Star City, Central District.
Night had fallen, and the city lights flickered to life.
The surface of Starlight Lake reflected a bright, full moon, its rippling waters disturbed by the gentle night breeze.
At this moment, atop a high-rise building by the lake, Feng Qi stood clad in black, his gaze overlooking the city's nighttime scenery.
Beside him, in a semi-mist form, was the Mist Lord.
Tonight marked the first step in a long-planned operation.
The initial goal of cultivating Blood Refinement Warriors, aside from assassination missions, had another crucial purpose—to purge the latent domain forces hiding within Star City.
The Domain Weak Tribe Alliance still had its uses, so for now, Feng Qi had no plans to eradicate it.
Not long ago, he had already met with Hei Long.
As expected, he had skillfully taken control of Hei Long, thereby seizing control over the Domain Weak Tribe Alliance within Star City.
This organization functioned much like a bounty network, posing minimal threat to Star City.
Whether in intelligence gathering or other matters, the alliance could still provide valuable assistance.
However, those domain creatures that had not joined the alliance and were instead scattered throughout Star City in secret—Feng Qi could not allow them to remain.
They were like ticking time bombs, unpredictable and dangerous.
On this sacrifice timeline, he had to survive for over a hundred years, waiting for the Dawn Rebel Army to be established and for Mu Yan to appear.
The domain creatures that had not registered with the Domain Weak Tribe Alliance were beyond his control. Their presence could hinder Star City's growth—or worse, pose a fatal threat.
One of the primary objectives behind training the Blood Refinement Warriors was to locate and eliminate these hidden threats.
For this reason, the Mist Lord had personally imparted his Qi Blood Perception technique to all Blood Refinement Warriors, teaching them how to identify domain creatures through their blood aura.
With ample resources and the Mist Lord's guidance, every single Blood Refinement Warrior had now reached Silver Rank strength.
That alone was a staggering feat.
To put it in perspective—each Blood Refinement Warrior now possessed a bloodline strength on par with Lü Yue.
Such rapid growth was directly attributed to the Blood Refinement Technique developed by the Mist Lord at his peak 1,500 years in the future.
Although this technique was not as overwhelming as Blood Sacrifice, its effects were comparable to a divine-grade technique. Especially for humans, whose foundations were generally weak, its effectiveness was incredibly pronounced.
Of course, these warriors merely had Silver Rank bloodline strength. In actual combat, they were not on Lü Yue's level.
After all, Lü Yue's greatest strength had never been his bloodline purity—but his sword momentum.
Feng Qi was already well-versed in the cultivation of "momentum."
It had taken him years to grasp the essence of Unyielding Fist Momentum, which had now become one of his primary combat techniques.
Meanwhile, the Demonic Blade, with its thousands of years of battle memories, had even developed God-Slaying Blade Momentum.
Momentum was like a personal interpretation of strength—a unique combat manual written in one's own will.
For example, Feng Qi's Fist Momentum dictated that no matter what lay ahead—even mountains of blades or seas of fire—he would charge forward, never turning back.
To comprehend momentum, one first needed an unyielding will.
Beyond that, different personalities would give rise to different types of momentum.
The path to understanding momentum was difficult. Talent, personality, and unwavering conviction were all essential hurdles.
But once mastered, momentum became an unstoppable weapon of the mind.
In later stages, a cultivator could even manifest a field of force based on their momentum, granting immense offensive and defensive power.
This was why Lü Yue's true combat strength far surpassed Silver Rank—his bloodline ranking alone could not define his true power.
Feng Qi knew that the current system of cultivation rankings for humans was outdated and in need of reform.
The current ranking system, when compared to domain creatures, was severely lacking.
More importantly, it failed to account for warriors whose strength exceeded the standard tiers.
Take Mu Qing, for example.
According to the current human ranking system, her power was labeled Gold Rank.
But this was only because Gold Rank was the highest category within the human system—Mu Qing's actual combat prowess far surpassed it.
An inaccurate evaluation system hindered the development of human cultivation.
His mind returning to the present, Feng Qi's gaze swept over the towering buildings surrounding Starlight Lake.
At that moment, thousands of figures moved through the night, launching the operation.
The cleanup plan would take time.
Feng Qi's strategy was to start in the Central District and conduct a city-wide, grid-based sweep.
The orders given to the Blood Refinement Warriors were simple—any domain creature found that was not registered under the Domain Weak Tribe Alliance was to be executed on the spot.
The Star City Military Department would coordinate with the operation, handling the aftermath and containment.
For now, Feng Qi had set the cleanup duration to one year, with one month dedicated to purging every year.
It was impossible to completely prevent domain creatures from infiltrating Star City.
As long as intercity travel remained open, domain creatures could still slip in unnoticed.
