In the taxi, Zhang Yuanqing remembered he hadn't yet informed Aunt Xiao Yuan about his successful completion of the killing-off quest. ——though she must have already learned from Kou Beiyue. "One has to maintain personal relationships. I've been busy chasing after Guan Ya all morning and completely forgot to mention it to Xiao Yuan." Zhang Yuanqing quickly pulled out his phone and sent a message to "Magical Aunt Xiao Yuan": "Aunt Xiao Yuan, I've returned! Beiyue told you about my points, right? Ah-ha, I've broken the record! Unfortunately, I didn't get to bet with you before entering the killing-off quest." To his surprise, after sending the message, there was no response—no trace of it at all. He thought, perhaps she hadn't seen it. At this time of day, she should have been at the hotel front desk,低头 scrolling on her phone. He sent a follow-up message: "Just promoted to Saint-level, quite busy with various affairs. I'll be by the hotel to see you soon (smiling)." Still no reply. So, he opened the official forum and checked the evaluations from the five elements alliance's various branches regarding himself. # Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun has achieved an unprecedented feat—everyone agrees he possesses the qualities of a true leader. # The Night-Wandering Deity of Tai Yi Men has offered sharply contrasting evaluations of Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun, with all of them unanimously exclaiming: "Master Sun is clearly mistaken." # Back then, the Demon King allied with the evil professions and eliminated the official colleagues who entered the campaign; now, Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun has wiped out the evil faction entirely—what a satisfying turnaround! # Aside from the top-posted announcements and the posts by the Peony Immortal, the first few pages of the forum are filled with discussions about the campaign of slaughter and his leadership. # Many familiar spiritual realm IDs are enthusiastically posting in the comments: "Lord Tian Zun." # Zhang Yuanqing has also noticed several new spiritual realm IDs. # [Master of the Dominant Blade: The extraordinary colleagues this mid-year are truly fortunate. When I first entered the campaign, my colleagues who joined me—three out of every four—perished. This year, fifteen of our members have been promoted to the rank of Sage through the Five Elements Alliance. Add in the campaign at year-end, and we've had a truly bountiful Just based on this, Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun's contributions are already incalculable—no idea what rewards headquarters will give him. [Serious guy Zhang Bai Ren: One single combat mission he completed earned him so much merit that it equals our lifetime's worth. Honestly, I'm now really looking forward to teaming up with him for future missions so I can also get a good hold of Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun's leg.] [Third-rate novelist: Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun's points have set a record—he's received top-tier experience and items, even exceeding those of ordinary saints. If we're matched with him, we might just have to rely on him for support.] [The Sovereign is unwell: These folks must be the officers, otherwise they'd never dare to directly address Tian Zun by name.] [The days gone by were long: It's fine—within a year or two, they'll start calling him "Tian Zun Sir" just like we do.] [Little Pig George: Just be bolder—maybe by next year, they'll actually start calling him that.] [The Dominant Blade, cutting down the underdogs: Which departments are these folks from? The Among all these chaotic posts, a few stand out as oddly out of place. For instance: #I admit that Yuan Shi Tian Zun played a pivotal role in the combat instances, but please don't blindly follow the trend and overlook the contributions of others.# — Posted by: Tian Xia Gui Huo. Yet no one responded to him. Out of the scarce dozen comments, half were mere filler remarks, the other half were outright dismissive, even mocking him as a disgrace to the Fire Sect. The ones who criticized him were all from the Fire Sect. Another example: #Just heard that the official forum of Taiyuan Sect has gone silent en masse—supposedly Yuan Ting posted something that triggered the silence, and the post has since been deleted; the content remains unknown.