The Hunting Plan Begins

The Su Family Villa.

"Hmm?"

"Luo Luo, look at this."

Su Muwan had been lazily curled up on the sofa, scrolling through TikTok. But now, as if she had stumbled upon something extraordinary, she straightened up and thrust her phone in front of Qin Luo’s face.

"How come these (munch munch) ancient sect folks are also (munch munch) playing around on TikTok?"

Her other hand was still busy popping grapes into her mouth.

Qin Luo looked up at her voice and followed Su Muwan’s pointing finger.

On the screen was a disciple from an ancient sect, clad in dark martial attire.

He stood atop a mist-shrouded mountain peak, performing spells that moved mountains and parted seas.

Brilliant light danced at his fingertips, while the sword on his back hummed with energy, as if it might burst through the screen at any moment.

Comments flooded the video in rapid succession:

[Whoa! Which celebrity martial artist is this? He looks straight out of a fantasy!]

[Bro, you clearly haven’t checked the Alliance’s official page—this is a big shot from the ancient sects of the Profound Heaven Realm! Rumor has it their martial artists are called cultivators!]

[Wait, cultivators? For real? Isn’t this just special effects? Even Peak Realm martial artists can’t fly this high!]

[Of course it’s special effects! There’s no such thing as cultivation. Martial artists are martial artists—stop making stuff up. I’ve never seen one who can move mountains and drain seas!]

[You’re clueless! This is raw footage! A bunch of ancient sects have opened accounts now, and they’re full of these insane videos. Don’t talk if you don’t know what you’re saying.]

[Man, compared to them, us modern martial artists seem kinda lame.]

[Speak for yourself! Su Muwan alone could take on ten of them!]

[More like a hundred! Or a thousand! Or even ten thousand!]

[Who’s Su Muwan?]

[Listen up, you uncultured lot—Su Muwan is from Jiang City...]

"Hey!"

"Stop dragging me into your nonsense!!"

"Anyway..."

"These ancient sect folks really know how to work TikTok," Su Muwan remarked after swallowing her grape, smacking her lips. "I’d only heard you talking about introducing electronics to them, but I didn’t expect them to adapt this fast. They’re even making these flashy videos now."

She tilted her head, eyes sparkling, and swiped through a few more trending clips, pulling Qin Luo in to watch with her.

As she scrolled, an idea struck her. She turned to Qin Luo.

"If they’re getting this much attention, imagine how viral I’d go if I started posting too!"

Qin Luo chuckled. "Does the young miss really need more fame? Aren’t you already a top influencer?"

Su Muwan smirked. "Top influencer—real or fake?"

"The real deal."

After coaxing Su Muwan to amuse herself elsewhere, Qin Luo picked up his phone and browsed through a few more sect videos.

A faint smile curled his lips.

Just as he had anticipated.

With the Primordial Holy Land leading the charge, the other sects had quickly followed suit, setting up signal towers one after another.

Smartphones, tablets, and other electronics had begun flooding into the ancient sects like a tide.

The Sect Assimilation Plan was progressing smoothly...

As for these high-definition videos, they naturally required top-notch equipment and skilled filming techniques.

The equipment was provided by their Alliance.

And the filming techniques...

Qin Luo let out a quiet laugh.

Seems Shen Fei and his team had infiltrated the sects quite effectively.

Indeed, these polished videos were all orchestrated by Qin Luo, with Shen Fei and his operatives embedded in the sects doing the filming—under the guise of "raising sect visibility."

It also helped Shen Fei’s team gain the sects’ trust.

Good.

Now it was time for the next phase.

Getting sect disciples to post videos online served a very specific purpose.

Qin Luo swiped to another clip.

In it, a young disciple from the Starlight Sect stood proudly on a vast training ground, robes fluttering in the wind.

As he spread his arms, spiritual energy surged around him.

A dazzling radiance burst from his palms, coalescing into a majestic spiritual qilin. The beast reared its head with a mighty roar, its hooves treading the air, each step leaving behind a trail of shimmering light.

The Starlight Sect’s signature technique—Qilin Starlight Fist!!!

The production quality was impeccable, the effects stunning—clearly, the cameraperson had put in serious effort.

But...

The comment section told a different story.

[Pfft, the Starlight Sect and their flashy moves. Back in the Profound Heaven Realm, we slaughtered them on sight. In a real fight, they’d wet themselves!]

[Exactly! During the Great Sect War, this technique was nothing special. Now they’re showing off?]

[Starlight Sect clowns, quit embarrassing yourselves online. Fight me in person if you’ve got the guts!]

The Starlight Sect disciples weren’t about to take that lying down. They fired back with full force.

[You know nothing! If you’re so tough, post a better video! Stop being jealous!]

[You started the conflict back then! Don’t twist history and slander our sect!]

The argument grew fiercer, teetering on the edge of spilling into the real world.

And this was exactly the effect Qin Luo wanted.

With that thought, he turned his head to look at Su Muwan, who was lounging contentedly at home, and said, "Young Mistress."

"Hmm?"

"It's time to stretch our legs a little."

"Huh?!"

Su Muwan's eyes widened instantly, but she quickly caught on, her excitement bubbling up.

"Are we stirring up trouble?"

She sprang up from the couch, fingers pressed together as she let out a mischievous cackle: "Finally, I get to show what I can do—Hehehehehe~~!!"

"Young Mistress, mind your demeanor."

"Ahem... Hmph!"

......

......

That same night.

Under the thick veil of darkness, the Starlight Sect.

Patrol disciples moved in pairs, torches in hand, slowly making their way along the winding stone path.

The flickering flames cast shifting shadows across their faces, illuminating expressions of exhaustion and simmering resentment.

"Senior Brother, did you see those comments online today? Those bastards from the Mystic Wind Pavilion—how dare they trash-talk our sect’s demonstration video so viciously!"

"That was Shen Fei’s hard work, filming that promo for our sect!"

A young disciple scowled, his grip tightening around the torch as flames wavered with his agitation.

The senior brother beside him snorted coldly, his expression dark. "Of course I saw. They’ve always been like this—flaunting their so-called superiority and targeting us at every turn."

"Back during the spiritual herb dispute, they were clearly in the wrong. And now they have the nerve to spew nonsense online, saying they’d kill any of us on sight? The audacity!"

"Exactly! We practiced the Kirin Starlight Fist over and over just to make that video, to bring glory to our sect—and they ruined it with their filth!"

The younger disciple grew angrier with every word, his steps thudding heavily against the stone path. "I say we challenge them to a real fight. Let’s show them what the Starlight Sect is made of, instead of letting them hide behind their screens like cowards."

The senior brother shook his head slightly, his gaze tinged with worry. "Don’t act recklessly. The modern world is too complicated. The higher-ups have given strict orders—no provoking conflicts."

"Besides, who knows if they’re deliberately baiting us, just looking for an excuse to cause trouble."

"Hah! As if we should fear them!"

The young disciple scoffed. "Our Kirin Starlight Fist is every bit as strong as any of the Mystic Wind Pavilion’s techniques. If it came down to a real fight, who wins is anyone’s guess!"

"True, but we still need to be cautious."

"Stay sharp during patrols these next few days. Don’t give them any openings to sneak into our sect and cause havoc."

As he spoke, the senior brother raised his torch higher, scanning the surrounding darkness warily.

The younger disciple waved a hand dismissively, brimming with confidence. "Relax, Senior Brother. Our sect’s protective formation is flawless—not even a fly could slip through!"

"Hahaha, ever the clever one."

Their figures gradually faded into the distance.

Completely unaware of the four figures concealed in a nearby thicket.