Different

Just as Zhang Yuanqing was about to speak, two knocks sounded at the office door: thump, thump. The three looked toward the sound. Wang Tai was cradling a laptop, standing in the doorway. "May I come in and listen?" Having said this, he clamped his mouth shut and waited for an answer. Li Dongze pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Come in. While you're at it, help Yuanshi put together the walkthrough report." Wang Tai let out a breath of relief. He wasn't one to join in on the excitement, but the S-rank Sheling Tunnel, an infamous bug among the Night Wanderer trial realms, made for an excellent research topic. He simply couldn't resist the temptation to listen. Zhang Yuanqing weighed his words. Once Wang Tai took a seat, he began recounting his experiences in the Mountain God Temple in detail. He omitted the functions of the Demon-Subduing Pestle, describing it merely as an item capable of restraining yin creatures. As for the red dancing shoes, he glossed over the specifics as well, claiming that his uncle had groomed him from a young age to be proficient in singing, dancing, and rap, and that his photographic memory had allowed him to barely crack the rules of the red dancing shoes. Naturally, he also left out the part about the character card's exclusive reward, as that would expose the fact that he had obtained the shoes. Withholding certain key details was a cue he had picked up from Guan Ya. Rule-based items were exceptionally precious. While the Five Elements Alliance might not actually pull the old stunt of trading five hundred yuan and a commemorative banner for a priceless artifact, one still had to stay on guard. As for Lady Sandao awakening, he intended to bring that up separately in a moment for a thorough discussion. Throughout the explanation, Wang Tai typed away on his keyboard, clacking rapidly as he took notes. Li Dongze listened patiently to the end, his hand rubbing the handle of his cane. "That item that restrains yin creatures must be the clearance reward, and it's bound to be a high-tier one." Guan Ya chuckled. "Brat, it's an S-rank trial quest. How could it reward only a sliver of exp?" She was schooling Zhang Yuanqing: when lying, keep it nine parts truth and one part lie; don't overdo it. Zhang Yuanqing's smile didn't waver. "Oh, I forgot to mention the item. That item was indeed the clearance reward." He didn't blush or skip a beat. Li Dongze didn't dwell on it and continued, "From the looks of it, the difficulty rating of Sheling Tunnel will drop." "Why do you say that?" Zhang Yuanqing asked, puzzled. Li Dongze explained patiently, "We joke about the Spirit Realm being a game, but a joke is only a joke. In the Spirit Realm, items are extremely scarce. Each one is unique and cannot be duplicated. "Now that you've brought that item out, the step involving killing the tree demon will likely disappear in the future. Naturally, the difficulty of Sheling Tunnel will decrease." Taking advantage of Li Dongze taking a sip of his drink, Guan Ya added: "Let me share some knowledge about Spirit Realm dungeons. Spirit Realm dungeons are constantly adjusting. For example, if you clear the Mountain God Temple and take an item from it, its difficulty is bound to fall. Or, if you die inside a realm and your item is claimed by an anomaly inside, making it even stronger, the realm's difficulty will increase. The red dancing shoes are the perfect example. "Another thing: even in the same Spirit Realm, different levels receive different quests. I once entered a wilderness-survival realm after reading a guide beforehand. In that dungeon, the senior walker who wrote the guide had been a hunter whose task was to hunt down nine violent felons in the jungle. But when I entered, I discovered I was merely one of the nine felons, and my quest was to survive for thirty-six hours. That was because my level was lower than that senior's. So guides can only serve as references to help us understand the dungeon and learn basic information and dangers." "It won't decrease," Wang Tai said. "Because the red dancing shoes are still there." Guan Ya and Li Dongze glanced at Zhang Yuanqing and stayed silent. Completely oblivious, Wang Tai continued, "It's a bit strange. These numbers, these gains, and this information don't match the S-rank difficulty. Are you hiding something?" Dude, isn't that a bit too blunt? You're making it awkward for everyone... Zhang Yuanqing coughed lightly. "It's not hiding. I was just about to mention it: besides the tree demon, there was a stone coffin in the cavern." "A stone coffin? What was inside?" Li Dongze leaned forward, pressing urgently. Wang Tai stopped typing as well. Guan Ya's face was filled with curiosity. S-rank Spirit Realms typically came with important information, quite possibly some earth-shattering secret. Official organizations, non-governmental factions, and even evil organizations—half of their understanding of the Spirit Realm came from observing and identifying patterns. The other half came from information extracted from the realms themselves. Step by step, they unlocked the secrets of the Spirit Realm. No Spirit Realm walker could resist such temptation. "Inside the stone coffin lay Lady Sandao. After I opened the coffin, she... she woke up..." Even now, thinking back to it, Zhang Yuanqing felt a lingering terror. Li Dongze's pupils constricted slightly. "She woke up?" he blurted out. He sprang to his feet, unable to sit still any longer, pacing the office with his cane while furrowing his