Zhu Rong truly has her audio recordings... Hearing the Magistrate's words, Zhang Yuanqing's mouth twitched slightly. When the Magistrate first mentioned capturing Zhu Family's head mistress, the younger sister of Zhu Jia's chief, and the former wife of Chiyue An, he had already suspected that such audio would eventually come to pass. Indeed, here it is. I should record all these audio segments—perhaps launch a series titled "The Women the Magistrate Slept With" or "A Collection of the Magistrate's Lovers"—and sell them on the black market, where they'd surely go viral. After all, the women who once had connections with the Magistrate are now established noblewomen or heiresses of great prominence. They could certainly make substantial fortunes. Yet, doing this would be rather unkind—damaging their reputations—though the women who had relationships with the Magistrate weren't exactly paragons of virtue themselves. There were still some, like Yin Ji, who had been genuinely deceived—well, let's just count her as having been deceived. Facing the Magistrate's cold sarcasm, Zhu Rong either felt humiliated and unwilling to respond, or perhaps her physical movements were too vigorous, leaving her without Hearing the steady, deep huffs coming from her nasal passages, Zhang Yuanqing began to suspect it was her. "Why aren't you speaking?" the Magistrate king scoffed. "You—you—scoundrel, you're going to die!..." Zhu Rong gasped, her teeth clenched. "You used to say exactly that when you first surrounded me with your troops. Now, haven't you just been drenched in my juices beneath you? What would your fallen comrades think if they knew you'd sold yourself to survive?" "Survival is merely a means to your destruction—you, this disgraceful traitor, are the one who must fall." "Oh, quite firm, aren't you? Just a moment ago, you were quite soft when I was tasting you." As she spoke, Zhang Yuanqing heard a creak from the mattress—by his experience, that was the sound of someone getting up from bed. Then came the sound of bare feet stepping on the floor, messy and uneven—clearly, Zhu Rong had been pulled from her bed by the Magistrate king, unwillingly, and dragged along against her will. Then came the clatter of scattered objects falling, another sharp "clang," followed by the sound of the table being struck. A new round of activity began, and the Mage-King chuckled, saying: "Claiming to uphold justice? Among you noble families of the spiritual realms, I'm sure you've done your fair share of behind-the-scenes, unsavory deeds. How thick must your skin be to still call yourselves champions of justice? I've never killed a commoner. Hah! You killed me merely to gain fame. If you wish to rise on the strength of your actions, then you should be prepared to face a counterattack—there's no reason for others to wait patiently for you to strike. I gave you a choice: either die alongside your companions, or become my prisoner. You chose the latter. What did you say during that initial assault? As long as I kneel and bow, passing through your companions' legs, I'd gain a few extra minutes of life. Now, I offer you another choice: from this day forward, please please me once every day. If I'm satisfied, you'll live another day. If not, I shall kill you immediately. "You agree, and the contract becomes effective immediately. If you refuse, I'll send you back to the Spiritual Realm right now." Hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing furrowed his brows. The time period should have the Magus still in the Transcendent Realm, but compared to previous encounters, his temperament had clearly become more passionate—somewhat both righteous and eccentric. The erosion of the Fallen Cup was indeed alarming. The Magus's moral transformation was progressing faster than I had anticipated. At present, he still maintains some boundaries and can justify his actions with a legitimate rationale. In later stages, he should completely become a force of evil... After a long silence, Zhu Rong hesitated, speaking in a muffled, fragmented tone: "What makes me believe you?" "I never deceive women!" "...Alright." "Ah? What? Speak up!" With a tearful voice, Zhu Rong exclaimed, "I agree!!" When the two finally completed their physical exchange, Zhang Yuanqing had lost count of how many times he had wandered through the night. He felt utterly exhausted, his strength drained, and longed to collapse and sleep immediately. Indeed, every time I listen to the magister's audio performances, I feel so drained—being a passionate young person, this audio format is far more thrilling than any film. I'll have to listen less and less from now on. Zhang Yuan feels utterly exhausted. In the audio, the magister and Zhu Rong gently breathe, speaking little for a long while. After a while, the magister chuckles, saying, "You're lying here like this? It seems your husband hasn't satisfied you—perhaps by next month, you'll find yourself utterly dependent on me. Now, let's get down to business. I heard that your family's ancestor was among the first spiritual realm travelers. What era was he from?" Zhu Rong remains silent. "Pfft!" A sharp sound—Zhu Rong gasps in pain, not sure where she's been struck. Instantly, she becomes quiet and humble, murmuring, "Late Qing