Three days later, at the Tiger Soul Sub-Base.
In Spell Research Lab No. 3.
After finishing breakfast, Feng Qi and Lin Ran arrived at the spell research lab.
As they walked in, they noticed three spell researchers with dark circles under their eyes still working busily at the control console.
It was clear that they had not slept all night.
When Feng Qi and Lin Ran entered, the researchers, still engrossed in their work, didn't even look up, remaining immersed in their own world.
Reaching the central area of the control console, Lin Ran sat down and opened his email inbox.
A red internal email stood out at the top of the inbox.
"Whether this works or not depends on their reply," Lin Ran said, glancing at Feng Qi as he clicked on the email.
As his eyes scanned the email content, Feng Qi's lips curled into a smile.
Just as he had anticipated, the Tiger Soul leadership showed great interest in his spell framework and stated that they would fully support refining the proposed spell structure.
They even added that any resources or assistance needed would be made available.
The first step of the plan had succeeded.
Feng Qi wasn't particularly surprised by the leadership's full support.
Even if the Tiger Soul leadership wasn't infiltrated by domain forces, they would still likely back the research wholeheartedly.
This was because Lin Ran had already endorsed the spell research.
While the leadership might harbor some skepticism about Feng Qi's "spell framework," they wouldn't dare to doubt Lin Ran's judgment.
However, the next phase of their probing would be the true test of their investigation.
According to the original plan, they sent another email to the Tiger Soul leadership that very same day.
Aside from detailing the feasibility of the spell, the email also included a list of spiritual materials required for the research.
The material list was as follows:
For the initial phase of spell research, due to instability during casting, exceptionally pure blood-based spiritual resources were needed to assist spellcasters. (The purer the blood essence, the better. This would significantly aid spell research and increase the chances of success.)
Highly pure spiritual stones with a cold affinity (for testing during the fusion stage of spiritual energy. Once the proposed spell trajectory was formed, combining it with cold-pure spiritual energy could greatly enhance its power).
High-quality spiritual plants…
The list included 32 types of spiritual materials in total.
Half of these materials were described only in terms of their concept and intended use, with no specific names provided.
To alleviate the leadership's concerns, Feng Qi and Lin Ran collaborated to craft detailed justifications for the requested items.
These justifications and explanations made the material requests appear entirely reasonable.
The same material list was also handed over to the Mist Lord.
With the plan now unfolding, Feng Qi didn't need to do much—just wait for the Mist Lord's updates.
Three days later.
Night had fallen, but Star City was still brightly lit.
The Mist Lord, wearing a hood and with his hands in his pockets, walked through the crowded streets.
As he sidestepped an automated street-cleaning robot, he turned into an alley and arrived at a bar called "Doomsday."
In front of the bar stood a signboard detailing its unique features, ending with a prominent red-marked note:
[This bar operates on a membership basis. Non-members are not permitted entry. Membership requires a referral from an existing member.]
The Mist Lord was no stranger to this bar.
Through connections provided by shadowy forces behind the Institute of Technological Research, he had learned that many members of the Domain Weak Tribe Alliance operated within Star City.
During their earlier mission to the Black Desolation Domain to seize the Miracle Bracelet, he had even hired a group of "mercenaries" from this very place.
At the time, he had almost died at the hands of these mercenaries, narrowly surviving thanks to Feng Qi's efforts.
The Doomsday Bar was one of the key strongholds of the Domain Weak Tribe Alliance in Star City.
The Mist Lord stepped inside.
Walking along a dimly lit corridor for over ten meters, he stopped before an iron door.
Knocking on the door, a peephole slid open, revealing a pair of eyes that scanned the outside.
"What's your business?" a raspy voice asked from behind the door.
"Why would I be here if I didn't have business?" the Mist Lord retorted sharply.
"Returning customer?"
"Returning customer, ID number 33210."
"Wait a moment." The peephole slid shut.
After several minutes, the sound of gears turning echoed, and the iron door slowly opened.
Inside stood a towering man over two meters tall, his body covered in intricate runic tattoos. The noise from the bar's interior spilled into the hallway.
As the man stepped aside to make way, the Mist Lord took in the scene inside the bar.
The space was spacious, with furnishings indistinguishable from those of an ordinary bar.
The patrons appeared equally normal, engaging in drinking and merriment without any overtly suspicious behavior.
But the Mist Lord knew this façade was merely for show.
Approaching the bar counter, he fixed his gaze on the alluring bartender.
"Make me a Task."
The bartender, understanding his meaning, nodded and began a series of swift, practiced motions.
