It was late at night. Xuanwei Six, the newly built city on the northwest side of the realm of Qingming, had already fallen aslumber, with only a few lights scattered here and there.

A new encampment had sprung up on the city’s outskirts. It was where the newly arrived members of the Cui Clan were staying. Though it was well past midnight, a light was still shining from the large tent at the center of the camp.

Wei Yuan lifted the tent flap and stepped inside. He found Cui Yu bent over a desk with a tall stack of books piled beside him, writing furiously.

“Aren’t you going to rest yet?” Wei Yuan approached the desk and casually picked up a book, flipping through it.

The book was a detailed registry of the Cui Clan’s scions. It recorded not only their lineage and relatives, but also the results of their foundation and aptitude tests, their cultivation history, and even every major and minor event of their lives. The record was so exhaustive that even a capital offender about to be executed would probably not be treated with such scrutiny.

Cui Yu rubbed his face and said, “Training begins tomorrow. I need to go over everyone’s dossier and sort them into two categories: those who can die and those who cannot. A few of them are useless, but spoiled by their clan elders—whether or not they can establish a Dao Foundation is secondary to their safety. I plan to station these people in the rear. They can participate in training, but will be withdrawn during combat.”

“You...