Zhang Yuanqing looked at the information and fell into a long silence. The Twin Suns? The Twin Shadows? The Twin Suns are my father and the Palace Master’s father. As for the Twin Shadows—no one even knows who they are, not even their official identities or their spiritual realm IDs. That’s quite remarkable. Back then, the Five Element Alliance hadn’t been established yet, and the five organizations didn’t have strong government backing, so information gathering might have been lacking. By now, Zhang Yuanqing has a solid understanding of the Five Element Alliance’s development and background. At the time, the five organizations were civilian-based, functioning as influential "landed gentry" with ties to the imperial court, helping to maintain order. After the Light Compass War, when the previous Marshal fell, the five organizations restructured under the court’s initiative and were renamed the Five Element Alliance, fully formalizing their status. "Six years and over ten Sovereigns have been slain—this is quite terrifying. When you combine the orderly and evil factions, the number of Sovereigns is still limited. That's why it's said the 'Soaring Free' organization once dominated the scene. However, the dialogue feels overly dramatic—did the second half miss the part about 'charming and endearing villainous characters'? I didn't know the Light Compass appeared 24 years ago—back then, I wasn't even born. I remember the Cat King speaker once aired an audio clip featuring a conversation between the Demon King and a mysterious figure. The mysterious figure mentioned that the arrival of the Light Compass sparked fierce competition among countless spiritual realm travelers. It seems the Soaring Free organization was involved, yet the battle was of an exceptionally high caliber, with half-gods all participating. My father and his peers weren't half-gods, yet they managed to take part in the contest—so they must have been at the peak of Sovereign status, or even possessed abilities rivaling those of half-gods. Phew—so I'm not just a spiritual generation, but one of the outstanding ones." "After the Light Compass incident, the Xiao Yao organization vanished without a trace. Over the following nine years, the Chu family was wiped out, my father suffered a car accident, and the two Li Yang twins passed away one after another." "What exactly did the members of the Xiao Yao organization do during those nine years?" To uncover the truth behind the organization's disappearance, one must begin with the Light Compass, since the four siblings' fates were directly tied to the struggle over it. At least, according to the information provided in this record. Zhang Yuanqing thought carefully and quickly formed a clear course of action: first, gather information about the Light Compass from Fu Qingyang; second, call his mother and discuss what happened back then. Though his relationship with his biological mother had grown strained and he strongly resisted any contact, Zhang Yuanqing needed to understand what his father had left behind in him. If he remained unclear about these matters, he would have no idea how—or even when—he would meet his enemies in the future. Not only do I need to figure out what the dead-pan old dad left behind, but I also have to identify my enemies—only then can I prevent trouble. Oh, the very fact that I'm now facing the heir of the Mage King has me on edge. Now, the heir of the Xiaoyao Sect as well? For heaven's sake, how many karmic threads am I carrying around? Zhang Yuanqing sighed, feeling a growing sense of resignation. Since becoming a Spirit Realm traveler, the monthly dungeons have already been wearing him down. "My wife at home is quite a good cook—she's making me gain weight." Li Chunfeng said, chewing on a boiled egg. "It's time I started exercising. You scholars only surpass ordinary people slightly during the transcendent stage. I have a colleague named Wang Tai, also a scholar. Last time he had a health check-up, he was already suffering from all the symptoms of a sedentary lifestyle." Zhang Yuanqing returned his thoughts, sipping his vegetable soup, and added, "I'll have Guan Ya train you in combat and help you get fit." Li Chunfeng remained silent for a moment, hesitating, "Have I ever done anything to offend you?" "Then why do you want me dead?" "...Li brother, you've been getting more and more humorous lately. Last time you even threw in a homophonic pun—I was ready to dock you half a month's salary." "Never mind." Li Chunfeng now takes on freelance work for Jiang Jingwei and no longer cares about that salary. Just by writing summer assignments for Jiang Jingwei, he's earned over ten thousand yuan. Zhang Yuanqing glanced at him—this scholar used to be principled, refusing Jiang Jingwei's requests, believing that writing high school assignments was an insult to a scholar's dignity. Now, their conversations revolve around this: if you have classmates who need help with summer assignments, feel free to reach out to me, your friend—I'll offer you an eightfold discount. Money, after all, is a corrupting force—it erodes the steel-like faith of comrades. After finishing their breakfast, Zhang Yuanqing and Li Chunfeng returned to the dining room, where Yin Yao, the Princess of Yin, was intently focused on her tablet, watching a video titled "The Last Ming Dynasty." Guan Ya, the Queen, and Xie Lingxi had already returned to their rooms. "How do you think of this?" Zhang Yuanqing placed the dish on the table. "Xie Lingxi recommended it to me—she said it was a grand work rich in philosophy, elaborating on the rise and fall of dynasties." Princess Yin Yao conveyed a subtle mental fluctuation, communicating with the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign through the medium of spiritual