245: Rumors and the "Pure Spirit" Test

Within the Qingxuan Sect, an undercurrent began to quietly surge.

At first, it was just in corners where some Disciples chatted privately, with people whispering complaints: 'I heard Elder Heisha moved all the Star Dust that had been accumulated in the warehouse for a hundred years. That is a core Material for refining high-grade Flying Swords...'

More than just Star Dust! I have a distant cousin who works in the General Affairs Hall who said that in the last few months, the amount of Spirit Stones sent to the Discipline Hall warehouse has been more than thirty percent higher than before!

What exactly are they trying to do? Didn't they say Falling Star Lake is unstable and forbid Disciples from approaching? Why are they investing so many resources there instead?

These discussions were like water droplets, insignificant at first. But as time passed, the droplets began to converge.

Tell me, is Elder Heisha going to such great lengths really for the Sect? Why do I feel... like he's preparing for something?

Shh! Watch your tongue! Do you have a death wish?

What are you afraid of? Who in the Sect isn't discussing this privately now? Danxia Peak has been purged, the Sword Pavilion has been silenced, and the resources are all controlled by his Discipline Hall... Is this Qingxuan Sect still our Qingxuan Sect?

Voices of doubt spread quietly like a wildfire beneath a repressed haystack. Although no one dared to openly accuse, that feeling of dissatisfaction and suspicion grew and fermented in the hearts of many ordinary Disciples and low-to-mid-level stewards.

This was naturally the effect of Mo Chen's carefully planned 'throwing a stone to ask the way.' Through several absolutely reliable and hidden channels, he cleverly spread some processed, half-true information. These pieces of information did not point to the truth of the 'spirit net,' but rather focused on topics that were easier to resonate with, such as Heisha abusing his power, encroaching on Sect resources, and eliminating dissent.

The effect was surprisingly good.

'Spark' base, intelligence analysis room.

The rumors are spreading faster than we expected. Wang Wu looked at the summarized information, a hint of excitement on his face. It seems that there are far more people dissatisfied with Heisha than we imagined!

This is a good thing. Wen Youyi nodded. This shows that Heisha's high-pressure policy is unpopular, and it also shows that the Breakthrough point we chose is correct. However, rumors alone are not enough; we need to give them something... more tangible.

His gaze turned to Mu Wanqing.

Mu Wanqing understood and took out an exquisite jade bottle from her bosom. Inside were three Medicinal Pills, each the size of a dragon's eye and emitting a soft starlight—it was the more effective 'spirit purifying pill (Modified)'.

After this period of cultivation and optimization, the new batch of 'spirit purifying pill (Modified)' has more stable effects. It can continuously purify about fifteen percent of the 'spirit net' marked spiritual power in the body within twenty-four hours, and it has a stronger soothing effect on the mind. Mu Wanqing introduced. Most importantly, its medicinal properties are extremely subtle. After taking it, one will only feel that the operation of spiritual power is smoother, and the mind is calm, making it extremely difficult to detect any abnormalities.

Good! A flash of brilliance appeared in Wen Youyi's eyes. This is our next 'stepping stone'!

He looked at Mo Chen: Brother Mo Chen, select one or two targets who are the most cautious, have the strongest dissatisfaction with Heisha, and have a certain level of judgment. Find a way to 'accidentally' get this Medicinal Pill into their hands. No explanation is needed; let them experience it for themselves.

This was an extremely bold plan! Directly sending out Medicinal Pills that could weaken the influence of the 'spirit net' carried extremely high risks. Once exposed, the consequences would be unimaginable. But the rewards were equally huge! If the target person could keenly perceive the subtle changes brought about by the Medicinal Pill and consequently develop deeper doubts about the 'spirit net,' then they were very likely to transform from potential sympathizers into true 'comrades'!

Mo Chen took a deep breath and nodded solemnly: I understand! I will choose the most suitable candidates and methods to ensure nothing goes wrong!

A few days later, Qingxuan Sect, Sword Pavilion.

An Inner Sect Disciple named Han Feng returned to his residence after finishing his day of sword practice. He was an outstanding talent among the younger generation of the Sword Pavilion, with a straightforward temperament. He was quite dissatisfied with Elder Heisha's recent actions and had complained privately.

Just as he was preparing to meditate and regulate his breath, he suddenly discovered an ordinary jade bottle without any markings under his pillow. He vigilantly checked his surroundings, but there was nothing unusual. After hesitating for a moment, he opened the cork.

A faint, refreshing medicinal fragrance wafted out, and at the bottom of the bottle lay three Medicinal Pills he had never seen before, emitting a gentle starlight. The Medicinal Pills themselves had no spiritual power fluctuations and looked harmless.

This is... who put this here? Han Feng's heart was full of doubts. He carefully examined the Medicinal Pills, but with his shallow knowledge of Alchemy, he couldn't make heads or tails of it. Out of a Sword Cultivator's intuition and confidence in his own strength, he hesitated again and again, but finally carefully took one and swallowed it.

The Medicinal Pill entered his abdomen and turned into a gentle stream of warmth that dissipated. At first, there was no special feeling, but when he began to run his Cultivation Technique as usual, he was surprised to find that the faint sense of stagnation that usually existed had actually been reduced quite a bit! The spiritual power flowed more harmoniously and freely in his Meridians, and even his mind, which had been somewhat irritable due to the oppressive atmosphere of the Sect recently, had calmed down a lot.

This... Han Feng opened his eyes abruptly, his eyes full of shock and uncertainty. He introspected repeatedly, confirming that his total spiritual power had not increased, but the quality seemed... to have become purer? And this feeling of a calm mind was definitely not an illusion!

He picked up the remaining two Medicinal Pills and examined them carefully, his heart filled with shock. What kind of Medicinal Pill was this? Who sent it? What was the purpose?

He didn't dare to make a sound and carefully hid the jade bottle. But from then on, whenever he Cultivated and felt that smoother spiritual power and calm mind, his doubts about the current situation of the Sect, about the 'spirit net,' and about Heisha grew uncontrollably like vines.

A Seed of doubt had been quietly planted in a key position.

Almost at the same time, a young Alchemist in Danxia Peak, who was heavily suppressed because his Peak Master was imprisoned, also found an anonymous 'Ancient Book Fragment' in his Alchemy room, which recorded several ways to slightly optimize the quality of Medicinal Pills, but which slightly deviated from the mainstream 'spirit net' auxiliary Alchemy theory...

The tentacles of 'Spark,' like the most patient spider, began to weave a more secret and dangerous network of relationships within the Qingxuan Sect.

And all of this was still unknown to Heisha, who was busy making arrangements at Falling Star Lake.

(End of Chapter)