191: Chapter 191 Undercurrents

As the correct method for using the diamond-shaped crystals spread among the high-level officials...

Within Fengling City, suddenly, among the common people...

The news of the Wang family slaying a Gold Rank Rock-Armor Earth Dragon swept through the entire Fengling City like a sudden storm.

In tea houses, wine shops, military camps, and marketplaces, everyone was talking about it.

"Have you heard? Wang Zhuo killed a Gold Rank fierce beast!"

"A Rock-Armor Earth Dragon! Low-grade Gold! The kind with invincible defense! He pierced his sword straight through its eye socket, penetrating the brain for an instant kill!"

"The Huben Battalion cooperated seamlessly! Thirty-seven people and thirty-seven Pet Beasts surrounded that Earth Dragon so tightly it had nowhere to run!"

"Wang Zhuo is still the same Wang Zhuo. The number one person below Starlight is no empty boast."

The discussions spread from Fengling City to the North, from the North to various outposts, and from the outposts into the ears of everyone following the struggle for the ruins.

The name Wang Zhuo, after a month of silence, once again stood at the center of everyone's attention.

The Wang family's intelligence network in the North played a massive role.

The speed, range, and angle of the news dissemination were all meticulously designed.

Some were specifically responsible for releasing information, some for guiding public opinion, and some for adding fuel to the fire at key moments.

"Wang Zhuo has discovered the core secret of the ruins' crystal energy storage!"

"Sacrificing a Gold Rank fierce beast is the only way to open the ruins!"

"Wang Zhuo has the crystals! Wang Zhuo can kill Gold Rank fierce beasts! Wang Zhuo is the key figure in this ruins struggle!"

Piece after piece of news, as if pulled by invisible threads, landed precisely in the ears of every person meant to be influenced.

The direction of public opinion was firmly grasped in the hands of the Wang family.

Wang Zhuo stood at the edge of the rift, still holding that silver longsword.

The silver light on the blade had already faded, leaving only a dull metallic luster.

He looked down at the residual blood on the blade, then looked up at the Huben Battalion members who were cleaning up the battlefield in the distance.

Han Zhang walked over, holding a freshly organized battle report. "Young Master, the news has been released. The effect is excellent."

Wang Zhuo nodded, his lips curling slightly.

That feeling of being the center of attention had returned.

A month ago, he had fallen from the sky like a shot bird, losing face in front of everyone.

Those who once looked up to him, those who once placed him on a pedestal, and those who once called him the 'future of Fengling City' had all vanished the moment he failed.

No one came to comfort him, no one came to encourage him, and no one even spared him a glance.

They were like a swarm of startled flies, buzzing away to find the next object to fawn over.

That person was Qin Ce.

The curve of Wang Zhuo's mouth turned cold.

He sheathed his longsword and turned to look at Han Zhang.

"That Qin Ce, what is he doing now?"

Han Zhang opened the intelligence log in his hand, flipping through it page by page.

The Wang family's intelligence network was highly efficient; Qin Ce's movements in the Wuji Army had been recorded since day one.

What time he woke up every day, what time he led his team out, what time he returned, which areas he visited, and which fierce beasts he killed were all clearly documented.

"He is currently leading his subordinates to kill fierce beasts to level up his Blue Phoenix." Han Zhang's finger slid across the log, stopping at a certain line. "According to the assessment, the Blue Phoenix has reached the peak of Bronze and is estimated to reach Silver Rank soon."

About to reach Silver Rank?

Wang Zhuo's gaze turned cold.

His fingers tapped twice on the sword hilt; the rhythm was slow, as if he were thinking or perhaps suppressing something.

"Our great hero is about to reach Silver Rank; how can it be simple and ordinary?" His voice wasn't loud, carrying an indescribable, cold undertone.

"That wouldn't be fitting for our great hero's status."

Han Zhang lowered his head and didn't speak. He knew Wang Zhuo wasn't asking him.

"Where is his current location?"

"The fierce beast area of the Northern Space-Time Rift." Han Zhang flipped to the next page. "Near Huhe Bay."

Huhe Bay!

Wang Zhuo conjured the topographical map of the North in his mind.

Huhe Bay was to the southeast of the Space-Time Rift, where a large river curved, forming a peninsula surrounded by water on three sides.

The terrain was complex and the fierce beasts were dense; it was a good place for grinding levels, and also a...

"Are there any Gold Rank fierce beasts nearby?" Wang Zhuo asked. "To add to his excitement."

Han Zhang shook his head.

"No. Since the last incident, Qin Ce's leveling route has avoided all Gold Rank fierce beasts. Within his range of activity, there are no traces of Gold Rank fierce beasts within a ten-kilometer radius. He bypasses them from a distance every time."