resonance. This is a strike at the heart—Lingxi must be retaliating against you. Zhang Yuanqing murmured under his breath. As if sensing his inner thoughts, Princess Yin Yao transmitted her intent: "She has been disappointed. I have long seen through the mortal world." Without any profound life insights, she could never have crafted such a magnificent artifact as the Ghost Mirror. Zhang Yuanqing gazed at her exquisite countenance for a while, yet could not penetrate her inner thoughts. At first glance, this princess seemed to belong to the consort faction—she spoke of wanting to support the Queen and the green tea lady, even offering strategic counsel (even orchestrating their eliminations). Yet both of her actions left the Queen and Xie Lingxi deeply embarrassed, to the point of their toes digging into the floor. Meanwhile, she remained distant from Guan Ya, showing Yet she wasn't truly distant—she actively stepped into the internal conflicts of the small team, willingly serving as a pawn for the concubine faction. She was indeed restless. The corpse-like figure, devoid of subtle expressions or eye movements, left Guan Ya completely unable to gauge her thoughts. Zhang Yuanqing paused thoughtfully, saying, "Your Grace, in another fifteen days, I will enter the Spiritual Realm. Then I'll introduce you both to her." He intended to gently press the issue with Lady Yin Yao. The unspoken implication was: if you remain restless, I'll report your behavior to the old pillar. Lady Yin Yao's spiritual energy subtly wavered, then steadied, and she chose not to respond, instead focusing intently on her TV show. Indeed, she was afraid of the old pillar—just as one thing overcomes another. Zhang Yuanqing ascended the stairs to the second floor and knocked on Xie Lingxi's door. "Who is it?" came a bright, clear voice, like a silver bell, from within. "Me." "Come in." The tone inside the room instantly brightened. Pushing open the door, Xie Lingxi was lying on the bed, wearing a pale pink shorts, her long legs curled up, swaying gently, and her full rear end bobbing with the motion. "Brother, you just came in after having your meal—won't your sister Guan Ya be upset?" Her rear end swayed more enthusiastically. Zhang Yuanqing sighed, "Don't worry, my girlfriend isn't scary. Stop being so indirect. Here's something—I want you to stop contacting or seeing the Master of Zhishi Palace from now on." Xie Lingxi's face changed instantly, and she approached cautiously, "Why?" "I met her yesterday, and unfortunately, I ended up involving you. She said she'd strip you bare and hang you from the Songjiang Bridge." Xie Lingxi was immediately startled and cried out, "How could you do this, Yuanshǐ brother? W-w-w-w..." ... Good Music Hotel. Though both were hotels located in the suburbs, unlike the nearly deserted Wuhen Hotel, Good Music was bustling with guests, thriving in business. A young couple enters the hotel and notices a bare man suspended in the lobby, wearing only large pants, his entire body tied with threads so fine they resemble hair strands. Weighing 100 kilograms, he remains perfectly balanced in mid-air, held steady by just one slender thread. "Oh, what's going on with this man?" the woman marvels, taking a close look. She sees that he is a middle-aged man with a prominent belly and immediately loses interest, pulling out her phone to take a photo and post it on her social media feed. "Sorry, please don't take photos—we're not allowed to. This man is a renowned performance artist who doesn't like people photographing him," says Wang Qian, who is dressed in the front desk uniform, gently stopping her. The woman is slightly displeased: "If you don't want photos, just don't act all pretentious, come on!" The man, with a dismissive air, remarks, "That's how artists nowadays operate—just to grab attention. They'll do anything unusual to gain fame." While expressing his complaints, he walks toward the front desk to check in, eager to rush into the elevator. Beneath the voluminous explosion of hair, the venerable Prince of Passion blushed deeply, his face flushed with embarrassment, longing to revert instantly to his spiritual realm. Half an hour later, Wang Qian glanced at the Prince, picked up the telephone, and dialed the room number. "Master of the Palace, the time has come," he said, then hung up. In the air, the Prince of Passion crashed down, landing heavily on the cool floor. "At last it's over. If this continues, I shall lose my dignity completely—what face shall I have left to live among mortals? I, Prince of Passion, am no longer a man of standing." The Prince moved his arms, stiff and sore from being suspended for three hours, his circulation sluggish and muscles aching. "What have you done this time to displease Master of the Palace?" Wang Qian offered him a bottle of mineral water. The Prince twisted the cap open, gulped down a large swallow, and exclaimed, "The Prime Celestial Sovereign has betrayed me—I swear, I'm going to kill him!" As he spoke, the calm voice of the Master of the Palace reached both of them: "Hang for another three hours." The scattered red threads suddenly came to life, resecuring Qingdian the Sage and suspending him in the air above the hall. The middle-aged man emitted sounds like a tractor, weeping. Wang Qian looked on with pity. With the authority of a senior elder and leveraging Fu family resources, he must surely have access to more information about the Luminary Compass. "The information concerning the Luminary Compass is highly confidential—senior elders at level 7 aren't even granted access to view it. Elders at level 8 only gain a general understanding, while only peak-level elders can access detailed information. Even then, what I know is limited. Moreover, by protocol, I can't tell you