No wonder—every time, it's the late hours, making it impossible to sleep... Zhang Yuanqing lifts the blanket, opens the drawer of his desk, takes out the Cat King speaker, and begins his night journey. The entire sequence is completed with his eyes closed, so smooth and practiced it's heart-wrenching. "Zzzz~" Through the hum of electricity, the speaker emits soft murmurs from a woman, a man's breaths, and the sounds of bodies colliding... Indeed, you're no ordinary one, ever-steady Magistrate, ever-changing in your affections—what a feat! Zhang Yuanqing silently chides himself, striving to remain calm and undisturbed by his growing reveries. Yet, it's impossible to fully suppress his imagination. Who is the woman the Magistrate is sleeping with this time? Surely she's beautiful—what if she has a pig's tail trailing from her hips? That would be truly exceptional! ? As Zhang Yuanqing's thoughts spiral, his face suddenly stiffens. At this very moment, he feels a strong urge to cover his face and break into tears. It's time to find a way to sell the scarecrow—this thing Undoubtedly, this is the price paid for using the straw man tactic. On the arena, he had been forced to resort to it several times, and thus the pig-tail curse reappeared. The pollution caused by the straw man is irreversible—it cannot be purged even by the cleansing power. Previously, when he had stored the straw man in the warehouse, the symptoms of the pig-tail curse had somewhat eased, indicating that the pollution had not yet reached the point of completely altering the species' orientation. However, after several uses on the arena, even when he stored it again in the clan's warehouse, the curse reappeared. This shows that the erosion of the pollution is deepening. "It won't work even if I keep it in the clan's warehouse. Such a powerful artifact, I'm sure I'll reach for it whenever I'm in danger." Zhang Yuanqing thought carefully and decided to find an opportunity to sell it to Mr. Bill. Unconsciously, the audio, carried on the hissing current, skipped over this rather unseemly segment, and only the Magus's breathy chuckle remained: "Good sister, are you comfortable?" The woman softly replied, "Hmm." "Are you comfortable? Tell me!" The magical lord chuckled playfully. "Ugh! That's annoying!" the woman complained, her voice tinged with youthful irritation. This woman seemed different—more reserved and shy, unlike the previous recordings, which had been full of lively, flirtatious energy. Zhang Yuanqing mused to himself. As an unmarried college student, he naturally found reserved girls endearing and was often put off by women who were more liberated and uninhibited. Suddenly, the audio fell silent, replaced by soft, steady breaths—clearly, the two were kissing. A moment later, the magical lord murmured, "I really liked the way you called me 'brother' just now. Could you call me that again, please?" The woman remained silent. Only after persistent coaxing did she finally manage to whisper, "Good brother." The magical lord beamed, exclaiming, "Excellent sister!" Oh for heaven's sake—so cheesy! I'm practically covered in goosebumps... Zhang Yuanqing thought, wondering if they could at least consider the audience's comfort. Fortunately, you passed away early, magical lord. Otherwise, I’d have had you socially perish in a heartbeat. The woman scolded, "You're clearly younger than me, yet you insist on hearing me call you 'brother.' We can't linger here much longer—Master Hongying will surely come looking for us." The demonic sovereign growled, "This old woman is relentless. When I ascend to the rank of Sovereign, I'll have the first chance to put her down." "She's my superior, treating me like a daughter and a mentor... Ah well, what can I say—your reputation has been tarnished, and she'll never allow us to be together." Hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing felt a sudden rush of clarity in his mind—now he knew who the female lead of the audio drama was. The Yin Sect, Lady Yin! Zhang Yuanqing recalled Lady Yin's appearance. Though on the battle stage she wore a veil, making her face indistinct, a true beauty could be recognized simply by her form and presence. There was no doubt—Lady Yin was an exceptionally beautiful woman. What a pity for the young demon sovereign… Zhang Yuanqing sighed in frustration. The conversation in the audio continued. Yin Ji said, "Let's set her aside. Now that you're at Level 6, I recommend you skip the year-end killing raid for now. Spend another year or so refining your cultivation in the Saint's Realm—either integrating the Stellar Power fully or re-refining the Taiyin Power. In short, don't rush to ascend to Sovereign too soon." The Magistrate was astonished, "Why?" "Old Master Hong Ying once told me that the Night-Wanderer deity is particularly unique. After reaching Sovereign, if one wishes to advance further, they must specialize in one of three powers—Taiyin, Stellar, or Solar. Once at Sovereign, however, your choice narrows down to Solar alone. Yet, absolutely, absolutely—don't choose Solar." "...I've never heard such a thing. Indeed, why not choose Solar?" "Old Master Hong Ying didn't explain that." "Then what about the Master of Taiyi Sect? What does he specialize in?" "Have you forgotten his title?" "Stargazing, surveying the peaks and rivers—omniscient?" I understand... The hum of electricity replaced the conversation. Zhang Yuanqing stepped out of his night journey and sat by his desk, reflecting. Must he choose between specializing in the Yin Stars and the Sun? This decision would matter for the realm beyond the Sovereign Realm. Suddenly, I see why Zhao Chenguang had stalled at the Transcendent stage—he had chosen Yin specialization. Then, I too need to consider which one to specialize in. According to Yin Ji's words, the choice must be made before reaching the Sovereign level—so only Yin or Stars remain. I will first advance to the Saint level and examine what abilities the Star Officials possess. Then, I'll decide whether