Conflict

In the grade classification of Spirit Realm walkers, Levels 1 to 3 were the Transcendent stage, Levels 4 to 6 were the Saint stage, and Levels 7 to 9 were the Dominator stage. A Deacon's level was in the Saint stage, while an Elder was a Dominator. What lay above a Dominator, Zhang Yuanqing wasn't quite sure; he lacked the clearance to check, but he guessed it was likely the level of the five Alliance Leaders. Furthermore, judging by the number of Deacons, the Demon Lord and the Deceitful Eye Judge were probably in the Dominator Realm. If they were merely in the Saint stage, the Five Elements Alliance wouldn't take them so seriously. It was worth noting that even within the same stage, the gap in strength between different levels was huge. In the Transcendent stage, for instance, Level 2 could crush Level 1, and Level 3 could thoroughly thrash Level 2, not accounting for items and class counter-matchups. Illusionists were one of the peak professions, stronger than Fire Masters. Even within the Dominator Realm, Master Wuhen was by no means weak... Zhang Yuanqing had figured this Illusionist was extraordinary, but he hadn't expected his level to be this high. Looking at it from another angle, being able to enlist this Dominator-level figure to step in once was equivalent to having an extra death-immunity medallion. A pity it couldn't be used inside the Spirit Realm. "That's understandable. The Spirit Realm is like a single-player dungeon; even high-level Spirit Realm walkers can't just barge in midway. Except for indigenous bosses like Lady Sandao, that is." Lamenting this, Zhang Yuanqing clicked out of the page and continued searching for the mechanisms behind Spirit Realm quests. [After clearing the trial quest, multiplayer Spirit Realms open once a month, and single-player Spirit Realms open once every three months. In the month when a single-player Spirit Realm opens, a multiplayer Spirit Realm will not open. The interval between each quest is no less than half a month. The cycle for a Spirit Realm walker entering dungeons is: Multiplayer—Multiplayer—Single-player... repeating in this manner.] "In other words, Spirit Realm walkers face a life-or-death crisis once every three months. With good luck, matching into a low-difficulty single-player Spirit Realm, the mortality rate isn't high—at most, leveling up is slower. Mm, that's not bad..." "The interval between each quest is no less than half a month. I just cleared Jinshui Amusement Park, so for the next half-month, I don't have to worry about a quest coming up..." He continued reading down: [Upon reaching the peak level of each stage, to leap to a higher stage, one must participate in a large-scale killing dungeon. Participation in this dungeon is optional. Large-scale killing dungeons open twice a year.] [Remarks: The core of this dungeon is mutual hunting between the orthodox faction and the evil faction, though the dungeon itself harbors immense danger and rewards.] A large-scale killing dungeon... Brother Bing left me a message telling me to clear at least one killing dungeon before looking for him... Zhang Yuanqing suddenly realized. Previously, he had assumed that a "large-scale killing dungeon" was some high-risk, high-reward single-player Spirit Realm. He slacked off in the office until two in the afternoon, took a taxi to the hospital, and tried to deliver deceased souls to gain experience points. To his surprise, he found that the spirit bodies of ordinary people yielded negligible experience. Zhang Yuanqing delivered ten departed souls in one go, yet his experience increased by less than one percent. The mobs in the starter village can no longer satisfy me. Looks like I have to devour Spirit Realm walkers... Slipping into the restroom, he used the Demon-Subduing Pestle once to purify the mental pollution brought on by the spirit bodies. Seven in the evening, dinner table. Zhang Yuanqing summoned Little Doubi, letting him wander around the living room. "Ahem!" Grandma cleared her throat and announced, "I have an old friend whose granddaughter is about the same age as Yuanzi and is currently a sophomore in college. I'm planning to introduce her to Yuanzi." Auntie opened her mouth wide, staring in astonishment at her mother. Grandpa and his cousin picked at their ears. There's actually such a good thing? Zhang Yuanqing was overjoyed inside. Grandpa frowned. "He should focus on his studies right now. Just because Yu'er and Yuanjun are underachieving in that department, you can't try to balance things out with Yuanzi." Underachieving? Chen Yuanjun glanced at his grandfather. Grandpa usually seemed completely indifferent to him and his aunt going on blind dates, but it turned out he had been watching all along and secretly anxious. Grandma waved her hand, overriding all objections. "I've made up my mind. I'm doing this for Yuanzi's own good." Grandpa's expression didn't change as he looked at his wife. "I'm doing this for your sake. Yuanzi's heart isn't settled; it'll be hard for him to be devoted in a relationship. You and your old friend have years of friendship—don't shoot yourself in the foot." Grandpa, you're calling me fickle, aren't you? You're definitely calling me a playboy! Zhang Yuanqing felt indignant. He had never even had a girlfriend in his life. Boys as clean-living and well-behaved as him were rare in this world! Yet he didn't dare talk back to Grandpa. Grandma had a hot temper, but she almost never laid a hand on anyone. Grandpa never scolded, but out of nowhere, he would deliver a swift backhand across your face. "I object!" Auntie also joined Grandpa's camp. "Mom, why do you have to meddle? If Big Sis finds out you set him up with a girlfriend, she'll definitely call and give you an earful. She said she's taking Yuanzi to study abroad next year." The moment his aunt mentioned his mother, Zhang Yuanqing's face darkened. Grandma pondered for a moment and found her husband and daughter's points reasonable, so she stopped insisting. Glaring at