486: Chapter 486 Luring the Enemy into a Trap

[Another month passes by without you noticing.]

[You have already reached 'Qi Refining Perfection,' so you use the contribution points you've saved up over the year to exchange for a foundation establishment pill.]

[Tonight, you sit cross-legged inside your small wooden hut, preparing to 'Breakthrough' to Foundation Establishment.]

[You feign a Breakthrough, causing Spiritual Qi from all directions to surge toward you—the Spiritual Qi gathers thicker and thicker, forming a visible vortex above the wooden hut that slowly rotates.]

[Meanwhile, in a grove of trees ten miles away, three dark figures lie in wait deep within the shadows.]

[The three are dressed in black and masked, carrying Magical Artifacts that conceal their presence.]

[The person in the middle stares at the vortex of Spiritual Qi above the distant wooden hut and says in a low voice:]

["We've been watching for a month; it's finally started."]

["Big brother, shall we move?"]

["Act according to the plan."]

[With that, he waves his hand.]

[The three figures immediately dash out from the forest, turning into three streaks of light under the moonlight as they speed toward the small wooden hut and the spirit fields.]

[Two dark figures land in front of the wooden hut.]

[One of them flips his hand to sacrifice a Flying Sword, the blade emitting a cold, eerie glow.]

[He raises a finger and points; the Flying Sword pierces through the air, carrying a sharp whistling sound as it shoots straight through the wooden hut's wall and into the room!]

[Bang!]

[Wood splinters fly everywhere!]

[Immediately after, a rumbling hum echoes from inside the room. The entire wooden hut shakes violently a few times before collapsing with a crash, kicking up a cloud of dust.]

[The two stand outside the ruins, glancing at each other.]

[Under the moonlight, they can clearly see the joy and excitement in each other's eyes.]

[At the same time, the other dark figure lands at the edge of the spirit field.]

[He stares at the patch of golden spirit grain, raises his hand to form a seal, and mutters an incantation.]

["Fireball Technique!"]

[Hum!]

[A ball of Spiritual Qi ejects from his palm, rapidly expanding and condensing in mid-air. In an instant, it turns into a head-sized fireball, trailing a long tail of flame as it smashes down toward the spirit field!]

[However, a scene that leaves him astonished occurs.]

[The fireball, trailing its flame, smashes toward the spirit field, but the moment it is about to touch the spirit grain, it seems to hit an invisible wall.]

[Immediately after, the fireball jerks to a halt and then explodes outward, turning into a shower of sparks that extinguish in an instant.]

[He is stunned and rubs his eyes.]

["Impossible, right?"]

["Failed again?"]

["Sigh, my skills are truly lacking!"]

[He raises his hand to form a seal again, Spiritual Qi converging frantically as another fireball takes shape in his palm—]

[Bang!]

[A streak of light shoots in from the side, slamming hard into him.]

[He is sent flying sideways, rolling and tumbling across the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.]

[He scrambles up miserably and looks up. Under the moonlight, a face is smiling directly at him.]

[It's you.]

[That smile looks exceptionally eerie in the night, sending a chill down the back of his neck.]

["A mere Qi Refiner dares to cause trouble?"]

[These three are all Utility Disciples from other nearby peaks, with cultivation at Qi Refining Perfection. They were lured here by Zhao Lang using foundation establishment pills as bait—you already knew this.]

[Their goal was simple: launch a sneak attack while you were breaking through to Foundation Establishment to make you fail, then set fire to the spirit field so you would have zero harvest this year.]

[To a Handyman, the spirit field is their lifeblood.]

[No harvest means the mission cannot be completed.]

[Failure to complete the mission means no resources.]

[No resources means being trapped forever at the hurdle of being a Handyman.]

[The moment of breaking through to Foundation Establishment is the weakest link; once the Breakthrough fails, it will be difficult to establish a foundation in the future.]

[The three of them have also been stuck at Qi Refining Perfection for years; what they lack is a foundation establishment pill.]

