85: Mysterious Signals and the Arrival of the "Observer"

That intermittent thought was like a cold needle, pricking Wen Youyi's nerves.

"Co-frequency Person"? "Observer"?

These two terms kept circling in his mind. He was almost certain that the "Co-frequency Person" was a "lucky one" like him who had accidentally obtained a star core fragment (or something similar) and was also fighting against the "harvest" in their own way. This gave him a strange sense of comfort; it turned out he was not a lone traveler on this lonely road of resistance.

But the phrase "Observer has noticed" made his scalp tingle.

Yun Zhi's figure involuntarily surfaced in his mind—that peerless woman in white who initially had such a distant gaze. If an "Observer" truly existed and had already noticed his small movements, what did that mean? Did it mean that his previously thought-to-be hidden operations had long since fallen into the eyes of certain beings?

He hadn't even broken through the "firewall" yet, but he had already attracted the "network administrator"?

Wen Youyi forced himself to calm down and analyze carefully. If the "Observer" had discovered him long ago, why hadn't they acted directly? Was it because their authority was insufficient? Did they have other motives? Or... like Yun Zhi, was there some kind of hesitation within them?

There was too little information to judge. But one thing was certain: he had to prepare for the worst.

"Everyone," Wen Youyi gathered the core members together, his expression more serious than ever before, "we might have been targeted by 'people' from 'The Ones Above'."

He shared the mysterious thought message with everyone (omitting the parts that might be related to Yun Zhi), and everyone's faces turned grave.

"Damn! We just fixed a System bug, and now a real-life GM (Game Manager) is coming?" Zhao Iron Pillar blurted out. After hanging out with Wen Youyi for so long, he had also learned some strange vocabulary.

"GM?" Wang Wu and the others looked bewildered.

"It's... the person who manages this world," Wen Youyi explained briefly before continuing, "The situation is unclear, but we can't lose our cool. Right now, the most important thing is still to speed up our own development."

He quickly adjusted the plan:

"First, the construction of 'ark 1.0' and the 'Defense Tower' project are now the highest priority! Senior Brother Zhang, put all the Research Hall's manpower into it. We need to form a certain level of self-defense capability as soon as possible, even if it can only hold out for a while to buy us time to escape!"

"Second, the screening and training of 'closed beta players' begins immediately! Senior Brother Wang, Senior Brother Li, work with the Internal Affairs Hall to set strict standards—quality over quantity! We need like-minded comrades, not a disorganized rabble."

"Third, strengthen external intelligence gathering, especially regarding whether there are new Disciples or visitors in the Sect with special identities or abnormal behavior." He paused and added, "Specifically... those with a more transcendent temperament, who seem not to care much about anything."

He subconsciously thought of the distant feeling Yun Zhi had initially, looking down upon all living beings.

The group took their orders and immediately sprang into action. The entire Lijian Valley base was filled with a tense atmosphere of racing against time.

Meanwhile, at the main peak of the Qingxuan Sect, the Guest Welcoming Hall.

A brilliant streak of light came from beyond the heavens, landing silently on the square in front of the hall. As the light dissipated, it revealed a young man wearing a moon-white Daoist robe, with an ordinary face but an exceptionally clean and peaceful aura. A token made of neither metal nor jade hung at his waist, engraved with an ancient character for "Observe".

Elder Xuan Shi, who had been waiting there, stepped forward with several Inner Sect Elders, their attitude carrying a trace of imperceptible respect.

"Could it be the arrival of an envoy from the 'Heavenly Observation Pavilion'?" Elder Xuan Shi asked with cupped hands.

The young man smiled slightly, a gentle smile that nevertheless felt like it was behind an invisible membrane, lacking much warmth. "Greetings, Elder Xuan Shi. I am Mu Feng, a deacon of the Heavenly Observation Pavilion. By order of the Pavilion Master, I am touring various regions to record local customs and observe changes in the world's Qi. Passing through your esteemed land, I have come specifically to pay my respects. I hope you will forgive the intrusion."

His voice was calm and soothing, very pleasant to hear, but Elder Xuan Shi and the others did not dare to be the least bit negligent. The "Heavenly Observation Pavilion" was an extremely mysterious and transcendent power that rarely intervened in worldly disputes, but its foundation was unfathomably deep, and it was said to have some connection with the Upper Realm. Their envoys appeared occasionally, mostly like Mu Feng, under the pretext of "observation and recording," with elusive movements.

"Envoy Mu Feng is too polite. It is the honor of our Qingxuan Sect that you have graced us with your presence." Elder Xuan Shi hurriedly invited Mu Feng into the hall. "Please, Envoy, light tea has been prepared."

Mu Feng nodded with a smile, his gaze seemingly sweeping casually across the entire Qingxuan Sect. He paused for a fraction of a second particularly in the direction of the Outer Sect area and Lijian Valley, a very faint light like a data stream flashing deep in his eyes before returning to calm.

As he followed Elder Xuan Shi into the great hall, he thought to himself:

"Target Area: Qinglan Mountain Range, Qingxuan Sect. Anomaly Point: Lijian Valley (abnormal energy reaction, existence of low-level unregistered spirit net fluctuations); Disciple Wen Youyi (suspected of possessing a high-authority unknown carrier, previously sent abnormal System messages). Preliminary Assessment: Potential 'variable', risk Rank pending. Execution Plan: Close-range observation, data collection."

His arrival did not attract the attention of any ordinary Disciples; it was like a pebble thrown into a deep pool, causing only a small ripple at the highest level.

However, the moment Mu Feng stepped into the Guest Welcoming Hall, Wen Youyi, who was attempting to "charge" an "ark 1.0" node in Lijian Valley, suddenly felt an extremely subtle chill of warning from the star core fragment in his bosom.

This feeling was different from the throbbing of receiving an information stream; it was more like a sense of being peered at by an invisible gaze!

His movements paused, and he abruptly looked up toward the main peak of the Qingxuan Sect. Although he could see nothing, a strong intuition surged in his heart.

He's here!

That "Observer"... has already arrived!

And he's right here in the Qingxuan Sect!

He took a deep breath, suppressed the shock in his heart, and sent out the highest alert signal to all core members through the "Mind Net":

[Attention! A 'guest' has arrived! Everyone enter silent mode. Do not leave Lijian Valley unless necessary. Suspend all experiments that might cause energy anomalies! Repeat, enter silent mode!]

Lijian Valley, which had just gained some vitality due to the birth of "ark 1.0," instantly seemed as if a mute button had been pressed. All members restrained their aura, hiding carefully like crouching beasts.

Wen Youyi walked to the entrance of the cave, looking at the mist-shrouded main peak in the distance, his eyes sharp.

"Observer... Mu Feng?" he whispered to himself. From the news Senior Brother Li had just sent through a special channel, he knew the visitor's name.

"Then let me see what you, this 'Observer', actually want to observe."

A silent contest had quietly begun within this seemingly peaceful Sect.

(End of Chapter)