The system is the proficiency panel

The frantic contraction of the Embrace of the Corrupted Maw left a vast defensive vacuum in the Quicksand Forest, like a receding tide. Harken's orders were thoroughly enforced. Aside from the filthy, menacing patrols near the core area, the defenses of the forest's periphery and secondary strongholds, once home to numerous cultists, were reduced to a staggering degree.

Many strongholds were left with only symbolic guards, or were even completely vacant. The smell of corruption that had permeated the forest suddenly became much thinner, especially in the marginal areas. Some strongholds were remote and relatively poor in resources, and were even left with only a handful of less corrupted and weaker human degenerates guarding them.

"Sir...if we shrink like this, what if Ashes or Bloodthorn's hyenas take the opportunity to rob us?"

A fallen elf leader looked at the almost emptied warehouse and the empty barracks, and couldn't help but speak to Harken's confidant Edmund with a worried look on his face.

The parasitic roots on Edmund's back twisted restlessly, making a slight scraping sound. His face, as gray as bark, was expressionless, only his eyes, infected by corruption and emitting a turbid green light, scanned the deserted camp.

"The Sacred Tree must not be lost. This is the highest will."

Edmund's voice was dry and hoarse, like a broken twig.

"Those outposts are just shacks for storing miscellaneous items. The Ash Merchants are a pack of hyenas who only care about gold coins, and the Bloodthorns are just desperate stray dogs... If they dare to take action, it will give us an excuse to hunt down the blasphemer's accomplices. We give up these to protect something more important. The High Priest said that as long as we can find the blasphemer and wash away the shame of the Holy Tree, these losses... are not worth mentioning."

He took one last look at the soon-to-be-abandoned stronghold, his eyes devoid of any lingering feelings. He turned and, like a venomous snake blending into the shadows, silently crept towards Emerald Shadow City, leaving behind a few low-ranking cultists who stared at each other in bewilderment, trembling in fear at the increasingly thick aura of corruption.

……

In the hidden base of the Ash Merchants Group built in an abandoned mine, Bloody Hand Carloz looked at the latest intelligence sent back, and an undisguised greedy smile finally appeared on his slightly fat face.

"It's shrinking!"

He slammed the animal-skin-covered tabletop, causing several gold coins on it to jump up.

"We can't find the attackers. That madman Harken is helpless and has transferred all the capable fighters to defend his rotten tree. What's the difference between the outposts now being open to us and inviting us in to take it?"

He paced excitedly in the not-so-spacious command room, his leather boots making clattering sounds on the rough rocky ground.

"Boss, the time has come!"

The shadow wrapped in a cloak beside him also spoke with a hint of excitement.

"Several medium-sized warehouses in Rotmaw, especially the reef near the smuggling route, are only guarded at 30% of their usual strength! The magic crystals, refined metals, and enchanted equipment stripped from adventurers stored there are enough for us to make a fortune!"

Carlos stopped, his eyes flashing with shrewd calculation.

"No, I can't take it all."

He licked his lips, as if savoring the delicious food that was about to enter his mouth.

"The movements are too big, even the craziest Harken would notice. Besides, the way you eat is too ugly, it will easily attract others."

He walked to the crude map hanging on the wall of the mine and pointed at several specially marked strongholds.

"Let's pick these three. They're remote enough, valuable enough, but not enough to drive Rotmaw completely crazy. More importantly..."

A sinister grin appeared on his face.

"They are located right on the edge of the Bloodthorn Mercenary Group's recent activity area!"

The cloaked shadow immediately understood.

"Boss, are you trying to frame someone?"

"That's right. Who asked them not to cooperate?"

Carlos grinned, revealing a row of white teeth, which looked a little creepy under the dim mining lamp.

"Have the Snake Fang Squad prepare the discarded weapons and armor fragments bearing the Bloodthorn Mercenary Group's insignia. Everyone participating in the operation should wear leather armor and robes similar to Bloodthorn's style to conceal their identities. Try to use the standard weapons Bloodthorn often uses. Also, try to imitate their fighting style as closely as possible."

He paused, a fierce gleam in his eyes.

"Remember, move quickly and ruthlessly. Once inside, smash everything you can, except for the target supplies. Especially those altars and statues engraved with the disgusting symbol of the Rotmaw's Embrace. Smash them to pieces. Leave traces of Bloodthorn's presence, and even more importantly, evidence of their extreme contempt for the Rotmaw's Embrace and their wanton destruction. When you retreat, leave behind a few of Bloodthorn's bodies. Do you understand?"

"understand!"

