Myriad Realms Firm Exchange Ticket

"Ten o'clock tonight..." Zhang Yuanqing turned his head toward the nightstand. The digital alarm clock showed 21:15. "Understood," Zhang Yuanqing replied concisely. Because his aunt was right beside him, he did not say much. After hanging up, he said to Jiang Yu'er, "That's enough gaming for today." His aunt gave him a sidelong glance, curling her lip. "Did that big-breasted vixen call you?" "Shoo, shoo, shoo!" Zhang Yuanqing spat a spray of saliva at her face. "I'm going to sleep now. Go back to your room and rest too." His aunt refused to leave, knitting her brows. "You haven't been home for days! You finally come back for once, and you must play with me until midnight! I haven't had enough yet. Even—even if you have a girlfriend, you can't forget your mother!" "You're only my aunt, not my mother," Zhang Yuanqing corrected her. Seeing that playing tough would not work, his aunt went soft, wriggling her body and whining coquettishly, "Just one more round, please~" Who could refuse an aunt acting cute? Unfortunately, Zhang Yuanqing had serious business. Without wasting words on her, he strode over, hooked an arm beneath her knees, swept her up in a princess carry, and marched straight out of the room. "Aiya, put me down! You have no respect for your elders!" Jiang Yu'er struggled frantically, kicking and flailing her long legs, angrily clawing at her nephew's face. Little Doubi, perched atop her head, hurriedly pounded on her skull with his little fists. In the living room, his maternal grandfather and grandmother were watching television wearing their reading glasses. Grandma frowned when she saw her daughter being carried out by her grandson. "Mom, Yuanzi is bullying me!" Jiang Yu'er made a preemptive accusation, thrashing around a few times. However, her nephew's iron arms locked firmly around her slender waist and long legs; she could not wriggle free. "Put your aunt down." In the end, Grandma favored her daughter. Zhang Yuanqing had no choice but to set his aunt down, switching his story: "Grandma, I'm heading out for a bit. Guan Ya's cousin invited me for barbecue." "Are you coming back to sleep tonight?" Grandma looked unhappy upon hearing he was going out again. "Depends on how it goes." While speaking, Zhang Yuanqing took several kicks from his aunt. With his grandparents watching, he did not dare pin the old couple's daughter to the floor and bully her, so he could only endure it. At ten o'clock at night, a gust of violent wind swept toward Fujia Bay. The vegetation in the courtyard rustled violently, sending fallen leaves and dust swirling into the air. Amid the gale, a figure landed beside the fountain pool, then instantly dissolved into dreamlike starlight and vanished. Outside the study door, Zhang Yuanqing knocked while taking off his Gale Gloves. *Knock, knock~* Soon, the brown solid-wood double doors swung open automatically. Fu Qingyang, dressed in snow-white, sat upright behind the desk, looking over with deep, piercing eyes. Zhang Yuanqing walked straight in, glanced left and right, and asked, "Boss, where is he?" He did not see the demigod president. Fu Qingyang picked up an item from the desk and flicked his wrist, sending it shooting over. Zhang Yuanqing caught it steadily. Taking a close look, he saw a black jade talisman with an oily luster. The front was carved with a void passage resembling a wormhole, while the back bore incomprehensible spiritual glyphs. "Crush it," Fu Qingyang said. *The president isn't here? Well, even between orthodox organizations, complete trust is impossible. The most basic precautions are necessary. The glyphs on the back of this jade talisman resemble my teleportation jade talisman, but are more complex—its quality should be higher...* Zhang Yuanqing did not hesitate. Exerting force with his fingertips, with a crisp crack, he crushed the lustrous black jade. The next second, he saw Fu Qingyang's figure dissolve rapidly, and the scenery of the study quickly faded. After a ripple-like distortion, he found himself in a spacious and brightly lit... Luxury VIP lounge of a nightclub! A massive screen was playing a video of women in ancient costumes dancing. The marble table was filled with liquor, drinks, fruits, and snacks. There was even a pool table in the lounge area. The patterned marble floor tiles reflected the lights, polished enough to serve as mirrors. Directly facing the big screen was a U-shaped sofa, where a man in a wine-red suit and a silver half-mask leaned lazily. This rather flashy-looking man was probably the president. He had his arms around two bare-shouldered beauties, enjoying the drinks and snacks they fed him. On the sofas to both sides sat beauties in camisoles and miniskirts. With legs pressed together and hands folded over their bellies, their posture was elegant and demure. *What kind of setup is this?