107: Spy Storm

Blue Star.

Planning Department of the "Hope Cup" Competitive Tournament.

Minister Zhao Weiguo's face was as dark as water, slamming the table with a series of loud bangs.

"I have always emphasized that we are cultivating reserve talent for Blue Star, not for one or two specific powers."

"War is not a one-man war. Only when everyone is strong can we defeat the monsters and win the final victory."

"A single flower does not make a spring. A pyramid structure is undesirable. Only by cultivating talent according to an elliptical structure can our Great Zhou produce talent in succession and defeat the monsters."

"Look at this, how many contestants are left now?"

Tang Zhi, the director of the planning department, interrupted softly and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Minister, there is nothing wrong with our planning."

Zhao Weiguo smashed the table with a punch, his eyes like a man-eating tiger. "Nothing wrong, yet only 21 people are left? Tell me then, how many need to be left for there to be a problem?"

Tang Zhi took a slow sip of tea before saying leisurely, "I said our planning is fine; it's the contestants who have the problem now."

The rest of the planning department also stood up, expressing one after another, "Director Tang tested it three times, and there were no issues. With such heavy casualties this time, I suspect the God Descent Cult has secretly infiltrated."

"Exactly! Director Tang worked with painstaking care, day and night, scouring ancient texts to specifically construct this dungeon based on the Yongan Calamity. It tests the candidates' comprehensive quality while stimulating their patriotism. It can be called a peerless strategy, a total devotion to duty."

"That's right! Director Tang..."

Killing intent surged in Zhao Weiguo's eyes. Because Tang Zhi was from one of the Aristocratic Families, he usually relied on him heavily, never imagining he would also form a clique for private gain. In this vast planning department, he had become a commander without an army.

The Aristocratic Families should be killed!

But, where was the blade?

He forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart and randomly called over a dozen contestants for questioning. He found that the biggest problem lay in the sudden collapse of the city gates.

With Yongan City's defenses, for all thirteen city gates to fall—even a fool knew there was a problem.

He personally went to retrieve the records and found that the culprits were over twenty contestants, divided into four squads, who destroyed the Formation, allowing the city gates to be easily blasted open.

"Go, notify the Security Officer. These twenty-plus people are all Cultists. Imprison them all at the highest level and interrogate them thoroughly."

The secretary hurried out and returned in less than two minutes to report: "Minister, the Security Officer's side is also issuing warrants for those people. They illegally broke through the checkpoint half an hour ago and all rushed into the Fallen Zone."

"How ruthless! So ruthless!"

Zhao Weiguo was so angry he wanted to spit blood. This way, he was definitely going to take the fall for this!

With such a major error, as the Minister of the Planning Department, the minimum punishment would be dismissal.

"No, I have to find a way to remedy this."

"Yes, I must find a way!"

"Tang Zhi, as long as I can survive this calamity, I will kill you!"

Zhao Weiguo came from a common background; to be able to scramble up to the position of Minister, his mind was exceptionally sharp.

He soon discovered the loophole in the middle.

Yongan City's Formation was of the Great City grade. Even if it lacked maintenance before the calamity, it couldn't be easily destroyed by a few small fry at Rank 60 or 70.

There must be another traitor within.

He immediately rushed to the library to look through the records and quickly found a suspect.

The Vice City Lord of Yongan City—Yang Yin!

Whether in terms of status, Rank, or his profession as a Spirit Formation Grandmaster, only he was the most suitable for this.

"Wait, that's not right!"

"In history, Yang Yin was loyal and brave. During the Yongan Calamity, he sacrificed his own life so everyone could evacuate Yongan City. He cannot be a spy!"

"Therefore, his character has been demonically modified!"

"Desecrating a hero... Tang Zhi, oh Tang Zhi, you are dead meat!"

Zhao Weiguo immediately felt relieved, yet also somewhat uneasy. His previous reliance on Tang Zhi was partly because of his status in the Aristocratic Families, but more crucially because Tang Zhi was full of resourcefulness, saving him a lot of effort.