The cloaked shadow's voice was firm and decisive.

"very good."

Carlos nodded with satisfaction, sat back in his seat, and tapped his fingertips on the table.

"I'll personally lead the other half of our team. Our target is the Reef Warehouse. Once you've made some noise there and attracted the Rot-Throat Mad Dog's attention, we'll go and receive the real gift!"

He picked up the murky mead on the table and took a big gulp, his eyes burning with desire for wealth and chaos.

"Let Harken and his bunch of rotten root followers have fun with Balk!"

Deep within the mines, the desperate outlaws of the Ash Merchants began to move swiftly and silently. Rusted weapons were polished, worn gear bearing the faint wolf-head insignia of the Bloodthorn Mercenaries was distributed, and instructions imitating specific combat styles were whispered. A sinister and restless undercurrent, woven through the fetid air of the Quicksand Forest, quietly surged toward the Rotmaw strongholds, half-abandoned by their masters.

……

The Ash Merchants' meticulously planned raid was as deadly as a venomous snake emerging from its lair. Under Carlos's personal command, the two groups pounced on their respective targets almost simultaneously.

Disguised as Bloodthorn mercenaries, the squad moved with the swiftness and brutality of true hyenas. Facing a heavily weakened stronghold manned only by low-ranking Corrupted, they encountered little resistance. Shouts of killing, cries of destruction, and desperate wails briefly erupted in the silent forest before fading back to silence. The stronghold's stockpiled supplies—boxes of raw magic crystal ore, unrefined mithril ingots, and a vast array of enchanted weapons, armor, and miscellaneous items looted from passing adventurers and caravans—were swiftly plundered.

But that was not all. Following Kalos's orders, they wantonly destroyed everything in the stronghold that symbolized the faith of the Embrace of the Corrupted Maw. The crude altar was smashed to pieces, the totem poles with twisted tree symbols carved on them were cut down and burned, and the containers storing the corrupted spores were broken, allowing the filthy liquid to flow all over the ground.

Several pieces of damaged equipment and corpses with the Bloodthorn Mercenary Corps emblem were deliberately left behind to serve as the most powerful evidence of the Bloodthorn's revenge. These corpses were all real Bloodthorn mercenaries.

Almost immediately after the scapegoating team took action, Carlos personally led the elite main force, like sharks smelling blood, and pounced on the equally poorly guarded reef warehouse. This warehouse, located in a hidden underground cave, had indeed lost most of its defenses, and the remaining Rotmaw cultists were even more elite and fanatical.

But it was no use, with the legend Carlos around, the battle became one-sided.

To conceal his identity, Kalos wielded only a two-handed heavy sword. Wherever he passed, the fallen elves and corrupted warriors fell like straw. The elite Ashes he brought with him were also fearless and worked in perfect harmony. The warehouse's guards were quickly eliminated.

The warehouse door was forcibly broken open, and Carlos's eyes instantly illuminated the treasures within. Stored here was a portion of the wealth of the Embrace of the Corrupted Maw: a vast quantity of refined, high-quality magical materials; boxes of cut, multicolored magical crystals imbued with pure energy; several forbidden items emitting ominous auras, clearly bearing the abyss or curse; and a vast collection of rare herbs and mineral specimens from thoroughly corrupted areas. Their value far exceeded the combined value of the miscellaneous items in the outlying strongholds.

"Move, move everything away, don't leave anything behind!"

Carlos's voice was inflected with excitement. Like industrious worker ants, the members of the Ash Merchants Group quickly and efficiently cleared out the warehouse.

……

Mo Ying, a true Ashes outlaw, participated in the entire Reef Warehouse operation, personally commanded by Carlos. Clad in the Ashes Merchants' uniform, concealing dark robe and leather armor, his face smeared with greasepaint, he was silent yet swift and ruthless. Amidst the chaotic battle, he skillfully avoided the most dangerous core areas, focusing on eliminating isolated guards and observing the warehouse's layout, guard deployment, and Carlos's own fighting style.

When the warehouse was opened and the treasures were revealed, Mo Ying's eyes were devoid of greed, only a calm assessment. Using the cover of moving supplies, he quietly memorized the physical features of several of the most representative forbidden items with the most pronounced energy fluctuations, as well as the approximate types and quantities of magical metals and crystals. He also noticed that when Carlos counted his harvest, he paid particular attention to several items that exuded a strong aura of the abyss, his eyes revealing a strange eagerness.

