Escalating the Game

The blueprints in Ning Rongrong's room piled higher and higher, while various components and medicinal liquids marked with danger symbols were carefully sorted and stored away. Hu Liena's visit was like a thorn, driving her to focus even more deeply on researching unconventional forms of power.

Meanwhile, at the Old Martial Arts Training Ground in Spirit City, the Holy Son's Guard underwent another increase in training intensity. Yang Yu occasionally came in person. He did not instruct them on specific movements; he merely stood at the edge of the field and watched. Sometimes, he would suddenly point out a slight delay during a formation change, or identify wasted Soul Power in a certain guard's circulation. Often, just one sentence was enough to leave Yue Guan and all the guards pondering for a long time before making adjustments. With each adjustment, the entire unit's efficiency and lethality rose another notch.

This nearly terrifying insight made the guards increasingly revere the young Holy Son.

That day, Yang Yu was at the Training Ground when one of Yue Guan's Dark Guards appeared soundlessly and handed over a Secret Report.

Yue Guan took it and scanned it. His expression darkened slightly. He waved the Dark Guard away, then walked to Yang Yu's side and spoke in a low voice. "Your Highness, we've lost contact with the men we sent to monitor the secret trade route between the Star Luo Empire and Gengxin City, the Metal Capital. The last message they sent mentioned that they may have encountered the 'Ghost Shadow.'"

"Ghost Shadow..." Yang Yu withdrew his gaze from the training field. "The same group that attacked us on the road last time?"

"Their aura is very similar. Cold and sinister, skilled in concealment and soul techniques." Yue Guan nodded. "This trade route is an important channel through which the Star Luo Imperial Family secretly acquires rare metals. We intended to cut it off. But now it seems the other side is heavily guarded, and... there may be forces involved that we know nothing about."

Yang Yu fell silent for a moment before saying, "Send the Guard."

Yue Guan froze. "Your Highness, they have trained for less than half a month..."

"Actual combat is the best training." Yang Yu's tone was calm. "Choose ten people. Zhu Zhuqing will lead them. Their objective is to determine the whereabouts of the missing personnel. If it is confirmed that the Star Luo Empire is responsible, destroy the trading outpost and bring back evidence. If they encounter the Ghost Shadow, kill without mercy."

He looked at Yue Guan. "Follow them in secret. Unless their lives are in danger, do not intervene."

Yue Guan understood. This was to temper the Guard in blood and fire for the first time, and also to test Zhu Zhuqing. "Yes, I will make the arrangements immediately."

The orders were quickly issued. The ten selected guards were excited and nervous, but even more eager to prove themselves. When Zhu Zhuqing received the order, she merely nodded coldly and began checking her equipment and Soul Tools.

That night, an eleven-man squad silently departed Spirit City beneath the cover of darkness.

Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

The ripples caused by Hu Liena's visit had not completely subsided. Ning Fengzhi summoned Ning Rongrong several times, and his words carried more probing and warning than before. His meaning was clear: she was to focus on cultivating the Sect's inheritance and stay away from those "unorthodox paths."

Ning Rongrong agreed obediently on the surface, but when she returned to the alchemy room, her gaze became even colder. She knew her father and the Sect could not be relied upon, while Hu Liena and Spirit Hall were even more dangerous. She burned the blueprint for the poisoned hairpin she had designed earlier, then began researching a more concealed, trigger-based paralysis trap that could be integrated into everyday objects. She needed something that could immediately provide combat power, not complicated mechanisms that required long-term setup.

Her gaze settled on the seemingly inconspicuous low-grade Soul Tool materials in the Sect's treasury.

At the border of the Star Luo Empire, in a hidden valley near Gengxin City.

The ten-man squad led by Zhu Zhuqing infiltrated like ghosts. According to the latest intelligence, the missing Dark Guards had lost contact after tracking a Star Luo convoy disguised as a merchant caravan into this area.