So cautious?

Wang Zhuo's brow furrowed.

Back at Yinpinglu, the Wang family's plan hadn't been as urgent to control the North as it was now. Thus, the scheme against Qin Ce was just a simple nuisance. He didn't expect that after that time, the man would become exceptionally cautious.

If I had known...

Wang Zhuo's fingers tapped faster on the sword hilt.

"However," Han Zhang suddenly spoke, "near Huhe Bay, there are five Silver Rank fierce beast packs. Moreover, Huhe Bay is surrounded by water on three sides, and the river below is filled with Bone-Gnawing Fish. Once trapped inside, the water is a dead end, and the outside is a path to destruction."

Wang Zhuo's fingers stopped.

He looked up at Han Zhang.

Han Zhang kept his head down, not daring to meet his eyes, but on the intelligence log he presented, the locations, sizes, and activity ranges of those five Silver Rank packs were all clearly marked.

Five beast packs, distributed in five directions around Huhe Bay, like five fingers grasping that peninsula surrounded by water on three sides in a fist.

A cold smile appeared on Wang Zhuo's face.

"Excellent." His voice was very soft, as if squeezed through his teeth. "Then let's add some spice for him."

He closed the log and handed it back to Han Zhang.

"I don't care what method you use. Gather all five Silver Rank beast packs and deliver them to him."

Huhe Bay.

Qin Ce stood on a piece of high ground, with large areas of bluestone slabs beneath his feet.

These bluestone slabs were laid out neatly, one next to the other; wild grass grew in the cracks, but the slabs themselves were relatively well-preserved.

Judging by the scale and layout, this place should have once been a prosperous small town.

There were streets, squares, and houses.

But now, besides these bluestone slabs, nothing remained.

There weren't even ruined walls; it was as if everything had been wiped clean from the ground by something.

Qin Ce crouched down, touching the bluestone slabs beneath his feet with his hand.

The surface of the slabs was rough, eroded by wind and rain for untold years, but they still felt hard and solid to the touch. He stood up and looked around.

The high ground had excellent terrain, with flat land on three sides and the Huhe River on the other; the view was wide, making it easy to defend and hard to attack.

"Right here," Qin Ce said. "Set up camp."

Twenty-four people moved simultaneously.

Some pulled tents and tarps from their backpacks, some used Pet Beasts to move stones and timber, and some used skills to level the ground, dig trenches, and build observation towers.

After a month of working together, the cooperation of the five squads had become so tacit that they didn't even need to speak.

With one look from Jiang Mo, Lei Gang knew which stone to have the Black Iron War Ape move.

With a wave of Sun strong's hand, the Ice-Armored Blazing Rhino spat out an ice-blue beam, freezing a neat row of ice pillars into the ground to serve as a fence.

Qin Ce did not participate in the construction.

He stood at the very edge of the high ground, Nine-Star Insight operating silently as his gaze swept over the surrounding wilderness.

To the east, five kilometers away, a pack of Iron-Spine Wolves was migrating.

Upper Bronze Rank to mid-grade Silver, numbering about thirty.

To the west, eight kilometers away, a lone Storm-Rock Bear was foraging.

mid-grade bronze, large in size and great in strength, but slow in speed.

To the North, twelve kilometers away, a pack of Thunder-Mane Wolves was patrolling the edge of their territory.

mid-grade bronze to Upper Bronze Rank, numbering about fifteen.

Very good, this area indeed has no Gold Rank fierce beasts; it's the best hunting ground.

As for who is the prey...

Qin Ce's gaze turned coldly toward the distance, where those little tails following them had shown signs of increasing recently.

What this meant was self-evident!

This wasn't within the range of the God-level Ruins, so it was easy to guess who the people following them were.

And what did it mean to suddenly add more manpower now? Did it even need to be said?

Qin Ce withdrew his gaze and turned back to the barracks.

Since they wanted to make a move, he would take these few days to rest and reorganize properly!

Soon, three days passed.

"Captain, the defensive fortifications are set up," Jiang Mo walked over and reported to Qin Ce.

Qin Ce turned to look at the bluestone square.

Three days of construction had forcibly turned this bare high ground into a small castle.

The outer ring was a wall built from a mixture of rock and ice, a full two meters high, with sharpened wooden stakes embedded on top.

The inner ring was the tent area, with over twenty tents neatly arranged, leaving enough space in the middle for activity.

The highest point was the observation tower, built from thick timber; standing on it, one could see everything within several kilometers.

Qin Ce nodded. "Let everyone rest. You've worked hard these past few days."

After this month of hellish training...

It was no longer surprising for a squad of over twenty people, with the cooperation of Pet Beasts, to build a small castle in three days.

