Zhang Yuanqing immediately walked over and sat down—not opposite the boy, but right beside him. Adopting the posture of an attentive subordinate, he picked up the flagon and poured him some wine.
Even though the Old Ancestor looked underage, he was actually a century-old veteran in the skin of a youth.
"I've long heard of your great renown, Old Ancestor. I've met quite a few demigods, but you are the most extraordinary of them all. You've returned to simplicity and reclaimed your youth," Zhang Yuanqing said flatteringly.
"This is a trait of the Earth Mother. Nothing remarkable about it." The Xie family ancestor raised his wine cup and took a slow, savory sip.
*Earth Mother—is that the class title for the demigod stage of a Musician?* Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Yuanqing asked, "Old Ancestor, what do you mean by that?"
The Xie family ancestor scooped up a portion of crab roe with a small silver shovel and popped it into his mouth. His small lips smacked in satisfaction as he explained, "Only a mother or a child can unleash the full power of the Musician class. Especially upon reaching the demigod stage, retaining the appearance of an adult male severely diminishes the potency of one's skills. Likewise, a woman who has never borne a child cannot bring forth the true might of a Musician."
*There's actually such a principle? Well, a Musician's core ability revolves around nurturing and gestation, so it does make sense...* Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help thinking of the Painting of Empress Wa.
Empress Wa cradling the Holy Infant corresponded precisely to a mother and child.
"Listening to your words, Old Ancestor, is truly worth ten years of study." Zhang Yuanqing attentively refilled the cup. "Please, have some more wine."
The fair-skinned, adorable little boy lifted his cup and took another small sip.
Zhang Yuanqing picked up the crab-eating utensils, shelling crabs for the Old Ancestor just as Xie Lingxi had done for him.
One shelled while the other drank, neither speaking a word. Once the Xie family ancestor finished his fifth crab, he wiped his mouth with his loose sleeve and spoke:
"I have looked over your dossier and know of your recent exploits. People outside say you possess the potential of an Alliance leader, and that is hardly an exaggeration. At your stage, my own performance was inferior to yours. However, the status of demigod hinges on fortune, innate talent, and timing; sheer aptitude alone cannot decide it.
"You are a talented boy, and your tongue is sweet enough. I am fairly satisfied with you. How about this: marry Xie Su's daughter, and we will be family. When you advance to Dominator at the end of the year, I will personally guide you and tell you all the secrets of the Spirit Realm. I cannot guarantee I will make you a demigod, but your odds will certainly be much higher."
"You are a straightforward man, Old Ancestor," Zhang Yuanqing chose his words carefully. "However, I already have a girlfriend."
The Xie family ancestor looked at him as if he were an oddity. "Marry them all. For a real man, having three wives and four concubines is only natural and proper."
*I nearly forgot this fellow is a relic from over a hundred years ago, a remnant of the imperial dynasties...* Zhang Yuanqing silently grumbled to himself. Instead of agreeing on the spot, he fell into deep thought.
"What, unwilling?" The Old Ancestor's delicate brows knitted slightly. "If you do not fancy Xie Su's daughter, you may take your pick of any unmarried girl in the Xie family. Pick as many as you like."
Zhang Yuanqing was thoroughly stunned. *Holy shit, could I be your long-lost illegitimate son? Why else would you treat me with such incredible generosity?!*
He hastily stood up, took several steps back, knelt down, and bowed deeply, exclaiming, "Junior expresses my deepest gratitude for your high favor, Old Ancestor! To marry a daughter of the Xie family and unite with your bloodline is a blessing accumulated across eight lifetimes!"
A smile instantly broke across the Old Ancestor's youthful face.
Then, Zhang Yuanqing shifted the conversation, letting out a heavy sigh. "However, Old Ancestor, Junior has a difficulty that is hard to speak of."
The Xie family ancestor frowned and pressed, "Speak. Let's hear it."
Zhang Yuanqing brought up the second objective of his visit to the Crab Banquet: "In July, I went to Qinfeng Academy for advanced training. In the academy's item vault, I encountered a mirror that could prophesy the future. It said I would not survive past October. Think about it, Old Ancestor—if I am destined to return to the Spirit Realm so soon, how could I bear to make promises to Lingxi that I cannot fulfill?"
Realization dawned on the Xie family ancestor. "Oh, so you're about to die. In that case, pretend I never said anything. Come, come, eat some crab. After we finish, we can part on good terms."
*???* A stream of question marks flashed across Zhang Yuanqing's mind. He stood frozen for a few seconds before coughing repeatedly.
"Junior feels there might still be a chance to salvage the situation. For instance... um, perhaps serving by your side for the coming month?"
The Xie family ancestor turned his gaze upon him, his eyes clear and luminous like black gems. "You came to see me using an avatar, which proves you already have a plan to handle it. Why would you need my intervention?"
*He saw through my avatar?* Zhang Yuanqing was startled, but then found it completely reasonable.
Even though the Yata no Kagami could replicate the original body down to the finest detail, the fair-skinned, charming youth before him was a demigod.