The squad's division of labor was clear. Two men moved ahead to scout, two guarded the flanks, and Zhu Zhuqing led the core group of six from the center in support. Using the concealment techniques they had learned in training, they blended perfectly into the shadows of the mountain forest.

The forward scouts quickly relayed their report. Deep within the valley was a temporary camp under heavy guard. They could vaguely make out figures wearing standard Star Luo military leather armor, along with several black-robed figures moving through the camp with cold, sinister auras.

"Target confirmed. Approximately thirty guards, mostly Soul Ancestors, with four Soul Kings. Five black-robed figures. Their aura... matches the description of the Ghost Shadow." The scout's voice came through clearly via a specially made sound-transmitting Soul Tool.

Zhu Zhuqing's eyes sharpened. The Ghost Shadow really was here.

She made a hand signal, and the squad immediately spread out, taking advantageous positions and forming a loose encirclement. Zhu Zhuqing herself climbed a tree as silently as a true panther, carefully observing the camp through gaps in the branches and leaves.

She saw two Spirit Hall Dark Guards imprisoned in a wooden cage at the corner of the camp. They were covered in blood and breathing weakly, clearly having been tortured. She also saw several large sealed crates stacked in the center of the camp, each bearing the distinctive markings of Gengxin City.

"Prepare to move." Zhu Zhuqing's icy voice entered every guard's ears. "First objective: rescue them. Second objective: destroy the crates. Kill any black-robed figures on sight. Move!"

The instant the order was given, ten figures pounced upon the camp from different directions like specters!

"Enemy attack!" The camp guards reacted quickly and immediately sounded the alarm.

But the Guard moved faster! Working in groups of three, they formed three small triangular formations. Their soul skills worked together seamlessly, cutting into the outer defensive formation like red-hot knives through butter and tearing it apart in an instant!

Zhu Zhuqing's goal was clear: the wooden cage holding the Dark Guards. Two Soul King-level guards tried to intercept her. Their martial souls were a rhinoceros and a wild boar, both immensely powerful.

Zhu Zhuqing's eyes were ice-cold. Her Third Spirit Ring lit up, and her speed exploded, leaving a series of afterimages where she had stood. Netherworld Hundred Consecutive Strikes! Dense claw shadows enveloped the two Soul Kings.

The two Soul Kings roared and unleashed their soul skills, attempting to break technique with brute force. But Zhu Zhuqing was too fast, and her attack angles were viciously tricky, targeting their joints and Soul Power circulation points. Within a few breaths, dozens of wounds had appeared on their bodies. Though not deep, they severely disrupted their Soul Power circulation and slowed their movements.

Thud! Thud!

Seizing the opportunity, Zhu Zhuqing's Netherworld Soul Devouring Slash precisely sliced across their throats. The two Soul Kings widened their eyes, clutched their spurting necks, and collapsed.

She swiftly split open the wooden cage, helped the two badly injured Dark Guards out, and handed them to the guards waiting behind her. "Take them and withdraw first!"

At that moment, the five black-robed figures moved. Like weightless shadows, they drifted unpredictably into the battlefield. Gray-black mist emanated from their hands, carrying a cold force that eroded Soul Power and the mind.

"Watch out for their soul attacks and mist!" Zhu Zhuqing warned sharply.

One guard was slightly too slow to dodge and was touched by a wisp of gray-black mist. His body instantly stiffened, and his eyes went blank for a moment. A black-robed figure immediately lunged forward like a venomous snake, its pitch-black dagger stabbing straight for his heart!

Whoosh!

A streak of silver-black lightning flashed! Zhu Zhuqing arrived just in time. Her cat claw blocked the dagger, while her other claw tore toward the opponent's face with fierce force.

The black-robed figure reacted swiftly, twisting backward bonelessly to evade the strike while letting out a piercing shriek!

Buzz! An invisible mental shockwave spread outward!