brow. After quite a while, Li Dongze said with a grave expression, "Perhaps we were all wrong. Based on the intelligence regarding that lady, she must be a high-level Night Wanderer. Now that she has awakened, there are only two possibilities. "First, the Mountain God Temple will undergo a drastic transformation, ceasing to be a Night Wanderer trial realm and becoming a high-level dungeon instead. "Second, the Mountain God Temple will still be downgraded, but given Her Ladyship's level, a brand-new, high-level dungeon will inevitably appear. "To the higher-ups of the Taiyi Sect, information concerning changes to realms of their own profession is of utmost importance." Envy showed on Guan Ya's face. "The more important the intelligence, the greater the reward the organization will give you." More money? Zhang Yuanqing felt a jolt of delight, though it was quickly followed by worry. "That old hag died hundreds of years ago, yet she actually smiled at me. I keep feeling like she's going to come looking for me. It doesn't sit well with me." If the banyan tree spirit hadn't lied, half of Lady Sandao's yang soul was sealed inside the Demon-Subduing Pestle. In that case, she would definitely, positively, and absolutely come looking for him. Zhang Yuanqing, however, kept that detail from his colleagues. Wang Tai offered sincere comfort: "Don't be so flattering toward yourself. At your level, you won't cross paths with a big shot like that." If you don't know how to talk, keep your mouth shut! Zhang Yuanqing nodded with an expression full of gratitude, showing that he felt thoroughly consoled. Guan Ya asked with a smile, "Is Her Ladyship pretty?" Zhang Yuanqing turned his head to look at her. "Prettier than you." Wang Tai added earnestly from the side, "Her research value is higher than yours too." The resident tease flared up in outrage. "Piss off!" *** In the capital, inside a traditional courtyard. Sunlight poured down brilliantly. A large pagoda tree was bathed in the glow, its leaves shimmering with prismatic light. A breeze swept through, rustling the branches and leaves, from which came the giggling laughter of children. Beneath the pagoda tree, Elder Sun fanned himself with a cattail leaf fan, swaying gently in his rocking chair. Beside him on the tea table sat a tea set and an old-fashioned radio. A middle-aged man dressed in black stepped hurriedly over the threshold into the courtyard and reported in a low voice, "Elder Sun, word has come from Songhai. Someone has cleared the Sheling Tunnel realm." The swaying fan froze. The white-haired elder snapped his eyes open, two bright golden beams shooting from them. The children's voices in the pagoda tree seemed startled, letting out small yelps before quieting at once. The old man sat up in his rocking chair and stared at the middle-aged man. "The Night Wanderer the Fu family kid recruited?" The middle-aged man nodded. The elder went blank for a second, then slapped his thigh hard with the fan, crying out in bitter regret: "I botched it! I botched it completely!" The last time the middle-aged man had seen Elder Sun this distraught was when he played the stock market. The elder was silent for a moment before saying, "If I recall, the supervisor in Songhai City's Kangyang District is called Yuan Ting. Pass the word down: this matter must not spread. Otherwise, where will I put this old face of mine?" "B-but..." "But what?" Just as the middle-aged man was about to reply, the phone in his pocket rang. He fished it out, looked at the screen, and said, "It's a call from Elder Heishan." "Answer it." The call connected. The elder barely took the phone before a roar came from the other end: "Old Sun, what the hell are you doing?! Giving away the Sheling Tunnel dungeon on your own authority is bad enough, but you actually agreed to let Fu Qingyang keep that Night Wanderer?! Do you have any idea how colossal a blunder you made?!" Elder Sun froze for a second. "How do you already know, you old goat?" "None of your damn business how I know! Do you know how long it's been since the Taiyi Sect recruited an exceptionally gifted Night Wanderer?! I'm marching over to file a complaint with the Sect Master right now!" Click. The call ended. The veins on Elder Sun's forehead throbbed. Right then, the phone rang again. The middle-aged man checked it. "Elder Hongying." "Answer it..." "Uncle Sun, I heard Sheling Tunnel was conquered? And you specifically refused that Night Wanderer?" "..." "Uncle Sun, you owe an apology to the whole sect for this." "..." "Elder Sun, I hear you turned away a genius Night Wanderer?" "Insolent fool! Since when is it a deacon's place to interrogate me?!" "Ah, don't misunderstand, Elder Sun, I was merely curious." "Elder Sun, I heard that you—" "Get lost!" Within minutes, five or six calls came in. The middle-aged man in black watched Elder Sun in silence. The last time the elder had lost his composure like this was when he leveraged up on stocks. Elder Sun took a deep breath, returning to their previous topic, and asked, "What were you 'but-ing' about earlier?" The middle-aged man hesitated. "If Yuan Ting knows, it means everyone knows." Elder Sun's blood pressure instantly skyrocketed. The phone rang once more. Just as Elder Sun was about to hang up, he saw that the caller was Fu Qingyang. Exhaling slowly to compose himself, he answered: "Brat, are you calling to laugh at this old man too?" "Laugh at you?" A cold, crisp voice came through the speaker. "I wouldn't waste my time on something so pointless. I am