83: Lying in wait and watching

The capital city, he had finally arrived.

Li Dong stood by the bustling street, wearing a bamboo hat that concealed most of his face. His appearance under the Thousand Illusion Mask was unremarkable, and the Aura Concealing Jade Pendant suppressed his cultivation fluctuations to be almost imperceptible.

His current identity was that of a Loose Cultivator named “Mu Feng,” who came from an unknown small place, and, admiring the prestige of the Demon Suppression Headquarters, had specially come to try his Luck.

The grandeur of this capital city was far beyond what Qingzhou Prefecture could compare to.

Towering city walls that reached into the clouds, wide avenues that could accommodate more than a dozen carriages abreast, and a continuous stream of well-dressed pedestrians with a hint of self-importance in their demeanor.

“Tsk, as expected of the imperial capital,” Li Dong muttered to himself, his gaze sharply scanning the surroundings.

Beneath the prosperity, he keenly sensed an unusual and oppressive atmosphere.

The air seemed to be filled with an invisible tension, like an undercurrent beneath a calm lake, carrying wisps of… murderous intent?

He moved with the crowd, unnoticed, found an inconspicuous corner, and slightly lowered his head.

“System, this place feels a bit off.”

“Warning: The capital city area has mixed Luck and a mix of Dragons and snakes. Multiple high-level Restrictions have been detected, the energy field is unusually active, and the danger Rank is extremely high. Host, please proceed with extreme caution.”

“Nonsense, of course I know to be cautious,” Li Dong pouted, “Otherwise, why would I spend so many merit points to exchange for these items? To use them as decorations?”

He took a deep breath, suppressing the agitation that arose from the unknown danger. He Tianzheng, I’ve come. I want to see what kind of Dragon’s den or tiger’s lair your “special selection” is.

The recruitment and review office of the Demon Suppression Headquarters was located in an independent courtyard on the outskirts of the capital. There were many people in line, each exuding a formidable aura, with eyes full of longing and ambition.

When it was Li Dong’s turn, the person in charge of the review was a middle-aged scholar with an expressionless face. He didn’t even lift his head, merely asking a few routine questions.

“Name?”

“Mu Feng.”

“Age?”

“Twenty.” Li Dong reported a number slightly older than his actual age.

“Cultivation?”

“Foundation Establishment Stage - Early Phase.” He deliberately lowered his voice, making himself sound a bit lacking in confidence.

Only then did the scholar lift his eyelids and glance at him, seemingly dissatisfied with his cultivation, but he didn’t say much, only pointing to a Spirit testing stone nearby: “Test.”

Li Dong placed his hand on it as instructed, and the Spirit testing stone emitted a faint white light, stabilizing at the Foundation Establishment Stage - Early Phase level.

“Hmm, not bad. Go in, you’ve passed the preliminary review. Someone inside will take you all to the New Recruit Camp.” The scholar waved his hand and lowered his head to look at the next person.

“Thank you, sir.” Li Dong, imitating others, cupped his hands and walked in with a humble demeanor.

“Mu Feng… This name, it really was just picked at random,” he scoffed inwardly, but his steps didn’t falter.

The New Recruit Camp was set up in a remote training ground area of the Demon Suppression Headquarters, covering a considerable area.

Li Dong was assigned to a bunk room shared by ten people. The environment wasn’t great, but it was acceptable. He quietly observed the other people in the room, as well as the various characters he saw in the camp.

“Goodness, this time I’ve really had my eyes opened,” Li Dong secretly marveled.

Among these people, several were clearly scions of influential families, their clothes and accessories not ordinary, with an air of arrogance in their brows; there were also a few silent individuals whose temples bulged high, and whose eyes were as sharp as eagles, clearly diligent cultivators whose strength should not be underestimated.

What concerned him the most were three or four particular individuals. They always had an indescribable sense of incongruity about them, their auras fluctuating between strong and weak, occasionally revealing a ripple that felt somewhat familiar yet unsettling to him.

“System, those few people, help me take a closer look.”

“Scanning… Target A, cultivation at Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment, containing faint ‘spiritual essence’ fluctuations, with a 73% similarity to ‘Soul-Devouring Demon Flower’ extract characteristics. Target B, cultivation at Foundation Establishment Stage - Early Phase, also detected ‘spiritual essence’ in his body, with a slightly lower concentration. Target C…”

Li Dong’s heart sank as he listened to the System’s report. “Indeed… these guys are also connected to the ‘Soul-Devouring Demon Flower’! This so-called ‘special selection’ is probably related to the ‘Forbidden Experiment’!”

He had originally thought he had escaped the mire of Qingzhou Prefecture, but he hadn’t expected to plunge directly into the center of an even deeper and muddier whirlpool.

“System notification: Based on current data analysis, some parts of the ‘special selection’ are highly likely to involve special tests and screening of participants’ Spirituality and Divine Souls, and it cannot be ruled out that there is a direct or indirect connection to the ‘Forbidden Experiment’ project. Host is approaching the core conspiracy area; please be on high alert.”

“Got it.” Li Dong’s eyes narrowed slightly. “He Tianzheng, what exactly is your game?”

He now understood. This wasn’t a selection of talent at all; it was clearly a screening of “qualified” test subjects, or rather, an attempt to find people who could perfectly adapt to “spiritual essence.”

He clenched his fists. These people in the capital were playing a truly big game.

Over the next few days, Li Dong thoroughly embodied the word “low-key.”

