Attempting a Power Surge

After dismissing her female assistant, Xie Lingxi opened the chat app on her phone and sent Yuanshi Tianzun a message: *Brother Yuanshi, because of you, I've broken ties with my mother.* Yuanshi Tianzun: *What happened? Your mom didn't write me a check demanding I leave you, did she?* Xie Lingxi sent a coy, blushing emoji: *If my mother really gave you a check to stay away from me, would you take it?* Yuanshi Tianzun: *What kind of silly nonsense is that!* Just as Xie Lingxi was about to reply with a happy emoticon, another message popped up from Brother Yuanshi: *Of course I’d take it. Why turn down free money? I'm not an idiot.* Xie Lingxi: *...* Pouting, she finally got around to explaining at an unhurried pace how her mother had tried to demand the tournament invitation. Whenever Xie Lingxi chatted with Brother Yuanshi, she loved rambling and drifting off-topic, just to prolong their conversations. At first, Brother Yuanshi had been quite eager to talk to her, taking the opportunity to ask for bonus photos of her legs in black stockings or showing off her bare shoulders in short skirts. But Xie Lingxi had always acted shy, making excuses and putting him off. Over time, Brother Yuanshi had grown less inclined to entertain her. Xie Lingxi had heard from her mother that men were just like that: give them perks, and you were a goddess; withhold them, and you were nothing to them. Logically, she ought to have dangled occasional little perks to keep him hooked, but Xie Lingxi had her own ideas. From what she could tell, Brother Yuanshi was the kind of person who seemed loose and frivolous on the surface, but didn't actually care for women that much. He would pay some attention to good girls with pretty faces and nice figures, but he gave women of loose morals a wide berth. So Xie Lingxi was simply stringing him along with a different method. Yuanshi Tianzun: *Oh, so that makes you an unfilial daughter. Auntie wants to watch the tournament, so how could you refuse her? By the way, is it true that invitation sells for a hundred thousand? Auntie could just come to me. It's not about the money, of course; it's mostly out of respect for you.* *Brother Yuanshi is truly shameless...* Xie Lingxi: *Brother Yuanshi is the best.* *** Sanzhuang Province, Crab Lake Villa. Inside a tearoom scented with burning sandalwood stood rattan chairs, a tea table, folding screens, and a tea tray. An ordinary-looking middle-aged woman picked up a pair of small tweezers, gently broke off a piece of a tea brick, and set about brewing tea with slow, elegant motions. Beside the tea table, an attractive, voluptuous woman in an apricot dress reclined lazily on a rattan chair. Putting down her phone, she wrinkled her dainty nose and snorted. "That wretched girl agreed so readily—she’s definitely trying to pull one over on me." Her figure was lush and shapely. Her abdomen was as flat as a young maiden's, yet her bosom possessed a fullness that young girls could only dream of. Her hips were delightfully plush, pressing into the rattan chair in a soft, generous curve. She looked to be in her early thirties, with a glamorous melon-seed face and sharp black eyeliner outlining bright, spirited eyes. What made her especially striking was how an air of girlish innocence mingled with her mature charm. The woman looked across the tea tray at the middle-aged woman. "Aunt Wang, take a trip to Songhai and bring the invitation back for me." Aunt Wang replied helplessly, "Ma'am, why get angry with the young miss?" The woman smiled demurely. "Whenever that dead girl has nothing better to do, she loves chattering about Yuanshi Tianzun. It's 'Brother Yuanshi' this and 'Brother Yuanshi' that. Her heart has definitely sprouted wings. I need to go see for myself." Aunt Wang shook her head. "Is that really why?" The woman's demeanor instantly shifted. Putting her hands on her hips, she snapped, "This lady wants her to know who's the mother and who's the brat! If she won't hand over that invitation, I'll take it myself. Does she think she can turn the heavens upside down?" *** Kangyang District Public Security Bureau. In the Decurion's office, Zhang Yuanqing chewed on a straw and took a sip of iced cola. "I probed Fu Qingyang, but he