Feng Qi's goal was to minimize their numbers, ensuring that when Star City eventually entered a semi-closed state, all internal threats would be eradicated.
But transitioning Star City into a semi-closed city would require solving several major issues.
The first and foremost concern was resource acquisition.
Every city had unique resources.
The five great cities operated under a cooperative development model, supplying each other with essential materials.
If Star City isolated itself, the flow of external resources would be completely cut off.
Feng Qi had already considered this issue.
Stockpiling resources would not be a long-term solution. Resources would eventually be depleted, and the best course of action was to establish a new supply route.
He had recently reviewed the mapped-out domain fields in the surrounding area.
He discovered that two domain fields located 49 kilometers west of Star City contained mineral resources.
With that in mind, he planned to develop a supply zone in that area.
As long as a secure transport route between the supply zone and Star City could be established, the city would be able to achieve self-sufficiency in these resources.
Of course, setting up a supply zone required a massive upfront investment.
However, its long-term benefits to Star City's development would be invaluable.
This was precisely what the Mist Lord had described as "using war to sustain war."
Beyond acquiring external resources, Star City also needed to establish a sustainable internal resource cycle.
For instance, before Star City entered a semi-closed state, its grain production would need to reach over 90% self-sufficiency.
These were the two fundamental issues concerning Star City's future.
But there were other pressing concerns as well.
For example, once Star City became fully closed off, it would no longer be able to purchase technological equipment from institutions like the Institute of Technological Research and the Future Research Institute.
Many technological devices were consumables, requiring frequent replacements—some within a few years, others within just a few months.
Without a solution, hospitals and research institutes within Star City would face severe equipment shortages and eventually grind to a halt.
Feng Qi had already begun tackling this issue.
The Crimson Research Institute was currently expanding its research into multiple disciplines, transforming itself into an "all-purpose research institute."
Recently, a batch of scholars from Li Xingchen's list had arrived and were laying the groundwork for Star City's technology division.
In the near future, matching technological factories would also be constructed.
Currently, the site for these factories had already been selected—only resource allocation remained an issue.
Most problems, ultimately, came down to resources.
And the reality was, Star City was simply too poor.
At first glance, the research institutes seemed well-funded, but in practice, they had to carefully ration their resources.
With too many projects being launched simultaneously, the redistribution of resources had begun to impact the original research allocations—even slowing down scientific progress.
This only confirmed what the Mist Lord had told him months ago.
The idea that "a human city cannot sustain too many geniuses" was proving true.
If resources were abundant, these issues wouldn't exist at all.
Even with countless ongoing projects, there would be no negative impact—and even high-risk conceptual projects could be pursued freely, regardless of potential failure.
This was one of the reasons why the Mist Tribe had been able to rapidly expand when their old patriarch was still alive.
Over the past few months, Feng Qi had been constantly pulled into joint meetings between Star City's three major institutions.
He had learned a great deal from these experiences.
As Wei Wei put it, the three major institutions were already preparing to groom him as the future leader of humanity.
It was no longer enough to simply fight with his fists.
There was still much more to learn.
The issues he had been tasked with solving were meant to train him, with the three institutions providing strategic recommendations.
Feng Qi found this rather frustrating.
If it were up to him, he'd rather solve all problems with his fists.
But he knew better.
He alone had the ability to travel through different timelines.
That was his responsibility.
That was his purpose.
Just then—
"Beep! Beep!"
A notification from his tablet interrupted his thoughts.
Looking down, he saw a red marker flash on the digital map.
It was an emergency signal from a Blood Refinement Warrior requesting support—which meant they had found a domain creature.
Without hesitation, Feng Qi immediately activated his Bone Form.
His flesh collapsed, transforming into a surging mass of blood energy, which gathered at his forehead, forming a spiritual brand.
He leaped from the rooftop, and the Mist Lord followed closely behind.
Flying through the air, they reached the marked location within two minutes.
It was an old, dilapidated building.
Large red demolition marks were painted on its walls, indicating that it was scheduled for imminent reconstruction.
Floating through the entrance, a damp, moldy stench filled the air.
Spreading his perception outward, Feng Qi quickly locked onto the Blood Refinement Warrior's presence.
Following the stairwell upward, he and the Mist Lord arrived at the target room.
Peering inside, he saw a simple, rundown interior.
The furniture was old and worn out.
The sofa by the window had faded fabric, its edges torn open, exposing the yellow foam beneath.
Feng Qi couldn't help but feel curious—
What kind of domain creature was so impoverished that it lived in a condemned building?
Drifting inside, he turned his head—
And spotted the Blood Refinement Warrior standing in the corner, pressing two figures against the wall.
