates with a pained expression, then let out a heavy sigh. Approaching the standing lamp, he grasped its pole and twisted it to the right.

A section of the room’s floor sank, revealing a brightly lit underground passage within the room.

“Quick, follow me.”

The Baron led the crate-carrying servants into the passage. Seeing this, Ye Xi quietly emerged. Unnoticed by anyone, she clung to the last person entering the passage, overlapping with his form. Coupled with her ‘Existence Deprivation,’ Ye Xi truly became like a shadow, following him wherever he went.

Neither the Baron nor any of his retinue, including the man whom Ye Xi was only a hair’s breadth from touching, realized that someone was treading in his exact footsteps, mimicking his every sway, and following him closely.

One should never assume that a transcendent master assassin lacks means of concealment; sometimes, the enemy itself can become the best cover.

After descending the long underground staircase, they reached a subterranean chamber. Ye Xi silently detached herself from behind the man, seeking a more open and hidden vantage point.

From Ye Xi’s perspective, this underground chamber was remarkably spacious, approximately 70 square meters, yet it contained only two chairs and a table. Even with the newly brought-in crates, the room still felt sparse.

Once the crates were placed, the Baron waved his hand and said, “Alright, you all may leave.”

The porters, seemingly accustomed to this routine, departed immediately upon hearing the Baron’s command.

The Baron was left alone in the entire underground chamber. After hearing the sound of the passage above closing, he began to tap the chamber floor in a rhythmic pattern.

After three rounds, a stone door suddenly appeared in the chamber wall. The heavy door slowly opened, revealing two figures cloaked in black. Their faces were obscured by masks, and their bodies enveloped in long black robes, as if fearing their identities might be discovered.

One of the black-robed figures spoke in a hoarse voice, “Is everything ready? Why is there so little?”

The Baron replied, aggrieved, “The outside world has been restless lately, making it impossible to transfer gold and silver from other treasuries. For now, I could only take some from the manor’s vault. However, the manor’s vault was largely depleted recently to purchase a large quantity of goods for the opening of the Sky Garden. Currently, this is all I could procure. Fearing that you sirs might be in urgent need, I brought these over first. I will deliver the rest within the next two days.”

The black-robed figure nodded calmly and said, “I shall wait two more days for you.”

The Baron’s face lit up with joy, and he hastily responded, “Thank you, esteemed sir, thank you!”

Seeing this situation, Ye Xi noted how similar it was to Sixth Master, who had been intimidated by Adair, though Quentin’s fear ran far deeper.

At that moment, the other black-robed figure clapped their hands. From beyond the stone door emerged several strange beings—no, perhaps monsters—that Ye Xi had never even heard of.

These creatures possessed human bodies, but their skin was as dark as iron. Even more terrifying, their heads were shaped like those of ants, with sharp mandibles and grotesque faces that sent shivers down one’s spine.

Ye Xi frowned slightly at the sight.