I fabricated myths to guide the revival of spiritual energy.

[Linjiang City, Temporary Military Command Center, Information Warfare Room]

[Time: One hour before the Behemoth of Huishui Bay erupted]

The air was filled with the burnt smell of overheated circuit boards and the strong aroma of coffee.

Hundreds of elite hackers, temporarily recruited from national security agencies, the military, and even top internet companies, are typing furiously on their keyboards.

The large screen on the wall is divided into countless small monitoring windows, with flowing data streams cascading down like a waterfall.

"Activate the highest level of 'Skynet'."

Standing on the command platform, Zhao Jianguo's voice was cold and hard. "Based on the 'Kunlun Files,' we must find any potential 'cultivators' or 'superpowered individuals' in Linjiang City. That's our only trump card in dealing with tonight's crisis."

The filtering criteria are as follows:

"1. There are people who purchase large quantities of ancient books, cinnabar, yellow paper, and records of cold weapons."

"2. Individuals whose bank accounts show abnormal fund flows or who suddenly sell assets for large amounts of cash."

"3. People with unusual medical records, such as those who suddenly recover from terminal illnesses or whose physical condition improves dramatically in a short period of time."

4. Users who frequently search for keywords related to "spiritual energy," "tribulation crossing," and "Dragon-locking Well."

"Start screening!"

As soon as the command was given, the supercomputer began a frantic matching process in a population database of tens of millions of people.

……

The World of Data Streams

This is an invisible war. Once the state apparatus is in operation, its efficiency is terrifying.

Countless names were circled in red, only to be quickly eliminated.

"Report! Suspect A has been spotted: Zhang from the south of the city, who recently purchased a large number of Taoist robes and peach wood swords."

"Verification result: It's an online shop owner selling cosplay costumes. Excluded."

"Report! Suspect B spotted: Mr. Li from the city center, suddenly withdrew five million yuan in cash."

"Verification results: Suspected of money laundering and absconding; case transferred to the Economic Crime Investigation Division. Ruled out."

"Report! Suspect C detected..."

The screening continues, and the list is shrinking.

Finally, the tentacles of big data algorithms inevitably reached that most crucial name—Gu Qing.

[System Alert: High-level data scan detected!]

[Source: National Supercomputing Center - FAST (Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope) System.]

[The Gu Family Old House, Study]

Gu Qing sat in front of the computer, looking at the flashing red light on the screen, and calmly took a sip of tea.

"As expected, in this era, complete invisibility is impossible. As long as you live, you will generate data."

His fingers tapped lightly on the table.

"But I don't need to hide, I just need to... become 'mediocre'."

"Passive skill trigger: [Heavenly Secrets - Formless (Technology-side shielded)]".

……

Information Warfare Room

A young data analyst stared at the data that had just popped up on the screen.

Name: Gu Qing Age: 23 Address: Gu Family Village, Old Town, Linjiang (only 1.5 km away from the Huishuiwan lockdown area) Recent Activities:

Abnormal online activity: Recently, the user has been frequently browsing keywords such as "Kunlun Mountain map", "Taoist clothing", and "Legend of the Locked Dragon Well".

The purchase history is unusual: There is an unknown transaction record of "rusted ironware" in the local antique market; then, a set of "high-end custom-made pure white Hanfu" was purchased online.

Abnormal medical information: Late-stage cancer symptoms miraculously resolved.

This is practically a textbook example of a "suspicious person." During this sensitive time, buying ancient swords, Taoist robes, living near the scene of the incident, and frantically searching for related myths. Most importantly, his cancer is cured?!

Logically, the analyst should have reported it immediately, or even directly requested the special police to come to his home to verify whether he was an abnormal entity.

However, just as the analyst was about to click "mark in red," an invisible force—or rather, an extremely subtle psychological suggestion—seeped into his subconscious through the screen.

[Passive Skill Activated: Heavenly Secrets - Formless (Technology-side shielding/Presence reduction)]

His eyes glazed over for a moment. A plausible explanation automatically formed in my mind:

"Oh, that spendthrift son of the Gu family. I heard he's a rich second-generation. Is he buying equipment to try and ride the wave of the news by doing cosplay? Or maybe he was scared and bought some magical artifacts for psychological comfort? That's normal; there are plenty of idiots buying peach wood swords these days. As for cancer? It must have been a misdiagnosis."

The analyst's finger inexplicably moved away and clicked "Exclude." He muttered to himself, "Another one of those trend-following, delusional people. What a waste of computing power."

Gu Qing's information slipped through the highest level of screening like a fish, sinking into the deep sea of ​​data.

……

[Time: 30 minutes before the Behemoth of Huishui Bay erupts]

"Director Zhao! The physical search has yielded almost nothing!"

