Headquarters of the Association of God of Beauty

In the Windy City stood the Huancheng Building. As the city's tallest skyscraper, it towered over the bustling central business district like a crane among chickens. The building housed investment firms, securities companies, health spas, supermarkets, restaurants, and banks. Those coming and going were the cream of the crop, the elite of the elite. Yet compared to these deep-pocketed conglomerates, the Huancheng Building went by another name in the hearts of the Windy City's men: the City of Enchantresses! It seemed as if the beauties of the entire Federation had congregated here—from receptionists at the front desks and tellers at the banks, to sales associates in luxury boutiques and female executives in financial and investment firms... Every woman who worked here possessed breathtaking beauty and irresistible charm. If not for being the legendary City of Enchantresses, how else could so many stunners have gathered in one place? The men of the Windy City loved to "happen by" the Huancheng Building, while business elites and the wealthy relished handling business there to experience the service of these "enchantresses." For this very reason, the Huancheng Building was public enemy number one to the women of the Windy City. Even a three-year-old girl would spit on the ground at the mere mention of it. Rival corporate syndicates were equally wary of the Huancheng Building's methods. After all, the enchantresses' charm was irresistible. Subordinates could never withstand the temptation, and even the heads of rival conglomerates often felt the urge to jump ship. The former mayor of the Windy City had been an opportunist. During his campaign, he gave impassioned speeches proclaiming that as soon as he took office, he would file charges against the Huancheng Group, the owner of the Huancheng Building, accusing them of unfair competition and providing sexual services to business figures and government personnel. Back then, he won the election by a landslide, and then... he too became a regular at the Huancheng Building. At nine in the morning, an unprecedented scene unfolded outside the Huancheng Building. Eddie Diana, CEO of Global Investments and Vice President of Huancheng Group, stood quietly at the building's entrance leading all of the female executives, apparently waiting to welcome an esteemed guest. The female executives were clad in crisp business suits, their slender legs wrapped in black stockings. With stylish, elaborate hairdos and faint smiles playing across their gorgeous faces, they were alluring and glamorous, pure and tender, sweet and adorable, or aloof and aristocratic... forming a magnificent sight to behold. The white-collar workers heading to work in the CBD ground to a halt, forgetting to clock in. They either pulled out their phones to take pictures or messaged their coworkers to come join the spectacle. Reporters accompanied by cameramen even squeezed hurriedly into the crowd. —Several television stations were located nearby, after all. Burly security guards from the Huancheng Building maintained order with cold, stoic expressions. The onlookers whispered among themselves in speculation, guessing that a heavyweight from some financial consortium or a high-ranking official from the federal government might be visiting. "The Huancheng Group has hosted plenty of big shots, but I've never seen these women come out to the entrance to greet anyone." "Is it the president?" "If the president were coming, the protocol would be completely different. Where are the Secret Service and federal cruisers?" Right then, a gleaming luxury MPV rolled in from the main boulevard and pulled up to the entrance under the expectant and thrilled gazes of the onlookers. From the back row of the stunning lineup, a blonde beauty's eyes lit up. Clicking her delicate high heels, she took quick, dainty steps forward to pull open the car door. A young man stepped out of the vehicle—an Asian face wearing sunglasses, dressed in casual, ordinary shirt and trousers. "Mr. Yuanshi, you're here~" Starlight sparkled in Annie's eyes, looking for all the world like a neglected wife hidden in her boudoir who had suddenly received a visit from her husband. Zhang Yuanqing looked around at the dense crowd of onlookers. *What the fuck are you people doing? Why are there even reporters? Making such a huge scene—anyone who didn't know better would think they were filming a skit about the 'God of War from Huaxia Descends Upon the West'!* *Thank goodness I disguised my appearance!* "Long time no see, Miss Annie!" Zhang Yuanqing offered a radiant smile. His eyes involuntarily drifted past Annie toward the two full rows of beauties. Even though he was accustomed to seeing extraordinary stunners, he was still overwhelmed by the dazzling display before him. *There are too many drop-dead gorgeous women here! Every style imaginable!* *No wonder the Demon Lord lingered here and forgot to go home.* *The Desire profession is truly the Spirit Realm's gift to men!