Just as Zhang Yuanqing was about to speak, there came two sharp knocks on the office door. The three of them turned toward the sound. Wang Tai stood at the doorway, holding a laptop, and said,
"Mind if I come in and listen?"
After saying that, he fell silent, waiting for a reply.
Li Dongze hesitated for a moment, then nodded:
"Come in, and help Yuanshi finish the strategy report while you're at it."
Wang Tai breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't one to stir up trouble, but the S-level Sheling Tunnel—considered a bug in the Night Wanderer trial spirit realm—was too tempting a subject to pass up.
Zhang Yuanqing pondered briefly. Once Wang Tai took a seat, he began recounting his experience at the Mountain God Temple in a calm, detailed manner.
He deliberately glossed over the exact functions of the Demon-Subduing Pestle, describing it only as a tool effective against yin creatures.
As for the Red Dancing Shoes, he was equally vague, claiming that his uncle had trained him from childhood in singing, dancing, and rap, and that his extraordinary memory allowed him to barely crack the shoes' rules.
Of course, he kept silent about the character card's exclusive rewards, since that would reveal he possessed the Red Dancing Shoes.
This partial withholding of key information was a tip he'd received from Guan Ya.
Rule-based items were extremely rare—it's unlikely that the Five Elements Alliance would casually trade such an item for a few hundred bucks and a small banner, but caution was necessary.
As for the revival of the three Mountain God Maidens, Zhang planned to bring that up separately for a proper discussion later.
During the whole retelling, Wang Tai was typing furiously, recording every detail.
Li Dongze listened patiently, then, fiddling with his cane handle, said,
"That yin-suppressing tool should be a reward for completing the trial, and it has to be a high-tier item."
Guan Ya smiled and said,
"You're clueless. This is an S-level trial task—there's no way the reward is just a bit of experience."
She was lecturing Zhang Yuanqing: when lying, be mostly truthful—don't overdo it.
Zhang Yuanqing's smile never wavered.
"Oh, I forgot to mention the tool—that item really is the completion reward."
His face remained calm and steady.
Li Dongze paid no mind and continued,
"That means the difficulty of the Sheling Tunnel might need to be lowered."
"Why do you say that?" Zhang Yuanqing asked, puzzled.
Li Dongze patiently explained,
"We joke that the spirit realm is like a game, but it is still a world where items are scarce and unique—no duplicates. Since you've brought that tool out, the stage where you kill the tree demon might be eliminated in the future, naturally lowering the tunnel's difficulty."
While Li Dongze took a sip of wine, Guan Ya added,
"I'll tell you about spirit realm dungeons: these dungeons are constantly adjusted. For example, if you clear the Mountain God Temple and take the item, its difficulty drops. But if you die inside, and the eerie forces there obtain your items and grow stronger, then the difficulty rises—like with the Red Dancing Shoes.
Also, the same spirit realm dungeon offers different tasks depending on the player's level. I once entered a wilderness survival dungeon, having read the strategy in advance. The veteran hunter's task was to kill nine bandits in the jungle. But when I entered, I found I was one of those nine bandits, and the goal was to survive 36 hours. That's because my level was lower than that veteran's. So strategies are only references, helping us understand the dungeon's basics and dangers."
"That won't lower it," Wang Tai said,
"Because the Red Dancing Shoes are still in play."
Guan Ya and Li Dongze exchanged a glance but kept silent.
Wang Tai, oblivious, pressed on,
"This data, these rewards, this information—none of it fits an S-level difficulty. Are you hiding something?"
That was blunt to the point of awkwardness... Zhang Yuanqing cleared his throat,
"I'm not hiding anything. I was just about to say—the cave had the tree demon and also a stone coffin."
"Stone coffin? What's inside?" Li Dongze leaned forward, his tone urgent.
Wang Tai stopped typing.
Guan Ya's face showed curiosity.
S-level spirit realms usually contain important secrets, maybe even earth-shattering ones.
