The Spirit Realm Opens

Bailong, clad in a racing suit, looked down at Zhang Yuanqing from atop the steps and teased, "Kid, if you enter an S-rank Spirit Realm again this time, you'll definitely be able to finish off Li Xianzong once you come out." Qingteng rolled her eyes charmingly. "Jinx!" *Another S-rank dungeon? I'd rather face Li Xianzong again.* Zhang Yuanqing replied, "I asked Wang Tai. He said according to all the big data collected so far, no one has ever entered an S-rank dungeon three times in a row." Da Jiba blinked, surprised. "There's data on that? How come I didn't know?" *It's public data, all right? Anyone can check it anytime. Oh, wait, you're a Fire Master. Never mind, then.* Zhang Yuanqing returned a polite smile. Tang Guoqiang sighed. "It's such a pity we couldn't eliminate Li Xianzong at Pingtai Hospital last time. Yuanshi, you have to be careful during this period. I keep feeling like he's brewing up something nasty. We'll also step up our manhunt and do our best to take care of him for you, but as you know, hunting down a Spirit Realm walker in a vast sea of people is no easy task." Qingteng offered a kind reminder. "Be careful coming and going over the next few days. Don't let yourself be tailed." After their previous encounter, these captains were terrified that Yuanshi Tianzun, before he could fully grow, would have his kidneys harvested by Li Xianzong in secret—that would be an enormous loss. Downcast over the disappearance of their squad members, they chatted briefly and then dispersed. Zhang Yuanqing returned to the dining room and resumed wolfing down his food. Guan Ya, on the other hand, had stopped after eating only half of her steak and was now nibbling on a melon with her fork. "You're not eating anymore?" Zhang Yuanqing asked. "I didn't exercise much, so I don't need to eat that much," Guan Ya giggled softly. Zhang Yuanqing promptly shoveled the remaining half of her steak onto his own plate. The mixed-race beauty saw nothing wrong with that and teased, "If this were Jingwei and you stole her food, she'd definitely jump up and bash your dog head in. Mm, I'll be entering a dungeon soon too, and it's also a multiplayer Spirit Realm." Chewing his steak, Zhang Yuanqing smiled. "Maybe we'll match into the same dungeon. If Wang Tai were here, he'd say: according to data analysis, that probability is even lower than spotting a girl you like on the street and having her happen to like you back." Guan Ya blinked her eyes. "Isn't it lower than drawing blood on the very first prick?" *This seasoned driver...* Zhang Yuanqing lowered his head and ate his meat. For a same-city Spirit Realm, the chances of matching were slightly higher. Still, given the sheer number of Spirit Realm walkers and dungeons, the odds of two people who knew each other in real life matching into the same Spirit Realm simultaneously were exceedingly low. If they truly did match, it would probably be sheer fate. After lunch, Zhang Yuanqing put on a duckbill cap and mask, disguised his appearance as Wang Tai, and activated Night Walk to leave Fujia Bay. After sprinting several hundred meters and using Night Walk twice in succession along the way, he finally revealed himself. Then, unlocking a shared bike with a scan, he rode toward home at an unhurried pace. He had not been to university in a long time, having treated several classmates to meals and entrusted them with answering roll call on his behalf. If not for the difficulty of explaining it to his family, Zhang Yuanqing would have dropped out already. *Once I save up enough money next year, I'll drop out on the pretext of starting a business. Grandpa and Grandma shouldn't object, and as long as they don't, that's enough.* Pedaling the bike, he pondered idly. As for his mother's opinion, Zhang Yuanqing wouldn't care. In any case, after all these years, he hadn't taken any money from her. Upon returning home, he took a nap. When he woke up, dusk had already fallen. On the bedroom floor, Zhang Yuanqing saw Little Doubi crawling around again with his uncle's wallet balanced on its head. Lately, his aunt had been washing her underwear very frequently, either hanging them out on the balcony or locking them away in the wardrobe. Little Doubi couldn't reach either place yet, so settling for second best, it had brought its master money instead. As usual, Zhang Yuanqing pulled out three crisp red banknotes, then had Little Doubi return the wallet. While waiting for dinner, he booted up a video game. Little Doubi lay sprawled atop its master's head, hugging a controller, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the TV screen as if pretending it was playing along. Zhang Yuanqing played distractedly, turning over in his mind the dungeon guides he had reviewed recently. His goals for the near future were very clear: practice combat, review guides for Transcendent-stage multiplayer Spirit Realms, and stay vigilant against Li Xianzong's stalking and assassination attempts. As dinner drew near, Zhang