Morning sunlight filtered through the gaps of the old locust tree leaves, casting dappled shadows on the bluestone pavement in the courtyard. Chu Yang sat cross-legged beneath the tree, a laptop resting on his knees, his fingers flying across the keyboard. On the screen, a 3D human model circulated streams of blue light along intricate pathways.
"Spiritual energy route optimization, 17th attempt," Chu Yang muttered to himself as he adjusted the parameters. "If we reduce the load on the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian and increase the participation of the Foot Yangming Stomach Meridian..."
Su Yuyan stepped out of the kitchen, carrying two steaming bowls of porridge. She had changed into a dark blue training outfit, her black hair tied up high, giving her a sharp and efficient look. Seeing Chu Yang glued to his laptop again, she shook her head helplessly.
"Cultivation emphasizes 'the Dao follows nature.' Who ever heard of someone calculating it with a computer?"
"Efficiency improved by 42%, didn't it?" Chu Yang replied without looking up, his fingers finally hammering the Enter key. "Done! The second layer of the *Taixu Yantian Jue: Spiritual Code Edition*!"
Su Yuyan set down the porridge bowls and leaned in to look at the screen. A strand of her hair fell loose, carrying a faint fragrance of orchids. Chu Yang's breath hitched slightly before he quickly refocused on the display.
"Here," he pointed to a complex spiritual energy circuit. "Traditional techniques have qi circulating through the Ren and Du meridians nine times before diverting to the Eight Extraordinary Meridians. But I found that if we redirect some into the Yangwei Meridian earlier, overall efficiency increases by nearly 50%."
Su Yuyan frowned in thought before suddenly sitting cross-legged opposite Chu Yang. "Show me."
Chu Yang nodded, cupping his hands in front of his dantian. As he adjusted his breathing, faint blue spiritual energy seeped from his pores, flowing along specific pathways. Unlike ordinary cultivators, his qi moved with an unusual rhythm—accelerating, pausing, turning—like a meticulously programmed sequence.
"This..." Su Yuyan's eyes flashed with surprise. "It's as precise as a machine!"
"Not a machine—an algorithm," Chu Yang said, withdrawing his energy with a satisfied smile. "I broke down qi circulation into fundamental instruction sets, optimizing every movement down to the millisecond. Traditional techniques rely on feeling. I rely on precise calculation."
Su Yuyan attempted to mimic Chu Yang's energy flow. After a moment, her eyes widened. "It really is... much smoother! How did you think of this?"
"Programming logic," Chu Yang said, scooping a spoonful of porridge. "Coding is all about efficiency and optimization. Isn't cultivation the same?"
"Freak," Su Yuyan muttered under her breath, though she couldn't hide the smile tugging at her lips.
Over the past seven days, the two had developed a strange camaraderie in this small courtyard. By day, they cultivated and researched; by night, they sparred and debated. Chu Yang integrated modern scientific thinking into cultivation, creating unorthodox techniques that left Su Yuyan stunned. Meanwhile, she systematically taught him the common knowledge and rules of the cultivation world, helping him avoid unnecessary detours.
"Shouldn't we study talismans today?" Chu Yang asked eagerly. A few days ago, Su Yuyan had demonstrated a "Rain of Fire" talisman, which had left him in awe.
"First, we're meeting someone," Su Yuyan said, checking the time. "He should be here soon."
As if on cue, three soft knocks sounded at the courtyard gate—a pause—then two more. Su Yuyan's eyes lit up as she hurried to open the door.
Outside stood a young man in a gray trench coat, appearing to be in his mid-twenties, with delicate features and round-framed glasses that made him look like a frail scholar. But in Chu Yang's spiritual vision, the man was enveloped in a faint golden aura, its intensity no weaker than Su Yuyan's.
"Nan Gongyu," the man introduced himself with a gentle smile. "Outer disciple of the Tianji Pavilion, and an old friend of Miss Su."
Chu Yang noticed Su Yuyan's barely perceptible frown when he mentioned "Tianji Pavilion."
Nan Gongyu stepped into the courtyard, studying Chu Yang curiously. "So this is the Taixu heir? More... modern than I expected."
"Chu Yang. Former programmer, current cultivation rookie," Chu Yang said, extending a hand.
When they shook hands, Nan Gongyu's fingers pressed lightly against Chu Yang's pulse point. A glint of gold flashed in his eyes. "Nine-grade spiritual root purity... No wonder." He glanced at Su Yuyan. "You've found a treasure."