During daily training, he controlled his performance. In morning runs, he was neither at the front nor the back; in sparring matches, he lost more than he won, and his wins were quite “lucky,” his cultivation always stable at “Foundation Establishment Stage - Early Phase,” not a bit more, not a bit less. His roommates all thought he was a country bumpkin who had gotten in by good Luck, at most with solid fundamentals.

“Hey, Mu Feng, got beaten up again today?” A burly man in the same room grinned, with a hint of teasing.

Li Dong just smiled honestly, scratching his head: “Brother Zhang is joking. My amateur skills are no match for any of you.”

“Good that you know, kid. Be smart, or you won’t even know how you died.” The man patted his shoulder and walked away on his own.

Li Dong’s smile remained unchanged, but he snorted inwardly: “It’s not certain who will die yet.”

He wasn’t idle. In the dead of night, he would quietly release a trace of his Spirituality perception, like an invisible tendril, carefully probing the entire New Recruit Camp.

“As expected…” He quickly discovered that several hidden corners of the camp had extremely subtle Restriction fluctuations, like some kind of monitoring method. These Restrictions were arranged with extreme cleverness; if not for his special Spirituality, he would have found them difficult to detect.

“It seems our every move is under the watchful eyes of certain people,” Li Dong retracted his perception, becoming even more vigilant. This selection was not simple from the very beginning.

Another routine physical fitness test. The event was weighted cross-country, requiring participants to carry a hundred-pound special iron sandbag and run thirty li of mountain road within a specified time.

For Li Dong, this was a piece of cake. But he couldn’t show it.

He watched as some people charged ahead from the start, others gritted their teeth and endured, and still others were clearly at ease but deliberately slowed their pace.

“Heh, it seems I’m not the only smart one,” Li Dong understood.

He adjusted his breathing, following in the middle-to-back of the pack, neither fast nor slow. Sweat drenched his clothes, and he appropriately displayed a “thoroughly exhausted” expression on his face.

Near the finish line, he “accidentally” tripped over a rock, stumbling a few steps, drawing a few snickers.

Ultimately, his performance was neither good nor bad, placing him in the upper-middle of all those who passed the test. He wouldn’t be eliminated for being too poor, nor would he attract attention for being too outstanding.

“Phew… Phew…” He leaned on his knees, gasping for air, looking more tired than anyone else.

The instructor recording the results glanced at him, jotted a few notes in his book, and then no longer paid attention.

Li Dong secretly breathed a sigh of relief: “Acting is also hard work.” He didn’t want to be targeted by He Tianzheng’s people so early.

After a few days in the New Recruit Camp, in addition to daily training, Li Dong also consciously began to approach some people.

His chosen targets were mostly those who seemed to be loners, but whose strength was not bad, and who did not have the “spiritual essence” fluctuations in their bodies.

“Greetings, brother.” Li Dong, holding his meal tray, walked up to a man in green robes sitting alone in a corner eating. “Is anyone sitting here?”

The man in green robes looked up, his face ordinary, but his eyes were very bright. He nodded.

“I am Mu Feng. May I know brother’s esteemed name?” Li Dong sat down, his tone carrying a hint of Jianghu bravado.

“Chu He.” The man in green robes was concise.

“So it’s Brother Chu.” Li Dong smiled. “Seeing Brother Chu’s extraordinary skills, you must also be here for the spot in that ‘special selection,’ right?”

Chu He continued to eat his meal, noncommittal: “Each to his own ability.”

“Naturally, naturally.” Li Dong didn’t say much, just casually chatted about some innocuous topics, such as the local customs of the capital or the hardships of training.

After a few meals, he had become somewhat familiar with several people like Chu He. Although it wasn’t much of a friendship, they were at least no longer strangers. These people might provide some unexpected information at crucial moments.

“More friends mean more paths, and more eyes are always good,” Li Dong mused inwardly.

Night, all was silent.

Li Dong lay on the bunk, his eyes tightly closed, seemingly asleep, but in reality, his consciousness was immersed in the System space, quickly reviewing his observations and discoveries of the past few days.

“There are a total of three hundred and seventy-two participants in the New Recruit Camp. Among them, fifteen individuals were detected with ‘spiritual essence’ fluctuations in their bodies, with cultivations ranging from Qi Refining Great Perfection to Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment.”

“Seventeen monitoring Restrictions have been confirmed, mainly distributed near the training grounds, barracks area, and instructors’ residences.”

“Three target individuals have been initially contacted: Chu He, cultivation at Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment, stable personality, from…”

One piece of information after another flashed through Li Dong’s mind.

“The waters of this capital are indeed much deeper than Qingzhou Prefecture,” he thought silently. “He Tianzheng, Luo Yi, and the people behind them, having set up such a large scheme, must have significant ambitions.”

Soul-Devouring Demon Flower, spiritual essence, Forbidden Experiment… these clues were like scattered pearls, slowly being strung together by an invisible thread.

“However, precisely because the water is deep, one can catch big fish.” Li Dong’s lips curved into a cold arc. “The closer to the core, the greater the chance to uncover the truth and wipe out all you rats in one go!”

He could feel that a larger storm was quietly brewing beneath the seemingly calm surface of the capital. And he had already stepped into the edge of that storm.

The road ahead was perilous, but he had no choice.

“Just wait, the real show is yet to come,” Li Dong turned over, his consciousness exiting the System, and his breathing gradually stabilized.

In the darkness, a pair of sharp eyes gleamed with cold light.