342: Xia Ying

Jun Xiaoyao tapped his fingertips lightly on the cold jade table, where three mission lists from the black market were spread out, the ink still glistening with wetness.

The one on top was marked "Urgent" in cinnabar, with the client being the Prince of Zhenbei from the Northern Territory.

The target was to intercept the "mysterious ice jade" being transported by the Southern Chu Dynasty to the Western Regions—it was said that this item could nourish the spiritual power of those at the Grandmaster Realm and above, making it crucial for the several Great Grandmasters currently Cultivating in Beyond Heaven.

"Zhao Gao." He did not even lift his head, his voice as flat as if it had been quenched in ice.

From the shadows, Zhao Gao bowed and stepped out, his black robes almost merging with the dark corners of the underground palace.

He held The Net's latest action report, his fingertips pausing on the line "mysterious ice jade transport route": "Young Lord, Southern Chu has dispatched the 'Iron Armored Guards' for escort, led by Commander Wei, who is at the Innate Realm. It is said his 'Iron Shirt' technique has been trained to the point where it is impenetrable to blades and spears."

Jun Xiaoyao finally raised his eyes, his pupils reflecting the image of the Iron Armored Guards training within the water mirror.

Those guards wore dark iron armor, and every punch they threw carried a dull sound of breaking through the air, clearly marking them as the elite of the Southern Chu Imperial Family.

But what he noticed was the flank of the formation—three seemingly ordinary carriages, their wheels sunk deep into the mud, at least thirty percent heavier than the other vehicles; the mysterious ice jade must surely be inside.

"Is there any news from the Marshal of the Unruly?"

"The Marshal of the Unruly has already led ten 'Heaven' grade assassins to infiltrate the Southern Chu border," Zhao Gao handed over a communication jade talisman, the talisman's light flickering with the Marshal of the Unruly's unique mark, "He says to strike on the night of the full moon in three days, using 'Bone Rotting Powder' to first break the Iron Armored Guards' defense, then have The Net's 'Shadow' unit seize the goods, with the 'Kill' unit covering the rear."

Jun Xiaoyao tapped his fingertips on the jade talisman, the light reflecting off his expressionless side profile: "Bone Rotting Powder is effective against the internal energy of those at the Innate Realm, but Commander Wei's Iron Shirt has spiritual power reinforcement, so it may not work. Tell the Marshal of the Unruly to bring two 'Storm Pear Blossom Needles' and aim specifically for the joints—there are always gaps in the joints of the Iron Armored Guards' armor, which is their fatal weakness."

Just as Zhao Gao was about to respond, the summoning array in the center of the underground palace suddenly lit up with a faint glow.

Due to the dozen or so missions The Net had completed recently, the spiritual power at the array's core had quietly risen to 60%, and as the runes flowed, it spontaneously triggered the summoning mechanism.

[System Prompt: Sufficient resources and mission completion detected, triggering random summoning.]

[Candidate: Fu Hongxue]

[From: "Bright Moon Blade of the Horizon" world]

[Realm: Grandmaster Realm Early Stage]

[Martial Skill: "Bright Moon Blade of the Horizon" saber technique (Perfection), "Extinction Cross Saber" (Major Achievement)]

[Trait: Skilled in fighting in the dark of night, with a sensitivity to aura far exceeding ordinary people; even enemies hidden behind spiritual power fluctuations can be detected.]

[Loyalty: 80%]

The light of the summoning array grew brighter and brighter, and dark red Saber Qi gushed out from the array's core, carving deep ravines into the ground.

A figure dressed in black slowly condensed, the scabbard at his waist simple and unadorned, yet exuding a heart-palpitating chill.

His frame was thin, his left leg slightly lame, and he landed with an imperceptible stumble, but if one looked closely, they would see his right hand gripping his saber was as steady as a rock, the knuckles pale from years of gripping the saber.

