According to the post, a massive shift had recently occurred in the Night Wanderer Spirit Realms. Many dungeon instances already recorded in the archives had changed, their difficulty levels scaling upward and turning into brand-new, uncleared dungeons. Their ratings had reached A-rank or even S-rank.
Several Night Wanderers scheduled to enter the Spirit Realm in recent days had unfortunately been matched into these instances and perished as a result.
The poster was one of the forum moderators, making this an official announcement to an extent.
"A whole bunch of S-rank and A-rank Night Wanderer exclusive instances have appeared?" Zhang Yuanqing froze.
The Spirit Realm had balancing and matchmaking mechanisms. Level 1 walkers had Level 1 dungeons, Level 2 walkers had Level 2 dungeons, and so on. Occasionally, a Level 1 walker might be pulled into a Level 2 dungeon, but the assigned tasks would be relatively simple.
In short, while the tasks given by the Spirit Realm could be brutal and come with high mortality rates, a Level 1 walker would never receive a Level 3 walker's mission.
Furthermore, within the dungeons corresponding to one's level, there were five difficulty tiers, from S down to D. S-rank was currently the absolute ceiling; the mortality rate was horrifying, but the rewards were the most generous.
Looking back, Zhang Yuanqing realized that even without the red dancing shoes, the probability of a newcomer clearing the trial quest in Sheling Tunnel had been less than ten percent.
With so many uncleared A-rank and S-rank dungeons suddenly emerging, how many people were going to die?
Zhang Yuanqing's first thought was: *Holy crap, my next Spirit Realm entry is right around the corner. Is it too late to switch classes?!*
His second thought was: *Oh, wait. My next one is most likely a multiplayer dungeon. Never mind, then.*
He breathed a small sigh of relief and scrolled down to see what the official Spirit Realm walkers had to say about the matter.
The moment the post went up, it caused an uproar across the official organization. Official walkers from regional branches all across the country were following the topic, driving high engagement, with over a thousand comments piling up below.
[Days to Come: "No wonder... No wonder I suddenly couldn't get in touch with my Night Wanderer informant today..."]
[Sorrows of the Past: "What? You have a Night Wanderer informant? Damn, dog, you sure kept that well hidden."]
[Lawless: "Something is wrong. Dungeons in the Spirit Realm aren't completely fixed and are always shifting, but those changes are usually predictable and manageable. This sudden change to exclusive Night Wanderer realms is too abrupt, too unreasonable."]
[The King Is Ill: "Could it be because of the Demon Lord's death? I heard from someone in the Taiyi Sect that the Demon Lord perished not long ago."]
[Qingteng: "Who told you the Demon Lord died? Was it Yuan Ting?"]
The Five Elements Alliance’s general reaction was mostly popcorn-munching and gossiping. After all, the issue was with exclusive Night Wanderer dungeons, which had little to do with them.
Yet some were genuinely anxious.
[Call Me Queen: "We can't do investigations without Night Wanderers. On top of that, the Deceitful Eye Judge was just killed, and every region is guarding against the Fallen going wild, with Songhai bearing the heavy burden of hunting down Hei Wuchang. If Night Wanderer dungeons go haywire at a crucial juncture like this, won't it cause a severe manpower shortage?"]
[Qingteng: "That situation will indeed occur, but not every Night Wanderer will enter a dungeon in the near future."]
Spirit Realm quests did not appear with excessive frequency, so there was no immediate cause to fear widespread, mass casualties among Night Wanderers.
[Call Me Queen: "Still, they have to enter eventually. With so many uncleared dungeons popping up out of nowhere, the number of Night Wanderers is probably going to plummet in the coming period."]
Casualties were inevitable during dungeon exploration.
*What this Queen said makes a lot of sense. I still have to enter a solo dungeon eventually. S-rank and A-rank instances are terrifying, and I have the Demon Lord's character card...* At this thought, Zhang Yuanqing's mood grew increasingly heavy.