* Zhang Yuanqing stood rooted to the spot, dumbfounded for a long moment, before venturing, "You are... Mr. President?" "Nice to meet you for the first time. Hello, hello!" Mr. President pushed aside the beauties on either side and warmly walked up, familiarly throwing an arm around Zhang Yuanqing's shoulder. "Great atmosphere, right? This is where real men talk business. Hey, why aren't you greeting our guest?" The beauties along the sofas rose together, forming a line, and said in sweet, coquettish voices: "Greetings, Lord Tianzun~" Zhang Yuanqing considered himself socially adept, but the scene before him left him completely at a loss for words. The meeting he had imagined would take place in a vault piled high with treasures and props, with the president of the Merchant Guild standing atop a mountain of treasures, looking down coldly at him. He would express appreciation for Zhang Yuanqing's act of returning the item, and then bestow a reward that spirit walkers dreamed of. At the very least, since the Merchant Guild was a Western organization, it should have been a pointed-arch cathedral under a moonlit night, with the president seated high upon a papal throne, coldly looking down upon the ant on pilgrimage. And then, in the name of God, bestow a reward. In short, this meeting should have been filled with prestige and majesty—only that would fit a demigod's status. How did it turn into a nightclub VIP lounge? Anyone who did not know better would think a demigod president had brought Yuanshi Tianzun out for prostitutes. "Don't like it?" Seeing Yuanshi Tianzun standing frozen like a wooden chicken, Mr. President stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, "Should I swap them for another batch?" "Ah, no, no need..." Zhang Yuanqing waved his hands repeatedly. Before a demigod, he was still somewhat constrained. If an ant did not harbor fear before an elephant, that would be sheer arrogance. He cautiously offered a suggestion: "President, why don't we get straight to business?" Wearing the silver mask, Mr. President thought for a moment and sighed: "Understood. The girls I invited aren't pretty enough. Next time, I'll pay to invite girls from the Goddess of Beauty Association to keep you company." *Ah, really? Is that a promise?* Zhang Yuanqing imagined Annie's beauty and felt that he truly could not refuse girls from the Goddess of Beauty Association. *Snap!* The president snapped his fingers. "Exile!" Amid the crisp lingering sound, the girls in the lounge abruptly vanished as if they had never existed. Wearing his wine-red suit, the president returned to the sofa, leaned back lazily, and smiled. "Thank you very much for helping me find the fragment of the Compass of Light." Zhang Yuanqing took the cue, consciously took out the Golden Compass, and presented it with both hands. Mr. President reached out to take it, caressed it a few times, and said with emotion: "Unless the compass fragments are reunited, it is meaningless, but possessing it grants bargaining chips in the game." With a flip of his hand, he stowed the compass into his inventory. Opening his palm again, an extra stamp appeared in his hand. To be precise, something shaped like a postage stamp. Zhang Yuanqing looked closely. On the front of the stamp, written in dark blue ink, were the four words "Myriad Realms Firm"—not in Chinese, but in an unknown script. Yet Zhang Yuanqing could somehow understand it. Along the edges of the stamp, exquisite patterns were likewise drawn in dark blue ink. "It's yours," Mr. President handed it over. With an expectant heart, Zhang Yuanqing accepted the stamp. After a few seconds of silence, the item information surfaced: [Name: Myriad Realms Firm Exchange Ticket (Class A)] [Type: Voucher] [Function: Exchange] [Description: Class A exchange ticket. Can only be exchanged for power.] [Remarks: What to trade with is entirely up to it.] *So brief, unprecedentedly brief...* Zhang Yuanqing quickly read through the item information. The last one this brief had been the Fallen Holy Grail. An item with lengthy descriptions was not necessarily precious, but one with only a few brief sentences was definitely extraordinary. "This exchange ticket is a treasure I've kept for many years. I can only obtain one every ten years." The president picked up a tumbler, savoring the pale yellow whiskey, and said: "It can only exchange for power. For example, you can trade top-tier materials or items of the Saint stage with it, and it will return power of the same level to you. "When you possess a large amount of useless items and materials, its function becomes apparent. There is no upper limit to the exchange. You can sacrifice Dominator-grade items, or even demigod-grade ones, and it will likewise grant you power of the corresponding tier. "However, you must keep three things in mind. First: a Saint cannot withstand the power of a Dominator, and a Dominator cannot withstand the power of a demigod. The consequence of exchanging across tiers is returning to the Spirit Realm. "Second: the exchanger can only be the ticket holder. I heard Bill sold you that causality-type item? What I must tell you is that you cannot have a yin corpse wear the human skin to use the exchange ticket. "Third: the exchange ticket has a mind of its own. It will select what it wants from you, rather than you specifying it. You can agree, or you can refuse." *Cannot have a yin corpse use it in my place? Something capable of restraining a causality-type item must be an even higher-grade causality-type item...