doesn't know what the finals dungeon will be either. Since it's being created on the fly, there certainly won't be any walkthrough guides," Guan Ya said, sitting on the sofa with her long, black-stockinged legs pressed neatly together. On the single armchair across from them, Li Dongze held a cigar between his fingers and mused, "There's no need to consider such underhanded shortcuts. Since the Alliance Leaders are stepping in personally, no participant will receive any prior information about the dungeon before it opens." Decurion True Eye added with seasoned prudence, "However, based on external factors, we can roughly deduce the dungeon's type. First, it won't be a death-match type. That shouldn't need explanation, right?" Guan Ya and Zhang Yuanqing nodded. An S-rank difficulty with non-lethal conditions would likely only appear in a scenario like this. In dungeons naturally generated by the Spirit Realm, even A-rank non-lethal dungeons were exceedingly rare. S-rank ones were almost exclusively lethal. Decurion True Eye continued, "Second, the core of this dungeon is combat, competition, and determining the top three. Therefore, the dungeon's own storyline won't be overly convoluted. By 'not convoluted,' I mean straightforward, not easy." If the plot were too intricate, it would become a contest of who was best at puzzle-solving. In Li Dongze's estimation, deduction wouldn't carry such a heavy weight. In any dungeon, in any confrontation, martial might always came first, followed by intellect. While intelligence could often allow the weak to defeat the strong, the few to overcome the many, and produce miraculous turnarounds, one had to remember that before absolute force, everything was a paper tiger. Guan Ya nodded slightly and chimed in, "So in the end, it will still come down to combat power. In that case, Yuanshi, if you work hard, making the top three is possible, but your chances of taking first place are slim." She looked at Zhang Yuanqing with a beaming smile. "Don't be sore about it. You saw the match between Zhao Chenghuang and Jingwei. Jingwei is gifted beyond measure, capable of unleashing power on par with the early Saint stage. If Earth God had faced her at that moment, even the old fellow would probably have ended up gravely wounded. "As for Sun Miaomiao, she likely would have avoided her edge, stalling for time until Jingwei's burst subsided. Yet Zhao Chenghuang didn't use a yin corpse, spirit servants, or items. Relying entirely on his personal strength, he went head-to-head with Jingwei and won." Li Dongze remarked with emotion, "I was present that day as well. That move Zhao Chenghuang used was unheard of—utterly formidable. Yuanshi, you must admit that if you had been in her place that day, you wouldn't have withstood it." *I could use the Yinyang Robe and the Red Dancing Shoes to tangle with him, but both items have time limits—ten minutes for the former, five for the latter. If I can't wear Zhao Chenghuang down within that window, I'll definitely lose. And that isn't even factoring in his own items and spirit servants...* Zhang Yuanqing sighed inwardly, keeping a calm smile on the outside. "Decurion, don't you think Zhao Chenghuang's move was quite inelegant?" Li Dongze paused, then nodded repeatedly. "Indeed! Extremely inelegant!" He was thoroughly satisfied with Zhang Yuanqing's take. Just then, Wang Tai—messy hair, a blank stare, and heavy dark circles under his eyes—pushed open the office door and muttered listlessly, "Yuanshi, our Scholars' new ranking list is out. You can log into the official forum to check it." Zhang Yuanqing's eyes lit up. "Got it, thank you!" Wang Tai nodded. "If there's nothing else, don't bother me." Zhang Yuanqing, Guan Ya, and Li Dongze looked down at their phones simultaneously. [Hot Off the Press: Top Eight Rankings] 1: Zhao Chenghuang. Past Record: Cleared two A-rank and four B-rank dungeons. (Note: We only record B-rank dungeons and above.) 2: Earth God. Past Record: Cleared one A-rank and six B-rank dungeons. 3: Sun Miaomiao. Past Record: Cleared one A-rank and three B-rank dungeons. 4: Yuanshi Tianzun. Past Record: Cleared two S-rank and one A-rank dungeon. (Note: The A-rank dungeon was Yinyang Town; Yuanshi Tianzun reportedly unlocked a hidden quest that no one had ever reached before.) 