109: The calm before the storm and the "distributed ark"

"Harvest... Feast..."

These two words pierced Wen Youyi's heart like cold awls. He could almost imagine the scene—perhaps not one of flashing swords and flying shadows, but a more hidden, more cruel, comprehensive "harvest," like a rancher starting a large-scale crop collection when the season arrives.

The warning from the Co-frequency Person made him realize that the time left for them might be less than anticipated.

The sense of urgency whipped everyone at the Black Swamp Outpost like an invisible lash.

The lights in the Research Hall burned all night. Senior Brother Zhang and the Disciples had bloodshot eyes as they repeatedly debugged the fingernail-sized, faintly glowing "personal nodes." Failure, adjustment, failure again, adjustment again... Finally, after consuming countless Materials and energy, the first "personal node" prototype that basically met the design requirements was born!

It was set into an ordinary Bronze Ring. Normally, it was in a state of deep dormancy, with energy fluctuations so faint they were almost undetectable. Once activated by a specific "Star Language" command, it could resonate with other nearby activated nodes, quickly constructing a small "Ark Domain" with a radius of about three zhang!

This Domain did not last long, and its energy intensity was far inferior to the ark 2.0 at Lijian Valley, but it possessed the most crucial characteristics: rapid deployment, high portability, and extreme concealment!

"It succeeded! We succeeded!" Senior Brother Zhang held the ring, his hands trembling. The surrounding Research Hall Disciples also burst into suppressed cheers, many shedding tears of excitement.

This was the first milestone technical Breakthrough they achieved during their period of dormancy!

Wen Youyi took the ring, carefully sensing the exquisite structure within, and a gratified smile appeared on his face. He personally awarded this first "personal node" ring to Senior Brother Zhang, who had contributed the most.

"This is just the beginning!" Wen Youyi encouraged. "We must achieve mass production quickly so that every Core Member is equipped!"

Next, the Research Hall began to fully tackle the standardization and mass production process of the "personal node." Although the conditions were rudimentary, production efficiency slowly improved with everyone's concerted efforts.

At the same time, the improvement of individual strength was also accelerating.

Within the relatively safe "Temporary Ark Domain," aided by source crystal and some special resources collected in the Black Swamp, the Cultivation levels of the core members grew steadily.

Zhao Iron Pillar was the first to Break through, officially stepping into the Qi Refining Seventh Layer! His strength surged again, and wielding the Profound Iron Heavy Sword was even more vigorous. Wang Wu and Senior Brother Li also reached the Peak of the Qi Refining Sixth Layer. Even several Disciples from the "Internal Testing Group" who had weaker Cultivation previously also made their Breakthroughs to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.

The overall strength of the entire team increased instead of decreasing during the dormancy!

Wen Youyi himself was not idle. Besides guiding the technical direction and deciphering the source code, he spent most of his time Cultivating and deepening his understanding of Star Language. His Cultivation at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer had long been consolidated, and he was steadily moving toward the Seventh Layer. With his continuous refinement, Star Language could now transmit simple short phrases and complex commands, and its communication range and stability were greatly enhanced.

He even began to attempt using Star Language and "personal nodes" to achieve ultra-small-scale, more precise "Thought Impartation" or "data sharing," directly transmitting complex knowledge or insights to specific targets. This was undoubtedly a Sharp Weapon against the "Knowledge Blockade."

The peaceful and fulfilling days passed one by one, and the Black Swamp Outpost seemed truly isolated from the world.

However, the outside world was not calm.

Through the few Secret Informants Senior Brother Li had placed within the Sect, and the occasional brief communication with distant Co-frequency Persons using Star Language, Wen Youyi was still able to piece together some information about the outside world.

After the Dragon Fall Abyss incident, the Qingxuan Sect lost many Elite Disciples, suffered a great loss of Origin Qi, and temporarily ceased activities. But the entire Cultivation World seemed to have fallen into a strange "prosperity."

Various small "Ruins" and Immortal Caves appeared like bamboo shoots after rain everywhere. Although their scale was far inferior to Dragon Fall Abyss, they also attracted countless struggles. New Geniuses constantly emerged—some obtained Ancient Legacies, others encountered Miraculous Spirit Pills, and their Cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds. Friction and conflict between Sects also increased significantly... All of this fit the pattern of "catalyzing Heart Demons and manufacturing conflict." It was as if an invisible large hand was secretly manipulating things, making the entire "Ranch" more "active" to produce more "Nutrients."

The appetizer before the "Feast" seemed to have already begun.

"We must move faster!" Wen Youyi said to everyone, feeling the oppressive calm before the storm.

On this day, he was deep inside the Rock Cave attempting the "Thought Impartation" experiment when suddenly, the star core fragment in his arms transmitted an extremely faint but strongly warning pulsation!

It did not come from a distant Co-frequency Person, but from... deep within the Black Swamp, close at hand!

At the same time, Zhao Iron Pillar, who was responsible for the Perimeter Alert, sent an urgent warning via Star Language:

[Boss! There's an anomaly deep in the swamp! Lots of Yao Beasts have gone crazy! They're rushing toward us! And... it seems like something else is mixed in!]

Wen Youyi stood up abruptly.

Had what was supposed to come, finally arrived?

"Everyone! Level One Combat Readiness! Activate the 'Distributed ark' Emergency Plan!" Wen Youyi's voice instantly reached the minds of every Core Member via Star Language.

The brief period of dormancy was over.

(End of Chapter)