Surprise Test (2)

Shui stored his access card in his storage ring in case it was detected and donned his mask. A slight mishap would be enough to compromise him, but that wasn't a deterrent because overcoming this challenge had become his goal. Going through the front gate was an appealing idea, but one of the first to be struck down. Shui often executed his missions by moving fearlessly and confidently from the entrance to his target, but the detection array among other systems in place would guarantee his failure if he used that tactic.

However, getting to the hotel by climbing over the walls wasn't easy either. Due to the security in place, even low-flying birds would be repelled from going over the walls, but there was a weakness that only Shui could take advantage of.

He stood in front of the eastern wall that blocked his sight with a shade of crème. The next few moments would be the official start of his test, but Shui had flipped his switch so he wasn't nervous. With his body loose and his mind sharp, he leaped over the wall and then calmly glided to the grass on the other side. However, he made sure to stop his feet from touching the grass by using mental control and martial intent. This was a task that required complete focus, but also total tranquility. If he felt tense, then it would become harder to stay above the grass, but if he forgot to steady himself then he could lose control of his balance.

Of course, even a Sky Realm expert wouldn't have been able to accomplish the same task because being able to float meant nothing if they weren't able to conceal and transform their presence as perfectly as Shui. Thanks to having reached the perfect peak of the Mortal Realm and the Soul Realm, Shui was able to use both mutation control and soul synchronization to change himself into something akin to a ghost. In this form, he was invisible, permeable and could not be accurately detected by anyone below the Master Realm. The barrier around the hotel was formidable, but could only work if he was detected. This form would wear off if he felt too emotional and had a short time limit, but Shui thought that this was his best bet.

Fortunately, Shui successfully floated to the walkway without triggering any alarms. He was still in his ghost form, so he could phase through the walls and enter the hotel from any direction, but since spatial manipulation techniques were involved, he didn't want to accidentally get stuck in a space between reality and somewhere else. Instead of the front door, that was mainly used by guests, he went towards one of the back doors that was opened more frequently.

Shui waited patiently until the door was opened by one of the staff members and passed through the opening. He swept his gaze over the kitchen that he was now in, and then carefully made his way through the arrangement of stoves and staff. Passing through objects was fairly easy, but it was hard to suppress any signs that could show his presence when it happened, and Shui didn't want to take any chances.

He needed time to find the designated room since he couldn't use his spiritual sense or stretch his perception too far, but there were no other problems until he reached the desired room door. It would be nice if all he had to do now was go through the door, but it wasn't that easy. In addition to the risk of spatial banishment, Shui could sense an intricate barrier in the door that could repel even him in his current state. Only guests who had their access cards updated to show that they were approved to enter the room, could do so. Obviously, Shui didn't have this option, but he had a plan for this as well.

Firstly, he used his perception to check if there was someone in the room. Though the space inside the room was expanded, it was still connected to the corridor so he could investigate through this connection. Once he confirmed that someone was in the room, the next step of his plan could commence.

For a brief moment, Shui opened his Sage God Eyes to see the structure of the door and the space behind it. He then took out an assortment of herbs, crushed them together, put them in a container and then lit the herbs aflame. A strong smoke rose from the herbs, but Shui directed the smoke inside the room through the slight gaps that existed. None of the smoke escaped Shui's control and wandered off, but it was easily visible so he had to finish this before a witness appeared.

Shui knew that the client would be wary of the smoke, but he judged that this plan had a high chance of success unless perfectly countered. Once inhaled, the smoke would subtly attract the victim to its source, so Shui could rely on the client to finish the last part of the test for him. There was a risk that this would make the client reject him, but it was a risk he was willing to take.

From outside the room, Shui patiently monitored the condition of the room's occupant for any sign of being affected by the smoke, but he eventually had to accept that this plan was a failure.

'I don't know how, but he had a countermeasure prepared.'

This setback made Shui grimace, but he didn't lament his failure for too long because he had another plan ready. This plan was more brute force and completely relied on Shui having a sufficient level of skill, but if it succeeded then this test would be complete.

Shui put away the smoking herbs and then took out a pill. This was his first time using this pill, but it was very common among array masters. After he placed the pill in his mouth and swallowed it, Shui felt a refreshing stream flow towards his head. He felt enlightened, as if he had just tapped into the natural way and returned with great inspiration. This would be the perfect state to study spells and cultivate, but Shui channeled this feeling into his eyes.

He opened the Sage God Eyes of Wisdom once more, but this time he focused on the door and began to work on it. Even if it was impossible for him to retrieve or copy the key, he could still bypass the lock on the door. Shui didn't know everything about the mechanisms involved, but through the art of arrays he could change the state of the door from locked to unlocked for just a couple seconds. This was theoretically possible for any array grandmaster, but it wasn't a viable means because other array grandmasters would take too long to figure out the door's structure, a task that Shui could complete with a glance.

When the smoke that had infiltrated the room dispersed, there was a click from the door and then it slid into the wall.

"Have I passed your test, director?"

Shui entered with a slender build and his grey mask and looked down at the client preoccupied with a cup of wine.