At Zhao Xuanqi’s words, everyone in the study was taken aback for a moment.

’A fire?’

Then, it dawned on them what Zhao Xuanqi meant.

’Is he planning to silence everyone inside the Jingmao Warehouse and then burn the whole place down, leaving no evidence?’

They exchanged glances, unable to stop themselves from inwardly gasping at Zhao Xuanqi’s ruthlessness.

’No wonder Zhao Xuanqi has been lying low all this time. So this is the opportunity he was waiting for.’

’He let the Jingmao Trading Company lower its guard, forcing them to stretch their core forces thin as they expanded their territory. This created an opening—a vulnerability at the Jingmao Warehouse.’

But in truth, it was not much of an opportunity.

"The Jingmao Warehouse may only be guarded by three masters who have achieved Cross-Training, but they’re some of the strongest fighters in the Jingmao Trading Company. Their leader, Yan Pingchuan, is rumored to be an expert secretly cultivated by the Jili Empire. He fought Senior Brother Liu head-on not long ago. Even Senior Brother Liu was injured by him and couldn’t stop him from escaping."

"The other two, Fan Shidong and Feng Rongke, are also in the Bone Strengthening Realm of Cross-Training. Our investigation shows one was an expert from another province, and the other was a former mountain bandit. Neither of them are pushovers."

"Furthermore, among the staff stationed at the Jingmao Warehouse, at least twenty-five have a background in a Secret Transmission, and a few of them have even been enhanced by Secret Medicine. Taking the Jingmao Warehouse will be no easy feat."

"Unless Senior Brother Liu can join us."

Shang Haishan said grimly.

"He can’t make a move," Zhao Xuanqi said, shaking his head. "Too many eyes are on him, and his physical appearance is too distinct. There’s no way for him to conceal his identity."

"Those of us here will be enough. The matter is settled. This is the plan Senior Brother Liu and I have already agreed upon. I’m informing you, not asking for your opinion."

"The operation is tonight. The entire Wind Shadow Hall will move out. Senior Brother Liu will have the Escort Agency launch counterattacks on the trading company’s other outposts to pin down Jingmao’s scattered Cross-Training masters."

"This is my first major operation since taking over the Wind Shadow Hall. As you just mentioned, the hall has been facing a great deal of criticism lately. So, I expect you to show me what you’ve got. Don’t disappoint me."

Zhao Xuanqi folded his hands on the desk and looked at the men in the room, his tone even.

As he watched them file out of the room, Zhao Xuanqi narrowed his eyes.

When he’d first proposed it, Liu Changfeng had vehemently opposed the plan. He’d considered it far too aggressive. If anything went wrong, he argued, the fallout would be nearly impossible to manage. The disagreement had even soured things between them for a time.

In the end, it was Weng Xiaolin’s approval that sealed the deal.

After all, Weng Xiaolin had put Zhao Xuanqi in charge of the Wind Shadow Hall to be a sharp sword for the Martial Arts Hall. If a sword worried as much as a shield, what good would it be?

Zhao Xuanqi also had his own selfish reasons for proposing such a plan.

Rare Beast Materials.

They were what he needed most right now. And from what he understood, the Jingmao Trading Company, bankrolled by the Jili Empire, ought to have a sizable stockpile of Rare Beast Materials.

That was exactly what he was after.

He needed those Rare Beast Materials to accelerate his progress with the Hundred Beasts Mystic Gate.

...

...

That night, the sky was thick with clouds, hiding the moon from view.

「South Suburb, Xingnan Port, Jingmao Warehouse.」

Some twenty-odd figures clad in night clothes melted into the deep darkness, drawing near the Jingmao Warehouse.

All seventeen members of the Wind Shadow Hall were present, joined by a few elites from the Escort Agency for this operation.

"Spread out. Stick to the plan and wait for my signal."

Zhao Xuanqi whispered to the group behind him.

The men nodded, then scattered without a sound, melting into the night in three-man teams to take up positions around the Jingmao Warehouse.

They were all elite disciples of the Xiaolin Martial Arts Hall, and their movements were swift and precise.

"You three, stay here and wait for my signal as well."

Zhao Xuanqi addressed Shang Haishan and the other two Inner Sect members of the Wind Shadow Hall, then moved forward alone and vanished into the darkness.

Shang Haishan and the other two exchanged a look, each unable to suppress a deep breath.

’This is insane. Absolutely insane.’

’The mission, the plan—it’s all completely insane.’

Instead of a frontal assault or a group infiltration, Zhao Xuanqi’s plan called for a solo infiltration!

In other words, Zhao Xuanqi himself would be the one to infiltrate the Jingmao Warehouse alone. He would find an opportunity to severely wound Yan Pingchuan or one of the other Cross-Training masters, then sound a whistle to signal the others, who were positioned around the warehouse, to launch a simultaneous attack.

According to Zhao Xuanqi, this was the only way to avoid a protracted battle, prevent anyone inside from escaping, and stop them from leaking intelligence that could cause trouble later.

The plan was outrageously audacious.

The Jingmao Warehouse held three veteran Cross-Training masters and dozens of skilled fighters. If his infiltration failed and he was discovered, not even Senior Brother Liu himself could break through that kind of encirclement by brute force!

Two fists are no match for four hands!

"This plan... is it really going to work?"

Si Xinyong asked, unable to stop himself from taking a deep, shaky breath.

"I don’t know... He’s basically shouldering all the risk and responsibility for this mission. We’re just here for cleanup. Can he really handle it? I doubt even Senior Brother Liu or Senior Brother Luo could pull something like this off."

Jiang Yiren asked, his voice laced with worry.

"The Hall Master is fully aware of the situation at the Jingmao Warehouse. If he’s still insisting on this plan, he must be confident he can do it. We’re his subordinates; all we need to do is follow his orders."

Shang Haishan’s tone was grim. But even as he said it, he was filled with disbelief. He couldn’t imagine how he, if he were in Zhao Xuanqi’s shoes, could possibly complete the objective and make it out alive.

’Then again, I couldn’t understand how he so easily countered my Intercepting Fist Technique, either.’

’Sometimes, you just have to admit that some people are simply beyond ordinary comprehension.’

Meanwhile, Zhao Xuanqi’s form vaulted over the warehouse wall in a flash, landing silently inside the compound.

A faint smile touched his lips.

Why had he chosen this plan?

Because only when he was alone could he truly unleash his real self.

"I haven’t had a chance to truly use the Hundred Beasts Fist since I began my Cross-Training. Today, I can finally let loose," Zhao Xuanqi muttered to himself.

In an instant, his eyes changed.

Faint red veins spiderwebbed across the whites of his eyes, which now gleamed with the terrifying light of a starving predator.

"The hunt has begun..."