And There Are Masters

"First step, we'll take advantage of the small sects traveling to Zhican Valley to weaken the Hengduan Mountain Alliance's strength and disrupt both morale and the situation," Qin Ran explained to Gu Yueming and Liu Boxian. "The Hengduan Mountain Alliance is a coalition of small sects led by Zhican Valley. While we can't touch Zhican Valley yet, we can eliminate some of these small sects on their way there."

"Divide and conquer," Gu Yueming nodded in agreement with Qin Ran's strategy, but raised his concerns. "However, I have two questions.

"First, when we target the small sects, Zhican Valley will surely intervene. How will you prevent their interference? If they do intervene, we'll end up in a direct confrontation with them, resulting in the same casualties;

"Second, assassinating these small sects will involve too much bloodshed, severely damaging our sect's reputation. After the war, won't the Dao Sword Sect become an enemy of the entire Land of Immortal Legacy? How will we maintain our foothold there?"

"Master, you jest," Qin Ran replied. "Regarding your second point, these small sects have already joined Zhican Valley with the intention of destroying the Dao Sword Sect, yet you're still concerned about reputation and righteousness? Master, this is a fight to the death. Either we perish, or Zhican Valley falls."

Gu Yueming was stunned for a moment before shaking his head with a bitter smile. "I was overthinking it."

"It's natural to have such concerns under such pressure, don't worry about it," Qin Ran consoled him, then continued, "Besides, warfare is about deception. We combine conventional methods with unexpected tactics. In war, we must use every means necessary to achieve victory. Any strategy that leads to victory is a good strategy. Nobody cares about reputation."

Liu Boxian looked at Qin Ran and asked, "Where did you learn all this? Are these teachings in our sect's library?"

"Yes," Qin Ran nodded, confident that someone like Liu Boxian would never bother checking the library.

He continued, "As for your first concern, Master, I've considered it. My strategy will be to use special forces tactics, taking a small number of elite disciples for these assassination missions.

"We'll keep the frequency of attacks low to avoid triggering an immediate response from Zhican Valley. Like cutting flesh with a dull blade. If they respond, they won't find us, making it not worth their effort; if they don't respond, we'll eliminate a few sects.

"Moreover, we can pin our actions on the Boundless Sword Sect. Whether people believe it or not, they'll blame the Boundless Sword Sect, not the Dao Sword Sect."

"You rascal!" Liu Boxian laughed and scolded, "How did you come up with all these underhanded tactics?"

"In warfare, we combine the orthodox with the unexpected," Qin Ran said seriously. "When we can't win through direct confrontation, we must resort to unexpected moves.

"This method will reduce the Hengduan Mountain Alliance's strength, create chaos, and discourage other small sects from getting involved in this mess."

Finally, he instructed Gu Yueming, "To achieve precise and safe assassinations, we need sufficient intelligence. Master, I need you to establish a wartime intelligence department to collect all information about Hengduan Mountain and relay it to me.

"I will personally lead a team of sword cultivators, disguised as Boundless Sword Sect disciples, to carry out these assassination missions..."

At noon on May 20th, five people were perched in a giant tree within the dense forest of the Hengduan Mountains.

"Master, which sect is our target today?" Li Shiyin asked Qin Ran.

Li Shiyin was wearing black clothes, with her hair tied back and an ordinary appearance, quite different from her usual look and temperament. She had clearly undergone disguise treatment.

She sat on a tree branch, swinging her feet casually, one hand propping up her face as she tilted her head to look at Qin Ran beside her.

Qin Ran had also undergone disguise treatment, and since he had previously cultivated disguise-related techniques, his transformation was more thorough. He had made himself taller, more muscular, and ordinary-looking, completely different from his original appearance.

He was focused on studying a map when he heard Li Shiyin's question. He looked up and glared at her, correcting, "Call me Western Poison!"

"Oh right, you're Western Poison, the Sword Immortal," Li Shiyin stuck out her tongue. It was truly difficult for her not to call her master 'master,' considering she didn't even like using terms of endearment like 'husband.' "So, Western Poison, Western Evil, what are we doing today?"

"According to today's intelligence analysis..." Qin Ran pointed at the map while explaining to Li Shiyin and the others, "Today, approximately seven sects will arrive at the Hengduan Mountains, including the Beast Form Sect from North Chu, the Mystic Spirit Gate and Fire Cloud Sect from Xuanqin, and the Empty Water Gate from Yan Han.

