Combining the previous information with the newly uncovered details, Zhang Yuanqing's imagination soared, and a series of bold, chaotic conjectures surged into his mind. In a distant, unknown ancient age, a cataclysmic transformation occurred—driven by the conflict between two major factions (perhaps with additional contributing factors). Afterward, spiritual energy began to wane, plunging the world into disorder and chaos. Subsequent generations relied on this spiritual energy to cultivate and thus developed various professions. These professions were initially free from factional rivalry, allowing chaotic and lawful practitioners to coexist peacefully—though this harmony was not the norm. As the spiritual energy gradually diminished and the ancient cultivators eventually vanished, an era came to an end. Then, the Spirit Realm emerged, re-establishing the rivalry between the two factions and ushering in a new cycle of existence. That is precisely why the Light Compass made such a prophecy! "Logically it flows, but there are too many gaps and details. If I could stretch my imagination a bit further, I could even think of it this way—each biological extinction marks a great cycle of renewal. Since the birth of the heavens and earth, such cycles have repeated countless times... it feels like a novel could be written from this alone." Zhang Yuanqing thought. There were so many mysteries, and without solid evidence, guessing wrong about one point could completely alter the outcome. For instance, the cause of the world's end was believed to be humanity's excessive malice, which had twisted into terrifying monsters. In reality, the evil professions served as emotional dumping grounds for humanity, bearing the burden of suffering and fire. It was the lawful, orderly professions who were actually the villains—driven to eliminate and destroy these emotional reservoirs, allowing the accumulated waste to overwhelm human society, ultimately leading to human extinction and the collapse of the world into complete void. This, then, is the ultimate meaning of order. When the world no longer needs order, that very order becomes the most stable of all. Well, such an idea simply can't be turned into a book—it lacks positive energy and would be destroyed. That's exactly what the court has always done... Zhang Yuanqing suddenly paused. Order, destruction... He stood motionless for a few seconds, then vigorously shook his head, pushing the fresh thoughts out of his mind. Next, he replied to Free Eagle with "Thank you, let's stay in touch," and then set down his phone, focusing on his meal. During this time, he glanced at Guan Ya, then remembered his teammates—the Queen, the Green Tea lady, and Li Chunfeng. They were all intelligent people, far surpassing ordinary travelers in intelligence, organizational skills, vision, and insight. If he could bring them together to discuss, he might gain more reasonable and well-founded insights. Unfortunately, all these things are destined to remain confidential—even with the young Mr. Qian, he couldn't reveal them. At present, he maintains a delicate, unspoken balance with Mr. Qian. This is the balance that intelligent people should uphold—it shouldn't be broken, shouldn't be made explicit. "Jingqun just came by to see you," Guan Ya said, eating her cold beef salad, "He claims he lost a box of cigars—did you steal them?" "Steal? For someone who reads books, calling it a theft is just odd. It's a loan." Zhang Yuanqing hummed. "I saved his life and Ting'er's life—what's more, he repaid me with a box of cigars. How is that unreasonable? When I take items from Fu Qingyang, he never says a word. Jingqun's perspective is simply too narrow." Guan Ya sighed, clearly put off: "Fu Qingyang treats you better than he does me. This stubborn boy..." Zhang Yuan清 quickly interjected: "Our relationship is pure, male-to-male." Guan Ya didn't press him further, just sighed again: "He must feel quite lonely. To him, any genius seems like trash—yet he sees you as different from the rest of the trash. Though you often appear lazy and flamboyant, you've been steadily struggling through adversity, never stopping, never relaxing. He finds that remarkable—so he sees you as a true confidant." "Is that … After dinner, the large villa, the lounge. "Oh, uh, uh… gentle, please, not so strong…" Zhang Yuanqing emitted a heavenly moan. "Can't you just refrain from calling out? A star official, barely able to endure this much pressure?" Ling Jun chuckled. "Of course, I'm doing this for the first time—unlike you, who enjoy it every day… Ah, gentle, gentle…" Zhang Yuanqing drew in a sharp breath. "You're just sensitive," Ling Jun remarked. After all, even star officials not particularly renowned for their bodily defenses can easily withstand bullets thanks to their skin resilience and muscle strength. Zhang Yuanqing has never once been asked to hold someone's foot