# Upon reading this, Zhang Yuanqing felt a sudden pang of concern. He thought, "Well, it's finally here." If the scandal involving the Baihua Sect's elder's personal affairs spreads, I'm not sure whether Yuan Ting will be eliminated, but I know I will certainly be held accountable. Then he thought of something even more dreadful: Fu Qingyang's garbage theory and the information from Magician King's testimony would surely not go unnoticed. "The Centurion won't forgive me, nor will the old dog elder. This is it—Barbie's done." Zhang Yuanqing felt a cold rush through him. … Mid-June, noon, the sun scorching. Outside the residential complex, the supermarket hung plastic windbreaks, with few customers. At the neighboring fruit shop, the owner idly chewed on a watermelon, equally unattended. This summer had been unusually hot; the elderly residents had grown reluctant to go out. Beyond the steady flow of traffic, pedestrian activity was surprisingly sparse. The taxi stopped outside the complex once again, setting Zhang Yuanqing—once more—down at Fu's Bay. He stepped out, bearing the midday heat, first bought two large watermelons at the fruit shop across the street, then purchased a pack of cigarettes at the supermarket. No gift was needed for a visit unless he had done something to feel guilty. Staying in the killing quest for three days, accumulating over thirty unanswered calls and dozens of unread messages from my grandmother and aunt. This trip home, if he doesn't bring anything back, he'll be the one being repeatedly mentioned—along with my grandfather, making it three against Zhang Yuanqing. Arriving at the doorstep by elevator, entering the password, and opening the security gate. Just past lunchtime, my grandfather and grandmother, having just finished their lunch, are seated in the living room watching TV. "Grandmother, I'm back!" Zhang Yuanqing calls out warmly. Grandmother turns her head, her face full of scorn. "Who is this? Why is he calling around? We don't even have a grandson here—instead, we've raised a white-bird wolf." Zhang Yuanqing says, "Mom, I'm back." "Who's Mom?!" Grandmother rises and starts giving him a dressing-down. "Didn't you just say we didn't have any grandchildren?" Zhang Yuanqing pretends to be hurt. Grandmother gives him several good scolds, her voice rising. "Do you even realize you're back? You've ignored calls, ignored messages—have you grown your wings and flown away?" "Didn't I say I'd be going out for a few days? I've just met my girlfriend," Zhang Yuanqing immediately began lying, using the term "girlfriend" to emphasize his maturity and to suggest that his grandmother shouldn't interfere so much. "You can't just disappear after meeting someone, can you? Isn't it your girlfriend who's not letting you answer your phone?" Grandmother thought to herself: "My grandson, whom I've raised all these years, surely wouldn't be this rebellious. It must be some wild woman from outside spoiling him." It's Lingjing who's not letting me answer the phone—not my girlfriend at all... Zhang Yuanqing deflected the question and quickly pushed the watermelon toward her. "My girlfriend knows you love watermelons, so she特意 bought it right at the entrance of the community." He then handed the cigarette to Grandfather. "Grandfather, you have a gift too." Grandfather took the cigarette, examined it, and nodded with satisfaction. "Be mindful of moderation." With the watermelon now in her hands, Grandmother's tone had softened slightly. She gave a cold sniff. "She sent you back? Why didn't she come up with you?" "Tomorrow's Saturday. You're bringing her back for dinner—last time I said this, you promised. You've been dragging it on so long. If you keep being indifferent, I'll call your mother and tell her about it." Grandmother adopted a tone as if she were conducting a formal evaluation. "What does Chen Shu have to do with this? I've already expelled her from my family." Zhang Yuanqing muttered. Grandmother narrowed her eyes, "What did you just say?" Zhang Yuanqing raised his voice, "I said I understand. I'll find out later." He intended to bring Guan Ya back. If Guan Ya refused, he'd bring Xue Cangqi back as a stand-in girlfriend. Although the ghostly woman's gaze was cold and lacked warmth, he had the ghost bride—her, a young lady from a century ago, deeply respectful of hierarchy and etiquette. She would surely show great reverence toward her in-laws, the grandparents. The only thing to watch out for was that she might unexpectedly say: "My daughter Bai Lan would like to pay her respects to both elders. From now on, she will diligently serve the husband and ensure the family's lineage continues." Zhang Yuanqing, known for his social ease, genuinely didn't know