* Zhang Yuanqing reined in his stray thoughts with great effort. Watching Ms. Diana approach with a beaming smile, he said with a mixture of bewilderment and caution, "Is the Association of God of Beauty really looking forward to my arrival this much?" As he spoke, he continually calmed his emotions, suppressing the ripples stirring deep within his heart. This head of the diplomatic department wore elegant, gold-rimmed glasses and had her gleaming blonde hair swept up. Her pitch-black suit perfectly accentuated her voluptuous, sultry figure. Her skin was as fair as milk, and her features were as exquisite as if sculpted. The fullness and curves of her lips, the bridge of her nose, the size of her eyes, the density of her eyelashes... every single detail was refined to perfection. Even with her charm restrained, she could still ignite a man's most primal impulses. Diana gave a faint smile. "It was requested by the President. He said the grander the display, the better—we couldn't mistreat the successor to his mantle." "..." *So it was arranged by my showy uncle. He gave me quite a fright; I thought the Succubus was planning to summon me to her bed tonight...* Zhang Yuanqing breathed a sigh of relief. His biggest worry had been that the Succubus wanted to sleep with him. With that president's earth-shattering, soul-stirring allure, walking into her den was practically walking into the tiger's jaws. Zhang Yuanqing knew he wouldn't be able to resist. If she insisted on sleeping with him, all he could do would be to drop his pants, let his lower brain take over, and plead: *Please be gentle when you drain me!* Now it appeared that although his uncle had arranged such a flashy entrance, he had already laid down instructions with the Association of God of Beauty. Meanwhile, the uproar from the crowd rose wave upon wave like a tidal surge. They couldn't accept that the "enchantresses" were throwing such a grand welcoming ceremony for an Asian man. That sheer sense of fury and emasculating defeat almost shredded their sanity. As an Illusionist, Zhang Yuanqing was acutely attuned to emotions. He smiled and said, "Let's head inside. The gentlemen of your Windy City don't seem very welcoming toward me." Annie hooked her arm through his, casting a territorial glance at the rest of the eager women. "Mr. Yuanshi, allow me to escort you in," she said with a bright smile. Smiling, Diana made a gesture of invitation and led the two into the building. The executives of the Association of God of Beauty's headquarters turned in unison, split into two columns, and followed behind them, their eyes fixed on Yuanshi Tianzun the entire time. This was Yuanshi Tianzun, after all—another dazzling young prodigy following in the Demon Lord's wake. No, calling him a young prodigy was no longer enough to describe him now; he was a young figure of high standing! And compared to the notorious Demon Lord, Yuanshi Tianzun was an orthodox figure, hailed as the Light of Righteousness. Even the orthodox faction of the First District recognized his contributions and prestige. Conquering a man like him and having him fall at their feet brought far more fulfillment than bedding the Demon Lord ever could. Taking the elevator up, Zhang Yuanqing walked into Ms. Diana's office with his arm around Annie. The association's female executives giggled and tried to crowd in to join the fun, but Diana cast a stern glare at them, sending them retreating outside the office door. The two sat down on the guest sofa by the floor-to-ceiling windows. Annie deftly brought Mr. Yuanshi a glass of iced cola and hand-brewed a cup of sun-dried pour-over coffee for Ms. Diana. She then walked over to the desk and retrieved a stack of documents. Diana smiled. "These are the dossiers on the Level 7 dungeons that the Association of God of Beauty has yet to clear." Zhang Yuanqing took the materials, skipped straight past anything below Grade A, and read carefully. Among the association's Level 7 dungeons, there were two Grade S dungeons and four Grade A dungeons. It had to be said that their "resources" were truly abundant. *According to the Grand Marshal's experience, alternating between lower-difficulty and higher-difficulty dungeons gives you a bit of breathing room, ideally in roughly a 2:1 ratio... Once I amass enough exp and grow strong enough, I can tackle the Grade S dungeons...* Thinking this over, Zhang Yuanqing sorted through the A4 sheets one by one, stacking them in order from low to high according to his planned ratio, selecting a total of fifteen dungeons. Beside him, Diana suddenly tapped on the tabletop, asking with a half-smile, "The Forest of Elves? Are you sure you want to pick this dungeon?" The Forest of Elves was a Grade B solo dungeon. Its Spirit Realm description read: "When night falls, an aphrodisiac vapor always surges from the depths of the forest. None know where it originates. The aphrodisiac vapor shrouds the woods, driving the animals into frenzied mating and reproduction—including the elves dwelling within. Displaying their voluptuous figures and singing enchanting melodies, the elves lure men from beyond the forest..." It was precisely because of this sexually charged description that Zhang Yuanqing had chosen this Grade B dungeon as his opener. For one thing, as his first experience with the Association of God of Beauty's dungeons, he didn't want to pick something overly difficult and full of violent slaughter. For another, he wanted to appreciate the elves' alluring figures and enchanting melodies for himself. Now that Diana