The sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm orange glow over Baishan City as people hurried home, the streets slowly emptying. It had only been a day since Xuan Tian and the doctors arrived, yet the unsettling discoveries they made weighed heavily on them.
Inside Xuan Tian's room, the five of them sat around a table, the atmosphere thick with tension. The scene mirrored the night before, but this time, the stakes felt far graver.
Xuan Tian, Lei Wen, and Lin Qian recounted the day's events to Zhao Zhi and Xu Yun. Each revelation seemed more implausible than the last.
Lei Wen broke the silence first.
"We know now the plague rumor is half true," he said, his voice grim. "But honestly... I wish it was just a plague. That would have been simpler."
Xuan Tian, arms crossed, remained resolute.
"It seems like it," he admitted, "but Tianjun wouldn't provide false information. There must be more to this than what we're seeing."
Lei Wen nodded before continuing.
"Let's review the first victim. A-He. Twelve years old. No innate talent whatsoever. And yet, his core is forming. When we left, we ensured it was stabilizing. At this rate, it will be fully formed in less than three days."
Zhao Zhi leaned forward, eyebrows furrowed.
"That's impossible," he blurted out. "Forming a core takes months—sometimes years—even with constant guidance from a cultivation teacher. And talent... it's non-negotiable. No matter how small, some innate spark is always required."
His disbelief deepened as he continued, "What are we witnessing here? Core formation in three days? No talent, no teacher, no cultivation method... just spontaneously forming? It makes my medical knowledge feel obsolete."
Lei Wen sighed.
"Moving on to the second victim: a young woman, around eighteen. Her core formation was more advanced than A-He's, but dangerously unstable. It nearly exploded while we were there."
Xu Yun shuddered.
"We were lucky you made it in time. I can't imagine the catastrophe that would have followed."
Xuan Tian, calm but grave, added, "If it had detonated... judging by the core's power, half the city would've been obliterated."
The room fell silent. Shock rippled through the group, the weight of the revelation settling like a heavy fog.
"Half the city?" Zhao Zhi echoed, eyes wide. "That's... beyond comprehension."
Lin Qian rubbed her temples, her frustration evident.
"So not only are these cores forming spontaneously, but they're unusually strong?" she muttered. "It doesn't make sense. Cores are supposed to strengthen over time through cultivation. Not... emerge fully potent from the start."
Lei Wen's gaze darkened as he added, "Let's continue to the third victim. A middle-aged woman. Her core was fully formed... but she was writing a farewell letter." He paused, shaking his head. "The unsettling part? Her eyes were blind. Yet she wrote perfectly, each character deliberate and without hesitation. We've asked around—apparently, that woman was illiterate." He paused, the weight of the implication hanging in the room. "It's as if... something or someone was guiding her hand."
A heavy silence followed, thick with unease.
Zhao Zhi exhaled slowly. "We have more questions than answers at this point."
Lei Wen nodded grimly. "I can't believe I'm saying this... but it seems Miss Ling Yu might have been right. A method has been found—a way for ordinary humans to become cultivators."
The words hung in the air, heavy with implications. If that were true, it would shatter everything they knew about cultivation, power, and the delicate balance between the realms.
And worse... it meant someone out there had found a way to turn innocent civilians into potential weapons.
Xuan Tian turned to Zhao Zhi and Xu Yun. "Did you find anything at Zhang Clinic?"
They exchanged a glance before Zhao Zhi sighed. "Yes... more questions."
He began explaining, his voice steady but laced with frustration. "When we arrived, a few people claiming to be doctors were already there. Including us, there were nineteen people. But after interviews conducted by the clinic's head physician, it turned out we were the only ones that are actual doctors. The other seventeen were just regular people looking for work."
Lin Qian's brows furrowed. "Seventeen unqualified individuals in a medical facility?"
Zhao Zhi nodded grimly. "Exactly. Xu Yun and I were hired immediately and assigned tasks without much scrutiny. I was told to assist an elderly doctor with conducting physical examinations on male patients, ensuring they were deemed healthy."
Xu Yun added, "I received similar instructions, assisting a senior female doctor with examinations on the female patients."
Lei Wen leaned forward. "And the patients? Anything unusual?"