how to smoothly bring the conversation back on track. "Have you eaten?" Grandma asked, her face stern. "Starving!" "There's still some food left—I'll make you something now," Grandma said, turning toward the kitchen. The family never keeps leftovers; anything not finished is discarded. ... The International Tower. Anne sat at her desk, her smooth, delicate fingers dancing across the keyboard, typing swiftly and efficiently until she finished composing and sent the email. After receiving the news from Taimei Lingjun, she returned to her office and contacted several official members supported by the Mei Shen Association, verifying the information with them. She then immediately drafted and sent an email to her immediate superior, the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Anne lifted her hands from the keyboard, picked up the cup on the desk, took a sip of coffee, and stared at the words "Sent Successfully" displayed on the screen, lost in thought. Until this moment, she hadn't fully recovered from the profound impact of the news. She had expected Yuan Shi Tian Zun to have a strong chance of claiming the top spot—after all, he was the man she had her eyes on. But Anne had never imagined that this young foreigner would achieve such remarkable results. Annie was just as confident as Betty, yet she had to admit she fell short of Betty when it came to winning over targets. Born into a wealthy family, Annie's ancestors traced back two centuries to a noble house, and from an early age, she was instilled with grace, etiquette, and a deep sense of pride in her family's legacy. In diplomatic matters, she excelled at achieving her goals through polished manners, refined conversation, and professional competence. Betty, on the other hand, was more adept at using her physical charm and body to accomplish her objectives. Naturally, Annie would make good use of her personal allure when approaching someone like the Prime Immortal, but she still needed to carefully consider how to win over the Prime Immortal. Typically, young men of her age were quite easy to charm and could be successfully courted and brought to bed, but the Prime Immortal was different—he had a particular fondness for pig-tail imagery, and neither Eastern shamans nor Western magical beings could transform themselves into the appealing form of a pig-tailed figure. Thus, a new approach would be required. The young man has a strong sense of possession. Since he's not someone who can be casually courted and taken to bed, I need to be mindful of my image—never letting him think I'm a woman with many romantic interests, otherwise he'll hold me at arm's length. Men generally prefer gentle, accommodating women; they find it hard to resist when a beautiful woman consistently pleads and shows attentiveness—what I'd call in Chinese, a strategy of softness and charm. I'll invite him to dinner to celebrate his promotion to saint status. At that moment, the phone on the table rings. It's Ling Jun. Annie answers the call. "Ms. Annie, would you be free tomorrow evening? Would you like to join me for dinner?" Ling Jun's warm, soothing, and deeply masculine voice comes through. "I'm sorry, Mr. Ling, but I won't be free tomorrow evening." Annie politely declines. "Alright..." Ling Jun finds it puzzling. The woman who had been so enthusiastic and engaged earlier in the morning suddenly turns cold—how could it be that her passion for romance and her charm in love were all just part of her sea-woman persona? But Lingjun wouldn't give up. He had countless strategies to win over Anne and thus fulfill Fu Qingyang's assigned task. ... After having dinner and drinking his grandmother's stewed duck soup, Zhang Yuanqing lay on the bed, gently patting his belly. Enjoying the cool breeze from the air conditioner, he drifted off into thought, pondering various matters. "Strange. I've already returned to the main city for several hours now, and yet the forum members who've been praising me have all managed to secure positions in Songhai and even made it all the way to Beijing. Why hasn't Dog Elder reached out to me? He should have come to talk to me by now, shouldn't he?... He mustn't have anticipated that I'd use this opportunity to make a request—asking the organization to draw materials from its warehouse to upgrade the ranks of Yin Shi and Ling Pu, right? After being promoted to Saint, numerous matters await him. First comes the issue of his official position. With both merit and rank in place, the organizational appointment documents should soon follow. Before