The operation concluded, and the team quickly evacuated with their bounty, returning to the Ashes Stronghold. Inside, a frenzy of excitement reigned, fueled by the success of the heist. Carlos, brimming with pride, generously rewarded his men and began plotting how to quickly transform this lucrative haul into secure wealth and leverage for his own advancement.

Taking advantage of the chaos and noise within the stronghold, a moment when defenses had relaxed slightly due to his success, Mo Ying, like a shadow blending into the wall, silently infiltrated the depths of an abandoned ventilation duct within the stronghold. In absolute darkness, he quickly recorded everything he saw and heard onto a specially crafted blank jade slip.

After the engraving was complete, Mo Ying enveloped the jade slip in a layer of shadow energy, shielding it from detection. Like a ghost, he slipped out of the stronghold and found a hollow in a dead tree, far from the base, rarely visited by the Rotmaw patrol. Rather than returning directly to the base, he enveloped the jade slip in shadow and, like a silent crossbow bolt, launched it toward the base.

After doing all this, Mo Ying's figure once again merged into the twisted shadows of the Quicksand Forest, and continued to lurk back near the Ashes Stronghold, waiting for the next valuable information.

……

In the quiet room at the heart of the stronghold, time seemed to have lost its meaning. Lin Ji sat cross-legged, his aura as deep and profound as the abyss. Only the dancing flames at his fingertips silently spoke of his active consciousness.

His mind was completely absorbed in the perception of controlling the fire. The violent, destructive power of fire, under his exquisite control of the mind, displayed unprecedented tameness and versatility.

With a subtle thought, a crimson flame rose from his palm. Initially, it was blazing, blazing brightly enough to melt gold and iron. As his consciousness guided the flame, its temperature, as if precisely controlled by an invisible hand, instantly dropped to a gentler state, emitting only warmth that dispelled the chill, even simulating the soft glow of a fireplace or bonfire. This wasn't a simple increase or decrease in spiritual power, but rather a subtle manipulation of the activity of the flame's fundamental energy particles.

The next moment, the flame's form suddenly shifted. No longer a dancing tongue of fire, it was shaped into a lifelike flaming bird, its feathers perfectly visible, flapping as if ready for flight. Each feather was composed of flames of varying temperatures: blazing white on the outside, crimson gold within, and a deep, dark blue at its core. The bird circled lightly around Lin Ji's fingertips, incredibly agile and nimble, showing no sign of losing control.

Immediately, the bird's form disintegrated, and the flames suddenly condensed, transforming into a hair-thin, nearly transparent needle of fire. The needle's tip condensed an ultimate destructive force, its temperature so intense that even the surrounding space was subtly distorted, emitting a heart-pounding sharpness. Lin Ji controlled the flaming needle and gently tapped it on a piece of extremely solid black iron ore in front of him, used for testing.

laugh--

There was a subtle, soft sound. There was no earth-shattering explosion. Only a pinpoint-sized, bottomless, charred hole remained on the surface of the black iron ore, its edges smooth as a mirror, as if pierced by the most precise laser. This wasn't brute force, but rather the concentration of devastating heat and penetrating power, achieving ultimate efficiency.

Then, the flames transformed again, becoming a thin, cicada-wing-like net of fire covering several feet in radius. The net seemed light and gentle, yet it possessed both formidable defensive resilience and the power of a sudden, intense, scorching heat. Lin Ji could clearly sense the flow and energy distribution of every wisp of flame within the net, controlling it with ease.

Unquenchable Fire (50/100) → (60/100)

Fire Control (60/100) → (85/100)

Four days and four nights of sleepless, immersive training had thoroughly integrated his experience with fire from his previous combat operations on the edge of the Quicksand Forest. Furthermore, with the help of feedback from the system panel, he had pushed Fire Control to a new level, and even Fire Unquenchable had made some progress. His control over fire had reached perfection, controlling its temperature, shape, range, intensity, and even its destructive properties with a single thought.

Lin Ji slowly exhaled a burning breath, which lingered in the quiet room, transforming into a small vortex of flame before dissipating. He opened his eyes, and within his deep pupils, a flash of crimson-gold sparks seemed to pass before returning to calm.

"It seems very lively outside?"

Lin Ji's spiritual sense swept silently across the stronghold like mercury. The humming of the defensive array operating at full power, the busy but orderly aura of the cultivators, and the familiar spiritual fluctuations in the command post, filled with solemn discussions, all came back clearly.

He stood up and pushed open the door to the quiet room. It was already morning outside. Although the light was a little dim due to the layered treetops above the canyon, the fresh air and the abundant spiritual energy brought by the spirit gathering array operating in the stronghold still lifted his spirits. He walked towards the command post.