Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1441 - 1440 - Shadows Moving

Lind appeared in his office and found Cyntilla reviewing something before placing it on his desk. She looked up in surprise but one glance made her virulent yellow eyes narrow.

"What has happened?" He paused as he organized his thoughts. He had to get ready for his next round in the production rounds. He had to Forge next.

"I met a promising junior that mentioned a friend of hers died. He was a promising weaver and his sect had submitted him early. I was simply checking when he died and why no message was sent when I noticed–an irregularity." His pause made her move quickly as he showed her the records.

She saw the official report and that the young man had been pushing himself but only experts on weaving would notice the discrepancy.

"They claim he died consuming his own soul but he had performed far more difficult weavings before. He was even down as fully rested from one of our training facilities." She then pulled up the records of that facility and her frown increased.

While the data was not made public nor was specific techniques saved, the health of the user was tracked. Weaving especially had special weavings engraved to protect the life of the user.

{Registered User: Lir}

{Duration: 1 month}

{Profession Training: Weaving at Peak Grade 7}

{Health fluctuation within acceptable parameters}

It was barebones but that was by design. The issue was the timing.

The report was not even a week before the young man's death! Weaving was dangerous but the calibration of the training areas was based on Lind's own knowledge. He knew of the danger of weaving far better than most given he had faced an entire army of people who abused the skill.

It was too short of an interval plus if he did break through the 7th Circle to reach Law Grade, he should not have been in any danger at all!

"You did not just come here for this one instance?" Lind smiled at how well she knew him. He then expanded the records and a dark pattern emerged.

Promising experts had used their facilities but there was a disturbing trend of ones on the cusp of Law Grade died not long after clearly getting ready for that next step.

Some might be true accidents as they did happen, but there were too many. They had run a sect, an empire, and a Clan that specialized in production. They knew a lot about people dying and how many times it would happen making the next step in quality.

Immortal and Law Grade could be especially dangerous if the tools involved could not handle the increase in power.

Yet, the tournament has given specific guidelines to reduce that issue and even offered the use of the training facilities to increase the odds of safe breakthroughs.

So why were so many dead that should not be?

"Sabotage?" It was possible as rival powers absolutely would not want a powerful competitor in the tournament. The prizes were that tempting.

Lind slowly shook his head.

"If it was sabotage, they would be happily blaming each other. That is what made it stand out. Not a single instance resulted in an accusation. It was like all the powers quietly agreed to accept the announcement or they were only getting part of it to begin with." Cyntilla finally understood his concerns.

It would be one thing if accusations were going back and forth. Even if they never reached their ears, there would still be things that they could pick up.

Yet, there was nothing.

Not a peep out of any of the various networks they employed to keep tabs on the various powers. That was not possible.

"How?" She asked the question he had no answer to.

"Get Shoti and Evie on it. They both have their own methods but they will be able to avoid detection. Call it a gut feeling but only 1 power would want to hide this many deaths." Both of them became grim.

Fiends. Fiends would hide that kind of information but there was no sign of them since the tournament was announced. Lind had been aggressively hunting them after the Throne had been settled but then they seemed to evaporate.

It was not unusual. Fiends were terrifying not just for their desire to consume other cultivators but their extremely long view of things.

They would wait, patiently, then strike in force when they were ready to claim their prize.

If they were silent now but still gathering 'resources' then disappearances would be normal. Yet, the pattern here was not normal. It was targeted. It was like they were intentionally killing promising seeds of future Maesters.

Why? Why specifically those people?

Cyntilla quickly sent messages to the 2 targets and they quickly outlined what they needed to find. Lind felt concerned about one other thing but he had no proof.

The young junior was connected to 3 of the lost prodigies.

Lir was one but a pair of twins, Alain and Beliar suffered accidents only a few years apart. The female twin, Beliar, had been inconsolable as expected but Lind found her next actions odd.

She snuck away from her sect and her soul lantern only went out much later. Her body was found in an alchemical lab that had been clearly destroyed by an explosion of a cauldron.

It was rather convenient as they had a reading on her from one of the training facilities not even a month before.

Her control was impeccable by all readings.

Why was Triss alive when the others were dead? Someone chose to protect her, but why? Lind kept silent on it as he needed more information.

He then pulled up the contest results thus far. He noted that Annabelle had intervened in a strange Sovereign Tier. A full Dao but they were still an Immortal while not a 6 elemental. Why were they stuck?

He then noticed the Dao and found it acceptable. The Dao of Bloodlust was not well studied but a few facets stood out. It was not typical in that Immortals could learn it but using it to advance alone did not seem to work.

It was believed that a trigger was needed once the Dao was acquired.

Likely the cultivator was at the tournament for the very purpose of finding that trigger.

He moved on and smirked at familiar faces. He also frowned at something he did not find.

Not a single trace of a Fiend artifact or influence. Statistically, even if warned not to, Fiend agents would still bring in the tools they preferred. They would assume a storage ring or treasure could hide it but his weavings would not miss it at all.

The fact not a single one was found was an oddity he could not ignore.

"Cyntilla, we have one more thing to check. No Fiend items are here but the chances of absolutely none coming to a major event like this should be zero." She agreed but it was likely the Fiends knew they were experts at detecting such things and simply avoided the issue.

Still, agents had been foolish before so still finding none meant more than an order was given. A very strict order with dire consequences.

"We will look into this, Lind. You need to go get ready for you next–" Lind suddenly shot upright as his eyes narrowed. He had just been reviewing the deaths when something came up.

"The Masters! None of those masters of the dead prodigies are here!" Cyntilla did not immediately react but then it clicked in place. If each dead prodigy was but one student of such a skilled master, why had none of them come to a tournament that they too could participate in?

Sovereign Tiers had no restrictions on age, prowess, or any other facet. The other Tiers and Heaven Realms had some age or other limits but Sovereign Tiers did not.

She added it and made it critical. Evie actually was ahead of them and sent back grim news.

The masters of the dead prodigies were in seclusion. All of them all at once were totally unavailable and not to be interrupted.

Not just them either. Triss' master was also in seclusion! Lind felt it in his heart. It was not a coincidence and they did not care how it looked. There was zero evidence aside from the coincidence itself.

Yet, he knew it to the depths of his soul. The damn Fiends were up to something. Still, they had to know he might stumble on it. So why be so obvious about it?

He strayed back to the young girl that slipped away from her sect. Why did she leave the safety of her Master and friends? Why was getting away after the death of her brother her first move?

"She found out something. Something that put her life in danger. They killed her for it." His eyes went wide.

He reviewed the other deaths and a new facet fell into place. They were always on the cusp of taking the next step! Each and everyone was about to make a huge risk and what would a possible Fiend agent do if they were their master?

Offer them a chance for certain victory. They needed experts to keep the population healthy for more resources. Also, having prodigies under their thumb gave them inroads to various powers and targets down the road.

"Cyntilla, tell Evie I suspect the dead prodigies were killed to hide their masters' affiliation with Fiends. I think they were offered a chance to join the ranks and rejected them." His tournament had presented a prime opportunity but not everyone would fall in line.

Those that rejected them would die. He just made that process more frequent than normal. They did not change their tactics because they assumed no one would notice!

Anger filled him. They just killed people like they were nothing by the people they trusted most! How dare they?! He would make them pay!