Yuanqing heard the security door open, followed by his aunt's voice: "Mom, I'm starving! Is dinner ready yet?" "A little longer," Grandma's faint reply echoed back. After a dozen seconds, the bedroom door opened. Jiang Yu'er poked her head in, and seeing her nephew playing games, she beamed with delight, shutting the door behind her as she entered. "Let's play together! Let's play together!" Jiang Yu'er sat cross-legged beside her nephew and conveniently snatched the controller from atop his head. "Why did you put a controller on your head?" At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing sensed waves of grievance and anger radiating from Little Doubi. Yet after a few seconds, Little Doubi forgave Auntie. Sliding down Zhang Yuanqing's back, it crawled over to her, hugged her thigh, and rested its head against her leg to watch the TV screen. *Even an infant spirit yearns for maternal love,* Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help musing. At that point, Auntie lowered her voice and said stealthily, "I've been thinking about something lately." "What?" Zhang Yuanqing kept his eyes glued to the screen, working the controller. "Your superpower is invisibility, right? You suddenly popped up in front of me that day." "Something like that," Zhang Yuanqing said. "So it suddenly occurred to me..." Auntie manipulated her controller and asked, "Did you steal my underwear?" Zhang Yuanqing's scalp tingled. He turned to glare at her and said indignantly, "How can you frame me like that? As a big shot of the superpower special ops team—great, glorious, and righteous—how could I commit such a beastly act as stealing my own aunt's underwear?" His tone was exceedingly solemn, as though he had suffered a grave insult. *Besides, would I need invisibility to steal your underwear?* Auntie glanced sideways at him. "Oh, then I was overthinking it. My bad." Suddenly, she tossed the controller aside and pounced toward Zhang Yuanqing's wardrobe! "! ! !" Displaying footwork even sharper than during his combat training, Zhang Yuanqing pushed off with both legs and tackled her. Jiang Yu'er hit the floor with a smack, flat on her stomach. After a brief scuffle, Jiang Yu'er lost the match and grunted, "Ha, I guessed right after all! It really was you, you rebellious brat, who stole my underwear!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, "Mom! Yuanzi stole my—*mmph, mmph!*" Zhang Yuanqing clamped a hand over her mouth. "It really wasn't me... Fine, whatever, just tell me what you want!" Jiang Yu'er made a few muffled noises and nodded. Zhang Yuanqing let go. "You have to tell me more about people with superpowers, return my underwear, and pay whenever we go shopping in the future. Auntie bought you things for so many years; it's time you repaid me." "You've had your eye on my savings for ages, haven't you? Is that any way for an elder to act?" "Is that any way for a junior to act?" After dinner, Zhang Yuanqing practiced hand-to-hand combat barefoot in his bedroom for half an hour, then collapsed onto the bed without washing his feet. Summoning Little Doubi, he sternly lectured it: "Don't steal her underwear ever again, or I'll beat your butt till it splits!" Little Doubi crawled back and forth across the bed, who knew whether it took any of it in. Just then, Xie Lingxi called. Pausing his parenting, he picked up his phone and answered. "Brother Yuanshi, it's been nearly a month since we came out of Jinshui Amusement Park. Are you about to enter the Spirit Realm?" Xie Lingxi's voice was crisp and sweet. "I'm about to enter too, but unfortunately, my next dungeon is exclusive to Musicians." She expressed her regret at not being able to go on an adventure together with him. "It should be in the next few days, maybe even today. Hard to say. I've been studying dungeon guides every day lately," Zhang Yuanqing replied casually, then asked, "How did the Palace Master bully you that day?" Xie Lingxi said aggrievedly, "She hung me up! Hung me up for several hours! But she went to the Northern Territory on business and won't be back anytime soon." "What did she go to the Northern Territory for?" "Oh, she found a lead on the Chu family's massacre back then. Apparently she's killed quite a few members of the Soldier Master Sect recently. I just hope she doesn't run into a Heavenly King-level powerhouse." Although she was often bullied by the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter, Xie Lingxi's concern was genuine. "How terrifying is a Heavenly King-level Bewitching Demon?" "A Heavenly King of the Soldier Master Sect corresponds to an Elder of the Five Elements Alliance. Every single Heavenly King is a terrifying figure. As far as I know, over the past few decades, only two or three Heavenly Kings have actually died to official encirclements; more of them died in Spirit Realm missions instead." Xie Lingxi's tone grew involuntarily solemn. "The strongest Heavenly King in the Soldier Master Sect is called the 'Fear Heavenly King.' I heard from the Old Ancestor that even if he runs into the official Alliance Leaders, the Fear Heavenly King can retreat in one piece." *Then just how terrifying is Asura of the Soldier Master Sect?