to early Republican era." "Ah, truly a modern figure!" the magister remarks. "Do you know, then, why evil and lawful professions have always been at odds?" Hearing the conversation in the audio, Zhang Yuanqing felt a surge of energy, thinking it had some real substance—not just empty political posturing. He himself had long wondered about this: the opposition between Lawful and Chaotic seemed to lack internal momentum. If it were merely a matter of factional rivalry, it would be hard to make the practitioners of both sides see each other as enemies. After all, reality isn’t a game. In a game, you can be reborn; in real life, once you’re gone, you’re truly gone. Without tangible benefits, who would risk their lives? “What do you mean?” Zhu Rong seemed rather confused. “Such a dull, conventional noble youth! I’m a Lawful specialist, aren’t I? Yet, since I became a practitioner of the Spiritual Realm, I’ve never actually done anything that embodies Lawfulness. In fact, I could completely ignore Chaotic practitioners. Then, how can the Lawful and Chaotic factions be so fiercely at odds?” "The Mage King said, 'Also, in battles between opposing factions, rewards are granted only in the form of reputation. Reputation is certainly valuable, yet it fails to encourage daring engagements against enemies, since the cost of action does not match the return. 'In other words, the adversarial relationship between the two major factions isn't as intense as it seems. Yet in reality, official organizations treat evil professions with absolute hostility—both the official bodies and the evil organizations themselves. Isn't that strange?'" But I recalled something—senior masters of the highest rank travel annually to hunt down evil professions, and this is true for everyone. They value these hunts as much as the spiritual realm dungeons. Yet... they aren't exactly people with a fierce hatred of evil. Now that I think about it, that does seem strange. The魔君 pondered for a long time, then exhaled, "Then I've probably figured out the reason." The audio ended there. ……Zhang Yuanqing nearly knocked over the speaker in his hands, thinking, What about the rest of the conversation? What's the reason? Please, speak up! Though this魔君 is not entirely virtuous and is famously devoted to beauty, he is indeed quite intelligent. Zhang Yuanqing leaned back against the chair, reflecting on this exchange. Suddenly, he remembered the Daoist records of the Yin-Yang Master, which mentioned that in ancient times, evil and orderly professions could coexist. While there were instances of mutual hunting, those were driven by differences in worldview and a sense of justice, rather than being inherently opposed. "Before the emergence of the spiritual realm, right and wrong were matters of personal conviction." After the Emergence of the Spiritual Realm, the Chaotic and Lawful factions came into being, thus the Spiritual Realm itself is driving the antagonism between the factions. "But the guidance of the Spiritual Realm isn't clearly evident—only the prestige system stands out. Not that it's not evident, but rather that the level of development hasn't yet reached it. According to Zhu Rong's explanation, slaying Chaotic-class professions is extremely important for the Dominant, and this importance undoubtedly stems from the Spiritual Realm—perhaps from missions within it, or from some other mechanism. "Moreover, slaying Chaotic-class professions often benefits the guilds as well, which is why official rewards are established, and Chaotic professions receive them too. So, why does the Spiritual Realm specifically encourage factional rivalry?" "Ah, Zhu Rong truly has been shaped by the Demon King's influence—she's now suffering from a pathological mindset. She's started cultivating her male companions, treating them poorly, all of which is the Demon King's fault..." Zhang Yuanqing put away the Cat King speaker and returned to Xiao Doushi, taking up the controller. Soon, the static scene came alive, and the game characters resumed their fierce combat. The little comic was instantly delighted and immediately forgot about his earlier minor doubts. ... The next morning at 7 a.m., Zhang Yuanqing had finished breakfast, freshened up, and returned to his bedroom, planning to catch a few more hours of sleep after staying up late until 4 a.m. playing games the previous night. Of course, for a night owl, this wasn't exactly late-night work—just that he hadn't rested at night, so he felt more drowsy during the day, which was his professional condition. "Sleep for two hours, set the alarm for 8:50. There's still a match today. Although I'm unlikely to play on two consecutive days, there will be other star-level players stepping onto the stage—watching their battles is definitely worthwhile." Zhang Yuanqing lay back on the bed and quietly logged into the forum. Enjoying a few compliments before going to sleep... His eyes suddenly widened as he spotted a particularly noticeable post on the homepage. It wasn't highlighted or pinned, but due to its impressive number of comments, it had consistently remained prominently featured at the top. # The Five Elements Alliance Shields the Prime Heavenly Sovereign # Well, that's indeed my issue—not at all unfair to the others. Zhang