Inside the suite of an upscale apartment, Guan Ya sat on her bed with her knees hugged to her chest, a tablet propped before her playing an urban melodrama. After that rascal Yuanshi had thoroughly rattled her nerves, she couldn't sleep, nor could she focus on the show. She had been sitting there for five or six hours, long enough for her rear to ache.
"Sigh..." Guan Ya pinched the bridge of her nose, faint exhaustion creeping across her glamorous face.
With her constitution, staying awake for two days and two nights wouldn't bother her. What wore her down was the anxiety. In the past, while scrolling through forum threads, seeing news of so-and-so dying in a dungeon would prompt nothing more than a passing sigh at the fickleness of fate.
Yet out of nowhere, a friend right beside her had been swept into the storm, his life hanging in the balance.
To be frank, Guan Ya was rather fond of the kid. He was handsome, young, full of potential, witty, and humorous—the more she looked at him, the more she liked him.
Most importantly, he knew how to step on the gas.
In Team Two, Wang Tai was a clam who barely spoke, while Li Dongze prided himself on elegance and considered dirty jokes ungentlemanly. Only Yuanshi could match her pace and trade banter tit for tat.
Yet such an interesting little guy was very likely to go down this time.
Guan Ya had never experienced an S-tier dungeon, but she had an exceptionally gifted elder cousin in her clan who had been matched into S-tier dungeons several times across the Transcendent and Saint stages. Every single one had been a hairbreadth escape, and she had once described the brutality of S-tier Spirit Realms in great detail.
Different S-tier Spirit Realms tested entirely different attributes. Clearing one did not mean you could clear another, for everyone had weaknesses, and no one under the sun was an all-rounder.
Yuanshi had managed to handle the red dancing shoes by relying on his formidable memory—or so he claimed. But that capability might not do him any good in Jinshui Amusement Park.
Guan Ya had already braced herself for the worst.
Suddenly, a piercing ringtone echoed through the bedroom, making her jump.
*Huh? Calling me at this hour?* Her alluring eyes widened slightly, and she snapped her head toward the illuminated phone screen—Yuanshi Tianzun!
In that instant, Guan Ya felt as though she could hear the violent thumping of her own heart.
Flustered, she snatched up the phone, drew a deep breath, and answered, "Yuanshi?"
The moment those two words left her lips, she held her breath.
"Sister Guan Ya, I cleared Jinshui Amusement Park," a familiar voice came through the speaker.
Guan Ya sat in a daze, a single thought reverberating through her mind: *He cleared an S-tier Spirit Realm again!*
"Sister Guan Ya? Sister Guan Ya, are you listening?"
Zhang Yuanqing's voice pulled her back to reality. Guan Ya cried out, "You cleared an S-tier Spirit Realm again?! You little monster, you little...
"Do you know what this means? When the Decurion finds out, he's going to go crazy with joy!"
"Yeah, I can already picture what he'll say," Zhang Yuanqing chuckled. "He'll go, 'Oh dear, heavens above, did you hear my faithful prayers? Yes, you surely must have...'
*Besides, I'm not a little guy,* he silently corrected in his heart.
Guan Ya laughed heartily, happily kicking her long legs. "Don't you dare tease him like that to his face, or he'll bash your head in!"
Zhang Yuanqing laughed along. Unable to contain her curiosity, Guan Ya asked, "You haven't checked the forums yet, have you? Another official member entered Jinshui Amusement Park last night, someone named Hebo. The colleagues scheduled to enter Spirit Realms soon are terrified. Can you tell me what it was like in there?"
Dungeon guides and props held an irresistible allure for walkers, much like gorgeous beauties to perverts.
"Nope, can't tell you," Zhang Yuanqing flatly refused.
Guan Ya froze. She hadn't expected Yuanshi to turn her down; she had assumed their bond was solid by now.
"Unless you send a photo of your legs in black stockings as a reward," Zhang Yuanqing snickered.
The seasoned flirt scoffed, a smile blooming across her face once more. "Photos are boring. Why don't you hail a cab to my place right now? I'll let you look your fill. I'll even throw in a pair of stockings for you to take home and brew stocking milk tea."
Zhang Yuanqing replied with utmost seriousness, "I think making milk tea with stockings is a waste. They'd be much better for cleaning a gun."
Lying on the bed, Guan Ya laughed so hard her chest shook. "How can you say something like that in front of a lady? Got any more? Come on, tell me more!"
***
At seven-thirty in the morning, the first thing Li Dongze did upon waking was grab his phone from the nightstand to check for missed calls or unread messages.
