Poisonous Scheme Rekindled

The Outer Sect Assessment had ended several days ago.

The entire Azure Cloud Sect outer sect was still discussing Shen Yuan's legendary victory.

Shen Yuan moved out of the dilapidated firewood shed and was assigned a small courtyard for outer sect disciples. The courtyard was not large, but it was clean and tidy, with a private meditation chamber and monthly cultivation spirit stones and medicinal resources distributed by the sect.

From a menial servant to the number one disciple of the outer sect, his status had changed as drastically as heaven and earth.

Every day, quite a few outer sect disciples came to visit, hoping to befriend this newly risen genius. Some brought medicinal pills, others brought copied cultivation manuals. They came in all shapes and forms, each harboring their own thoughts.

Shen Yuan politely declined most of them. He knew very well that this was not the time to cast a wide net of connections. There were only a little over twenty days left until the Inner Sect Test of braving the sword formation. The most important thing was to seize the time to improve his strength and devise ways to deal with the sword formation.

Inside the quiet chamber of the small courtyard.

Shen Yuan sat cross-legged in meditation, circulating the improved Azure Cloud Inner Breath Art to nurse the old injuries left behind by the Outer Sect Assessment. The wounds on his flesh had mostly healed, but the cracks in his bones had yet to be completely repaired.

Within his sea of consciousness, the Martial Arts Heavenly Stele floated silently, displaying 42 Martial Dao Points.

To devise a way to break the sword formation, I need to gather fragments of intelligence on the Azure Cloud Sword Formation, Shen Yuan thought.

The Heavenly Stele also required sufficient information as material when deducing formations. Without any intelligence on the formation, deducing it from thin air would consume an astronomical number of Martial Dao Points.

"This matter can only be entrusted to Wang Dong."

Wang Dong was well-informed and widely connected, skilled at digging up all kinds of unofficial news. He was perfectly suited to gathering information on the sword formation.

Shen Yuan rose and left the meditation chamber.

Outside the courtyard gate, Wang Dong stood with a cloth sack in hand. These past few days, Wang Dong had often come by to run errands for Shen Yuan.

"Shen Yuan, I brought you some foundation-strengthening medicinal ointment. It'll help your old injuries recover." A smile spread across Wang Dong's plump face as he handed over the cloth sack.

"Perfect. I have something to ask of you." Shen Yuan invited Wang Dong into the courtyard and shut the gate. "There are only a little more than twenty days left until the Inner Sect Test. The test is the Azure Cloud Sword Formation. I need to gather as much intelligence about it as possible—the changes in each layer of the formation, the trajectories of the flying swords, the weaknesses of the formation. Any scraps of information will do."

Wang Dong nodded. "Understood! I'll ask around! I know a few outer sect disciples who passed the sword formation in previous years, as well as menial servants responsible for maintaining it. I'll collect as many fragments of information as I can."

As he spoke, Wang Dong's expression grew slightly grave, and he lowered his voice. "Oh, right, there's one more thing. Although Zhao Kun has been ordered to reflect behind closed doors, I heard he can still send messages. I found out that he secretly sent a letter to Xiao Wuji in the inner sect. Xiao Wuji is a highly influential senior brother in the inner sect, incredibly talented, and on very good terms with Zhao Kun."

"Xiao Wuji." Shen Yuan committed the name to memory.

Elder Zhang's warning had indeed come true. Even while confined, Zhao Kun could still make use of his inner sect connections.

"If Xiao Wuji interferes with the sword formation, the trouble will be enormous." Wang Dong frowned tightly. "Inner sect disciples are qualified to participate in maintaining and calibrating the sword formation. If he secretly alters the formation markings and covertly amplifies the formation's power when you enter it, that could cost you your life."

"I know." Shen Yuan's expression remained calm. "That is why the intelligence on the sword formation must be gathered as completely as possible. I need to know the baseline strength of every layer of the original sword formation. If someone secretly tampers with it, I need to be able to detect the anomaly."

"Leave it to me! I'll act carefully." Wang Dong thumped his chest in assurance.

After discussing a few more details, Wang Dong hurried away to gather intelligence.

Shen Yuan returned to the meditation chamber and continued cultivating.

He never imagined that a conspiracy against him had already silently spread its net.

Zhao Kun was confined to his residence and could not leave in person, so he could not act directly. But he knew Shen Yuan valued loyalty and friendship above all else, and Wang Dong was one of Shen Yuan's few close friends. Since he could not deal with Shen Yuan himself, he would strike at Wang Dong.

Zhao Kun secretly bribed the steward of the outer sect storehouse and laid a trap.

Three days later.

At dusk.

Shen Yuan was deducing movement techniques in the meditation chamber when hurried footsteps sounded outside the courtyard gate.

An outer sect Law Enforcement Hall disciple stood at the gate, his expression stern.

"Shen Yuan, come with us. Your friend Wang Dong has committed the grave crime of stealing medicinal pills from the sect storehouse. He has already been arrested and imprisoned."

Shen Yuan's heart abruptly sank.

Stealing medicinal pills? Wang Dong might be greedy for money, but he was loyal and honorable. He would never do something as foolish as stealing from the sect storehouse.

"Stealing? Is there evidence?" Shen Yuan rose to his feet and asked in a deep voice.

"He was caught red-handed. The stolen medicinal pills were found in the storehouse, and a storehouse access token was found on Wang Dong. Witnesses and physical evidence are all present. He is currently imprisoned in the firewood-shed prison. The Law Enforcement Hall has summoned you for questioning." The law enforcement disciple's tone was icy.

A chill instantly rose in Shen Yuan's heart.

A trap.

This was aimed at him.

Zhao Kun was confined and could not deal with him directly, so he was using Wang Dong as leverage. He had captured Wang Dong to force Shen Yuan's hand.

"I'll come with you immediately." Shen Yuan suppressed the surging turmoil in his heart.

He quickly followed the law enforcement disciple to the firewood-shed prison where criminals were held.

The prison was dark and damp, its iron bars icy cold.

Through the bars, Shen Yuan saw Wang Dong bound in iron chains. He had been tortured, his face bruised, and he looked utterly bedraggled.

When Wang Dong saw Shen Yuan arrive, he was both anxious and ashamed. He shouted, "Shen Yuan! I didn't steal the medicinal pills! Someone framed me! I never took the storehouse token!"

"Whether it was theft or not will naturally be decided by the Law Enforcement Hall." One of Zhao Kun's lackeys, standing to the side, spoke coldly. "However, there is not no way for Wang Dong to avoid severe punishment."

Here it came.

Shen Yuan turned his gaze to the man. "What are the conditions?"

"Senior Brother Zhao Kun said that as long as you voluntarily submit a petition and withdraw from the Inner Sect Test a month from now, Wang Dong will be released without charge. But if you insist on taking the Inner Sect Test, then according to sect rules, Wang Dong's theft from the storehouse will be punished by crippling his cultivation and expelling him from the Azure Cloud Sect."

Barefaced coercion.

They were using Wang Dong's future and life to force Shen Yuan to give up his chance to enter the inner sect.

Shen Yuan clenched his fists tightly.

They had seized his weak point. On one side was his close friend's safety; on the other was the Inner Sect Test opportunity he had fought so hard to obtain, along with his hope of uncovering the truth behind how the original owner's bones had been crippled.