since childhood—when the rabbit-dancer exerts just a little effort, he lets out loud cries of pain. Ling Jun, holding his cigar, watches with a satisfied, amused air, while Fu Qingyang remains closed-eyed and serene, his handsome face calm and radiating a strong, masculine grace. "By the way, Yuanshǐ, do you have time next week? Teng wants to invite you for dinner to express her gratitude for saving her life." Ling Jun said lazily. "Next week?" Zhang Yuanqing glanced at the young man. "Next week, my elder has scheduled me to attend Qinfeng Academy." "Qinfeng Academy?" Ling Jun nodded. "That's a great place—there's a rich forest where you can hunt and gather high-value herbs. There are furnaces teaching you how to craft tools, and rooms dedicated to herbal identification and medicine preparation. There's plenty of good stuff there..." Ling Jun set down his cigar, picked up a hunk of honeydew melon, and bit into it. "All of “What secret?” Zhang Yuanqing asked. Fu Qingyang paused and said, “The Qin Feng Academy originally began as a high-tier faction quest from the Hundred Blossoms Association, set in the Qin Dynasty. After it was conquered, it evolved into the academy we know today. But I’ve heard from the Marshal that the hidden quest within this quest hasn’t been completed yet.” “Why hasn’t it been completed?” Zhang Yuanqing was surprised. Though high-tier quests were demanding, the Hundred Blossoms Association had half-gods among its ranks. Fu Qingyang glanced at him. “So it’s a secret. When I realized it, it was already too late—there wasn’t enough time to gather clues or complete the conquest quest. But you might still have a chance. After all, you’re different from Ling Jun, who’s just average.” Ling Jun: “…” He swallowed his honeydew melon and said, “Forget the secret. These things feel so distant from us. I’ll tell you about a great place inside the Qin Feng Academy.” With that, he flashed a smile that instantly made Zhang Yuanqing understand. “With beautiful female teachers?” Zhang Yuanqing chuckled. "A beautiful female teacher is an essential element of the academy, but what I'd like to share with you isn't that. There's a lake at Qin Feng Academy known as the Jiāorén Lake." Ling Jun expressed a deep sense of admiration. "Beautiful Jiāorén dwell there. In terms of appearance, even the most striking human beauties fall short of the average Jiāorén. There's not a single Jiāorén who looks unattractive. What are the Jiāorén? Zhang Yuanqing showed genuine interest. They are a mythical creature from ancient times. At birth, they are equivalent to a Level 1 Water Ghost; upon maturity, they reach Level 3, and a few elite ones attain the rank of Sage. The most powerful Jiāorén Queen holds the status of a Master. Within their community, there are no males—after reaching adulthood, female Jiāorén lay eggs and nurture the next generation. They can also mate with Water Ghosts among the spiritual travelers, producing hybrid offspring, with no reproductive isolation. Like ancient cultivators, these creatures gradually fade as their spiritual energy wanes and face extinction. However, the spiritual realm has provided them with a sanctuary, allowing their lineage to continue "Lingjun spoke with confidence: 'My grandfather introduced the jellyfish people to Qinfeng Academy after completing the Jellies' Lake quest, but there are no jellyfish people at the master level in the academy. I remember the strongest jellyfish queen is level 5—correct, aren't you, Fu Qingyang?' Fu Qingyang closed his eyes and said softly, 'Your memory is sharp. It seems the jellyfish queen left a lasting psychological impression on you.' 'How so?' Zhang Yuanqing showed interest. 'Lingjun once admired the jellyfish queen's beauty and secretly slipped out of his dormitory to swim into the lake. Unfortunately, he nearly died at her hands—thanks to the academy teachers who rescued him,' Fu Qingyang explained. 'Ah, that's the nature of creatures—only aware of strength, indifferent to romance, with a rather twisted view on courtship,' Lingjun said, not at all embarrassed. Zhang Yuanqing paused and then asked suddenly, 'Wait a moment—jellyfish people are half-human, half-fish, right? Their lower bodies are fish-like, aren't they, Director? How did you develop romantic interest in the jellyfish queen?' Lingjun loung Zhang Yuanqing was stunned: "Though they have fish bodies, they're so eloquent?" Ling Jun paused, "What are you thinking of? My point is, they may be merpeople, but they possess angelic beauty, with fair, delicate skin. To have romantic conversations with such beauties is a matter of grace and charm—there's no need to resort to anything else. You, a crude, flesh-and-blood-driven, lowly fellow, are so vulgar!" Zhang Yuanqing wasn't convinced: "You're not crude at all—how come you understood that?" Ling Jun found himself speechless. Fu Qingyang's face twitched: "Just stop talking