Official organizations, private groups, even evil factions, all learn about the spirit realms by observing, analyzing patterns, and gathering info from the realms themselves, gradually unraveling their mysteries.
No spirit realm traveler can resist that temptation.
"There were three Mountain God Maidens lying inside. After I opened the coffin, one of them... she woke up..." Zhang Yuanqing shuddered at the memory.
Li Dongze's pupils contracted sharply,
"She woke up?"
He jumped up and began pacing the office with his cane, frowning deeply.
After a long pause, his expression serious, he said,
"Maybe we all guessed wrong. Based on what we know, she has to be a high-level Night Wanderer. Now that she's awake, only two possibilities exist:
One, the Mountain God Temple will undergo massive changes—it won't just be a Night Wanderer trial spirit realm anymore, but a high-level spirit realm dungeon.
Two, the Mountain God Temple remains downgraded, but with her level, a new, high-tier spirit realm dungeon will definitely appear.
For the upper echelons of the Taiyi Sect, information about shifts in spirit realm versions related to their profession is critical."
Guan Ya sighed with envy,
"The more important the info, the greater the rewards the organization will give."
Money? Zhang Yuanqing brightened, then immediately grew worried,
"That old tough guy who's been dead for hundreds of years smiled at me again—I keep feeling she'll come looking for me. It makes me uneasy."
If the Banyan Spirit wasn't lying, half of the maiden's yang soul was sealed inside the Demon-Subduing Pestle—she absolutely will come for him.
But Zhang Yuanqing didn't mention this to his colleagues.
Wang Tai sincerely comforted him,
"Don't be so confident. At your level, you won't meet such a big shot."
"If you don't know what to say, just keep quiet..." Zhang Yuanqing nodded gratefully, feeling somewhat reassured.
Guan Ya smiled,
"Is she pretty?"
Zhang Yuanqing glanced at her,
"Prettier than you."
Wang Tai added earnestly,
"And way more research-worthy."
Old Siji exploded,
"Get lost!"
...
Beijing, Siheyuan courtyard.
Sunlight streamed down, bathing the great locust tree in golden rays. Its leaves shimmered with iridescent colors.
A breeze stirred the branches, and laughter like children's echoed softly.
Under the tree, Elder Sun rocked gently in his chair, waving a palm leaf fan. On the nearby table were tea and an old-fashioned radio.
A black-clad middle-aged man hurried through the gate and reported in a low voice,
"Elder Sun, news just came from Songhai—someone has cleared the Sheling Tunnel spirit realm."
The fan paused mid-wave. The elderly man's eyes snapped open, shooting two beams of golden light. The laughter from the locust tree seemed startled, then fell silent.
Elder Sun stood, staring at the man.
"The Night Wanderer recruited by the Fu family kid?"
The man nodded.
Elder Sun was stunned, then slapped his thigh, lamenting,
"What a mistake, what a mistake..."
The last time Elder Sun was this upset was during his wild stock trading days.
After a moment of silence, he said,
"I remember the overseer in Kangyang District, Songhai City, is Yuan Ting. Notify him—this must not spread. Otherwise, where will I put my face?"
"But..."
"But what?"
Before the man could respond, his phone rang. He pulled it out and said,
"Elder Heishan is calling."
"Answer it."
The moment Elder Sun took the phone, a roar came from the other end,
"Old Sun, what the hell? You gave away the Sheling Tunnel dungeon behind our backs, and worse, you promised Fu Qingyang not to recruit that Night Wanderer. Do you realize how big a mistake that is?"
Elder Sun froze for a second.
"How do you old bastard know all this?"
"None of your business how I know. Do you know how long Taiyi Sect hasn't recruited a Night Wanderer prodigy? I'm heading to complain to the sect leader now."
The call ended.
Elder Sun's forehead twitched with veins bulging.
Then the phone rang again. The man glanced—
"Elder Hongying."
"Answer it..."
"Uncle Sun, I heard the Sheling Tunnel was cleared? And you refused that Night Wanderer by name?"
"..."