5: World Returns to Fire. Past Record: Cleared three A-rank and six B-rank dungeons. 6: Tone-Deaf. Past Record: Cleared nine B-rank dungeons. 7: Qingsongzi. Past Record: Cleared one A-rank and three B-rank dungeons. 8: Yuan Ting. Past Record: Cleared four B-rank dungeons. "Zhao Chenghuang's standing remains unshakeable. From start to finish, we have yet to see him employ powerful items or formidable spirit servants. Prior to publishing this list, our team debated whether to rank Sun Miaomiao or Yuanshi Tianzun higher, ultimately deciding to preserve the top three order. However, there is no denying that the likelihood of Yuanshi Tianzun displacing Sun Miaomiao is substantial. "As the intellectual among Fire Masters, World Returns to Fire ranks fifth, a well-deserved spot... Yuan Ting possesses solid strength, but in terms of clearing dungeons, he has lacked standout achievements, which is why we placed him at the bottom of the list." After reading the post, Guan Ya smiled sweetly. "Not bad, Yuanshi. You've climbed to fourth, with a good shot at overtaking Sun Miaomiao for third place." "To me, anything other than first place is the same," Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself. Third place was even worse than fourth—what would he want with the 'Cute Hairpin' reward anyway? Cross-dress and act cute? The ranking enjoyed solid credibility. In the comments section below, aside from some disputes over Yuanshi Tianzun's placement, there were no objections regarding anyone else. [Please Call Me Queen: These bookworms only look at raw data. You will never understand just how terrifying Yuanshi Tianzun is inside a dungeon!] Queen took the lead in defending Yuanshi Tianzun. "Tsk, tsk. Yuanshi, Queen is turning into your fangirl. Don't you feel a great sense of accomplishment?" Guan Ya curved her red lips and teased, "Any interest in doing something for your fan? Say, some of those exercises Scorpios love most?" *Here it comes again. She's testing me again...* Zhang Yuanqing was full of confidence this time, stating with upright indignation, "Sister Guan Ya, please don't insult the pure friendship between Queen and me!" Having cleared his name with other women, he followed up with flattery tailored to Guan Ya's playful teasing: "Sister Guan Ya has taken such good care of me at work. I'm a man who always repays a favor... body and soul." Guan Ya blinked, her smile turning all the more radiant. *Long live my life mentor! I'll burn incense for you every day from now on...* Zhang Yuanqing cheered silently. "Ahem!" Li Dongze coughed deeply. "I can approve a two-hour leave for both of you. Right now, please get the hell out of my office." *** That night. Zhang Yuanqing turned away his aunt, who had wanted to barge into her nephew's room to play video games. He changed into his pajamas and planned to go to sleep early, hoping to face tomorrow's dungeon in peak condition. While coaxing sleep, he planned ahead for tomorrow's battle strategy. *Against the top three contenders, the Transcendent-stage items in the White Tiger Guards' guild warehouse won't be of much use. And for opponents outside the top three, my own items are more than enough. So there's no need to ask Fu Qingyang for gear tomorrow.* *Actually, it's not bad that those Scholars put me at fourth. As long as the top three stay the same, those three will remain the greatest threats in the eyes of the other contestants. That gives me room to maneuver and forge alliances.* *Once inside the dungeon, I'll need allies. Even though Yuan Ting is from the Taiyi Sect, I'm more familiar with him than with anyone else. I can recruit him as an ally. As for the rest, I'll see when the time comes...* He pondered quietly, but for some reason, an underlying restlessness nagged at his mind. Examining his thoughts, Zhang Yuanqing understood the root of his agitation. It was Zhao Chenghuang's terrifying control over the power of Taiyin. Though he never mentioned it out loud, as a fellow Night Wanderer who had witnessed Zhao Chenghuang's performance, he couldn't deny feeling a twinge of dejection. Both were Level 3, yet Zhao Chenghuang's Spirit Talisman technique was thoroughly masterclass, allowing him to refine a Level 4 yin corpse on his own, not to mention his immense mastery over Taiyin power. Being surpassed across the board by a peer was never a pleasant feeling. *If only I could master that technique...