* Zhang Yuanqing muttered inwardly. "I remember Li Xianzong is the confidant of Heavenly King Demonic Eye. What kind of person is this Heavenly King?" With his current clearance, he couldn't view files on Heavenly King-level powerhouses yet. "Mm..." Xie Lingxi recalled carefully and said rather uncertainly, "Heavenly King Demonic Eye has a nickname: the Cynical Youth Heavenly King. At least, I think that's the nickname. Brother Yuanshi, I don't really know much else. "Are you worried that if you kill Li Xianzong, this Heavenly King will come looking for trouble? Tell you what, I'll go ask the Old Ancestor later. Even if I have to throw a tantrum, I'll get the info for you!" After expressing his gratitude, Zhang Yuanqing ended the call. *I hope the third Spirit Realm comes sooner so I can boost my strength as quickly as possible. I can't stay on the defensive forever...* Pulling up his summer quilt, Zhang Yuanqing tried to drift off to sleep. Suddenly, a faint crackling static jolted him awake. Zhang Yuanqing knew the Cat King Speaker was about to play an audio log again. After so many days, it was finally stirring back to life. Lately, he hadn't dared keep the Cat King Speaker on his person, because this item played music at random without control, making it all too easy to offend people. For instance: *"Always looking so frail, like a coward."* He had placed the Cat King Speaker on the desk, holding himself ready to Night Walk at any moment in case it suddenly broadcasted the Demon Lord's bedroom antics. The static soon died down, followed by a low, hoarse voice: "I heard a senior say that the Fallen Holy Grail twists a person's mind and awakens the evil thoughts at the bottom of their heart. As time goes on, you become less and less like yourself... No, you unleash yourself completely. "Cat King Speaker, you're the first item I ever obtained. You must record my words and deeds, record my experiences, so that if I gradually lose myself in the future, I can use you to find who I once was." *At this point in time, the Demon Lord had probably just fallen under the Deceitful Eye Judge's control, and his mind hadn't warped yet...* Remembering what the Demon Lord had become later on, Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help sighing emotionally. The Demon Lord was a Night Wanderer, and Night Wanderers were an orthodox profession. According to the Spirit Realm's selection mechanism, anyone who could become an orthodox profession was at least not an out-and-out villain. "A faction token is a good thing. If I could cultivate my own core faction, I'd have a much better chance of hunting down the Deceitful Eye Judge in the future. Unfortunately, I missed an opportunity to obtain a faction token. "I'm becoming more and more solitary, trusting strangers less and less. Like this, there's no way to obtain a faction token in a confrontation-type dungeon, not even by clearing it. One must lead and win over their teammates' trust." The Demon Lord's low, hoarse voice continued: "The dungeon I cleared today was Yinyang Town, Spirit Realm 2273. Reviewing the details inside the Spirit Realm, I realized I missed a hidden quest. If I had resisted beauty and bloodshed, perhaps I could have triggered the hidden quest and obtained the item left behind by Yinyang Sanren. What a pity. A Spirit Realm entered once can never be entered a second time." *Spirit Realm 2273, Yinyang Town...* Zhang Yuanqing pondered for a few seconds as the corresponding information on that Spirit Realm surfaced in his mind. This Spirit Realm was an ever-changing multiplayer confrontation dungeon, Rank A. The opposing sides were usually the orthodox faction and the evil faction. In the official database, there were six or seven strategy guides regarding Spirit Realm 2273, but every single guide contained different content. It was an exceptionally bizarre and difficult dungeon. Of course, an A-rank dungeon was bound to be tough. Then came the crackle of electrical static again. The Demon Lord's voice cut off, and a few seconds later, a new recording played: "Heh, today I hooked up with an agent sent to the mainland by the Goddess of Beauty Association. Her name is Dale, a Level 4 Saint and a mouth-watering stunner. She has eyes as blue as the sea, gorgeous blond hair, and an athletic body. Her ass is the biggest of any woman I've ever seen... "She told me that the Spirit Realm is divided into three major regions in total, each with its corresponding orthodox faction and evil faction. Spirit Realm walkers from different major regions never encounter each other in dungeons. "This is very strange. Why would the Spirit Realm be split into three major regions? And why three? It makes me suspect even more that the Spirit Realm isn't purely a supernatural phenomenon. Furthermore, although walkers