The Xie family ancestor glanced at the remaining crabs, then back at Yuanshi Tianzun.
Understanding immediately, Zhang Yuanqing hurried back to his seat and resumed shelling crabs for the Old Ancestor.
The boy held his cup and sipped leisurely, looking at the junior who was diligently picking crab meat. "Speak. What deductions do you have regarding your death calamity?"
Zhang Yuanqing did not dare mention Ling Tuo, as that involved Celestial Master Zhang's son and the Demon Lord's successor. He shook his head and said, "Star-gazing revealed no omens whatsoever."
The Xie family ancestor understood at once and clicked his tongue. "It seems an entity of a high standing is involved. In that case, you should avoid seeking my protection all the more. You know the outcome ordained by fate, but not the path leading to it—and that is fatal. I could certainly shelter you for a month, but have you considered that hiding in the Xie family might be the very trigger that brings about your doom? What if an old enemy from the evil faction comes seeking vengeance against me and we clash violently, and noticing you here by chance, he casually slaughters you? If you come face-to-face with a demigod, you won't escape."
Zhang Yuanqing froze, utterly at a loss for words, unable to mount any counterargument.
Sometimes, one tried desperately to change the outcome, completely unaware that every action taken was merely fate's guiding hand nudging events toward that very conclusion.
In short: worldline convergence.
"Where is your true body?" the Xie family Old Ancestor asked again.
"Inside a guild instance," Zhang Yuanqing answered truthfully.
The Xie family ancestor pondered for a moment and offered his assessment: "A sound approach. Demigods in the outside world can roam the Spirit Realm, but they cannot enter instances unless they are recognized entities of the Spirit Realm, such as Empress Sandao.
"Therefore, hiding inside a cleared guild instance is safer than staying with me. Still, nothing is absolute. If you have crossed a demigod or a peak Dominator of the Void class, you will be in grave danger."
"How so?" Zhang Yuanqing adopted an attitude of humble attentiveness.
"A demigod or peak Dominator of the Void class can bypass the restrictions of the Spirit Realm and move freely in and out of instances," the Xie family ancestor explained.
*A Void demigod actually thinks quite highly of me, even inviting me out for entertainment, and I've never crossed paths with any peak Dominator of that class...* Zhang Yuanqing breathed an internal sigh of relief and asked, "Then, Old Ancestor, are my chances of evading this death calamity good?"
The Old Ancestor leisurely ate crab and sipped wine. "You are a Stargazer; you should know that the future is never fixed. Until time arrives at that moment, infinite possibilities remain."
Zhang Yuanqing felt reassured. "Junior understands. Please, Old Ancestor, have some wine."
After the Xie family ancestor finished another crab, Zhang Yuanqing asked, "Junior also wishes to inquire about the Chu family—the Chu family that was wiped out twenty years ago. I heard that when the family was slaughtered back then, Asura did not intervene? What about the Chu family's demigod?"
"The Chu family's demigod returned to the Spirit Realm nearly half a century ago," the Xie family ancestor replied without hesitation, his tone wistful. "Come to think of it, I once shared a brief bond of fate with that demigod of the Chu family. She bore three children for me. The branch to which the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter belongs is, in fact, my own bloodline."
Catching this massive bombshell out of the blue, Zhang Yuanqing was stunned. *No wonder the Chu and Xie families have such close ties, and why the Palace Master and Xie Lingxi are so intimate—they share the same ancestor!*
"Then after the Chu family was exterminated, did you not consider taking in the Palace Master? After all, she is your flesh and blood," Zhang Yuanqing asked.
"I knew Celestial Master Zhang took her away," the Xie family ancestor explained. "Celestial Master Zhang was Chu Shang's sworn brother, and Chu Shang was her father."
*You don't need to trace out these relationships for me; no one knows them better than I do...* Curious, Zhang Yuanqing asked, "Did you never consider taking her in? If you had spoken up, I doubt Celestial Master Zhang would have dared refuse."
A sneer appeared on the Xie family ancestor's youthful face. "He naturally refused to foster the girl in the Xie family, for he wanted to safeguard the authority left behind by the Chu family's demigod for her."
"Authority?" Zhang Yuanqing was baffled.
"This touches upon one of the Spirit Realm's deepest secrets..." The Xie family ancestor glanced at his empty cup.
"Drink, Old Ancestor!" Zhang Yuanqing immediately filled it to the brim.
Pleased with his attentive service, the Old Ancestor spoke: "When you first joined the Five Elements Alliance, did anyone tell you that the Spirit Realm is like a game?"
Zhang Yuanqing nodded.
"If it is a game, it must have administrators. Have you ever seen an administrator of the Spirit Realm?"
"No."
The Xie family ancestor took a sip of yellow rice wine. From that tender face came an ancient voice that slowly stated, "Demigods possess partial administrative authority over the Spirit Realm. Every demigod wields a portion of this authority. Authority is the greatest secret of the demigod stage. The more authority one acquires, the greater one's power. Once someone fully masters the authority of a given class, they become an administrator of the Spirit Realm—or rather, one of its administrators.