"Fu Hongxue." Jun Xiaoyao looked at the newcomer, his panel information simultaneously appearing in the water mirror, "You have come."

Fu Hongxue had no superfluous pleasantries, merely kneeling on one knee, his left hand pressing on the saber hilt: "This subordinate greets the Young Lord."

His voice was as hoarse as if it had been ground by sandpaper, yet it carried unquestionable loyalty—the absolute obedience bestowed by the System had long been carved into his marrow.

Jun Xiaoyao pushed the mission briefing for the mysterious ice jade toward him: "In three days, intercept the Southern Chu's mysterious ice jade. Can your saber break through the joints of the Iron Armored Guards?"

The moment Fu Hongxue drew his saber, the saber light flashed and vanished like moonlight, so fast that one could not see the movement clearly.

Once the saber returned to its sheath, he slowly said: "My saber can break through things harder than iron armor."

These words were spoken plainly, yet they made Zhao Gao click his tongue in secret from the side.

He had seen the Iron Armored Guards' armor with his own eyes; it could withstand even a Great Grandmaster's fist force for a moment. How could Fu Hongxue, a mere Grandmaster Realm Early Stage, have such confidence?

Jun Xiaoyao seemed to have anticipated this, saying to Fu Hongxue: "Southern Chu's Iron Armored Guards have a habit of coating their joints with a layer of anti-slip grease, which will cause Saber Qi to slide off. Use the second stance of the 'Extinction Cross Saber', 'Jade Splitting', to slash diagonally at the joints; the grease will cause their armor to misalign on its own."

A flash of surprise crossed Fu Hongxue's eyes, then he nodded: "This subordinate understands."

The light of the summoning array had not yet fully dispersed when another rune suddenly lit up—it was actually a continuous summoning!

[System Prompt: Detected that Fu Hongxue's loyalty has triggered a linkage effect, summoning an additional character.]

[Character: Ye Kai]

[From: "Bright Moon Blade of the Horizon" world]

[Realm: Grandmaster Realm Middle Stage]

[Martial Skill: "Little Lis Flying Dagger" (Perfection), "Flowing Cloud Flying Sleeve" (Major Achievement)]

[Trait: Skilled in tracking and layout, Flying Daggers never miss, capable of taking an enemy general's head amidst an army of thousands.]

[Loyalty: 85%]

A fallen leaf floated in the array, and Ye Kai landed on the tip of the leaf, his white clothes whiter than snow, a wine gourd tucked at his waist, a carefree smile hanging on his face: "Looks like I'm late? But how could I be missing from something like intercepting goods?"

He looked at Fu Hongxue, his eyes filled with familiar teasing, "Hongxue, don't be like last time, smashing the cargo box with one saber strike; if the mysterious ice jade breaks, the Young Lord will be heartbroken."

Fu Hongxue glanced at him coldly and said nothing, but his hand gripping the saber relaxed by half—evidently, these two had already known each other in their original world.

Jun Xiaoyao was not surprised by this unexpected delight; although the System's random summoning had no pattern, it always managed to send the most suitable people at critical moments.

He said to Ye Kai: "You are responsible for clearing the tail. After the Iron Armored Guards are routed, there will be Southern Chu scouts following; your Flying Daggers are just right for dealing with them. Remember, only wound, do not kill; leave live captives for The Net's 'Punishment' unit to interrogate. I want to know about the Southern Chu Imperial Family's recent resource allocation."

"No problem!" Ye Kai readily agreed, unscrewing his wine gourd and taking a big gulp, "But Young Lord, after the matter is done, you must let me taste the good wine of Beyond Heaven; you can't have me trading Flying Daggers for plain water to drink, right?"

"There is thirty-year-old 'Drunken Flowing Clouds' in the storehouse; once the mysterious ice jade is intercepted, you may drink as much as you like." Jun Xiaoyao's tone remained flat, yet it carried an unquestionable promise.

