158: point

Time passed quietly in the busyness, and in the blink of an eye, the "ark" team had been stationed in this Rule Silence Zone for nearly a month.

In this month, the changes were immense.

The originally somewhat battered shell of the "ark" was now covered with a layer of dark metal plates shimmering with starlight; this was armor meticulously forged from "star iron," inscribed with reinforcement runes that Senior Brother Zhang and the others had cobbled together by combining ancient knowledge with existing Formations.

Although it still looked a bit "patched," its defensive power was no longer what it used to be.

Zhao Iron Pillar had gotten his wish and obtained a brand-new, heavy Xuan iron sword infused with a large amount of "star iron."

The blade was thick, and when swung, it carried a dull sound of wind and thunder; he loved it so much that he hugged it to wipe it every day, wishing he could even cuddle it while sleeping.

The functions of those "little broom" Puppets that had been "reflashed" were also further developed.

Besides cleaning, they could now follow simple instructions to conduct basic patrols and transport Materials, greatly freeing up human labor.

The most important achievement, however, came from the Breakthrough in the core technology of the "Star Network."

Under Wen Youyi's near "pestering" communication, the Altar Star Core (privately referred to by Wen Youyi as "Brother Core") finally became more "cooperative."

It could not only provide energy more stably but also, according to the "encryption protocol" set by Wen Youyi, perfectly disguise its own fluctuations as harmless background radiation.

Senior Brother Zhang, Ying, and the others successfully built the prototype of the "Star Network"—a stable and covert internal communication and energy coordination network covering the entire Shelter and the surrounding small area.

Although the range was still small, the latency was extremely low, and the confidentiality was extremely high, far exceeding the previous "Mind Net."

"Phase one goal, basically achieved!" Wen Youyi looked at the Shelter, which was running more smoothly and had significantly improved energy utilization under the new network, a look of gratification on his face like an old farmer seeing his crops growing well.

"Next is to find and establish the first sub-node!" He cast his gaze toward the dim light spots on the Star Map fragments, "We need to extend the network and connect more 'Star Sparks'."

However, finding a suitable sub-node was not easy.

It needed to meet several conditions: the location must be relatively safe and hidden, possess a certain independent energy source (at least enough to support the node's operation), and most importantly, have a trustworthy "Star Spark" capable of guarding the node stationed there.

Through Wang Wu's continuous intelligence gathering and the vague sensing of the "star chain," they filtered out several potential targets.

One of them caught Wen Youyi's special attention.

That was a small gathering place for Loose Cultivators called "Liuyun Market," located on the edge of the Qinglan Mountain Range, a lawless zone.

According to news transmitted back by a "Star Spark" that had been awakened and was lurking nearby, a strange phenomenon had recently appeared there: a peculiar incantation that was said to be able to "calm the mind and assist Cultivation" had begun to circulate in the market.

Those who recited this incantation did indeed feel their minds calm down in the short term, and their Cultivation speed seemed to be a little faster, but over time, their personalities would become somewhat... numb and submissive.

"Calm the mind? Assist Cultivation?" Wen Youyi sneered, "This smells too strong; it's definitely a variant of the 'Heart Demon Harvesting System'! Using trace amounts of Mental Energy suggestion and energy feedback as bait, boiling the frog in warm water, letting people give up resistance unknowingly, and turning them into qualified 'zombies' (controlled computers)!"

"And choosing to do a pilot test in such a chaotic Loose Cultivator market to avoid attracting the attention of large Sects, what a clever plan!"

Senior Brother Zhang pushed up his glasses: "It seems the 'Creation Heavenly Court' is also constantly optimizing their 'harvesting algorithms' to increase 'user stickiness'."

"Perfect!" A flash of cunning crossed Wen Youyi's eyes, "Don't they like 'fishing'? This time, let's give them a taste of 'fishing' enforcement!"

The plan was quickly formulated.

Wen Youyi would lead the team himself to "Liuyun Market" to clear out this tumor on one hand, and on the other, to investigate whether it met the conditions for establishing the first "Star Network" sub-node.

Accompanying him were Zhao Iron Pillar (the new weapon needed to be consecrated), Wang Wu (responsible for intelligence and coordination), and Ying (responsible for technical support and node setup assessment).

The "ark" would be left in the care of Senior Brother Zhang and the remaining "Purifiers."

A few days later, Wen Youyi and the other three, disguised as ordinary Loose Cultivators, blended into the bustling "Liuyun Market."

The market was not large, the buildings were chaotic, and the air was filled with various medicinal herbs, Ores, and... a faint, strange sandalwood scent that made people feel relaxed.

On the streets, one could see some Cultivators with slightly hollow eyes, silently reciting something.

"That's the smell and fluctuation." Ying frowned slightly and sent a message through the encrypted "Star Network" channel, [Very covert mental induction, mixed with some trace amounts of Spiritual Qi feedback; long-term exposure will indeed erode one's own will.]

[Find the source.] Wen Youyi ordered briefly.