The intelligence chief, sweating profusely, reported, "The so-called 'masters' we found are all frauds. Two of them were so scared when they saw us carrying guns that they wet their pants and admitted that they were involved in feudal superstition fraud."

Zhao Jianguo slammed his fist on the table.

"Is it really true that in such a vast country as China, besides that 'Night Watchman' and 'Ferryman,' there are no other living inheritors?"

Just then, a hacker who had been monitoring online public opinion in the corner suddenly stood up, his voice trembling:

"Director Zhao! We've found something!!"

"We've tracked down a ghost website that can't be shut down and whose server can't be located!"

"What?" Zhao Jianguo walked over quickly.

On the screen was the minimalist, cloud-shrouded forum—[Cultivation Network].

"This website is like a parasite on the dark side of the internet," the hacker said, pointing to the code. "Its underlying logic isn't binary at all; our firewall can't block it, and we can't get through. And..."

He clicked on the pinned post—"Some popular science and warnings about the recent abnormal changes in the primordial energy of heaven and earth."

Posted by: [Kunlun Daoren].

"This post was published a full two hours before we officially confirmed the 'Reiki Revival'!"

"Moreover, the 'Breathing Techniques for Sensing Qi' that he released has just been tested by several Qigong instructors in the military region... and it's real! Although the effect is slight, it really can generate a feeling of heat!"

Zhao Jianguo's pupils contracted sharply.

"Kunlun Taoist... Kunlun..."

He remembered the "Kunlun mummified corpse" in that top-secret file.

"This is definitely not a coincidence!"

Zhao Jianguo stared intently at the ID. "This person, or rather this organization, must know the inside story! Perhaps... they are the people we're looking for!"

"Is it possible to find out where he is?"

"Can't find the IP address." The hacker shook his head in despair. "He's like God on the internet, omnipresent yet untraceable. But..."

The hacker pointed to the latest reply below the post.

【Kunlun Taoist】: "The wicked beast is about to be born. Tonight, I will send my disciple into the world to settle this karmic debt."

Posted: 1 minute ago.

The meeting room fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone looked out the window.

There, the rain poured down and thunder rumbled.

"The disciple has entered the mortal world..." Zhao Jianguo murmured to himself, "Does he mean someone will come tonight?"

……

[Time: Now (A colossal beast emerges from the water, a sword immortal appears)]

Boom! ...

A massive, mutated black python burst from the water, ignoring the onslaught of modern firepower, and let out a defiant roar toward the sky.

A sense of despair spread along the embankment.

Just then.

"Look at the screen!!"

The communications officer responsible for monitoring the frontline footage let out a scream.

On the large screen in the command center, a high-definition night vision camera captured that breathtaking scene.

Amidst raging waves.

A figure dressed in pure white, carrying a long sword, is stepping on a dead tree and going upstream.

He was not wearing any protective clothing, nor was he carrying any modern weapons.

The raging wind and rain uprooted the trees on the shore, but they couldn't stir a single wisp of cloud from his clothes.

He was like a drop of ink, falling into the murky river, appearing out of place yet perfectly harmonious.

As Zhao Jianguo looked at the figure and the longsword crackling with purple lightning, a sudden realization dawned on him, instantly connecting it to all the previous clues.

"Kunlun...the Sword Immortal..."

"What's said on that website is true!"

"There really are cultivators!"

He grabbed the communicator and roared at the troops still firing wildly at the front:

"Ceasefire!! Ceasefire everywhere!!"

"Don't hurt our friendly forces!!"

"Shine all the searchlights over there! To illuminate the way for that...that expert!!"

……

【Backwater Bay River Surface】

Gu Qing controlled "Li Changgeng's" body, feeling the rhythm of the waves beneath her feet.

This feeling of being an "external avatar" is very strange, like playing a holographic immersive VR game, but the pain and touch are real.

He heard the gunfire on the shore stop and saw the dozen or so powerful beams of light hitting him simultaneously.

"Very savvy."

Gu Qing secretly praised him.

Under the intense light, "Li Changgeng" slowly raised his head.

His icy, otherworldly face appeared clearly in the official camera for the first time, as well as in the eyes of countless important figures watching the live stream (on the dark web or internal channels).

He was facing a colossal beast, hundreds of times larger than him, that was lunging down with its gaping maw.

Li Changgeng did not dodge.

He simply extended his right hand and made an ancient sword gesture.

"You beast."

The sound wasn't loud, but with the enhancement of spiritual power, it was like a resounding bell, shattering the rain curtain.

"Li Changgeng of Kunlun, on my master's orders, is sending you on your way."

Clang—!

The Purple Lightning and Azure Frost Sword on his back was drawn on its own.

At that moment, it seemed as if only that purple light remained in the world.