"What news?" Lin San-yue extinguished her lady's cigarette at her fingertip, lit a new one, gently pursed her vibrant, sensuous lips, and exhaled a slow stream of cool smoke. "Merchandise has value, but intelligence is priceless. If you're dealing with relatively confidential information—or especially high-level secrets—my offer might be beyond what you can afford." Intelligence typically carried no fixed price; it was usually negotiated between both parties. "I understand," Zhang Yuan-qing adjusted his backpack on his shoulders and said. "I'll provide a price that will satisfy you." The backpack contained numerous valuable materials and props he had carefully selected from his inventory before donning his flawless human skin. "Then, what would you like to know?" Lin San-yue tapped off the ash, leaned fully back into the chair, and asked with a relaxed posture. Zhang Yuan-qing paused thoughtfully, then said, "Do you know the young military champion?" Lian San Yue’s eyes suddenly narrowed, and in an instant, the lazy, relaxed demeanor that had been draped over her vanished. She fixed her deep, steady gaze on the young man before her. Without answering his question, she gracefully rose, stepped out from behind the counter, and with a fluid, elegant sway of her waist, circled around Zhang Yuanqing once. Then she murmured, “A commoner? No—what means have you used to conceal your true essence? I simply couldn’t see you clearly.” Zhang Yuanqing noticed that her gaze kept returning to his hands. With calm assurance, he lowered his arms, openly displaying his bare fingers. After all, though the perfect human skin wasn’t a rule-type item, it could still weave and transfer cause-and-effect—how could she possibly have detected it? Zhang Yuanqing said coldly, “Who I am doesn’t matter. What matters is whether we close the deal—clear and straightforward.” Lian San Yue smiled lightly, then returned to the counter and sat down again. “Why not?” She paused, then added, “I know him. He’s a rather interesting fire master.” Fire master? Ah, indeed, the soldier with strength and speed at A and intelligence at C has truly become a fire commander—now I no longer disgrace the fire faction. Zhang Yuanqing thought it with a deep sense of melancholy, yet remained composed on the surface. "How did you two meet?" asked Lian San Yue slowly. "We met during a group dungeon. We entered an S-tier group dungeon where we faced a major crisis. Our teammates kept dying one after another, and by the time we emerged, only I and he remained alive." Did you meet in the dungeon? Zhang Yuanqing was stunned, exclaiming, "Is he a Master?" Lian San Yue smiled and replied, "What do you think?" The title of Master is the professional designation for a Master Craftsman. Anyone capable of teaming up with a Master in a dungeon is naturally a Master. Yet Zhang Yuanqing stood there, motionless, utterly speechless. He made one mistake... He always thought Bing was a Saint, capable only up to Level 6. But what if Bing was actually a Sovereign? Though the Magus hadn't reached the halfway point of a divine being, according to the audio content provided by the Cat King's speaker, he claimed to be just one step away from the highest rank. A half-divine being, paired with a Sovereign-level fire master who also held the "Little Sun"—a power that counteracts the erosion of the Fallen Holy Cup—such a combination could hardly be defeated alongside the Guan Yin Judge. During the Sovereign-level battle at the school, the Wu Wang clearly demonstrated strength surpassing that of the Zhishi Palace Master, yet still falling short of the Dog Elder, who commanded rule-based artifacts. Thus, Wu Wang's level was likely around Level 8. As long-time rivals, the Guan Yin Judge and Wu Wang could not have been at the peak of Level 9 Sovereign status. With the Fallen Holy Cup being counteracted, an 8-level Wu Wang would struggle to stand against both the Magus and Bing. The battle that ultimately claimed both the Magus and the Guan Yin Judge must have had deeper secrets. Unfortunately, the Black Immortal was slain by the mysterious figure who had feigned to be the Magus King, his spirit scattered and gone. Otherwise, as a survivor who had witnessed the battle firsthand, he surely would have known something. Hey! Looking at it this way, wasn't it inevitable that Black Immortal was silenced back then? Zhang Yuanqing felt an inexplicable unease, a sudden chill running through him. He set aside his complex thoughts and returned to the main topic, asking, "Did the young military king consult you about methods to suppress the falling Holy Cup? He wanted to know whether he was alive or dead, and where he was located." Lian San-yue stared at him for several seconds, then slowly shook her head. "I cannot answer that question." "Price is negotiable!" Zhang Yuanqing said. Lian San-yue still shook her head. "It's not a matter of money. The young military king did indeed ask me, and I gave him an answer. In fact, I even know exactly