Exiting the forum, he opened his messaging app and sent Yuan Ting a message:
"Captain Yuan, I saw the pinned thread on the forum. What's going on with the difficulty changes in the Night Wanderer Spirit Realms? I can pay a consultation fee."
Professional questions were best left to professionals.
Yuan Ting replied quickly:
"I don't know either. The official Night Wanderer group chat has completely blown up. Colleagues due to enter the Spirit Realm soon, or in the near future, are all panicking. After all, not just anyone can clear an S-rank dungeon, and even A-ranks take luck.
"I'm not entirely sure what happened either. The Council of Elders is currently gathering data, and they should release an announcement tonight at the latest."
Yuan Ting was in low spirits; a colleague he was close with had entered the Spirit Realm that morning and hadn't come out yet, life or death unknown.
Furthermore, in another half-month, Yuan Ting would face a solo dungeon of his own—give or take a week at most.
"Understood."
Zhang Yuanqing didn't press further.
For the rest of the day, Zhang Yuanqing checked the official forum from time to time to track updates, losing all interest in shopping at the mall.
By sunset, his aunt held his arm as they returned home, Zhang Yuanqing carrying big and small shopping bags in both hands.
"Hey, did you get stronger?" Jiang Yu'er squeezed her nephew's bicep. "It's rock-hard..."
*If you were Guan Ya, I'd say, 'I'm harder than you can imagine,' or, 'I've got other parts that are even harder.'* Zhang Yuanqing brushed it off perfunctorily: "Health is the capital of revolution. I've been working out recently."
After dinner, Zhang Yuanqing returned to his bedroom and locked the door, waiting for the Taiyi Sect's announcement.
One could imagine that at this very moment, official Night Wanderers all across the country were clutching their phones or laptops just like him, waiting for word from the organization.
Finally, at nine-thirty, as he repeatedly refreshed the forum, a red-highlighted pinned post appeared:
# Statement and Bounty Notice Regarding Recent Spirit Realm Anomalies #
"Recently, unexpected anomalies have occurred in the Night Wanderer Spirit Realms. An investigation by the Council of Elders has confirmed that these irregularities were triggered by the awakening of a high-level boss in the Spirit Realm. As of now, according to gathered intelligence, eight Spirit Realm instances have undergone tier changes. They are:
"Minghu Town, No. 0128, Difficulty: S-rank (Night Wanderer exclusive)
"Ming Dynasty Mass Grave, No. 1180, Difficulty: S-rank (Night Wanderer exclusive)
"Xinfeng Reservoir, No. 1910, Difficulty: A-rank (Night Wanderer exclusive)
"Yinshan Haunted School, No. 0046, Difficulty: A-rank (Night Wanderer exclusive)
"Tomb of the Enfeoffed King, No. 0277, Difficulty: A-rank (Night Wanderer exclusive)
"Jinshui Amusement Park, No. 6203, Difficulty: S-rank (Multiplayer, Death-type)
"Chamber of Screams, No. 2097, Difficulty: A-rank (Multiplayer, Non-death-type)
"Apartment 13, No. 1404, Difficulty: B-rank (Multiplayer, Non-death-type)
"As of today, Yinshan Haunted School and Xinfeng Reservoir have been cleared; the remaining six instances remain undefeated. The Council of Elders issues the following bounties: clearing an S-rank realm grants a B-grade merit; clearing an A-rank realm grants a C-grade merit; clearing a B-rank realm awards five hundred thousand yuan."
The post had been cross-posted from the Taiyi Sect's official forum.
It was worth mentioning that in the official organization's merit system, an A-grade merit was generally awarded only posthumously to those who sacrificed their lives, with benefits passed to their families. B-grade merits were mostly received by those who had suffered irreversible injuries. A C-grade merit was practically the upper limit of what an ordinary Spirit Realm walker could obtain, yet achieving it was still extraordinarily difficult and usually required team collaboration.