"The Fire Cloud Sect, Empty Water Gate, and two other sects will enter the Hengduan Mountains during the day, while the Beast Form Sect, Mystic Spirit Gate, and one other sect will arrive at night."

"Fire Cloud Sect and Empty Water Gate?" Li Shiyin asked, "Are they our targets?"

"No!" Qin Ran shook his head. "Last night we intercepted three sects and that was exhausting. Today we'll rest during the day and act at night. Today's targets are the Beast Form Sect and Mystic Spirit Gate."

"Exhausting?" Li Shiyin looked at the other three people and asked, "Are you tired?"

Lu Junxing, Liu Baixuan, and Tian Wenjin all shook their heads.

"Master, these small sects are too weak to challenge us seriously," Li Shiyin said. "Last night was about as demanding as a regular sect mission. We're not tired at all."

"We're not just intercepting for a day or two," Qin Ran explained. "We'll continue these interceptions until Zhican Valley launches their large-scale attack on the Dao Sword Sect, which should be around the end of the month.

"The duration of the mission is one thing, but more importantly, I need to ensure your safety; none of you can afford any accidents."

"But given these sects' strength levels, it's hard for them to pose any threat to us?" Li Shiyin was confused.

Qin Ran wanted to knock some sense into his foolish disciple's head. But with Lu Junxing and the others present, he decided to spare her dignity.

He continued explaining: "What if our target is actually a trap set by Zhican Valley? What if a sect has some suicide technique? What if a sect has special communication methods? These are all things we need to consider. I must ensure our targets aren't traps, don't have suicide techniques or communication methods, or at least can't use them.

"Remember, assassination is only part of our mission objectives."

"Oh!" Li Shiyin nodded, looking at the others. Seeing that they understood, she stopped asking what might have seemed like foolish questions.

Qin Ran observed this and suddenly realized his foolish disciple wasn't actually failing to understand – she simply didn't feel the need to understand when it came to him. She had been asking for the benefit of the others.

He felt a sudden warmth in his heart.

Having received Qin Ran's explanation, the others settled down, sitting cross-legged on the tree to rest and meditate.

Meanwhile, Qin Ran kept his eyes on the map and identity token (which had messaging capabilities), analyzing the situation and information throughout the day.

As night fell, Qin Ran led the four who had rested all day away from the tree, flying toward the outskirts of the Hengduan Mountains.

"This time our target is the Beast Form Sect.

"This sect is primarily focused on body cultivation, using beast cores to strengthen their physical forms. They absorb beast cores to temper their bodies, and during battle, they can transform parts of their bodies to resemble beasts. According to their cultivation technique's characteristics, the more parts of their body they can transform, the better their talent and stronger their power."

Qin Ran continued briefing the four while flying, "They've sent four Golden Core cultivators and twenty Foundation Building cultivators this time. Among the Golden Core cultivators, two primarily absorbed wolf spirits, one eagle, and one tiger; among the Foundation Building cultivators, ten are wolf-type, six tiger-type, two leopard-type, and two snake-type. Only the eagle-type is worth your attention – don't let that one escape."

"Is this sect particularly strong?" Lu Junxing asked, puzzled. "They sent four Golden Core cultivators."

"No..." Qin Ran shook his head. "If they haven't hidden their strength, they only have five Golden Core cultivators in total."

Liu Baixuan couldn't help but sigh, "The more focused on body cultivation they are, the more they rely on pills, and the more eager they are to support Zhican Valley."

"Actually, it's not that – it's just that the conscience of the cultivation world lies with the body cultivators," Qin Ran quipped.

"This time, Shiyin and Baixuan will take action, while Junxing and Wenjin stand guard," he began arranging the mission details.

"Let me emphasize once more: you cannot use sword qi or sword intent. Any techniques that might leave traces cannot be used! Preferably, don't even use magical power. Complete the mission using only physical strength and basic sword techniques. Don't let anyone realize it was you who killed them."

"Understood!" Li Shiyin and Liu Baixuan nodded in unison.

Qin Ran led the group to search briefly along the edge of the Hengduan Mountains, and they soon found the Beast Form Sect members.

