News of Han Feng's death spread through the sect quickly.
By morning, every disciple knew the tournament favorite had died from cultivation foundation collapse caused by slow-acting poison. The sect was in an uproar. If someone could sabotage Han Feng, one of the strongest outer disciples, then no one was safe.
Elder Zhang personally addressed the assembled disciples after morning training.
"Han Feng was poisoned through corrupted cultivation pills," the elder's voice carried absolute authority. "We are investigating how the poison entered our supply. Until we identify the culprit, all cultivation resources will be personally inspected by elders before distribution."
The gathered disciples murmured nervously. Additional security meant delays in receiving cultivation resources, which would slow everyone's advancement.
"The tournament will resume in three days," Elder Zhang continued. "Those who have advanced will continue. Those who lost may request re-evaluation if they believe they can demonstrate sufficient skill. The monthly evaluation period is extended by one week to accommodate the investigation."
After the dismissal, Lin Wei found Kai near the training grounds.
"Brother Kai, this is getting dangerous. First the transport ambush, then Zhao Ming's group, now Han Feng. The sect feels more dangerous than the wilderness right now."
"This junior agrees, Brother Lin. Though at least here we have the elders investigating."
"You think they'll find who did it?"
Kai considered the question carefully. "This junior thinks the saboteur is clever. They used slow-acting poison that only manifested under combat stress. That suggests medical knowledge and planning. Someone with access to the pill refinement process."
Lin Wei's eyes narrowed. "You've been thinking about this."
"This junior survived a bandit ambush by being observant, Brother Lin. Same skills apply here... watch, learn, identify threats before they identify you."
[RELATIONSHIP UPDATE - LIN WEI]
[TRUST LEVEL: High]
[OBSERVATION: Recognizes your analytical nature]
[ASSESSMENT: Potential ally in investigation]
"So how do we identify this saboteur?" Lin Wei asked quietly.
"This junior doesn't know yet. But whoever did this has a motive. Inner disciple positions are valuable... power, resources, prestige. Remove the strongest candidates, and weaker disciples have better chances."
"So we look for disciples who benefit from Han Feng's death?"
"That's one approach." Kai gestured toward the arena where disciples were practicing. "But this junior thinks it's more specific. Brother Han Feng was the favorite for one of the inner disciple positions. His death creates an opening. Who's next in line now that he's gone?"
They watched the training disciples for a moment. Without Han Feng, the tournament favorites were now the Yu twins, Wu Chen, and a few strong Second and Third Stage cultivators.
"The Yu sisters are too synchronized," Lin Wei observed. "Hard to poison both of them without detection. Wu Chen is a former soldier... he's paranoid about his supplies, brings his own food and checks everything himself."
"Which leaves the Third Stage cultivators who were slightly below Brother Han Feng's level," Kai said. "Disciples who are strong enough to advance but were being overshadowed."
[SYSTEM ANALYSIS ACTIVATED]
[SCANNING OUTER DISCIPLES]
[MOTIVE + OPPORTUNITY + CAPABILITY = PRIMARY SUSPECTS]
[GENERATING SUSPECT LIST...]
Names appeared in Kai's vision through the system interface:
[SUSPECT 1: LIANG CHEN - Qi Gathering 3rd Stage]
[MOTIVE: High - Second strongest before Han Feng's death]
[OPPORTUNITY: Moderate - Access to sect facilities]
[CAPABILITY: Unknown - No medical training on record]
[SUSPECT 2: SHEN YU - Qi Gathering 3rd Stage]
[MOTIVE: High - Family pressure to advance]
[OPPORTUNITY: High - Works part-time in medicine pavilion]
[CAPABILITY: High - Trained in pill refinement basics]
[SUSPECT 3: DONG FEI - Qi Gathering 2nd Stage]
[MOTIVE: Moderate - Desperate to advance]
[OPPORTUNITY: High - Assigned to resource distribution duties]
[CAPABILITY: Moderate - Access to pills but limited medical knowledge]
Shen Yu stood out immediately. Medical knowledge, access to pills, and family pressure for advancement. That was a dangerous combination.
"Brother Lin, what do you know about Shen Yu?"
Lin Wei thought for a moment. "Third Stage cultivator, helps out in the medicine pavilion sometimes. Comes from a minor merchant family... not wealthy enough for easy advancement but connected enough to have expectations. Decent fighter but not exceptional." He paused. "Why?"
"Just curious. He would benefit from Brother Han Feng's death, and he has access to cultivation pills through his medicine pavilion work."