anything," Fu Qingyang said. That day, the Mage's Eyes offered no reply. Fu Qingyang's voice suddenly deepened: "When the Moon, the Stars, and the Sun align, the gods who have been sleeping within the chaos will awaken. The King, seated upon the divine throne, will lead the gods to reignite the war, and the world will enter a new cycle." When the Moon, the Stars, and the Sun align... Zhang Yuanqing stood motionless. A lightning flash surged through his mind, bringing a sudden enlightenment and a wave of trembling excitement. In that instant, he understood many things. The Moon, the Stars, and the Sun symbolized the three stages of the Night Wandering God's journey—thus, this was the very reason for the Night Wandering God's unique professional traits. He also now grasped why the concept of 'specializing in a certain spiritual power' existed. Therefore, the black full moon on the character card—was that the symbol of a primary specialization in the power of the Moon Goddess? Still, the Moon itself—part of the "Sun, Moon, Stars"—is represented by the grass radical. Then, does the Demon King truly hold dominion? How could a ruler possess half-divine strength? The battle in which he and the Judge of Illusion perished—wasn't it anything but simple? Zhang Yuanqing felt his scalp tingling. Fu Qingyang glanced at him, his deep gaze slightly narrowing before settling back to its usual calm, and continued: "Later, the Light Compass was shattered in that battle, and its fragments were distributed among various powers. I know that two of the fragments belong to the Five Elements Alliance—one held by the Palace Master and the other by the Clan Master. The whereabouts of the rest remain unknown." The Palace Master and Clan Master he mentioned refer to the Master of the Palace of Water and the Master of the Red Flame Clan. "Any more?" Zhang Yuanqing asked. Fu Qingyang shook his head. After a pause, he added, "There's one thing I'd like to inform you—prepare for next week and attend classes at Qin Feng Academy. You should begin learning systematic knowledge." "Qin Feng Academy?" Zhang Yuanqing asked, puzzled, "What "The Ling-jing jointly established by the Taiyimen and the Five Elements Alliance is specifically designed for training transcendent and sage-level cultivators. It hosts many retired senior figures from the frontline—some who have grown weary of constant battles have chosen to serve as teachers here; others are engaged in research; and still others have been temporarily demoted or assigned to teach due to past mistakes." Fu Qingyang said, "Typically, after an official practitioner undergoes evaluation and an internship period, outstanding candidates are sent there for further training..." He glanced at his trusted subordinate. "You're rather special." The internship lasts three months—Master Yuan-shi achieves sage status within three months and nears the fifth level within four. "Do I still need to go? How long does one training session last?" Zhang Yuanqing expressed some reluctance. "Seven days," Fu Qingyang replied. Seven days? That's quite brief, but will it be of any real benefit to me?" Zhang Yuanqing mused. "Can I refuse?" "Besides the students from the Five Elements Alliance, young people from Taimei Sect and the elite families of the Spirit Realm will also join Qin Feng Academy—to make more friends, which can only be beneficial to you. On this list, there are Sun Miaomiao, Zhao Chenghuang, and Yuan Ting." Fu Qingyang spoke with an unyielding tone. In Qian Gongzi's view, this was a valuable opportunity to expand his network. The Prime Immortal wished to rise higher within the official ranks and could not rely solely on him—he needed his own connections and a solid team. Politics was never a game for solitary travelers. "Also, although they won't gain direct experience, Qin Feng Academy is a particularly unique Spirit Realm—it houses many valuable resources and holds some secrets, details of which I can't share with you. There are also star officials teaching there at Taimei Sect. You might take this opportunity to learn their combat techniques." Since Fu Qingyang had made these points, Zhang Yuanqing found it difficult to refuse and nodded, "Alright." ... After leaving the study and returning to his room, Zhang Yuanqing went over the information on the Light-Bringing Compass once again. "I'm now more certain that the disappearance of the XIAO YAO organization and my father's death are connected to the Prophecy of the Light Compass. Do they also have fragments? And where have those fragments gone?" "The Prophecy of the Light Compass sounds like a great catastrophe. Hmm, the Five Elements Alliance merged right after that..." He paused, picked up his phone, and sent a message to the Free Eagle of Chinese Heritage: "Could you check if there was any major reform among the lawful, orderly professions in your region twenty years ago?" Message sent. A few seconds later, the Free Eagle replied: "I'm currently engaged in a firefight with Black Brother—will get back to you later." "Wishing you all the best in your battle!" Zhang Yuanqing closed the message inbox and opened his contacts, searching for Chen Shu. Then he dialed his mother's phone. "The phone you've just called has been turned off..." A female electronic voice came through the speaker. Was it really off? According to the time difference, it should be midnight on Mom's end—she should be resting. Zhang Yuanqing set down his phone, leaned fully against the chair back, and sat alone, staring into space for a moment. He decided to visit his hometown. To investigate someone, starting with their close circle and background is undoubtedly the fastest and most accurate approach. Since he couldn't reach Mom, he would head to his father's hometown to begin his investigation.