As for the highest S-grade merit, only the five Alliance Chiefs had ever obtained it, while a tiny handful of top Elders had at most earned an A-grade merit.
Thus, the immense value of a B-grade merit spoke for itself.
By the time Zhang Yuanqing finished reading the post, over a thousand comments had already accumulated, making the impact even wilder than the thread from noon.
The official walkers of the Five Elements Alliance had realized this was no longer a matter of simply watching from the sidelines as spectators. Among the altered dungeons cataloged by the Taiyi Sect, two were multiplayer instances.
Multiplayer meant that walkers of other classes also stood a chance of being matched into them.
[Days to Come: "Those two multiplayer realms must contain supernatural elements, right? Good grief, even multiplayer realms were affected?! Thank goodness only 'Jinshui Amusement Park' is S-rank."]
[Call Me Queen: "First, nobody knows how long these chaotic anomalies will last. What we're seeing is merely the current situation. If more multiplayer dungeons with supernatural elements are affected, we'll all be in danger. Second, even if they're non-death-type, failing once deducts experience points that directly set our strength backward. The cost is huge."]
[Sorrows of the Past: "Sigh, I was just eating popcorn at noon, and now this happens out of nowhere. What do I do? I'm scheduled to enter a multiplayer realm soon too. I can't be that unlucky, right?"]
[George the Pig: "If these realms aren't cleared soon, the number of official Night Wanderers will plummet within half a year, and other classes could be dragged down as well. What kind of boss is fierce enough to force the Taiyi Sect into issuing a bounty?"]
[Qingteng: "Everyone, please note: this bounty is open to all Night Wanderers nationwide. If you have Night Wanderer informants or know any rogue Night Wanderers, remember to pass the word."]
[Bailong: "Are you an idiot up there? Clearing Night Wanderer dungeons is their own business. What we really need to focus on are the multiplayer dungeons. That's what affects our own lives."]
[Sorrows of the Past: "Exactly, exactly. Paying heavily for guides to 'Jinshui Amusement Park,' 'Chamber of Screams,' and 'Apartment 13.'"]
*M-Multiplayer realms were affected too?!* Zhang Yuanqing stared blankly.
Right then, his phone rang with a piercing buzz.
It was Li Dongze.
Zhang Yuanqing picked up the call and greeted, "Decurion."
Li Dongze's tone was solemn. "Were you on the forum today?"
"If you mean the Night Wanderer Spirit Realm mutations, I already know," Zhang Yuanqing sighed.
"Don't worry too much. When the sky falls, the tall guys hold it up. Maybe by the time your solo Spirit Realm rolls around, the Taiyi Sect will have already cleared those high-difficulty dungeons. Have faith in the official organization," Li Dongze consoled him.
Then he joked to lighten the mood, "Of course, if you're confident in yourself, you could also be the one to clear them."
It was just that the odds were too slim.
"Did you call just to comfort me, Decurion?" Zhang Yuanqing probed.
"Two things. Aren't you due to enter a dungeon soon? Based on past experience, it should be a multiplayer one. You know the level-matching mechanism. Centurion Fu noticed that 'Jinshui Amusement Park' is a Transcendent-stage dungeon. Just in case, he used his authority to pull the old-version walkthrough for you. You can use it as a reference." Li Dongze added in a low voice, "Remember, it's only a reference. Because the realm has changed, relying too much on an outdated guide will get you killed."
*Centurion Fu manages ten thousand bunny girls a day, yet he still remembered a nobody like me?* Zhang Yuanqing felt a surge of warmth.
Li Dongze offered another word of reassurance: "We're just taking precautions. Don't stress too much. There's a wide variety of Transcendent-stage multiplayer realms; the probability of getting matched into 'Jinshui Amusement Park' is extremely low."
*I sure hope so... You have no idea, Decurion, but my freaking character card belongs to the Demon Lord.* Zhang Yuanqing asked, "And the second thing?"
"The second thing is about Lei Yibing."
Chapter 44