148: Beyond the Heavens, Operation Net

Jun Xiaoyao sat on the Cold Jade Seat in the core secret chamber of Beyond Heaven, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest while his gaze fell upon the water mirror floating before him. The mirror displayed The Net's recent operational reports, with dense cinnabar notes marking task completion statuses—the Qingzhou assassination mission "Night Owl" was finished, with the target's head submitted by the assassin Shadow Thirteen; the Mobei escort mission "Camel Bell" was over-completed, arriving thirty minutes ahead of schedule, led by the newly joined Thorn Seventeen of The Net.

"Zhao Gao." He spoke, his voice not loud, yet carrying a pressure that permeated the secret chamber.

From the shadows, Zhao Gao bowed and stepped out, his black robes sweeping across the floor silently. "Young Lord." In his hands, he held an Ebony Tray, upon which lay three Bronze Tokens respectively engraved with the characters "Net," "Web," and "Kill." The edges of the tokens glinted with a cold light; they were the highest authority credentials for Luowang Assassins.

"The three newly promoted Silver-level Assassins—how is their Aptitude?" Jun Xiaoyao's gaze did not leave the water mirror, which was currently flashing images of the Marshal of the Unruly inspecting a sub-branch of The Net. The Unruly, dressed in their signature black Python-patterned Robes with Bronze Masks covering their faces, were using a Bone Whip to lash a derelict assassin. The fierce wind whipped up by the tip of the lash caused everyone around to bow their heads.

Zhao Gao flipped open the ledger he carried, his fingertips sliding across the paper. "Shadow Thirteen excels in concealment. He lay in wait outside Qingzhou City for three days and took the enemy general's head from among ten thousand soldiers; his Realm has reached the Late Grandmaster Realm. Thorn Seventeen is proficient in disguise and can mimic a target's speech and behavior; he is at the Innate Peak Realm. During this Mobei mission, he disguised himself as a merchant caravan manager, and even the personal guards surrounding the target failed to notice. Hook Nine is skilled with chain hooks and can snatch objects within ten zhang; he is at the Grandmaster Initial Stage. He has just returned from the Western Regions after completing the 'Scorpion Tail' mission, bringing back a secret letter from the Shatuo Tribe."

Only then did Jun Xiaoyao look up at the tokens on the tray. "Give them the silver-level authority." He paused and added, "Tell them that the doors of Beyond Heaven only open for those who can grasp their own destiny."

Zhao Gao acknowledged, placed the tokens into a brocade box, and handed over a dossier. "This is the new batch of summoning candidates selected by the Marshal of the Unruly. They are all experts in assassination and tracking from the Wuxia world, with Realms ranging from a minimum of Grandmaster to a maximum of Early Celestial Being Realm."

The cover of the dossier was embossed with gold patterns. Upon opening the first page, there was a portrait of Li Xunhuan, 'Little Li's Flying Dagger' from 'sentimental swordsman, ruthless sword.' The man in the painting was dressed in plain clothes, holding a wine gourd, his eyes lonely yet harboring a sharp edge. Below, his Realm was noted: Early Celestial Being Realm; Martial Skill: 'Little Li's Flying Dagger' (never misses); additional item: 'Golden Silk Armor.'

"Li Xunhuan..." Jun Xiaoyao's fingertip lingered on the portrait for a moment. "Can his Flying Dagger break through the Protective Aura of the Heavenly Human Realm?"

"The Marshal of the Unruly has deduced this," Zhao Gao said. "If he concentrates his essence, Qi, and spirit into a single throw, he can break the Protective Aura of the Peak Grandmaster Realm, and has a seventy percent certainty against the Early Celestial Being Realm. Furthermore, this man values friendship and loyalty; though he seems dissolute, he has his own bottom line, making him suitable for the core of The Net."

Jun Xiaoyao nodded and tapped his finger on the dossier. "Summon."

[System Prompt: Consuming 3000 Summoning Points, beginning connection to the world of 'sentimental swordsman, ruthless sword'... Energy synchronization in progress...]

The summoning array in the center of the secret chamber suddenly lit up, pale gold runes flowing like water and converging into a pillar of light at the eye of the array. Within the light, a Flying Dagger first shot out through the air, pinning itself into the opposite stone wall, its hilt still vibrating slightly. Then, a figure slowly materialized—green robes, cloth boots, holding a wine gourd; it was indeed Li Xunhuan.

He stumbled slightly upon landing as if he had just been drinking. He looked up at Jun Xiaoyao, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes before turning into calm. "Are you the one who summoned me, Your Excellency?"

"Young Master of Tianwaitian, Jun Xiaoyao." Jun Xiaoyao raised his hand, signaling Zhao Gao to present the Silver-level Token of The Net. "Join The Net, and you shall have an endless supply of fine wine, and you may leave at any time, provided you complete the tasks you accept."