[When Zhao Lang said he could give them three foundation establishment pills, they agreed without a second thought.]

[It must be said, Zhao Lang was truly willing to pay a heavy price.]

[At this moment, the two over by the wooden hut also hear the commotion and fly over.]

[The three stand side-by-side, staring at you nervously.]

[The leader is named Wang Yuan. He points at you, his voice trembling: "You... you... weren't you inside breaking through? How... how..."]

["I reached Foundation Establishment long ago." You smile. "That show just now was performed just for you."]

[You open your palm, and a shadow recording stone hovers in your hand.]

[Spiritual light is infused, and a clear image appears in mid-air—the three attacking the wooden hut and the fireball smashing toward the spirit field are all clearly visible.]

["Who sent you?" You look at them. "If you speak, I won't hand this over to the Sect. If you don't, you know the consequences yourselves."]

[The faces of the three turn pale instantly. They look at each other, none of them daring to speak.]

[You smile: "It's Zhao Lang, isn't it?"]

[The three shudder.]

["How about this," you put away the shadow recording stone, "you play along in a scene with me, and I'll give you one foundation establishment pill each. How about it?"]

["You still have foundation establishment pills?" Wang Yuan's eyes suddenly light up.]

[You open your palm, and three foundation establishment pills lie quietly in your hand, their medicinal fragrance faint but present.]

[These were the three you received as a reward from your tenth simulation; you didn't expect them to come in handy here.]

[Wang Yuan and the others stare at the three pills, their eyes glowing.]

[They have been in the Sect for over a decade. Every year their harvest was insufficient, every year they had no contribution points, and even the Spirit Stones and Medicinal Pills they were supposed to receive were embezzled.]

[Hearing that you exceeded your mission in your first year made them both envious and jealous.]

[So when Zhao Lang came to their door, the three agreed without a word.]

[In fact, you had long suspected that those Spirit-Devouring Rats might have been intentionally raised by the Sect.]

[Otherwise, with the Sect's capabilities, clearing them out would be a trivial matter.]

[Otherwise, if countless Utility Disciples could all complete their missions, wouldn't the amount of foundation establishment pills and Spirit Stones required each year be astronomical?]

[As for Zhao Lang making trouble for you, not only were you not annoyed, you were actually quite happy.]

[The more he schemes, the more opportunities you have to climb up.]

[If everyone followed the rules, you would be at a loss instead.]

["Big brother," one of the men beside him tugs on Wang Yuan's sleeve, "we still can't compete with Zhao Lang right now..."]

[You take over: "You all have True Spiritual Roots. If you take these foundation establishment pills, there's a good chance you can Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment. Once you leave the Handyman ranks and become Outer Sect Disciples, would you still fear Zhao Lang?"]

[Wang Yuan gritted his teeth, his expression struggling.]

[You don't rush them, just watching them.]

[You have the shadow recording stone, but Zhao Lang could easily counter-accuse you, saying the four of you conspired to put on a show.]

[There must be evidence of his contact with Wang Yuan for the chain of evidence to be complete.]

[After a long while, Wang Yuan nods fiercely: "Fine, let's do it!"]

[The other two look at the foundation establishment pills in your palm and also nod in silence.]

[You reactivate the shadow recording stone, having Wang Yuan recount exactly how Zhao Lang found them, how he instigated them, and what he promised, detail by detail.]

[After listening, you frown slightly.]

[There is still a lack of direct evidence of contact between Zhao Lang and Wang Yuan.]

[With just this, Zhao Lang could still deny it if reported.]

[You think for a moment and hand over the three foundation establishment pills: "Send someone to notify Zhao Lang. Say the deed is done and find a way to lure him here."]

[You pause and smile slightly: "And while you're at it, have him fulfill his promise and give you the three foundation establishment pills."]

[With that, you fire off another fireball, burning the pile of wooden hut ruins into ash.]