from the three major regions don't meet inside the Spirit Realm, in reality, all official organizations are allied, or at least on friendly terms. "This makes the possibility of evil organizations allying with foreign official organizations to fight the local orthodox faction virtually zero. "Dale also mentioned that the Night Wanderer profession is special, though she didn't know why. The president of the Goddess of Beauty Association once instructed her to recruit Night Wanderers whenever possible. "She invited me to her room tonight for drinks and a chat. I caught her hint; I saw the desire in her eyes. She's desperate for me to sleep with her." The recording ended, static once again replacing the Demon Lord's monologue. During the first recording, the Demon Lord had likely still been in the Transcendent stage. But by the second recording—where he hooked up with the Goddess of Beauty Association—he was clearly already at the Saint stage. After all, he showed no awe or wariness toward a Level 4 foreign walker, and he was full of lust to bed a foreign beauty. With power came confidence, along with a mind warped even further. Just as Zhang Yuanqing was lost in thought, the Demon Lord's voice rang out again. This time, his tone was laden with rage and regret. "Damn it! I shouldn't have slept with Dale!" "Never sleep with women from the Goddess of Beauty Association! Fuck, never!" *Huh? Weren't you dying to have a foreign babe? Didn't she have the biggest ass you'd ever seen?* Zhang Yuanqing was stunned, baffled by the sudden 180 in the Demon Lord's attitude. *Did she whip out something bigger than his?* *Besides, that's not how you acted later! Later on, you slept with another woman from the Goddess of Beauty Association, slept with her repeatedly, and even called her an irresistible stunner...* The Demon Lord's furious, flustered voice came through the speaker: "Sleeping with her once means having to grant her one request?! What kind of bullshit skill is that?! Is the Love and Desire profession the whores of the Spirit Realm world?! Like hell I'm paying the whore's fee! There's no way in hell I'm agreeing to do that for her! Damn it! Damn it!" Zhang Yuanqing gradually pieced it together. Women of the Love and Desire profession possessed a skill that forcibly extracted a "service fee": any man who slept with them had to fulfill one request for them. The Demon Lord at the time had been too green, blind to how deep the waters ran, and had stepped right into a pitfall. The recording concluded amid the Demon Lord's cursing, and no further sounds followed. Zhang Yuanqing put away the Cat King Speaker and went back to sleep. In a daze, he was jolted awake once more. This time, it wasn't the Cat King Speaker, but the familiar Spirit Realm chime echoing in his ears: [Ding! Spirit Realm map opening. Entering the Spirit Realm in 60 seconds. The Spirit Realm you are entering this time is "Yinyang Town", Number: 2273.] [Difficulty Rank: A] [Type: Multiplayer (Death-match)] [Main Quest: Reach the central plaza of Yinyang Town and defeat the enemy.] [Remarks: Non-Spirit Realm items cannot be brought in.] [Introduction to Spirit Realm 2273: It is said that the founder of Yinyang Town was an accomplished master of cultivation named Yinyang Sanren. In his twilight years, seeking a breakthrough, Yinyang Sanren established Yinyang Town in an attempt to comprehend the Great Dao and attain immortality. Regrettably, he ultimately failed.] *** In her apartment. Guan Ya lay on her side in bed, wearing a pink T-shirt and soft sweatpants, her breathing even. As an experienced Spirit Realm walker, she knew that in the days leading up to a Spirit Realm mission, one must never wear lace cutouts or silk nightgowns to sleep. You never knew if the Spirit Realm would summon you in the middle of the night, and entering a Spirit Realm dressed in sexy sleepwear would be a terrible situation. Especially since she was well aware of her own stunning looks. Therefore, over the past few days, Guan Ya had slept only by kicking off her shoes, avoiding nightgowns entirely. Suddenly, she was startled awake from her sleep, hearing the familiar Spirit Realm chime in her ears: [Ding! Spirit Realm map opening. Entering the Spirit Realm in 60 seconds. The Spirit Realm you are entering this time is "Yinyang Town", Number: 2273.] "Yinyang Town? An A-rank dungeon... Tsk, huge trouble." Guan Ya's brows knitted tightly as she grabbed the phone from beneath her pillow, intending to report to Li Dongze. *** In a hotel room. The curtains were drawn tight, leaving the room pitch-black. Li Xianzong, sleeping lightly, opened his eyes. The chime notifying entry into the Spirit Realm rang in his ears: [Ding! Spirit Realm map opening. Entering the Spirit Realm in 60 seconds. The Spirit Realm you are entering this time is "Yinyang Town", Number: 2273.] "Yinyang Town, an A-rank Spirit Realm. It seems Heaven itself wants me to drastically increase my strength before the massive slaughter dungeon arrives."