I just want to be a middleman between the two worlds.

Qingxuan Realm, Liuyun Mountain, midnight.

Lu Yan's figure slowly solidified in the quiet room, carrying a faint scent of modern electronic components. He rubbed his temples; the mental strain from his continuous travels was mounting, but his eyes remained sharp as knives. Time was of the essence.

Without alerting anyone, he quietly arrived at a secluded cave in the back mountain. This was the secret meeting point agreed upon by Wang Lei and Scarface. The cave was dark and damp, with only a few moonstones emitting a faint glow.

A moment later, a series of very light footsteps approached, and Wang Lei and Scarface appeared at the cave entrance. Scarface had changed into an inconspicuous gray outfit, and the scar on his face looked even more ferocious in the dim light, but his eyes revealed an unprecedented respect and excitement.

"Senior Brother Lu!" "Boss!" The two bowed softly.

"How is the situation?" Lu Yan asked directly, his voice echoing in the cave.

"Reporting to the boss," Scarface said in a low voice, speaking quickly, "the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce has been quiet for two days, but they're still making small moves behind the scenes. Liu Neng met with an official from the county tax office, seemingly to check our accounts and land deeds. In addition, they are indeed secretly raising prices to buy 'Artemisia leaves' and 'Stone Marrow Powder,' and several familiar small suppliers have already hinted that the price will increase next time they supply."

Commercial suppression has begun. Using government pressure and cutting off raw material supplies are common but effective methods.

"What about that 'Mr. Mo'?" Lu Yan was more concerned about this mysterious figure.

Scarface showed a hint of difficulty: "This person is very well hidden. All I've heard is that he suddenly appeared at the headquarters of the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce about a month ago. He keeps a low profile, and even Liu Neng treats him with great respect. He's not a local; his accent is a bit strange, like he's from the south. He's accompanied by two mute servants whose cultivation levels are unfathomable. It's said that several new pills recently produced by the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce were made by him. Oh, by the way, he seems particularly interested in ancient books and broken magical artifacts; Liu Neng is sending people to search for them everywhere."

From the south? A fondness for ancient books and artifacts? Bizarre alchemy techniques? Lu Yan silently noted these characteristics. This "Mr. Mo" was definitely not a simple person.

"Well done." Lu Yan nodded approvingly, took out a small cloth bag and handed it to Scarface. "These spirit stones are for operating expenses. Your task remains the same: continue to keep a close eye on the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce and this 'Mr. Mo,' focusing on their sources of pills, sales channels, and... what exactly this 'Mr. Mo' wants."

"Understood, boss!" Scarface took the spirit stones, feeling the weight of the bag, his face beaming with even more joy.

Lu Yan then looked at Wang Lei: "Junior Brother Wang, starting today, you will work with Scarface to select two or three clever, clean-cut, and preferably family-struggling rogue cultivators in the market, and secretly recruit them. They don't need to fight; their only responsibility is to keep an eye on the rumors circulating in the market, especially news about problems with the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce's pills, and... any rumors about ancient ruins, secret realms, or unusual cultivation techniques. Keep it discreet."

He was about to begin building the most basic intelligence network for the "Heavenly Secrets Pavilion." It didn't require highly skilled experts; the more informants, the wider the information sources.

Wang Lei nodded solemnly: "Yes, Senior Brother Lu! I know a few suitable candidates."

"Remember, safety first. Better slow than wrong," Lu Yan reminded him again. "In case of any emergency, contact us using the old method."

After seeing the two off, Lu Yan did not return to the meditation room, but instead went to a "laboratory" that he had specially set up next to the alchemy room. Here, according to his requirements, there were some specially made tools: a measuring cup with standard graduations, a balance, an hourglass, and some simple utensils (such as distillation flasks and condensers) that he had Li Mo make based on the sketches of modern chemical instruments, and that Uncle Zhao and Su Muxi had tried to make from jade.

Su Muxi was recording data on a batch of newly refined "Qi-restoring powder" under the lamp, her delicate handwriting filling the table. When she saw Lu Yan, she looked up, the lamplight casting a soft shadow on her cool profile.

"Young Master Lu, you're back. This batch of Qi-Returning Powder with a trace amount of 'Fresh Source' reagent has increased the pill formation rate by half a percent, and the effects seem to be milder as well. We're currently conducting stability tests." She pushed the record book over.

