"Didn't you notify him?" Fu Qingyang furrowed his brows, studied his subordinate carefully, then pulled out his phone. A few seconds later, a warm and steady voice—somewhat urgent—filled the speaker: "How is Yuanshǐ?" "Fear hasn't harmed him; it only challenged him," Fu Qingyang said, glancing at his trusted subordinate. "He's handling it quite well. Dog Elder, how did you know Yuanshǐ Tianzun encountered the King of Fear at the mall?" Zhang Yuanqing immediately leaned forward attentively. "After the palace maiden injured the King of Fear, I've been monitoring his movements through animal scouts. I personally witnessed Yuanshǐ Tianzun entering that clothing store with a young lady," the Dog Elder said, adding with a sigh, "Thankfully, the King of Fear didn't have murderous intent. Otherwise, no one could have saved Yuanshǐ." Fu Qingyang nodded once, then hung up the phone. "Use the Shuashen Seal to purify yourself. The King of Fear has likely left a mark on you. Try to minimize your outings. I'll find you a piece of equipment suited for a幻术师—someone who specializes "Master Qian delivered a heartfelt piece of advice. For a Lingjing cultivator of Fear King level, masks and sunglasses are utterly meaningless—only a change in appearance can make a difference. Among all professions, illusionists possess the most flawless transformation techniques; either they have special skills or their levels differ significantly, otherwise, one would never notice. "I have similar tools," Zhang Yuanqing politely declined and asked, "Can the Break-Sickness Seal purify a King-level mark?" "Marks are auxiliary skills with a singular function, limited in scope, and their principles are straightforward—thus, the Break-Sickness Seal is sufficient," Fu Qingyang replied. Zhang Yuanqing sighed with relief. Fu Qingyang then fixed his gaze on him, speaking in a steady tone, "Which young lady did Elder Gou refer to?" Zhang Yuanqing's gaze instantly turned cold... He quickly explained, "She's my younger aunt, who came out with me today to browse the mall." Fu Qingyang's expression returned to deep and gentle. "Big brother, how do we handle the Fear King?" Zhang Yuanqing asked. "The marshals will settle it—either by reaching a mutual understanding or by setting aside everything and facing each other to the death," Fu Qingyang mused, continuing. "Under normal circumstances, the Palace Master would pursue the King of Fear three times. Once the King of Fear retreats and no longer enters the Pine Sea, the matter is settled. If the King of Fear persists in being obstinate, he breaches the threshold—then the Marshal and the Palace Master will unite to hunt him down, and the King of Fear will surely perish." Three warnings, and then it becomes a matter of life and death? Is that the mutual understanding and threshold of a half-god? Zhang Yuanqing nodded, suddenly enlightened. So the Marshal is stationed at the zoo—not only to prevent the King of Fear from launching a feint attack, but also to await the three warnings? Wait—then the King of Fear will pressure me to go and rescue the Eye of Magic. He must have known the Marshal was already stationed there all along. Oh, there's this helpless feeling of watching the antagonist plot schemes while being powerless to expose them… Ah, even before the half-gods, I'm just a pawn in this game. Zhang Yuanqing said, "Then, shall we no longer worry about the Fear King making it to Fu Family Village?" "Why would he go to Fu Family Village? His objectives have already been achieved. We have no conflicts of interest with him—there's no need to eliminate us. Moreover, the Marshal will be staying in Songhai for some time." Fu Qingyang spoke calmly. That's good. I can return to Fu Family Village, even if I'm marked by the Fear King. Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself. "Then, boss, I'll go home to see my aunt first." He said. "Go ahead." Fu Qingyang nodded. Zhang Yuanqing hurried off, then turned back at the door, pulling out his phone and scanning the QR code at the checkout counter. After a moment's thought, he paid ten thousand. He still had a good sense of the prices for clothes here—Fearing's formal suit would likely cost that much. "Boss, I'm off!" Zhang Yuanqing left in a huff. Fu Qingyang stood inside the shop, watching Yuan Shi's back, looking somewhat puzzled. As someone with the ability of insight, he truly couldn't make sense of this time. What a ridiculous Tian Wang—this line of thinking is utterly incomprehensible… Zhang Yuanqing gritted his teeth. If it were anyone else, Zhang Yuanqing would have thought they were making a pretense, but this was the Fear Tian Wang, the