73: Stirring up the situation

"Specific arrangements."

"Regarding Xuan Yun Sect: Candidate 157, possesses innate Basic Spiritual Qi Affinity and Basic Formation Perception.

Disguised as a hunter's son who lost both parents and wandered to Qinglan City. He 'accidentally' met a Xuan Yun Sect procurement Disciple on the outskirts and revealed a hint of sensitivity to Spiritual Qi fluctuations. He has already been noted and is expected to receive extra attention during selection."

"Regarding Divine Weapon Pavilion: Candidate 163, possesses innate Basic Mineral Identification and Basic Forging.

Arranged for him to have an ancestral piece of peculiar metallic Ore to pawn at the Divine Weapon Pavilion's county town pawnshop. This sparked a conversation and has already piqued the interest of an outer deacon of the pavilion."

"Regarding Wonderful Sound Valley: Candidate 171, possesses innate Basic Rhythm and Basic Herb Identification.

Disguised as an orphaned girl from a music house in a border town. Her talent in the zither was 'accidentally' discovered by a traveling female cultivator from Wonderful Sound Valley, who gave her a recommendation token."

"The other candidates each have their own arrangements, all entering the selection process in inconspicuous and logical ways," 4 reported in detail.

Lin Mo nodded. Infiltrate first, establish a foothold, and then acquire basic information and resources.

"Regarding the Prodigy Dao Discussion Meet, how is the infiltration of the Imperial Court coming along?"

"The Dao Discussion Meet is still nearly a year away.

Our plan is to first let several Death Warriors who are skilled in martial arts and have relatively clean backgrounds show their brilliance in local martial academies or arena matches over the next few months.

Once they accumulate a certain amount of fame, they will naturally obtain local recommendation qualifications.

Secondly, during the Dao Discussion Meet, we will use the pawns already infiltrated into the Sect or Imperial Court Systems to provide internal information, assisting our people in achieving better rankings or contacting specific target figures."

"Good. Watch the scale; do not cause excessive suspicion," Lin Mo approved. "How is the kindling plan?"

"The number of peripheral cultivators has increased to over 1,200, distributed across thirty-six towns, using small merchant associations, escort agencies, martial arts halls, and pharmacies as cover.

Cultivation progress is steady, and no signs of exposure have been found.

Eighty-seven individuals with better Heart-Nature and Aptitude have been secondary-screened from them to begin learning the basic chapter of the 'Hidden Acupoint Body Tempering Method' as potential core members."

Lin Mo looked at the growing numbers and spreading network on the light screen, a clearer blueprint gradually forming in his mind.

Total Death Warriors: 287, increasing daily.

Core cultivation group: 73 people, highest at the third layer of Qi Refinement.

Over a thousand peripheral cultivators, nearly a hundred potential core members.

The infiltration plan was about to start.

The tide cycle had been roughly mastered.

His own strength was at Foundation Establishment, and he held a Sharp Weapon.

"4, notify the Boundary-Breaking Research Group. On the premise of ensuring concealment, begin preliminary remote sensing detection and environmental data collection on those three weak points of the tide."

"The general selection is imminent. Perform a final check of all details to ensure nothing goes wrong. After entering the Sects, the primary task is to gain a foothold, adapt to the environment, and observe quietly.

Do not contact me unless necessary. I will provide vague guidance through the System network when it is safe."

"Notify the heads of each kindling plan node to accelerate the training of core members. I need a group of middle-level personnel capable of independently executing complex tasks and managing small outposts."

...The System interface flickered silently, and concise information appeared:

[System Prompt: Detected that the host's energy level has stably broken through the standard threshold of the Foundation Establishment Stage. Optimization module activated.]

[New/Optimized Functions:]

1. [Death Warrior Summoning · Targeted Screening (Elementary)]

During daily summoning, a trace amount of Mental Energy can be consumed to specify the basic skill bias category of the next Death Warrior (e.g., Reconnaissance, Research, Combat, Management, Technical).

Success Rate: 60%. If it fails, it returns to being completely random.

Note: Can only be specified once per day.

2. [Cultivation Feedback · Efficiency Boost]

New 'Specialized Insight' tag function: The host can temporarily designate a certain Cultivation Technique or skill as the focus. The corresponding insight feedback from relevant Death Warriors will receive a 10% extra bonus, lasting 24 hours.

Note: Only one item can be tagged per day.

3. [Resource Scanning · Deep Analysis (New)]

Simple 'Structural Deduction' or 'Energy Source Tracing' can be performed on scanned items, consuming the host's Mental Energy to obtain limited principle or source information.

Note: Deduction depth is limited by the item's complexity and the host's knowledge reserves.

[Prompt: Synchronization rate between host's Realm and System functions increased. Subsequent upgrades require meeting higher-level energy thresholds and specific conditions.]

Lin Mo scanned the information, understanding it in his heart.

The new 'Targeted Screening' and 'Specialized Insight' functions would allow him to build his power structure more precisely and accelerate Breakthroughs in specific fields.

"4, adjust the summoning strategy. Starting tomorrow, prioritize targeted Death Warriors with 'Research' and 'Management' skills."

Lin Mo issued new instructions via the voice network, "At the same time, tag the deduction of the subsequent chapters of the Basic Qi Cultivation Art as today's 'Specialized Insight' focus."

"Understood." 4's response was devoid of emotion.

The instructions were issued, and the vast network slightly adjusted its operating frequency... One month later, three hundred miles west of Qinglan City, at the Xuan Yun Sect's preliminary selection point—Cloud Mist Valley.

Outside the valley was a sea of people, with thousands of young boys and girls waiting in line, either nervous or expectant.

At the valley entrance stood a massive 'Spirit Appraising Mirror,' which could roughly detect Spiritual Root Aptitude and Spiritual Qi affinity.

A Xuan Yun Sect outer deacon presided over the event with several Disciples, their expressions indifferent.

In the crowd, a youth wearing washed-out coarse cloth clothes, with a dark face and slightly dull eyes, stood in the middle of the line. It was Death Warrior 157.

He tightly gripped a piece of hard, dry steamed bun in his hand, taking a bite every now and then. His gaze occasionally swept over the glowing mirror at the valley entrance, revealing a perfectly measured sense of awe and longing.

"Next!" the deacon Disciple shouted.

157 stepped forward and somewhat awkwardly pressed his hand onto the Spirit Appraising Mirror.

The mirror flickered with a faint light, revealing a few dim, almost indistinguishable earth-yellow threads of light, barely outlining a blurry, fragmented silhouette.

"Pseudo-Spiritual Root, mixed earth attribute, Spiritual Qi affinity... Grade D-Lower." The deacon Disciple glanced at the record book, his voice flat. "Unqualified. Next."

A few light sneers or sighs came from the surroundings. A Grade D-Lower Pseudo-Spiritual Root was almost at the very bottom of cultivation Aptitude, barely enough to even be a Utility Disciple.

Disappointment, confusion, and a hint of unwilling flashed across 157's face. His lips moved, but he said nothing, silently retreating to the side. With his head hung low, his figure looked exceptionally lonely in the noisy crowd.

All of this was witnessed by an Inner Sect Disciple of the Xuan Yun Sect responsible for patrolling, hidden on the mountainside in the distance.

He was precisely the procurement Disciple who had 'accidentally met' 157 on the outskirts of Qinglan City a few months ago.

He remembered this hunter youth's slight sensitivity to Spiritual Qi fluctuations. Although his Aptitude was ridiculously poor, that ignorant sense of perception was truly rare among Mortals.

The Inner Sect Disciple frowned and whispered a few words to an outer Sect manager beside him.