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Join the ServerThe activation of the “Dawn” plan was akin to casting a colossal stone into a seemingly tranquil lake. On the surface, not a ripple appeared, yet in its depths, powerful undercurrents surged.
Xiao Moyuan’s little-known but highly efficient and formidable force began to operate silently around Luoxia Mountain.
A three-tiered surveillance network was swiftly established.
The outer layer consisted of observation points disguised as hikers, geological surveyors, and even environmental volunteers.
These covered all conventional and hidden access routes to Luoxia Mountain, continuously scanning the mountain’s surface and shallow underground activity 24 hours a day using high-precision telescopes, thermal sensors, and spiritual energy fluctuation detectors.
The middle layer delved deep into the mountain, utilizing old tunnels, ventilation shafts, and even animal burrows to deploy countless miniature, almost invisible detection talismans and energy sensing nodes.
These wove an invisible, colossal net, capturing any abnormal spiritual energy disturbances or life signs within the mountain.
The innermost layer clung tightly to the exterior barrier of the abandoned command post. Several elite personnel, masters of stealth and array formations, rotated shifts, lying in wait.
They were like the most patient hunters, holding their breath, anticipating the precise moment their prey would emerge.
***
Xiao Moyuan provided Lu Yang with a set of modified communication equipment and several basic self-defense and early warning talismans. He then spent half a day meticulously explaining his first official “mission.”
Lu Yang was to cooperate with the peripheral surveillance team to establish a temporary outpost at an abandoned ranger station at the foot of Luoxia Mountain. His responsibilities included night patrols in that area and promptly reporting any anomalies.
This mission wasn’t on the absolute front lines, yet it was enough to immerse him in the atmosphere and pressure of a real operation.
Xiao Moyuan thoroughly detailed the patrol points, danger identification, emergency handling procedures, and how to coordinate with Chen Wan to enhance his perception and response capabilities.
Lu Yang’s eyes sparkled as he listened, his hands itching for action. There was no fear, only an eager excitement.
“Brother Xiao, don’t worry! I guarantee I’ll complete the mission! Sister Chen Wan also said I’m in great shape now, perfect for stretching my muscles!”
He thumped his chest in assurance, then secretly winked at Su Mian, signaling, ‘See, I can help too.’
***
Meanwhile, Su Mian was led by Xiao Moyuan into the specially modified and reinforced training room beneath the apartment.
This space was less a room and more a small pocket dimension. Utilizing techniques of folded space and multiple arrays, its interior was far vaster and more complex than its exterior suggested.
Now, Xiao Moyuan had configured the training room to simulate the “core area of the Luoxia Mountain Command Post.”
The lighting was dim, and the air was thick with a simulated, putrid stench—a mix of blood, rust, mold, and deep-seated resentment—that turned one’s stomach.
The walls and floor were no longer smooth concrete but mottled, rough rock faces, as if stained by countless bloodstains. Some areas even simulated jagged, grotesque stones and bottomless fissures.
Invisible pressure surged from all directions, acting not only on the body but directly assaulting the spirit, attempting to induce negative emotions like fear, despair, and frenzy.
Even more challenging was the energy environment.
Chilling, filthy dark spiritual energy filled the space like viscous mist, severely disturbing the operation of Su Mian’s familiar, relatively neutral and peaceful demon power.
Some areas were also set with simulated bloodline magic traps—perhaps blood thorns suddenly erupting from the ground, or bloodthirsty phantoms condensed from negative energy, lunging from the shadows.
“Your first goal is to endure here for one hour,” Xiao Moyuan’s voice, devoid of emotion, resonated through the training room’s speaker system.
“Remain conscious, unaffected by severe negative emotions, and keep your demon power obstruction rate below 10%.”
“During this time, you will encounter attacks at irregular intervals and locations. You may use the defensive spells I taught you, or attempt to dodge or counterattack.
But remember, your primary task is to adapt and survive, not to eliminate all enemies.”
Su Mian stood in the center of the simulated environment, taking a deep breath, trying to suppress her discomfort from the foul air and the pervasive mental oppression.
She closed her eyes, looking inward, attempting to mobilize her demon power.
Indeed, the power that usually obeyed her every command now felt sluggish and obscure, as if moving through a swamp.
Following Xiao Moyuan’s instructions, she refrained from forcing it. Instead, she slowed her rhythm, using her mind to ‘comb’ and ‘guide’ her demon power, allowing it to flow slowly through her meridians in a more resilient way, better suited to the current environment, like a stream winding around rocks.