Moments later, she added a drop of violet mist into a cocktail glass.
Taking the glass from her, the Mist Lord downed it in one gulp.
His consciousness immediately delved into his spiritual sea.
The violet energy unfurled within his spiritual sea like a scroll.
What appeared before his mind's eye was a list of tasks issued by various domain forces.
Assassinations, resource raids, intelligence gathering, deliveries… The task list was extensive.
Each task included specific requirements and listed the rewards for completion, along with the handling fees required to accept the task on behalf of the Domain Weak Tribe Alliance.
As his gaze swept over the list, he focused particularly on the task dates, followed by the requirements.
While browsing the list, he carefully cross-referenced the items Feng Qi had provided in his material list.
Bloodstone, Frost Soul, Flame Spiritual Plants... Many of the tasks on the list matched the materials Feng Qi had provided, and the dates lined up as well.
This discovery made the Mist Lord almost certain of one thing.
The upper echelons of Tiger Soul had indeed been infiltrated by domain forces.
However, he couldn't rule out another possibility.
Perhaps the leadership of Tiger Soul hadn't been infiltrated but was instead aware of the existence of the Domain Weak Tribe Alliance, using them for their own purposes.
But regardless of the scenario, the truth would be revealed soon enough.
With this in mind, he focused on the task requiring bloodstones.
Completing this task would be a breeze for him since he already had a fragment of the Miracle Bloodstone inside his body, which constantly generated small bloodstones.
What puzzled him, though, was how other members of the Domain Weak Tribe Alliance obtained their bloodstones.
Intrigued, he resolved to investigate this further once he had secured full control of the Tiger Soul Research Institute.
Perhaps he could even find another fragment of the Miracle Bloodstone to make his own more complete.
Withdrawing his consciousness from the spiritual sea, the Mist Lord opened his eyes and saw the smiling bartender in front of him:
"Found a task you like?" she asked with a playful smile.
"Task number 132452," he replied.
The bartender nodded knowingly and then added with a grin:
"Rules are rules—you need to pay the service fee before accepting a task."
Unfazed, the Mist Lord took out three highly pure spiritual stone crystals:
"Will this do?"
The bartender said nothing, taking the crystals and placing them into a nearby device.
As he waited, the numbers on the device fluctuated before finally settling at 1325-193.
The first number represented the spiritual energy content, while the second indicated its purity.
Satisfied with the crystal's value, the bartender retrieved five crystal coins made from spiritual stones from the counter and pushed them towards the Mist Lord:
"You overpaid; here's the change."
Accepting the crystal coins, the Mist Lord was taken aback for a moment before nodding:
"Fair enough!"
"Wait here. I'll get the task documents for you," the bartender said, disappearing into the back.
She returned shortly, handing him a folder.
Just as he was about to leave, the bartender leaned forward with a mischievous grin:
"Interested in our illusion services? I can craft any dream you desire—power, strength... Any fantasy can be fulfilled within the dreams I weave."
"Not a chance," the Mist Lord scoffed, rolling his eyes.
Ignoring her further, he got up from the bar and headed for the exit.
The burly man guarding the iron door saw him approaching and opened the door without a word.
Once outside, the Mist Lord slipped into a secluded alley, removed his hood, and examined the folder in his hands.
Though the surroundings were pitch dark, everything was crystal clear to his enhanced vision.
He tore open the task document, revealing more detailed requirements along with the employer's contact information—exactly what he had been hoping for.
Pulling out his phone, he dialed the number listed in the document.
After a brief wait, the call connected, but there was only silence on the other end.
"I have what you need," the Mist Lord spoke first.
"Which task are you referring to?" The raspy voice on the other end finally responded, seemingly aware of the Mist Lord's purpose.
"Bloodstone."
"I need 100 pieces. How many can you provide?"
"100 pieces!"
The voice on the other end seemed startled by this number. After a momentary pause, the raspy voice inquired:
"What do you want in return?"
"I want a 10% increase on the original reward."
Another brief silence ensued before the voice agreed:
"Same time tomorrow, at the Doomsday Bar for a face-to-face transaction."
"Agreed."
Ending the call, the Mist Lord donned his hood again and headed back to his hotel.
The fishing plan was now entering its third phase.
The first step of Feng Qi's plan was to submit the task list and get approval from Tiger Soul's leadership.
The second step was to determine whether the leadership was in league with the Domain Weak Tribe.
What he had just conducted was the second phase of the investigation.
With this phase complete, it was time to move on to the third phase—the actual "hooking."
Late at night, the next day.
Doomsday Bar.