He could hardly conceal the disappointment in his heart.
"What a worrisome kid..."
Li Dongze sighed, staring at the ceiling for a dozen seconds before finally getting up to dress. He dressed with an air of elegance—unhurried, meticulous, and calm. No matter how foul his mood or how heavy his heart, he would never abandon elegance.
At the dining table, Li Dongze ate the breakfast prepared by his housekeeper, though his mind was far from the food.
A Transcendent stage dungeon should have concluded overnight. If there was still no news before noon... Li Dongze's mood sank further, and the food lost all flavor. Setting down his chopsticks, he said, "Clear the table, please."
The housekeeper, busy in the kitchen, called out in acknowledgment. Just as she stepped out to clear the table, the ringtone of her employer's phone chimed from the bedroom.
"I'll go get it—"
She turned toward the bedroom, only to see her employer spring from his chair, his face flush with excitement. "No, leave it!"
With that, the gentleman who placed such value on elegance bolted toward the bedroom with zero grace.
Li Dongze rushed to the bedside table. Seeing "Yuanshi Tianzun" on the caller ID, his breath instantly caught. He snatched up the phone, accepted the call, and took a deep breath to keep his voice steady. "Yuanshi, you're out?"
Li Dongze's face was taut with tension.
"Decurion, I made it out alive," Zhang Yuanqing said, sounding thoroughly drained. "I called you the moment I got out."
He had been chatting with Guan Ya this whole time and had lost track of the hours.
The tension melted from Li Dongze's face, and he immediately asked, "Are you hurt? Did you suffer severe mental shock or psychological trauma?"
"I did. In the amusement park, the Ghost Bride fell deeply in love with me and insisted on marrying no one else. I couldn't bear to let such affection down, so I'm consumed by guilt. It's left a deep psychological scar."
"Sounds like you're completely fine, which puts my mind at ease." A faint smile touched Li Dongze's lips. "Since you just came out, rest at home for now. You can come to the office in a few days, but write up the guide as soon as possible and email it to me. I'll submit requests for your corresponding merits and rewards. By the way, are you running low on cola at home? I can have a few cases delivered to you."
*Strange, the Decurion didn't say 'Oh heavens above'...* Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help but grumble inwardly. "No need, Decurion. I still prefer how you look when you stubbornly tell me to 'buy it yourself.'"
Li Dongze: "..."
Hanging up the call, Li Dongze took a deep breath, unable to hold back his emotions any longer. "Oh, dear heavens, Lord Almighty, did you hear my faithful prayers..."
He had been wrong. This kid wasn't just a talent; he was a prodigy.
Clearing one S-tier dungeon might involve luck, but clearing two was no longer a matter of mere fortune. He could easily be groomed as a candidate for Deacon.
He might even have a shot at reaching the level of Elder.
Among the younger generation of Spirit Realm walkers in the Five Elements Alliance, Fu Qingyang stood the best chance of becoming an Elder, yet even he had only cleared an S-tier Spirit Realm once.
***
On the second floor of a villa, at the dining table, Fu Qingyang sat dressed in a white suit, his hair tied in a sharp short ponytail. He wielded his knife and fork expressionlessly, slicing into a fried egg and steak.
Across from him was Ling Jun, casually dressed in a loose T-shirt and board shorts, wolfing down his food.
At that moment, a bunny girl approached with both hands presenting a phone, murmuring softly, "Young Master, a call from Li Dongze."
Fu Qingyang glanced at the phone, set down his cutlery, and looked at his friend, who was too busy gorging himself to care about the outside world.
"What is it?" he answered, his voice cool and detached.
"Centurion, Yuanshi Tianzun is out. He cleared Jinshui Amusement Park!" Li Dongze's voice rang out with extraordinary resonance.
*Clang—*
Fu Qingyang glanced at his noble friend, whose fork and knife had clattered onto the tabletop. A faint smile curled the corners of Fu Qingyang's lips. "Understood."
Handing the phone back to the bunny girl, he remarked with a light smile, "A miscalculation on my part. I should have made a bet with you."
Though he phrased it that way, his tone was brimmed with delight, devoid of any genuine regret.
"I always thought those S-tier Spirit Realms would eventually be conquered by our Taiyi Sect..." Ling Jun lamented in utter agony, clutching his chest. "Elder Sun has truly lost his mind!"
Fu Qingyang asked in surprise, "You know about that too?"
"Oh, it's a new meme on our Taiyi Sect forum. I browse the boards from time to time, you know."