Yuanqing felt completely at ease, since the little comic character came about through an accident, not through something he personally crafted. The incident had been officially reported, and the detailed account was clearly documented, with Guan Ya also involved. His only real fault was quietly retaining the infant spirit—something far less serious, even bordering on a merit. He glanced down at the five-element alliance’s spiritual travelers: some were asking questions, others were vague and dragging on, while a few actually claimed that the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign had indeed made a mistake. Most of the official travelers remained steadfast in their positions, so even when defending him, his arguments lacked conviction. For those who were aware of the full circumstances, privately cultivating a spiritual servant—especially an infant spirit—was indeed a serious offense. At that moment, a slightly sharp chime rang out—the caller was Fu Qingyang. "Commander!" Zhang Yuanqing answered the call. Fu Qingyang's low voice came through: "The Taimei Sect has reported your private cultivation of spiritual servants—infant spirits—to the Songhai branch, and it was the Dog Elder herself who personally called me to request an explanation from you." How could these dogs have reported me? Zhang Yuanqing immediately replied, "Captain, I have not privately cultivated spiritual servants. The infant spirits I obtained during an unexpected incident..." He immediately recounted the full circumstances. Finally adding, "Yi also participated in this matter and can serve as a witness. Moreover, I reported this matter in advance. The details, Wang Qian's statement, and all relevant documents are available for your review." Fu Qingyang's tone slightly improved. "Then that's settled. I'll relay this to the Elder. The forum administrator will issue an official announcement to clarify the situation, and I'll make every effort to have it publicly announced by nine o'clock." Zhang Yuanqing nodded. Fu Qingyang continued, "The Dog Elder has some information that needs to be conveyed to the Master of Zhishi Palace." "What is it?" "Before the Chu family's downfall, the Night Rose had no leader," Fu Qingyang said. "The Dog Elder wants to know her opinion." "Understood." About half an hour later, the administrator of the Wu-Xing Alliance's forum posted a message, highlighting it in red and placing it at the top. The post was simple—a task report on handling the incident involving the infant spirits. The report was of ordinary confidentiality level, typical of a regular spiritual realm journeyer's case, so its release posed no issue. Yet this allowed several official journeyers who were previously unaware that the Primordial Sovereign had spiritual servants to deduce many key details from it. Upon reading the report, the Wu-Xing Alliance's spiritual realm journeyers immediately became alert. "Ah, so that's what it was all about! We should have known earlier—let's forward it to the Taimei Forum." "Good thing, good thing—I was afraid the Primordial Sovereign's image was collapsing." "We've already forwarded it. Those dullards have gone silent. Only a few stubborn ones keep insisting they're ignoring facts. Can the Primordial Sovereign really be at fault?" Certainly, the Five Elements Alliance also imposed a fair penalty on Yuanshishen for privately retaining his spiritual servant—she was given a reprimand and deducted one month's salary. "The people from Taimei are watching you," Guan Ya suddenly said softly. Today's location was not far from Taimei's arena, so they could clearly see each other's faces. As a scout, Guan Ya had first noticed the night-wanderers' attentive glances. Zhang Yuanqing followed the sound of her voice and saw a series of unkind stares. However, the well-known sages like Yin Ji and Fengdu Ghost King did not pay him any special attention. The night-wanderers who were openly hostile toward him were mostly at the extraordinary stage. "Hmm..." When Zhang Yuanqing saw Sun Miao-miao being surrounded by her colleagues, he was about to be struck by her beauty—only to realize suddenly that her gaze toward him was off. It was complex—hard to describe, perhaps like Tom seeing Jerry, full of excitement mixed with longing, and that longing tinged with a strong sense of territorial ambition. "...Even as a skilled socializer, Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help but shift his gaze, unwilling to meet her eyes. What on earth was going on with this girl?" At this moment, the armored swordsman steps forward to announce the competition rules, and immediately, the spiritual realm travelers' views display the match pairings: "Zhou Bapi VS The Proud Young Hero" "Fatigue-Induced VS The One Who Only Drinks Sweet Soybean Milk" "Long Qianyun VS The Neighboring Young Housewife" "The Earth God VS Zhurong" "The Rook VS The One Who Likes Handsome Brothers" Still forty pairs, totaling eighty contestants. Today's standout stars are two: the Earth God, ranked second among the transcendental realm, and the Rook, ranked tenth. Zhang Yuanqing's interest is instantly piqued. The top three are strong contenders for the championship, and the Earth God, ranked second, is renowned for his impenetrable