"Cut the nonsense," Su Yuyan interrupted. "The intel?"
Nan Gongyu retrieved a brown paper envelope from his coat. "Dark Night has a base in the abandoned chemical plant west of the city. They've been active lately. Last night, another murder—the victim's essence was drained, same method as the previous six."
Chu Yang opened the envelope, finding photos and a map inside. The photos showed a corpse, desiccated like a mummy, with a charred hexagram brand on its chest.
"The seventh one..." Su Yuyan's expression darkened. "The hexagram has become a heptagram. The summoning array is evolving."
Nan Gongyu nodded. "What's worse, this victim wasn't an ordinary person." He pointed to an inconspicuous tattoo in the corner of the photo—a crossed sword and shield.
"The Cultivation Alliance's mark?" Su Yuyan inhaled sharply. "They're targeting Alliance members now?"
"Not just any member," Nan Gongyu adjusted his glasses. "A 'Cleaner' stationed in the mortal world, specializing in dealing with demonic cultivators. It seems Dark Night no longer cares about hiding."
Chu Yang examined the map closely. The seven murder sites formed a complex heptagram pattern, with the chemical plant at its center.
"What are they trying to summon?"
"Unknown, but nothing good," Nan Gongyu said, pulling out a small wooden box from another pocket. "These are 'Qi-Concealing Talismans.' They'll hide your spiritual signatures for twelve hours. Be careful—Dark Night has hired 'Hounds.'"
Su Yuyan's face paled. "Soul-Sniffers? I thought they were extinct!"
"Dark Night dug up a few half-breeds from somewhere," Nan Gongyu sighed. "They're not as strong as purebloods, but they're enough to track ordinary cultivators."
Chu Yang was lost but grasped the key point. "So if we investigate the chemical plant, we have to avoid these 'Hounds' first?"
"Not just that," Nan Gongyu said seriously. "According to Tianji Pavilion's calculations, midnight tomorrow is when yin energy will peak. Dark Night will likely complete their ritual then. You have less than twenty-four hours to prepare."
Su Yuyan pocketed the wooden box. "Thanks. Payment as usual."
Nan Gongyu waved a hand and turned to leave, then paused. "Oh, the Su family is looking for you. They arrived in the city three days ago—your cousin, Su Minghe, is leading them."
Su Yuyan stiffened almost imperceptibly. "...Understood."
Once Nan Gongyu was gone, Chu Yang couldn't help but ask, "Why is your family chasing you? You mentioned an arranged marriage before..."
"At age five, my family betrothed me to the Xiao family's heir," Su Yuyan said coldly. "On my coming-of-age ceremony three years ago, I refused. I ran away that same night."
Chu Yang imagined a teenage Su Yuyan struggling alone in an unfamiliar city, and his chest tightened inexplicably. "Why refuse?"
"Because the Xiao family isn't what they seem," Su Yuyan's eyes flashed with hatred. "They pretend to be righteous, but behind the scenes, they collude with Dark Night. I saw the Xiao family's Second Elder meeting with a Dark Night emissary, but no one believed me."
Her fists clenched, knuckles whitening. "The most ridiculous part? My father—the most open-minded elder in the Su family—sided with them. He said some compromises were necessary for the family's interests."
Chu Yang didn't know what to say, so he simply patted her shoulder. To his surprise, Su Yuyan didn't pull away—instead, she leaned into him slightly.
"Now we have a common enemy," Chu Yang said, trying to lighten the mood. "Dark Night, Ma Tiansheng, and your family's pursuers... Things are getting lively."
Su Yuyan let out a soft laugh. "The path of cultivation was never safe to begin with." She stood up. "Come on, I'll teach you some practical talismans before nightfall. The chemical plant won't be easy."
The entire afternoon, Chu Yang immersed himself in the wondrous world of talismans. Unlike traditional cultivators, he approached them with a programmer's logic—each stroke and symbol was a line of "code," combining to form a specific "function." This heretical understanding made Su Yuyan roll her eyes, but she couldn't deny its effectiveness.
"Fireball Talisman, activate!" Chu Yang flung out a yellow paper talisman. It burst into flames midair, forming a basin-sized fireball that struck a distant tree, leaving a charred mark.
"Wrong. The flame structure is too loose," Su Yuyan critiqued. "Imagine the fire as a network—every node must be stable."
