Draped in what could only be called a luxurious set of full BiS (Best in Slot) gear, Mo Fan didn't linger in the market. Before night fully fell, he quietly withdrew from this bustling money pit and plunged headfirst into the dense forest on the outskirts.

  Arriving before that hidden deep pit, Mo Fan patted the brand-new, dark-gold-stitched premium storage bag at his waist.

  "Retrieve."

  Following a broad spatial fluctuation, Mo Yan (who had been standing guard like a coolie), Summon No. 003 (hidden in the tree hollow), and even the massive, miniature-armored-vehicle-sized Summon No. 004 (who had buried itself in the dirt) were all sucked into the storage bag.

  Mo Fan sent his Divine Sense inside for a look.

  Within the full twenty cubic meters of internal space, even after fitting these three massive units, more than half the room was still empty. That reassuring feeling of "carrying a whole army in my pocket, ready on call" was simply unparalleled.

  "It's good to be rich."

  Mo Fan let out a long breath and straightened his robes. To keep a low profile, he deliberately avoided the main roads and took a winding, secluded path back to the servant quarters.

  However, just as he passed a hidden patrol point manned by outer court disciples, a few stray words of gossip carried by the wind acted like a basin of ice water, instantly extinguishing the joy of his sudden wealth.

  "Hey, Senior Brother, don't you think things have been really freaky lately?"

  At the patrol point, an outer court disciple leaned against a tree and complained. "That Buffer Zone deep in the back mountain used to be noisy as hell at night. But these past few days, you can't even hear a single beast's roar. It's so quiet it makes my hair stand on end."

  "Tell me about it!" Another formal disciple lowered his voice, his tone laced with paranoia. "Could it be that some Great Demon is about to be born, and it scared away all the low-tier Spirit Beasts in advance? I heard this abnormal situation has already caught the attention of the higher-ups. The Elders of the Law Enforcement Hall might personally lead a team deep inside to investigate in a few days..."

  Hiding in the shadows, Mo Fan's heart skipped a beat, cold sweat instantly seeping from his back.

  Birth of a Great Demon?

  What Great Demon? That was the ecological disaster caused by the "Mystic Realm Rocket Squad" sweeping day and night for half a month!

  It wasn't until this moment that Mo Fan's brain, previously intoxicated by the thrill of leveling up, snapped awake.

  He finally realized that this was a real cultivation world with a complete ecological chain, not some online game from his past life where wild monsters respawned on schedule the next day!

  His "scorched-earth" grinding style had created a severe ecological vacuum deep in the back mountain. Nature was extremely sensitive; a break in one link would inevitably arouse the vigilance of the higher-ups.

  "So the Cultivation World also follows basic ecological laws..."

  Mo Fan gulped, secretly rejoicing in his heart that he had decisively chosen to leave the mountain today.

  "Sustainable development is the hard truth. If the Law Enforcement Hall really brings people to investigate and finds the ground littered with bone dregs drained of remnant souls, my identity as a Necromancer reeking of death energy will absolutely be exposed. I must lay low until this blows over!"

  Deep in the night.

  Mo Fan didn't go straight back to the small courtyard in the servant district. Instead, under the cover of night, he went to an extremely hidden, dark, abandoned mine shaft on the outskirts of the back mountain.

  This place used to be an abandoned Spirit Stone mine. It had caved in long ago, was dark and damp, and not even rats wanted to visit. It was a perfect secret base.

  Deep inside the mine, no fire was lit. The only illumination came from the gloomy green soul fires dancing in the eye sockets of three white skeletons.

  Mo Fan sat cross-legged on a towering rock, his hands crossed, supporting his chin. The Shadow Leopard cloak draped over the edge of the rock. His expression was extremely serious, looking exactly like a strict academic advisor reviewing a project's progress.

  Below him.

  Mo Yan (Elite Swordsman), Summon No. 003 (Extreme Speed Assassin), and Summon No. 004 (Absolute Meat Shield) stood in a neat, uniform row arranged by height.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  The atmosphere was incredibly eerie and terrifying. If an outsider barged in, they would absolutely suffer Qi Deviation from sheer terror at the sight.

  But in Mo Fan's eyes, this was nothing more than a routine "phase project review meeting."

  "Ahem."

  Mo Fan cleared his throat. Looking down condescendingly at his three "capable lieutenants," he spoke in a deep voice:

  "Everyone, we're working overtime today for a brief meeting. We will summarize our previous progress and deploy the upcoming work."

  The only response he got was the drip-drop of water in the mine and the quietly burning soul fires in the three skeletons' eye sockets.

  Mo Fan seemed used to this one-way communication. He cast a stern gaze at Mo Yan, who stood at the front.

  "First, Mo Yan. As a founding member of the team, my expectations for you are very high. However, in our recent battles, where is your innovation? Where is your strategic thinking? Aside from hacking hard with your sword, couldn't you learn from No. 003's positioning? I am very disappointed."

  Mo Yan stood silently. His jawbone didn't even clack once, as if expressing a silent protest: "Boss, stop feeding us empty corporate promises."

  "Forget it. Expecting subjective initiative from you guys is my fault."