"Uncle Sun, you're going to have to apologize for this."
"..."
...
"Elder Sun, I heard you turned away a Night Wanderer genius?"
"You insolent whelp, when did a mere steward have the right to question me?"
"Ah, Elder Sun, don't misunderstand. I'm just curious."
...
"Elder Sun, I heard you..."
"Get lost!"
Within minutes, five or six calls came in.
The black-clad man silently observed Elder Sun. The last time he lost his composure was during leveraged stock trading.
Elder Sun took a deep breath and returned to the earlier topic,
"What exactly did you say earlier?"
The man hesitated,
"If Yuan Ting knows, everyone knows."
Elder Sun's blood pressure skyrocketed.
The phone rang again. He was about to hang up but saw it was Fu Qingyang calling. He sighed, composed himself, and answered,
"You brat, calling to mock an old man?"
"No. I'm not here to joke. I'm here to return a favor. The Mountain God Temple strategy report is done and has been sent to your email."
Fu Qingyang's calm voice continued,
"I believe this intelligence is very important for your Taiyi Sect."
Elder Sun immediately perked up, hung up, and turned to the man,
"How do I open my email?"
The man silently took the phone, logged in, opened the file, and handed it back.
Elder Sun squinted, reading every word.
He remained calm—trial-level spirit realms were just small fry to an elder.
But when he read about the revival of the three Mountain God Maidens, his expression changed drastically.
Creak—Elder Sun sprang up from his rocking chair, serious.
"Elder?" the man was stunned.
"Ancient Day Wanderers have awakened..." Elder Sun's tone was heavy, laced with worry. Suddenly, he transformed into a golden light and shot into the sky, disappearing toward the sect leader's residence.
...
Second floor, small building.
Zhang Yuanqing sat at his desk, skillfully opening his laptop. Following Guan Ya's instructions, he browsed the internal forum of the Five Elements Alliance's official organization, reading the pinned posts.
All basic spirit realm information.
First, he looked up "Spirit Realm Types." As Li Dongze said, spirit realms are divided into "solo" and "team" types. Solo types usually cater to unique professions—like the Night Wanderer's supernatural realm, which is supernatural/occult themed.
Team types come in two flavors: team PvP and team adventure.
The former is conflict between spirit realm travelers in special dungeons; the latter faces dungeon dangers, some with death penalties, some without. Non-death penalties deduct experience points.
Team spirit realms vary widely in scenery and gameplay.
Next, he read "Level Classifications," which was straightforward:
Supernatural Stage: Levels 1–3
Sage Stage: Levels 4–6
Note: For stages beyond Sage, click the link below.
Zhang Yuanqing clicked but got a "permission denied" message.
Damn permission gatekeepers... he cursed silently, browsing other posts helplessly.
"Spirit Realm Traveler Profession Compendium."
Orderly professions: Night Wanderer, Scout, Wood Demon, Water Ghost, Fire Master, Earth Monster, Musician, Scholar.
Evil professions: Bewitching Demon, Witch Doctor, Illusionist.
If memory served, Wang Tai was a Scholar. Musician? What kind of profession is
that?
"The Mountain God Temple Dungeon Brief."
Key points:
Location: Northeast Region Spirit Realm, original site unknown.
Dungeon type: Night Wanderer S-level trial spirit realm.
Major danger: Tree demon and hostile environment.
Completion reward: Demon-Subduing Pestle (yin suppressing tool).
Secondary rewards: Red Dancing Shoes (rare equipment).
It also noted that the dungeon is regularly reset every 72 hours.
Lastly, the internal post about recent events mentioned an alliance-level bounty: "Anyone who can secure information on the three Mountain God Maidens will be rewarded generously."
Zhang Yuanqing leaned back in his chair, contemplating the mountain of information.
What was clear: the spirit realm world was far more complex and dangerous than he had imagined. The revival of the Mountain God Maidens was a game-changer.
And the Mountain God Temple was more than just a trial.
He smiled quietly to himself,
"Let the game begin."