Echoes of the Past Card Pool Opens, Severing Assistance Mission

[System upgrading...]

[Basic functions remain operational during the upgrade.]

Ye Qiong leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping twice against the edge of the table.

As I Wrote, it's finally starting.

He stared at the prompt for a moment, a surge of past memories churning in his mind.

There were images of fighting side-by-side with the Chrysos Heirs in his past life, and the strange, amusing tales of their time in Amphoreus.

Yet, he had no intention of restoring their memories immediately.

Simply put, with the tournament fast approaching, rashly forcing their past lives upon them might not be a good thing.

Phainon and the others were currently focused entirely on cultivation and growing stronger, and Anaxa and Tribbie's research had reached a critical stage...

Dragging them into a dream of memories to settle old scores now would only serve as a distraction.

It was better to wait until after the tournament.

Ye Qiong made the decision in his heart and set the matter aside for the time being.

Half a day later.

The system notification chimed right on time.

[Upgrade complete.]

[New module "As I Wrote" has been unlocked.]

[New card pool "Echoes of the Past" is now open.]

Ye Qiong opened the interface and scanned it.

The original character card pool had been closed.

In its place was a brand-new entry point, represented by an icon of an open book with a pale golden light glowing between its pages.

["Echoes of the Past": Draw cards to obtain "Memory Echo Crystals" of the Chrysos Heirs. (Pity at 100 draws)]

[Upon using a crystal, the corresponding Chrysos Heir will be pulled into a memory dream constructed by As I Wrote to awaken their relevant past-life memories.]

[There is also a chance to obtain items, resources, spirit bones, and other rewards (Pity at 50 draws)]

After reading the instructions, Ye Qiong's gaze lingered on the words "Memory Echo Crystal" for a brief moment.

He didn't rush to pull.

After all, even if he drew them now, he couldn't use them; it would be better to save them and deal with them all at once after the tournament.

Just as he was about to close the panel, the system popped up a new notification.

[New mission released.]

[Mission Name: "Severing Assistance".]

[Mission Details: Prevent Tang San from establishing contact with the Strength Clan and cut off the possibility of him gaining their support and allegiance.]

[Reward: 2,000 Star Jade.]

Ye Qiong frowned.

The Strength Clan?

He recalled the information in his mind.

In the original story, Tang San indeed had deep ties with the Strength Clan.

Tai Tan, the patriarch of the Strength Clan, was a former affiliate of the Clear Sky Sect and was fiercely loyal to both the Clear Sky Sect and Tang Hao.

In the original story, the moment Tai Tan recognized Tang San's martial soul, he immediately acknowledged him as his young master.

Therefore, once this old fellow identified Tang San's identity, he would lead the entire Strength Clan to defect to his side.

To put it nicely, that was unwavering loyalty; to put it bluntly, he was nothing more than a dog.

Ye Qiong rubbed his chin.

Regarding the system's mission, if he tried to stop Tai Long from provoking Tang San, it would be nearly impossible, as that was merely the fuse.

The real problem was how to ensure the Strength Clan and Tang San never had the opportunity to establish contact.

But someone like Tai Tan could not be swayed by simple persuasion.

His loyalty to the Clear Sky Sect had been carved into his bones over several decades.

He would have to change his approach...

Ye Qiong pondered for a moment, a plan forming in his mind.

He would bypass Tai Tan and start with the other members of the Strength Clan.

With that thought, Ye Qiong changed into inconspicuous plain clothes and left the academy alone.

Heaven Dou City, south of the city.

The Strength Clan's blacksmith shop was located right beside a bustling market street.

The shop was quite large, and the rhythmic clanging of hammers could be heard from far away. Firelight spilled out from the open doorway, baking the ground in front of the entrance until it shone.

Ye Qiong did not go straight in.

He turned into a tea stall across the street, ordered a bowl of coarse tea, and sat in a corner to sip it slowly.

His gaze, however, remained fixed on the entrance of the blacksmith shop.

He observed for an entire afternoon.

Members of the Strength Clan came and went; most were younger disciples of the clan, carrying iron materials or finished weapons in and out.

Occasionally, a few young men who looked like apprentices would stand at the door to catch their breath, sharing a laugh before heading back to work.

Ye Qiong noticed that the blacksmith shop's business was quite good.

Customers came in an endless stream to place orders, ranging from commoners looking to forge farm tools to soldiers in uniform arriving to collect weapons.

Yet, he never saw Tai Tan himself appear.

It was not until dusk, when the firelight in the shop became dazzlingly bright, that Ye Qiong saw a sturdily built old man walk out from the inner room.

The man had short, graying hair and arms as thick as tree stumps. His apron was still stained with iron filings, and he was bowing his head to give instructions to a young man.

Tai Tan.

Ye Qiong recognized him, but he still did not move.

He watched as Tai Tan walked to a spot against the wall deep within the shop, where a separate, small furnace stood.

Unlike the large smelting furnaces outside, this furnace was much smaller and more refined, surrounded by several metal components with peculiar shapes.

Tai Tan crouched down in front of the furnace and picked up an object from the side, holding it up to the light to examine it closely.

It was an arc-shaped piece of metal, about the size of a palm, with fine, intricate patterns engraved on its surface and edges polished to be extremely thin and bright.

Ye Qiong narrowed his eyes.

The form of that object was different from ordinary weapons; it looked more like a part for some kind of mechanism or device.

Tai Tan studied it for a while, then picked up a file to make a few adjustments before placing it into the furnace to heat.

He was entirely focused throughout the process, not even looking up when someone spoke to him.

Ye Qiong firmly etched this scene into his mind.

Anything that required Tai Tan to personally handle it was certainly no ordinary item.

This indicated that the Strength Clan had recently accepted an important commission, and the craftsmanship involved was such that even the clan head, Tai Tan, had to get involved himself.

This information might prove useful.

Ye Qiong did not linger any longer; he left the money for the tea, stood up, and left the stall.

By the time he returned to Omphalos Academy, the sky had already turned dark.

Ye Qiong did not go back to his room; instead, he turned around, exited the academy gates, and headed in another direction.

In the eastern district of Heaven Dou City, at the Crown Prince's Mansion.

Xue Qinghe was reviewing a document in his study. Upon hearing an attendant report that Dean Ye Qiong of Omphalos Academy had come to visit, he set down the scroll in his hand.

"Please, show him in."

After Ye Qiong entered the room, Xue Qinghe immediately rose to greet him with a smile as refreshing as a spring breeze:

"What brings Dean Ye to my place tonight?"

"There is a matter I would like to ask Your Highness for help with."

Ye Qiong got straight to the point, and once he finished, he briefly explained the situation regarding the Strength Clan.

Xue Qinghe listened very attentively, his fingers tapping lightly on the tabletop.

"So, you want the head of the Strength Clan to leave Suotuo City for a period of time?"

"To be precise, I want him to be gone long enough for certain things to be settled in the meantime."

Xue Qinghe glanced at Ye Qiong, his eyes filled with a hint of amusement.

"It seems, Dean Ye, that you are doing this to deal with that young man named Tang San?"

Hearing this, Ye Qiong could not help but admire him inwardly.

This Qian Renxue was truly clever; she had guessed his target just from the nature of his request.

"Your Highness truly has eyes like torches."

Hearing Ye Qiong's praise, Xue Qinghe smiled slightly:

"This favor..."