had called him out so mercilessly and teasingly, Zhang Yuanqing felt a touch embarrassed. However, as an adept socializer, Yuanshi Tianzun naturally wouldn't show weakness. He smiled and said, "I have a natural fondness for elves in Western mythology. I can't bear to see them suffer night after night." The curve of Diana's lips deepened, her voice gentle and melodious: "Elves in Western mythology come in many varieties. One branch consists entirely of females skilled in charm. They reside deep within the forest year-round, and once they reach marriageable age, they enchant men from beyond the woods to mate and reproduce. Male infants are discarded, while female infants are raised to adulthood. "That elven tribe was formed by the ancient Desire profession. All the wonderful legends about elves originate from them. "As for the other elves of myth, they are ferocious and violent, eating raw flesh and drinking blood. They have nothing to do with beauty or grace." *Looks like I didn't make the wrong choice. It's time to let those ancient elves experience the vigor of a Night Roamer!* Delighted inside, Zhang Yuanqing handed the thin stack of papers to Diana. "Please open the dungeons in this order." Diana handed them to Annie, saying, "Take these to the Council of Elders... Mr. Yuanshi, the Great Elder will invite you to join the Association of God of Beauty shortly." Zhang Yuanqing nodded. "No problem." Before coming here, he had already withdrawn from the White Tiger Cohort. Although being in it didn't strictly conflict with joining the Association of God of Beauty, the more critical things became, the more wary Zhang Yuanqing was about joining factions haphazardly. If an actual conflict of interest arose in reality, the faction's rule against betrayal would put him in an excruciating spot. Once Annie left, Diana said, "There is something I must tell you. The Association of God of Beauty and the Merchant Guild supporting you does not come without conditions. "We all know the relationship between the President and you, so there is no need to dwell on that. I am here mainly to tell you what return our president desires." Zhang Yuanqing immediately straightened his posture, saying in a serious tone, "Please, go on!" His uncle supporting him in becoming the Lord of the Sun was only natural, but the Association of God of Beauty's president was no relative of his. An investment naturally demanded returns. Diana lowered her voice involuntarily. "When you become the Lord of the Sun, with your divinity as witness, marry the president and grant her a rightful status." ??? A string of question marks flashed across Zhang Yuanqing's mind. *What kind of supreme sugar-mommy deal is this?* he thought. *Giving me resources and grooming me to ascend as the Lord of the Sun, just to marry me?* *The Zhang family doesn't have an imperial throne to inherit!* Immediately after, he caught onto something unusual and said, "The president doesn't want to marry me—she wants to marry the Lord of the Sun, right?" Diana nodded slightly. "The pinnacle of the Desire profession is the God of Beauty, and the pinnacle of the God of Beauty is the Mother Goddess! For the president to become the Mother Goddess, besides assembling the administrator privileges, she also requires a qualitative transformation of her divinity. Looking across all professions, the only one capable of conferring status upon the president and sublimating her divinity is the Lord of the Sun. "Saying 'marry the president' is merely to make it easier for you to understand. At that level, you could also view it as an investiture—the bestowal of authority." To put it plainly, she needed the recognition of the Lord of the Sun to obtain symbolic status, thereby triggering the transformation of her divinity into the Mother Goddess! Then again, what on earth was divinity? Zhang Yuanqing mused, "What price will I have to pay?" Diana shook her head. "I don't know. But since the President didn't refuse or stop it, that means the price you'll pay isn't heavy." Zhang Yuanqing finally nodded, then asked, "Why not choose the Taiyi Sect Master? He's an old stallion. With the charm of a Succub... no, the God of Beauty, he would have no reason to refuse." Diana shook her head once more. "The president's plans and thoughts are not something I could know." *Fair enough...* Zhang Yuanqing pondered for a moment, deciding there was no need to probe deeper—at least not for now. Whether he could even become the Lord of the Sun was still up in the air. He changed the subject: "I want to see Betty—the lover the Demon Lord was so fond of." She was also the leading lady featured most frequently in the audio recordings. Diana chuckled. "You want that key fragment on Betty, don't you? That's a relic left by the Demon Lord, belonging to Betty as her personal property. You may trade for it, but if Betty doesn't agree, you cannot take it by force." Zhang Yuanqing smiled admiringly. "I'm sure that you, Auntie, definitely have a way to persuade Betty to part with it." Diana's expression instantly brightened. Smiling, she rose to her feet. "Betty is the deputy head of the diplomatic department. Even I cannot force her hand, but I can help negotiate terms on your behalf." With that, she took graceful steps and pulled open the office door.