about this!" Both Zhang Yuanqing and Ling Jun looked at him, exclaiming loudly: "Oh, you understood too, huh?" Fu Qingyang remained silent for a moment, then turned to the three rabbit maids, and coldly commanded, "You all go ahead!" Princess Yin Yao bit her cherry-lipped little trumpet, her hands lingering and exploring the mahjong tiles, each tile played sending out a mature, confident voice—“Nine Bamboo,” “Three Thousands,” and so on. The Queen lost her entire salary for half a month, gritting her teeth and saying, “I suspect Princess Yin Yao is cheating with celestial astrology. We should blindfold her.” “She hasn’t cheated,” Guan Ya replied. The Queen was unconvinced: “Then why is it always *I* who lose the money?” Xie Lingxi just glanced at her, her voice soft and delicate. “Queen, could it be that your skills simply aren’t up to par?” The Queen was about to object, when suddenly she saw Yuan Shi Tian Zun entering through the main door, beaming. “Captain, you’re back! Oh, wait—what happened to your face?” The three women turned to see Yuan Shi Tian Zun with a swollen nose and bruised cheeks, now looking like a pig’s head. “My nephew gave me a good beating,” Zhang Yuanqing said, lying back on the sofa and sighing. “Lingxi, come, be kind to your brother—I need Xie Lingxi wrinkled her nose at him, displeased that he called Fu Qingyang his cousin. "Captain, I'm here, I'm here!" The queen, having lost half a month's salary, was positively eager, determined to earn it back by serving as a servant to the captain. But she was pinned down by Lady Yin Yao, motionless. "Shameful!" came Lady Yin Yao's mature, commanding voice from the speaker: "This is the new era of women's supremacy—don't let women down." You've clearly not enjoyed yourself, haven't you?—the queen thought to herself, wishing the game hadn't ended. Lady Yin Yao proposed a solution: "Have one of your household's senior staff attend to you." Still, that was no good, Zhang Yuanqing insisted firmly: "I've told you—those aren't just staff. They're close friends and loved ones." Muttering under his breath, he dissolved into a dreamlike glow and vanished. After bathing and brushing his teeth, the bruises and swelling on Zhang Yuanqing's face and body faded away—thanks to the star official's natural healing abilities, even if an arm were severed, he could recover within "Before heading to Qinfeng Academy, I'd like to visit home first, then stay a few days at Xiao Yuan's place. Since the recent sweeping clean-up, the evil professions in Songhai have been much more cooperative—now, to build reputation, I'll have to hope that the next dungeon encounter is a combat-based one." "The investigation by the Xiaoyao Organization can wait for now—the results have been solid, though the leads have dried up. Chen Shu has blocked me from receiving updates. To keep going, I'll have to take risks and seek information directly from the Zoo's spirit beings." Lying in bed, he drifted off into thoughts without a clear direction. Before joining Qinfeng Academy, he could probably enjoy a few peaceful days. "Back then, I thought university life was dull and monotonous—every day spent attending lectures, playing games, and accompanying my aunt out shopping, occasionally doing some crafting. Now, I suddenly miss those early days..." He sighed inwardly, reached into the drawer, and pulled out the Cat King stereo, saying, "I'd like to know what the Mage King knows about the Light Compass." "Having said that, he opened the music player app on his phone and played the song: 'I Love You, Alone in the Dark Alley...' As the melody concluded, the Cat King speaker emitted a faint static hum. Soon, a familiar, raspy voice came through: 'I heard from the Fearful King of the General Commander about the prophecy of the Light Compass. Does the sun, moon, and stars symbolize the ultimate power of the Night Wandering God?' At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing entered the realm of the Night Wandering. A man's voice replied, 'As you expected.' This voice Zhang Yuanqing had heard before—he recalled it now—it was the same mysterious figure who had once conveyed the prophecy of the Light Compass to the Demon King. He had invested in the Demon King. 'Why specifically the Night Wandering God? What makes the Night Wandering God unique?' asked the Demon King. 