Chapter 461

The candlelight in the secret chamber gently swallowed the echo of Chen Wen's concluding words.

The swaying shadow on the wall seemed to solidify along with it.

A silent consensus flowed between Zhang Cheng, Wang Ru, Shi Dun, Qian Gui, and Zhao Lao Nian.

The conclusion of the preliminary subtle intervention signified that a deeper, more perilous game was about to unfold.

No one spoke further; they simply rose one after another, gave Chen Wen a slight nod, and quietly withdrew from the secret chamber.

They knew the sovereign needed solitude.

How the road ahead should be taken required the sovereign, in silence, to make the most crucial decision.

Chen Wen sat alone where he was, his gaze resting on the leaping candlewick, while his mind had already sunk inward.

That system interface remained simple.

【Level: Lv. 2 (4x)】

And the light band below representing the 【Growth Progress Bar】 was already full, emanating a warm, lustrous glow.

After the system reset, his level returned to zero, and he started anew from Lv. 1.

Over these past decades, he had never slackened for a single day.

Whether it was reviewing memorials and strategizing behind the scenes of the Chen dynasty,

or remotely commanding via the South Wind Chronicle to infiltrate the False Song,

or honing his own martial arts while continually familiarizing and applying the Shi Yong,

even including every clash, open or covert, with the Iron Crow Army, every breakthrough of a predicament, every steering of the situation……

All these effective efforts turned into drips of 'growth,' flowing into this progress bar.

Until today, the water was full to the brim.

"It's time."

Chen Wen murmured silently in his heart.

He slowly closed his eyes, adjusted his breath, sank his mind, and lightly touched the full progress bar.

There was no earth-shattering portent.

Inside the secret chamber, only the faint crackle of the burning candle could be heard.

But deep in Chen Wen's perception, it seemed as if an invisible barrier, warmed and steadied by long-accumulated power, was being gently forced open.

A surge of energy far more mighty and pure than when rising from Lv. 1 to Lv. 2 erupted from deep within his body, instantly coursing through his limbs and bones.

This energy was not merely a simple increase in strength.

It was more like a subtle elevation of life's level, a comprehensive deepening of his self-mastery.

Tendons, bones, flesh, the five viscera and six bowels, and even the finest nerve endings, underwent a subtle transformation under the energy's scouring.

The body, previously restored to youthful vigor by life reconstruction, now seemed infused with richer vitality, becoming more translucent and refined.

His thought speed suddenly surged.

Strategic layouts that once required careful deliberation to become clear now, in the flash of a thought, spawned several variations, their pros and cons instantly apparent.

The extremely faint sounds in the surrounding environment—the rustle of wind-blown bamboo leaves outside the wall, the nearly inaudible footsteps of night patrolling guards farther away, even the scurrying of insects deep underground—became astonishingly clear to his ears.

The whole world, in his perception, became unprecedentedly distinct and clearly layered.

After an unknown span of time, the surging energy gradually subsided, finally merging perfectly into every part of his body, like a stream returning to the sea, with no separation left.

Chen Wen opened his eyes.

A gleam flashed in his pupils and then faded, returning to normal, yet beneath that normalcy lay a more restrained, profound radiance.

With a slight thought, he called up the system interface.

【Level: Lv. 3 (8x)】

【Growth Progress Bar: 0% (needs accumulation of effective effort to level up)】

【Current Functions: Shi Yong (enhanced); Causality Fragments (newly unlocked)】

【Physical Condition: Life essence stable, vitality abundant, functions at peak】

Indeed.

The level rose to Lv. 3, and the multiplier effect jumped to 8x.

This meant that whether he was handling state affairs, studying skills, facing enemies in battle, or triggering the system for labor, his efficiency would reach exactly eight times what it was before!

This was a qualitative leap.

More importantly, as the level increased, the Shi Yong function was strengthened.

And the brand-new function—Causality Fragments—had been unlocked.

Chen Wen focused his spirit, attempting to activate this nascent ability.

In an instant, his perception seemed to be cast into an invisible, vast ocean.