those are issued, Dog Elder is bound to meet with him, offering suggestions on his promotion and assignment, and seeking his personal input. Zhang Yuanqing's thought was simple: if he could stay in Songhai, he would try to stay as long as possible. He hadn't yet reached the age when he'd be willing to leave his hometown for work, nor had he fully made up his mind. Secondly, the upgrades for the Yin-Shi and Ling-Pu. Whether it was the Ghost Bride, the lively young fellow, or the Blood Rose—each of them needed to be upgraded, otherwise they wouldn't match his current level. Lastly, the matter of investigating the soldier's disappearance. "Now that I've become a Saint, I'm able to investigate the soldier's disappearance. But aside from the Cat King speaker, he left no other traces... Yes, the Cat King speaker is the clue. It has a sense of self-awareness. It should play out the soldier's story once I'm promoted to Saint." With this in mind, Zhang Yuanqing stood up and walked to his desk, opened the drawer, and took out the sleek black metal speaker. "I've cleared the Killing Quest. Any information about the 'Young Soldier King'—please share it with me now." Yet the Cat King speaker remained stubborn, paying him no attention at all. What a nonviolent, cooperative prop! How didn't the magic king just dismantle you? Zhang Yuanqing smoothly produced the Blood-Drinking Blade, pressing the tip against the speaker's casing. "Zzzz... Help! I'm being killed! Chang Wei's killing me!" came the flippant plea from within the speaker. Zhang Yuanqing tightened his grip, and the speaker's cries instantly faded, leaving only a steady hum of electricity and a heavy, labored breathing: "Huff... huff... huff..." The breathing sounded like an old, worn-out fan—raspy and rough. Then, the magus's voice, strained and bitter, came through: "Damn white-haired woman! Her strength surpasses mine by far. I haven't yet reached the Half-Deity realm, and she's already beyond my reach. I'll wait—until I become a Half-Deity, until I rise to the highest of all powers, and then I'll wipe out this humiliation with blood and fire... But, honestly, the white-haired woman is stunning. More beautiful than my Yin Ji sister, more beautiful than most women I've ever slept with. Only the Grand Master can match her in appearance, figure, and grace." What about the half-gods? Transcendent, Sage, Sovereign… then comes the half-god? Or is the half-god a term used informally, specific to certain powerful groups? "Lord Magus, besides sleeping with women, do you still have anything else in your mind?" A voice echoed through the speaker—familiar beyond recognition. Zhang Yuanqing perked up. It was Bing's voice. "Ha ha!" Lord Magus chuckled. "You're always thinking only in terms of violence. By the way, I've invited several attractive wood immortals—soft, delicate, fresh as spring flowers. Stay and enjoy them with me, life is short, seize the moment!" "Uninterested!" Bing's voice grew deeper. "Since your promotion to Sovereign, the erosion from the Fallen Holy Cup has deepened. Lord Magus, I'm starting to lose recognition of you." At this, Bing suddenly sighed. "I always believed Yin Ji would heal you. I thought she was the remedy. But now, after losing her, you've only grown more decadent. Self-sabotaging isn't really your style." The mage king remained silent for several seconds, briefly passing over Yin Ji's matter, then spoke slowly: "Therefore, the deeper the erosion from the Fallen Holy Grail, the more severe the damage to the Ghost-Eye Judge the higher one's rank. Since ascending to the rank of Sovereign, I've consistently heard voices I shouldn't hear and seen things I shouldn't see. And when I sleep, there seems to be a terrifying will awakening within my body—willing to replace me, to take control of me. That will originates from the Fallen Holy Grail." "I suspect that once I reach the rank of half-god, that will will completely take over my form..." Immediately, Bing's voice came through the speaker: "Do you have a detailed plan? When exactly will you act?" "In six months..." the mage king replied, adding, "We must prepare for failure. If we fall to the Ghost-Eye Judge, then all efforts are rendered meaningless. But if we survive, only to fail, we'll need to find ways to suppress the Grail's contamination. What are your thoughts?" "After thinking for a moment, he said, 'I know a scholar named Lian San Yue. She has an extraordinary expertise in the study of props—perhaps she can find a way to counteract the contamination from the Holy Grail.' 