The four dispersed like water droplets merging into the sea.

Wen Youyi seemed to be browsing the stalls casually, but in reality, his Mental Energy was like invisible tentacles, carefully sensing the source of the mental fluctuations.

Zhao Iron Pillar, acting like a truly rough and bold man, loudly bargained in front of several stalls selling Artifact Refining Materials, attracting the attention of customers.

Soon, news came from Wang Wu: [Target locked! In the northwest corner of the market, there is a newly opened small shop called 'Quiet Heart Studio' that only sells one kind of 'Soul Soothing Incense'; the smell and the fluctuation are exactly the same! The shopkeeper is an old man who looks very kind, his Cultivation is unfathomable, at least Late Stage Qi Refining.]

[Received. Proceed according to plan.]

Wen Youyi gave Zhao Iron Pillar a look.

Zhao Iron Pillar understood and swayed toward the "Quiet Heart Studio."

"Boss, how do you sell this incense?" Zhao Iron Pillar's voice was loud.

Inside the shop, an old man wearing a simple grey robe with a kind face looked up and said with a smile: "Fellow Daoist, greetings. My shop's 'Soul Soothing Incense' is ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones per stick; the effect will satisfy you."

"So expensive?" Zhao Iron Pillar widened his eyes, "Robbery! Let me see what kind of stuff is so magical!" As he spoke, he carelessly reached out to grab the sample incense placed on the counter.

Just as his fingers were about to touch the incense, a sudden change occurred!

A fierce glint flashed in the kind old man's eyes, and a powerful mental shock, like an invisible thorn, suddenly struck Zhao Iron Pillar's Sea of Consciousness!

At the same time, he flicked his sleeve, and a black light shot straight at Zhao Iron Pillar's chest!

This was not a shopkeeper selling incense at all! This was an ambushing assassin!

"I've been waiting for you!" Zhao Iron Pillar was not surprised but grinned, and his heavy sword, which had been ready for a long time, swept up with a yellow-brown light!

"Clang!"

The black light was knocked away by the heavy sword; it turned out to be a poisoned short shuttle!

And that mental shock, when it touched Zhao Iron Pillar's Sea of Consciousness, which had been secretly strengthened by starlight, was like a clay ox entering the sea, only making him shake his head.

"Hey, didn't you eat?" Zhao Iron Pillar mocked.

The "old man's" expression changed; obviously, he hadn't expected this seemingly reckless man to be so difficult to deal with.

He retreated violently, intending to escape.

"Don't leave now that you're here!"

Wen Youyi and Wang Wu, who had been lurking around, attacked at the same time!

Wen Youyi waved his hand to set up the "Star Evolution Five Elements Domain," and although the range was not large, it instantly made the space around the small shop viscous and sluggish!

Wang Wu threw out several Talismans, blocking the escape routes in all directions!

Ying silently sneaked into the shop and quickly checked it.

The "old man" was stagnant within the Domain, a look of horror on his face.

He still wanted to struggle, but Zhao Iron Pillar caught up in one step, and the heavy sword smashed down with the force of a thousand jun!

"Bang!"

The protective spiritual light shattered, and the "old man" was directly smashed into the ground, vomiting blood and fainting.

The battle started fast and ended even faster.

The surrounding Loose Cultivators hadn't even reacted before everything was settled.

[Found it!] Ying's voice came, [There is a secret room under the shop, and inside is a small Formation core that is continuously emitting that kind of mental fluctuation! And records... they are recording the reaction data of all Cultivators who bought and used 'Soul Soothing Incense'!]

Wen Youyi walked into the secret room, looking at the Formation that was running continuously and covered with strange runes, his eyes cold.

"It really is 'fishing' enforcement, but we are the ones enforcing the law on you!"

He reached out and pressed on the Formation core, and the Star Core Power poured in.

"Give me... format!"

Hum!

The Formation core flashed wildly, the runes on it quickly dimmed, disintegrated, and finally extinguished completely.

The strange sandalwood scent and mental fluctuations that permeated the market also dissipated.

Many Cultivators with numb eyes looked around blankly, as if waking from a big dream; some even had splitting headaches due to the sudden interruption of the mental suggestion.

Wen Youyi ignored the commotion outside; he carefully sensed this secret room.

The location was hidden, and... he felt a faint but stable Spiritual Qi of the earth vein underground.

"The location is okay, there is an independent energy source... after clearing the threat, it is a good place to establish a node." He looked at Ying, "Can you set up a small relay station here?"

After careful inspection, Ying nodded: "The Spiritual Qi of the earth vein can be drawn out as a basic energy source. Setting up a small-scale concealment and defensive Formation, and then setting up a low-power signal relay, is theoretically feasible. It will take some time."

"Good! Senior Brother Wang, you are responsible for soothing the outside and cleaning up the traces. Iron Pillar, be on alert. Ying, start setting up the node!"

A light shone in Wen Youyi's eyes.

The first sub-node of the "Star Network" was about to quietly take root in the place where the enemy had once set a trap!