Unlike the vague perception of Shi Yong, which sensed the flow of fortune and regional Yuneng pollution,

Causality Fragments brought a more direct yet also more fragmented and chaotic torrent of information.

Countless vague light-and-shadow fragments, intermittent sounds, indecipherable whispers, and symbols whose meaning was utterly incomprehensible struck his consciousness like a tide.

They intertwined yet also repelled each other, filled with contradiction and uncertainty.

Chen Wen steadied his mind, not trying to force comprehension of all the information.

He knew that Causality Fragments were not omniscient; they offered only scattered fragments of possible future events at certain critical nodes, closely tied to Fortune Momentum or variables.

The information is fragmentary, requiring the recipient to filter, piece together, and interpret it themselves.

He concentrated his spirit, tentatively directing the focus of his perception toward the distant west—beyond the light curtain, the direction of the 'script world.'

In particular, he had recently been paying attention to the False Song's Shandong Circuit.

His perception crossed the spatial barrier, weaving through countless chaotic fragments.

Most of the information was meaningless, fleeting in an instant.

However, a few especially vivid fragments, carrying a kind of "mark" sense, shot across his perception like meteors streaking through darkness, forcibly intruding.

The first fragment was a vast expanse of a water marsh scene.

Misty waves billowed, huge waves rolled on, mountains lined up against the waves, water met the distant sky.

By the water marsh's edge, the three ancient, simple characters "Liangshanpo" could faintly be seen.

The second fragment was a chaotic star chart filled with killing intent.

One hundred and eight points of light, varying in brightness, some brilliant as stars, some dim as dust.

They were linked together yet clashed with each other, emitting a chilling killing aura of the "Heavenly Gang" and "Earthly Fiend."

The third fragment was a deafening shout, mingled with the clash of weapons and furious roars.

"Gather in righteousness!"

"Before the Hall of Gathered Righteousness..."

The sound cut off here, leaving endless suspense and a murderous atmosphere.

Chen Wen let out a muffled groan, withdrawing from that information-overload state, a faint sweat appearing on his forehead.

Merely capturing these few relatively clear fragments drained his mental energy significantly.

He drew a deep breath, calming his somewhat surging qi and blood, yet his gaze became extremely sharp.

"Liangshanpo... Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend... Gathered Righteousness..."

He softly repeated those keywords, his mind racing, combining them with the vague sense he had earlier via the "Shi Yong" of the intertwining killing intent and latent Fortune Momentum on the Shandong road.

A node concerning chaos, rebellion, and entangled fate had already surfaced.

This place was certainly no ordinary gathering of bandits.

The stellar power of that "Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend," the killing intent and variability strong enough to form "causal fragments," all indicated that this would be a key focus of the Iron Crow Army's deployment, attempting to steer the "script" toward a desired outcome!

The risk was enormous, but the opportunity was equally enormous.

If he could successfully break in here, disrupt the Iron Crow Army's arrangements, and even... channel this power to a direction favorable to his side, the gain would far surpass all previous "micro-interventions" and "dark current infiltrations."

This was no longer covertly sowing seeds, but seizing food from the tiger's mouth on the enemy's central stage!

Chen Wen stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open.

The night wind brought in a chill, stirring the hairs at his forehead.

He gazed westward at the invisible light curtain, his sight seeming to pierce layer after layer of obstruction, landing upon that vast expanse of water marsh.

His level had risen, new functions unlocked, and the key node had already appeared.

Continuing to stay behind the scenes of the Chen Dynasty, remotely controlling, was obviously insufficient to face the impending storm.

He needed to be there in person.

He needed to go to that water marsh about to be stirred by wind and clouds, to meet the so-called "Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend," and to confront the Iron Crow Army in a face-to-face struggle.

"Pass the order,"

Chen Wen's voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached the ears of the attendant guarding outside the secret chamber.

"Please summon Zhang Cheng, Wang Ru, Shi Dun, Qian Gui, and Zhao Lao Nian; come see me at once."

His order was concise and decisive.

A new campaign was about to begin.

This time, he would personally lead the troops and cross the light curtain again.