'Lian San Yue... what's her relationship with "Feng Huo"?'" the Mage King exhaled. "Alright, give me a clear answer." The audio ended here. Rarely, the Mage King's audio didn't come with a series of crisp 'pffts' and 'ahhs'—Zhang Yuanqing silently chided himself in his mind. He stared intently at the Cat King speaker, carefully analyzing the content: "The Holy Grail's erosion deepens as the level increases. In its worst phase, it might even take over the host entirely. Yet it's also possible that the Mage King means the consciousness in question is actually a second personality nurtured by the Holy Grail. That's why he insists on eliminating Gui Yan Juan—the part of it is personal rivalry, but also, if he doesn't eliminate Gui Yan Juan, he simply won't be able to ascend to the rank of half-god." Yes, Zhang Yuanqing had confirmed: above the Sovereign "I remember the Demon King was just one step away from the Supreme—that Supreme must have been a half-god. But the Judge of Illusions, I suspect, still has a long way to go. Indeed, the Demon King's death must have had more to it than meets the eye." At the same time, he knew exactly what the Investigator would do next—find Lian San-yue! Based on the audio content, it's clear that the Investigator later discovered the method to suppress the pollution from the Fallen Holy Cup, and by finding Lian San-yue, he would learn the Investigator's own whereabouts. Indeed, as my level grows, the insights provided by the Cat King Speaker are becoming richer and more valuable. Zhang Yuanqing gently touched the top of his cherished item, opened the drawer, and placed it back. "Buzzzz…" The Cat King Speaker emitted a hum of electricity, as though unwilling to be taken out so quickly, and then played a lively, resonant audio segment: "When there's a matter, Zhong Wuyan is called; when there's no matter, Xia Yingchun is summoned! When there's a matter, Zhong Wuyan is called; when there's no matter, Xia “Yuanzi~” Grandma’s voice came from the living room, “Please lower your volume a bit so as not to disturb Grandpa while he’s watching the news.” “Got it…” Zhang Yuanqing gently repositioned the Cat King speaker on the desk. After all, the content was merely a simple protest—not the refined, engaging audio performances of the Lord of Magic—so a little compromise was acceptable. The speaker immediately began playing a soothing, melodic piano piece at a softer volume. This item, which couldn’t be stored in the inventory, occasionally showed its flair with such performances. —It houses the soul of a free-spirited, independent Cat King. Zhang Yuanqing listened to the gentle piano rhythm and remembered there was still one matter to attend to: whether to return the Vamper Staff to the old wooden clog, which would require consulting the Dog Elder. "The Fúmó Chariot has already been designated by the Lady—should it not be returned, it will no longer be usable within the quest realm, though it can still be used in reality. But once returned, this item will be completely out of my life. As my very first item, my feelings for it are as deep as a cat's affection for a small fish biscuit. Speaking of that, the old sturdy one is truly magnificent—such an Eastern classical goddess! Muttering these words, he reached out and took the Fúmó Chariot, brushing it gently while it was still within reach, knowing he might not have this chance again. The chariot, about half the length of his arm, felt slightly heavy in his hands—crafted from bronze and intricately engraved with elegant incantations—now resting in his palm. Zhang Yuancheng traced the cool bronze with his fingers, studying it for a few seconds, when suddenly he noticed something odd: the once-dull bronze had now become remarkably bright and fresh, as if polished, like it had just been machined in the factory. 'Hmm. After the old sturdy one has been used, it's now brighter and newer than ever Look at the attributes—have they changed? As the words fell, the Fumigating Staff suddenly burst forth with a powerful golden light, overwhelming the sunlight streaming in from the window and casting the ceiling, walls, and everything in the room in a brilliant golden hue. A goddess, clad in a flowing silk robe, with ethereal grace and heavenly beauty, drifted out of the staff and gracefully materialized in midair. In the next instant, she lowered her gaze—cool and serene as a mountain spring—and coldly remarked, "An old stick?" Zhang Yuanqing was deeply stunned, standing motionless, completely forgetting to prostrate himself in reverence.