here to repay a favor. The walkthrough report for the Mountain God Temple is finished, and I have sent it to your email." Fu Qingyang added calmly, "I believe this intelligence should be of great importance to your Taiyi Sect." Elder Sun's interest was immediately piqued. He hastily hung up and looked at the middle-aged man. "How do you open the email?" The middle-aged man silently took the phone, logged into the email, opened the file, and silently handed it back. Elder Sun squinted, reading the contents word for word. He read calmly, his expression showing no ripples of emotion. To an Elder-level Spirit Realm walker, a trial-level realm was mere child's play. Yet when he read the part about Lady Sandao's awakening, his expression shifted drastically. Creak— Elder Sun leaped up from the rocking chair, his face grave. "Elder?" The middle-aged man was bewildered. "An ancient Day Wanderer has awakened..." Mingled with gravity and worry, Elder Sun transformed into a streak of golden light, soaring into the sky and vanishing. He was heading in the direction of the Sect Master's residence. *** Back in the two-story building. Zhang Yuanqing sat before his very own desk. He skillfully booted up the computer and, following Guan Ya's guidance, navigated to the official internal forum of the Five Elements Alliance, browsing through several pinned threads one by one. They all contained basic information about the Spirit Realm world. First, he looked up "Realm Types." Just as Li Dongze had explained, Spirit Realms were divided into "solo type" and "multiplayer type." Solo realms typically featured scenarios unique to one's profession; for instance, the solo realms for a Transcendent-stage Night Wanderer were supernatural horror scenarios. Multiplayer realms fell into two categories: team versus team and team adventure. The former pitted Spirit Realm walkers against each other in specialized realms, while the latter pitted them against the perils of the realm itself. Some were death-match scenarios, while others were non-lethal. The penalty mechanism for non-lethal realms was the deduction of experience points. In addition, the settings of multiplayer realms were diverse, and the "gameplay" varied widely. Next, he read the thread on "Level Classifications." It was very brief: Transcendent Stage: Levels 1–3. Saint Stage: Levels 4–6. Note: For stages beyond Saint, please click the link below. Zhang Yuanqing clicked the link, only for an insufficient permissions warning to pop up. I hate gatekeeping bastards the most. Grumbling bitterly in his heart, he moved on to browse other threads. "Encyclopedia of Spirit Realm Walker Professions" Orthodox professions: Night Wanderer, Scout, Wood Demon, Water Ghost, Fire Master, Earth Monster, Musician, Scholar. Evil professions: Bewitching Demon, Witch Doctor, Illusionist. If I recall correctly, Wang Tai is a Scholar. What kind of profession is a Musician? And there are only three evil professions? No wonder Guan Ya said the official organization is the hunter... Zhang Yuanqing's gaze shifted downward, catching sight of something astounding. [Note: To view overseas professions, please click the link below.] Unsurprisingly, his clearance was insufficient. "There are Spirit Realm walkers abroad too? With professions different from ours?" Zhang Yuanqing looked up toward the back of Guan Ya's head in front of him. What the heck, is there a domestic server and foreign servers now? The resident tease turned her head and chuckled. "Why did you assume our country was the only special one?" This... Zhang Yuanqing was actually at a loss for words. He had to revise his understanding of the Spirit Realm once again. If the Spirit Realm's reach was global, and if foreign lands had other Spirit Realm walkers and other professions, then the structure of the Spirit Realm world—both within dungeons and in reality—was far more complex than he had imagined. "Spirit Realm walkers have a strong sense of territoriality. Official organizations across nations barely interact with one another, except when cracking down on evil organizations. So you don't need to worry about foreign walkers for now. That isn't something a mere Transcendent stage needs to consider," Guan Ya said. Zhang Yuanqing gave an "mm" and clicked on "Night Wanderer" to view the summary of his own profession. "Night Wanderer: Blessed by Lunar Yin, spirits of the night. Adept at assassination and commanding yin creatures. Professional mark: black crescent moon. One of the foremost orthodox professions, possessing formidable combat strength. "Every Night Wanderer is a born assassin, and their ability to command yin creatures makes them all the more troublesome to deal with. Night Wanderer is the profession title for the Transcendent Stage; upon reaching Level 3, one can advance to the next profession." Note: To view the advanced profession title for Night Wanderer, please click the link below. Zhang Yuanqing clicked away for quite a while, only for the insufficient permissions dialog box to pop up repeatedly. Damn gatekeeping bastards! He nearly cursed out loud. Wait, why does something feel off? Zhang Yuanqing suddenly paused. Rereading the description, he realized where the problem lay. The professional mark was a black crescent moon? But that night, he had clearly seen in the mirror that the mark on his forehead was a black full moon. What was going on? Was his character card different from everyone else's? Zhang Yuanqing subconsciously looked up at the back of Guan Ya's head, wanting to ask.