Simultaneously, she strove to steady her mind, recalling her insights from meditation. She anchored herself with the intent to protect, fending off the ceaselessly infiltrating negative emotions.
When she thought of Xiao Moyuan just outside, of Shen Zhixia possibly suffering somewhere, and of her own need to grow stronger to face it all, that warm current in her heart rose again, subtly echoing her slowly flowing demon power, maintaining a sliver of clarity in her mind.
“Whoosh!”
A tearing sound assailed her from the left!
A blood-red shadow, condensed from dark energy like a whip, lashed fiercely towards her waist!
Su Mian was startled but not flustered. Her recent training had instilled in her body instinctive reactions.
She didn’t try to meet it head-on with her demon power. Instead, her steps shifted, and her figure floated to the right like willow catkins in the wind, narrowly dodging the attack.
At the same time, she formed a hand seal with her right hand and softly chanted a brief incantation.
A faint golden spiritual light shield, thin as a cicada’s wing, flashed into existence before her, just in time to block a few corrosive energy droplets splashed by the blood shadow.
“Response: qualified. Evasion choice: correct. Spiritual light shield: timely deployment, but insufficient strength and excessively high consumption. Consider the reason.”
Xiao Moyuan’s real-time commentary rang out.
Su Mian, still catching her breath, her mind racing.
That’s right, in her haste, when she’d used her demon power to construct the spiritual light shield, she had instinctively resorted to her usual ‘output mode.’
She had overlooked the interference and neutralizing effect of the dark spiritual energy in the environment, leading to a half-hearted effort.
She needed to control the ‘quality’ of her power output more precisely, rather than just the ‘quantity,’ and utilize the environment…
Before she could ponder further, the ground beneath her feet suddenly turned soft and viscous, like a pool of blood!
Two pale, decaying hands shot out, grasping at her ankles!
This time, Su Mian did not dodge.
A flicker of determination crossed her eyes.
She infused more of her protective intent into her demon power, simultaneously attempting to guide a trace of the cool, moonlight-like power from deep within her bloodline—a new change she had recently sensed during meditation.
She subtly vibrated her feet, and an extremely thin yet incredibly concentrated silver aura spread from her soles.
Upon contact with the foul blood pool, it emitted soft ‘hissing’ sounds. The ghostly hands recoiled as if branded by a hot iron, and the blood pool temporarily solidified.
“Excellent! You utilized your bloodline’s natural suppression of malevolent energies with precise control and minimal consumption. Continue.”
Xiao Moyuan’s voice held a hint of approval.
For the remainder of the session, Su Mian continuously faced various attacks and disturbances in the harsh simulated environment.
Sometimes, swarms of low-level bloodthirsty phantoms rushed at her; other times, dense blood thorns suddenly pierced from the walls.
Occasionally, fear directly assaulted her mind, making her envision Shen Zhixia, covered in blood, pleading for help.
She gritted her teeth and persevered, pushing everything she had learned—her movement techniques, basic defensive spells, the guidance of her bloodline power, and the tempering of her willpower—to its absolute limit.
Mistakes were inevitable. Her arm was scratched by blood thorns, her spirit teetered on the brink of collapse multiple times, and her demon power neared exhaustion.
Yet, she always found a glimmer of hope at the most critical moments.
An hour later, as the simulated environment slowly receded, revealing the training room’s original silver-gray walls, Su Mian collapsed to the ground, utterly spent.
Sweat poured from her, her face was pale, and several areas on her body bore bruises and a sense of weakness from the simulated damage.
However, a bright flame burned in her eyes—a will that had grown even more resolute after being tempered under high pressure.
Xiao Moyuan walked in and handed her a specially formulated nutrient agent to replenish her spiritual energy and physical stamina.
“Overall assessment: B. Adaptability exceeded expectations; the preliminary use of your bloodline power was a highlight.
Shortcomings: insufficient endurance for prolonged battles, and a slight delay in adapting to complex, consecutive traps and multiple mental impacts. Rest for two hours, then we’ll proceed with targeted reinforcement training.”
Su Mian took the nutrient agent and drank it in one gulp, feeling the warm energy flow into her limbs and bones. She did not complain, simply nodding. “Understood.”
***
While Su Mian and Lu Yang immersed themselves in high-intensity training and missions, the Red Eye surveillance network captured new developments.
“Target B (Xia)’s guests have begun to increase,” Hong Luan reported in a late-night encrypted briefing.
“Over the past 24 hours, we’ve confirmed at least four groups of individuals with distinct dark creature or alien race characteristics. They entered the Luoxia Mountain area through various means and disappeared in the direction of the command post.”
