Target Selected

At the same time, the young man hiding in the corner of the second floor let out a long sigh of relief.

I must never be so reckless again; my own safety must come first!

This time, it was only because Zhang Lexuan was emotionally stable and I had the home-field advantage that she couldn't act as she pleased.

Otherwise, I would have at least been skinned alive!

Still, the results are quite good...

Watching the peaceful scene below, Ning Huan felt both smug and secretly grateful for his good fortune.

In reality, from the moment he had taken the initiative to tease her and stir up Zhang Lexuan's sense of guilt, she had already stepped halfway into his trap.

Refusing to join Shrek.

Three demands that were absolutely impossible to meet.

And then asking her to help him organize the bookshelf.

All of this was to further influence her thoughts through frequent interaction.

As for the inexplicable sense of negativity Zhang Lexuan felt during their chat, that was purely accidental.

It could be considered an unexpected harvest.

There was no helping it; Ning Huan's understanding of her was limited to mere fragments of text.

The vast majority of the details were almost entirely his own conjectures based on information from his past life.

The authenticity was, to put it mildly, quite touching.

However, looking at the big picture, this accident actually helped a great deal.

It not only accelerated the communication process.

Ensuring he wouldn't have to risk being beaten into a serious injury to continue provoking the relationship between her and Shrek.

It also greatly increased the secrecy of his plan, lowering the risk of any anomalies being detected.

Otherwise, given Zhang Lexuan's intelligence...

Ning Huan could hardly guarantee she wouldn't suddenly snap out of it at some point and realize the irrationalities in their conversation.

After all, humility and reasonableness were never necessary and sufficient conditions.

If Zhang Lexuan hadn't lost her mental balance for a moment...

She would likely have realized the difference immediately.

However...

"Sigh, once she has some free time, she'll realize sooner or later that she's been played..."

"Forget it, I'll deal with future problems in the future. Right now, building the academy and selecting targets is more important!"

Temporarily suppressing the anxiety in his heart, Ning Huan looked back at the notebook, which was more than half-filled.

A sense of pride welled up within him.

Without a doubt, these were management concepts from his past life that he had summarized after working overtime for many days, combining his previous experiences.

Perhaps for this society, where civilization had stagnated for so long, many of these ideas were whimsical.

They were the kind of suggestions that would never be adopted anywhere.

But the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect and Ning Hao were different.

A prayer spanning ten thousand years.

A foundation with no worries for the future.

Ambitions that had once flashed briefly but had been suppressed for years.

Combined, they were enough to erupt with the most powerful force in history.

Thinking of this, Ning Huan closed the notebook and solemnly placed it into his personal storage Soul Tool.

"That's enough for now. The remaining ideas don't match current productivity; writing them down would only add to the trouble."

As his whisper faded, he pulled a blank sheet of paper from the corner of the desk.

Immediately, his pen danced wildly, and after writing down a dozen names, he suddenly paused.

"That seems like too many..."

"Although Cang Lan can be resurrected using the mark on the Spirit Bestowal Platform, it hasn't reached the point where I can waste them at will."

Helpless, Ning Huan had to cross out most of the names.

Finally, after careful consideration, only three remained on the paper.

[Huo Yuhao]

[Yan Shaozhe]

And the one he left after much deliberation...

[Dai Huabin]

"Huo Yuhao is the protagonist; ever since stepping out of the White Tiger Duke Mansion, he has been blessed by destiny."

"Aside from the meddling of Tang San, his path has been almost entirely smooth sailing."

"Setting aside whether Cang Lan's abilities are effective against a Child of Destiny, even if they were, the day of harvest is far off in the distant future!"

Ning Huan pondered back and forth, then shook his head in helplessness.

He immediately raised his hand and swiftly struck a line through the position of [Huo Yuhao].

Nothing else to it: the risk is high, the cycle is long, and the returns are unstable—it is truly not a good choice at this moment.

With a flicker of thought, he decisively excluded the name [Yan Shaozhe] as well.

The reason is simple.

This old yellow chicken is too cunning!

And his strength is top-tier to boot!

Given his status, it is simply unrealistic to try to leave safely.

So, that leaves only Dai Huabin as an option now...

However, in a sense, if this guy is utilized properly, he might play a role far exceeding his own inherent value...

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration crossed Ning Huan's eyes.

He realized that this minor character, whom he had never taken seriously, was actually his best choice right now.

His strength at the same rank is decent, his personality is impulsive and irritable, and he is somewhat lacking in the brains department.

If handled correctly, it would be easy to get him hooked with just a few words!

Most importantly, he is naturally hostile toward Huo Yuhao!

With so many factors combined, isn't he one of the best pawns to use?

Thinking to this point, Ning Huan pulled out a fresh sheet of white paper.

After waving his hand to write the two characters [Luck], he muttered in a low voice:

"The convergence of luck cannot be achieved overnight; otherwise, Huo Yuhao's life would not be so easy to interfere with, not even for Tang San."

"Therefore, this must be a relatively long process..."

"The key lies in those 'fated' 'nodes'!"

Before long, a large number of nouns and slogans were written around [Luck].

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's character is questionable, and he is difficult to obtain, but his inherent value is too immense.

Pending!

Electrolux is the same, yet the difficulty is relatively lower; the [Spirit Bestowal Platform] is enough to give him a new life.

Confirmed!

Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife, Spirit Bone, God-Sealing Platform...

Before the plot begins, I must focus on cultivating Jinbao and strive for a zero-cost acquisition!

Time slipped by in a rush. It wasn't until he wrote down [Freshman Assessment] that Ning Huan paused for a moment, as numerous questions surfaced one by one.

If Dai Huabin achieves victory in his struggle against Huo Yuhao, could it delay the process of his luck surging?

Using Cang Lan's ability to bolster the former, the success rate is not low...

Moreover, a genius who rises abruptly and is willing to join Shrek can also help him divert some attention—why not?

"Hmm! Worth a try!"

As the words fell, the four large characters [Implementation Confirmed] leaped onto the paper.

And so, two brothers under the same roof were calculated clearly and thoroughly without their knowledge.

The culprit behind all this, however, stretched his back.

After casually burning the paper filled with writing, he turned to look out the window.

"It's dawn... When people get busy, they really lose track of time~"

Saying this, Ning Huan stood up and walked toward the first floor.

Seeds planted by accident, watered with the nutrients called history, and then transplanted into that barren land.

Whether it grows with difficulty or withers in an instant...

To be honest, he really wants to see what kind of flower will bloom in the end.

Meanwhile...

"Moon... Sun Moon Empire... Inherited Martial Soul... How could it be..."

Zhang Lexuan, feeling completely powerless, stared fixedly at the ancient text before her, her pupils trembling violently.

"If the [Moon] is the inherited Martial Soul of the Sun Moon Empire's royal family... then... who am I?"

The once-steadfast prodigy, who had been full of spirit on the arena, was now completely trapped in self-doubt, unable to extricate herself.