What was truly impressive was that in this short month, the twenty-four members of the Seventh Squad besides Qin Ce—whether it was the initially crippled Jiang Mo, the pot-bellied youth Lei Gang, or even Wei Ran who could only huddle in her grandfather's arms—were now all physically robust and vigorous, like leopards ready to pounce.

Aside from the patches upon patches on their clothes, in terms of spirit, they were entirely the elite of the elite.

Who would believe that this group was composed of the old, weak, and disabled just a month ago?

Those newcomers who had just contracted Pet Beasts had beasts that reached Black Iron Mid-grade at the very least.

And for the group that chose the fierce beast eggs provided by Qin Ce, their Pet Beasts were at least Black Iron High-grade.

The fundamental reason for this lay in the combination of Seven Kills Chaos and being Reborn, which had shown incomparable value over this month.

During the day, the Seventh Squad underwent unprecedented high-intensity combat; their daily amount of fighting was equivalent to a month's worth for others.

Normally, no human—no, not even a Pet Beast—could possibly continue fighting the next day.

However, when everyone practiced Seven Kills Chaos at night and then received a breath of Reborn true qi from Qin Ce before sleep, everyone would be full of life the next day, having recovered their combat capability.

This ability to train troops could be called a miracle.

Qin Ce stood atop the castle, looking as far as he could into the surroundings.

On the wasteland, the wind blew from afar, kicking up a patch of sand and dust that hit the bluestone slabs with a faint rustling sound.

Those people hiding in the shadows thought he didn't know, thought they were well-hidden.

But Qin Ce's Nine-Star Insight saw them clearly. Behind the eastern hill, there were three. In the western withered woods, there were two. On the northern rocky slope, there were four. To the South—no, not the South, but the direction of the Huhe River, there were also people in the water.

One figure after another emerged in his eyes, like fireflies in the dark, exceptionally conspicuous.

Qin Ce's lips curled slightly.

You must be getting impatient, right?

He turned, walked down from the top of the castle, and went to the center of the camp.

The captains of the five squads were resting; some were checking equipment, some were feeding Pet Beasts, and some were leaning against tents with their eyes closed to rest.

Three days of rest had brought their condition to its peak.

"Assemble."

Two words, not loud, but everyone stood up at the same time.

Jiang Mo put down the blade in his hand, Lei Gang opened his eyes, Sun strong jumped down from the back of the Ice-Armored Blazing Rhino, Feng Bao patted the Chi Tiger Beast's head, and Lin Qi stuffed the half-eaten dry rations back into his pocket.

Five squads, twenty-four people, in less than ten seconds, stood neatly before Qin Ce.

Qin Ce's gaze swept across their faces one by one.

Jiang Mo, Lei Gang, Sun strong, Feng Bao, Lin Qi, and those newcomers picked from the refugee camp, whose wounds and illnesses had been cured, and who were given Pet Beasts and hope.

A month ago, they were a mess of loose sand.

Now, they stood here like five newly sharpened blades.

"Five teams, five directions." Qin Ce's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear. "Lure all those Silver Rank beast packs over here."

He paused, his gaze sweeping toward the direction where those hidden Wang family Beast Tamers were located.

"This time, the monsters you lure might be a bit many." Qin Ce's lips curled slightly. "But it doesn't matter. Lure them all this way; don't have any worries."

The five people responded in unison.

The five squads turned simultaneously and ran in five directions.

Their steps were light, and the sound of them stepping on gravel and withered grass was covered by the wind, like five silent snakes gliding along the ground.

In the distance, those Wang family Beast Tamers hidden in the wasteland saw the five squads depart at once and became correspondingly busy.

Some were using communicators to pass messages, some were using binoculars to track the Seventh Squad's movements, and some were quietly commanding Pet Beasts to adjust their positions.

They thought they were the hunters.

They thought Qin Ce was the prey. They thought this scheme was seamless.

But they didn't know that from the first day they stepped into this area, Qin Ce's Nine-Star Insight had seen them clearly. How many times they changed shifts, what methods they used to pass messages, where they were hidden, and how many Pet Beasts they brought—Qin Ce knew this information better than they did themselves.

Qin Ce stood atop the castle, watching those busy Wang family Beast Tamers, the curve of his mouth deepening a bit more.

As long as it wasn't a case of the intentional calculating against the unaware, it was fundamentally impossible for Qin Ce to be schemed against.

And in this world, those who could achieve concealment before Nine-Star Insight had at least not yet been born into the Wang family.

In the distance, the five squads had already run out of sight.

On the wasteland, the wind grew stronger, sand and dirt hitting the bluestone slabs, making a fine rustling sound like a storm brewing.

...