One was a small boy, around four or five years old, his face covered in dirt and grime.
The other was an elderly woman, cradling the boy protectively in her arms, both of them staring at the Blood Refinement Warrior with fear and uncertainty.
At that moment, the Mist Lord's voice echoed behind him:
"The boy is a domain creature. The woman is not."
Hearing this, Feng Qi couldn't help but frown. Now, he understood why the Blood Refinement Warrior had sent a request for backup.
It was clear that the old woman wanted to protect the boy, making it impossible for the Blood Refinement Warrior to take action.
"What's the situation?" Feng Qi stepped forward, looking at the Blood Refinement Warrior for an explanation.
The Blood Refinement Warrior immediately responded with respect, "I asked about the boy's origins earlier. The old woman said she found him three years ago and secretly took him in."
Feng Qi instantly understood.
Clearly, the old woman had unknowingly adopted a domain creature, treating him as her own child.
As for the boy's parents, they might have been members of the Domain Weak Tribe Alliance and died during a mission. Or perhaps they abandoned him in a human city—there were many possible explanations.
One thing was certain—the old woman had no idea that the boy was a domain creature.
There were many humanoid domain creatures, some of which looked almost identical to humans. Their distinguishing features weren't always obvious, which explained why she had been deceived.
Feng Qi sighed inwardly.
This was a troublesome situation.
From a big-picture perspective, the boy had to die. As the hidden leader of Star City, Feng Qi had to consider the city's future above all else.
Any unstable factors, no matter how small the risk, had to be eliminated.
But from the way the old woman was holding onto him, she clearly wouldn't let go easily.
"We are from the Star City Military Department. That boy is a domain creature," Feng Qi said, looking at the Blood Refinement Warrior.
The Blood Refinement Warrior took out his military credentials, flipping it open and holding it up for the old woman to see.
Her expression changed immediately.
She stared at the military badge and certification, then turned to the boy in her arms. Her eyes flickered between confusion, disbelief, doubt, and anger.
It was obvious that her emotions were in turmoil.
Feng Qi lifted his tablet, aimed it at the old woman, and took a photo.
A moment later, her personal information appeared on the screen.
After reading through it, Feng Qi was surprised—the old woman had three sons, all of whom had been frontline soldiers.
And all three had died in battle.
Frowning, he continued scrolling.
It turned out that the old woman received a high pension from Star City every year—she didn't have to worry about money.
She had chosen to remain in this old building not because she couldn't afford to leave, but because she refused to.
She felt that this old home still carried the presence of her husband and sons.
The records showed that government officials had tried to persuade her to move, but she always refused.
Looking back at her, Feng Qi finally understood the anger in her eyes.
Her family had died at the hands of domain creatures.
And yet, she had unknowingly raised one.
Hatred and reluctance were intertwined in her expression.
She hesitated, her fingers clenching her sleeves as her emotions fluctuated.
"I… I…" The old woman tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come out.
"Feng Qi, have you ever considered raising a domain creature as a human warrior?"
The Mist Lord suddenly spoke from behind him.
Feng Qi immediately shook his head.
"The case of Ling Zhan is proof that this is a bad idea," he said firmly.
The Mist Lord simply smiled and shook his head.
"Don't forget, Ling Zhan was once completely loyal to my Mist Tribe. He only turned against us when he realized that the divide between species was impossible to bridge. But this child is different. He doesn't even know what species he belongs to. It's just like the lie you once created. If you give him a human identity, perhaps he could be raised as one of your own."
"For example… you could say he's a Rune-Enhanced Human."
Feng Qi narrowed his eyes.
"What's so special about this boy? Why are you suddenly so interested?" he asked.
Feng Qi knew the Mist Lord well—he never sympathized with other species, especially not domain creatures.
For him to suddenly advocate for this child, there could only be one reason—there was profit to be made.
The Mist Lord smiled knowingly.
"This little guy's current blood energy isn't high, but his bloodline potential is extraordinary. I suspect he comes from a true domain powerhouse. Not the Silver Moon Tribe, which couldn't even conquer a small world—I mean a real powerhouse."
Hearing this, Feng Qi's curiosity grew.
But raising a non-human warrior still felt risky.
Mu Qing's past was a prime example—even if this boy grew up in human society, he would always be an outsider.
He would face constant discrimination, and his development would likely be full of struggles.
There was a real chance that he would become a future threat.
The Mist Lord chuckled, seemingly sensing Feng Qi's hesitation.
"I recently read a martial arts novel written by your people. It had a Khitan warrior named Qiao Feng. Doesn't this situation remind you of that story? If you carefully guide his path, maybe one day, he will become one of humanity's strongest warriors. Or perhaps… he might even become one of humanity's protectors."
Feng Qi: "…"