Chu Yang pondered this, adding a few extra intersecting lines to his next talisman. This time, the fireball was half the size but burned hotter, piercing straight through the tree trunk!
"How did you—never mind, I don't want to know," Su Yuyan massaged her temples. "Next, the Invisibility Talisman."
By dusk, they had prepared all their gear: Qi-Concealing Talismans, offensive talismans, healing pills, and Chu Yang's custom "Spiritual Grenades"—compressed qi stored in special containers that, when detonated, created small spiritual energy storms.
"One last question," Chu Yang asked over dinner. "Can we trust Nan Gongyu? Why is he helping us?"
Su Yuyan sipped her porridge. "He owes me. Five years ago, demonic cultivators were hunting him. I saved his life." She paused. "Tianji Pavilion deals in intelligence. They're neutral, but... don't trust them completely."
Night fell, and the two changed into black stealth suits Nan Gongyu had provided. Chu Yang adjusted his homemade spiritual energy detector—a modified smartphone that sensed ambient qi fluctuations.
"Before we go..." Su Yuyan hesitated. "If things get dangerous tomorrow, leave me behind and run."
Chu Yang stopped what he was doing and met her gaze. "No."
"I'm serious! If Dark Night captures the Taixu heir—"
"Then we'll be a pair of doomed lovers," Chu Yang joked before immediately regretting his choice of words.
Su Yuyan's ears turned pink, but she didn't refute him. The atmosphere between them grew strangely charged.
"Ahem. Time to go," Chu Yang coughed, changing the subject. "Plan's the same—we check the seventh crime scene first, then the chemical plant."
The city's neon lights glittered as traffic flowed through the streets. They took a taxi to an upscale residential district in the northern sector. The crime scene was cordoned off by police, but barriers meant nothing to cultivators.
With a simple illusion spell from Su Yuyan, they slipped into the victim's apartment unnoticed. The place was preserved as it had been at the time of death, though the body had been removed. Chu Yang's detector immediately buzzed softly.
"Strong yin energy residue..." He adjusted the settings. "And it's pulsing rhythmically, like some kind of... signal?"
Su Yuyan inspected the living room floor and suddenly gasped. "Come look!"
Nearly invisible bloodstains formed an intricate pattern on the floor—the central symbol of the heptagram. More unsettling, the symbol was slowly absorbing stray yin energy from the air!
"This isn't an ordinary summoning array..." Su Yuyan's voice tightened. "It's a communication array! Dark Night isn't summoning a demon—they're talking to them!"
A chill ran down Chu Yang's spine. Just then, the detector shrieked—a powerful spiritual signature was approaching fast!
"Someone's coming!" Chu Yang pulled Su Yuyan behind the curtains. Seconds later, the balcony door slid open silently as two shadowy figures entered.
Both wore black combat attire with sword-and-shield badges on their chests. The leader was a man in his thirties with a stern face and a scar over his right eye. The other was a short-haired woman wielding a gleaming cyan dagger.
"Cultivation Alliance enforcers..." Su Yuyan whispered.
The scarred man crouched by the symbol, inspecting it with a bronze mirror. His expression darkened. "The Seven Evils Communion Array! Have they gone mad? This is meant to open a passage between realms!"
"Captain, HQ reports massive spiritual energy gathering west of the city," the woman said. "Should we—"
"Recall all field agents immediately," the captain ordered. "And contact Tianji Pavilion. I need all records on the Taixu Sect's destruction three hundred years ago!"
At the mention of "Taixu Sect," Chu Yang flinched, accidentally nudging a nearby vase. The clink of porcelain was deafening in the silent room.
"Who's there?!" The woman's dagger flashed toward the curtains.
At that critical moment, an explosion rocked the building from below! The floor trembled, followed by screams—and an unearthly, guttural roar.
"What the hell?!" The scarred man rushed to the window, his face draining of color.
Chu Yang and Su Yuyan seized the chance to peer out from another window. The scene outside froze their blood.
Three monstrous creatures, each over two meters tall, rampaged through the complex! They stood like hyenas on hind legs, but their hairless bodies were covered in scales, their claws long and blade-like, shredding car metal effortlessly. Worst of all were their eyes—pupilless, just two burning green flames.
"Hounds of the Demon Realm!" Su Yuyan gasped. "Dark Night's summoning has already begun!"