Lu Yan quickly scanned the data, feeling gratified. Su Muxi's execution and learning abilities were exceptional; she had fully embraced the concepts of "standardization" and "datafication."

"Very good. Mu Xi, there's something I need your help with." Lu Yan put down the notebook, his expression serious. "I have a feeling there's something wrong with that 'Fragrance Condensation Pill' from the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce. Could you find a way to get some of the powder? Even just the residue would be fine. I want to... study its ingredients."

Su Muxi frowned slightly: "That might not be easy. The Four Seas Chamber of Commerce guards this pill extremely strictly. However... the fellow Daoist who vomited blood at the tasting event that day might still have some residue or blood-stained clothing. I can have Wang Lei try to handle it."

"Be careful and act within your capabilities," Lu Yan nodded. He wanted to use modern analytical methods (even just the most basic chemical tests) to uncover the secrets of the elixir. It was risky, but worth a try.

Next, he took out a palm-sized, oddly shaped white jade tablet. The surface of the tablet was engraved with extremely complex and delicate geometric patterns that were not traditional runes, and a small, faintly glowing fragment of inferior spirit stone was inlaid in the center. This was an experimental product that Li Mo had made based on the principle of the "Originium Energy Adapter" and combined with Lu Yan's rudimentary understanding of the energy of "communication talismans"—the "Originium Communication Talisman (Prototype)".

"This is..." Su Muxi looked at the object she had never seen before with curiosity.

"A... prototype of a new type of communication artifact," Lu Yan explained, his tone uncertain. "Theoretically, relying on the energy of the 'source stone' inside, it can generate specific fluctuations, causing another jade tablet of the same type to resonate weakly within a certain distance. However, the effective range and stability are still unknown."

He handed the jade tablet to Su Muxi: "Your spiritual perception is keen. Try slowly channeling a wisp of spiritual energy into it, focusing on sending a simple 'signal,' such as... 'safety.'"

Su Muxi did as instructed, her fingertips touching the jade tablet, and a wisp of pure water-based spiritual energy flowed into it. The patterns on the jade tablet lit up in turn, and the spirit stone fragment at the center flickered briefly before returning to normal.

Almost simultaneously, another jade pendant with the same shape in Lu Yan's hand also vibrated very slightly, and a tiny point of light on its surface flickered for a moment.

Success! Although the signal was so weak as to be almost imperceptible and the transmission distance was probably extremely limited (right here in the alchemy room), it proved the possibility that "Originium" energy could serve as a kind of information carrier!

A look of surprise flashed in Su Muxi's beautiful eyes: "It can actually resonate? Although the fluctuations are extremely subtle, if this 'resonance' can be encoded, it might truly enable long-distance communication! This is far more covert than ordinary communication talismans!"

Lu Yan felt a surge of excitement. This was the prototype of the true "trump card" he had envisioned for connecting the two worlds! It wasn't just a simple trade of resources, but a "technological explosion" based on the fusion of the rules of the two worlds! With a stable supply of "source stone" energy, coupled with information encoding technology, it might be possible to create communication and even reconnaissance systems that surpassed the traditional methods of the cultivation world in the future!

"This is just the first step; there are still many problems." Lu Yan suppressed his excitement. "The stability of the energy fluctuation pattern, the complexity of encoding and decoding, anti-interference capabilities, distance limitations... all need to be solved. But this may be a trump card for us to fight against the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce in the future, or even more powerful enemies."

He solemnly handed the jade tablet to Su Muxi: "This item and the related ideas are classified as top secret. In your spare time, you can try to simulate different fluctuation frequencies with your spiritual power and record the patterns. This will also be beneficial for your understanding of energy manipulation."

Su Muxi took the jade pendant, sensing the energy utilization concept it contained, which was completely different from her understanding. Her cool eyes gleamed with inquiry, and she nodded gently: "I understand."

After arranging matters in the Azure Profound Realm, Lu Yan didn't linger and communicated with the jade pendant again. In the modern world, the "Source Stone" energy had just achieved a breakthrough, and the threat from Kane Bio was imminent; he had to return to oversee the situation.

The dizziness returned. Lu Yan stood in the silent cave, gazing at the faint moonlight filtering through the entrance, feeling the heavy weight of two burdens pressing down on his heart.

In the Azure Realm, powerful enemies lurk everywhere, and undercurrents surge; in the modern world, giants covet the throne, and the road ahead is fraught with peril.

But a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Come on, let's see who has the last laugh."