Zhao Gao quickly recorded the mission assignment on the side: The Marshal of the Unruly leads the team to seize the goods, Fu Hongxue breaks the armor, Ye Kai clears the tail, the "Shadow" unit is responsible for transport, the "Kill" unit intercepts pursuers... the entire plan was interlinked, with even the most minute details considered.

He couldn't help but look up at Jun Xiaoyao. This Young Lord never appeared in person, yet he could always arrange everything flawlessly from behind the scenes.

Just like the last time they intercepted the "dragon blood grass" of Western Qin; it was clearly The Net that took action, yet they made the people of Jianghu think it was an internal conflict staged by the Southern Chu Imperial Family, while Beyond Heaven secretly refined the dragon blood grass into Medicinal Pills to increase power, allowing the three Grandmaster Realm subordinates under his command to advance further.

"Oh, right, Young Lord," Zhao Gao suddenly remembered something, "The Prince of Zhennan of Southern Chu has secretly contacted us, saying he is willing to pay double the price for us to 'let' the mysterious ice jade go to him. He also said he is willing to share thirty percent of Southern Chu's salt trade rights with us."

Jun Xiaoyao picked up the secret letter from the Prince of Zhennan and burned it without even looking at it. The flames licked the letter paper, swallowing the words "salt trade rights" completely.

"Tell him, the things Beyond Heaven wants are never up for trade." He looked at the mysterious ice jade being loaded into the carriage in the water mirror, his eyes without a ripple of emotion, "If he wants it, let him come and snatch it himself. But he must remember, snatching things from Beyond Heaven comes with a price."

Fu Hongxue's saber vibrated gently in its sheath, as if responding to the chill in those words.

Ye Kai shook his wine gourd and added with a smile: "I guess the Prince of Zhennan doesn't know that the person he sent to deliver the message is already in The Net's prison—that guy had a tracking talisman hidden on him and thought we couldn't tell."

Jun Xiaoyao did not respond further, simply casting his gaze back toward the summoning array.

The spiritual power at the array's core still had 30% remaining, enough to support the next summoning. But he was not in a hurry; resource contention was inherently a protracted war, and like Fu Hongxue's saber and Ye Kai's Flying Dagger, they all needed time to be honed sharper.

Zhao Gao looked at the Young Lord's profile and suddenly understood why The Net's assassins were all in awe of this Young Lord behind the scenes—he never took action himself, yet he was more chilling than the sharpest blade; he never meddled in idle affairs, yet he could always place his pieces like a god on the chessboard of resource contention, allowing Beyond Heaven to grow like a rolling snowball.

On the night of the full moon three days later, in the dense forest on the Southern Chu border, the screams of the Iron Armored Guards and the flash of saber light erupted simultaneously.

Fu Hongxue's saber slashed precisely at the joints of the armor, while Ye Kai's Flying Daggers seemed to have grown eyes, shooting down the tracking talismans of the scouts one by one.

The Marshal of the Unruly stood on the roof of the carriage, watching the "Shadow" unit load the mysterious ice jade onto the carriage, a cold sneer curving his lips.

And deep in the underground palace, Jun Xiaoyao was listening to Zhao Gao's real-time report, his fingertips toying with a fragment cut from the mysterious ice jade.

The fragment was ice-cold, reflecting the calculations deep in his eyes—this mysterious ice jade was perfect for nourishing the Flying Dagger of Li Xunhuan, who had just achieved a Breakthrough to the Grandmaster Realm. As for the fury of the Southern Chu Imperial Family? It was merely another whetstone on the path of Beyond Heaven's growth.

The Net's actions never required hesitation, and Beyond Heaven's expansion needed no soft hands.

On this continent where resources were king, all Jun Xiaoyao had to do was sit quietly behind the scenes, watching the summoned experts fight for every bit of profit that belonged to Beyond Heaven.

After all, he never stirred up trouble, but whoever blocked the path of Beyond Heaven would never be spared from the wrath of thunder.