where he is and what his current condition is—but this information is not something that can be sold." She truly knows!! Zhang Yuanqing felt a surge of excitement, took a deep breath, and followed up, "Why not sell it? As long as you set your conditions, I'll do my best to meet them. You're a merchant—there's no need to be stubborn about money." He knew that given Lian San-yue's nature, no matter how much money was offered, he might still refuse, yet he wasn't willing to give up. "You've misunderstood," Lian San-yue said calmly, exhaling a stream of white smoke. "I can't sell this intelligence because the young military general has already paid me to keep it. He said that soon, someone will find me to inquire about his affairs, and when that time comes, he hopes I'll pass on the message to him—but only after we exchange a code." "A code?" Zhang Yuanqing asked thoughtfully. "What kind of code?" Lian San-yue extinguished his cigarette, fixing him with steady eyes. "Please answer me now—what is the young military general's relationship to you? This is your only chance. If you get it wrong, I'll never answer any of your questions again." Brother? Fellow? Close friend? Lifelong companion? Brother-in A series of terms flashed through Zhang Yuanqing's mind, but he dismissed them all. These answers were too ordinary, too mundane—lacking confidentiality. Although he had only one chance, if people kept sending inquiries over time, they would eventually guess correctly. Moreover, the real identity of Bing Ge wasn't a secret to some people—such as the Mysterious Eye Judge, the Black Undead, or perhaps others he himself didn't know. As for Bing Ge's close friend? With a little investigation, it wouldn't be difficult to uncover the identity of "Zhang Yuanqing." Bing Ge wouldn't leave such an obvious vulnerability to jeopardize him. As his thoughts took shape, Zhang Yuanqing found his answer. He took a deep breath again and spoke with a tone of mixed emotion: "Detective Assistant!" Lian San月 smiled and gave a crisp tap of her finger. "Congratulations—you've answered correctly." "Pause a moment, and with Zhang Yuanqing's relieved breath, she said: 'The means capable of countering the power of the Fallen Holy Grail are rare and of a very high level. To sustain long-term suppression of its encroachment is even rarer—perhaps even the Sovereign-tier Spirit Realm travelers wouldn't know of such methods. Yet, I do know. That power isn't in the physical world, but within the Spirit Realm. When the young military prince asked me how to maintain long-term suppression of the Fallen Holy Grail's influence, I replied, "Spirit Realm 19."' You're being rather demanding, aren't you? Zhang Yuanqing didn't hesitate. "Just give me the specific details, and that's all." He could indeed check the information about the instance through Fu Qingyang's account in the official repository, but he also had to consider that the repository might not have collected all the data. According to the numbering system of the spiritual realm, instances for the Transcendent Realm are four-digit numbers, totaling 9,999 instances; those for the Saint Realm are three-digit numbers, totaling 999 instances. And so on—instances for the Sovereign Realm are two-digit numbers, totaling 99 instances. The instance No. 19 that Lian San-yue entered is of Sovereign Realm level. Even if the official repository has such instances, Fu Qingyang would certainly inquire about them when accessing them through his account. For one million, he could obtain detailed information—quite a good value—and there was no need to go through the official channels. He immediately retrieved a piece of material at the Star Official level and placed it on the counter. It was a handful of sand glowing with a dreamlike radiance of stars. "Star sand, 500 grams, valued at 1 "Retrieved the materials after three months, placed six stacks of paper currency on the counter, 'Here you go.' Once Zhang Yuanqing had packed the thirty thousand yuan into her backpack, she said: 'On the 19th, the realm: The Secret of the Five Elements. A multiplayer instance, S-tier, death-based. This was my last instance entered after my promotion to Master, and the one I teamed up with the young military general during that day. 'The instance features five bosses, each symbolizing Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. After defeating them, one can proceed to the deepest part of the instance—a frozen abyss. 'I don't know what lies within the abyss, as the instance ends once the five bosses are defeated. Yet, I have always vividly remembered the power of the abyss—the sensation of freezing and sealing everything.' Freezing and sealing everything? Zhang Yuanqing asked half-guessing, half-inquiring. 'The Night Eternal profession?' 'Exactly.' "Lian San Yue gave a positive reply: 'But this is only part of the deep abyss's essence. The force that freezes everything—I believe it comes from the Water Spirit profession, and its level reaches the rank of half-god. Do you know what a half-god is? If not, then spend another one million.' 