Lin Wei's expression grew serious. "You think he's the saboteur?"
"This junior thinks he's worth watching. But no accusations without proof... that would make this junior the target instead."
They separated as training resumed. Kai spent the day observing Shen Yu from a distance, using his enhanced senses to study the suspect.
Shen Yu was average in most ways... medium height, unremarkable features, the kind of disciple who blended into crowds. He trained adequately but not exceptionally. His sword technique was refined but not innovative.
But Kai's Death Vision showed something interesting. Shen Yu's spiritual energy had traces of medicinal residue... not unusual for someone who worked with pills, but the specific signature suggested recent handling of corrupted energy.
Not proof, but suspicious.
[DEATH MARK AVAILABLE: 1 remaining slot]
[RECOMMEND: Mark primary suspect for monitoring]
Kai activated Death Mark on Shen Yu.
[DEATH MARK ACTIVATED]
[SHEN YU - QI GATHERING 3RD STAGE]
[CURRENT DEATH PROBABILITY: 12%]
[STATUS: Calm, confident, no immediate danger]
The low death probability was interesting. If Shen Yu was the saboteur, he felt safe and in control. No fear of discovery. That suggested either innocence or exceptional confidence.
Kai needed more information.
That night, he returned to the eastern meditation caves for cultivation. But instead of immediately starting his shadow cultivation, he used the system to review everything he knew about the sabotage.
"System, analyze the Han Feng poisoning. What type of poison was used?"
[ANALYZING AVAILABLE INFORMATION]
[POISON TYPE: Meridian Fracturing Compound]
[PROPERTIES: Slow-acting, triggers under qi stress, extremely subtle]
[DIFFICULTY: Advanced - Requires expertise in both medicine and cultivation theory]
[AVAILABILITY: Restricted - Components controlled by sect]
So the poison was sophisticated and used restricted components. That narrowed the suspect pool considerably. Most outer disciples wouldn't have access to restricted materials, let alone the knowledge to combine them properly.
Unless they had help from someone higher ranked.
[SYSTEM NOTATION]
[POSSIBILITY: Outer disciple working with inner disciple or elder]
[EXPANDED SUSPECT POOL: Recommended]
A conspiracy involving higher-ranked disciples or even elders. That was more dangerous territory. Kai had been thinking of this as an individual saboteur, but what if it was more organized?
He needed to gather intelligence carefully. Direct investigation was too risky. But with his shadow abilities, he could observe without being detected.
Kai spent the next two days in careful surveillance.
During the day, he maintained his normal routine... training with Lin Wei's group, practicing sword forms, appearing to focus on stabilizing his cultivation. At night, he used Shadow Meld to move through the sect unseen.
He watched Shen Yu's movements, noting patterns. The suspect maintained a regular schedule... morning training, afternoon work at the medicine pavilion, evening cultivation. Nothing overtly suspicious.
But on the second night, something changed.
Kai was watching from the shadows near the medicine pavilion when Shen Yu emerged late at night, well after normal working hours. The suspect looked around carefully, then moved toward the outer sect's administrative buildings.
[SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY DETECTED]
[TRACKING TARGET]
Kai followed at a distance, his Shadow Meld keeping him invisible. Shen Yu walked with purpose, clearly heading somewhere specific.
They reached a storage building on the sect's eastern edge... an older structure used for keeping medicinal herbs and pill ingredients. Shen Yu produced a key and unlocked the door.
Inside, lamplight flickered to life. Through a window, Kai saw Shen Yu begin gathering ingredients... not the standard cultivation pills disciples used, but raw materials for refinement.
[DEATH VISION: ACTIVE]
[ANALYZING MATERIALS]
[DETECTING: Meridian Fracturing Compound components]
[CONCLUSION: Target is preparing poison]
There it was. Proof.
Shen Yu was the saboteur, and he was preparing another dose of poison. Which meant another disciple was targeted for elimination.
Kai had several options. He could report this to Elder Zhang and let the sect handle it. Safe, but it wouldn't give him the death energy from Shen Yu's eventual execution. He could wait and see who Shen Yu poisoned next, then harvest both deaths. Cold, but efficient.
Or he could intervene directly.
[SYSTEM QUERY]
[RECOMMENDED ACTION: ELIMINATE THREAT]
[SHEN YU: Confirmed saboteur, justified target]
[DEATH POINT VALUE: 130 points]
[RISK LEVEL: Moderate - Target is 3rd Stage cultivator]