Li Xunhuan took the token, his fingertips tracing the character for "Kill" upon it. He suddenly laughed, a laugh containing three parts self-deprecation and seven parts relief. "When the blade is in the Jianghu, one's life is not one's own. It is fine to have a different place to drink." He tilted his head back and drained the wine in his gourd. "From this day forward, Li Xunhuan is at the Young Lord's disposal."

[Character Panel Recorded:

Name: Li Xunhuan

Origin World: 'sentimental swordsman, ruthless sword'

Realm: Early Celestial Being Realm

Martial Skill: Little Li's Flying Dagger (Never misses; requires spiritual lock on the target)

Additional Items: Wine Gourd (contains thousand-year snow lotus brew), Golden Silk Armor (can block a full-strength strike from the Grandmaster Realm)

Loyalty: 90% (To be increased)]

Jun Xiaoyao watched the image in the water mirror of the Marshal of the Unruly training new assassins, then glanced at Li Xunhuan playing with a Flying Dagger beside him, a faint smile curling his lips. With Little Li's Flying Dagger in The Net, assassination efficiency would increase by at least thirty percent, and the hidden power of Beyond Heaven had gained another trump card.

"Zhao Gao," he said suddenly, "have the Marshal of the Unruly hand over the 'Shadow Department' of The Net to Li Xunhuan's management." The Shadow Department was the most mysterious branch of The Net, responsible for tracking defectors and scouting Holy Land intelligence; it had previously been managed personally by the Marshal of the Unruly.

Zhao Gao was slightly stunned but then bowed. "Yes." He knew the Young Lord wanted Li Xunhuan to integrate into the core as quickly as possible; after all, a combat power at the Celestial Being Realm was enough to become a pillar of Beyond Heaven.

Hearing this, Li Xunhuan looked up at Jun Xiaoyao with a bit more seriousness in his eyes. "I will handle the affairs of the Shadow Department well. But there is one thing—if a mission involves the innocent, I will not act."

"Beyond Heaven does not kill the innocent," Jun Xiaoyao said indifferently. "What we fight for are resources, not indiscriminate slaughter."

Li Xunhuan nodded, tucked his Flying Dagger into his sleeve, and turned to follow Zhao Gao to familiarize himself with the Shadow Department's affairs. His footsteps grew distant, yet the Flying Dagger on the stone wall continued to vibrate, as if announcing that Beyond Heaven had added another fierce general.

Jun Xiaoyao looked back at the water mirror. The image switched to the Western Regions—the Gold-level Assassin of The Net, Hook Nine, was using his chain hooks to entangle a Holy Land traitor. That traitor was at the Late Grandmaster Realm yet was pinned immobile by the chain hooks, able only to roar and curse. Further away, the figure of the Marshal of the Unruly stood upon a sand dune, his Bronze Mask reflecting the scorching sun, his gaze sweeping over The Net's team with unquestionable majesty.

He picked up another token engraved with the character "Heaven," the credential for core members of Beyond Heaven. Currently, the only ones holding this token were the Marshal of the Unruly and Zhao Gao. But he knew that before long, Li Xunhuan's name would also be carved upon it.

The light of the summoning array had not yet fully dissipated when the next page of the dossier, featuring the portrait of Moon Invitation, the Palace Master of Yihua, began to emit a faint glow. Her Realm was marked as "Middle Celestial Being Realm." Jun Xiaoyao's fingertip hovered over the portrait; after a moment of deliberation, he ultimately turned the page. Beyond Heaven needed to develop steadily; summoning high-Realm characters too early might instead trigger the vigilance of the various Holy Lands.

The secret chamber fell back into silence, with only the shouts of Luowang Assassins training coming from the water mirror, along with Li Xunhuan's occasional coughing (caused by his chronic illness). Jun Xiaoyao closed his eyes, sketching the territory of Beyond Heaven in his mind: The Net was the exposed blade responsible for overt competition; the summoned Wuxia powerhouses were the hidden chess pieces to turn the tide at critical moments; and he himself only needed to sit upon this Cold Jade Seat, watching as The Net slowly wove into a giant web covering the continent, bringing all resources and powers under the control of Beyond Heaven.

He never took the initiative to provoke trouble, but if anyone dared to touch the interests of Beyond Heaven—be it an Imperial Dynasty, a Great Family, or a Holy Land—he wouldn't mind letting them taste the power of Little Li's Flying Dagger, the sting of the Marshal of the Unruly's Bone Whip, and the fury of a thousand assassins from The Net.

As the night deepened, the light of the summoning array completely extinguished, leaving only that Flying Dagger on the stone wall, glinting with a cold light under the moon, much like the hidden gaze of Beyond Heaven watching from the dark.