"You people... Criticizing an elder like that, aren't you afraid he'll punish you?"
"No worries, no worries. Elder Sun doesn't know how to surf the web; he barely even knows how to use a smartphone." Ling Jun picked his knife and fork back up. "Still, I doubt this can be kept under wraps now. When he cleared Sheling Tunnel, he was just a potential stock worth watching. Clearing another S-tier confirms that the kid has both brains and talent; his future accomplishments won't be small. Sigh, now even I resent Elder Sun a bit.
"Then again, clearing S-tier missions twice means his third mission will be A-tier at the absolute minimum. Pull through, and the sky's the limit; fail, and it's an early grave... Hey, where are you going?"
Fu Qingyang walked briskly toward the door without stopping.
"Reporting this to the Council of Elders to get his merits and bonuses approved as early as possible. Before your Taiyi Sect tries to poach him, I need to win his heart with virtue. Oh, by the way—if Taiyi Sect wants the guide to Jinshui Amusement Park, it'll cost extra."
***
In the fragmented province, at a lakeside villa.
Morning sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Xie Lingxi stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a bath towel. The young girl's figure was not yet fully mature, lacking the voluptuous curves of an older woman, but it possessed the vibrant charm of youth, complete with tender pink knees.
The artificial lake outside shimmered like liquid gold, lined with weeping willows in their fresh, tender green foliage—a delightful view.
At that moment, several luxury cars drove down the lakeside road, heading straight toward the villa.
*Knock, knock—*
A light knock sounded on the bedroom door. Xie Lingxi picked up a teacup, took a sip, and spoke in a cool voice, "Enter."
A female assistant in a tailored blazer pushed the door open, stepped up behind her, and said respectfully, "Miss, here is the information you requested."
Xie Lingxi didn't take it. She sat down on the sofa by the floor-to-ceiling window, still wrapped in her bath towel, and crossed her fair, slender legs. Radiating the aloof, noble aura of a corporate CEO, she said flatly, "Read it to me."
The assistant flipped open the file. "Wang Tai. Member of Team Two, Kangyang District, Songhai Branch of the Five Elements Alliance. Direct superior is Li Dongze, Level 3 Scout of the White Tiger Battalion. Profession: Scholar.
"This is the basic profile. That's all we can access; we cannot pull photos or real-world identities."
Within official organizations, such basic records were open to internal personnel as standard human resource files. However, real-world identities were strictly restricted to direct superiors and the Council of Elders.
*A Scholar...* Xie Lingxi gave an "mm," adopting an imposing, mature tone as she commanded, "Go look into the profiles of the other Team Two members, and check Wang Tai's social circle. Keep an eye on the official forums of both the Taiyi Sect and the Five Elements Alliance for me. The moment there's news of Jinshui Amusement Park being cleared, notify me immediately."
The assistant nodded.
Xie Lingxi added, "Arrange a car. I'm going to Songhai. Also, send a formal calling card to the Songhai Branch of the Five Elements Alliance in the Xie clan's name. Say that this young lady has business in Songhai and requests that Wang Tai of Kangyang District's Team Two be assigned to receive me."
The assistant looked out the window and hesitated. "The clan elders are almost all here. Won't you meet with them first? There's a banquet at noon; everyone is waiting to celebrate your clearance of an S-tier Spirit Realm."
"They're waiting for the guide, you mean," Xie Lingxi snorted. Shedding her cold demeanor, she instantly put on the spoiled act of a delicate young girl. "I'm only seventeen! What's wrong with being a little playful? The Old Ancestor dotes on me so much, he won't blame me."
The assistant sighed helplessly.
***
After reporting to the Decurion, Zhang Yuanqing changed into pajamas, mussed up his hair, faked a drowsy yawn, turned the doorknob, and stepped into the living room.
His maternal grandmother was in the kitchen, his grandfather was out, and his cousin Chen Yuanjun had already eaten breakfast. The only person at the dining table was Jiang Yu'er, squatting on a chair and delicately pinching a fried dough stick between her slender fingers.
She liked to chew with her lips pressed tight, which made her naturally rounded cheeks puff up like a feeding hamster.
Hearing the bedroom door open, Jiang Yu'er glanced up and announced playfully, "I'm going to eat every last fried dough stick and leave you with plain porridge..."
Her voice trailed off, and she stared blankly at Zhang Yuanqing.
"What are you staring at?" Zhang Yuanqing sat down beside her.
Jiang Yu'er turned her head away, refusing to look at him.
"Auntie, why are your ears red?"
"None of your business!"
Chapter 61