Zhao Zhi exchanged another glance with Xu Yun before continuing. "Once a patient received a clean bill of health, they were escorted to another section of the clinic. We never saw any of them come back out. When we left, those patients hadn't returned."
Zhao Zhi continued, "I tried to sneak in to find out more about what's going on with those patients, but there was a barrier setup around that area. I couldn't crossed it without alerting whoever created that barrier. And servants told me it is a restricted area."
Xuan Tian's gaze sharpened. "A barrier? And you couldn't cross it?" He paused, the weight of the statement settling in. "That means whoever placed it has cultivation above High Immortal Stage One. That's... uncommon."
Xuan Tian continued, "It means, at least one Immortal Sect is involved with Zhang Family Clinic. And I feel whatever is happening in the clinic, somehow connected with the spontaneously formed cores. Anything else worth mentioning?"
Xu Yun nodded. "Yes. I asked around about the missing servant, Chen Wei. His colleagues said that on the night he disappeared, he left behind a letter. That letter was delivered to his mother earlier today."
Xuan Tian's eyes narrowed. "We need to know what's written in that letter." He stood, his decision immediate. "It's not too late. I'll go to Chen Wei's house now."
Zhao Zhi blinked. "Do you know where it is?"
Xuan Tian didn't hesitate. "Behind Chen's Pork stall, in the market."
With that, his figure blurred—then vanished, leaving the others in a brief silence, the air still carrying the faint whisper of his presence.
In less than one incense stick's time, Xuan Tian returned, the said letter in his hand.
Lei Wen blinked at the speed of his return, then deadpanned, "General... did you steal that?"
Xuan Tian, entirely unbothered, replied with a flat expression, "It was necessary."
The room fell into a beat of silence before Zhao Zhi muttered, "Impressive."
Xuan Tian ignored the comment as he unfolded the letter, his gaze scanning the contents. The others leaned forward, tension thick in the air.
The handwriting was clear and deliberate. The message itself, however, sent a chill through the room:
I am going to cultivate. Do not search for me.
Lin Qian exhaled loudly. "It's exactly the same!"
Lei Wen's brows furrowed. "So what? Are we saying Chen Wei formed a core, wrote that letter, and then disappeared to cultivate?"
Xuan Tian's gaze darkened as he pieced it together aloud. "A-He is at the early stage of developing a core. The young woman's core was nearly fully formed, though unstable. The middle-aged woman's core was fully formed when she wrote the letter. And now Chen Wei writes the same message and vanishes?" His fingers tightened around the paper. "We can assume he formed a core and went into seclusion to cultivate."
His voice dropped, tone colder. "If that's true... this is an elaborate scheme to abduct humans with forming cores. But the question remains—why?"
The weight of that question settled over the group like a thick fog, the room falling into uneasy silence.
Xuan Tian broke the silence, his tone steady but urgent. "We can only find answers if we keep the investigation going." His gaze shifted to Lei Wen. "Dr. Lei, tomorrow return to the Luo Residence. Check on A-He. If our theory is correct, when his core fully forms, he will write a letter and vanish. Keep monitoring him. Do not let him go into seclusion to cultivate."
Lei Wen nodded, absorbing the weight of the task.
Turning to Lin Qian, Xuan Tian continued, "Dr. Lin, head back to the slums and check on the young woman. Her core is fully formed—verify if she has started writing the letter. If she has, prevent her from disappearing."
Lin Qian gave a sharp nod, determination flashing in her eyes.
Xuan Tian's gaze then settled on Zhao Zhi and Xu Yun. "You two will return to the Zhang Clinic. Keep working there. Focus on uncovering any connection between the clinic and Xue Qin Lou. If the Zhang Family is collaborating with an Immortal Sect, there has to be a link."
Zhao Zhi sighed but smirked. "Back to playing doctor, huh?"
Xu Yun, more serious, nodded. "Understood. We'll dig deeper."
Xuan Tian's expression remained composed. "I will handle the middle-aged woman and ensure she doesn't vanish to cultivate. After that, I'll head to the Zhang Clinic to investigate the restricted area myself."
The group exchanged glances, tension mixed with resolve. The pieces of the puzzle were falling into place, but the picture they formed was growing darker by the minute.