Zhu Zhuqing had long been prepared. She visualized the soul-stabilizing technique in her mind and endured the impact head-on, her movements only stalling slightly. A cold glint flashed in her eyes as her Fourth Spirit Ring lit up instantly!

"Netherworld Instant Shadow Kill!"

Her figure abruptly blurred, as though melting into the shadows. The next moment, she appeared behind the black-robed figure as if using Instant Movement! Her cat claw, wrapped in silver-black lightning, pierced straight through the figure's back with extreme speed and sharpness!

The black-robed figure stiffened and looked down in disbelief at the claw tips protruding from its chest. Then it crumpled to the ground, the gray-black mist around it rapidly dissipating.

Having succeeded in one strike, Zhu Zhuqing did not pause. She immediately charged toward another black-robed figure. Her speed and mental resistance perfectly countered these strange Ghost Shadows.

The other guards also steadied themselves. In groups of three, they covered one another and coordinated their soul skills as they battled the remaining black-robed figures and Star Luo guards. Although their individual strength might not have been superior, their seamless teamwork and fearless fighting style firmly suppressed their more numerous opponents.

The battle quickly became one-sided. The four Soul King guards and five Ghost Shadows were completely annihilated, while the remaining Star Luo guards were either killed or scattered in retreat.

Zhu Zhuqing ordered the guards to quickly inspect the large crates. They were indeed filled with rare metals. Without hesitation, she ordered every one of them destroyed.

With the mission complete, the squad swiftly withdrew from the valley with the two rescued Dark Guards and several tokens bearing strange symbols that they had found on the Ghost Shadows.

Yue Guan's figure emerged from the distant shadows. Watching the squad leave, a faintly satisfied expression appeared on his face. This test in actual combat had proven that both the Guard and Zhu Zhuqing had performed beyond his expectations.

The news quickly returned to Spirit City.

Yang Yu looked at the report Yue Guan had brought back and the several tokens, his expression unchanged.

"Casualties?"

"Three lightly injured, no deaths. Zhu Zhuqing killed two Soul Kings and one Ghost Shadow," Yue Guan replied.

"Find out the origin of the symbols on those tokens."

"We are already investigating. Preliminary findings suggest they may be connected to an ancient Evil Soul Master organization known as the Holy Spirit Cult." Yue Guan's tone was grave.

"Holy Spirit Cult..." Yang Yu lightly tapped his fingers against the table. This organization seemed to have appeared from time to time in the later stages of the original story. It seemed the shadows of this world were far more lively than he had imagined.

"Publicize the results of this mission appropriately," Yang Yu ordered. "Let certain people know that the Holy Son's Guard has sharpened its blade."

"Yes."

Before long, word began spreading among Spirit City's upper ranks that the Holy Son's Guard had succeeded in its first deployment, destroying an important secret trade route of the Star Luo Empire and annihilating dozens of enemies, including five strange black-robed figures.

Within the Elder Hall, Golden Crocodile Douluo's face darkened upon hearing the news. He had not expected the little brats Yang Yu had assembled to possess genuine combat capability.

Inside the Papal Palace, Bibi Dong toyed with her scepter, her gaze deep and unreadable. The people she had sent to "assist" with forming the Guard had been sidelined, while Yang Yu's own people had achieved success in their first battle... Her disciple's wings were growing stronger.

She looked at Hu Liena, who stood respectfully below. "Nana, what do you think of the situation at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"

Hu Liena pondered for a moment. "Ning Fengzhi's attitude is ambiguous. That Ning Rongrong... something seems off about her, but I can't say exactly what."

"Continue making contact," Bibi Dong said indifferently. "If necessary, you may give her some 'pressure.'"

"Yes, Teacher."

The various factions each had their own thoughts following the Holy Son's Guard's first appearance. Meanwhile, Yang Yu had already turned his attention to the next step. Pressure could continue to be applied along the Star Luo route. And there was also the suddenly emerged Holy Spirit Cult...

The pieces on the chessboard were due to move.