number-one absurdity among the military commanders—he might genuinely believe that. [Original Heavenly Sovereign: Did you mark me? Now I need to purify that mark—do you understand?] Could the curse be eliminated? No, the vow remains binding. If the curse were to vanish, and the power of the vow were to overpower him, that would be disastrous. [Fear Tian Wang: Unless the Sun-Wandering God intervenes, or a sovereign-level purification artifact is used.] "Phew…" Zhang Yuanqing exhaled in relief, then edited another message: "Your clothes are 100,000—please transfer them back to me." The Fear Tian Wang ignored him. [Original Heavenly Sovereign: Of course, holding you to your payment is your right, but publicizing this matter is also my freedom as the creditor.] "Fear Tian Wang has transferred 100,000 ¥ to you." "Hmph Zhang Yuanqing happily retrieved his money, then produced the Shuashai Scroll, the Ghost Mirror, and opened his star-eyed gaze. In the mirror, his facial features remained unchanged—no immediate crisis. In terms of appearance, using the Shuashai Scroll would not pose any danger and could effectively remove the marks. This had been verified and authenticated by Fu Qingyang and the Fear Sovereign, further guaranteed by the principles of stargazing divination. Zhang Yuanqing felt confident about it. The Fear Sovereign had silently marked him; if he hadn’t noticed, the Sovereign would uncover his true identity through the mark; if he had noticed, then the removal of the mark would be of no consequence. Mentally noting this, Zhang Yuanqing pressed the Shuashai Scroll against his forehead. A clear but faint golden light erupted and then faded away. He could clearly feel something within his body being cleared. "Markings are relatively easy to handle, but oaths and curses are more troublesome. I need to rescue the Mage-Eyed Sovereign from the curse for it to be lifted. I can't actively remove the curse myself, or else my oath will claim my life." "Alright, I've got no choice but to seek help from the official authorities or the old banyan tree—whether they're willing or not. Once my rank improves, I'll definitely make sure to beat my fear into submission." "Hmm, wait a moment—he said I could consult him freely. I could simply use the name of the Eye of Magic to gather even more information about the zoo from the King of Fear..." Zhang Yuanqing's eyes lit up. Not all bad, after all! he thought. "After all, we're lifelong friends. If there's no rule, then there's no rule—how could you possibly hang me up and beat me?" Zhang Yuanqing didn't flinch at her threat; instead, he challenged her: "Everyone says you're neurotic, even unstable. Yet you've never lost your composure in front of me." Zhishi Palace Master sighed gently: "Then, what's on your mind this time?" "Do you know of the Waha Emperor?" Zhang Yuanqing asked. Under her mask, her eyes flicked upward, toward the ceiling, pausing for several seconds before shaking her head: "I haven't heard of him." The difference was immediately evident—half-divine-level strength wielders possessed information far beyond what a Sovereign could access. Zhang Yuanqing didn't press further, simply saying: "I visited Gaotian Yuan, the legendary island realm. There, I acquired several top-tier items." "So you're here to share your joy?" Zhishi Palace Master smiled warmly: "That's quite a good attitude—let's give you a verbal commendation." She completely didn't take the treasures seriously, merely teasing and praising with a cheerful demeanor. Zhang Yuanqing said, "The reason I came to see you today is because of something precious found in Gao Tian Yuan—I discovered a bronze divine tree there." He then elaborated in detail on the connection between Gao Tian Yuan and the First Emperor, and on the exceptional qualities of the bronze divine tree. Master Zhi Sha gazed at him for a moment, saying, "Do you wish to report something to me?" Her voice was unusually gentle. Zhang Yuanqing nodded. Master Zhi Sha smiled softly, covering her lips. "Your answer isn't quite right, but your sincerity is truly admirable—I accept it." Zhang Yuanqing nodded again. "I'll be entering Qin Feng Academy tomorrow at nine. My training will last seven days." Seeing Master Zhi Sha's approval, he lifted his cup and finished the coffee in one swallow, the liquid dissolving into a dreamlike cascade of starlight. Sun Miaomiao rolled her eyes: "It's all your own big mouth's fault! And as for the Prime Immortal, what does he have to do with my grandfather? Haven't you noticed? Since the Prime Immortal joined the official staff in April, your training camp career has officially begun. Right, Zhao