The three-hour synthesis had redefined Lin Xuan's reality. The city, once a confusing mass of concrete and noise, was now a transparent map of spiritual energy. The Elementary Spirit Sense Technique provided him with total, three-dimensional spiritual awareness, allowing him to perceive the faint, nurturing flow of life Qi through parks, the stagnant, suffocating Grey Qi clinging to corporate towers, and the vibrant, metallic resonance of vehicles and utilities. He was the unseen surveyor, the true master of the metropolis.
With the Elementary Spirit Sense Technique stabilized, Lin Xuan immediately set his operatives in motion. Li Mo was tasked with the intricate Archives reconnaissance: obtaining floor plans, structural blueprints, and security patrol schedules for the City University Library's sub-levels. The Rank B concealment formation was a priority, but an untouchable one until he secured more Synthesis Points.
Meanwhile, Lin Xuan waited for the deeper intelligence report from Zhang Wei. Zhang Wei was not just tracking the financial collapse of the Black Steel Group; he was now tasked with mapping the social and political alliances of Elder Jing. Lin Xuan knew that the injured Foundation Establishment cultivator could not act alone; he would rely on his established mortal networks—powerful, local martial arts families or wealthy clans who provided spiritual resources in exchange for power and protection.
The apartment was silent, the hum of the Formation their only companion. Lin Xuan sat, ostensibly reading, but in reality, his Spirit Sense was a wide, silent net cast over 15 kilometers, patiently waiting for a ripple.
The First Ripple: A Low-Level Threat
At approximately 10:00 AM, the ripple appeared.
Lin Xuan detected a distinct, low-level Qi signature originating from the city's western edge, moving rapidly and with highly focused intent toward the abandoned Industrial Zone 7. The signature was weak—barely Qi Condensation Stage One—but its Qi was heavily mixed with the coarse, kinetic energies typical of an Earth-bound practitioner focused on external Qi-infused martial arts, not refined cultivation.
A scout, Lin Xuan instantly deduced. Elder Jing is too injured to scry or send a strong operative. He is using one of his reliant Martial Arts Families to confirm the extent of the disaster at the reactor site and, perhaps, investigate the anomaly of the drill's sudden destruction.
Lin Xuan tracked the scout's path: a man in his late twenties, driving an ordinary sedan, maintaining perfect lane discipline, but internally radiating the coiled tension of a trained assassin. The Qi signature was registered to the Feng Family, a mid-level local clan known for their 'Iron Palm' technique and their quiet service to the spiritual practitioners in the mountain enclave.
The scout's mission was clear: arrive at D-12, analyze the wreckage, determine if the breach was a natural disaster or an attack by a rival group, and report back to the recuperating Elder Jing. If the scout succeeded, Elder Jing would gain the confirmed intelligence he needed to focus his vengeance on Lin Xuan.
Lin Xuan had an hour to neutralize the scout before he reached the Industrial Zone. He needed to be intercepted, debriefed, and neutralized without any trace of spiritual involvement. It had to look like a simple, unfortunate mortal accident.
Leveraging Mundane Intelligence
Lin Xuan reached for the real-time data terminal provided by Zhang Wei—a testament to the new level of corporate espionage and surveillance he commanded. The terminal displayed everything from public traffic camera feeds to private infrastructure schedules.
"Li Mo," Lin Xuan murmured, still tracking the scout's every movement via his Spirit Sense. "The Feng Family scout is moving along the Municipal Route 4 bypass, approaching the old warehouse district. Find me an intersection on that route that is scheduled for immediate, unexpected disruption."
Li Mo's fingers flew across the keyboard. She cross-referenced the scout's projected coordinates with construction permits, city maintenance schedules, and public works data—the kind of information only accessible through the deep corporate network Zhang Wei controlled.
"Found it," she reported immediately. "Three kilometers ahead. The intersection of Route 4 and Ash Street. There is an unscheduled, 'emergency water main repair' commencing in twenty minutes. It requires temporary, full lane closure and diversion. Zhang Wei's internal report notes the local police dispatcher is heavily bribed by his network."
"Perfect," Lin Xuan said, rising. "A full lane closure means the flow of traffic will be chaotic and forced into one lane, slowing the scout to a crawl. The maintenance crew will provide the necessary visual cover."