Zhang Yuanqing, she scolded, "Good-for-nothing! What a waste of such a handsome face." Zhang Yuanqing lowered his head guiltily and ate, while Auntie and his cousin looked suspicious. After dinner, Zhang Yuanqing scanned the room with his eyes, finally spotting the infant spirit clinging like a koala to his aunt's calf. For some reason, the little fellow was particularly attached to Auntie. Was it because in this house, she looked the most like a mother? Now nourished with enough Lunar force, the little guy could control its abilities and wouldn't perform aimless "exchanges." At midnight, Zhang Yuanqing played a round of video games, turned off the console with satisfaction, burrowed under the covers, and forced himself to fall asleep by counting sheep. Much later, drowsiness finally overtook him. In his daze, he was suddenly jolted awake, an inexplicable terror welling up from deep inside—an intense, overpowering dread. This fear was similar to what he felt from the female receptionist at Wuhen Hotel that morning, but vastly more immense and far more distant. What was that? He threw off the quilt and walked to the window, bewildered and somewhat frightened. Drawing back the curtains, he gazed out at the brightly lit urban nightscape. About five minutes later, that immense ripple disappeared, and everything returned to calm. Lacking experience, Zhang Yuanqing had no way to judge what had happened. Muttering silently to himself, he crawled back into bed and tried once again to coax himself to sleep. Seriously, now I have to start counting sheep all over again... At seven-thirty the next morning, he woke up on time and saw Jiang Yu'er sitting listlessly at the table, looking pale and sickly. "What's wrong?" Zhang Yuanqing asked. "My period's here..." Auntie said aggrievedly. Zhang Yuanqing looked left and right. Grandpa wasn't around, and Grandma was in the kitchen, so he leaned in close and whispered, "Come on, let your nephew rub your tummy." "Get lost!" Jiang Yu'er thumped his head in annoyance. Just then, Grandma walked out, and both instantly went silent. After breakfast, Zhang Yuanqing pretended to head off to class, then hailed a cab to work. There was only Wang Tai in the office area. "Brother Wang Tai, where's the Old Driver?" "In the Decurion's office." "Oh!" Zhang Yuanqing took his seat. About ten minutes later, Guan Ya stepped out, her expression solemn and brows slightly knit. "Yuanshi, I was just about to call you." Guan Ya took a sip from her teacup, leaning her curvaceous backside against the edge of Zhang Yuanqing's desk, and said, "Did you notice anything strange last night?" Do you mean the kind where I almost pissed myself? Zhang Yuanqing said, "Yes, I was jolted awake, but I'm not sure if that's what you mean." The Old Driver gave a slight nod. "Last night, an expert from the Xiahou family clashed with the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter. The location was right in Kangyang District Industrial Park. Their clash caused an office building to collapse. Fortunately, it happened at night when hardly anyone was around. "However, the security guards inside and a few employees working overtime were killed. Sigh, honestly, once these high-level Spirit Realm walkers see red, they don't give a damn about ordinary people's lives." But I didn't receive any wanted notice from the Spirit Realm... Right, without a notice, it's likely neither side's Morality Points dropped below 60... Zhang Yuanqing's expression grew solemn. Morality Points had neither an upper nor lower limit; villains had no bottom line, and saints had no ceiling. High-level Spirit Realm walkers from the orthodox faction accumulated merit over years and months, so they surely had a substantial buffer. But causing a scene like this wouldn't just end with deducted Morality Points; official authorities wouldn't let it slide. "How does the organization plan to handle this?" Zhang Yuanqing asked. That industrial park wasn't far from his home—no wonder he had felt such a terrifying fluctuation the previous night. Guan Ya rubbed her teacup and said, "The one from the Xiahou family has been temporarily detained, but the punishment won't be too severe—just compensation plus a warning, most likely. After all, the Xiahou family is a colossus in the orthodox faction, virtually semi-official, and works closely with both the Five Elements Alliance and the Taiyi Sect. "As for the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter, the Council of Elders has ordered her arrest. Her real-world identity hasn't been pinned down yet, and they're currently communicating with the Xie family." Zhang Yuanqing let out an "Oh," gazed at her charming, oval face, and asked, "But what does this have to do with me?" The Old Driver said helplessly, "The Xiahou family requested access from our branch to the registered records on wild Spirit Realm walkers and identified several members of the Palace of Halting Slaughter. Wang Qian is among them. The Xiahou family might come looking for you in a bit. I was just discussing this matter with the Decurion." Seeing Yuanshi's puzzled frown, she explained, "The Xiahou family wants to force the Palace Master out by capturing members of the Palace of Halting Slaughter. That approach is too extreme. The higher-ups of the Songhai Branch didn't explicitly agree, but they acquiesced. After all, finding her is the best outcome, and if they fail, the Xiahou family shoulders the blame anyway." "But haven't they already obtained Wang Qian's identity info? Why look for me..." Zhang Yuanqing's mind stirred, and understanding dawned on him. "Oh, the Xiahou family wants me to lure Wang Qian out for them?" Guan Ya nodded. Wang Qian isn't an idiot; how could he take the bait so easily? Zhang Yuanqing flatly refused, "Impossible. I won't sell out my informant." Guan Ya thought for a moment and cautioned, "The Xiahou family can be quite domineering. Keep your mouth shut when they arrive; the Decurion and I will help you deflect the pressure."