Amidst the noisy surroundings, the Mist Lord sat quietly with his hood up, waiting for his contact to arrive.
The table in front of him bore a conspicuous number 32 placard.
Bored, he reached for the glass on the table and took a sip.
"Ugh!"
He spat out the drink immediately.
Only blood could be called the most delectable of liquids, he mentally grumbled.
As he continued to wait, a figure slowly approached from the distance.
The person was fully covered, wearing a mask and concealing every inch of skin, clearly unwilling to reveal their true identity.
It was precisely this meticulous disguise that caught the Mist Lord's attention.
If this individual was part of the domain forces infiltrating Tiger Soul's leadership, they would certainly avoid exposing their true identity.
As the hidden forces behind the Technology Research Institute knew, staying in the shadows was the wisest choice. Exposing one's identity was tantamount to laying all your cards on the table in front of competitors.
When he used the identity of Wang Yi to recruit warriors here in the past, it was because that identity could be discarded at any time—it didn't matter.
But for the domain forces infiltrating Tiger Soul Research Institute, they wouldn't dare to act so recklessly. After all, not everyone had the luxury of freely changing identities.
As expected, the mysterious figure scanned the surroundings cautiously before focusing on the glowing "32" table placard.
When the figure sat across from him, the Mist Lord decisively grabbed the leather bag beside him, placed it on the table, and unzipped it to reveal a collection of small bloodstones.
"Where's my stuff?"
The Mist Lord's directness seemed to catch the mysterious figure off guard for a moment, but then they retrieved several purple crystals from their cloak.
Without wasting words, the Mist Lord took the purple crystals and began inspecting them.
Meanwhile, the mysterious figure picked up the leather bag and began counting the bloodstones inside. Unlike the Mist Lord, who was casual in his inspection, the mysterious figure was meticulous, not only counting the number of stones but also using spiritual energy to check their quality.
After over ten minutes of verification, the mysterious figure stood up and started walking toward the iron door.
Seeing this, the Mist Lord followed without hesitation.
The fish had taken the bait; how could he let it escape now?
He hadn't dared to infiltrate Tiger Soul Research Institute directly because he didn't know the strength of the domain forces lurking there. Recklessly infiltrating could mean a one-way trip. But now, the opportunity was here.
Outside the iron door, the mysterious figure disappeared into the shadows.
The Mist Lord closed his eyes, releasing his spiritual energy in all directions. The mysterious figure carrying the bloodstones lit up in his senses like a beacon in the dark.
Grinning, he looked up at the sky, then transformed into a misty form, swiftly ascending and pursuing his target.
In no time, he caught sight of the mysterious figure flying at high speed.
The figure seemed to notice him as well, suddenly accelerating and pulling out a communication device, muttering something hurriedly.
Realizing that the figure was calling for reinforcements, the Mist Lord increased his speed.
In the mysterious figure's disbelieving eyes, the gray mist engulfed his legs and rapidly climbed toward his torso.
The mist was highly corrosive, but the Mist Lord restrained its destructive properties this time—he wanted the body intact.
This new body was his gateway to uncovering the secrets of Tiger Soul Research Institute.
The mysterious figure struggled in terror as the mist fully enveloped his body. Simultaneously, the Mist Lord's spiritual energy invaded the figure's mind, spreading and suppressing his consciousness.
The possession had officially begun.
It took some time, but eventually, the Mist Lord reopened his eyes, now controlling the new body. Fragments of memory flooded his mind, but he didn't have time to sift through them just yet—he sensed a powerful presence rapidly approaching.
Reinforcements for the mysterious figure had arrived.
The Mist Lord glanced at the now-unconscious body of "Wang Yi" and didn't hesitate. Using the gray mist, he pushed Wang Yi's body in front of him and corroded his own new body to create multiple fake injuries.
Once the scene was set, he waited.
When the approaching presence was about to come into view, the Mist Lord theatrically plunged his arm into Wang Yi's chest, making it look as though he had just defeated an enemy in battle.
This scene played out perfectly as the reinforcements arrived.
After ensuring the scene was convincing, the Mist Lord immediately closed his eyes and let his body fall from the sky, feigning unconsciousness.
He had yet to fully examine the memories of his new body. Approaching the forces behind Tiger Soul Research Institute without preparation would be reckless. It was safer to play the part of an unconscious and severely injured victim.
If the memories he accessed turned out to be limited, he could even feign severe injury-induced amnesia. This way, no one would suspect anything.
It was a flawless plan.
Or so he thought.
As his body continued to fall, the approaching reinforcements made no move to catch him.
Damn it, if they don't catch me soon, this new body's going to be ruined!