“The energy signature carried by one of these groups… matches the characteristics of ‘black wizards’ described in ancient texts. Another team is suspected to be from a small, secret cult that worships an evil god.”
“Material transport has also significantly increased.
In addition to regular living supplies, we have detected multiple deliveries of special crystalline ores, ancient artifacts imbued with negative energy, and large quantities of sealed containers emitting a strong, bloody odor.”
“All indications suggest that preparations for the ‘Feast’ have entered their final stage. Based on the rate of energy convergence and astrological calculations, the most probable window for the ‘Blood Moon’ to appear is seven to ten days from now.”
Time suddenly grew urgent.
Xiao Moyuan’s expression was grim.
While continuing to supervise Su Mian and Lu Yang’s training, he repeatedly simulated various action plans with Hong Luan.
Direct assault?
Too risky, with an unknown internal structure, prone to ambushes, and could force Xia to act rashly, harming Shen Zhixia or Su Mian prematurely.
Infiltration and sabotage?
The command post’s outer defenses were heavily guarded, and the internal situation was unclear, making infiltration extremely difficult.
Wait until the ritual begins to intervene?
By then, Xia’s power might be at its peak, and once the ritual started, the danger to Su Mian and Shen Zhixia would sharply increase.
“We need a more precise ‘internal perspective,’ and a ‘wedge’ that can disrupt or even interrupt the ritual at a critical moment,” Xiao Moyuan mused, staring at the structural diagram of Luoxia Mountain.
He thought of the mysterious old wizard and what he wanted…
Not a direct transaction, but limited utilization?
Just then, a faint energy fluctuation emanated from a hidden rune used for monitoring, which had been in a state of deep silence.
It was a signal that the other party was attempting to make contact again.
The signal pointed to another location in the city: a 24-hour members-only coffee shop known for its collection of ancient books and private conversation spaces.
He needed more tokens, and he needed to understand more.
“Hong Luan, make arrangements. I will meet this ‘Observer’ tomorrow night,” he commanded.
“Also, use the highest authority to retrieve all non-public files concerning the ‘Withered Heart’ from the Yao Institute, especially its history, characteristics, and potential uses related to bloodline or dark rituals.
I want to know exactly what that old man intends to do with it.”
“Yes.”
Hong Luan assented.
***
Late at night, training temporarily concluded. Su Mian, dragging her exhausted yet invigorated body back to her bedroom, found herself uncharacteristically sleepless.
The adrenaline from the high-intensity training had not fully dissipated. Preoccupation with the impending storm, worry for Shen Zhixia, and self-scrutiny of her own abilities—a whirlwind of thoughts spun in her mind.
She walked to the window, gazing at the night sky.
It was a waning crescent moon, the moonlight cool and clear. Instinctively, she circulated her cultivation technique, attempting to establish a clearer connection with the moonlight showering from the heavens.
Gradually, wisps of cool, pure energy were drawn in, permeating her skin, nourishing her parched meridians and weary spirit. They joyfully merged with the increasingly awakening bloodline power within her.
She was immersed in this wondrous resonance when, suddenly, a fierce pang struck her heart without warning!
It wasn’t a physical injury or a disturbance in her demon power, but a sharp, piercing pain and wail originating from the depths of her soul!
A fractured image flashed in her mind—a cold, dark, rustling sound, a blurry, curled-up red figure, and a pair of eyes filled with despair and agony, which at that moment, suddenly lit up with a faint, frantic glimmer of hope!
It was Shen Zhixia!
The image vanished in an instant, but the intense emotional impact made Su Mian stagger. She gripped the windowsill to steady herself, her heart pounding wildly, cold sweat instantly soaking her clothes.
‘Was it an illusion?’
‘Or… because of the growth of my bloodline abilities, coupled with my strong concern for Shen Zhixia, and catalyzed by some special energy field (like the influence of the impending Blood Moon?), did I briefly touch upon a cry for help transmitted by a soul bound by a blood pact?’
Whatever it was, this sudden “sense” struck Su Mian’s heart like a heavy warning bell.
Shen Zhixia was still alive, still struggling, still waiting… perhaps, she couldn’t wait much longer.
She tightly clutched the lapel of her clothes, gazing in the direction of Luoxia Mountain, her eyes filled with unwavering determination.
No matter how arduous the path ahead, she, Su Mian, *must* save the childhood friend who had once illuminated a part of her youth and grown up alongside her.
And for that, she had to become stronger, train harder, and seize every possible opportunity.
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Read : The Shining Knight’s Odd Eyes
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