This mission proved even simpler than last night's task, as when they arrived, they found the twenty-some Beast Form Sect members having a merry time, roasting meat and drinking wine.

They waited silently in the treetops until the people below finished drinking and passed out drunk. Then Li Shiyin and Liu Baixuan drew ordinary swords and used their movement techniques to sneak over.

Lu Junxing and Tian Wenjin instinctively stood guard, each drawing their swords to prevent any unexpected situations.

Qin Ran monitored the entire scene, waiting for them to complete the kills.

Nothing unexpected occurred.

This was because these elite disciples, with their exceptional talents and abilities, were far superior to these third-rate small sect practitioners. Moreover, they fought dirty, carrying out organized, premeditated, planned ambushes and assassinations.

As a result, the Beast Form Sect members ascended to heaven without putting up any effective resistance.

Qin Ran approached with a sword in hand, and while still in mid-air, used the bloodied sword tip to write these words on the grass: "First eliminate Zhican Valley, then destroy the Dao Sword Sect!"

After completing everything, they briefly inspected the scene before swiftly departing.

Having carried out last night's operation, they appeared even more well-trained today.

"Junior Uncle..." During their search for the Mystic Spirit Gate, Lu Junxing couldn't help but ask, "Will this really work? Will it make them think the Boundless Sword Sect was behind this?"

"Those are two separate questions," Qin Ran replied. "First, this approach is very effective. It will weaken the Hengduan Mountain Alliance's strength, create panic, discourage other sects from coming to Zhican Valley, and allow us to proceed smoothly with our next phase of the plan.

"Second, Zhican Valley likely has connections with the Boundless Sword Sect, so they might know it wasn't their doing. However, this might plant seeds of doubt between them. Other sects will most likely believe it was the Boundless Sword Sect's work.

"Most importantly, very few will suspect the Dao Sword Sect's involvement. Because there's no evidence."

Lu Junxing nodded thoughtfully.

He discovered that the more time he spent with Junior Uncle, the more he realized that in the cultivation world, intelligence was also crucial.

Previously, he had always believed that there was nothing that couldn't be solved with a sword strike, and if it couldn't be solved, it was only because he wasn't strong enough.

Now he gradually understood that strength was always relative. When he was at the Golden Core realm, his enemies were at the Golden Core realm; when he reached the Nascent Soul realm, his enemies were at the Nascent Soul realm too. So, he and his enemies were always roughly equal in strength. When powers were evenly matched, schemes and tactics became very effective.

The saying that "when one reaches a certain level of power, all schemes become laughable" only meant that when he was at the Nascent Soul realm, Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators couldn't scheme against him. However, other Nascent Soul cultivators could still plot against him.

Mortals scheme against mortals, Foundation Establishment against Foundation Establishment, Nascent Soul against Nascent Soul, immortals against immortals, nations against nations, sects against sects - among these equal forces, schemes and tactics would always exist.

Just as he was pondering these thoughts, Junior Uncle suddenly stopped ahead and said in a grave voice, "Stop!"

Lu Junxing snapped back to reality and was about to ask what was wrong when his keen sense of smell detected the scent of blood in the air.

The smell of blood was overwhelming!

People had died, many people had died!

In front of them, Junior Uncle's figure flickered, and a water clone appeared before him, moving forward to scout. Soon after, Junior Uncle's expression grew even darker, and he flew forward using his movement technique.

Lu Junxing and the other three followed Qin Ran's flight. After flying through dense tree shadows, their vision suddenly cleared. Lu Junxing looked forward from mid-air and saw corpses and blood covering the ground.

The Mystic Spirit Gate members were already dead!

They had died before our group could act!

Someone else was also intercepting and killing the sects coming to aid Zhican Valley!

Unknown whether friend or foe.

"Is this a coincidence?" Lu Junxing asked.

"At a time like this, it can't be coincidence," Qin Ran replied gravely.

"Was it the Boundless Sword Sect's doing?" Liu Baixuan asked. "Copying our method of framing the Dao Sword Sect?"

Qin Ran shook his head, "The Boundless Sword Sect only has sword cultivators, but the Mystic Spirit Gate members weren't killed by swords."

"Then who's helping us?" Li Shiyin asked.

"Help?" Qin Ran's expression turned terrifyingly dark. "It might not be help... but another powerful, mysterious force has entered the game."

The situation had become even more complex!