* Zhang Yuanqing rubbed the paper exchange ticket, vaguely guessing the tier of the Myriad Realms Firm. Trading items and materials for power was indeed very fitting for the Merchant class. Mm, it also suited loaded tycoons like Fu Qingyang. For ordinary walkers without savings, this exchange ticket did not have much value. But he indeed had many Dominator-grade materials, as well as several hundred million worth of material quota. At critical moments, exchanging Saint-stage materials for power was a great life-saving measure... To say the least, if he prepared a few Level 5 and Level 6 items to exchange with the Myriad Realms Firm, he could obtain corresponding power. Even if he faced the Divine Generals of the Soldier Master sect, he would not be afraid. If a Dominator wanted to kill him, he would also have the leverage to drag them down with him. Zhang Yuanqing realized the value of this exchange ticket—this was a treasure that let someone unleash their full explosive potential! Nowadays, aside from protagonists blessed by destiny, most ordinary people could only rage in futility, without even the qualification to risk their lives. And in the world of spirit walkers, the gap between levels might be bridged by external forces, but the gap between stages was difficult to cross. Never mind that he, Yuanshi Tianzun, was covered in treasures; if he truly encountered a Dominator, they could crush him with a single finger. At best, he would earn a comment like "what an annoying insect." But this exchange ticket could elevate the evaluation to "fuck, a massive loss," or even a desperate one-for-one trade. And its greatest value was that once he advanced to Dominator in the future, he could rely on pay-to-win to clash with a peak Dominator, even if only once. If he advanced to demigod, he could take on three! The higher the level, the greater the value of the exchange ticket. *Not bad...* Zhang Yuanqing thought happily. Then, he asked about the second purpose of this meeting: "I heard Elder Fu say that back in the day, you relied on this exchange ticket to fight off three demigods?" The smile on Mr. President's lips vanished instantly. He sighed and said: "Don't bring that up. Most of my life's savings vanished into thin air because of it. From then on, I lived a meager life eating steamed corn bread with scallions, and it took me many years to become wealthy again." "Elder Fu asked me to ask you something," Zhang Yuanqing said without changing his expression. "While investigating the Compass of Light incident a while back, he noticed an organization calling itself 'Xiaoyao.' Well, do you know of this organization? Any clues?" After asking, he muttered internally: *Boss, carry this blame well.* If Yuanshi Tianzun asked about the Xiaoyao Organization, it would expose many issues. However, coming from Fu Qingyang—an elder of the Five Elements Alliance and an ambitious darling of heaven—it appeared perfectly reasonable. "The Xiaoyao Organization..." Mr. President stroked his chin, recalling for a long while before saying, "Oh, is it those four small fries calling themselves the Twin Blazing Suns and Twin Dark Shadows?" *That's going too far!* Zhang Yuanqing nodded. "Yes, those four small fries. Do you know much about them?" "Didn't interact with them much." Mr. President fell into recollection again. "The Twin Blazing Suns are a Musician and a Night Walker, both peak Dominators. As for the Twin Dark Shadows, one is a Night Walker, and the other isn't too clear. Back then, too many demigods and Dominators were involved in the struggle, so I didn't pay much attention." "Did they manage to snatch any compass fragments?" Zhang Yuanqing asked hurriedly. "They did! And it was the most important fragment," Mr. President said. "I remember now. They were acting alongside the Old Grand Marshal of the White Tiger Guards. Because of that core fragment, the Old Grand Marshal became the target of all, perishing in battle, and that core fragment was taken away by the Xiaoyao Organization." *That's a lot of information to take in; let me sort this out...* Zhang Yuanqing fell silent, pondering. One of the Twin Dark Shadows being a Night Walker matched their title. To participate in the fight for the compass, their level could not have been low. Such a figure should actually be easy to look up. Yet the other was someone even a demigod president did not know about? The president certainly would not pay excessive attention to "small fries," but it also indicated that the other of the Twin Dark Shadows possessed special concealment methods. And to Zhang Yuanqing's knowledge, among all the native classes, the class skilled in concealment and elusive movements was the Illusionist. Wait, no. The Xiaoyao Organization took protecting the world as its duty; how could it be affiliated with an evil class... Because he was asking on Fu Qingyang's behalf, he did not dare ponder for too long, lest it expose his familiarity with the Xiaoyao Organization. Thus, he suppressed his churning thoughts and steered the conversation back to the exchange ticket. "President, how do I perform the exchange? It doesn't seem interested in the things on me." Mr. President smiled and said: "That's because it doesn't belong to you yet." Zhang Yuanqing understood. He put the "stamp" into his inventory, took it out again, and held it between his fingertips. The next second, he saw a dialogue box pop up from the stamp: [Item for exchange: Fragment of Taiyin Origin.] [Agree?] Zhang Yuanqing stared blankly at the dialogue box that popped up, only one word remaining in his mind: *Fuck!!* He was terrified by this exchange ticket. It was like walking down the street and meeting a beggar who grabbed you and said: "I know you. Your father is Zhang Zizhen, Spirit Realm ID Zhang Tianshi, one of the Twin Blazing Suns of the Xiaoyao Organization. Your Spirit Realm ID is Yuanshi Tianzun; on the surface, you're a member of the Five Elements Alliance, but your secret identity is the Demon Lord's successor." Yes, exactly that kind of creepy dread.