* Zhang Yuanqing thought. Then he could narrow the gap and truly possess the capital to contend with Zhao Chenghuang. *Yet I can't do it. I lack that razor-fine control...* Zhang Yuanqing quietly pulled the duvet over his head. *Sleep, just go to sleep.* The room fell silent, the air conditioner whirring as it blew cool air. A dozen seconds later, Zhang Yuanqing abruptly threw off the blanket and sat upright. *Wait, maybe I can...* A thought struck him. Zhao Chenghuang's ability to trigger that power surge stemmed from extraordinary control over his body and Taiyin power, a control that held him in a delicate balance. That peak, razor-sharp bodily control—he could achieve that too. Yes, by triggering his chronic condition! In that state, his brain ran in overdrive. Aside from gaining an extraordinary memory, his physical control also surged. If he induced his condition, intentionally drove his Taiyin power into a frenzy, and then used his heightened willpower and self-control to rein it in and find that balance, wouldn't he be able to burst with power just like Zhao Chenghuang? Once this idea surfaced, sleep was out of the question. Zhang Yuanqing immediately rolled out of bed, slid open the nightstand drawer, and emptied the remaining half-bottle of pills into his palm. *Relapsing into my condition combined with losing control of Taiyin power could easily finish me off. I can't let myself get carried away during the test. The second I can't handle it, I must stop at once and swallow the pills...* Standing beside the bed, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began visualizing his father's face. A few minutes later, Zhang Yuanqing's head buzzed with a violent jolt. Fractured images rushed into his mind, and meaningless noise roared in his ears. His brain operated like an overclocked processor, past memories and external sensations flooding every inch of his consciousness. Ignoring the extraneous noise, he settled his emotions, sensed the Taiyin power within his body, and slowly reached out to commune with it. The Taiyin power grew increasingly turbulent, beginning to thrash recklessly through his veins, yet his iron will forcibly restrained it. *Thump-thump, thump-thump...* His heart beat like a war drum, pounding against his ribcage blow after blow, making his chest heave visibly. Suddenly, the skin beneath his pajamas took on a dark, bruising cyan tint that spread rapidly. In the blink of an eye, Zhang Yuanqing's entire complexion turned dark cyan. At the same time, numbness prickled his fingertips. Looking down, he saw jet-black, razor-sharp claws sprouting from his ten fingers, wreathed in wisps of faint, shadowy mist. "It hurts... It feels like my body is being torn apart..." He staggered toward the full-length mirror by the window. Catching his reflection, he saw a monster with blood-red pupils, a savage grimace, and dark cyan skin. *I succeeded?!* Joy surged in Zhang Yuanqing's chest, and the monster in the mirror grinned fiercely in response. At that moment, a sharp pang of pain shot through his brain, and the Taiyin power within him showed signs of slipping out of control. Without hesitation, he swallowed the little blue pills in his hand. The throbbing ache subsided, and under his strengthened focus, the Taiyin power settled into stability. He remained standing there, watching his reflection. After three or four minutes, another wave of piercing headache struck. He swallowed a few more blue pills and deactivated the burst state. *Thud.* Zhang Yuanqing collapsed onto the floor, panting heavily. Waves of fatigue washed over him. Clinging to his fading awareness, he rapidly analyzed the results: *Without the blue pills, I can only sustain this power surge for about thirty seconds. Taking six or seven pills extends it to three minutes. Barring drug resistance, the pills I have at home are enough to support a total of ten minutes in this state.* *I... I can unleash power surpassing the Transcendent stage now too...* Zhang Yuanqing parted his lips into a wide grin, then sank into a deep slumber.