City God?" She looked at the composed young man beside her. Zhao City God ignored her. Yuan stood up and thumped his thigh: "That makes perfect sense! My misfortunes began the moment the Prime Immortal joined. Hmph, whenever I'm with him, things never go well. I hope there's no such luck at Qin Feng Academy." "I agree—he's just a disaster. Whenever he shows up, things go south. The incident at the Hundred Blossoms Restaurant last month is just one example," Sun Miaomiao said. The two clinked their glasses happily. Qin Feng Academy is a wonderful place—beautiful scenery, many unusual animals, a relaxed pace of life, no combat, no training, perfect for a vacation. After becoming a Spirit Realm Traveler and completing their three-month internship, they had visited there before. Now it's the Sage's Advanced Training Program. The teaching atmosphere at Qin Feng Academy resembles that of a university—students learn what interests them, and if they don't, well, that's fine. The teachers are quite laid-back—unless, of course, the instructor is a Fire Demon. In their eyes, Qin Feng Academy is a resort destination. ... The desk lamp casts a warm, golden glow, not particularly bright, creating a soft, hazy dimness. At the chair by the desk, a figure dressed in black lounges lazily, his body bathed in the golden light, while his face remains hidden in shadow. "Grand Master observes the heavens and has seen the course of destiny," the Senior Guardian's hoarse, low voice echoes in the dim study. "He says that once you enter Qin Feng Academy, simply pay attention to the Merfolk Lake, and you will find the treasure he seeks." "But remember," the Guardian continues, "this journey will be fraught with peril—there may even be bloodshed. Grand Master emphasizes: caution and decisive action are the keys to overcoming the challenges." "Careful, decisive..." the person on the phone murmured, "Got it. The Grand Protector, just wait for my update. I've secured the precious artifact for the Head of the Assembly." Yes, open a new account—now that’s what people say these days. We’re still young, after all. Summer Hou’s father still believes his son’s character can be salvaged, but Summer Hou’s mother has long since given up. Though Ao Tian possesses outstanding talent and has already reached the rank of Fifth Saint at such a young age, his personality is simply dreadful. Whenever the elders in the clan hear the name "Summer Hou Ao Tian," their brows furrow with frustration. In fact, the family’s ancestral sage once declared firmly: "From now on, don’t bring this young man to see me anymore!" The reason? When Ao Tian ascended to the rank of Saint, he had just completed exactly two years of his journey as a Spiritual Realm Traveler—his talent, while exceptional, wasn’t quite that of a prodigy, but certainly among the very best. The ancestral sage was delighted and expressed his intention to meet this promising descendant. Ao Tian himself was equally thrilled. That very night, he crafted a ring designed to contain a soul. As soon as he met the sage, he produced it and said: "Ancestral Sage, please abandon your physical form and enter this ring. From now on, you’ll be my grandfather. By the way, do you have a disciple who has disrespected your teachers and overturned the traditions? Xiahou Ao Tian has been relegated to the cold palace ever since. Xiahou Dad recalled the past, sighed, and said, "Wife, you're right. Wife, let's go." Xiahou Dad and Mom embraced and went upstairs together. ... The next day, at 9 a.m. Zhang Yuanqing folded the eight-armed mirror delivered by Fu Qingyang's rabbit maids, checked that everything was ready, then gently placed his hands on the shoulders of the Blood Rhododendron and Lady Yin Yao. He heard the familiar spiritual realm notification sound. 【Ping! The spiritual realm map is loading. Enter the spiritual realm in 30 seconds. This is your current spiritual realm: "Qin Feng Academy," with no assigned number.】 【Difficulty Level: Unknown】 【Type: Multiplayer】 【Main Quest: Learn for seven days】 【Note: Non-spiritual realm items cannot be brought in.】 【Spiritual Realm Description: A faction's spiritual realm originating from the royal academy of the Qin Dynasty. After the Blossom Alliance conquered this realm, it was redeveloped into the Qin Feng Academy "Your Highness, I'd like to take you around and give you a taste of the modern academy atmosphere." Zhang Yuanqing gently squeezed the delicate shoulder of the Princess. The Princess was slightly displeased, yet her heart filled with anticipation as she thought about the upcoming visit to the academy. Soon, the scene before them began to ripple.