'The five official Grand Masters are half-gods. As expected, the heads of major organizations are also half-gods.' Zhang Yuanqing spoke calmly. 'Combined, there are nearly twenty half-gods across the two Spiritual Realm regions.' Lian San Yue was somewhat surprised, looking at him several times. 'You know quite a bit—your level must be quite high, or perhaps you hold a high position within a certain organization?' 'However, you haven't yet reached the rank of Sovereign. If you were a Sovereign, you'd know that the Evil Professions have no half-gods—only warriors whose power rivals that of a half-god.' Do the Evil Professions have no half-gods? So, the half-god rank, like the Sovereign, Saint, and Transcendent ranks, is a designation of a stage, not a measure of power strength. Zhang Yuanqing asked curiously, "Why do evil professions lack half-gods?" After pausing to think, he added, "How much would it cost?" Lian San Yue shook her head, "No matter how much we offer, it won't make a difference—because I simply don't know." She changed the subject and said, "As a weaponsmith, I'm highly sensitive to the strengths and characteristics of various professions. Therefore, I told the young soldier-king that as soon as he returns to the 0019th spiritual realm and enters the Abyss, the power of the Fallen Holy Cup will be sealed—of course, he will also be sealed. The erosion of the Fallen Holy Cup is irreversible unless through death; yet he seems to believe that, eventually, he will recover fully. That's all I know to share." Ah, now I understand! Zhang Yuanqing had it all clear. It seems the soldier has been using the magic king's transmission talismans, re-entering the 19th realm after defeating the mysterious judge, which aligns perfectly with the talismans' properties. Any place you've visited can be returned to using the Transportation Crystal. "Why does the main storyline end after defeating the boss, yet the Deep Abyss is treated as a hidden quest?" Zhang Yuanqing asked, adding, "This is an extension of the副本's detailed information—you can't charge a fee for it." "It's not a hidden quest," Lian San Yue shook her head. "The atmosphere of the Deep Abyss makes even the rulers tremble; clearly, it's beyond the capability of a ruler to complete. My hypothesis is that the 19th Spiritual Realm might be the result of a fusion between two types of quests—the first half being of ruler-level difficulty, while the Deep Abyss itself is of semi-divine level." "Another possibility," she continued, "is that it might be a bug." "How so?" Zhang Yuanqing asked curiously. "Lian San Yue said, "The background of the Five Elements Secret is set in the Tang Dynasty. During that time, I and he wandered near the Deep Abyss. Besides the two overwhelming presences, I also heard breathing sounds—coming from the depths of the Abyss. Those sounds suggest something might be sleeping there, quietly." "Your rank isn't low—you should know that the instances were established upon the foundation of ancient cultivators. Given the nature of the Abyss, which seals everything, wouldn't it be possible that at its very core lies a cultivator from the Tang Dynasty? Due to the freezing and sealing effect, this cultivator has endured through centuries without dying, living on until the emergence of the Spiritual Realm. The Spiritual Realm incorporated this sealed site into the instance, yet because of the sealing, the cultivator remains immobile and cannot manifest. Therefore, Instance 19 remains a Sovereign-level instance—because it's fundamentally impossible to face the entity sealed within the Abyss." So this is a bug? That makes sense... Zhang Yuanqing nodded slowly, but a new question arose in his mind: "Why does the Eternal Night profession's power appear in our region's Spiritual Realm instances?" As soon as he asked it, he already knew the answer. In ancient times, extraordinary abilities knew no borders—foreign practitioners could come to the Central Lands, and Central Lands practitioners could journey abroad. It was no impossible feat for a Tang Dynasty practitioner to travel overseas, acquire a sacred artifact from the realm of Eternal Night, or similar. "I already know. You needn’t answer," Zhang Yuanqing added. Lian San-yue nodded slightly and waved a hand, saying, "Closing time. If you have nothing to do, please go. Today, I’m not in the mood to run a business." "Wait!" Zhang Yuanqing said, "Your establishment is one of the largest hubs for intelligence gathering in the south. I’d like to inquire about one more piece of information." "Things are always piling up!" Lian San-yue complained, "Go on." "Have you heard of the Dog Elder at the Song Hai branch? Do you know he possesses a rule-based artifact called the Zoo?" Lian San-yue nodded. Zhang Yuanqing’s expression suddenly grew animated. Taking a step forward, he said, "I’d like to know—who was the previous owner of that rule-based artifact?"