Ma Xiaotao on the List

The apparition fell silent for a few seconds. Red light flickered faintly, as if she were engraving the name in her mind.

But when her gaze reached the name set apart at the bottom of the first list, her cold, steady spiritual power suddenly faltered.

"This Ma Xiaotao?" The apparition fixed her gaze on Gu Mingyuan.

Gu Mingyuan met her eyes. "I pieced together this information from rumors. She's an Inner Court disciple at Shrek, extraordinarily gifted, and a Soul Emperor. Her Martial Soul is the Evil Fire Phoenix."

"Inner Court?" The apparition gave a cold laugh. "If you know she's an Inner Court disciple, you should know the Cult can hardly get to her."

"There's a problem with her Martial Soul."

"The Evil Fire Phoenix naturally carries Evil Fire. That's no secret among soul masters."

"Evil Fire and suffering a backlash from it are two different things," Gu Mingyuan explained slowly. "If it were just Evil Fire, Shrek wouldn't need to seal off Sea God Lake at night, much less suppress news of an Inner Court disciple losing control and attacking new students."

The apparition raised her head, and the cold spiritual power around her surged. "Are you certain she loses her mind?"

"If she didn't, why would she attack Outer Court freshmen indiscriminately?" Gu Mingyuan's voice remained even. "I haven't found out how often it happens or what the academy uses to keep it under control."

Silence settled over the secret chamber.

Only the red light in the statue's eyes flickered wildly.

An extraordinarily gifted Inner Court Soul Emperor who suffered Evil Fire backlash and even lost her reason. To the Holy Spirit Cult, which devoted itself to gathering the wicked, she was a Holy Maiden waiting to happen!

Or rather... a prize too tempting to resist.

After a long while, the apparition looked back at the page filled with prodigies.

"Everyone else on this list combined..." A tremor slipped into the woman's voice despite her efforts to suppress it.

"...isn't worth this one piece of information."

"Tell me. What reward do you want?"

The apparition hovering in midair rippled slightly. Her voice no longer carried the same condescension. Instead, there was a trace of approval.

"You've proved your worth."

Gu Mingyuan's expression did not change. "Gold Soul Coins. I also need something that can nourish and restore a soul."

The apparition paused noticeably. "What do you need that for?"

"Huo Yuhao's spiritual attack is strange." Gu Mingyuan lied without batting an eye.

"One of my roommates took a hit from it during a sparring match and still gets headaches. He's a promising control-type soul master, and I need him working for me, so I have to deal with the problem."

The explanation was plausible. The apparition voiced no suspicion, merely giving a soft hum. "Very well. Anything else?"

"One more thing." Gu Mingyuan raised his head. "I want the man tending the shop upstairs to never reveal my identity."

The apparition was silent for several seconds before speaking coldly. "Are you giving me orders? You want me to kill him?"

Gu Mingyuan said nothing.

"Even if I killed him today," the apparition said with a hint of mockery, "The Cult would soon send another contact. As long as you're involved, you'll never stay out of everyone's sight."

Gu Mingyuan smiled. "I'm sure you'll find a way. After all, the information I just gave you should be worth a little trouble."

The chamber fell quiet again.

A moment later, the apparition spoke. "Come back here tomorrow at You Hour to collect your reward."

"Thank you, Senior." Gu Mingyuan cupped his hands in salute, then turned and left the chamber.

He followed the stone steps back to the ground floor. The gray-clad shop assistant stood behind the counter, fiddling with an abacus. When Gu Mingyuan emerged, the man glanced at him without a word. Gu Mingyuan ignored him and pushed through the door into the night.

The moment the apothecary door closed behind him—

A crimson light flashed in the chamber three floors below. The gray-clad assistant seemed to sense something. His face changed, and he scrambled toward the hidden door in the back room.

Before long, a scream rose faintly from below. Then all was silent.

The next day, at You Hour.

Gu Mingyuan returned to South City. The Spring Return Apothecary's shutters were already half up, and a wooden sign outside read "Temporarily Closed."

He pushed open the door. The gray-clad assistant from yesterday was still standing beside the counter.

Hearing the door, the assistant turned. Gu Mingyuan's eyes narrowed. It was the same man, but his eyes were vacant and dull. He looked like a puppet on strings.

The assistant said nothing. He merely turned mechanically and led Gu Mingyuan down to the third basement level with stiff steps.

Inside the chamber, the assistant walked to the statue, drew a short dagger without expression, and slashed his palm. Blood poured out. He did not even flinch as it dripped into the groove.

Red light shot upward, and the apparition descended once more.

"You did very well." The apparition ignored the puppet assistant blindly bleeding below and addressed Gu Mingyuan directly. "Yesterday, I used the Cult's covert contacts to investigate Shrek's supply records over the past few years. There is indeed an abnormal shortfall in their demand for high-grade ice-attribute Heavenly Treasures. The Cult has opened a file on Ma Xiaotao."

With a click, a hidden compartment beneath the statue sprang open.

Inside lay a gray Storage Ring and a sealed wooden box the size of a palm.

"The box contains a stalk of Nether God Grass," the apparition explained. "It's no divine treasure, but it's more than enough to repair soul damage at the Soul King level."

Gu Mingyuan stepped forward and opened the box for a look. Inside lay a dried herb, deep purple throughout, with fine silver markings on its leaves. It gave off a faint fragrance that soothed the mind. It was no supreme treasure, but it was just right for nurturing Electrolux's weakened wisp of divine consciousness at this stage.

"As for the Gold Soul Coins," the apparition continued, her tone more indulgent,

"this information is exceptionally valuable. The Cult has approved fifty thousand Gold Soul Coins for your operating expenses. They're all in the ring."

Fifty thousand Gold Soul Coins. Even in Shrek City, that was a fortune.

"There's also a new task for you from the Cult." The apparition looked down at him. "Use that money to win over the students Shrek has expelled."

Gu Mingyuan raised an eyebrow and waited for her to continue.

"Not everyone who gets a letter of recommendation from a major city comes from a powerful noble family. Plenty are commoners who fought with everything they had to get that far," the apparition said.

"After Shrek expelled them, many of them remained in Shrek City, drifting from place to place."

Gu Mingyuan nodded. He knew the situation well. Lin Yan was the perfect example. These students from humble backgrounds, cast aside by the academy, carried anger they had nowhere to vent. Determined to make something of themselves in Shrek City, they worked even harder.

"Gangs and small groups formed by these rejected students have already sprung up in Shrek City."

"I want you to use the funds you've been given to contact them and bring them into our fold. Turn that resentment into a foothold for the Holy Spirit Cult right beneath Shrek's nose."