  Mo Fan rubbed his temples and spoke seriously. "Now entering Agenda Item 1: Ecological Vacuum and Strategic Dormancy."

  He reorganized the intelligence he heard on the road in his mind and pointed out the current situation:

  "Currently, the team's promotion speed has far exceeded expectations, but because of this, we've tripped the back mountain's 'ecological warning line.' There are two and a half months until the outer court Grand Tournament. During this period, I announce that everyone is temporarily on 'paid time off' (PTO). Cease all hunting operations targeting tier-one late-stage Spirit Beasts. We must lower our flags and muffle our drums, let nature recover its vitality, and avoid the gaze of the sect's Law Enforcement Hall."

  The resolution passed unanimously (since no one objected).

  "Next is Agenda Item 2. This is also the most core issue—Late-Game Power Anxiety."

  Looking at the high 55 points of Soul Strength and the perfect skill tree on his System Panel, Mo Fan wasn't complacent. In his mind replayed the apocalyptic scene from Qingmu Town that day: Elder Liu Yun cutting the void with one sword and washing the earth with ten thousand bolts of lightning.

  He posed a sharp hypothetical:

  "Relying on our current 'Holy Trinity' (Tank/DPS/Support) system, we can most likely bulldoze our way through until LV. 20 (Foundation Establishment). But what about... LV. 40 (Golden Core)?"

  Mo Fan's voice echoed in the empty mine shaft, carrying a heaviness that couldn't be ignored.

  "When those inner sect elders can draw upon the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth with a raise of their hand, unleash overwhelming Daoist magic, and even comprehend the intent of heaven and earth and the laws of space... Can we, a bunch of bone frames that only know how to physically hack and slash and spray Corpse Poison, really contend with the fundamental laws of the cultivation world?"

  "No matter how hard skeletons are, can they be harder than Heavenly Tribulation Lightning? No matter how fierce Corpse Explosion is, can it shatter the void?"

  Mo Fan took a deep breath.

  This questioning of his future combat power ceiling forced his brain to calm down completely. He clearly realized that while the Necromancer System was heaven-defying in the early game, if he couldn't integrate the Heavenly Dao laws of the Mystic Realm (spiritual Qi, orthodox magic) into himself, he would eventually hit an insurmountable ceiling.

  "Although that's a matter for the future and everything is unknown, we absolutely cannot let our guard down."

  "Putting away long-term worries, immediate concerns are right before our eyes. Entering Agenda Item 3: Tournament Strategy and Bitter Body Cultivation."

  Mo Fan patted the newly bought premium storage bag at his waist.

  "At the arena matches of the outer court Grand Tournament, under the watchful eyes of the masses and gathered elders, Mo Yan, No. 003, and No. 004 cannot make an appearance. Any leakage of death energy will invite a fatal disaster."

  "This means that in that tournament, I can only rely on myself. I must treat myself as a true body cultivator and clash head-on with those Mystic Realm natives."

  A ruthless glint flashed in Mo Fan's eyes.

  "For the next two and a half months, all outdoor activities are canceled. Right there in the waste area, utilizing the gravity sandbags, frost sand, and high-tier pills I bought today, combined with the Body Forging Record, I must break through to the second major realm of body cultivation—[ Iron Bones Stage ]—before the tournament!"

  "Only when my physical body is tyrannical enough to blow up opponents with a single punch without using spells will my disguise be flawless!"

  With the three agenda items concluded, Mo Fan looked at the three skeletons below, who remained completely unresponsive, sighed, and entered the final topic.

  "Agenda Item 4: Exclusive Weapon R&D."

  Looking at the Cold Iron Sword Mo Yan was newly equipped with, Mo Fan felt it was time he had an exclusive weapon too.

  Choose a longsword? He didn't have elegant movement techniques or sword arts inheritances. Holding a sword would make him look like a monkey performing tricks, and he wouldn't even be able to utilize a body cultivator's brute strength.

  Choose a dagger? Fine for hidden weapons, but in a head-on arena confrontation like the tournament, it was too insidious and wretched, lacking absolute frontal deterrence.

  "Since I can hand-craft skeletons... then, can I also hand-craft a weapon?"

  From deep within his storage bag, Mo Fan pulled out a premium material he had specifically saved earlier—the thick leg bone of the LV. 8 Earth-Rending Giant Bear.

  This bone was as thick as an adult's arm and about four feet long. It was incredibly heavy, harder than refined iron, and its surface still retained a trace of faint earth-attribute Mana fluctuation.

  "In the eyes of the Mystic Realm natives, this is called a 'White Bone Demon-Subduing Cudgel'. It's the most suitable heavy blunt weapon for a berserk body cultivator. It focuses on 'absolute power shattering all techniques'—a direct hit is death, a graze is a severe injury."

  Mo Fan gripped the heavy giant bear leg bone, a satisfied smile hooking the corner of his mouth. The blue Mana at his fingertips had already begun carving fine anti-slip patterns on the bone's surface.

  "But in my hands, it is the Necromancer's exclusive scepter—used for smashing enemies' skulls while simultaneously amplifying death energy spellcasting."

  "Perfect."

  Having finalized all plans, Mo Fan leaped lightly down from the towering rock.

  "Meeting adjourned."