defense—so strong that he nearly exhausted last year's champion, forcing him to concede defeat. To Zhang Yuanqing, the Earth God is undoubtedly a formidable opponent on the path to victory. He can't wait to see just how resilient he truly is. As for the "soldier crossing the river," Zhang Yuanqing was equally curious. After all, this was a scout—well known fact, scouts at the transcendental stage are true eyes. But what kind of combat prowess could true eyes possibly possess? Yet, this soldier managed to rank among the top ten among such formidable contenders—this man must be no ordinary one. After several exciting battles, the moment finally arrived for the land god's appearance. "Fourth match: the Land God versus Zhurong," announced the armored swordsman, standing at the center of the arena. With his words, a fiery sphere shot from the stands, soaring toward the field, then rapidly expanded into a tall, resolute young man. His entrance was majestic, earning a thunderous ovation. Zhang Yuanqing quickly scanned the crowd, then settled his gaze on an elderly man dressed in leather garments, wearing black sunglasses, and holding a cigar between his teeth. This man resembled a seasoned rock singer, exuding an aura of independence and modernity. As soon as he stepped onto the stage, the crowd's cheers erupted—clearly demonstrating the high demand for this star performer. This is quite different from what I expected—the kind, gentle landlord god with a white beard, you know… Zhang Yuanqing mentally groaned. After both parties had entered the arena, the young man with the ID "Zhurong" eagerly exclaimed, "Lord Land God, at this time last year, I was only a Level 2 Fire Master. Back then, I used to watch you dominate the arena and feel so envious. Now, however, I've reached Level 3, and I believe I can defeat you." His pronunciation was rather unusual, clearly indicating he hailed from a region where people frequently consume Fujian cuisine. The landlord god, holding his cigar, grumbled, "Bro, can you even speak standard Mandarin?" "I'm saying plain Mandarin," the young man replied. The landlord god waved his hand and said, "Fine, let's cut the chatter—let's go!" Indeed, as a Fire Master, he lived up to his title—without a single word, he unleashed a burst of flame from his feet, propelling himself forward with powerful momentum like a swift arrow. "Good work—your fire control has truly matured," the landlord god praised. "There's still more to come." Zhuo Rong roared, igniting a blazing hot flame in his fist and delivering a powerful punch to the Land God's face. But as soon as the fist approached the old man three cubits away, it was blocked by a hazy yellow glow. Thump, thump, thump... Zhuo Rong surrounded himself with flames, punching and kicking with all his might, launching bursts of fire that exploded like hand grenades, creating a shattering effect. The Land God remained motionless, his glasses undisturbed. Seeing this, Zhuo Rong's expression grew concerned. He raised his voice with dignity: "I still have more tricks up my sleeve. Hmph, wood overcomes earth—this time, you won't last." With that, he summoned a green, lush wooden sword. Thump, thump, thump... Zhuo Rong wielded the sword, slashing and chopping around the Land God with confidence. After several minutes, the Land God remained steadfast. "Can't be overcome?" Zhuo Rong gritted his teeth. "I still have one more move..." But as he spoke, he suddenly felt waves of dizziness and growing weakness throughout his body. The Earth God exhaled a steady stream of green vapor, speaking with the emphasis of Zhurong, saying, "Do you think I'm holding a cigar just to look cool like the young folks? You've been poisoned, haven't you? Young man, even before you became a Lingjing Voyager, I was already at Level 3. How can you possibly defeat me? Just lay down your mat!" He delivered a solid punch that knocked Zhurong unconscious. The Covered-Plate Swordsman declared, "The Earth God wins!" The audience erupted in thunderous applause, cheering for the elder. Strong indeed—this defense has been refined to rival even a Saint-level adept... Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help but feel disheartened. In truth, the Fire Master wasn't weak; his attacks were swift and aggressive. After all, among the lawful-aligned professions, the Fire Master ranks highly in melee combat. Yet against the Earth God, he appeared quite outmatched. Kuan turned to him, leaned in, and whispered, "Now that you understand his defensive strength, how do you feel? Do you have confidence?" Zhang Yuanqing gently shook his head. "I can't make any progress." The Blood-Thirst After much thought, Zhang Yuanqing could only come up with one strategy—be stubborn! He would leverage the relentless pursuit of the Red Dance Shoes, slowly wearing him down like a dull knife cutting flesh. Meanwhile, as the host, he would use skills such as night wandering and flame leaping to keep the opponent engaged. However, defense was only one of the land god's tools. As a seasoned earth monster, he was surely capable of more than that. With the second already so strong, the first would surely be even stronger, and the third would be no different. Zhang Yuanqing felt an unprecedented sense of pressure.