"Logically speaking, it's impossible for him to make such a low-level mistake."

Zhao Weiguo hurriedly rushed back to the planning department and logged into his account. Instantly, his face turned ashen.

He saw written on the screen: [Heroic Soul personally participating]... Xu Le took out the Faith Crystal Shards and chose to synthesize them.

A seven-colored Faith Crystal appeared in his hand.

[Item] Faith Crystal

[Quality] Mythic

[Item Details] A crystal formed when a believer's faith in a god reaches the extreme and solidifies into substance. After use, it can awaken intelligence. (Only effective for believers with faith.)

Xu Le did not hesitate and gave the Faith Crystal to Little Silly Crow.

"Thank you for the God's gift!"

Little Silly Crow pressed its two wings together, gave a respectful bow, and then swallowed the Faith Crystal.

[Ding! Your contracted beast Little Silly Crow has used a Faith Crystal. Intelligence is being enhanced...]

[Ding! Your contracted beast Little Silly Crow, through years of hard work, has comprehended the skills 'Shadow Follower', 'Fear Nightmare', and 'Lucky Curse'.]

[Shadow Follower]

Consumes 800 Mana. Transforms into an invisible shadow to follow the target. During this period, flight speed is increased by 200%. Duration: 30 minutes. Cooldown: 60 minutes.

[Fear Nightmare]

Consumes 500 Mana. Transforms into the target's most feared object, reducing enemy morale by 50% and all attributes by 20%. Duration: 30 seconds. Cooldown: 180 seconds.

[Lucky Curse]

Consumes 1200 Mana. Can cause the target's High-Level Luck to decay, increasing the chance of encountering unfortunate events by 50%. Duration: 24 hours. Cooldown: 3 hours.

Xu Le: "..."

"So Awakening intelligence means comprehending new skills?"

All three skills leaned towards support. At first glance they seemed average, but combined with Little Silly Crow's other skills, they were quite top-tier.

After the divine statue shattered and the burst of terror subsided, everyone felt somewhat exhausted.

However, every single gaze was fixed on the stone in Xu Le's hand.

They were not fools. Something that could suppress the divine statue must be an existence of the same level.

Although it didn't show any unusual signs now, no one would forget the commotion from before.

Xing Manshan blocked their gazes. Just now, it was almost entirely Xu Le putting in the effort; he felt that the item should belong to Xu Le.

Everyone turned their heads away somewhat unnaturally.

Yang Yin suddenly spoke up: "City Lord, the power of the Formation in this place is extraordinary. If we set out within half an hour and detonate the array, we will surely reap a surprise."

"Good! Everyone rest for 20 minutes. In 20 minutes, we advance toward the North Peace Gate."

Xing Manshan quickly made the decision... 20 minutes passed quickly.

Xu Le stood at the very front according to the previous Formation.

Qin Siyuan hurriedly ran up, completely ignoring the gazes of the crowd, and said with a bow, "Master, let me take the lead for something like clearing the path."

Xu Le: "..."

It had to be said, being called 'Master' by an old man in his sixties was quite embarrassing.

He waved his hand and said, "You can just call me Xu Le."

Qin Siyuan shook his head like a rattle: "That won't do! There must be a distinction between superior and inferior."

Little Silly Crow: "Caw caw!" (Just follow me and call him God.)

Xu Le: "..."

You really know how to teach. Don't teach anymore in the future.

However, he thought that aside from him, the "God-Lord," everyone else only heard a raven's caw, so the sense of embarrassment lessened slightly.

Turning to Qin Siyuan, he instructed: "In the future, you can just call me Young Master."

"Alright, Young Master!"

Qin Siyuan nodded in agreement, then prayed for the protection of the gods before chanting an incantation and throwing out a handful of soybeans.

Scattering Beans to Create Soldiers!

42 soybeans transformed into 42 Intermediate Yellow Turban Strongmen. Each had a fierce expression, carrying shields and knives, with yellow cloth wrapped around their heads—clearly high-quality goods.

Xing Manshan looked over in surprise. Having been together for many years, he knew the other's strength all too well.