The town guards resided in the mansion in the clouds, stationed within the grand main hall of the council.
Looking at the ten individuals standing below him, Zhang Yuhe nodded in satisfaction.
The Qian and Sun families had performed admirably, sending their people early in the morning. Each family contributed five Jindan cultivators.
These ten were clearly no ordinary individuals—they were the elite descendants of their respective families.
It was evident that both clans had put in considerable effort, especially the Qian family.
Qian Weiguang had even sent his own son to the town guard mansion—a clear display of loyalty.
Zhang Yuhe observed the group. Leading them was a gaunt young man, a faint sword light encircling him.
At a glance, one could tell he was a sword cultivator who had made considerable progress.
This man was Qian Zhongshu, Qian Weiguang's son. He had reached the peak of the Jindan stage and was just a step away from breaking through to Yuanying.
For Qian Weiguang to send someone of that caliber, it was obvious he was hoping to form strong ties with Zhang Yuhe.
"Not bad."
Zhang Yuhe was pleased with the Qian and Sun families' efforts. He didn't mind being the one others clung to—it was a mutually beneficial arrangement, after all.
He waved his right hand, and ten sparkling flying swords drifted toward the group.
"These swords are a welcome gift," Zhang Yuhe said. "You've come to work under me. Though there's no official salary, I won't let you labor for nothing."
As the flying swords approached, everyone's eyes lit up with joy. They quickly expressed their gratitude.
"Thank you, Lady Guard!"
These weren't low-quality swords. All ten had been refined personally by Zhang Yuhe and were mid-grade magical weapons.
With his current refining skills, crafting mid-grade weapons was effortless. However, for the Qian and Sun family juniors, these were already top-tier.
Even within their families, mid-grade weapons were rare treasures—often used as clan heirlooms and not casually distributed.
Above magical tools were magical weapons, typically only wielded by cultivators in the Jindan stage and beyond. For Foundation Establishment and lower, magical tools sufficed.
But magical weapons were precious—not only difficult to refine, but also requiring rare materials.
Ordinary Jindan cultivators considered themselves lucky to possess even a low-grade magical weapon. Only descendants of the most powerful sects had access to mid-grade ones at this level.
As for high-grade magical weapons, they were typically reserved for Nascent Soul (Yuanying) cultivators. Even if a Jindan cultivator possessed one, they couldn't effectively wield it.
It wasn't that Zhang Yuhe looked down on them—but even the entirety of Yunzhong Mansion might struggle to produce a few high-grade magical weapons.
"Alright," Zhang Yuhe continued. "Split into two teams. One will stay at the mansion and focus on cultivation. The other will patrol the city. Rotate regularly. You may organize yourselves. Dismissed."
With a casual wave of his hand, he signaled for them to disperse.
He hadn't summoned them to act as his shock troops.
Far from it.
If it came to battle, he could handle it alone.
With his current strength, what use were a few Jindan cultivators?
He could wipe out a dozen of them with a single move.
The real reason he gathered them was twofold: to gauge each faction's attitude, and to find people to handle errands. It would be undignified for an envoy to be unable to find a proper messenger.
Once everyone had left, Zhang Yuhe beckoned to Qian Lingling, who stood behind him.
"Find a few people to wander the city and gather information," he instructed. "It doesn't matter if it's gossip or rumors—write everything down and compile it into a book."
Then, he pulled out a jade bottle and tossed it to her.
"Train hard. Your cultivation is still too low to be of use."
Qian Lingling caught the bottle, her face flushed with gratitude.
"Thank you, sir."
Once the hall was empty, Zhang Yuhe sat quietly, lost in thought.
He hadn't asked Qian Lingling to gather intelligence out of necessity.
He just wanted people to see that he was active, not idle. A deterrent for those who might harbor ill intentions.
"We need to resolve this quickly. What exactly are Hyacinth and He Li doing?"
He was frustrated. The unresolved tension prevented him from cultivating with a clear mind.
Zhang Yuhe summoned the game system and opened the chat channel.
Compared to its once bustling state, the chat was now eerily quiet. Messages appeared only occasionally.
That was because the player count in Yu Fantian had drastically declined.
From an initial ten million, fewer than 500,000 remained active.
It wasn't for lack of interest in immortality. The problem was the time flow disparity between Yu Fantian and Blue Star.
One day on Blue Star equaled one hundred days in Yu Fantian.
If someone stayed too long in-game, they'd age significantly in real life.
Players who had reached Foundation Establishment were fine—their extended lifespans gave them some leeway.
But most players had inferior spiritual roots, making Foundation Establishment nearly impossible unless they stumbled upon a great fortune.
So, after the initial excitement faded, many stopped logging in.
They could still cultivate on Blue Star. Though the spiritual energy wasn't as rich, it was sufficient for Qi Refining.
Most active players in Yu Fantian were at the Foundation stage or higher. Those still in Qi Refining only visited briefly before logging out.
Seeing the stagnant chat, Zhang Yuhe lowered his hand.
"Forget it. I'll just post on Skynet. It's almost time to log off anyway."
He had considered offering a reward for intelligence about Yunzhong Mansion via the game chat.
But most remaining players were too busy—either deep in cultivation or hunting monsters for income. Even if he posted, few would respond.
As night fell, a familiar system chime rang out.
"Offline."
Standing on the balcony, Zhang Yuhe inhaled the familiar air of Blue Star. A few streaks of light flashed across the sky—fellow cultivators soaring past.
It had been over a year since Yu Fantian's release, and the average player's strength had grown significantly.
Edgeworth flight was no longer a novelty.
Lying on a bench, Zhang Yuhe pulled out his phone and opened Skynet.
When the Blue Star Immortal Cultivation Alliance was founded, Skynet had been launched alongside it. It served as a public forum for cultivators to exchange information.
Unlike the quiet game chat, Skynet was always bustling.
After all, Blue Star was where people truly lived. Yu Fantian was more like a battleground—a place to train and grind.
Zhang Yuhe quickly typed up a post.
[Request for Assistance – High Rewards for Intelligence Related to Yunzhong Mansion, Especially Concerning the Demon God Sect]
Beneath the title, he added some details:
[I am currently stationed at the Cloud Town Guard Mansion. I'm gathering information within the city. If you have any leads regarding the Demon God Sect, compensation is negotiable—I will not disappoint.]
With that, he posted the message, closed his eyes, and rested on the bench.