"Musicians control the authority to nurture life. Scholars control the authority of creation."
The Xie family ancestor's revelation stirred massive waves in Zhang Yuanqing's heart.
*The reason demigods are so formidable is that they command a portion of the Spirit Realm's authority? And this authority is incomplete, with each demigod holding only a piece?*
*So the ultimate objective of leveling up as a Spirit Realm walker is to become an administrator of this game known as the Spirit Realm?!*
Zhang Yuanqing's mind buzzed. He suddenly recalled an observation he had made long ago: the Spirit Realm was deliberately accelerating the growth of Spirit Realm walkers.
Ancient cultivators did not have the Spirit Realm; their growth was slow, but their mortality rate was low. Spirit Realm walkers, on the other hand, had to enter solo instances every three months. Their mortality rate was terrifyingly high, but their progression was astonishingly swift.
Back then, Zhang Yuanqing had deduced that the Spirit Realm was consciously spurring walkers to grow.
*Was the Spirit Realm's purpose to select administrators?!*
Looking at it this way, Empress Wa must have been unimaginably formidable back in her era. She was very likely the administrator for both the Musician and Scholar classes, holding dual administrator identities by herself.
"Senior, was Empress Wa an administrator?" Zhang Yuanqing inquired.
The Xie family ancestor answered plainly, "She was of the first generation of administrators, possessing supreme authority."
Zhang Yuanqing nodded, his mind racing.
The three primal powers of the Night Roamer class—sun, moon, and stars—symbolized a certain authority within the Spirit Realm.
*Could the uniqueness of the Night Roamer class stem from its administrator identity carrying the greatest weight among all administrators, because the authority it commands holds a unique value?*
"Senior, I heard that the evil classes do not possess a demigod stage. Does that mean the evil classes lack the qualifications to become administrators of the Spirit Realm? Why is that? Were evil classes not also born from the Spirit Realm?" Suppressing the turbulent emotions in his chest, Zhang Yuanqing lowered his voice to ask.
He had voiced his speculation regarding the special nature of the Night Roamer class along with it.
Chewing on a crab leg, the Xie family ancestor said impassively, "That will have to wait until you marry a daughter of the Xie family. If I lay all my cards on the table now, what will I have left to tell you later?"
*You old scheming rascal...* Zhang Yuanqing gritted his teeth in secret, then stood up and bowed deeply toward the ancient demigod.
This time, it was heartfelt.
The Old Ancestor had answered his questions forthrightly without evasion, revealing part of the Spirit Realm's ultimate secret free of charge.
This was an immense favor.
Returning to the stone table, Zhang Yuanqing asked, "So the Palace Master holds part of an administrator's authority, and Celestial Master Zhang was afraid you would seize the Chu family's legacy?"
The Xie family ancestor nodded slightly. "As long as that girl advances to peak Dominator, she can make an attempt at demigod. Regrettably, when I saw her a while back, I found her soul shattered and her origin wounded. Without repairing her origin, she will remain defective for the rest of her life, unable to reach for demigod status."
*You don't need to worry about that—the lunatic is no longer crazy!*
*Right! The Palace Master mentioned that the Demon Refining Pot is the supreme instrument of authority for the Musician class. The pot is most likely one of those 'authorities.' That means she controls quite a lot of authority herself.*
*Currently, the Musician class has two demigods, representing two portions of authority. Adding the two portions held by the Palace Master, that makes four. I wonder if there are more...*
Zhang Yuanqing thought for a moment, then tactfully inquired whether administrator authority would provoke conflicts between the two demigods.
"Naturally, there will be conflict, but authority does not necessarily need to be concentrated in a single individual. As long as the components are assembled, the number of people does not matter, so it rarely leads to life-and-death struggle," the Xie family ancestor said calmly. "However, the authority of one specific class must converge into a single person."
Without requiring an explanation, the prophecy of the Compass of Light instantly surged into Zhang Yuanqing's mind: *When the sun, moon, and stars return to their places...*
***
Wuhen Hotel.
Inside the Buddhist temple within the illusion behind Room 404.
Master Wuhen opened his inventory and produced a fist-sized black sphere.
Seven apertures dotted the surface of the sphere, each emitting a distinct sound: laughter, angry curses, bitter weeping, deep sighs...
A single small sphere seemed to contain all the seven emotions and six desires of the mortal realm.
Within the black sphere lay an ever-shifting illusion, continuously playing out every scene of human existence.
Master Wuhen pulled open the collar of his patchwork monastic robe. Slashing open his chest with a fingertip, he reached into his thoracic cavity and pulled out his heart, still thumping steadily and tethered to pulsing blood vessels.
He brought the black sphere close to the crimson heart.
The sphere quickly melted into a paste, flowing into the heart. The bright red heart instantly turned pitch-black, reverberating with laughter, angry curses, bitter weeping, and deep sighs...
Just then, the entire Buddhist temple shuddered violently. The illusion began to twist and warp, showing signs of imminent collapse.
This was not Master Wuhen losing control and failing to sustain the illusion; someone was attempting to force their way inside!
Chapter 626