to specialize in Yin or Stars. After all, what did the Demon King ultimately choose? Why not the Sun? The character "Sun" seems so fitting for the Demon King. The Master of Tai Men, after all, specializes in the Stars. At this moment, the speaker in the King Cat's音箱 once again carried the voice of the Mage King—not a conversation, but a recording: "I met a young woman—so beautiful that I'd be willing to give up an entire forest for her. Her name is Yin Ji." "She knew I was a servant of the Magistrate of the Strange Eyes, that I had been tainted by the Fallen Holy Cup. Yet she still chose to follow me, to stay by my side. How could such a me—so tarnished—possibly measure up to her?" "From today on, listen to the audio of the Transcendent Initial stage every day, to recover the kind, pure version of myself and resist the encroachment of the Fallen Holy Cup. At the same time, I must sever ties with those women." "May the heavens protect you—what you've given me so far is nothing. Please, don't take her from me now." Indeed, the Mage King holds a special place in his heart for Yin Ji. I remember in the earlier audio segments, he had already reached the Saint's Realm. When he slept with women, he was constantly saying things like 'just browsing,' treating them as mere commodities, showing little respect Yet at the Sage Realm, his attitude toward Yin Ji was that of a man in love—constantly endearing and affectionate, always calling her "my dear sister." Clearly, he truly loved Yin Ji. Alas... Zhang Yuanqing sighed. Though the past could not be changed, he could have prayed for their sake had he wished. Eventually, Yin Ji was brought back to the Taimei Sect by Red Ying Elder, and the two parted ways, becoming strangers with no further contact. The Demon King fell completely into decline, abandoning himself. Nevertheless, even in his later years, he never killed Red Ying Elder—though, given his strength at that time, such a feat should have been within his reach. The reason, likely, was the words Yin Ji had once spoken. "Buzzzz～" The hum of electricity filled the room, followed by a low, resonant song drifting from the speaker: "Since parting from my beloved, he has never returned. I sit in silence, gazing beyond the world of dust. Though flowers wilt and fade, they bloom again. My deepest love lingers, just beyond the white clouds." "The ocean of suffering stirs with love and hatred—within this world, one cannot escape fate." "Seriously, are you still trying to be dramatic?" Zhang Yuanqing slapped the cat king speaker with one hand. "Buzzzz～" The cat king speaker emitted a crackling sound, the song cut off, then faded entirely. Zhang Yuanqing waited a moment, seeing no further audio playback, and then returned the speaker to the drawer, sinking into the air-conditioning blanket and drifting off to sleep. ... The next morning, Zhang Yuanqing woke early, sat at the dining table enjoying breakfast, and habitually opened the official forum. His post from yesterday was still there, though no longer at the top—replaced instead by: #Saint-Level Stage Matchup, starting at 2 PM# Today is June 10th. The The tournament has to conclude within a week, so the match between the Extraordinary and the Saints won't be too far apart. Today in the afternoon, spectators can watch the Saint-level battles... Zhang Yuanqing finds this quite exciting—Saint-level combat is something he rarely sees on a daily basis. By observing Saint-level battles, he'll gain a deeper understanding of the characteristics of the Orderly Saints, which will help him better anticipate and understand his opponents when he's fighting in the future. After finishing his morning routine, he pretended to head out for school, carrying his backpack, and took a taxi outside the residential complex to head to Fu Family Village. Today, he needs to go to Fu Family Village to retrieve the corpse and collect the Later Earth Boots. Now that he no longer has to attend school—thanks to the Magi-Eye Emperor—Lo Shen, the senior from the Water God's Palace, has learned of his true identity and has agreed to handle his absences, promising him a smooth graduation. It's peak morning traffic, so the roads are congested and the taxi moves slowly, departing at 8:00 and only arriving at Fu Family Village at 9:30. Fortunately, he no longer lacks funds; otherwise, the taxi Arriving at Fu Qingyang's villa, guided by the rabbit maid, they reached the study. First, he saw No. 1 the deceased, lying on the floor rug, writhing violently—its pupils blazing with fury and brutality, determined to dismember the only living person in the room, Fu Qingyang. Yet it could not. Oh, I forgot to cancel the command... Zhang Yuanqing thought instantly, communicating with the shade through the imprint in his consciousness, calming its agitation. He stepped forward, drew out the blood-sucking blade, and severed the vines binding the shade. Only then did he turn to the two Fu Qingyangs at the far end of the red carpet—one hanging on the wall, the other seated behind the desk. "Thank you, Captain, for retrieving the shade," Zhang Yuan清 commanded, directing the shade to bow. Fu Qingyang immediately recalled the memory from the day before, speaking calmly: "You were a little late yesterday, and the night guardian of Taiping would have pummeled you." He didn't waste words, adding, "The match rewards have been settled. Your reward is the Later Earth Boots and a Class C merit." "Speaking, Zhang Yuanqing retrieved a pair of long boots from his inventory. His eyes lit up as his gaze followed the boots—similar in style to ancient soap boots, with a high shaft and thick, earth-yellow silk weave, intricately embroidered with elegant cloud patterns. The boots felt heavy; Fu Qingyang held them with both hands, his arms trembling slightly. "It's yours," Fu Qingyang said. Zhang Yuanqing hurried forward, eagerly taking the boots. "Crash!" He immediately collapsed to the ground, his arms firmly pressed into the surface, and heard the sound of his arm bones snapping.