Lin Xuan took a quick survey of his appearance. Dressed in simple, dark athletic wear, he looked like any other person jogging or cycling. He concealed the Molecular Phasing Edge up his left sleeve. The neutralization would occur mid-traffic flow, and he would be gone before the scout's body hit the seat.
He didn't take a car or call Zhang Wei for transport. With his Qi Condensation Stage Three speed, he was faster than most city vehicles. He was airborne in a flash, moving through the cityscape with silent, terrifying velocity, using the rooftops and alleyways as his personal express lane.
The Interception at Ash Street
Lin Xuan arrived at the Ash Street intersection exactly two minutes before the Feng Family scout's car. The 'emergency repair' was in full swing: a yellow dump truck blocked two lanes, bright orange cones were deployed haphazardly, and a small, noisy crew was pretending to inspect the asphalt. The flow of morning traffic was reduced to a nervous, bumper-to-bumper crawl.
The scout's black sedan slowed, frustrated by the mundane obstacle. The driver, the Feng Family martial artist, cursed internally, his latent Qi fluctuating with impatience. He was now fully visible and trapped.
Lin Xuan slipped through a momentary gap between a passing bus and the dump truck. The entire sequence took less than two seconds. He was now pressed against the driver's side door of the scout's vehicle.
The Feng Family scout was looking forward, preoccupied with the traffic light. He had no chance to react.
Lin Xuan channeled a precise, concentrated burst of Stage Three Qi directly through the metal door and into the scout's body. The energy bypassed the scout's superficial Iron Palm Qi defenses, hitting the internal meridians like a lightning bolt. The scout convulsed, his eyes rolling back as every muscle seized up, paralyzing him completely.
Lin Xuan quickly phased his Molecular Phasing Edge through the window glass, cutting a clean, three-inch hole large enough for his hand, which now grasped a syringe filled with a mild sedative—a preparation Lin Xuan had synthesized earlier using common street drugs and a stabilizing herbal extract. It was untraceable and ensured the scout remained in a deep, pliable coma.
The entire neutralization took less than thirty seconds. No one in the surrounding traffic, blinded by the dump truck and preoccupied with their phones, noticed the silent, impossible action. The scout now appeared to be a driver passed out at the wheel—a common medical emergency.
Lin Xuan pressed a custom-fabricated micro-transmitter—another Rank E synthesis—onto the car's undercarriage. This would track the vehicle until it could be recovered later by Zhang Wei's discreet personnel.
Lin Xuan phased his hand back out, the hole sealing instantly with a quick application of a polymer patch he had prepared. He disappeared into the morning rush hour as silently as he had arrived.
Extraction of Intelligence
By noon, the unconscious scout was secured in a secluded, hidden medical wing owned by Zhang Wei's network. Lin Xuan stood over the man, activating his Elementary Spirit Sense Technique and combining it with the Immortal Gaze. He probed the scout's immobilized mind, extracting the memories of the last few weeks—a process made simple by the man's relatively weak spiritual defense.
The intelligence was invaluable:
Jing's Status: Elder Jing was critically injured—not recovering, but barely clinging to life. His healing required a rare spiritual herb, the Silver-Veined Ginseng, which was impossible to source locally.
The Alliance: Jing was indeed allied with the Feng Family and another, wealthier corporate entity known as Aether Holdings. The Feng Family was desperate to prove their worth by securing information on the D-12 failure.
The Objective: The scout's mission was two-fold: confirm the D-12 breach and also confirm the location of the "small, noisy cultivation house"—referring to Lin Xuan's apartment—which Jing had partially identified before the array exploded. The scout was only a kilometer away from Lin Xuan's apartment before Lin Xuan intercepted him.
Lin Xuan had moved just in time. The neutralization was complete, the Feng Family was blind, and Elder Jing was now completely isolated and desperate.
"Zhang Wei's network will dispose of the vehicle and transfer the scout to a remote facility," Lin Xuan told Li Mo later that day. "The Feng Family will assume he was silenced by a rival martial arts group over a trivial turf war. Elder Jing now believes his original intelligence was a fluke and his apartment target is safe."
Lin Xuan turned to the map of the City University Library. "The immediate threats are contained. The road to the Archives is clear. Li Mo, tell me everything about the sub-levels."