'This question goes beyond my scope—even I don't fully understand the reason. However, I can offer you a perspective: among all the lawful, established professions—both domestic and overseas—why is the Night Wandering God the only one achieving peak combat strength? Have you ever thought about that?' "Do you know?" "I didn't know. All I wanted to tell you was that the Night-Wanderer has always been special." The mysterious man said. "By the way, you mentioned that you were afraid of the Commander of the Army—did he not kill you, but instead told you the prophecy of the Light Compass?" "My companions were all killed by him; naturally, he would have killed me too. I told him: 'Killing you is your freedom, but living is mine. You shouldn't extinguish the freedom of a life.' He truly appreciated my understanding of freedom and wanted to be friends with me—we talked for a long time. I told him that I am a servant of the Judge of Illusions, bound by the Holy Grail, and will never be free." "And then?" "He said he would go and kill the Judge of Illusions, hoping that he would succeed." How could the Commander of the Army possibly be mad? Could mere words really save him from death at the hands of a King? I'll keep that in mind—perhaps it will prove useful someday... Zhang Yuanqing murmured to himself. The Mage King then said, "It seems you don't know either. Then, let me ask you another question: when facing a familiar person in the enemy camp during a confrontation quest, how do you break through the deadlock?" "What happened?" the mysterious figure smiled. "Last month, in a confrontation quest, I encountered a friend. I didn't want to kill him, yet I had to—there was no way to avoid the spiritual realm's mission. He was an evil-class character, yet a kind-hearted man, actively seeking redemption. He told me that as long as one sincerely repents and turns toward the light, even the most heinous of sinners can be reborn." The Mage King's voice was low. "Do you see yourself reflected in him? Do you also wish to redeem yourself?" the mysterious figure asked. After a long pause, the Mage King said: "Recently, I've been listening to audio recordings I made in the past. I find myself becoming less and less like myself—more and more like a madman. I dislike who I've become, yet I can't control the evil impulses deep within my heart." "I became friends with him, observed him, examined him—hoping to see if a truly irredeemable person could indeed find a way back. Yet in the end, I had no choice but to kill him. "Right before he died, he told me he didn't hold it against me—he felt at peace." The mysterious figure sighed: "When you rise to the rank of Sovereign, I'll reveal the method to free yourself from the Fallen Holy Cup. But the risk is high—the probability of death is very great. You must be prepared to meet your end. As for the way to break through the副本 challenge, it's simple: just leave the副本." "You're just saying something obvious." "Hmm. What I mean is that you need to leave the副本 voluntarily—rather than being transported out by the spiritual realm. You'll need a piece of equipment from the Void Occupation path; I don't currently have it, so I can help you locate it." The mysterious figure said. "However, if you force yourself to leave, you'll lose a certain amount of experience points, possibly even dropping a level. You'll have to decide that yourself." The audio cut abruptly. A piece of equipment from the Void Occupation It all makes sense now... Zhang Yuanqing chewed on the details and realized the information was overwhelming. First, he understood the origin of the transmission jade chest. Second, he began to suspect that the magic king's friend was actually part of the Wu Xian Master's team. Third, he realized that the battle in which the magic king and the Ghost-Eye Judge perished was actually orchestrated by this mysterious figure. Could the person who had disguised himself as the magic king and taken away the Little Sun be this very figure? Compared to the magic king's survival, Zhang Yuanqing found this explanation more plausible—after all, the magic king's death had been officially validated by the Taiyuan Master, the Wuxing Alliance's half-divine leader, and Wu Xian Master. The Commander of the War Sect had invested in the Night Rose Leader, the Wuxing Alliance had invested in the Taiyuan Master, and this mysterious figure had invested in the magic king. The figure remained elusive, never revealing his identity—a clear fit for a schemer. After the magic king's death, had he taken the Little Sun with him, intending to seek out the next investor? I am also a Night Traveler God—why didn't he invest in me Is my Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn not worthy of anything? The direction of the path toward the Magistrate has been clarified. I need to investigate this mysterious figure—ah, I'm truly busy... Zhang Yuan Qing thought. At that moment, her phone rang. She glanced at the screen: the caller was Reiko, who had a comfortable life. She had unexpectedly reached out to me... Zhang Yuan Qing answered the call. "Moses, Moses?" A clear, yet serious and slightly tense voice from the speaker came through—typical of a high school girl: "Master Yuan Shi, I'm sorry to disturb you at this late hour. I... I have something I'd like to ask you for help with." As the words settled, Zhang Yuan Qing heard a dull thud on the phone, as if the caller had bumped her head against the tatami mat.